Incremental Gains: The Power of 100 Small Improvements: Part 1

Words by Jack Lawrence

Photography by Ella Dorman

Before we dive in, a quick heads-up. The thoughts and opinions in this article are my own and don’t necessarily represent Yondera. Yondera isn’t affiliated with, sponsored by, or partnered with any of the brands, products, or services mentioned here. Nothing in this piece should be treated as medical advice or absolute fact. If you’re planning to make changes to your health, diet, or lifestyle, please speak with a qualified professional first.

Since I started approaching my mid-30s, I’ve noticed a real shift in the way I think about living life, especially when it comes to diet, exercise, and my lifestyle in general. I’ve always seen myself as healthy and fit, but I’ve never been so sharply aware of what I put into my body, what I put on my body, and what I consistently put my body through. When I was younger, I thought nothing of going out after work, sinking seven beers, inhaling a kebab, collapsing into bed past midnight, then dragging myself up at 7am to “sweat it all out” in the gym. If the calories were gone, the problem was solved, or so I thought. I never factored in sleep quality, food quality, stress, hormones, recovery, or the fact that my body wasn’t a magic self-cleaning oven.

And it wasn’t just the physical side. I never spared a thought for mindfulness or wellbeing. I was always “on”, always moving at breakneck speed, and I assumed that was simply how life worked. Organic food? Didn’t care. Microplastics or PVCs leaching from cheap cookware? Never crossed my mind. Longevity? I didn’t think I needed to worry about that, because when you’re young, you’re quietly convinced you’re going to live forever.

Now, don’t get me wrong: old habits die hard. I still cram too much into a week, I still enjoy a few too many beers every now and then, and I definitely burn the candle at both ends more than I should. But over the past year, I’ve deliberately started changing how I live. A lot of that thinking has come from two things: Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken, an eye-opening deep dive into UPFs and what they’re doing to human health, and Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, where Dan Buettner explores the world’s longest-living communities and what they do differently. The rest, I think, is just the realisation that I’m not twenty anymore, and that mortality isn’t a concept reserved for other people.

This shift in thinking has led to a bunch of changes in my life, and I want to talk about them. Not in a preachy “you must do this” way, but simply as a way of documenting what I’ve learned and maybe sharing a few insights that could be interesting or even useful to someone else. I’m not claiming to have cracked the code on anything… I’ve just made some tweaks, paid attention to how they made me feel, and figured it might be worth putting them out into the world.

The Theory

The whole idea behind this is pretty simple: tiny changes add up. There’s a theory called marginal gains, made famous by British Cycling, that basically says if you improve lots of things by just 1%, the compound effect can be huge. Not because any single change is life-altering on its own, but because dozens (or in my case, a hundred) of small improvements quietly stack on top of each other.

This clicked with me more than any “transform your life in 30 days” nonsense ever has. A 1% improvement doesn’t feel overwhelming. It doesn’t require a full lifestyle overhaul or a personality transplant. It’s swapping one habit, tweaking one behaviour, choosing the better option when it’s easy enough to do so, and letting those small wins accumulate.

Some of the changes I’ve made are tiny; others require a bit of intention. But the point is: none of them is too drastic. They’re all doable. And together, they’ve started to shift how I feel, how I live, and how I think about my own wellbeing.

But, before I go any further, I want to acknowledge something important. I know that some of what I’ve mentioned might sound a bit pompous or tone-deaf, especially when we’re living through a cost-of-living crisis in the UK. That’s genuinely not my intention, and I really don’t want to come across as a preachy arsehole telling people how to live their lives. These are just things I’ve done, small tweaks that have helped me feel better in different areas of my life, from diet to mindset to general wellbeing. And for the record, I’m absolutely not a guru and definitely not perfect. I slip, I get it wrong, I contradict myself, and sometimes I don’t follow my own advice. I’m human. We all are. The whole point of this journey isn’t perfection, it’s balance, awareness, and just trying to be a little bit better than yesterday.

So, this is my attempt to document all 100 of them and share the journey along the way. I’m nowhere near finished, but here are the first 50 improvements I’ve made so far. These are the things that have genuinely shifted how I feel and live day-to-day. As I keep learning and experimenting, I’ll add to the list, and when I hit 100, Part Two will land.

The First 50 Small Improvements

1. I started taking notice of what was in my food, checking ingredients and looking out for harmful substances like emulsifiers or seed oils. The app Yuka is a really handy tool for helping with this.

2. I swapped all my non-stick cookware for stainless steel replacements.Yes, it was a fairly sizeable spend, but they last forever and it means I won’t have harmful chemicals entering my body.

3. I started limiting the amount of food that comes into contact with plastic where possible.I won’t lie, this is bloody hard! A good example though is getting my fruit and veg from Oddbox, which rounds up unwanted produce from UK farms and sends it in a cardboard box. Saves waste and the environment (and my health!). Local greengrocers are also great.

4. Where possible, I try to get my meat from a butcher instead of the supermarket, where meat is often wrapped in plastic and full of antibiotics.

5. I swapped all my plastic Tupperware for glass alternatives.

6. When I buy bread, I only tend to buy sourdough, as most supermarket breads contain harmful preservatives (that’s why that supermarket white loaf never seems to go off). Baking bread at home is great fun and you control what goes into it. Local bakeries are fantastic too. A solid supermarket option is Jason’s.

7. I stopped using seed oils (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed etc.) to cook with. I now use olive oil or animal fats like butter or lard. Olive or avocado oil if you're vegan or vegetarian.

8. I went back to drinking full-fat milk instead of high-sugar alternatives like oat milk. If you’re vegan, Rude Health coconut milk is a good option. And if you can access a milkman, even better, they deliver in glass!

9. I no longer use fake spreads, which are often full of industrial seed oils, and only use 100% real butter. Naturli is a great vegan alternative.

10. I replaced all my non-stick oven trays with stainless steel and glass.

11. I stopped using cling film and instead put food into glass containers or wrap it in wax cloth.

12. When baking at high temperatures, I only use baking parchment and never cheap aluminium foil, as it can break down into your food.

13. I never eat within 3 hours of going to sleep.This affects your sleep quality, and if you suffer from GERD (like me), it wreaks havoc on your digestion.

14. I strive to have at least 5 (ideally 8) portions of fruit and veg a day, without fail.Variety is the spice of life, so I try to mix it up for maximum nutritional benefit.

15. I try to buy all my fish from the fishmongers.It supports small businesses and the quality is so much better, sustainably caught, not farmed.

16. I swapped out my old roll-on deodorants and sprays (full of harmful ingredients leeching into my body) for safer, natural alternatives. Fussy and Wild work a treat for my fiancée and me.

17. Instead of using well-known, cheap shower gels with harmful ingredients, I went back to an old-fashioned bar of soap made from natural ingredients. If you don’t vibe with soap, Sanex does safer gels.

18. I stopped using mainstream washing detergents and fabric conditioners with harmful ingredients that hang around on your clothes (and skin), and replaced them with safer alternatives. I use Dipsheets.

19. Instead of buying plastic scourers, which are bad for the environment and shed microplastics, I replaced them with bamboo-based alternatives.

20. I did the same with my old microfibre cloths; I use Seep for both cloths and scourers.

21. I aim to get 8 hours of sleep every night, especially during the week when I need to be firing on all cylinders.

22. I ensure the bedroom is pitch black, cool and distraction-free, which all leads to much better sleep.

23. No screen time 1 hour before bed, which massively impacts sleep quality.

24. I set my phone to wind-down mode in the evenings, which changes the backlight colour and helps me switch off.

25. Cold showers in the morning for 5 minutes at least 3 times a week.Helps me feel energetic, improves mood, and gives the immune system a nice nudge.

26. I run twice a week, which improves my stamina, cardio fitness, and mental health.

27. I try to gym 5 times a week, focusing on weight training, great for weight control, longevity, and general heart health.

28. I read at least a paragraph a day of whatever book I’m reading. Just enough to keep the habit going.

29. I drink plenty of water, which I’ve genuinely had to train myself to do.

30. I journal every day, which helps me mentally unpack whatever’s happened. I find it incredibly therapeutic.

31. I limit my social media use to barely 30 minutes a day, and most of that is research and community building for future Yondera. Get out there and see the real world!

32. I try to always be honest with people, and not to lie.

33. I try to be kind and patient with people.

34.  I go for at least one walk a day, to get my steps in and clear my head.

35. I’ve started replacing my plastic-based clothing (polyester etc.) with natural fibres like linen and cotton, because I worry about constant exposure to plastic-based fibres.

36. I try to be in nature as much as possible.A walk in the woods or a hike across a mountain is very grounding.

37. I make time for hobbies and pastimes which help break up the week.

38. I spend time with friends and family as much as possible.You can’t beat in-person connection.

39. I bought loads of plants and tend them.It gives me a sense of mini-purpose which makes me feel great.

40. I carve out time to spend with my partner, because nothing is more important than date night.

41. I try to learn something new every week.Nothing huge like guitar or a new language (although I’d love to learn both). A new documentary or article does the trick.

42. I swapped fake supermarket honey for organic (ideally local) honey and have a spoonful a day.

43. I eat more grains and pulses than I ever have before, and try to base much of my diet around them.

44. I swapped standard teabags for loose leaf tea, as lots of teabags these days are made out of plastic which can leach into the tea. Some brands use biodegradable bags, but I still prefer not to risk it.

45. I swapped milk chocolate for dark chocolate (85%+ cocoa) as so much “milk chocolate” is full of harmful seed oils.

46. When I drink alcohol, I tend to drink craft ale or high-quality spirits with more natural, premium ingredients and fewer chemicals.

47. I swapped petroleum-based lip balms for non-petroleum alternatives.Might’ve been in my head, but I felt my lips were actually getting drier long-term.

48. I started taking a keen interest in foods that grow organically around us, and began foraging for things like brambles and sloes. It’s a great way to stay connected to the land.Always be careful when picking and eating wild foods.

49. Barefoot walking on grass whenever I get the chance.It’s hugely stress-relieving. I haven’t started hugging trees yet, but I hear that has the same effect.

50. I stopped eating fast food regularly. It’s full of rubbish and makes me feel awful. Now it’s reserved for when I’m desperate or want five minutes of joy and three hours of bloat. I think I’ve had fast food only three times in the last 12 months.