The Trinity of Good Health

As some of you might remember reading about in one of my older essays, a habit I formed during my younger days after reading about in a Tim Cook interview was to sleep and wake early. At that time, the intent was less about health and more about productivity - sleeping and waking up early meant I could get all my critical work done before the noise and distraction of the world kicked in.

Interestingly, getting sleep in order also has tremendous health benefits. I have been finding this out as I focus unrelentingly on my goal of being my healthiest self yet. Having already perfected the art of sleeping and waking early, I have been incorporating what I see now as the two other pillars of good health — eating well and working out.

These initial months of 2026, I have tried to eat better, making sure I eat a balanced diet rich in all the nutrients that my body needs. I have been supplementing where needed and practicing intermittent fasting (often for 20 hours) as a way to keep my body well fed and efficient. The goal isn’t restriction, it’s teaching the body to run clean.

For the third pillar, I have been doing calisthenics (body-weight exercises) four times a week, alongside clocking 15,000 steps every day. I chose calisthenics intentionally: no gym required and so can be done whether I’m in my hometown, the city, or travelling. It builds real, functional strength, and removes every excuse not to show up.

Of course, doing all of this isn’t easy and I guess it was never supposed to be. It demands mastering self-discipline. It demands being able to say no to distractions. It demands losing friends caught up in a culture that promotes eating processed food, sleeping and waking late, and skipping workouts. And honestly, rather than FOMO (the fear of missing out) I have been feeling what I’m calling JOMO (the joy of missing out).

As an Adlerian, this comes easy to me. I don’t care too much about what others think to begin with, and can be stern about creating boundaries when I see patterns in relationships that tilt me away from my long-term goals.

So, if you started the year with the goal of becoming the best version of yourself, as we humans tend to do - I highly recommend mastering this trinity of good health, no matter the cost. You will thank me later!