Chapter Content
Okay, so, like, let's talk about energy, good energy, right? You know, we all want it. I mean, if eating good food, sleeping well, moving our bodies, and like, chilling out, managing stress, if all that stuff is so amazing, so like, life-changing, why aren't we *all* doing it? I mean, really?
It's a big question, isn't it? And I think it kind of, like, hangs out in the back of our minds, you know? It feeds into all these, like, beliefs in the medical world that people are just, like, lazy or that, you know, changing your lifestyle just doesn't work or that people just want the easy fix. Like, people don't wanna put in the work, basically. Or that, you know, we need to find some super complex, like, "innovative" solution, right? But these, like, criticisms totally ignore the fact that there's, like, trillions of dollars being thrown at us to, you know, eat junk food, sit around all day, sleep less, and live in, like, a constant state of anxiety. So, yeah.
The truth is, doing these simple, good energy habits? It's kind of an act of rebellion, honestly. So I'm gonna talk about, like, twenty-five of the, like, most important habits and give you a four-week plan to, you know, start including them in your life. And, you know, by doing these habits, you can, like, really thrive and, like, lower your risk for so many conditions, you know, that are connected to not having enough cellular energy. I'm talking depression, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, infertility, the list goes on and on.
Now, the whole point of this plan isn't to, like, suddenly do everything all at once. No way. It's to, like, shift your mindset and start, like, a journey of, like, curiosity that you can actually stick with. Because, you know, when you're going for good energy, it can feel like you need to, like, totally redo your entire life to protect yourself from all the, you know, bad stuff in modern life and spend, like, tons of time doing healthy stuff. So, basically, we want to, like, cut down on the things that, like, overwhelm the body, you know, things that mess with our good energy, like, you know, sugar, processed grains, those nasty seed oils, toxins from the environment, and, you know, boost the stuff that makes us strong and matches what our body needs, like, you know, good sleep, omega-3s, moving around.
And when you consistently have more of the good stuff than the bad stuff, you're gonna feel awesome. So, every day, I try to, like, gather as many good energy habits as I can, you know, to, like, tune up my engine, build, like, biological strength and resilience, and, you know, make things lean toward good cell function and good health. And I also try to, like, protect myself from, like, too much stress, you know? Because stress is, like, the cumulative burden on the body from, like, constant stressors and life events, you know? And some days, depending on how I'm feeling, what's going on, and how motivated I am, the mix of good energy habits might look a little different. And that's totally fine. We're humans, not robots, right? The key is to know what habits will help your metabolism and, like, try to fit as many as possible into your days as much as possible. Some habits will become super easy and natural, and others might be a daily struggle.
So, week one, we're gonna take some quizzes, right? To see where you're already doing great with good energy and where you could use some work. We'll figure out your "why," you know, like, your deep down reason. We'll start keeping a food journal. We'll set up a way to measure progress and get someone to hold you accountable, okay? Week two, we're all about food. You'll pick the first three good energy habits and commit to them for the next three weeks. Those habits are getting rid of the "Unholy Trinity," those bad foods: refined grains, refined sugars, and those industrial seed oils, yuck. Plus, I'll tell you about the other food habits so you can get ready for weeks three and four. And then, in weeks three and four, you'll choose three more good energy habits that you'll commit to, on top of those three core habits from week two.
Again, this month isn't about being perfect. No way. It's about getting comfy with these good energy habits and feeling confident about adding more of them into your life. And hopefully, during this month, you'll, like, level up on the "hierarchy of competence" curve, you know?
So, the hierarchy of competence, it's, like, a model for learning anything, really. Level one is *unconscious incompetence*. That's where you don't even realize that you're, like, bad at something or that you're even doing something wrong, right? Like, maybe you sleep with the TV on, not knowing that the blue light is messing with your melatonin. Or you eat foods with artificial colors because you don't know that they can be, like, toxic to your brain.
Level two is *conscious incompetence*. You know you're not doing something right, you know you should be, but you're just not doing it, basically. Then, level three is *conscious competence*. You know what you need to do for good energy and health, but you might not be doing it every single day for every habit. But, by the end of week four, you wanna be getting closer to level three for those three habits you chose and also for the three core habits, you know, cutting out refined grains, sugar, and seed oils. And then, eventually, you'll move to level four, *unconscious competence*, where healthy living is just how you roll, you know?
So, I recommend going through the list of twenty-five good energy habits and, like, rating yourself on each. Some of us might be level four for some things and level two for others, totally normal. Like, I'm level two for mindful eating and, like, heat therapy. I know it'd be good for my cells, but I don't do it regularly. I'm kind of between level two and three for sleep consistency and how much I sleep. I'm usually okay, but it's a challenge, and I have to think about it and plan it every day. But, I've just recently gone from level three to level four with 10,000 steps a day and weight training. I do them without much effort. They're built into my day. My strong level four habits are, like, getting enough fiber, not eating refined grains, sugars, and seed oils, and going outside in nature. These are just automatic for me now. I'd, like, struggle *not* to do them. So, try choosing your three good energy habits from those habits where you're currently level two and see if you can get to level three during those two weeks.
