Focus on themes instead of details.
In other words, don’t micro-manage your health.
Instead, think of macro-issues that are likely to have the most impact on your overall well-being.
For instance, instead of trying to figure out exactly what foods to eat and what the nutritional value of each should be, why not simply focus on eating less food in general?
Another example: instead of trying to come up with the perfect exercise program, which will take a long time to study and implement (and become a source of frustration when you’re not able to stick with it), why not stick to the basics? The basics are going to give you 80% of the results you want anyway. Be careful about what you sacrifice for that other 20%.
Here’s a list of macro-themes that I think deliver the most value in terms of overall health and well-being:
- Eat only when hungry, and stop when you’re 80% full. Also, make your diet high in fiber.
- Stay hydrated.
- Sleep 8–10 hours per night, consistently. Go to bed early.
- Exercise moderately, three times per week. Pick something you enjoy doing.
- Spend 30 minutes per day reading a book and reflecting on what you’re learning from it. (good for brain health)
- Be thankful and prayerful every day. (reduces stress)
- Treat everyone with respect. (conflict is stressful)
This is a very simplistic formula. But I think it’s better than getting bogged down in all kinds of time consuming and frustrating details. And although there’s no perfect formula for good health, I think we can stack the odds in our favor by focusing on such major themes.
