Welcome to a wellness series inspired by Stephen Covey’s habits, with a deeper dive into the healthy habits of highly effective people. From writers, entrepreneurs, mothers to professors, designers, and marketers, get the inside scoop on the healthy habits that support their success.
Our first guest is Erin Nystrom, author of best-selling publication Human, being, breath and movement coach, and advocate for truly balanced health and wellness. With over 10 years’ experience in the space, she’s found a way to manage it all while approaching wellness as a stress-reliever versus a stress-inducer.
In this interview, she shares more about the importance of rest, her favorite styles of movement, the scaffolding she built to support her, and her why behind it all.
I’m so excited for you to read all about it, so let’s get into the interview!
1. Lovingly tending to the body: a non-negotiable
Erin shared her “overarching theme of my non-negotiable is lovingly tending to my body.” She loves to set aside time to train, ensure she is well fed, and includes something playful each day. Each evening she enjoys doing breath work or a gentle scalp massage before bed. “I struggled a lot with anxiety and depression in my late teens and throughout my 20s, and I’ve found that the best way to change your mental and emotional experience is by tending to your physical experience,” says Erin.
G: It is quite fascinating how much our mind and body are connected. Movement is definitely a non-negotiable for me, whether a more strength-focused training or even a walk around the neighborhood. If you need more inspiration to ensure you are well-fed, check out my recipe box here.
2. Rest and recovery are key to a healthy life
“My relationship with what “healthy” means has changed a lot over the years,” says Erin. “Starting as a pre-teen, ’90s diet culture had me in a firm chokehold, and it took a long time to undo that programming. Then, in my 20s as a trainer and athlete, I didn’t appreciate the value of recovery and rest enough and drove myself into the ground.” Now in her 30s, Erin shared that she has “a much more nuanced approach” and believes “there are so many perspectives in the wellness world, and all of them have a layer of truth to them. Context is everything.”
Today, she really sees “healthy living as synonymous with freedom”, as a way to live “unburdened in your mind and body”.
G: I so appreciate Erin sharing this with us, especially knowing how many people struggle with all of the information that is out there. Ultimately, your health and wellness routine shouldn’t cause you more stress! If you want to read more on my story, you can check it out here.
3. Prioritizing time outside, connection, community, rest, and creativity are foundational habits
To Erin, prioritizing “time outside in nature, connection and community, play, creativity, rest and recovery” are most important, building the foundation of a healthy life for her. The other things, such as diet, hydration, workouts, and supplements are still valuable, but “they won’t matter if the foundation is flimsy." She mentioned that the point of wellness to her is “to live a full, vibrant, rich, and meaningful life” and the foundation is critical to that.
G: Building a strong foundation really is key. Remember, your rest ethic needs to match your work ethic. If you are going to work hard, you better rest hard to nourish your body well.
4. Embrace your uniqueness and varied interests in community
With so many interests, Erin shared that she struggles with fitting in to any one particular group. “I don’t fit with the writers and artists, the athletes, the woo crowd, the outdoorsy folks, the wellness girlies… I’m a little bit of all of them, but not fully any one thing. That said, we all contain multitudes.” Through her publication on Substack, she has discovered how to combine her interests, and share more to help others versus just focusing on “what the world can offer me”, Erin says.
G: Each of us are unique and created with gifts, skills, and interests, that make us, well, us! Finding your community is one of those things that is never quite finished in my opinion. People will come and go in and out of your life for different reasons and different seasons, but I’ve found that spending time in the spaces I want to be at, I often discover other people who enjoy those very same things. If you are looking for an online community, join us in the Grace & Greens group chat here.
If you’re loving this interview, stay tuned. This is part 1 of a multi-part wellness series all about healthy habits. Get more details at the bottom of this blog!
5. Balance will support you far better than stress and rigidity
Over the years Erin’s perspective on healthy and wellness has greatly shifted. When I asked her what changed, she responded “LOL EVERYTHING. I used to be so strict: no gluten, no seed oils, nothing that wasn’t organic, morning routines that were intricately stacked and optimized… all of that stuff. If there was a wellness trend, I was on board with bells on.”
Then, the perspective shift she shared: “But then I came to realize that the stress and rigidity and isolation of that lifestyle were antithetical to the whole point - that the salve had become the poison.” Now, she has a much more balanced approached, including what helps her and leaving what doesn’t.
