What and how you eat directly influences your metabolism, inflammation levels, and therefore also your mood, energy, and sleep. Palmer emphasizes, among other things:

Focus on whole, minimally processed foods

• viele Gemüse, Ballaststoffe, gesunde Fette
• Plenty of vegetables, fiber, and healthy fats, sugar and ultra-processed foods as the exception

Ideas for what you might want to track in your daily routine:

• „Did you eat mostly unprocessed food today?“ (Yes/No)
• „Vegetable portions“ (Scale 0-5)
• Sugar and junk food“ (0 = none, 3 = a lot)

For a deeper dive, you can check out Palmer’s book „Brain Energy – A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health…“ (available in English, e.g., on Amazon).

Regular physical activity improves mitochondrial function, the cardiovascular system and, last but not least, stress resilience – all building blocks of mental health.

Inspiration for habits and behaviors you can monitor:

• „At least 20-30 minutes of exercise?“
• “Strength / Cardio / Walking” (selection)
• “Steps ≥ X” (goal varies depending on the person)

You can either track a single daily checkmark on the board („Yes, I was active today“) or work with scales if you prefer a more granular approach.

Palmer and Huberman agree: Sleep is a performance multiplier – or a silent saboteur. Good sleep supports hormonal balance, the immune system, and emotional stability.

Ideas to help you discover what truly matters:

• „Sleep duration (h)“ (number / scale
• „In bed before midnight?“ (Yes/No)
• „Woke up: refreshed / ok / exhausted“

Important: The goal is not to perfect every night, but to recognize trends.

Lifestyle medicine literature explicitly lists „avoidance of risky substances“ as one of its core pillars: alcohol, nicotine, drugs – but also problematic medication or caffeine consumption.

Suggested Tracking Categories to Help You Build Healthier Habits:

• „Alcohol-free?“ (Yes/No)
• „Cigarettes today?“ (Number)
• „Caffeine after 3 p.m.?“ (Yes/No)

We deliberately named the track neutrally „Consumption“ / „Substance“ – without moralizing, but with clarity.

Chronic stress is not just a feeling, but measurable: cortisol, blood sugar, inflammation, sleep quality. Palmer emphasizes how strongly stress affects metabolism – and vice versa.

Deep-Dive Suggestions for Tracking Your Well-Being Journey:

• „Stresslevel“ (1–5)
• „Have you done breathing exercises / meditation / yoga?“ (Yes/No)
• „Short break without screens?“ (Yes/No)

Here it’s worth using subjective scales – your perception is more important than any clock.

The sixth pillar encompasses social connections, support, and the experience of meaning and purpose. Good relationships are one of the strongest known protective factors for health and life satisfaction.

Helpful Concepts You Can Include in Your Tracking:

• „Consciously maintained contact?“ (Family, friends, community)
• „Did you do something that felt meaningful?“
• „Time for hobbies / creativity?“

That’s why the track is called „Sinnleben“ in German – it’s not just about „purpose“ in the business sense, but about lived meaning in everyday life.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the world of lifestyle medicine, the following literature is worth exploring:

1. If you want to fully understand Dr. Chris Palmer’s Brain Energy model, his book “ Brain Energy” is the best place to start.
2. For a broad, practical overview of science-based routines, you can pre-order Andrew Huberman’s book “ Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body.”
3. If your main focus is building or changing habits, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is an excellent fit.

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