Health recommendations
The principle is simple: doing the basics consistently matters more than almost anything else. These practical tips are designed to improve your health without extremes—no 4am cold plunges, just straightforward habits you can integrate into daily life and actually sustain.
Sleep
Nice to have: Consider sleep supplements carefully
Magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, and apigenin are often discussed for sleep, but their benefits and risks vary. Check whether a supplement is appropriate for you, especially if you take medication.
Must have: EssentialWind down before bed
Minimize stimulation before bedtime by avoiding intense exercise, bright screens, and heavy meals. Do some breathwork or reflection instead. These practices can significantly improve your sleep quality
Must have: EssentialAvoid coffee after 2pm
Caffeine has a half-life of about 5-6 hours, meaning that half of the caffeine you consume will still be in your system after this time. So, if you drink a cup of coffee at 3pm, you may still have significant levels of caffeine in your body when you're trying to fall asleep at 11pm. By cutting off caffeine earlier in the day, you can give your body time to metabolize it and reduce its impact on your sleep quality. Ideally, avoid coffee altogether
Must have: Keep your bedroom aired
High levels of CO2 decreases sleep quality. Monitoring and adjusting the ventilation in your room leads to better sleep
Must have: Night Shift after sunset
Activate the Night Shift feature on your electronic devices after sunset to reduce blue light exposure. Blue light can inhibit melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep.
Nutrition
Must have: EssentialEat more protein
Most people benefit from consuming more protein that they think. Incorporate high-quality sources like whey protein and eggs into your diet. Make sure you understand that not all proteins are equal due to their different digestibility scores and amino acid profiles.
Must have: Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and B
While a balanced diet is the best way to obtain essential nutrients, some vitamins and minerals are commonly deficient in modern diets. Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins are among the most important supplements to consider.
Nice to have: Mushroom nootropics for focus
Look into mushroom nootropics like Lion's Mane, which help you focus over extended periods of time.
Must have: Basic nutrition hygiene
Maintain basic nutrition hygiene by avoiding calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods such as sugary drinks and fried items. Opt for whole, unprocessed foods to maximize nutrient intake and support overall health
Nice to have: Warm water before meals
Drinking warm water before meals can aid digestion by warming your stomach and preparing it for food intake
Eat mindfully
Practice mindful eating by eating slowly and avoiding distractions like TV or phones while eating. When you do something else while eating, your brain doesn't properly process the fact that you are meant to be digesting
Must have: Chew very well
Chewing your food thoroughly is a simple but often overlooked aspect of healthy eating. It helps with digestion and better absorption of nutrients
Sports
Must have: EssentialTrain strength
Incorporate strength training into your fitness routine to build muscle, increase metabolic rate, and improve overall healthspan. Compound exercises like pull ups, push ups, squats, deadlifts, and rows are particularly effective for building overall strength and muscle mass
Must have: Warm up properly
Always begin your workout sessions with a proper warm-up to prepare your body for exercise and reduce the risk of injury. Dynamic stretches and light aerobic warmup can increase blood flow to the muscles and improve flexibility
Mental
Must have: No phone in spare minutes
Resist the urge to check your phone during brief moments of downtime. Take a few deep breaths, stretch your body, or simply observe the world around you. You need to give your brain space and time to digest all the sensory inputs it's constantly exposed to. When you do, you will find that your brain fog lifts
Must have: Don't chase insights
It's easy to fall into the trap of constantly seeking new insights, tips, hacks. While people feel guilty if they watch something that's purely funny or entertaining, reading or watching insightful things feels like productive work. When the reality is that loading up insights leads to information overload and overconfidence bias.
Maintenance
Must have: Shakti mat for back pain
A Shakti mat is a form of acupressure therapy that involves lying on a mat covered with small plastic spikes. The spikes apply pressure to specific points on the body, stimulating blood flow and releasing muscle tension. I found a Shakti mat to be the easiest and most effective way of quickly releasing a tight back after only 10 mins
Nice to have: Tongue scraper
Start your day with a tongue scraper to improve oral hygiene. It removes bacteria, food debris, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue, reducing bad breath and improving oral hygiene
Must have: Morning nasal wash
Many people find that their nasal passages are clogged or dry upon waking, especially if they live in dry climates. Using a saline nasal wash helps flush out dust, pollen, and mucus. You can easily find a reusable bottle with a nozzle
Other
Nice to have: Continuous glucose monitors
A continuous glucose monitor tracks glucose levels throughout the day. CGMs are primarily used in diabetes care; their value as a general wellness tool for people without diabetes is less clear.
Nice to have: Track with an Apple Watch
An Apple Watch is useful to monitor health metrics like heart rate, steps, exercise intensity, and sleep. The data provides you with a better picture of your health trends
Must have: Air purifier
An air purifier improves indoor air quality by removing pollutants, allergens, and particles from your environment
Must have: CO2 monitor
By monitoring CO2, you can determine the best times to ventilate your space. A build up of CO2 causes fatigue and headaches. In fact, if you sleep in a room with a closed door you'll be surprised by how much it rises. That may be why you wake up tired on some days
Nice to have: Bluetooth scale
A Bluetooth weighing scale syncs your weight and body composition data directly to your health app to track trends over time
Must have: Standing desk and walking pad
Prolonged sitting causes so many health issues but especially impacts your heart, breathing and lower back. A standing desk allows you to easily alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. And for an even better setup, consider adding a treadmill to walk at a slow pace while doing light work.
