If you have read anything in the areas of self-improvement, goal accomplishments, and sustainability in forward motion for those topics, you are no doubt aware of the 1% rule.

The 1% rule is the natural working through of the concept of breaking a big project down to its smallest parts, so the project won’t get bogged down by its enormity – just do the smallest thing you can today that will bring you just a tiny bit closer to your goal.

Tomorrow? Do the next small thing that will move you forward.

James Clear in his Atomic Habits advises his readers to find that one small thing that – while seeming to be insignificant – will push you forward and ensure your return tomorrow to do the same.

There would be no excuse not to do that one thing, because it was ridiculously small.

It’s like the adage about how to eat an elephant … one bite at a time.

Such advice has strengthened not only my resolve, but has also increased my performance in accomplishing my goals.

I wrote about it in my first book, Toolkit for Wellness, as I strove to perform planks – an exercise of maintaining a static body position.

My high school senior students had tried to demonstrate doing planks, and their muscles were shaking after 30 seconds! I couldn’t wait to go home to practice in private!

While at first glance, a plank seems easy enough to do, a novice such as I, was totally overwhelmed in just a few seconds.

As I explained in my book, I broke the exercise down to an easier, smaller version by changing the elbow/toe position to elbow/knee.

Gradually increasing time in position for elbow/knee from a measly 15 seconds (who doesn’t have time to exercise for 15 seconds?) to 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds – proved successful.

Then, I started with the full body elbow/toe plank for 15 seconds followed by the now easy half-plank for 60 seconds. And so, it went.

Then, I learned one way to think about our time each day. We have 1,440 minutes every day to live.

I still have a yellow Post It note in my office with 1440 written on it. When I think about 1440, I feel the value of each minute more deeply. What was I doing with this minute?

Okay – back to the 1% idea.

Another inspirational writer, Brian Johnson, in his excellent book, Arete’, shared an additional way of thinking about getting better and doing better 1% at a time.

What’s 1% of 1,440 minutes?

1% of a day is fourteen minutes and twenty-four seconds!

If you are trying to fit a project – self-improvement, creating something, or mastering a new topic – then use the 1% rule of using 1% of your day – fourteen minutes and twenty-four seconds – to find that time!

As Brian Johnson said, “How about 1% of your day training? Or 1% of your day with ZERO technology spent 101% focused on being present with your significant other and/or kids?”

1% every day.

By the end of the week, you would be 7% better at something.

And so, it goes.

Feeling inspired and in health –

Deidre

Wait!

Is this a post about college football? The top six teams most likely to win?

Maybe six foods to avoid because of inflammation – or to eat because of beneficial phytonutrients?

Nope.

My healing journey with LPR, (aka: silent reflux, or respiratory reflux), is offering more deep dives into resources that are guiding my lower acid eating.

The administrators of the Facebook group: LPR-Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Global Community are regularly steering us newer members to vetted resources for a more detailed understanding and effective therapeutic approaches.

From there, I discovered Michelle Nelson’s Substack posts called Low Acid Eats. Her post for August 14, 2026, resonated with me – not only for the three whole food recipes she offered that were all gluten-free and had modifications for different levels of reflux healing; but also for the additional information about whole body healing.

From the critical importance of morning sunlight, shutting down blue-light sources before bed, the role of chronic stress, and the effects of being sedentary – her post was in lock-step with what we’ve been talking about for years on foodtalk4you.

What especially caught my interest was what she shared about lymphatic drainage.

Unlike our circulatory system, which uses the beating heart to pump blood throughout the body, the lymphatic system has no central pump. Instead, it relies on the movement of our muscles to help push lymph fluid through the system and eventually return it to the bloodstream.

The lymphatic’s function fights infections, removes cellular waste, keeps body fluid levels balanced, and helps absorb dietary fats.

Earlier this summer, I started using a facial lymphatic brush that, with very gentle pressure in three patterns, purports to assist in the movement of lymph from my face.

All well and good – it is a lovely, caressing touch to my face. Who wouldn’t love that?

