053: 5 Tiny Wellness Habits That Can Change Your Entire Day

You do not need a complete lifestyle overhaul to begin feeling better.

In fact, the biggest changes in your health often come from the smallest habits-the simple things you repeat consistently until they become part of how you live.

In this Wellness Reset Thursday episode, Fredricka Davis shares five realistic wellness habits that take very little time but can support your energy, hydration, movement, nutrition, nervous system, and overall well-being.

Drawing from nearly forty years of experience in health and wellness, as well as her own journey with autoimmune issues, chronic inflammation, menopause, stress, and Long COVID recovery, Fredricka explains why consistency matters more than perfection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why drinking water before coffee can help you start the day more intentionally
• How to add five minutes of movement without creating a separate workout
• Why eating protein earlier in the day may support energy, focus, and fullness
• How a one-minute pause can help calm an overwhelmed nervous system
• The evening question that can help you better understand what your body needs
• Why choosing only one new habit is often more effective than trying to change everything at once

This episode is not about doing more.

It is about choosing one small, supportive action and repeating it long enough to build consistency and trust in yourself.

Reflection Question

What does your body, mind, or nervous system need more of right now?

This Week’s Wellness Reset

Choose one of the five habits from this episode and practice it for the next seven days.

Do not try to begin all five at once.

Choose the habit that feels both supportive and realistic for your life right now. If you miss a day, simply begin again the next day.

Every small promise you make to yourself...and keep...helps rebuild self-trust.

Join Fredricka inside the free Limitless Living Facebook group for women who are becoming, where she will share her protein coffee recipe, including her mocha and pumpkin latte variations.

Learn more about Fredricka’s coaching, programs, speaking, upcoming events, and the Limitless Reset Method at FredrickaDavis.com.

Be rooted. Be resilient. And be limitless.

Grab Your Free Reset Guide and more at www.fredrickadavis.com

Continue the conversation inside the here: Limitless Living community.

If this episode resonated with you, you can also send Fredricka a message through the Fan Mail link in the show notes. Your questions may be featured in a future episode.

And if you know someone who needs to hear this conversation, please share the episode with them.

