I almost bought 3 new supplements last night. Magnesium glycinate, because better sleep. A gut powder, because a podcast said so. And something with mushrooms in it that promised… everything!
Then…
I realised I already have a magnesium sitting in my cupboard (citrate) and have kefir in the fridge.
But it got me thinking… and I feel that potentially you might feel this too.
When did being healthy get so exhausting?
When did health become a second job?
Have a look at the modern “healthy person” to-do list. Ten thousand steps. 30g of protein. 25g of fibre. 8 hours (at least 7) of sleep (tracked, scored, and judged by a ring). Sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking. Cold plunge. Sauna. Zone 2 cardio. Strength training three times a week. Mobility. Meditation. Journalling. Gratitude. Greens powder. No seed oils. Wait, seed oils are fine now? Just check the temperature they are cooked at.
Each one on its own? Or even just a few… very helpful. But stack them all together… and it is feels too much! For me anyway!
When does too much of a good thing turn into a bad thing?
Do you actually need all those supplements?
Now, I’m not anti-supplement… right now I take that magnesium, plus a vitamin c and a fibre supp… plus I should be taking iron. Some of us, at various times really need them, especially women with all the hormonal shifts and pregnancy etc, especially because our fresh produce is becoming depleted in minerals.
Here we go… I can easily imagine in a not so distant dystopian future where fresh food would be so scarce and depleted in goodness, that all our nourishment comes from a pill bottle (company owned by a mega pharmaceutical corporation, best friends with the tech overlords who promote it).
Anyway the point of this paragraph is to not get you depressed, but to remind you that it is so easy to choose the supplement to take based on a Instagram reel that described our symptoms (tired, foggy, a bit flat… potentially we all feel like this depending on the type of day). Instead of self-diagnosing at the checkout… perhaps we should rely on the actual data, a blood test, a GP visit*, or a naturopath can tell you what your body actually needs. This way we make choices based on facts, not marketing.
*Also want to remind you to advocate for yourself, if you don’t feel right, get 2nd an 3rd opinions.
Is it easier to scroll than to actually live?
Then there’s the phone. Which, let’s be real, is where most of this wellness to-do list comes from in the first place.
We finish the day, we’re tired, and instead of going for a walk or calling a friend or doing some stretches on the ground listening to music (sounds lovely, hey?!), we pick up the phone. And scroll, there’s an endless stream of people telling us how to live better. So we watch them. For however many minutes… hours? We watch them instead of living our own lives.
I’m not judging. I do it too! Scrolling is easy and addictive! I scroll and see a mix of health and life optimising things and then all the news of the world (which I feel is important, but perhaps I can get this news in a better way). Then I feel… BLURGHHHH!!
But I keep coming back to this: the whole point of being healthy is to have a life you actually get to enjoy. Not to spend that life researching how to be healthy.
Can a perfect routine protect you from getting sick?
This is the part I’ve been thinking about the most.
So much of wellness also runs on fear. I am a real sucker for it, I see scary headline, read the article… then I am looking out for potential symptoms in myself and all the people I love. Perhaps this happens after you see someone get really sick?
Article after article about what could go wrong.
Cancer risk, hormone chaos, inflammation, dementia, the toxins in your shampoo. And yes, it is all real. And humans do get sick.
I know this personally, I have a pituitary tumour. I don’t think I got it because I skipped my greens or forgot to cold plunge. I didn’t do anything “wrong”. It just happened, the way things just happen to bodies. Maybe one day there will be research into this condition and it will become clear what it is (my hunch, probably the endocrine disrupting cocktail that is in… everything!). Remember, once upon a time doctors prescribed smoking for anxiety… who knows what will change in the future!
None of us are immune. You can do every single thing on the list, perfectly, every day and still get sick. That’s not a reason to give up on looking after yourself. But perhaps it is a reason to remember… to be healthy but also enjoy to process. To not stress out too much… and not buy in to every supplement and method.
Looking after your body matters. Of course it does. But it can’t be about controlling every outcome, because we just can’t. What we can do is look after ourselves in a way that feels good, in a way that is sustainable… and in a way that leaves room for the actual life we’re trying to protect.
What yoga has been saying all along
In Yoga philosophy there’s a word: santosha. It means contentment, acceptance. Not “I’ll be content once I’ve fixed my sleep score and my gut and my posture”. Contentment now. With what’s here in this very moment.
It’s one of the Niyamas, which are pretty much ancient guidelines for how to live well. The urge to keep chasing “better” isn’t new, but social media really has amplified it.
Santosha doesn’t mean you stop caring for yourself. It means you stop believing you’re one more supplement away from being better. Unless you are super low in something… than most likely, you’re one supplement away from feeling a million times better (reason why I mentioned to get the blood test).
But don’t you run a Yoga, Pilates and Meditation App?
I hear you! “Emma, you run a yoga and pilates app. You’re asking me to use my phone, you’re telling me to do something to improve my wellness.”
Yep. I see the irony haha. But here’s the difference: the phone isn’t the enemy, mindless use is. There’s a world of difference between losing an hour to the scroll and spending 15 minutes moving your body with a purpose, then closing the app and getting on with your day.
It’s exactly why Carla and I built MerryBody the way we did. Short classes. Yoga, Pilates and meditation you can actually fit into a real life. No 32-step routine. No guilt if you miss a day. Just press play, move, feel better… and then go do life.
And also, I am not telling everyone to use our app… but if it works for you in this current season of you life. If the classes make you feel better… then it’s right for you!
If your wellness to-do list has become too long, here’s my suggestion:
- Pick 1-3 things that make you feel good in your body and mind.
- Do these things most days. If you miss a day, don’t stress.
- Spend the time you’ve saved (from scrolling and stressing) on actually living. Eat dinner without your phone. Call your family. Sit in the sun with a great book. Or even… do nothing at all!
If you want a simple way to add extra movement to your life… try one of our Yoga, Pilates or meditation classes, sign up to a 7 day trial of MerryBody. You can also download it straight from the app store. Do 3 classes within your free trial week, see how you feel. If it adds stress.. don’t continue, if it helps you feel better… keep going!
And as for me? I’m off for a walk around Rocca di Papa. Phone stays home… haha… also because there is no reception in this little Italian town.
Always merrymaking,
Emma (and Carla)
Ps. here’s the view around our little Italian town. I still take the phone sometimes… to capture this!
