Back to the Basics: Where Real Health Starts
Health in 2025 can feel overwhelming. Between thousands of diets, supplements, workouts, and morning routines — not to mention conflicting advice online — it’s easy to feel stuck. What’s actually worth doing?
I work with complex patients every day, and I often have to dig deep into root causes to truly move the needle on someone’s health.
But here’s the truth:
No matter how advanced the case, the basics still matter.
In fact, most symptoms and diagnoses improve dramatically when the fundamentals are dialed in. This post is meant to give you clarity. A place to start. A way to take action that isn’t buried in complexity or perfectionism. And for many people, this may be all you need to do.
🏃♀️ Move Your Body
Movement is essential. Your body needs it.
Think of your muscles like any other organ you need to keep healthy (liver, gut, brain, and heart) — they’re critical for long-term health.
You don’t have to run marathons or do CrossFit for a workout to “count”. Just MOVE.
Play with your kids. Go for a walk. Stretch. Do yoga. Lift weights. Go for a jog. Chase your dog. Ding-dong-ditch your neighbor.
Whatever it is, find something you enjoy and make it part of your day.
☀️ Get Sunlight Daily
Get outside — it’s good for you.
Think of sunlight like a nutrient: it provides critical inputs to your body, just like food does. You don’t need to move off-grid into the mountains. Just get outside when you can. If you work indoors, take short outdoor breaks throughout the day. Even a little bit can go a long way.
⏰ Support Your Circadian Rhythm
Your circadian rhythm is your body’s natural clock — and it’s deeply tied to your energy, mood, hormones, digestion, and sleep.
To keep it working well, you want to anchor your day to the sun.
Wake up when the sun is up
Wind down and sleep when the sun goes down
Spend time outside in the morning light to set your internal clock
At night, avoid bright lights and screen time — these signal your brain that it’s still daytime
If your sleep is off, digestion is sluggish, or hormones feel out of whack — your circadian rhythm may be out of sync. Getting back in rhythm is one of the best “free” therapies there is.
💤 Sleep — Your Healing Superpower
Sleep is when your body recovers, heals, and resets.
Shoot for 8 hours a night. Be in bed around 10pm if possible. Keep your room cool and dark. Avoid bright lights and screens before bed — give yourself time to unwind.
To all the parents out there: do your best.
Sleep isn’t always perfect in certain seasons of life. Take what you can get, nap when possible, and know this phase won’t last forever.
💧 Drink Water
Your body runs on water. Drink it.
I prefer reverse osmosis filtering for clean water. Tea, coffee, soda — these don’t hydrate you like water does.
Aim for around 60-80 oz a day. A good rule of thumb: drink half your body weight in ounces each day.
If you're thirsty, you're likely already behind.
And if you sweat a lot, work out heavily, or drink large amounts of water, consider adding good quality sea salt to help your body absorb it better.
🥗 Eat Whole Foods
Keep it simple.
One of the best things you can do for your health is eat real food. If your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food, it probably isn’t good for you. Meat, fruits, and vegetables are your staples, processed foods are the exception. Prioritize foods that come from nature, not factories.
🚫 Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods
If it comes in a wrapper or bag and has a bunch of ingredients, it’s probably not good for you.
These foods are hard on your body, high in calories, low in nutrients, and hard to digest. They leave you feeling hungry and craving more.
Examples include: boxed cereals, soda, chips, protein bars with 20 ingredients, frozen meals, flavored coffee drinks, and most snack foods.
🥩 Prioritize Protein
Add protein to every meal. It supports your muscles, metabolism, and keeps your blood sugar stable.
Animal proteins are generally the best absorbed and utilized. In my opinion, the king of all proteins is 100% grass-fed beef.
But don’t let perfection get in the way of good.
Eating chicken, beef, lamb, eggs, or pork — even if it’s not perfect quality — is still drastically better than eating Pop-Tarts, chips, or sugary cereal.
🍽 Balance Your Blood Sugar
Food shouldn’t leave you wiped out.
If you crash after eating, you're probably leaning toward insulin resistance.
If you feel way better after eating — less shaky, more focused, no longer hangry — you may be leaning toward hypoglycemia.
Balanced blood sugar = steady energy, mood, and focus.
This topic gets a little more complex. Check out my two-part blog series on blood sugar if you’d like to learn more.
💩 Daily Bowel Movements
Your body needs to eliminate.
If you're not going daily, it's not enough.
Bowel movements are one of your most important detox pathways.
To support daily elimination, try:
Eating more fiber from fruits and veggies or supplementing it
Drinking more water
Morning movement (walks, stretching)
Magnesium citrate (helps gently stimulate the bowels)
🔄 Support Detox Pathways
Your body is always detoxing — make sure it's supported.
In addition to daily bowel movements, make sure you're sweating (via movement or sauna), staying hydrated, and supporting your liver and lymphatic system. Specific supplements and herbs can help here too, but the basics (hydration, fiber, movement, whole foods) make a big difference and are the place to start.
🤝 Connect with Community
We’re wired for connection.
Friendship, laughter, hugs, honest conversation — your body and mind need this.
Isolation and chronic stress don’t mix well.
Make time for people who lift you up, who challenge you, who support you.
Don’t underestimate it!
🙏 Create Quiet Space
Prayer, meditation, journaling, silence — whatever works for you.
We live in a nonstop world. That means if you want quiet, you have to create it.
Your nervous system needs moments of stillness. Even just five minutes in the morning can change your day.
🔥 Live with Purpose
Do what lights you up.
Living in a way that fuels your passion affects your mental and physical health more than you might think.
Find something that brings you joy and make time for it.
Your body was built to thrive — not just survive.
Final Thoughts
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
You don’t have to do every single one of these perfectly every day. But stacking wins — doing a little better, more consistently — that’s what gets results.
80% dialed in, over the course of months and years, will take you much farther than a few weeks of being 100% strict.
Give these basics a try, be patient with yourself, and watch your health transform.
In health,
Dr. Ryan Gengler DC
