Once you have them, you can track and watch how they improve based on simple lifestyle habits you make, which can pay dividends in as little as a month. “If you track them over time, and they’re moving in the right direction, then you know you’re doing the right things for your health.”
Start with your diet
Most of us are already aware that food is fuel, but it’s also worth remembering that it’s what our cells need to rebuild, regenerate and do their jobs well. “Eliminate ultra-processed foods from your kitchen—that means processed white flour, added sugars, industrial seed oils… anything that’s made in a factory and subsequently does nothing to support our health,” she says. “Then, it’s about incorporating the five elements of metabolically healthy meals into every meal, something I discuss in the book.” These include fiber, probiotics, omega fats, antioxidants, and healthy protein. If you can commit to six weeks of forgoing UPF in favour of these foods, she says you’ll feel “drastically different.”
Sleep
Sleep is of paramount importance to our cellular health because it’s at night when our bodies clear out metabolic waste and fix all of the damage that occurs during the day. When we don’t get enough sleep, these regenerative processes don’t happen as well, so we face poor health that can get worse over time. Prioritize sleep, making sure you dim the lights in your home a couple of hours before bedtime to signal to your body that it’s time for rest. Likewise, try and ensure you get enough light within the first 30 minutes of waking up to improve sleep later on—during the winter months, a SAD lamp can help replicate sunlight.
Look after your emotional wellbeing
Our emotional health matters much more than we think, which is why it’s crucial that we find ways to nurture our minds and soul, as much as our bodies. Much of this starts with community and finding people to spend time with, in whatever capacity that may take. Feeling isolated “generates inflammation and can also directly hurt our mitochondria, the energy hub of the cell that’s responsible for metabolic processes,” says Dr Means. With our phones constantly in our hands, news apps firing on all cylinders (especially recently), we sometimes think we’re more connected than we are—actually, it pays to see people in real life. Your cells will thank you.
Connect to yourself and understand the symptoms
Our ability to connect with ourselves and understand (and listen to) our bodies implicitly is something Dr Means is really passionate about. She wants us to slow down and spend time connecting with the body and what it’s trying to tell us. “Reflect on the miraculousness of life, the fact that we’re here and living,” she says. “Female bodies tie in with other natural cycles, including tides, the moon and seasons, so start your health journey from a place of awe and appreciation. It helps empower us to make decisions about our health.”
While this might sound a little woo-woo to some, fundamentally it’s key to understand that any symptoms you’re experiencing are a conversation the body is trying to have with us about its needs not being met in some way. While many of us automatically try and squash our symptoms with medication or other habits, Dr Means says it’s about considering what can be done to meet the body’s needs. “Run through a simple checklist: how has my food been? What’s my sleep been like? Have I been getting enough light? How are my emotions? And so on.”