According to Phoebe Lapine, a NYC-based chef and food writer at mindbodygreen, the following are a few of the things she recommends learning from her own experience.

1. Warm lemon water instead of cleanses and “detox” supplements.

Starting the day with an alkaline drink (like a glass of lemon water) rather than something acidic (like coffee), helps your liver flush all the junk it accumulated overnight.

2. Makeup Free Monday instead of DIY natural beauty products.

The endocrine disrupters in everyday beauty products are harmful to your body. Skin is our largest organ and its pores provide a natural way for the body to shed toxins. Because of this, skin breakouts and rashes are a clear sign the body is trying to fight something.

If the idea of switching all beauty products to naturals is giving you a mild panic attack, then one great way to give your skin some necessary breathing room is to go makeup free on Mondays.

3. Farmers market produce instead of “healthy,” “natural,” or “organic” grocery items.

For most people, going to the supermarket can be a stressful experience. It’s hard enough to know what to buy to begin with without the added element of trying to find food that’s actually as healthy as you think it is.

Even if a stand isn’t certified organic, most small farmers who aren’t pushing out supermarket quantities tend to use more sustainable practices.

Unlike conventional vegetables, which travel an average of 1,500 miles to get to your kitchen table, by buying locally you’re shortening the time between harvest and consumption, which means more nutrient bang for your buck.

4. Kitchen timer instead of an adjustable standing desk.

Sitting is the new smoking. Most extremists recommended buying a treadmill desk, a tatami mat, and a squatty potty and basically sit never.

A happy medium is using a timer to go off in 45 to 60 minutes, and get up even if just to either a) refill your glass or b) go to the bathroom.

5. Everyday walks instead of fad fitness classes.

A recent study conducted by Cornell University suggested that the hours spent on our butts are really the prime indicators of mortality, regardless of how many days a week you go to cardio kickboxing before an eight-hour shift at the computer.

Walking may seem like a poor man’s excuse for exercise, but it actually is one of the most “nutritious” movement patterns out there — especially if done out in nature on an un-groomed surface.

This article originally appeared on mindbodygreen