Issue #99 ·
Too Many Health Choices? Try the Best-Nearest Approach
🤔 The problem with too many options today, Why you should carry your baby, and Estimating food intake is hard
Hello friends,
This week’s insights come from the essay The Sterile World of Infinite Choice.
In a nutshell, it makes this point:
The abundance of choice and constant optimization in modern life has paradoxically made our experiences less meaningful and more sterile, as we've traded the richness of limitation and serendipity for the illusion of perfect control.
As someone who grew up in the 90s, it’s easier to think things were simpler back then.
But does this apply to health?
This week in building health 👇
Why Today's Health Options Are a Gift
When it comes to health and fitness, we're living in an age of unprecedented access to information and tools.
And that’s a good thing.
Think about it: we have wearable devices that track our sleep and steps, apps that guide us through workouts, and endless research at our fingertips about nutrition and exercise science.
Twenty years ago, if you wanted to learn proper squat form, you'd need to find (and pay for) a personal trainer.
Today, you can watch detailed tutorials from world-class coaches on YouTube – for free.
But here's the catch: this abundance can be overwhelming.
We get lost in optimization loops, wondering if we should be doing CrossFit or yoga, following keto or Mediterranean, tracking macros or practicing intuitive eating.
The sheer volume of choices can lead to analysis paralysis.
Sometimes, having too many options makes it harder to start and stick with healthy habits.
How to Narrow Your Focus with “Best-Nearest”
There's wisdom in having fewer options.
That's why I use what I call the "best-nearest" approach.
Instead of searching endlessly for the perfect gym or yoga studio, I look for good options within a 5-10 minute radius of my home or office.
This simple constraint makes decisions easier when it comes to my health.
What’s the “best-nearest” gym?
What’s the “best-nearest” grocery?
When a workout spot is nearby, you're more likely to show up consistently. And you spend less mental energy debating whether to go and more energy actually exercising.
My favorite health things for the week
// one
Just Carry Your Baby
12 minutes | Nicole Crawford
My daughter is now 1.5 years old.
I’m still strong enough to carry her, but she’s definitely getting heavier and heavier.
But I’m determined to carry her a lot for as long as I can.
The article highlights the importance of "mechanical nutrients" for babies - that is helping them learn to position and shift themselves so that they can be carried - and how it benefits both the baby's development and parental health.
// two
Do Dietitians Accurately Report Their Food Intake?
8 minutes | Weightology
A big challenge for anyone looking to eat well is how to measure you’re intake.
A lot of apps like MyFitnessPal or Yazio help you track your food, but it’s a way more imprecise science than it feels like when you’re tracking the apps.
This article sheds light on how even dietitians, whose job it is to guide others in eating right, struggle with this task.
Remember, accurately measuring your intake is hard- so learn to rely on other factors too. Like how full you feel, whether it makes you feel slugging or alert, and whether you’re eating even though you’re not hungry.
// three
The Truth About Aging
17 minutes | Aditi Gurkar
There’s a lot of research these days about aging and longevity.
But you can pretty much narrow it down to two factors: Genetics and Environment.
This article is a quick 101 on what factors matter, and a reminder of whether you might be overlooking something in your health plan.
Until next time
Have a Healthy Weekend