If you’d told me a few years ago that eating slower could change my health, my energy, and even my mood, I probably would have laughed—while wolfing down lunch at my desk. Back then, meals were just another checkbox in my day. Breakfast was something I ate while answering emails, lunch was whatever I could grab between calls, and dinner often happened in front of Netflix without much thought.

For a long time, I thought staying active meant one thing: going to the gym. And honestly? That kept me from moving at all.

If I had a nickel for every time I thought I was drinking enough water but wasn’t? I could buy one of those giant motivational water bottles that yells at you to “KEEP DRINKING” by 2 p.m.