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After more than a decade of researching wellness, I\u2019ve realized there\u2019s no \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d approach to health. Instead, each person has unique needs. This means we need to investigate what works for our bodies, and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For example, I reversed my Hashimoto\u2019s<\/a> and lost weight<\/a> by finding adaptations that worked for me. But those same solutions might not work for others. This is why I don\u2019t give specifics on which supplements I take each day or what my day looks like. My routine is largely irrelevant to what will work best for you because we\u2019re all so different.<\/p>\n Each of us has the responsibility to investigate our own optimal health solutions. Using a minimum effective dose (MED) approach to health and wellness is a great way to get started. This involves applying the smallest dose to maximize the desired outcome.<\/p>\n Taking a minimum effective dose (MED) approach to wellness can help make the adjustment less overwhelming so that you don\u2019t give up simply because you don\u2019t have enough time. It\u2019s a great starting point for effecting change.<\/p>\n The basic concept here is finding the lowest dose needed to accomplish the greatest change. This applies in both nutrition, fitness, and wellness. In many cases, more isn\u2019t better!<\/p>\n In his book The 4-Hour Body<\/em>, Tim Ferriss provides a great analogy for this concept. Here\u2019s an easy way to look at it: Water boils at 212 degrees F. This is the MED. Raising the temperature won\u2019t make the water \u201cmore boiled,\u201d so it\u2019s a waste of energy.<\/p>\n As Ferris explains, two important MEDs when it comes to fitness and health are:<\/p>\n Although there\u2019s no magic solution that works for everyone, some health strategies are universally beneficial to all bodies. Building health by first mastering the basics allows us to create forward momentum. Then, we can tweak our individual needs to find the top needle movers for us.<\/p>\n When it comes to food, I like to keep it simple by focusing on clean eating. Michael Pollan\u2019s words ring true here: \u201cEat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.\u201d<\/p>\n There are so many options for diets<\/a> today that it\u2019s overwhelming. The right diet varies for each person and is based on many factors. And there are more reasons to follow a specific diet than just losing weight. Diets help us balance our hormones and keep blood sugar under control, giving us more energy and better sleep. It\u2019s also important to eliminate things we\u2019re sensitive or allergic to so our bodies can heal.<\/p>\n For example, green beans are considered pretty healthy, but I have an IgE response to them, so I avoid them. Other people might find that nightshades bother them so they eliminate those.<\/p>\n Often, the best approach to clean eating is a balanced plan that you can stick to. We know the statistics that those who over-diet tend to be less healthy and abandon their eating plan in the long run. A less-than-perfect plan you\u2019ll stick to will win out over an extreme one you\u2019ll despise in a week.<\/p>\n The importance of sleep is one of the few things all health experts seem to agree on. I\u2019ve never heard anyone claim we can be more healthy by sleeping less or having poor sleep habits. Many experts claim sleep is much more important than diet or exercise. We can\u2019t out-diet or out-exercise poor sleep.<\/p>\n Just like with nutrition, optimal sleep amounts and approaches can vary, but we all need good sleep.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve found it helpful to track my sleep using an Oura ring<\/a>, so I can see the impact different changes have on my sleep. This data helped me understand that getting to bed by 10:30 has a noticeable effect on my deep sleep and REM. I also noticed that drinking any kind of alcohol reduced both of these.<\/p>\n Did you know that our bodies are made up of about 60% water? Hydration is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies. It will help increase energy, make your skin glow, keep you feeling full longer, and filter out the bad things in your body.<\/p>\n The water in our bodies isn\u2019t regular water but salt water. We don\u2019t want to overhydrate and mess up the delicate balance of minerals. It\u2019s important to increase salt and other minerals as we increase our water intake. Doing this will allow us to absorb more water. <\/p>\n Since I\u2019ve started drinking 32 ounces of water with a teaspoon of salt in it just once a day, my skin is so soft, even in the winter.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t need only an hour of the same workout every day as much as we need normal and consistent movement. An hour of exercise won\u2019t undo the damage of being sedentary the rest of the day.