Building a (Sustainable) Healthy Lifestyle

Over the years, through my own mental and physical health challenges, I’ve learned a lot about how to build a healthy—yet sustainable—lifestyle, through learning from traditions and frameworks like yoga, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and even the Blue Zones Project.

I want to share with you fundamental practices that have helped me. It can be maddening and exhausting trying to follow every new health fad or eat every “superfood” that’s been suddenly rediscovered, but this basic blueprint has proved sustainable in my life. I may not do all of these all the time, but in general, if I can check about 75% of these off each day and make sure to not skip the same habit more than a day or two, I do pretty well.

Think of it not as rigidity but as scaffolding, structure, and framework. Many of these habits and practices can be done simultaneously to save time. This framework keeps in mind the wisdom of ancient traditions as well as modern discoveries. In traditional Jewish culture, the day actually begins the evening before (hence why Sabbath starts Friday evening). I incorporate that philosophy here.

Cultivate a nourishing, restorative evening ritual.

Consider your evening meal (ideally between 6 and 8 pm) as the close of the current day. Spend that meal with those you love or enjoying your own company. What happens after is the beginning of the next day.

During the next 2-3 hours before bed, incorporate practices that will recharge your batteries and prepare you for a restful night’s sleep. You might opt for evening prayer, journaling, and reflection. You could do a self-massage with a nourishing oil that has a sesame or coconut base. Afterward, you could draw a bath with epsom salts and essential oils. If you have access to a sauna, that can also be an excellent option for detoxifying and balancing the body.

While the linked self-massage article above goes into meticulous detail, your self-massage doesn’t have to be elaborate. The self-massage might be only 5 minutes. Once a month, you can also massage your scalp and hair with oil before showering and shampooing, but it doesn’t have to be all the time (personally, washing my hair at all is quite a production, so I only use hair oil once a month).

Finally, get into bed without any screens nearby. Personally, I enjoy reading an entertaining fantasy book during this time. This may also be a great time to connect quietly with your partner as you read together. You may wish to check in with each other using something like the FANOS method, hold hands, and/or pray together briefly before falling asleep.

Prioritize 8-9 hours of sleep each night.

Not everyone is blessed with being able to sleep 8-9 hours every night due to insomnia, rumination, or physical illness (which some of these other practices will help with), but if you can, make it a priority. For me, having the right sheets (like cooling viscose derived from bamboo) can be a game changer. Make sure your room is dark—get all the lights and beeping things out of there.

Cultivate a purifying, focusing morning ritual.

Upon waking, consider touching the ground and then holding your hands in prayer as a small gesture of gratitude to God for waking up this morning. Splash some cold water on your face, gently patting to promote circulation and wakefulness, followed by applying moisturizer (cream, oil, or tallow) in circles on your face. Brush your teeth, scrape your tongue with a copper tongue scraper, and if time allows, you might swish some oil (plain coconut oil is fine, or you can buy some special oil swishing formulas) in your mouth for five minutes to further draw out impurities. Oil swishing is a great time to also take your shower. Moisturize your body after the shower.

Then, take at least 15 minutes for prayer, journaling, and/or meditation. I have a special designated spot in the house for this, which I would highly recommend. Mine includes a heated massage cushion for my back as well as a red heat lamp and Yoga Toes for my feet (I am prone to foot cramps and circulation issues and have found using these to be a great daily practice). During this time, I journal, pray (starting with a prayer of gratitude), and read things that are good for my soul.

Afterward, eat some breakfast that includes protein. Good examples are some type of egg with oatmeal or a bowl of Greek yogurt with toppings. If you’re in a rush, grab a drinkable Greek yogurt and/or a hardboiled egg.

Incorporate spiritual food, reflection, and expression.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to check in with God throughout our day, becoming aware of His presence and His favor toward us at all times. During a boring meeting, while dealing with a frustrating coworker, while task-switching at work…. Some apps even have concepts like “praying the hours” that remind you to check in with God at specific times. You may even wish to carry a small journal with you so you can jot down prayers and reflections as they come to you. While working, you may want to play worship music or healing binaural beats through your headphones.

Occasionally, perhaps monthly or biweekly, take some time out to do something creative. This could be painting, drawing, playing an instrument, or dancing. Creativity connects us with God and ourselves.

Hydrate throughout the day, in between meals.

Room temperature or hot water is best. Ice “ices down” the digestive tract, which can create problems. You can add lemon and sea salt, cucumber and mint (especially during the summer), or apple cider vinegar to aid digestion. In the winter, it can be nice to drink hot water with apple cider vinegar, honey or maple syrup, lemon, and a cinnamon stick.

In the morning before breakfast is a great time to have your first full glass of water for the day. This is also a great time to incorporate lemon and/or apple cider vinegar and sea salt (and add some honey if you need to). Don’t drink a whole lot of water with meals; instead, prioritize hydrating in between them. For me, adding some kind of healthy, natural flavor like lemon or lime and mint makes reaching for that water bottle more appealing throughout the day, not to mention adds some extra nutrition.

Eat warm, cooked, regular meals.

This is something we can’t “sneak past” through smoothies or protein drinks. Your body thrives on three regular warm, cooked meals a day. It doesn’t have to be fancy. For lunch, if you have to bring leftovers to work, slowly warm them up in a lunch warmer instead of a microwave (if you have a short break in between your 10 am and 11 am meetings, that’s a great time to drop your food in the lunch warmer). When you eat a salad, try to make sure the greens are at least wilted or massaged. Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store (fresh veggies and proteins) for the majority of your food.