So, week one is all about, like, establishing your starting point and making yourself accountable. First, figure out your "why." You know, if you can't, like, clearly state what you want to be in your life, making healthy choices will be, like, a lot harder. But if you know who you're trying to become, motivation will come easier.
Being skinny isn't a good enough reason, trust me. It's not an identity or a value. And living longer, that's not really enough either. Those things used to motivate me, but they're not as strong as values that are about something deeper, you know?
Your values reflect what's important to *you* in life and why you want to be alive. Your choices and actions show the world, and more importantly, yourself, what those values are. And those choices and actions decide whether your body will work well. When your choices don't match your values, life gets harder.
I make good energy choices because I'm trying to be someone who, you know, values the gift of life, my body, and my mind, who wants to have the energy and ability to make a positive impact on my family, friends, and the world, who thinks for myself and doesn't want my body to be controlled by industries that make money by keeping me sick. Someone who, like, makes choices that respect the earth and the animals.
So, what are your reasons? What kind of person does good energy allow you to be? What values do you want to live by? Take a little time to make a list of why you want your cells to work better.
Next, think about what you need to do to give your cells the best chance to make energy properly. What's hurting your cells, and what's helping them? It'll be different for everyone. I might need to sleep better and move more during the day, and you might need to get rid of toxins in your house and cut out processed foods. The quizzes below will help you see where you are on the good energy scale and find the areas where you could make the biggest improvements with good energy habits.
Okay, so, first, we gotta talk about metrics. Like, are you in the 6.8 percent? Here are some tests you probably get every year anyway: fasting glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, waist circumference, and blood pressure. So, if you're not, like, perfect on all of those, you're part of the 93.2 percent of Americans who have work to do to get your cells making energy better. There are some other optional tests that you could ask your doctor for, too, that can also show you how healthy your cells are.
Okay, next up, the good energy baseline quiz! It's all about figuring out where you could focus your energy to get more good energy. You know, spark awareness about how you can best support your body. We're talking about stuff like food, circadian rhythm, sleep, meal timing and habits, light, movement, temperature, stress, relationships, emotional health, and toxins. There are a lot of questions in the quiz, so I won't read all of them, but just to give you an idea, some of the food questions are like, "Do you use a food journal?" or, "Can you tell the difference between processed and unprocessed foods?" or, "Do you read food labels?" You know, that kind of thing. The sleep questions are, "Do you consistently use a sleep tracker?" or, "Do you sleep between seven and eight hours a night?" The movement questions are, "Do you use a step tracker every day?" and, "Do you know that you get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week?" And the questions about toxins are, "Do you filter your tap water?" and, "Do you avoid scented candles and air fresheners?"
So, yeah, you'll take the quiz, and then you'll, like, see where you can make the most improvements, okay?
Now that we've, like, looked at the different areas of our lives, let's, like, get ready to take some action.
First up, create a food journal! Food journaling has been shown to really help with losing weight and eating healthier, so whether you use a smartphone app, a digital note, or a paper journal, the important thing is to write down everything you eat so you know what your body is made of and if it has what it needs for good energy.
Write down every single bite, even if it's just a tiny piece of bread, one french fry, or a little piece of chocolate. You want to be really clear about your relationship with food and where you could improve. Log the time you ate, how much you ate, and the brand of any packaged foods. I recommend using a paper journal, keeping a digital note, or using an app like MacroFactor or MyFitnessPal. MacroFactor and MyFitnessPal are great because they have a barcode scanner that pulls in all the information. If you're making complex meals, writing it down might be easier, so you can just, you know, talk into your phone, easy peasy.
And then, every Saturday, look at your food journal for, like, half an hour and see what you've been eating. See if there are areas where you're struggling with healthy eating, and figure out what's stopping you from making it happen.
Next up, order wearable devices! Get an activity tracker that measures sleep, steps, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Seriously, it will change your life. When you put on a wearable tracker, you'll see how different your perception of what you do is from what actually happens. And think about it: just walking 10,000 steps a day is linked to a much lower risk of, like, all kinds of diseases. Wearables let us know for sure if we're hitting our goals for sleep and activity. Without that certainty, you might think you're living a healthy lifestyle when you're not. There are lots of different trackers, but the Fitbit Inspire 2 is simple, affordable, has a long battery life, and shows you how many steps you've taken and what your heart rate is.
And you can also do glucose monitoring. Like, tracking your blood sugar can be really helpful as you work toward good energy. You have two options: a standard glucometer, where you prick your finger and manually log your findings, or a continuous glucose monitor, CGM. CGMs give you much more data and show you the connection between what you do and how your blood sugar responds. But in the United States, you need a prescription for a CGM.
And finally, set up an accountability system! Having someone to support you and hold you accountable can make a huge difference. It makes you more likely to stick with healthy habits. One way to do this is to partner with a friend or coworker who's also trying to be healthier or who's willing to support you and check in with you regularly. Another helpful thing is to prepay for wellness experiences, so there's a real cost to not doing them. And plan as many activities as possible around good energy habits, like social events and meals. If you're invited to a party, bring healthy food and drinks to make sure you have good energy food to eat.
