When I turned 49 this summer, I found myself reflecting on something I hadn’t really thought about before.
How did healthy living become one of my favourite parts of the day?
Not something I should do, or something on my to-do list, or something I have to force myself to prioritize.
Something I genuinely look forward to.
Because really, it wasn’t one big decision. It wasn’t finding the perfect diet or finally becoming disciplined enough. I didn’t have a scare with my own health that changed my outlook. Rather, it was hundreds of little upgrades that slowly changed the way I experienced health.
When I think back to my twenties, I honestly never imagined this would be my life. Those years were adventurous, wild, and—let’s just say—full of stories that might belong in a book one day.
I have been asked often if I honestly ever picture my life like the way it is today. In my 20’s I knew that that lifestyle wasn’t going to be how it was always going to be. It was for a time that served me well then. But did I ever think I would be growing my own mushrooms and herbs, being a vegetarian, and meditating every morning? Not exactly.
What I also couldn’t have imagined was just how in love with my life I could be either. In love with the simple things really.
A quiet morning.
Fresh herbs growing outside my back door.
A beautiful bowl of fruit on the counter.
A trip to the farmers’ market.
Making smoothies with my daughter.
Healthy living didn’t become easier because I became more disciplined. It became easier because I slowly designed a life where healthy living became one of the most enjoyable parts of my day.
That, to me, is what Healthy Feels Different Here has always meant.
We often think health requires more discipline.
I don’t think it does. I think it requires a little more intention.
Many women tell me they know what they “should” be doing.
Eat more vegetables.
Drink more water.
Exercise more.
Go to bed earlier.
The problem usually isn’t knowledge. The problem is that healthy living often feels like one more thing competing for their attention. One more responsibility or one more decision.
Joy creates consistency.
I’ve watched this happen with hundreds of women I have coached over the years. The ones who are most successful aren’t necessarily the most disciplined—they’re the ones who slowly create a life where healthy choices become enjoyable. I wrote more about this idea in How to Make Healthy Habits Stick as a Busy Woman, where I explore why small, consistent changes are often more powerful than trying to change everything at once.
When healthy living feels enjoyable, we naturally come back to it.
When it feels like punishment, we eventually stop.
That’s why I love what I call Little Upgrades.
They’re small changes that make healthy living feel easier, more beautiful, more enjoyable and, ultimately, more sustainable.
They’re another way of reducing friction, making the healthy choice the easy choice.
My favourite little upgrade lives just outside my back door.
If you’ve spent any time around me, you probably know how much I love my garden. This year, my daughter and I planted it together. Flowers, vegetables, fruit, herbs. From tilling the soil to planting the seeds, watering every day and celebrating the first tiny sprouts, she’s involved in all of it.
She’s learning where food comes from, how plants grow, and just how exciting healthy food can be.
But for me, my favourite part is something much simpler. It’s walking outside in the morning with a cup of coffee and breathing in the scent of lavender. The scent stops me every single time.
Fresh basil.
Mint.
Rosemary.
Lavender.
There is something about those smells that instantly slows my mind down.
Lately I clip a few herbs for dinner or dry some lavender to make essential oil for our home.
They’re tiny moments, but they remind me that healthy living isn’t just about nutrition.
It’s about creating experiences that nourish us and spending time together.
One of my favourite little upgrades: spending a summer morning berry picking. Fresh berries, fresh air, and memories that nourish more than just our bodies.
Our favourite summer tradition isn’t really about smoothies.
This summer we went berry picking together. We came home with stained fingers, baskets overflowing and immediately started searching for new recipes.
Our current favourite?
A Berry Mint Smoothie made with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, a little yogurt, soy milk, fresh mint from the garden and just a drizzle of honey.
We almost always make too much on purpose. Why? Because those smoothies become homemade popsicles in fun shaped moulds, we make dinosaurs and boats and unicorns.
To my daughter, they’re a treat. To me, they’re another little upgrade.
Those are the moments I hope she remembers. Not because I’m teaching her nutrition. Because we’re building a healthy relationship with food together.
