I feel like if I see one more post about how to “optimize everything” my head will explode. Ice baths at 5am while tracking 12 biomarkers, anyone?
The wellness space has become a perfectionist nightmare. We’re drowning in protocols, metrics, and “optimal” routines that promise to hack our way to health. But instead of feeling better, we’re anxious, burnt out, and constantly failing to measure up to impossible standards.
The problem is that biohacking culture has turned health into a full-time job of perfectionism, metrics obsession, and rigid one-size-fits-all protocols.
As someone who genuinely wants to stay healthy, I’ve been following the science and trends for years. But somewhere along the way, wellness became work. How am I supposed to track 15 different metrics, follow 8 protocols, and still have a life? When did taking care of ourselves become so… exhausting?
Here’s what I’ve realized: we don’t need to throw out the idea of beneficial stress entirely. We just need to reclaim it from the optimization obsession and make it actually work for real humans.
Good stress protocols, aka Hormesis, are beneficial stressors, involving micro-dosing on stress to enhance our resilience. These short, intermittent bursts of stress can initiate a cascade of processes that improve overall health, slow aging, and boost both mental and physical resilience.
Think of it as if stress had a Goldilocks zone. Too much stress? Total chaos. Too little? Meh. But just right? That’s where the magic happens! Hormesis is all about short, manageable bursts of stress that actually help us.
Why ‘good enough’ beats ‘optimized’
1. Listening to your body over your data – Let’s face it: HRV apps can’t tell us we’re stressed about work. Step counters don’t know if you found your walk relaxing or as a tedious task to check off your list. Using the “data” from your own body and experience can tell you a lot about how you’re actually doing.
2. Seasonal/cyclical living beats daily grinding – Humans are meant to live with the seasons, as we have since time immemorial. Honoring natural rhythms is a more realistic and sustainable path than forcing consistency. We are the best experts on our own experience.
3. Simple beats complex – What do we repeat the most? The things we can do simply and repeatably over time. Long and complex protocols aren’t likely to become part of our daily or weekly routine. However, if we can simplify we give ourselves a better chance. Think cold showers over elaborate ice bath protocols.
4. Recovery is part of the protocol – We deserve to rest. Recovery days are part of the protocol. Rest days aren’t cheating. Whenever we join #teamnodaysoff we sell ourselves short. We need to rest, it is an integral part of the process. Just as too little can be harmful, so can too much.
Practical Protocols for Humans
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by wellness culture, let’s scale back. Pick one thing, or maybe two that you want to try. Keep a ‘take what works, leave the rest’ mindset.
Fasting – The data is clear that a 12 hour fast helps most people and it gives your digestive system a chance to actually rest instead of constantly processing food. The beauty here is that the math is super simple. If you start eating at 8am, stop at 8pm. Shift this around as needed. For extra bonus points: Eat plants, not supplement stacks.
Ideally the feeding window is earlier. Studies show that for optimal health, it’s best to consume most of your calories earlier in the day rather than later. Check with your doctor if you have health conditions.
Movement – Think walks + some hard stuff, not 7x/week schedules. Our bodies crave variety, not rigid schedules. Some days we need gentle movement, others we need to feel strong. Trust what feels right.
If you’re starting from zero, think about how you can add more movement to your day: a few steps here, a walk there, maybe some body weight resistance moves like a lunge or squat. When you can, take a break from sitting at least every 30 minutes.
If you wanna add more intense exercise like running or weights, go for it! Four days a week is a great starting place. And remember: More is not always better.
Cold/Heat Therapy – We don’t need to go out and buy an ice bath or sauna. A cool shower or a warm bath a few times a week can go a long way.
A cool shower when you need energy, a hot bath when you need to decompress – both give your circulation a boost and train your nervous system to adapt and recover from manageable stress.
You don’t need to time it or track temperatures – just go until you think ‘okay that’s cold enough’ or ‘I’m nice and toasty’ and call it done.
Breathwork – Here we are talking about things like simple breath holds while walking, not elaborate Wim Hof protocols. If you’re new, try box breathing in bed for a few rounds. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and then hold for 4 more.
For a moving breath work protocol: After exhaling fully, walk as many steps as you can while holding your breath. To add a fun competitive side, you can always count steps and see how far you get.
When to pump the brakes
There are also great times to NOT do these things. Hormesis, or good stress, works by adding in short, controlled stress. Chronic stress on the other hand is detrimental, to body and mind.
Layering extra stress on top of prolonged, severe, and frequent stress may not be helpful.
If life feels like a dumpster fire, this is not the time to start these protocols. Wait until you’ve put out some of those flames.
Same for when you are sick. Battling illness is a huge burden on your body, and creates a lot of stress. Save these for when you’re feeling better.
If it feels like too much, it probably is.
Permission to be Imperfect and Human
Life happens. Some days you’ll skip the cold shower, eat dinner at 9pm, or choose Netflix over movement. That’s not failure – that’s being human.
The goal isn’t to become a perfectly optimized machine. It’s to build resilience for real life’s messiness. To bounce back faster from bad days. To have energy for what actually matters to you.
Your body doesn’t need you to track its every signal – it needs you to listen. Your health doesn’t require perfection – it requires consistency over time, with room to breathe.
So pick one thing. Try it for a while. See how it feels. If it makes your life better, keep it. If it becomes another source of stress, drop it.
That’s the real optimization: a life that works for you, not against you.
Ditch Stress 
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