I Rated Every Weird Health Hack I’ve Tried

Some worked. Some really, really didn’t. I rated my backdoor approaches to everything, I’ve experimented with.

Yesterday’s advice received a mixed bag of opinions.

To help me sleep this weekend, I decided to share a few thoughts that are a bit easier to chew on. I'm not taking back what I shared (that ungrateful list was a game changer for me), but I want to give you permission, even a nudge, to go through the back door. To see it differently. To think outside the box.

Because there are always options… and sometimes you just need to know those options exist.

Not everyone is an out-of-the-box thinker. You like to play by the rules (no judgment). That’s exactly why I wanted to make the back door feel a little safer, by showing you which ones I’ve actually tried and how I’d rate them.

I also explicitly share what didn’t go well at the bottom.

I want to open the door for you to see it differently. But you have to walk through.

This is mostly for fun…but if you feel compelled, I hope you try it out for yourself.

Backdoor approaches to weight loss:

• Nude sunbathing | 10 out of 10

• Getting dressed and feeling good in what I dress myself in | 8 out of 10

• Eating at the table, not in the car between pickups | 7 out of 10

• Clearing out the clothes that fit an old story | 10 out of 10

• Defining health for what it means to me, not the world | 10 out of 10

• Going to bed earlier than you think | 9 out of 10

• Weighted vest walking | 8 out of 10

• Releasing the peptide FOMO and feeling good in my own skin | 100 out of 10

• Carb cycling with the seasons | 9 out of 10

Backdoor approaches to energy + vitality:

• Morning sunlight, even when it’s freezing | 10 out of 10

• Circadian-friendly light bulbs | 100 out of 10

• Asking my body what it wants before I try to fix it (yes, talking to my body) | 10 out of 10

• Changing my language | 10 out of 10

• Planning my weeks on Friday (not the weekend) | 9 out of 10

• Physical touch | 8 out of 10

• More silence (on walks, in relationships, at home) | 7 out of 10

• Leaving my phone in another room | 9 out of 10

• Taking a real lunch break | 8 out of 10

Backdoor approaches to more joy:

• Writing an ungrateful list (occasionally) | 8 out of 10

• Keeping my house tidy | 9 out of 10

• Adding more color to my home decor | 10 out of 10

• Naming my energy fills (not just wishing for more energy) | 9 out of 10

• Taking the day trip, doing the thing I always thought about but never did | 10 out of 10

• Asking “is there a different way to see this?” | 100 out of 10

• Naming how I want it to go | 100 out of 10

• Slowing down even when life isn’t | 9 out of 10

• Hosting without cleaning first | 7 out of 10

• Learning something I want to learn, even if I’m really bad at it | 10 out of 10

Backdoor approaches to deeper faith:

• Listening more than talking or praying | 100 out of 10

• Praying with my eyes open | 10 out of 10

• Absorbing God over seeking him | 10 out of 10

• Acting before I see: “What would I do today if I really believed this?” | 9 out of 10

• Reading my Bible from a different vantage point | 10 out of 10

• Surrendering my old story so I can live fully surrendered to God | 100 out of 10

• Not saying I’ll pray about it but actually doing it in the moment | 8 out of 10

• Writing prayers as letters | 10 out of 10

• Sabbathing | 1000 out of 10

Backdoor approaches to stronger libido:

• Again…Nude sunbathing | 100 out of 10

• Eating enough (yes, really) | 9 out of 10

• Living at a healthy weight (not just a skinny weight) | 10 out of 10

• Kissing for longer than six seconds | 8 out of 10

• Holding hands in the car | 9 out of 10

• Wearing something I feel good in (just for me) | 9 out of 10

• Planning a morning date instead of a night one (especially if you have kids at home) | 10 out of 10

• Lying naked together in bed (no agenda) | 100 out of 10

• Getting curious about the new version of my husband | 10 out of 10

• Dropping the “it’s a him problem” story | 100 out of 10

• Receiving what he wants to give me | 10 out of 10

5 things that didn’t work for me:

Note: This doesn’t mean they won’t work for you. The only way to know is to experiment. This is just my experience as of recently.

• Cold plunging | 2 out of 10

• A rigid-real the bible in a year plan | 3 out of 10

• Buying new lingerie | 4 out of 10

• Keeping score and competing with others | 0 out of 10

• Venting to anyone who would listen | 3 out of 10

• Minimalist style | 3 out of 10

• Tracking everything | 4 out of 10

• Reorganizing the kitchen so it would “make sense” | 2 out of 10

• Waiting to be in the mood | 1 out of 10

• Saying things I have no intention of doing: “We should get together,” “I’ll pray for you.” | 1 out of 10

If you look closely, you might see the pattern. Almost every one that failed was a front door pretending to be a back door. It was still fixing, just with flashier language.

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I really want to hear from you. And I’m going to call you out because I know you hate leaving comments, but I'm sitting on the other side of this, exposing all my dirty laundry, and I need to know it’s helping you.

Drop a comment and tell me:

1. What’s one out-of-the-box thing that has worked for you in the past?

2. Which one from my list are you trying this weekend?

Or you can just drop an emoji so I know you exist!

Remember, this is permission to do something different this weekend.