Healthy living became easier when I stopped making it harder.
One of the biggest shifts I work with clients on during their health journey isn’t always learning more about nutrition. It is learning how to reduce friction.
Instead of hiding fruit in the crisper drawer where it was forgotten, they start displaying it in a beautiful bowl on the counter.
Instead of wondering what is for dinner at 6:00 p.m., they start using my concept of Meal Think—spending just a few minutes each morning deciding what dinner would look like.
If you’re wondering which nutrition habits make the biggest difference as we age, you may also enjoy my article on 10 Nutrition Habits That Matter More After 50.
Personally, that friction reduction is so important being a busy solo momma running a business. Little things like instead of buying herbs every week, I grow them.
Instead of filling my pantry with foods I hope I’d eat someday, I stocked it with simple ingredients I genuinely loved using.
Little by little, healthy living becomes easier. Not because you have more willpower, but because you have fewer barriers.
Those little upgrades quietly reduced decision fatigue. They make healthy choices feel damn near automatic. And when healthy choices become easier, they become something we simply do—not something we have to constantly think about.
One of my favourite little upgrades: stepping into the garden and bringing in fresh herbs, cucumbers and berries for the day’s meals. Healthy living feels different when you’re surrounded by food you’ve grown yourself.
The science is actually pretty simple.
Our environment shapes our behaviour more than we often realize. When healthy foods are visible, we’re more likely to eat them. When our kitchen invites us to cook, we’re more likely to prepare meals at home. When routines become enjoyable, our brains are much more likely to repeat them.
Positive experiences reinforce healthy habits.
Restriction rarely does.
That is why I don’t spend much time talking about motivation. Motivation comes and goes, but systems stay. Anchor Habits, Meal Think, Thinking in Pairs, and Little Upgrades all have one thing in common—they reduce friction and help create a life where healthy living simply fits.
Some of the best upgrades don’t cost very much.
People sometimes assume healthy living must be expensive.
Of course, there are beautiful specialty products available if they’re within your budget.
But that’s never been the point for me.
Growing herbs has saved me countless trips to the grocery store.
Displaying fruit where we can see it means we actually eat it instead of throwing it away.
Making homemade smoothies and popsicles costs far less than buying frozen treats.
Some of my favourite investments have simply been choosing to spend my money differently.
I don’t live lavishly.
I don’t spend much on takeout because I genuinely enjoy cooking. I’d rather invest in high-quality food that nourishes my family, supports local farmers when I can, and allows us to gather around the table together.
Those choices reflect what matters most to me.
Healthy living isn’t about spending more.
It’s about spending intentionally.
There is something incredibly satisfying about harvesting food you’ve grown yourself. One little upgrade at a time, healthy living becomes something you look forward to.
What could one little upgrade look like for you?
Maybe it’s buying a beautiful water bottle that makes hydration feel easier.
Maybe it’s planting a pot of herbs on your deck or windowsill.
Maybe it’s displaying fruit where you will actually see it.
Maybe it’s creating your own favourite morning ritual before the rest of the house wakes up.
Maybe it’s trying one new healthy recipe this week.
It doesn’t have to be expensive, or perfect or what the latest trend on TikTok says (in fact, please avoid that okay?! Your future self will thank you!).
It just has to make healthy living feel a little more enjoyable for YOU.
Looking back…
When I turned 49, I realized something.
The biggest change in my life wasn’t learning more about nutrition. It was learning how to create a life where healthy living feels like a gift instead of another thing on my to-do list.
That’s what all those little upgrades have given me. A life where taking care of myself has become one of my favourite parts of the day.
So today, I’d love to leave you with one simple question.
What’s one little upgrade that could make healthy living feel more joyful for you?
Because I have a feeling it won’t be one big decision that changes your health.
It will be hundreds of little ones over time that slowly change the way you experience it.
And one day, perhaps without even realizing it, you’ll wake up and discover that healthy living isn’t something you have to do anymore.
It’s simply part of who you are.