Wellness is meant to help people feel better. Many women turn to these practices to feel more centered and alive. But for some, it has become another source of stress.
At mindbodygreen, staff regularly hear from women who feel overwhelmed by the volume of health advice. One scroll through social media can leave a person questioning everything: Should I cut gluten? Track my glucose? Buy the expensive smoothie? Switch to oat milk? Start cold plunging? Only during a certain phase of my cycle?
Wellness became less about feeling well and more about keeping up. That is why Jordan Lee Dooley’s book, Be Good to Your Body, offers a different approach.
Jordan is a bestselling author and podcast host. She advocates for a grounded approach to wellness. Her view is that physical, emotional, and spiritual health are deeply connected. She writes: “In a world of endless fads and health trends, my best advice to reduce overwhelm is to prioritize the big stuff first.”
Here are some takeaways from the book that may resonate with anyone seeking a simpler, more sustainable approach to wellness.
Basics matter more than extras
One key idea in Be Good to Your Body is the difference between “timeless” wellness habits and “trendy” ones. The wellness industry constantly introduces new tools and products promising better energy, clearer skin, and a longer life. Many of these things can be helpful. But Jordan argues they often distract from the basics that matter most.
She writes, “It can be so tempting to jump to something that may absolutely be healthy but not totally necessary and perhaps even kind of faddish.” Foundational practices should always come first.
Jordan prioritizes these principles: hydrating consistently, eating more whole foods, supporting sleep and circadian rhythms, spending time in nature, moving your body daily, cultivating meaningful community, and creating a life-giving home environment.
None of these habits are flashy. Most are free. But together, they create a foundation that supports long-term well-being.
You do not need to earn your health
Another theme in Be Good to Your Body is that wellness perfectionism can pull people away from genuine well-being. For many women, health becomes tangled with productivity and self-worth. There is pressure to eat perfectly, exercise consistently, and never fall off track.
Jordan challenges the idea that wellness must be earned through constant self-improvement. Instead of chasing every new protocol, she encourages readers to simplify. Her advice is about reducing mental clutter around health.
Ways to start include: stop trying to overhaul everything at once, choose consistency over intensity, focus on habits that make you feel grounded, unfollow wellness content that causes anxiety, and let routines evolve with your season of life.
One line from the book states: “There will likely be other times where all we can manage to maintain is the basics. And that’s totally okay too.”
Holistic health includes spiritual well-being
While the book explores physical health, it also argues that true wellness cannot exist in isolation from mind and soul. Jordan writes, “You cannot be holistically well if your pursuit of physical health is harming your spiritual, mental, or relational health.”
This is an important reminder in a culture where healthy living can become all-consuming. If wellness routines leave you feeling stressed or disconnected, those habits may not be supporting your well-being.
Jordan encourages an integrated approach that includes connection and reflection alongside nutrition and movement. That might mean taking walks without tracking them, sharing meals with loved ones, spending more time outside, creating tech-free moments, and prioritizing spiritual practices that help you feel grounded.
It is about letting wellness support your life instead of becoming your entire identity.
Advanced tools, supplements, or biohacking habits are not inherently bad. Many can be supportive, especially if you enjoy the practice. But as Jordan reminds readers throughout Be Good to Your Body, they work best when built on top of a strong foundation, not instead of one.
Only when people focus on nourishment, connection, and care will they feel whole. The book offers a deeper exploration of how caring for the body can be a form of stewardship, how simplicity can be healing, and how wellness can support a more meaningful life.
