There is always something new.
A better diet. A smarter supplement. A revolutionary training method. A sleep hack. A morning routine. An app promising to optimise something you didn't realise needed optimising.
Some of it is useful.
Some of it is nonsense.
And somewhere underneath all of it are three remarkably unexciting things:
Eat reasonably well. Move your body. Get enough sleep.
None is revolutionary.
That's rather the point.
01 · MOVEWalking still counts
Exercise doesn't have to begin with Lycra, a gym membership or somebody holding a stopwatch.
Walking counts.
Taking the stairs counts. Gardening counts. Walking to the shops counts. Taking the dog around the block counts. Parking a little farther away counts.
The World Health Organization's guidance is refreshingly straightforward: all physical activity counts, and some is better than none.
Walking also has one particularly useful characteristic:
Most of us can do it again tomorrow.
That's more important than it sounds.
The spectacular workout you do twice isn't necessarily as useful as ordinary movement you can sustain for years.
02 · EATFood doesn't need a personality
Food has somehow acquired tribes.
Low-carb. High-protein. Plant-based. Paleo. Mediterranean. Fasting. Carnivore.
There are legitimate questions — and plenty of research — around different ways of eating.
But most of us can improve what we eat considerably before joining any tribe.
Australia's dietary guidelines aren't terribly glamorous either: eat a variety of nutritious foods, including vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and sources of protein; drink plenty of water; and limit foods high in saturated fat, added salt and added sugars.
In other words, the fundamentals still matter.
And perhaps the most useful eating pattern is one that's both nutritious and realistic enough to continue living with.
03 · SLEEPSleep isn't wasted time
Sleep is often the first thing sacrificed when life gets busy.
We borrow an hour from tonight and assume tomorrow won't notice.
Tomorrow usually notices.
Good sleep matters to mood, attention and memory, and sleep also intersects with metabolism and healthy weight.
Sleep, food and movement don't live in separate boxes.
They're simply parts of the same life.
And getting the basics reasonably right can matter more than endlessly searching for the perfect optimisation.
04 · REAL LIFEMaybe the goal isn't perfect
There will be takeaway nights.
There will be terrible sleeps.
There will be mornings when exercise can get stuffed.
That's life.
The useful question probably isn't: “Did I do everything perfectly?”
It's: “What can I do reasonably well, most of the time?”
Because health isn't built on your best Tuesday.
It's built across thousands of fairly ordinary Tuesdays.
And perhaps that's the point.
There may be better ways to optimise every part of our lives.
But before we go looking for them, it might be worth doing the boring stuff.
Eat well. Sleep well. Exercise well.
Then see where that takes you.