Weekly blog

Jan 2

President Dwight D. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." In an excerpt from that speech in 1957, he goes on to clarify, "There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency, you must start with this one thing: the very definition of 'emergency' is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning."

I love that quote. While planning for a healthy life is definitely not the same as the war-planning he was referring to, the main point holds. The act of gathering current information to help inform, envision and prepare for the potentials of the future is one of the best ways we have to gain power over it; to be adaptable enough, resilient enough and ultimately ready enough, to both absorb and grow from whatever life throws at us this year, even while acknowledging things almost definitely won't actually go according to plan. And so, with another calendar flip upon us, it's a great time to do some planning in hopes of unlocking an even better way to maximize our effort this year.  

Under the header of "gathering current information" and against the backdrop of 2025, a year that again proved that investments in any of the ELEMENTS, even very small ones, can pay off, zooming out to look at our entire personal health "portfolio" is a great first step. If we are anything like the 16,000 individuals across 29 countries surveyed in this study, 3 tactics could be particularly impactful to include in our plan. While the first two, (1) working to build the skills to ENDURE emotional distress in a world that seems more tightly-wound than ever, and (2) increasing our MOVE-minutes per day, didn't surprise me much, the third got me thinking. The act of "home cooking, which can be so much more than good FUEL, could easily become a central power-habit that others lock onto this year. Using the kitchen or family table in order to CONNECT is definitely not perfect for every situation, but the known benefits certainly deserve an effort where possible. However, for those who are really ready to let things compound in 2026, planning to support that effort with fresh ingredients sourced from a garden may open a whole new portal to better health.

This review, for example, showed a strong mental health benefit and even some physical function gains for those willing to roll up their sleeves and step into the garden, but that might just be the tip of the iceberg. Not a lettuce joke, but enjoy!. For most of us, there's exploration and learning to be done to build gardening skills. And since there's a beneficial link between curiosity and brain health, stimulating our brain while also getting the gut-health benefit enjoyed by gardening families (but not by those who don't), as shown here, seems like a no-brainer. Who knows, it might even send you down a similar wormhole as me, considering how to unlock an important, long-term investment by way of soil improvement. While it may not be an emergency just yet, it is a problem we probably shouldn't ignore if we'd like to turn the tide on the sliding food quality discussed here. To be honest, I didn't expect to have the "magic of composting" on my personal resolution list, but here we are. 

Of course, this won't be the only path we walk down in 2026. There will undoubtedly be more fascinating updates and nuances to be learned and leveraged. As always, we resolve to scour and dive deep each week in hopes of elevating the strategies that work and combat the growing risk of  "mis-", "dis-", and even "mal-" information on health mentioned here.

From the entire team, we wish you a stronger and happier 2026 through better health. Reach out any time we can support your planning...or, if you've got it dialed in already, send some gardening tips or pics you're proud of when the time comes!

Happy New Year,
Mike E.