Your reviews mean the world to Fredricka and help other women discover the show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Wellness Reset Thursday episode of the Limitless Living Podcast. And I am so excited you're here. I'm Frederica Davis, your host, and I want to help you today stop pushing through exhaustion, start finding some realistic, doable ways to create health that will actually last, stick, and be doable. So over the past several weeks, we've talked a lot about understanding ourselves and all the things that we do, and specifically the reasons we do them, why we get stuck and why our nervous systems become overwhelmed and what happens when we stay in that overwhelmed state for too long. And why old habits and patterns just continuously seem to keep showing up for us. Now, all those conversations we've been having, they're super important. They absolutely matter because if you don't have any level of awareness as to what's going on and why, then how can you ever possibly change it? Awareness really is where change begins. But awareness by itself does not change your life. Action does. So over the next several weeks, we're gonna do something a little differently here on the podcast. I'm going to shift and start sharing a little bit more in terms of practical tips, things that you can do that are simple, things you can begin today immediately that will move the needle for you in all areas of your life and today, in particular, in your wellness efforts. Because wellness usually does not come from massive change. I will say that again. It usually does not come from these big, giant overhauls that we all think we need to make. Instead, it usually comes from the very small things that we start doing and then we keep doing each and every day, and we put them on repeat. That's where the real change happens. And I've come to realize that one of the biggest myths that we've been taught is that getting healthy requires a huge amount of time or a huge amount of effort or a huge amount of change. Basically, a huge something. Because here's how we see it. We start telling ourselves things like, okay, I'm gonna start when things settle down. I'm going to start on Monday. I'll just enjoy this weekend and I'll start on Monday. Or I don't want to start until after the vacation. I'll start after vacation. Or work is really crazy now. I'm really, really stressed. Now's not the time. I can't even focus on this. I'll start when work is not so crazy. Any of these sounding familiar? Are any of these landing for you? Or how about I'll start when the kids are a little older and they don't need so much for me? Or when I finally get a moment to breathe and I can focus on myself, I'll start then. Whatever your I'll start later, I'll start when is whatever the reason is. I've done it, we've all done it. And here's what I've had to learn and overcome for myself. And what I've seen in the thousands of people I've worked with for almost 40 years. The women who experience lasting change, they're not usually the women doing everything perfectly. In fact, quite to the contrary, they are the women who are learning how to become consistent instead of perfect. And they're learning how to focus on little things, not these big giant overhauls. They're learning tiny habits and how to repeat them often, over and over. And when one of those habits actually slips, they're learning how to not let it turn into this dramatic derailment where they think, well, I've ruined everything, so I might as well just give up. Instead, they're learning how to think, okay, let me go back to my tiny little habits. I know I can do them, and it'll get me back on track, even if it takes a couple of days. That's what they're learning. Then they keep doing it until that habit becomes part of who they are. And honestly, this is exactly how I have approached my own health. Living with autoimmune issues, chronic inflammation, recovering from long COVID, navigating menopause, dealing with chronic stress over a lifetime, multiple, multiple injuries and previous traumas. I mean, I could go down a long list. I no longer have the luxury of ignoring my body. Now, if you feel like sometimes you're just pushing through and you don't have time to take care of it, you're just gonna keep pushing through. I did that for a lot of years myself too. So you're in good company. I had to overcome that because eventually my body said, mm-mm, you have to deal with me now. So just like many of you listening, I've had to learn that it is rarely one giant decision or one new diet or one new exercise program or one complete schedule overhaul that changes how I approach things, how I look, and how I feel. In fact, usually when we do it that way, we look for these big things. When we do that, often what happens is we start to get overwhelmed and we start to feel this sense of like, okay, this is really big. And maybe we're really good with it for a while, but then we fall off. Does any of this sound familiar? They just don't often last. They're usually not sustainable. Instead, what I have learned is that change comes from dozens of little things, little actions, little adjustments, but not all at once. I will reiterate that, not all at once. And I'm living proof of this. My before and after in my health, my wellness, my body shape, everything, I am proof of this. So today I want to give you five tiny wellness habits that take very little time. But if you repeat them and you repeat them over weeks, over months, they actually begin to really change how you feel. So, habit number one is drink water before coffee. Now, I know you already know you should drink water. And I know I've probably mentioned this before, but let's take this one step further. I want you to drink water before coffee. And don't panic. I'm not asking you to give up your coffee, I promise. I still have a nice sizable cup of coffee myself. But your body, it has spent six to eight hours sleeping. Ideally, you're getting your seven or eight. And it's been without water while you're sleeping. And it may be even longer if you stop drinking before bedtime because you didn't want to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. So hydrating before you do anything else helps your brain wake up. It helps you find clarity so that you know what the heck you are doing as you start your day. And then it supports your energy. And I'm betting if you're listening to this, you might love to have just a little bit more energy. Your body requires water for life. If you were stranded on an island or you went down in a plane crash, God forbid, any of those things, you could live without coffee. Even if you don't think you could, you could. You cannot live without water. It is that simple. So just drink one glass of water before your coffee and before breakfast. Now, I'm gonna suggest you make it a sizable glass if you can. Mine's 20 to 30 ounces in the morning. I call it front loading the water. I've talked about this before. But even if you are someone who hates water, you're not used to it, you don't like it, I promise you you can retrain yourself. So if you have to start with a smaller one that's