6 Practices to Boost Your Body and Mind

Health is Non-Negotiable

Life keeps getting faster. We’ve grown used to living under high stress and running on little sleep. Over time, that takes a toll—hurting our quality of life and our mental health.

Our mission at Alfa Humans is to help you live the best life you can. So here are six biohacking practices to get you there. Most of them target two of the main culprits behind health issues: stress and inflammation.

Grounding

Grounding is literally an ancient practice. Think of our ancestors—they spent their entire lives walking barefoot.

It involves walking barefoot on grass, soil, or sand to create a direct connection between your body and the Earth’s surface. This helps discharge the body’s positive electric charge and allows it to absorb the Earth’s negatively charged electrons—bringing numerous health benefits.

Scientific evidence supports grounding’s effectiveness in reducing stress and chronic inflammation, improving circulation, and enhancing sleep quality. Plus, walking barefoot is great for posture and foot health.

Now, if you live far from nature or don’t love the idea of walking barefoot in a park, there are at-home grounding options—like grounding sheets, mats, or shoes.

Sauna

Research increasingly shows that sauna use has massive health benefits—particularly strengthening cardiovascular health, reducing stress, relieving muscle pain, and improving lung function.

Here are some recommendations:

Duration: If you’re a beginner, start with 10–15-minute sessions. More experienced users can go for 15–25 minutes.
Hydration: Stay hydrated before and after each session to prevent dehydration.
Timing: You can use the sauna anytime, but evenings are best to promote relaxation and better sleep.

Bonus: Try contrast therapy—combining sauna with cold exposure (like a cold shower or a cold-plunge) can supercharge the benefits.

Meditation

One of the simplest and most accessible practices—just sit and breathe for a few minutes.

Many people dismiss it as “woo-woo,” but meditation’s power to lower cortisol (stress) and anxiety is huge. It can also lift your mood, promote healthy sleep patterns, and boost cognitive abilities.

“Meditation” covers many methods to achieve relaxation:

Guided meditation: Visualize calming scenes, engaging all senses—sight, smell, sound, and touch.
Mantra meditation: Repeat a word, phrase, or calming thought to block out distractions.
Mindfulness meditation: Focus on the present moment—like your breathing rhythm.

You can practice with an instructor, or simply follow a YouTube video or Spotify meditation.

Just five minutes a day can deliver incredible mental health benefits—and the best part? You can do it anytime, anywhere.

Infrared light

Our bodies sync with the 24-hour day-night cycle through the circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep, hormone production, metabolism, and overall well-being.

One way to regulate it is by exposing yourself to natural light at sunrise and sunset. Morning light triggers cortisol release, helping you feel alert and energized. In the evening, exposure to warmer, softer light promotes melatonin release—the hormone that prepares your body for sleep.

There are also infrared lamps and devices that mimic natural light. As explained by Marcos Apud, this exposure can boost mitochondrial biogenesis, improve sleep, and help regulate metabolism.

Intermittent Fasting

This practice involves abstaining—fully or partially—from food for specific periods. Its benefits include lower blood sugar levels, faster metabolism, increased norepinephrine release and calorie burn, and reduced inflammation and oxidative stress.

There are many fasting methods depending on the individual: 12-hour daily fasts, alternate-day fasts, or two fasting days per week. In every case, it’s crucial to consult a nutrition specialist to determine the best fasting type for your body and age.

Cold Plunging

We’ll close with our area of expertise: cold-plunging. This practice involves deliberate cold exposure, meaning you voluntarily embrace discomfort through cold.

This is known as hormesis, a phenomenon where exposure to low or moderate stressors triggers a beneficial, adaptive response in the body. In plain terms: “good stress” that strengthens both body and mind.

Cold-plunging usually involves immersing the body in very cold water for a short time, typically between 13 °C and 3 °C, for 2 to 5 minutes.

What are the benefits? Reduced stress, anti-inflammatory effects, stronger cardiovascular and immune systems, improved sleep, and a surge of “feel-good” hormones, among others.

You can try this with Alfa Humans Ice Baths, or start smaller—cold showers at home, gradually increasing the time spent under cold water.

Conclusion

In short, these practices “hack” your body to enhance life quality—reducing inflammation and stress, releasing happiness hormones, strengthening the heart, and improving circulation, among other benefits.

At Alfa Humans, we always recommend consulting your doctor before starting any of these practices. Some can be demanding for certain individuals—so as the saying goes, better safe than sorry.