52 Things, Round Three: Wellness Wins Worth Repeating

If you've been following along with our "52 Things to Do or Try" series, you know the drill by now: one small wellness nudge every Wednesday, no fluff, no wellness-washing, just things I've actually used and believe in. Every couple of months, we round up the highlights into one place - partly because not everyone catches every post, and partly because some of these deserve a second look.

This round covered everything from carbs to Calm to a memoir about fear from a fellow #eventprof.

Follow our 52 Things every Wednesday: @omniera | @samtaliawellness | @sam.t.marie

Let's get into it!😊

Fuel, Not Fillers

Two of our most talked-about posts this round were, fittingly, about what we're actually putting in our bodies.

First: not all carbs are created equal. Complex carbs - the whole, real-food kind - fuel you. Processed and simple carbs, more often than not, deplete you: energy crashes, brain fog, and for some people, real effects on mood and mental clarity. A treat now and then is completely fine. A steady diet of processed carbs, less so.

Second: factory-farmed meat carries more than just calories. The stress hormones and additives involved in industrial farming can end up affecting us too. If you eat meat, look for grass-fed, pasture-raised, or locally sourced options. Cutting back and adding more plant-based proteins into the mix is worth considering either way.

For anyone in events or hospitality, this is exactly why F&B design deserves more thought than it usually gets. A menu that only offers processed, inflammatory options isn't just uninspired, it's actively working against the wellbeing of the people in the room. Thoughtful sourcing is one of the easiest, highest-impact wellness upgrades an event can make.

The Motivation Hack You Didn't Know You Needed

Motivation is not a reliable narrator. It shows up when it wants to, and most days, it simply doesn't. Remember: Action doesn't follow motivation. Motivation follows action. 

The trick isn't waiting for motivation — it's building tiny systems that don't require it. Sign up for a class with a no-show fee. Make a workout date with a friend you don't want to flake on. Give yourself an exact time instead of a vague "later," and treat it like a promise to yourself.

My personal favorite: when getting out of bed feels impossible, I remind myself that my body is lying to me. Nine times out of ten, once I'm up and moving for thirty to sixty minutes, I feel completely fine. The dread was never actually about the day; it was about the getting up.

This applies just as well to event and hospitality professionals riding out a demanding stretch of the calendar. The trick isn't more willpower. It's a system that doesn't need any.

Worth the Splurge

A few tools that have earned their spot on our devices — and in some cases, our travel and event planning too:

• Meditation apps with real variety (sleep stories, mood-specific sessions, daily rotating content) can make a consistent practice feel sustainable instead of like a chore. (I LOVE Insight Timer & Calm!)
• Nutrition tracking apps with barcode scanning and detailed reports are worth the upgrade if you have specific health goals you're actively working toward. (MyFitnessPal = my #1 most used and favorite app for over 13 years! It's not about the calories as much as the nutrients, which tracking and finding patterns helped me get over some severe health issues and feel great!)
• Meal planning apps that generate a shopping list from your chosen recipes are a genuine game-changer for anyone who, like me, would rather do almost anything else than cook. Try the Mealtime app!
• Audiobook apps turn drive time, workout time, or chore time into learning time — incredibly useful for tackling anything from confidence to career growth.

Here's where it gets interesting for the events industry: some of the best event apps now weave wellness tips directly into the daily schedule — a reminder to hydrate before the keynote, a suggested stretch break between sessions, a nudge tied to what's actually on the itinerary. For travel, apps built around circadian rhythm planning (Timeshifter is one worth knowing, which I dropped in an exclusive Elevated Era release!) can build a personalized jet lag plan around your specific flights and sleep patterns. Wellness tech isn't just for the gym anymore. It's showing up in boarding passes and conference agendas too.

Escape Hatch

Full transparency: I'm a nonfiction nerd through and through. I genuinely can't remember the last fiction book I picked up. But books — fiction or non — are powerful for the same reason: they give your mind somewhere else to go, or the tools to make sense of where you already are.

A few I've read and would recommend, especially for anyone in events or hospitality: Workplace Wellness That Works, The Boldly Inclusive Leader by Minette Norman, and Fear Is My Homeboy by former #eventprof Judi Holler. All three sit right at the intersection of industry insight and personal growth, which is exactly the kind of reading I tend to gravitate toward.

Reading before bed instead of scrolling is also a small swap that makes a bigger difference than it sounds like it should. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to start.😊

The Supplement Toolbox

This section always comes with a caveat, and it's an important one: different tools work for different people, and none of this is medical advice. Please talk to a doctor before adding anything new, especially if you're on other medications.

With that said, three supplements came up in this stretch of the series: DHEA, SAM-e, and 5-HTP. Each touches mood, stress, and sleep in different ways, and each affects people differently. I've personally landed on DHEA as a long-term part of my own toolbox after trying the others first, and have taken it consistently for over 13 years. That's not an endorsement of one over the rest, it's exactly the point. The goal is never one right answer. It's a toolbox, and you get to decide what belongs in yours! 

Keep Building

Two months, eight ideas, one running theme: wellness isn't one-size-fits-all, and it doesn't have to be complicated to be real. Whether it's what's on your plate, what's in your ears, or what's in your medicine cabinet, small and intentional beats big and unsustainable every time.

Curious how this could show up at your next event, or just have a wellness question you want to run by me? Either way, I'd love to hear from you — that's what SamTalia Wellness is here for! 😊