Move naturally and functionally.

If you didn’t move already in the morning, late afternoon or early evening is good. You don’t have to get into the latest fitness craze; just go for a walk with coworkers around the outside of the office, or head to the hiking trail immediately after work. You may also choose to join a yoga class (a lot of free or donation-based classes may be held outside in your city). Get on your bike or go walk the dog. The point is to make movement easy and accessible. If you have a gym or fitness studio on your way to and from work, that’s awesome, but for those who don’t, consider other ways to “get your steps in.” Congratulate yourself every time you make room for movement, even if it’s simply remembering to go walk outside during a Zoom call meeting instead of staying rooted to your desk under fluorescent lights. These small choices add up over time.

Go outside.

Even though I addressed this in the previous point, it deserves its own heading. Beach vacations are great, but also consider ways to incorporate sunshine and dirt into your everyday life. When the weather allows, you might choose to have your morning meditation outside on the patio. Qigong is an excellent practice that can be incorporated into either your morning or evening ritual, and it is extra nourishing and grounding when done outside, preferably with bare feet on the earth. Take the dogs to the dog park. Experiment with gardening, just so you have a few extra daily excuses to go outside, check on your plants, and get your hands in the dirt.

Take breaks for silence and solitude.

We desperately need this “rest and digest” state amid our constant stream of input. Silence and solitude can be an extended, intentional reset, such as a social media fast or a personal retreat (I recommend St. Francis of the Woods), but also sprinkled throughout your day. Perhaps the only times you get for silence and solitude are your 15- to 30-minute journaling, prayer, meditation, and reflection times in the morning and evening, but maybe you can also get some while going on a walk or visiting the yoga studio. Silence and solitude are getting more and more important for our sanity as we are constantly inundated with information and opinions in the age of the internet and social media. Our minds and bodies need these breaks.

A Sample Day with These Rhythms

On a weeknight, after dinner, I do the dishes, followed by working on a puzzle while listening to a fun, encouraging audiobook and drinking herbal tea. Then I draw a bath with epsom salts and bubble bath, and while the water runs, I do a self-massage with a sesame-based oil that has essential oils added. While in the bath, I listen to William Augusto soaking worship music or Graham Cooke’s prophetic audio tracks on Alexa. Afterward, I moisturize my face and get into bed with a good book. After spending some time reading with my husband, I go to sleep in time to get 8-9 hours of sleep. If the weather is even slightly cool, I wear socks on my feet to help me get to sleep faster and sleep more deeply.

In the morning, I thank God for waking me up, then splash water on my face, followed by moisturizer. I brush my teeth, use the tongue scraper, brew coffee, feed the dogs, and then go to my special spot with a cup of coffee for my morning massage, heat lamp, Yoga Toes, and daily readings, journaling, and prayer. I drink a cup of hot water with lemon and sea salt, then fill up a large 32 oz. water bottle with room temperature water and lemon. Then I go outside to water the plants that need it and check the bird feeder. I wear clothes that are made of natural, breathable fabrics and that are soft and comfortable.

As I settle down to work, I am surrounded by encouraging words and promises from God that I can look up at any time I need to. I check in with God regularly when I’m confronted by a difficult problem. Checking in with Him is also a good time to take a drink of water. I face a window and am surrounded by warm lighting and good smells, including my essential oil diffuser and my Himalayan salt lamp. I take breaks regularly to look away from my screen and outside toward the trees.

I take a lunch break, during which I heat up my leftovers in the skillet, and if weather allows, I eat outside and let the dogs out.

Right after work is when I typically make time for movement—whether a yoga class, a hiking or biking trail, a pickleball league, or a group fitness class at the gym. Then I cook or heat up dinner. And then my next day begins.

Cultivating a Daily Rhythm that Works for You

If you’re feeling like this is just one more checklist you can’t possibly follow, I want you to know that some days I only check off a few (let’s hope I never skip brushing my teeth and scraping my tongue, for example)! Then I might end the day with binge watching TV, eating a whole bag of Fritos, and drinking one too many glasses of wine. But I don’t condemn myself for these moments. I cultivate self-grace and compassionate curiosity.

Did I just need a break?

Are there emotions I’m trying to avoid feeling?

Did something happen that was troubling to me but that I bypassed in the moment?

Then I ask God to help reveal these things to me and help me process in His good timing. And the next day I get to start again.

A sustainable healthy lifestyle is designed to create gentle structures that hold you when motivation wanes, simplifying your decisions when life feels overwhelming. These practices are not meant to become another exhausting checklist or a new standard by which you measure your worth. They are an invitation to return to your body, honor the wisdom of ancient rhythms, and live your days with intention instead of reactivity.

You don’t have to implement everything at once. Start with one evening ritual. One morning prayer. One daily walk outside. Let small faithfulness compound over time. Health, like spiritual formation, is built in quiet, ordinary moments repeated consistently.

When your days are bookended with restoration and grounded in simple, nourishing habits, you begin to experience something deeper than productivity or even physical vitality. You experience steadiness. Peace. A sense of being aligned with how you were designed to live.

And then, gently and gratefully, you begin again.