just a little eight-ounce cup, fine. Just create the habit. It's not about the size of it, it's about the habit. Once you get used to it, you can incrementally bring that up so that you're getting more water in early in the day and not playing catch up the rest of the day. Habit number two, move for five minutes. This does not have to be an hour of movement, just five minutes. You can stretch while you're in bed, take an extra five minutes and really stretch slowly, wake up nicely and with a positive uh mood and allowing your body to adapt, or stretch in your bedroom, or walk for five minutes up and down the steps, or in front of the TV marching while you're catching up on the stocks, or dance in your kitchen, walk around your office, do a little bit of mobility work, maybe some rotations in your hips. Movement begins to tell your body and your nervous system hey, we're alive. We've got a lot going on here. That's positive. We're safe. That's security. And we're okay. That's nervous system regulation. So sometimes five minutes might turn into 20, and that's fantastic. Sometimes it will stay five minutes. They are both something to be proud of. They both count. Do not make five minutes mean you failed or didn't do enough, because five minutes counts. And five minutes is more and better than nothing. You will hear me talk about my kitchen counter routine from time to time. When I go into my kitchen in the morning, after I've had my water coming down into the kitchen, I'm usually thinking about what I'm gonna have next. If at all possible, the next thing I'll have is a hot cup of lemon and ginger water. It's really boiled water with half of a squeezed fresh lemon and some slices of ginger. It supports my digestion, also helps with my inflammation, wakes me up, helps my gallbladder kick in, helps with detoxification, does multiple things. And it's a great way to pause and calm your nervous system, set yourself up for the day. Now, I could go on and on about that. That's a whole nother episode. While the teapot is boiling, though, I start doing calf raises. Calf raises help pump your lymphatic system. They actually move circulation through your body. They strengthen the muscles in your calf. They also strengthen those tiny stabilizing muscles around your feet, your toes, your ankles. So I do them in my bare feet in the kitchen while my water is boiling. And while I'm standing there, I'm also putting out the dog's food. And we use the farmer's dog. This is not a paid advertisement for them, but that's what we use. And it takes a minute to open the package and squeeze everything out and deal with the mess. And it's great for the dog, but that's a whole other sidebar. But while I'm doing that, my feet and calves are moving. Things are circulating. That counts as movement. That counts as exercise. If I have a little more time and the water is still boiling, I might do my kitchen counter push-ups. I might do kitchen counter squats because I have a knee issue. I adapt my squats to protect my knee. That's the point. You work with the body you have. Don't wait until your body's perfect. You can give it an hour of exercise. Do something, anything, and just keep doing it consistently because then it gets easier. And then you can do more. That's the way it works. You can also stretch, you could do calf raises while you're brushing your teeth or stand in pigeon pose on one leg and balancing while you're brushing the uppers and then switch legs while you're brushing the lowers, which helps with your balance. You can stretch your feet and the plantar fascial tissue underneath the arch while you're standing at the sink. You get the picture. Whatever you've got going on, you can do these things and incorporate them into your day. So when you attach the movements to something that you already know you're doing every day, you're going to do it no matter what. Like I'm going to make my coffee no matter what. I'm going to feed the dog no matter what. I'm going to do these things no matter what. I attach these to those everyday activities, which makes it more likely for me to do it. And you will find this too. And it will integrate it into your day. Now, you didn't have to carve out time to go to the gym, time to put some clothes on so you can walk outside, time to get on the treadmill or the bike or whatever it is you want to do. You literally worked in some level of a workout. This is a great way to start your day. So habit number three, eat protein. In fact, do you want to eat this early? Now I've done intermittent fasting. Sometimes I still do, but whether I'm breaking an intentional fast like that, or simply breaking the natural fasting that takes place overnight, I always break it with protein first because protein earlier in your day can stabilize your blood sugar and set you up differently for the day. It will help preserve the muscles that you have. And if you do any of those little exercises, help you to be able to make them stronger. It also improves your energy and helps you with your focus. Now, why wouldn't you want all of that in the beginning of the day? Do it a million and one ways, but here's how I do it. When I have time, I make a really great omelet or a fritata. If dairy works for you, you could do a high protein Greek yogurt with some hemp seeds and maybe some unsweetened chocolate chips and a little bit of stevia. I think that's great for dessert later at night or for breakfast. But when I'm in a hurry, I keep hard-boiled eggs in my refrigerator all the time. I also love those pickled red beet eggs, absolutely love them. I keep them on hand. So those mornings that I'm having one of those kinds of days where I'm in a hurry and there's too many things to get done for the amount of time I have, I just grab the hard-boiled eggs. I'll grab two hard-boiled eggs, I'll eat them while I'm doing everything else, putting together my coffee and taking my coffee on the go, feeding the dog, but I've already got those two eggs in me. Now, it's that easy. And I'm starting with protein after I've had my water before I've had my coffee. Now, I also add collagen protein to my coffee because I shoot for 40 grams of protein in my breakfast. For most women, in say 40 and up, you're looking at 100, 120 grams of protein a day to preserve your muscle mass. And depending on what your exercise is like, of course, so check with your doctor if you have issues. Typically, that's what we're looking at. So if I've got those two eggs that I'm eating on the go in a hurry, I need more protein than that because that's really only about 12 grams of protein. And it's not gonna sustain me very long. But then I make a collagen protein latte in the morning. So I like to drink my coffee one of two ways: either black and really good coffee, or really good coffee turned into a protein nutritional latte that's yummy. It's gotta be yummy for me. Now, I don't know how you feel about that. So some of you out there are gonna say collagen protein, ew, in your coffee. It's delicious if you do it right. So I have an entire recipe for it. I turn it into one of two versions, mocha latte or a pumpkin spice latte. I'll share the recipe. And if