Wellness doesn't need to be about 'rigid perfection' – here's how to fit it into your day

Last year, I wrote about the concept of "wellness overwhelm" – the idea that everywhere we look, we're bombarded with influencers and celebrities sharing their daily wellness protocols.

While seeing how others add a daily dose of wellness to their routine, be it via supplements, biohacking or morning meditations, can be inspirational, on the other hand, it can make us feel like we're lacking if we don't have our own routine to help us feel our best selves.

This comparison to others is something nutritionist Jo Woodhurst wants us to let go of in 2025, and when I spoke with her last week, she introduced me to the concept of "daily-ish" habits – a way to make wellness feel more manageable, not another thing to add to an extensive to-do list.

What are "daily-ish" habits?

Just like they sound, daily-ish habits are simple wellness practices you can add to your everyday life, without beating yourself up if you miss a day.

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For example, you might want to do a five-minute stretching routine first thing every morning – very doable, until your alarm doesn't go off and you don't have time before work or the school run.

Daily-ish habits allow you to miss a morning without berating yourself, Jo says. "Daily-ish is a beautiful approach that embodies realism. We're not here every day to tick all the wellbeing boxes and live by a strict protocol.

"We're here to live a full and happy life, so daily-ish practices allow space for life to happen. They're a gentle reminder that wellness isn't about rigid perfection. It's about consistency and making sure that you're taking steps in the right direction."

Jo continues that when we have a rigid protocol we can be hard on ourselves if we miss a day, but daily-ish allows us to be softer. Here she shares her daily-ish wellness practices.

Jo's daily-ish practices

1. A glass of water first thing

"I wake up in the morning and I have a glass of water next to my bed, so I always have a drink before I get up. It's so ingrained in me that I don't even think about it. To the point that I might not even call it a wellness practice anymore."

2. Meditate

"Meditation has been the biggest game changer for me. It gives me a different viewpoint on life and helps me navigate struggles in a different way.

"That said, some mornings I rebel against it and read my book instead. And I don’t feel guilty for skipping it even though most days it's essential to me."

ADVICE: Is sound healing really meditation for lazy people? Here's what I thought

3. Daily movement

"I try to move every day – this can be anything from a five-minute stretch before work, to a longer walk at lunchtime or a fitness class in the evening. Just to move my body is essentially my goal."

4. Screen-free time

"I try not to look at my phone for the first hour of my day and the last hour in the evening."

 5. Outdoor light

"This might be first thing in the morning or at lunch, but I always go out without sunglasses for 20 minutes a day."

 6. Consistent supplements

"I put Ancient+ Brave True Collagen in my coffee each day – an example of habit stacking, which is adding a wellness element to a habit I already have, so there's no extra pressure, but I do see the extra benefit.

"I already drink coffee daily, so attaching the habit of adding collagen makes the existing practice work harder. I love the ritual of making a coffee, so adding a scoop of collagen is easy for me."

"It's an efficient way to add wellness to my day when I'm time-poor. We often have lofty ideas of wellness goals that we want to achieve without considering the practicality.

"Wellness needs to fit in with our days, otherwise it can throw us off course and leave us feeling worse than we did in the first place!

"We're all trying our best and if we set habits we'll never keep we berate ourselves, entirely missing the point of wellness."

Jo Woodhurst is Head of Nutrition for supplement brand Ancient + Brave.