Lifestyle tweaks - like movement snacks and screen breaks - can have a big impact on health. Photo / 123RF
Some simple tips for a healthier, happier life.
We’re constantly asking experts for research-backed advice on how to eat better, stress less and generally live healthier, happier lives. But which habits really make the biggest difference?
To find out, New York Times reporters went back to leading specialists they’ve interviewed over the years and asked them this: What is the one health tip you learned in your work that you swear by? These 35 tricks, life hacks, rules and reminders span nutrition, sleep, mental health, fitness, sex, productivity and more. They all meet the New York Times Well desk’s standard for excellence with a little extra credibility – they are practised by the people who preach them.
When I find myself stuck in a pattern of negative thinking, I try not to complain for seven days. It retrains your brain to stop going down a negative path. I write “Don’t complain!” on a sticky note right by my bed so I see it when I wake up. – Dr Kali D. Cyrus, psychiatrist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Dark-chocolate-covered nuts (at least 70% cocoa) are almost a perfect food. They combine two remarkable nutrient-rich foods – nuts and cocoa – and are high in phenolics, minerals, healthy fats and fibre. – Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the Food Is Medicine Institute at Tufts University
Keep magazines, phones and any other reading paraphernalia out of the bathroom that will distract you from the task at hand – defecation! Studies show that extra time on the loo may increase your risk of haemorrhoids. – Dr Sophie Balzora, gastroenterologist and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health
My second-grade teacher, Ms Edson, told us: If something feels too hard to do, it just means that the first step isn’t small enough. So often when we’re struggling, we tell ourselves that it’s a sign that we’re broken or that something is our fault, and then we freeze. But when something is too hard in the moment, tell yourself Ms Edson’s advice. – Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist, parenting expert and founder of Good Inside
I never force myself to sleep, and I don’t wind down in bed. I go to bed when I feel sleepy. This means my bedtime may vary slightly every night, but I fall asleep quickly. – Alicia Roth, sleep specialist at the Cleveland Clinic
I do small actions day to day that keep me connected with other people. I didn’t used to. But then my research began to show people who do are happier, live longer and stay healthier. I started deliberately making dates with friends, going out to dinner with other guys. I have a Friday noon meeting every week with my friend and colleague Marc. And I make small, frequent contact with other people I want to stay connected to. Texting counts. – Dr Robert J. Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development
There’s lots of work on what’s called time affluence, the subjective sense that you have some free time. The simple act of giving myself a break – two to five minutes to catch my breath between tasks – makes me feel less time-famished. Studies would suggest that just changing that sense of time famine can have a disproportionate impact on wellbeing. – Laurie Santos, cognitive scientist and happiness expert at Yale University
What is a societally condoned dietary constituent that helps prevent liver disease, makes you alert and does not need to break the bank? Coffee! The cheapest brewed coffee with the lowest number of additives helps the brain, liver and microbiota. – Dr Jasmohan S. Bajaj, hepatologist and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University
In the world we live in, usually the phone is the last thing we see and the first thing we see. It’s the bookend to our sleep, which is terrible. At night, I shut my phone down and meditate before I go to bed. In the morning, I meditate when I wake up – before looking at my phone. – Peter Economou, assistant professor of applied psychology at Rutgers University
Each year, make a commitment during your birthday month to schedule all your annual health check-ups. Schedule them for any time in the next year before your next birthday. Keeping your health in check requires consistent care. This helps make sure that you get it done. – Dr Folasade P. May, gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA
Often when I’m feeling mentally foggy, I use the 10-10-10 rule: Take a 10-second break every 10 minutes to stare at something 10 feet away. This not only helps reduce eye strain from screen time, but the brief mental break can help boost your focus and refresh your cognitive clarity. – Lisa Mosconi, neuroscientist and director of the Weill Cornell Women’s Brain Initiative
I look for opportunities for bite-size “movement snacks”. Exposure to different movements helps prevent injury and increases range of motion. When you leave a room, touch the top of the doorway. If you walk by a playground, just go hang on the monkey bar for a little bit. Put your hands against the wall, lean forward and pedal out your feet to flex your ankles. Look for times to sit on the ground, so you have to get back up. Try brushing your teeth on one foot. – Michelle Voss, associate professor of brain sciences at the University of Iowa
If you want to eat more healthfully, minimise your intake of ultraprocessed foods – concocted with non-food ingredients, designed to be irresistible if not addictive (“You can’t eat just one”) and unable to be made in home kitchens because you don’t have the equipment or industrial ingredients. How do you recognise one? Check its ingredient list. If it’s full of chemical flavours, texturisers or colours, leave it on the shelf. – Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at NYU
If you wake up in the middle of the night, don’t get up (unless you really have to pee). Instead, lie on your back and do 10 rounds of 4-7-8 breathing (inhaling for four seconds, holding it for seven and exhaling for eight). Then count backward from 300 by threes. The breaths slow your heart rate, while the math keeps your mind from racing. It works so well, it’s like taking an Ambien. – Michael Breus, sleep specialist and author of Sleep Drink Breathe
Curiosity is a superpower! It helped me learn to work with and overcome my own panic attacks. Whenever I notice the “Oh, no!” voice in my head when I’m worrying, I can flip the inflection to the “Ohh?!” of being curious: “Oh, here’s heart racing. Oh, here’s sweaty palms. Oh, here’s feeling like I’m short of breath.” When I bring curiosity to each of those by themselves, it doesn’t feel as bad. – Judson Brewer, director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University
I make small efforts to protect my hearing, like covering my ears when I’m using the blender and wearing earplugs at concerts. Those exposures add up over time. – Dr Frank R. Lin, director of the Cochlear Centre for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins
Healthy people, even those over 50 like myself, should not feel compelled to add a multivitamin or other supplement to their diet to stay healthy. – Dr Pieter Cohen, associate professor at Harvard Medical School
When teams at work have rituals, their members tend to find more meaning in their work. How to start or end meetings, regular weekly lunches or drinks after work – rituals like these can help random co-workers become more connected. – Michael Norton, author of The Ritual Effect and professor at Harvard Business School
I do not rinse after brushing my teeth, particularly before going to bed. It helps fluoride toothpaste be more effective. – Carlos González-Cabezas, professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Create a secret, quirky phrase that you say to yourself when you stop your work for the day to shift out of professional mode. (I used to say: “Schedule shutdown complete.”) When ruminations about work arise, you can simply respond: “I said my shutdown phrase.” Over time, the urge to obsess over work diminishes. – Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity
When you’re stuck at something – writing the first lines of a letter, painting a picture, coming up with creative ideas at work – spend five minutes coming up with the worst ideas you can. Allowing your words to flow pushes you to focus on the more abstract or general idea before your overcritical instincts snuff it out. – Adam Alter, marketing professor at NYU and author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough
Too many couples get hung up on sex – either the sex they’re having or the sex they’re not having. I like to focus on what I call the “erotic thread,” which is the space in between sexual events. A tease, a squeeze, a peek, a poke, a flirtatious text, a melt-into-each-other embrace – little erotic charges that bring some heat into our daily lives and maintain a sense of sexual playfulness. – Ian Kerner, sex therapist
I regularly do alcohol abstinence breaks. (Think: Dry January, Sober October or giving up alcohol for Lent.) I have found that these breaks have resulted in long-term reductions in my drinking behaviour, even in the months when I don’t abstain. – Johannes Thrul, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
“Stop, Breathe, Be” is a three-second brain reset to help manage anxiety in the moment. The instructions are in the name: stop whatever you’re doing, take a brief pause. Take a deep breath in and out. Be grounded in the present moment. “Stop, Breathe, Be” gets you out of “What if?” thinking and back to what is, in the here and now. – Dr Aditi Nerurkar, Harvard physician specialising in stress and burnout
I’m a big fan of making fancy ice cubes by freezing lemon or lime juice with chopped berries or pineapple and herbs. These little, flavour-packed cubes turn plain water into a refreshing, luxurious treat – with added vitamin C. – Emily Haller, dietitian
When I need to clear my mind, I turn to what psychologists call “soft fascination” by engaging in simple activities – like washing dishes, folding laundry or gardening – that require little mental effort, giving the mind freedom to wander, make connections and find solutions. When I feel like I have too many mental tabs open, I’ll drive in silence or take a walk without my phone. Before long, answers to questions that have been weighing on me spontaneously come to mind. – Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist
We all struggle with finding practical ways to relax enough so we can actually fall asleep. For me, it’s connecting with my husband in the evening. A lot of times, we’ll watch some ridiculous, mindless TV show. That shared experience of laughing together helps both of us find relaxation. You don’t want real-bright light close to you in the hour or so before bedtime. Fortunately, the effect of light diminishes with distance, and our TV screen is far enough away. – Dr Indira Gurubhagavatula, sleep medicine specialist at Penn Medicine
When approached with a difficult decision, we can use the “deathbed test” to help us determine which action to take. It consists of three questions: “On my deathbed, will I be mad I did it? Will I be sad I didn’t do it? Will it even matter?” The vast majority of our decisions never pass muster of mattering. – Alua Arthur, death doula
I don’t obsess over protein. I eat legumes every day and a reasonable variety of other plant foods, all of which contain protein. I know I’ll get as much as I need – with fibre (which never comes with animal foods) and low amounts of saturated fat. – Christopher Gardner, director of the Nutrition Studies Research Group at Stanford Medicine
During my workday, one of the most restorative things I can do is listen to a song I love between clients. If I listen to some Snoop Dogg, I’m going to feel a little recharged. It puts you in a different zone. I have a playlist that has gospel music and Megan Thee Stallion and all sorts of stuff. – Nedra Glover Tawwab, licensed clinical social worker
Short bursts of intense exercise – burpees, sprints on a bike, taking the stairs at work – are both physically and metabolically valuable. I make sure to put them into my life a couple of times every week. – Dr Jordan D. Metzl, sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York
A couple of times a day, I consciously drop my shoulders, sigh and think to myself: “Let go.” – Sherry Cormier, psychologist and bereavement trauma expert
It’s so important that you talk about sex – what you actually like, when you want sex, when you don’t, what’s working, what’s not – and most couples don’t. The couples who have detail-oriented, comprehensive and ongoing conversations about sex, including myself, have much better, more explorative, more joyful and pleasurable sex. – Emily Morse, sex educator, author and host of the podcast Sex With Emily
Diaphragmatic breathing – using your diaphragm to take deep, controlled breaths and expand your belly, followed by exhaling slowly and letting your belly fall – stimulates vagus nerve activity and potentially reduces gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating. I do it at bedtime for about 10 minutes. – Dr Lin Chang, gastroenterologist at UCLA Health
Patients, family members and friends often ask me for advice about how to best avoid infections in their lives. My top answer is a simple and no-brainer recommendation: Wash your hands with soap and water. Remember that 20 seconds is optimal. Try singing the chorus of Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson if you are tired of the same old Happy Birthday. – Dr Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at University of California, San Francisco
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Amanda Schupak
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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