The wellness world has become a nonstop machine for advice. We’re told to do more, eat better, exercise harder, track another metric, take another supplement, and try the latest health trend. Most of it is not wrong. And even the parts that are right start to feel like a to-do list that never ends.
And worse, the items on the list often seem to compete with one another, putting us in constant conflict.
Sleep more, but wake up early to exercise. Eat less, but get enough protein. Reduce stress, but somehow fit meditation into your day. Be disciplined, but also be flexible. Be consistent, but don’t be rigid.
It’s no wonder people get frustrated or cynical. Even good advice becomes very unhelpful.
Then today I heard what may be one of the most sound pieces of wellness advice I’ve heard in years.
An esteemed colleague in lifestyle medicine was asked, “what’s one thing you recommend to increase longevity.” Without hesitation, he advised:
“Have a dinner party.”
What struck me about that advice is that it seemed to put all the other tidbits of advice in perfect unison. It was as if he had a recipe that just happened to utilize all the ingredients currently in your cuppboard.
A dinner party brings people together. It encourages home cooking verus highly processed. It slows the pace of eating and the evening. It creates space for conversation. It naturally leads to laughter, connection, and maybe even a walk afterward. It supports health without turning health into a project.
Like any other bit of wellness advice, we must be vigilant and resist the urge to optimize it. Even a dinner party can turn sour fast.
A dinner party does not have to mean twelve guests and matching place settings. It can be two people. It can be a neighbor, a family member, or a college student stuck in summer classes who is in despertate need of a home-cooked meal and a break. The point is not the menu or the décor. The point is the connection.
Keep it simple. Grill some vegetables, add a protein, and use paper plates if that makes it easier. Most people care far more about the company. Some of my favorite evenings have been that way: no elaborate menu, no perfect setting, just simple food, good conversation, and an hour or two that left everyone feeling better than when they arrived.
From a health perspective, this one habit quietly supports a lot. Research consistently links social connection with better mental and physical health, and shared meals can encourage more home cooking, slower eating, and a natural pause in the day. None of it feels like a prescription, but all has proven benefits.
So I’d like to start a small challenge in our JCC community.
If you’re retired, live alone, or often eat dinner by yourself, invite someone to join you for a meal. Then ask them to pay it forward by inviting someone else to a simple dinner of their own. Communities become healthier because good energy and inentions are shared, not because everyone found the perfect wellness routine.
If you accept the challenge, let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear who you invited, what you made, and whether the invitation kept moving. If you’re looking for ideas on how to host really simple dinner parties that are extra healthy and hit a variety of food preferences, reach out. I have a knack for whipping up dinner parties even for finicy eaters– I happen to be one of them!
Carolyn Kontos, MS, ACC, Leadership and Wellness Coach, offers Wellness & Nutrition Coaching at the JCC through her Eat Well Programs. For more information, contact Carolyn at [email protected]
