The healthiest 6% of Americans follow basic lifestyle guidelines consistently.

They don't smoke, move regularly, sleep adequately, eat well, avoid or limit alcohol and maintain a healthy weight.

That's what the research actually measures—standard, evidence-based behaviors—and that's all it takes to be healthier than 94% of people.

I learned this the hard way.

While obsessing over 60+ minute workouts and 900-calorie diets in my 20s, I was getting worse results than people who just walked daily and ate regular healthy meals.

Even the American Heart Association made this scientific statement: Following just the basic lifestyle factors could prevent 80% of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Yet only 6.3% of US adults actually do them.

We're clever, us humans.

Reading that research forced me to confront two beliefs I didn't even realize I had:

Lie #1: The "basics" aren't enough.

I thought getting and staying healthy required cutting-edge strategies. Ice baths, vitamin infusions, $300 supplements. The works.

But the data reveals something surprising: The basics work really, really well. Exercise regularly, eat nutrient-rich food, sleep adequately, manage stress, stay socially connected.

Most people chase expensive treatments while ignoring daily walks and decent sleep.

Lie #2: More is better.

If basic behaviors get results, then doing them perfectly would make me even healthier, right?

Wrong.

There's a law of diminishing returns.

Doing too much actually backfires: chronic injuries from overtraining, nutrient deficiencies from restrictive eating, and habits that are impossible to sustain.

This experience reminded me why most people stay stuck.

During my trip to the Philippines months ago, a friend showed me this new gut health supplement that's going to "fix everything"—while she eats ultra-processed foods and very little fiber on the regular.

She's a successful professional who's been conditioned to believe that health requires expensive, complex solutions. She'll spend $200/month on supplements that might work 10% better, while avoiding free behaviors that work 80% better.

Don't let optimization culture convince you great health is beyond your capabilities.

1. Move your body regularly

Any amount of physical activity reduces your risk of death from any cause—regardless of your weight, blood pressure, or genetics.

The sweet spot? About 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (30 minutes, 5 days). Add resistance training twice a week. A daily walk counts too.

2. Eat real food

Focus on whole, minimally-processed foods about 70-80% of the time. Scale up to 90% if you can. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Get enough protein with a bias for plant-based sources (at least 1.2g per kg of body weight).

No macro counting required. Just a variety real food, most of the time.

3. Sleep 7-9 hours

Men with healthy sleep patterns live approximately 2.3 years longer free of cardiovascular disease, and women about 1.8 years longer, compared to those with poor sleep.

Each hour of sleep below 7 hours per night is associated with a 6–11% increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a 9% increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

4. Don't smoke and avoid or limit alcohol

If you don't smoke, you're already ahead of most people. For alcohol, the research is clear: it's not beneficial for health. Less is better, but none is best.

5. Do the boring preventive stuff

Get regular check-ups with your healthcare provider. Brush and floss your teeth daily. Wear your seatbelt. Use sunscreen. Get recommended screenings and vaccines.

This unsexy stuff matters more than any unregulated supplement or biohack.

If you're doing these behaviors with 80-90% consistency, you're probably close to peak optimization.

If basic healthy behaviors alone put you in the top 6%, why are you doing anything else?

Would you rather spend $200/month on supplements while staying average, or join the healthiest people by doing five free things consistently?

The choice reveals everything about why we stay stuck in complexity when simplicity works better.

Pick ONE of the five basics to focus on this month.

Not all five. Just one.

Make it so easy you can't fail.

Be among the few who actually do the work instead of endlessly researching it.

To your good health,

Grazelle 🌱

PS: I really am obsessed with super cold food and drinks these days. This is the Acai bowl I had this week at a local restaurant after my OBGYN visit. Me and baby are doing great, by the way 🙂

Whenever you’re ready, here are some other (free) resources you can check out: