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When it comes to their health and well-being, Americans focus on food.
When asked which wellness activities they typically do at least once a week, 71% of 807 people surveyed say they eat fresh fruit and or vegetables, while 60% say they run, walk, cycle or do other outdoor exercise. That’s according to a September 2026 YouGov poll of 1,003 U.S. adults.
Just 20% of the 807 people surveyed about their wellness activities also say they practice meditation or mindfulness.
While there’s no denying the importance of a veggie-heavy diet and a regular exercise regimen, ample research points to the psychological benefits of both meditation and mindfulness.
More Americans would probably practice mindfulness if they could, says psychologist and author Eli Susman. Life just gets in the way. “The meeting runs late, dinner needs making, a notification pops up,” he says.
In his new book “Micropractice: A Science-Backed Approach for Calm, Clarity, and Joy in 30 Seconds or Less,” Susman outlines a series of short practices that can be easily plugged into a busy day. The point, he says, is not to spend hours or even minutes on a mindfulness practice. It’s just to do it consistently.
Here are three micropractices for mindfulness Susman recommends to boost well-being:
- Micro dancing: Take 30 seconds to do an improvisational dance. It’s simple, he says, “but tell me you don’t feel different after just getting up and dancing for 30 seconds.”
- Everyday “lovingkindness”: As you encounter people throughout the day, send them mental well wishes. That can include phrases like, “may you be safe, may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease,” he says, single words like “safe, happy, healthy, ease,” or anything you come up with on your own. “A phrase that I really like to use is, ‘may you know the wonder of being alive,’” he says.
- Everyday appreciative joy: This practice is about reducing envy and can be done whenever the emotion arises — whether that’s in conversation or even while you’re scrolling social media. When you feel that jealousy creeping in, try thinking something like, “I celebrate my own joys. I celebrate yours as well,” says Susman, or “your happiness inspires me.” It’s about embodying the idea that joy isn’t a limited resource.
Adopting a micropractice is really about recognizing the opportunity to be mindful all throughout the day, says Susman, “whether it’s waiting for the microwave to ring, sitting at a stoplight, waiting in the checkout line, or even just walking to work.”
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