So, yeah, find an accountability partner who you trust and who's willing to support you with daily check-ins. Schedule a meeting once a week to go over your food journals and habit tracking. Prepay for wellness activities, and organize social and work activities around good energy habits.
Okay, week two, we're focusing on food. Food is super important, it's the base of the pyramid. You'll pick the first three good energy habits and get rid of the "Unholy Trinity:" added sugar, refined grains, and seed oils. Everyone should do this. Plus, you'll learn about habits four through seven, which are all about what to add into your diet.
So, first, you gotta eliminate refined added sugars, meaning all foods, drinks, and condiments with refined or liquid sugars. Read all labels for "added sugars" and don't buy anything with them. Next, eliminate refined grains, all foods with ultra-processed refined flour or grain. Read all labels. And finally, eliminate industrial seed oils, all foods, drinks, and condiments with refined seed oils, you know, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, and any oil that says "hydrogenated." You have to read all labels here, too.
You need to go through your house and get rid of every food that includes added sugar, refined grains, or industrial seed oils, and then don't eat those foods for the next three weeks. And then, start learning about the additional food habits and how to eat more good energy foods.
These habits are: eating over 50 grams of fiber per day, eating three or more servings of probiotic foods per day, getting your omega-3 intake up to a minimum of 2 grams per day, and increasing antioxidants, micronutrients, and polyphenols through plant diversity.
So, yeah, that means tracking your fiber intake, making sure you're eating yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, or other probiotic-rich foods, eating salmon, sardines, chia seeds, or other omega-3-rich foods, and eating lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and spices. And then, starting in week three, you wanna eat at least 30 grams of protein per meal. Good sources are meats, fish, dairy, eggs, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds.
Now, how can you do all this simply, cheaply, and easily?
Cooking your meals at home from whole-food ingredients is the best way, because you can control the quality of the ingredients, make sure the food is organic, and minimize additives and industrial seed oils. Since you can't cook every meal from scratch, here are some ideas for packaged snacks for busy days.
Some of my favorites are Daily Harvest frozen soups and bowls, whole fruits like apples and oranges, precut vegetables like carrot sticks, organic freeze-dried fruit packs, unroasted nuts, coconut flakes, HOPE hummus, Wholly Guacamole, snack pack olives, lupini beans, flaxseed crackers, seed crackers, veggie chips, seaweed snacks, almond butter snack packs, grass-fed yogurt cups, coconut milk yogurt cups, Greek yogurt, Epic bars, beef sticks, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, sardines in olive oil, packets of salmon and tuna, bone broth, konjac root noodles, almond milk, nut butter, smoothie cups, hot sauce, salsa, sauerkraut, and baby food pouches, for the road.
And, prepping simple good energy meals doesn't have to be complicated. You can roast or saute vegetables or make salads with lots of different veggies, add greens, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
And, you can make easy meals with foods from all five elements, like yogurt parfaits, egg scrambles, baked salmon and vegetables, tofu scrambles, and chicken stir-frys.
Weeks three and four, you enact three personalized good energy habits. You're still getting rid of refined grains, refined sugars, and industrial seed oils, but you need to add in three more habits that you don't already do regularly. I'm talking about moderate intensity movement, resistance training, taking 10,000 steps, or just generally moving more during the day. Then, there are a whole bunch of other habits around getting enough sleep, getting consistent sleep, meditating, self exploration, eating within a defined window, practicing mindful eating, maximizing sunlight exposure, minimizing nighttime blue light, getting heat exposure, getting cold exposure, drinking clean water, cleaning personal care and home care products, and getting nature exposure.
Okay, so, you'll think about how you can make these habits fit into your life, how you might go from level two to level three or from level three to level four on the hierarchy of competence.
You know, before starting your two weeks of living out these additional habits, think about how you're going to make the habits fit into your life and how you might move from level two to level three or from level three to level four on the hierarchy of competence.
And then, after each week of the four-week plan, take some time to look at your good energy tracker and food journal and see how you did. If you didn't meet your goals, write down what got in the way. Talk to your accountability partner and try to figure out how to do better next week.
At the end of week four, think about whether you improved your level of competence across the food habits and the additional habits you chose. Were you able to move from conscious incompetence to conscious competence? What did you do to make the habits happen? And, really importantly, check in on how it felt to create some of these habits. Do you notice anything different in the way you feel? Do you feel proud of yourself for starting this journey? Was it helpful to have accountability?
So, choose three additional good energy habits from habits four through twenty-five to really commit to for weeks three and four. Write down the ways that you're going to build those habits into your life for weeks three and four, and schedule everything into your good energy tracker.
And then, at the end of each week, think about your good energy tracker and food journal and see how things went. And then, get out of the matrix, right?
During this month, I hope you proved that you can add new habits to your life and that they make you feel better. I also hope you improved your mindset, realizing there's meaning in consciously giving your cells the biological needs that modern industrial life has stolen.
And, there's no destination, but the commitment to daily actions that respect our cells, well, that might be the secret to a happy life.