The body is its own alchemist: always shifting, repairing, transforming. Through breath, through motion, through what we choose to nourish ourselves with, we create change at the most elemental level. Lately — really since I've been wearing the Oura ring and had every bit of activity I've done put into sharp relief — I’ve focussed more on transmuting stillness into energy, stagnation into flow. Whether it’s a walk, a stretch, a swim, or a more structured practice, the act of moving becomes a kind of alchemy. It really does bring about an instant change. I understand completely why Phil Stutz's number one task for any of his patients is to get moving. It doesn't have to be about intensity, but consistency is important. The body remembers and responds, and if you think of your daily practices as 'alchemy', you begin to see that you’re not simply maintaining the body; you’re actively transforming it.

Heat, for me, is still one of the hardest things to navigate. It intensifies the symptoms of POTS — sudden dizziness, fatigue, that strange, disorienting feeling that comes when your body just can’t regulate as it should. It’s not about drinking more water; it’s about helping the body hold onto that hydration — and that’s where electrolytes have helped me recently. I take them daily now: a sachet in water in the morning and again in the afternoon, or sometimes gummies if I’m out. My go-tos are Humantra’s lychee flavour sachets and Fraction One’s Electrolyte Gummies — all clean, well-formulated, and easy to carry — or Clean Slate electrolytes, for a citric acid–free option. Since incorporating them into my day consistently, I’ve noticed a real shift: steadier energy, fewer dizzy spells, less of that heavy-limbed crash that used to come without warning in and after the heat. It’s subtle, but powerful. Not a fix, but a steadying. And for anyone navigating fatigue, burnout, or the lingering layers of Long Covid — it’s a support system worth exploring.

I’ve been wearing the Oura Ring daily and it’s quietly transformed how I move through my days. It appeals to my (mildly!) competitive nature, keeping me accountable and nudging me towards better habits: more consistent exercise, earlier bedtimes and more conscious stress management. It’s also helped me recognise patterns in chronic fatigue, offering really helpful insight into what supports or drains me — which is often not at all what I'd have imagined without wearing the ring.

That said, I can completely understand how something so data-driven could tip into obsession. It’s easy to let a “bad score” affect your mood or decisions, especially on already stressful days. One tip I’ve found helpful: take it off when you need to. A break — whether for a day, a week, or just during high-stress periods — can help keep the relationship healthy, rather than all-consuming.

As some of you might know, I’ve been on a slow healing journey over the past few years after suffering from Long Covid.  It's been a pretty brutal journey, but has opened my eyes to the potential benefits of all those annoying, but probably rather effective, longevity hacks. Given that the chronic pain and dysautonomia I developed from Long Covid likely shares its root cause(s) with a whole range of other health issues some of you might be struggling with, I will share my guinea-pigging here.

First up is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT. I’ve recently started an 8-week course: two sessions a week in a soft chamber at 1.3-1.5 ATA pressure level, for 20-30 mins. During each session, you lie inside a pressurised chamber and breathe in pure oxygen while your body absorbs it at a deeper level to support healing and regeneration. Adjusting to the increasing pressure is the only slightly uncomfortable part, but you soon get used to it. Two sessions in, I definitely feel a lift in my energy levels, but increasing to 1.5 ATA proved too much for me (muscle cramping), so I'll be sticking to 1.3 for the time being.