Happy New Year, Zapien 👋

Did you start 2024 with a list of goals and resolutions? This issue is full of tips on how to start climbing that mountain and turn your resolutions into lasting habits.

Plus, to begin the year on a winning streak, join our 10/14 New Year Challenge!

Wishing you a great and healthy 2024!

Forever,
Lisa, Karol & Simon

10/14 NEW YEAR CHALLENGE 💪

Nothing is as powerful as good old gamification and peer pressure. Let’s kick off the new year together with our Community Challenge!

What you gain: 

1. The achievement of 10 workouts when most people are still sobering up
2. A strong habit base (the 2-week barrier) for a very athletic 2024
3. Honor and glory
4. If you complete the challenge, the chance to win 3 x €100 vouchers for (longevity) supplements from Braineffect 🧠

LONGEVITY BEAT

Creating and maintaining new habits can feel like a daunting task, especially as we begin the new year filled with new aspirations and goals.

How can we turn those resolutions into habits?

At its core, a habit is a routine or behavior that is performed regularly, often automatically.

James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits," suggests that the key to building good habits is to focus on small changes.

According to James, habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Just as money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them over time.

Let’s be honest, building lasting habits is hard. You’ve probably tried it before and failed. We certainly have.

While there is no short cut or wonder drug that suddenly makes it easy, we’ve collected strategies and mindsets that will increase your chance of success:

• Start Small: Start with small, achievable steps. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed and helps creating a sense of achievement.

• Consistency Over Intensity: It's better to do less than you hoped than to do nothing at all. If you can’t do a full workout, do a 10-minute one. The key is to maintain the consistency of the habit.

• Track Your Progress: Use a habit tracker. Tracking helps maintain motivation and provides a visual proof of your progress.

• Be Patient and Persistent: Habits take time to build. Don't get discouraged by setbacks.

• Environment Matters: Modify your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits harder. If you want to eat healthier, stock your fridge with healthy snacks.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. This reinforces the positive behavior and makes it more enjoyable.

SHORT HACK, LONG LIFE

Habit stacking is a powerful and effective technique for building new habits by stacking them on top of existing ones, essentially building a “staircase of habits” that will help you achieve your goals.

Instead of just adding a new planned habit to your calendar (“I'll work out every morning from now on”), you bundle it up with an activity you already do automatically:

Keep in Mind:

• Make sure the triggering habit is very stable (“eating lunch”)

• Phrase the stacked habit as specific as possible (“go outside for 15 minutes”)

Next Level - Stack multiple habits:

1. After lunch, I'll walk outside the office for 15 minutes.

2. After walking outside, I'll answer as many emails as possible at my desk for 30 minutes

3. After those 30 minutes, I'll have my last coffee of the day.

HEALTH & LONGEVITY NEWS

ZAPIEN OF THE WEEK

Niels (Germany)

What are you currently optimizing?

I've been refining my body's needs and fine-tuning my diet to meet its unique demands. Regular breaks from digital devices are crucial to maintaining my mental clarity, while daily meditation keeps my focus sharp. I'm using wearables to monitor my sleep and activity, ensuring I'm in tune with my body's natural rhythms and attentive to maintaining a healthy gut.

While these daily habits form the core of my approach, I'm also exploring how AI and blockchain can enhance my journey toward well-being. AI helps analyze the data from my wearables to provide personalized insights, while the decentralized nature of blockchain ensures that my health data is secure and under my control. I'm navigating my path to optimal health by combining practical, everyday strategies with the cutting-edge technology of AI and blockchain.

What’s your favorite tool?

I've been using platforms like Rook, Human API, Thryve, and various AI tools to weave health and lifestyle data into my projects, enhancing them significantly. Personally, I've synced data from my Garmin, Oura Ring, Strava, and even my Apple and Google accounts. I compile all this detailed information into Notion and Google Sheets, creating a clear, comprehensive snapshot of my health and habits. It's truly transformed how I track and understand my well-being!

BECAUSE WE LOVE NUMBERS

⚡️ No Magic Number ⚡️

Although we’d love to post it, there is no magic amount of time it takes to form a new habit (forget 21 days). It can take weeks or months, depending on both the habit and you.

ABOUT US

Lisa has a PhD in Medical Biology. She was a researcher at Harvard Medical before developing D2C laboratory diagnostics.

Karol is a serial founder who helped thousands of people build healthy eating habits with Upfit.

Simon is a healthcare entrepreneur who brought the doctor online-booking service Doctolib to Germany.

WHEN YOU ARE READY, THIS IS HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

Health Disclaimer

New Zapien’s products and services are not intended to substitute for professional medical guidance. Our content and media offerings do not aim to diagnose, cure, or address any medical issues.