One trendy new year's resolution that clients can try is "microdosing wellness," which can be an effective way to identify their needs with targeted, healing reinforcements. Whether it be a short walk every day, a small decrease in calorie intake, or even just standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour, microdosing wellness can help build habits and provide significant results from consistent, smaller doses of activity.
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In a recent article from Forbes, Sarah Hays Coomer, author of the "Hey, Health Coach" reccurring column, details the benefits and best methods for microdosing wellness.
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According to Coomer, the belief that we need to make drastic, sweeping changes to improve our health is a damaging misconception in the diet and fitness space. She suggests that the smaller the routine, the simpler it is to maintain and the more likely it is to produce lasting results.
The routines might seem small—especially if the client has a big goal—but in reliable doses, tiny habits can reduce pain and stress, which improves mood, energy and resilience, explains Cooper.
Wellness Microdose Examples
Research suggests that walking 15 minutes a day can increase life expectancy; 20 minutes of low-intensity exercise can increase perceived energy by 20% and decrease feelings of fatigue by 65%; and as little as 10 minutes of sitting or walking in nature can decrease a person’s physiological symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and hostility while boosting feelings of comfort, calm, vigor and memory.
Clients with office jobs often have little time for physical activity, and they can benefit from standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour, as it increases energy and mood while decreasing food cravings. Another option for productive physical activity is household chores like cleaning, gardening, laundry and vacuuming.
Small changes in diet, such as replacing some daily servings with healthier options (like eating an extra piece of fruit) can increase diet quality and decrease calorie intake, which reduces the chance of excessive weight gain.
The article suggests that a single hug can reduce negative feelings on days a person is experiencing conflict—and the following day as well.
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Other simple wellness activities to microdose include eating a rich piece of dark chocolate after dinner, playing their favorite music on the way home from work, dancing in their living room, taking a bath before bed, following body-positive accounts on social media and spending time snuggling with pets before looking at screens in the morning.
Finding Client Motivation
Building these routines can and should be a source of power or comfort. They should relieve stress rather than increasing pressure on guests' time or energy. If clients are struggling to incorporate wellness habits into their daily lives, offer these tips for motivation:
- Choose a miniature version of the goal and take one dose daily, e.g., walk 10 minutes; eat an extra serving of vegetables.
- Pair it with an activity they're already doing every day, e.g., while drinking their morning coffee or eating lunch.
- Encourage them to keep track of how often they accomplish the goal with a simple check mark in a notebook or tracking app.
- When their routine feels effortless, build on top of it with another nourishing micro-habit—and keep building.
Microdosing wellness is the type of healing that Cooper describes as lifestyle medicine—diet, exercise, rest, play, sleep and connection with others. Clients can practice these healing rituals alone or with a loved one.
