5 Lifestyle Pillars of Wellness

March 23, 2025

Bioindividual nutrition has always been a strong pillar for us here at Ember, and something we talk about a lot in the Journal. As Nutritional Therapy Practitioners, we love educating people on the ability to heal through food. But nutrition is not the only consideration when it comes to overall health, and it is not even the singular foundation upon which good health is built. There are other health pillars beyond what we eat that have a substantial influence on wellness, and are as integral to our lifestyle as the meals we make. Keep reading to discover our 5 lifestyle pillars of wellness.

Light & Circadian Rhythm

The circadian rhythm is intuitive because it is closely linked with day and night, awake and asleep – something each of us experiences regularly. But with the way life has evolved over thousands of years, humans have figured out ways to disrupt even this simple given repetition of life. Through work that is 24/7, lights that allow us to continue our activities in the darkness, and devices that call to us late in the evening, many of us are dealing with a circadian rhythm that is out of whack, which leads to countless consequences. This “body clock” of ours impacts digestion, blood sugar, and metabolism during the day plus sleep quality, detoxification, gut health, and recovery at night. This is largely due to the intimate connection the rhythm has with our hormones.

Simple ways to support our circadian rhythm:

Let morning sunlight hit your eyes before 8am
Aim to limit/avoid blue light 2 hours before bed
Go to bed before 10pm

Hydration

Hydration is a key foundation of health, but it goes well beyond just water. Our cells contain 70% water, and they carry electrical charges. Since minerals are the sparkplugs, they are foundationally required to provide energy. Minerals ionize water so that water can then conduct electricity. Without replenishing minerals throughout our day, our body will pull minerals from its existing stores, which further depletes us. Too much pure water (devoid of minerals) also overwhelms our kidneys. While the advice to drink 8 glasses of pure water (or more) is well-intentioned, it actually can lead to chronic dehydration, if that’s not what’s truly needed.

Simple tips for optimal hydration:

Begin your day with a glass of warm water (add lemon and/or trace minerals for added benefit)
Tune into thirst cues and sip throughout the day rather than chugging at intervals
Incorporate mineral-rich beverages like raw milk, bone broth, and herbal teas

Sleep

Sleep is a complex state dependent upon many processes in the body and relying on a healthy metabolism. The restoration that occurs heavily revolves around detoxification. Without the ability to properly detoxify, countless mechanisms in the body suffer. Some of the body’s priorities during sleep include:

Brain processing, memory formation, and consolidation: these hugely important functions greatly impact our ability to learn and make memories.
Stress relief: darkness signals stress to the body, so we naturally crave sleep at night as a protection against that stress. Considering our ancestral roots as well, nighttime was the perfect time to settle in as a group and rest away from the danger of predators.
Tissue healing and growth: while the body is at rest in most places, it can afford to use energy on those less urgent but highly vital processes like healing.
Immune system function: I think everyone innately understands the importance of sleep to our immune system; it’s something we all naturally gravitate towards when ill. Immune cell activity is higher during sleep, aiding in the recovery process.
Brain detoxification: cells produce energy, but they also produce waste. During sleep, the body is able to take the time to escort that waste.

Simple sleep hygiene tips:

Keep a gratitude or examen journal before bed
Avoid stimulating activity in the 1-2 hours before bed
Sleep with as little external light as possible
Support circiand rhythm and blood sugar

Movement

“Exercise” is a relatively recent development in human history as things like strength, endurance, balance, flexibility (things generally sought through targeted exercise) were often natural results of the lifestyles lived by our ancestors. No training program was needed before the industrial revolution. While this evolutionary milestone ushered in many good things, it altered the way we as humans interact with the world and came with some consequences. This is why striving to incorporate primal movements into our lives would be of benefit to us all.

When it comes to formal exercise, it’s important to note that not all exercise is created equal in terms of its impact on our health, and the benefits are often somewhat bioindividual. As women, there is a lot of pressure around exercise and popular workouts like HIIT and intense cardio get a lot of hype. We just want to remind you – high impact exercise is stressful to the body. We don’t need to give any more attention to the onslaught of stressors our bodies deal with on a daily basis, but most women do not need exercise to be added to that list.

Tips for incorporating more movement into your life:

Aim for three 5-10 minute walks per day, ideally after meals.
Plenty of walking and some targeted strength training is often the most metabolically beneficial movement for women.
Allow for inconveniences that force you to walk or move more than would be absolutely necessary (ie: parking farther away from your destination)

Eating Habits

Eating habits are different from just nutrition – this deals with how we eat rather than simply what we eat. Are we eating our meals in a stressed-out state? A fight-or-flight state shuts down digestion. Is our eating schedule sporadic and unpredictable? Our nervous system likes to be able to consistently rely on nutrient intake. Are our plates wildly imbalanced in terms of macronutrients, or lacking enough calories for proper fuel? Are we allowing our bodies the time to actually digest our food after meals? These aspects of overall nutrition are important to not ignore – we can eat the most nutrient-dense foods and still struggle to get those nutrients if our eating habits are dysfunctional.

Simple tips for good eating habits:

Pray a prayer of thanksgiving before eating
Take 3-5 deep breaths before eating
Chew your food 10-15x/bite
Eat undistracted (no phone scrolling)
Eat something with protein and carbs within 60 minutes of waking.
Aim to eat every 3-4 hours

While good nutrition is indispensable, a holistic view of wellness looks at the entire lifestyle.

Of course, these pillars don’t even touch on the importance of a solid interior life (faith) with connection and community. To truly live an abundant, integrated life, we should expand our view beyond a few wellness habits and view the whole person in light of eternity. To join other women seeking this wholeness, we invite you to join our Ember Subscription – a space for education, connection, and prayer. The Ember Journal touches on all topics of wholeness from nutrition to the lives of the Saints, and our app is a collection of incredible content available at your fingertips for living well alongside others. Inside the app, you will find an expanded version of our five lifestyle pillars of wellness, with subtopics and practical application. We hope you’ll join us!