Here's 3 hacks that you can incorporate into your life without much thought. You might not see any instant benefits because this is not magic. But it is good for you, and a few weeks of consistency will add up.

All of them could benefit from a post detailing the how and the why. I am not going to, this time around. I am going to give you 3 things that you can do, simplified to produce a result.

Breathing

The breathing apparatus, simplistically, is the nose and the diaphragm. Most of us tend to be shallow breathers and we breathe with our chest heaving and not much movement in our belly. Some of us tend to be mouth-breathers. We need to use the nose to breathe, and we need to use the diaphragm to breathe. The diaphragm is a muscle and you need to use that muscle to do its primary job.

I looked in the side mirror to find my uncle’s dog’s lips just flopping all around. I quickly and dangerously held my camera out the window while trying not to laugh. I love the action that the tilt brings to the picture.
Photo by Emerson Peters / Unsplash

Here's the hack. Press your tongue into the roof of the mouth. You will automatically breathe into your nose, and with your diaphragm.

It is hard to tell yourself to breathe into the belly if you are not used to it. But press your tongue into the roof of the mouth is a doable thing, and it hacks the system to get the desired output.

This can help you with complex issues like sleep apnea and even improved aerobic function.

Chewing

Chew your food more. The process of digestion begins in your mouth, and the more you chew, the better it is. If you don't know what more is, chew your food 30 times or until it turns to mush into your mouth.

Your digestion and gut health will improve. And you can potentially get more nutrients from the foods you are eating as you are breaking them down better.

Barefoot

Walking around barefoot is good for you. There is a lot of sensory data we are missing out on when we walk with shoes on, which mute all of this feedback. It affects all of us in different ways.

Photo by Rachel Woock / Unsplash

Walk around barefoot in your house. Push off using your big toe. That's it.

To summarise

  1. Press your tongue into the roof of the mouth. Your breathing will improve.
  2. Chew your food a lot more. Your pooping will improve.
  3. Walk around barefoot and use that big toe consciously. Your gait, weird tightness issues - all should improve.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this - after you do it. Give it a week, or better yet, a month. And you don't have to try and do all of them. Just start somewhere. And stick with it.