October 01, 2025

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SMALL CHANGES BIG RESULTS

YOU DON'T HAVE to quit sugar, go vegan or run a marathon to see real change in your health and wellbeing. Instead, science supports a `go small' approach. Little actions, done consistently, are what create lasting change, says Wendy Wood, PhD, psychologist and author of Good Habits, Bad HabitsThe secret? It's not willpower. It's not even goals. "The best way to turn a small change into a powerful habit is not to focus on your motivation, the reasons why you want to do it or your long-term goals," she saysWait, what? Isn't motivation the whole point of New Year's resolutions? Aren't goals supposed to fuel us? "That is what everyone thinks, but research has shown that making small alterations to the environment, the context in which you perform the behaviour, is far more powerful. Goals aren't bad; they certainly have a purpose, but `motivation' only lasts for so long," she says. "Habits need to be two things to stick: easy and enjoyable." For example, do you think your goal of getting back into the same size jeans you wore in high school will inspire you to hit the gym every day? Nope. What will? "Choosing a gym that's close to your house, ideally less than 8 kilometres, was the strongest predictor of gym attendance in our research," Wood says. "Even better if you are doing an activity you really enjoy or meeting a good friend there." The best part: Once these tiny tweaks take root, they compound--better sleep, stronger muscles, calmer moods and a sharper mind. To help you make this shift, we've rounded up the simplest, most science-backed microhabits that can transform your physical, emotional and mental health--no guilt, no overwhelm and no kale required (unless you happen to like kale!)Get a daily dose of nature Spending time outside--whether in a park, your backyard or near some potted plants that feel wild--has powerful benefits. Studies show that being in nature lowers stress, quiets overthinking and lifts your mood. One 2019 study called it a nature pill and found that even 20 to 30 minutes a day worked wonders. Side effects may include increased joy, accidental mindfulness and smiling at squirrelsNo coffee after noon Those morning cups of joe can last long into the evening. Caffeine has an average half-life of five hours, meaning that about five hours after consuming caffeine, half of it is still in your body. So continuing to drink coffee (or caffeinated tea or soda) into the afternoon or evening can keep you from falling asleep and reduce your total sleep time. Even in the morning, try not to overdo it: A 2025 study found that 400 milligrams of caffeine (about 4 cups of coffee) consumed as early as 12 hours before bedtime significantly disrupted sleep.

A FRAGRANCE HANGS IN THE AIR

Just before the sun disappears behind the hills, Said Ali Al-Mahri arrives in his para- dise: scattered across the stony plateau and the surrounding slopes are thousands of ancient trees, their roots clinging to the rock and their thin, gnarled branches reaching toward the sky. The 62-year-old has hiked into the mountains for the Boswellia sacra, the Arabian frankincense trees, and their `white gold'The Sap That Shapes Lives There is still some daylight left. Wearing a long-sleeved functional shirt and a cloth skirt tied around his waist, he crouches in front of a tree trunk. With his sharp knife, he begins to scrape off the dried resin that is protruding from the tree bark in several places. He collects his harvest in a woven basket dangling from his armA few trees away, Said Ali Al-Mahri's cousin is scraping bark. The two men have the same first name and the same last name. To tell them apart, the names of their firstborn sons were added to their names: Said Ali and Said Mohammed. During the harvest season between April and October, the two men climb the mountains every two to three weeksThe incense harvested by the Saids is considered the best in the world. Here in Dhofar, Oman's southernmost province, the climate is perfect for the trees: it is barren and dry. At the same time, the nearby Indian Ocean and the annual monsoon provide humidity. To get to the olibanum, or frankincense, the Saids have to make several cuts: the resin that flows from the tree after the first two cuts is of inferior quality. Only after the third cut does the actual harvest begin, which becomes purer and purer over the next few weeks. The men then work tree by tree for days on endSometimes friends or one of their children accompany them. Camels are almost always there to carry their luggage. Their trips are also a journey into their own past and that of their homeland: in Dhofar, the precious tree resin has been harvested, processed, and exported for thousands of years and continues to shape people's lives to this dayTraditionally, Omani society is divided into different nomadic tribes: Bedouins, who follow the migration of fish and catch mainly sardines, tuna, mackerel, but also sea snails, and those who herd camels and goats in the desert. And the Jaballi, `the mountain people': semi-nomads who also keep goats and dromedaries and harvest the Boswellia trees.