But – I have noticed that one area just behind my jaw, down my neck, felt … almost ecstatic, when the brush glided over it! Hmmm.

Michelle Nelson introduced me to The Big Six with advice to search out videos to do self-massage of these six areas – in the proper order – to assist the body-wide flow of lymph.

The YouTube video that I found reflecting what she was advocating was this one by Dr. Perry:

The Big Six Locations

Collarbone: Above and below the clavicles; the primary return point where fluid re-enters the blood.

Upper Neck: Near the jaw angle and ear lobes, clearing the head and face.

Armpits: The shoulder and chest junction filtering upper body lymph.

Abdomen: Deep central core surrounding the navel for gut and trunk flow.

Groin: The hip crease and bikini line draining the lower extremities.

Behind Knees: The lowermost checkpoint catching fluid moving up from the calves and feet.

To finish up this quick routine, Dr. Perry concludes with a gentle-bouncing on the balls of the feet for 30-60 seconds along with shaking out the arms – all to increase blood circulation that will carry the reabsorbed lymph back to the heart.

So, here’s to improved lymphatic flow, and to my moving from store bought alkaline water to our own countertop alkaline water making system!

Yay for health!

Deidre

When do you break the fast of the night?

That’s what breakfast is: when we break the fast of the night.

It’s not hard to find a researched opinion that we should emphasize a hearty breakfast before heading out the door.

As a former teacher, seeing hungry students scrambling to get something in their tummies at the start of first period each day, I often wished I could offer them more than the carb-laden breakfasts the school provided, or the pop tarts the students brought themselves.

Workday schedules just seem to require starting the day with quality protein-centric calories to fuel physical and mental strength. That was certainly true for me.

Furthermore, I see so many reports touting “eating like a king in the morning, like a prince at noon, and like a pauper at night,” to promote optimal digestion.

Others hold fast to the philosophy of eating their main meal mid-day.

Then there’s the well-researched crowd that embraces eating a substantial protein and good-fat meal in the late morning – followed by a protein snack if needed, and a protein/good fat and salad dinner.

Doing that extends the fast of the night – thus, entering the conversation of the benefits of intermittent fasting.

As someone who no longer punches a timecard to start work, changing up the timing of my first meal is easier – so here I go changing up timing and content.

Our first meal is closer to the 11 o’clock hour and it’s been looking just a bit different.

Yes, the eggs are still there, frequently including a splash of cream in the scramble, and if there’s gluten-free toast, there will be avocado smash on top. Otherwise, the avocado will be on the side seasoned with garlic salt and pepper.

My friends who are younger and engage in more rigorous exercise, say they conclude their first meal with an additional protein boost of full fat Greek yogurt with blueberries.

The avocado – never a stranger on our plates – is becoming more of a daily feature.

Why?

The fat in avocados is mostly monounsaturated fat which is heart-healthy, helps reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, and also helps the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Don’t let the creamy smooth texture of avocados fool you – one avocado has 14 grams of dietary fiber.

Fiber-rich foods are critical in feeding the good gut bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, digest this fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids.

As this article explains:

“Short-chain fatty acids provide health to the gut cells and gut lining,” says JeJe Noval, Ph.D., M.S., RDN. “Many fiber-rich foods include prebiotic elements in them, like avocados. Therefore, consuming a variety of fiber-rich foods like avocados, berries and nuts, to name a few, work together with probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yogurt to produce health benefits.

The offering of prebiotic fiber through avocados has been shown to support diversity in our gut microbiome, thus – contributing to proper digestive function.

My experience with daily avocado consumption so far has provided satiety, improved bowel function, and a less-bloated tummy.

The extended period of fasting helps the body burn its fat stores, rather than using glucose for energy – thus aiding with weight loss.

Maybe my flatter tummy is more than ditching the bloating!

Coupled with our last post about a way to improve digestion after meals with a 10-20 minute stroll, I am hoping to keep “doing my body good” in ways that are easy to maintain.

In health –

Deidre