I can make a short video to go with that, I'll put it inside the Limitless Living Facebook group. So hop on over there and join that if you haven't already. I'll put the link in the show notes. But habit number four, take one intentional pause. Not scrolling, not checking your email, not picking up your phone because you suddenly remembered 12 other things you're supposed to do. But literally just one intentional pause. And this could be just three minutes, five minutes. Maybe you just close your eyes. Maybe you take three slow, deep breaths, or you step outside. Maybe you notice the sunshine, and you get to feel that warmth and that wonderfulness on your skin, and you actually allow yourself to feel it. Or maybe you listen to the birds for 60 seconds. Even one minute literally can make a difference. Your nervous system will notice these moments of pause. Sometimes, especially during the winter, I'll sit in my, I know it's summer now, it's kind of hard to think about that, right? I'll sit in my car on a sunny day and I'll allow the sunlight to come through the windshield, and I'll just be like, wow, that feels so good. How nice is that? Just for a few minutes. And every little bit of that signals to your nervous system that you are safe. You know, and I'll close my eyes, I'll take a few breaths, I'll quiet my mind. Just sit there. And it just resets me. It will do the same for you. If it's too hot to sit outside during the summer, and right now I know it's really hot here. These are some of the things you can try. Stand near a sunny window or move your chair near the sunny window. Just get some of that sunlight on your skin. We need some sunlight. I know we are a world of sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, and that's a whole nother episode to be had. Yes, it's important, but there are certain moments that we need to be exposed to real sun. It's been given a bad rap, and all the research tells you that we we need a balance of where we protect ourselves from the sun and where we don't. I digress. That's another episode to be had. Now, if it's comfortable, get outside. It's the best thing possible. Most days I'm already outside because I'm walking the dog, but sometimes I'll also stand there with my warm lemon ginger water in the morning, and I'll just go right out back on my patio and I'll pause just for a few minutes, listen to the birds, take in the fresh air, sip my lemon water and quiet myself, maybe set an intention for the day. It's the pause. You can also do this at sitting at your desk, but you can close your eyes, take a quick body scan from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet and just notice what's going on. Listen to what's going on, breathe deeply. Allow your exhale to be slightly longer than your inhale. That begins signaling to your nervous system that you're okay, you are safe, and you can come down out of that constant state of urgency, that fight or flight state. And it will benefit your health. And these are things you can do easily, even in the checkout line at the grocery store. These are things you can do anywhere, and they have an instant effect. Habit number five, ask yourself one question every evening. The question is, what does my body need tomorrow? You could also ask, what does my nervous system need tomorrow, or what does my mind need tomorrow, or my sanity need tomorrow. But notice what I am not telling you to ask. Do not ask yourself what everybody else needs. Do not ask what you should accomplish. Do not ask anything other than what is it that you need. Maybe it's going to be more sleep. Maybe you're going to need to streamline your morning routine so you're not starting the day stressed and rushed and feeling like you're completely frazzled. Maybe you need to lay out your clothes the night before to help you reduce that friction in the morning. Maybe you need to put your keys, your purse, everything that you're going to be taking with you and need in one place so you're not searching for them in the morning. How many times have you done that? I know I've done it a hundred times or more. Maybe you need more protein. Maybe you need another walk. Maybe you need a walk or more water. Maybe you need five minutes of meditation, prayer, mindset work, or journaling, or less sugar. There's a biggie. Maybe you simply need a break. Your body is talking to you every single day. And most of us simply don't pause long enough to listen. And we've forgotten how to listen. But in order to relearn that, in order to tune back into yourself, you have to pause long enough. So here's the bigger lesson. I do not want you to finish this episode and decide you need to start all five habits tomorrow. Not all five, not all at once. That is how most of us become overwhelmed. That's how most of us start. And even if we do well initially, how we fall off the wagon and then we drop them all. Instead, I want you to choose one. Just choose one and practice it for the week. Maybe two weeks, three weeks, four weeks. Whatever it takes for you to start feeling like it's a natural part of your day and it's automatic. Then add another. Because real wellness is not built through intensity or trying to do everything all at once. It is built through consistency. So this week's wellness reset is to choose one of these five habits and commit to it for the next seven days at least. Don't worry about being perfect. If you miss a day or forget, or life happens, just pick it right back up again. Because when you show up for yourself consistently, you ultimately show up better for your family and the people you care about. And you build self-trust. But it all has to start with you. Every small promise you make to yourself and then you actually keep builds self-trust. And self-trust is one of the healthiest things you can develop for all areas of your life. It will trickle into every area of your life. Now, if you've been listening to the last several episodes, you know we've spent a lot of time talking about why we develop certain habits, where they come from, and recognizing them and the patterns and all of that in the first place. If you haven't heard those previous conversations, I encourage you to go back and listen. Understanding the why behind our behavior can make changing it so much easier. Today's episode was more about the how. When you bring the why and the how together, that is where we begin creating real long-lasting change. So come find me on Facebook. Let me know which habit you are committing to this week. I would love to hear from you. I will drop the protein coffee recipes in there, including the mocha and the pumpkin version. So join us in the Free Limitless Living Facebook group. And if you're looking for some deeper guidance on creating sustainable health and reducing the overwhelm or putting all your puzzle pieces together of your life in a way that truly will support you instead of draining it, that's exactly what we do in all of my programs, events using the limitless reset method. So until next Thursday, take care of your body, be patient with yourself. And remember the small daily choices are what create extraordinary transformation.