I’m guilty of always trying to take care of others, a pattern I witnessed my parents and grandparents follow throughout my childhood. But helping others when you aren’t in a good position yourself comes with a steep price: damage to your health, relationships, and loved ones.

Before the pandemic, I was a chronic people-pleaser—constantly traveling and taking on unnecessary commitments—which left me mentally exhausted, overweight, and unable to focus on my family, who deserved the best version of me. The pandemic forced a "reset button," which I welcomed as a way to kick off my metamorphosis to taking better care of myself.

So, I decided to make these 5 changes to my daily routine. And since I believe that health is wealth, I wanted to share them with you.

Not being able to go out to eat, forced us to cook more at home. My wife Rosa is an amazing cook, me, not so much. But we used to go out with the kids or friends at least a few nights a week and order food occasionally. It was bad. When you aren’t preparing the food, you really don’t know what’s in it. And I had slowly gained weight but was too stubborn to buy pants with a bigger waist size. At one point, I think I was close to 200 pounds.

Rosa and I came to an agreement. We would try to cook at home and barely order any food. This helped us know exactly what was going into our body and we made sure to make healthier meals. Even when we would “eat bad” it still tasted better and was healthier than the processed foods I was used to consuming.

I slowly transitioned to a set breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday. Meaning, I eat the same bowl of fruit with Greek yogurt in the mornings and a plate of vegetables with some protein in the afternoon. This has saved me time… and the best part is that my energy levels are through the roof!

I’m happy to say that I have slowly lost the unnecessary pounds and am hovering around 170 pounds. The important aspect was that this was a lifestyle change and not a quick “I need to lose 10 pounds” fix that always fails.

I hated going to the gym… well I still do. Sort of. During the pandemic, the family canceled their gym membership. So in February of 2021, I ordered the Tonal. Given that I’m a tech enthusiast, I was intrigued by the Artificial Intelligence built into the machine. This is not a commercial for the company, but it has changed my views on exercising. It’s constantly pushing me as the AI realizes that I am getting stronger. They have also done a wonderful job of adding new workouts to keep you from getting bored.

Once it was delivered in May, we took out the TV that was in our family room and installed the Tonal in that same spot. And I’m proud to say that I have been using it for 5 years straight! The platform is constantly adding new workouts to keep me from getting bored along with some gamification built in to keep you motivated.

It’s a bit silly, but keeping this streak alive (260 weeks) has been a big motivation for my wellness journey. I recently turned 50 and I am in the best physical shape of my life!!

In the fast paced world that I was in, I never took a moment to slow down and smell the roses. I never carved out time in my day to take a walk and clear my mind. Who has time for that? Well now I realize that I have to make time for it.

I use the Tonal app and they have many great meditation programs. I sit in my backyard and meditate while listening to the birds chirp. It’ blissful! I feel my stress and worries melt away. I’ve maintained this habit and it has served me well.

Rosa and I have also added walks into our weekly schedule. She’s always enjoyed walks and hikes, but I would rarely join her. Now I will go for a two mile walk in the morning, every other day. I leave my phone at home, and walk up the hill in my neighborhood. I don’t want the distractions, I don’t need music. I just want to hear my surroundings and absorb them.

Ironically, when my mind is clear like this, it’s when I get a flood of ideas. Ideas like the articles I share or the videos I record. It’s amazing what happens when you make space for deep thinking and ditch your device.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggles with this. I conditioned my body to sleep around 1 am and wake up at 6 am. This was a daily routine during the week. On the weekend, I would sleep in a bit, but that’s only because I was up till 2 or 3 am binge watching TV. I think I was just trying to keep my mind off of all the crazy things that were going on in the world.

Now, I start to get ready around 9 - 9:30 pm so that I can be asleep by 10 pm. I still struggle with this, but am getting better. It helps that I am exhausted, since I get up early. I also avoid having any coffee or caffeine after 12 pm and try to avoid being on my phone after 9 pm. These little details have helped me get a better night’s sleep and wake up refreshed.

Getting up early also gives me ample time to ease into my day and take care of any exercise, meditation or walking that I have planned in the morning. I’ve also found that it’s a great time for me to write these newsletters and respond to emails.

You don’t need another pandemic or major event to get started—just start small. Pick one of these five items and set up a game plan. Gamify the experience to maintain a streak, and find an accountability partner.

If you’re changing a habit, like eating better, get those around you to agree to small changes, such as one healthy meal a week, and build from there. If you’re going to start walking, start with a stroll around your block; the goal is healthy habits, not training for a marathon.

Remember the airplane analogy: you must put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others. I think it’s time to put on your oxygen mask, my friends. Talk to you next week!

~Alex