G: For too long, I believed that the lies that my life had to look a certain way or I was doing health and wellness wrong. This level of perfection is completely unattainable and leaves us feeling unwell. Ultimately, balance is the key to building a healthy life - one that is sustainable, attainable, and even enjoyable!
6. Rhythms of movement and quality meals can support your days well
Starting her day off on the right foot, Erin is “very into breakfast. It has to be high protein, satiating, quick, and easy, but also comforting and delicious. Having a breakfast you genuinely look forward to is such a hack.”
Another regular rhythm she loves is movement! Erin shares that “right after I wake up (and feed the cat) I do a quick little movement routine to wake up the body and shake out any tension from being in bed. Literally, I’ll shake, spiral, rotate, roll… I love it and wakes me up better than anything else.” She also loves to train, “whether that’s lifting, a run, a climb, or a mixed-movement session. I keep it structured in a way that allows for flexibility and to listen to my body – I think I’ve gotten pretty good at balancing when it’s appropriate to push and when to rest.”
I love her approach to balance: “When I’m short on time or energy, I just let myself be short of time or energy. It’s the 80/20 of life: If my habits are in place and they’re truly supportive, off days are just part of it, and I’ll pick back up tomorrow.”
G: Living a healthy and active lifestyle definitely calls for fuel, and I totally agree that breakfast truly starts you off on the right foot. Some breakfasts I’ve been loving lately include a protein pancake bowl, a blueberry vanilla protein smoothie, and a savory chicken sausage breakfast bowl. Oh, and speaking of the 80/20 rule, this has truly changed the game when it comes to living with a more balanced approach. Instead of focusing on perfection, it frees you up to be able to take on each day, listening to yourself and responding to what your body truly needs to nourish it well.
7. Building the scaffolding to a healthy life with habits and routines makes living healthy the normal
Feeling motivated comes and goes. When I asked Erin her ways for combating low motivation, she shared “I almost never have motivation (lol), that’s why I created this lifestyle for myself, and why I really latched on to habits, routines, and general “wellness” in the first place–I need some serious scaffolding. Even when I don’t want to do anything, my version of “going through the motions” is still getting me somewhere. Even when I don’t feel like it, all I have to do is show up, it’s just what my life is.”
G: Healthy habits truly make it easy for you to support yourself, even when you are feeling unmotivated. It’s not about doing every habit perfectly, but it is about making it easier on yourself by regularly relying on a few rhythms. Read more here: Feeling unmotivated? These 11 habits will keep you going
How healthy habits support effectiveness
Erin is balancing a couple of roles right now, with keeping organized and managing her time well as top areas of focus. While managing her time, she is also “learning how to best manage my energy. It’s still very much a work in progress! But honestly, a consistent, simple breath work practice has been wildly helpful for this, because more than anything it’s helped me with the ability to actually tap in and listen to my body and identify its signals.”
To learn more about the work Erin is doing, subscribe to her Substack publication Human, being and find her on Instagram @erinnystrom_. You can also read one of my favorite articles by her: You Were Lied to About Exercise
Stay tuned - This is just the start of healthy habits
This is just the start of the NEW series all about building healthy habits that last. Over the coming weeks, you can expect:
Interviews from successful, high-achievers who are leveraging healthy habits to support their goals including Jenna O'Brien , Lia Haberman, Beth Bollinger, Elisabet Juan Roca, Sara Redondo, MD, Lulu Godin and more.
Practical resources to support you in building lasting habits.
A virtual-live Healthy Habits workshop (Sign up here to receive more information)
And more to help you build healthy habits!
If you haven’t yet, consider joining the community to experience everything that this new series has to offer.
Here’s to a healthy week ahead,
Grace Barker
Let me know in the comments, what’s one healthy habit you want to start incorporating in your life?
P.S. Thanks for reading! I’m here to help make healthy eating easier so you can feel good and show up well in all you do. To start eating healthier today, join the community so you can access all the Weekly meal plans and nourishing recipes (new weekly meal plan drops every Saturday). Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, and shop my favorite brands at a discount.
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Great article! Number 5 was my favorite. I loved Erin's thoughts on the stress of being rigid. I do love the word balance. I don't succeed at using it, but I am always working towards applying it more.
Deeply thankful to be invited into such a powerful and inspiring collaboration!