Life Is Filled With Change. Liz Moody Has the Tools to Help You Thrive, No Matter What You’re Going Through

As a longtime writer, editor, and podcaster in the health and wellness space, Liz Moody knows exactly who to call to get the information we all need to make positive changes in our lives.

Whether it’s gut health or mental health, finances or food, relationships or beauty tips, Moody has a podcast episode featuring a world-class expert on the topic—and she’s a pro at mining for advice that feels both insightful and doable.

In her new book, 100 Ways To Change Your Life, Moody takes what she’s learned over thousands of hours of these expert interviews and boils them down to 100 specific tools, habits, and shifts aimed at up-leveling every aspect of your life. So, what’s the advice Moody is leaning into most right now? How has she taken all this science-backed advice and created a way of living that helps her thrive, no matter what life throws her way? The Sunday Paper sat down with Moody to find out.

A CONVERSATION WITH LIZ MOODY

Life is filled with change—both the unexpected and the changes we commit to making. How do you personally navigate what life throws your way?

I would say that my life philosophy is to feel as good as possible in the moment and in the long term. I think sometimes it’s tempting to lose sight of one for the other. There are a lot of health philosophies that are about self-punishment and depriving yourself because of some future where you'll feel amazing, and it'll all be worth it somehow. On the other side, there’s pure hedonism—this sense that I only live once so I’m going to do whatever I want and enjoy every single second as much as possible. But I believe our pursuit of our goals in the long run can contribute to us feeling amazing today, and I think that us feeling amazing today can contribute to us feeling great in the long run.

Your new book is filled with science-backed tips on how to change your life for the better. Did any of the tips blow you away when you first learned about them?

After interviewing so many experts, doctors, and top performers, I started to see a few things they all do that really inspired me:

1. They set a news boundary. In a day and age where we're bombarded with information, it is possible to approach the news differently. One expert I talked to gets all their news from their husband and it just filters through him. Another listens to long form podcasts and reads the Sunday edition of the newspaper. Another person sets a timer and reads the news for 10 minutes. I think controlling that influx of information is incredibly important.

2. They have some type of micro stress-relieving practice. Often when we talk about self-care, it feels like another item on the to-do list—we think we have to take 30 minutes to meditate, or save up to get a massage, or take a vacation. But it’s possible to implement 2- to 3-minute practices throughout your day. So, now I try to meditate for just two to three minutes every few hours. I take micro walks. I’ll do a little extra face massage when I'm doing my skincare routine. I turn my phone off while I make my tea in the morning so that it becomes this beautiful, mindful ritual. These little moments are almost more important than those larger commitments we make.

What do you most want people to take with them after they read your book?

A sense of empowerment.  I want readers to understand that they already have everything that they need inside themselves to live a life that feels good both now and in the future. This book is a guide, or a toolbox, to help you navigate the many areas of your life and to activate all of the beautiful skills and abilities you already have to create the life of your dreams.

There are 100 tips on how to change your life in your book. Do you have a favorite—or one that’s changed your life the most?

I'll give you two that I’m really loving right now! The first is ending my daily shower with a 2-minute cold blast. I'm in a period of my life where I need a lot of energy. I also need to keep my anxiety under control. Simply ending each shower with that blast of cold water has so many cascading effects on my hormones, and I can feel the instant energy of it. It's so quick, yet it has the ability to change both my mental and physical health for the day.

The other tip I’m really leaning into right now is lingering in the good. I'm trying to be cognizant of the amount of negative messages that we get in the world, which lead us to subconsciously talk down to ourselves. So, I'm looking for the little glimmers—the seemingly small, good moments that happen in life—and I’m sitting in them for a little bit longer than I normally would. It amps up that feel-good feeling, so that on a neurological level you're rewiring those pathways that make you more inclined to think positive thoughts.

I was walking in Venice yesterday, looking at the sunset with the palm trees in front of me, and I just stood there and really took it in. By doing that, I amplified how great that moment felt. And that little moment, which I was already enjoying, is going to pay off in dividends down the line.

Host of top wellness and lifestyle podcast, The Liz Moody Podcast, Liz Moody and her world-class expert guests share fun, actionable, research-backed advice about gut health, hormone health, longevity, finances, relationships, mental health, and more. Moody is also a bestselling author of Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships and Glow Pops, and her new book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success will be published on October 17 by Harper Wave.