Microdosing wellness might be better for you than spending hours working on your health. Here’s how to do it.
Finding time to do things that are good for us can feel overwhelming. A trip to the gym can take close to two hours by the time you’ve factored in walking there, warming up and finding a good playlist. Home cooking nutritious meals every night is a myth if you get home from long days in the office to empty shelves that you didn’t have time to restock at the weekend because life got in the way.
Luckily, it’s not just the big chunks of time spent exercising or huge overhauls to our eating habits that help us feel healthy. Actually, microdosing could be the answer – and we don’t mean hallucinogens. We mean those small, often tiny, habits that you can do throughout the day or week that just make you feel well.
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Exercise snacking is the simplest way to improve fitness when you're too busy to workout
Prioritising small moments of health isn’t anything new – exercise snacking has been a phrase bouncing around the fitness industry for a while, encouraging everyone to break up their day with manageable amounts of movement. The idea is that those who don’t have time for a long workout will accumulate the same amount of movement with five minutes of walking here or 10 squats there.
Strong Women’s editor Miranda Larbi supports this type of microdosing of exercise too. “I believe in moving as much as possible. I manage to start my day with a walk, run or cycle, head out at lunch (even in the rain) and end the day with a bike ride home. But I also think breaking up screen time with a 10-minute stroll is enough for people to have a decent mental break,” she says.
One of the main perks of these small, manageable habits is that they can help us feel more in control – a nice reminder that we have the power to do something good for ourselves amid chaotic days or horrible headlines.
They also make the overwhelming world of health more accessible, knowing you don’t have to spend loads or find time you don’t have to feel good. And it’s not just us – these are just some of the ways Strong Women friends and readers microdose their health:
“I pick a card from the Mål Paper mindfulness deck which has a small exercise on it to help you slow down.” Ella
“Taking non-negotiable water and toilet breaks every hour. It’s a reason to move from my desk and self-care at its most basic.” Lauren
“Walking and talking meetings (if I don’t need to be on a video) – it’s often the only screen break we get in a day.” Alice
“When I wake up I always go into another room, open the window and just sit quietly for five or 10 minutes. It’s not meditation, but it gives me a few moments to adjust to the day.” Jaz
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“Masturbation. A few minutes of pleasure in the day is so important to my overall happiness.” Emily
“I do a regular body scan to see if I’m holding any tension or clenching my muscles and then relax them.” Meena
“I don’t know if it actually works, but putting my air purifier on for an hour before bed gives me the illusion of cleaning my environment before sleep and makes me feel calmer.” Ellie
For me, microdosing health comes from moments of pausing and questioning before action. Like asking whether the salad my hands throw together without thinking is actually going to satisfy my needs on a busy day, or whether I’m better off cooking up some more energising pasta. It’s about moving away from the ‘shoulds’ and thinking about what I actually need, turning off autopilot and tuning into my body. That’s always a good way to feel better.
Images: Getty
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