Let’s discuss diets, but not the silent variety that people engage in in secret. Instead, let’s focus on the loud, quick, and seductive diets advertised everywhere, including on social media, in magazines, and even in your friend circle. You know the ones: the ketogenic diet, the paleo diet, juice cleanses, intermittent fasting, “no carbs ever again,” etc. These fad diets are frequently packaged with grandiose promises: rapid weight reduction, radiant complexion, limitless energy, and perhaps even a bit of self-esteem if you follow them for a long enough time. However, we don’t discuss enough how these diets may seem appealing, but many are not designed to promote long-term well-being. They frequently make use of strict regulations, absurd regulations, and a lot of guilt-tripping. You might lose a few pounds initially, but ask yourself, at what price? Is it possible to live in this manner for the remainder of your life, with complete happiness?

Food has a way of becoming the adversary in fad diets. Suddenly, carbs are bad, fat is harmful, or it’s “bad” to eat after 6 p.m. They flourish on simplistic thinking, such as categorizing foods as either “clean” or “toxic,” which can damage your connection with your body, your self-esteem, and food. Not to mention, several of these diets are not based on sound scientific principles. They are built on cherry-picked research, trends, or influencers. Furthermore, they frequently overlook the reality that everyone’s body is different. For some, what works might be entirely unsustainable, if not dangerous. Our diets, hormone levels, genetics, and lifestyles vary from person to person. When it comes to nutrition, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Yo-yo dieting, as it is sometimes called, involves switching diets frequently, which many people are unaware may lower your metabolism, throw your hormones off balance, and raise your chance of emotional eating and long-term weight gain. It establishes a cycle in which food is about control rather than nutrition. And let’s be honest, food should nourish your life rather than control it. In reality, the best “diet” is not a diet at all; rather, it is a manner of eating that is sustainable, balanced, adaptable, and based on paying attention to your body. It doesn’t penalize you for being a human being, allows for cake and salad, and includes fat and carbohydrates.

The next time a fad diet draws you in, take a moment to consider whether it’s about wellness or control. Does it boost my energy and health, or does it make me feel deprived, worried, and consumed with thoughts about food? Extremes are not where real health is. It manifests itself in everyday decisions, in practicing self-compassion, and in learning to feed your body without worry. A diet that makes you feel inferior is not good enough for you. You should be able to eat in a manner that makes you feel alive, not at odds with yourself.

Wellness technology has become a major player in how we approach our health. From smartwatches ⌚ that track every step, heartbeat, and calorie burned, to sleep trackers 🌙⌚ that map out your rest cycles hour by hour, it’s never been easier to keep tabs on what’s happening inside our bodies. These devices give us something many of us were missing: awareness. Instead of waiting to feel completely drained or burnt out, we can now see trends and signals in real time. Maybe your heart rate 💓 has been elevated for days, or your sleep score is tanking because of late-night scrolling — now you know, and you can do something about it. That’s one of the biggest pros of wellness tech: it puts health back into our own hands. It encourages movement, helps build daily routines, and creates space to be more in tune with our feelings and why. For many, it’s been the gentle nudge they needed to make healthier choices or finally pay attention to things like hydration, breathing, and rest.

But like anything, too much of a good thing can backfire. The downside of all this tracking is that it can quickly cross into obsession. Some feel anxious when their device doesn’t register “perfect” sleep, or guilty when they don’t hit every fitness goal. Others start ignoring their body cues in favor of what a screen tells them. One week, my smartwatch kept telling me I wasn’t sleeping “deep enough,” even though I felt completely fine. I became so focused on chasing better sleep scores that I started sleeping worse, stressing about the results instead of trusting how I felt. It reached a point where I wouldn’t even skip a workout when I was exhausted, just because my watch said I hadn’t moved enough. That’s when I paused and asked myself: Who’s in control here — me or this little screen on my wrist? I realized I was starting to lose the balance I’d been trying to build.

And that’s the tricky part. It’s easy to let wellness tech become a measuring stick for “how well” you’re doing, when in reality, health is more than just numbers. These tools are helpful, but they aren’t the whole picture. Not all data is created equal. These devices have limitations, and while they can motivate and inform, they shouldn’t dictate. Health is also about how you feel, how your mind is doing, how you connect with others, and how you live your life, not just your step count.

So, how do we use wellness technology without letting it control us? The key is to treat it like a compass, not a commander. You can use the information to guide you, not to shame or stress you. If you didn’t get perfect sleep, don’t let that dictate your mood — instead, check in with how your body feels. Focus on trends over perfection. Take breaks from tracking when needed, especially if you feel more anxious than empowered. And most importantly, remember that rest, movement, and health aren’t just data points — they’re lived experiences. Your most powerful wellness tool isn’t on your wrist — it’s your self-awareness. The tech can help, but the magic happens when you learn to trust your body again.