<\/p>\n One study showed that, in some tests, smokers are actually healthier than non-smokers in a work environment because they get up and move multiple times per day. I\u2019m definitely not advocating smoking. But what if we all pretended like we had to go outside every hour or two and walk around for ten minutes\u2026<\/p>\n Working out is important, especially when it comes to things like strength training and high-intensity exercise, which have long-lasting benefits for the heart, bones, and brain. <\/a>This post shares some great workouts<\/a> to try out at home.<\/p>\n Throughout the day, make sure to get down on the floor, play with your kids, chase them at the playground, or do any other functional movements you can sneak in. And if you do work at a desk, take frequent breaks.<\/p>\n This pillar is one of the closest I\u2019ve found to being universally applicable. Close relationships and a strong community are absolutely vital to our health. Human connection is more statistically important than quitting smoking and twice as important as exercise. It improves longevity by up to 50%. The lack of social connection is a greater detriment to our health than obesity, smoking, poor diet, or lack of exercise.<\/p>\n In other words, it probably should be the first and most important factor on this list. If you don\u2019t have this part optimized, it\u2019s worth being your top priority. Yet, in a more socially connected world, we\u2019re reeling from a lack of true human connection because of digital distractions.<\/p>\n Stress is another huge problem in our world. Like sleep and community, it can have a bigger impact on health than food or exercise. Yet most of us aren\u2019t managing it well.<\/p>\n Managing stress is a daily practice and looks different for everyone. This includes reducing bad stress and finding (and increasing) sources of good stress. These small good stressors are hormetic, meaning low-level stresses that have a beneficial effect on the body in the long term. Think of it as the biological equivalent of \u201cthat which does not kill me makes me stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a helpful metric for learning about your body\u2019s response to stress. It\u2019s essentially the measure of the variability between your heartbeats. It\u2019s considered a good predictor of health and longevity and is connected to the autonomic nervous system.\u00a0<\/p>\n A higher HRV is typically correlated with a lower risk of death and a longer life expectancy. I track HRV using my Oura Ring<\/a>. I\u2019ve found that regular breathing exercises, meditation, sauna\/cold plunge use, and movement all improve my heart rate variability and decrease my stress.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t get somewhere unless you know where you\u2019re going. Many of us have vague health goals, like \u201close weight\u201d or \u201cget healthier,\u201d but we haven\u2019t clearly defined them or made a roadmap for getting there.<\/p>\n Wellness is a long-term journey, not a short-term goal. Having a clear and defined focus can help the process. These also help us move past more vanity-based metrics like the number on a scale and toward overall health and balance. This post <\/a>gives you a plan to determine your intentions and help with motivation.<\/p>\n I find I\u2019m most motivated and consistent when I\u2019m moving toward a specific goal. For instance, lifting a certain amount of weight, improving a blood marker or HRV measurement, or improving my sleep. I track most of this using apps (like Oura, My Fitness Pal, or other health apps) and am able to see patterns.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret we deal with many stressors daily, including less-than-optimal food, a sedentary lifestyle, high levels of stress, and a lack of true human connection. The last thing we need is to add more stress by feeling like we aren\u2019t doing enough or we\u2019re getting these things wrong.<\/p>\n Stress and guilt over these things can be as problematic as the actual problems we\u2019re trying to fix, so finding a good mindset and balance is important.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s the Minimum Effective Dose Approach?<\/h2>\n
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Seven Common Health Strategies to Use Minimum Effective Doses<\/h2>\n
1. Clean Eating<\/h2>\n
Nutrition M<\/strong>inimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
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2. Sleep<\/h2>\n
Sleep Minimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
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3. Hydrate<\/h2>\n
Hydration Minimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
4. Movement<\/h2>\n
Fitness Minimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
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5. Connection<\/h2>\n
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6. Breathe<\/h2>\n
Stress Minimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
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7. Intention<\/h2>\n
Intention Minimum Effective Dose<\/h3>\n
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