Hello, and welcome to One Day Better!

Many of you know me as a longtime health columnist and founder of the New York Times Well section. I’m starting this newsletter to create a place where we can share science-backed, practical and surprising health advice to help us all live better every day.

Here’s your weekly “One Day Better” toolkit:

• One new habit: The best self-care advice I ever received

• One habit to rethink: The case against diet soda is getting stronger

• One day brighter: Join me in “joy scrolling”

• One small win: My toothbrush with a 2-minute timer!

One new habit: Give your best hours back to yourself

I’m a morning person — it’s when I feel most energized and clear-headed. But after moving back to New York City, I slipped into a bad habit: wake up, walk the dog (quickly), then straight to my work laptop by 7 a.m. One day, I checked my phone and saw I’d only taken 662 steps the entire day! That’s when I remembered something my friend Jack Groppel once told me: Give the best hours of your day to yourself.

Now, I still get up early and walk my dog, Sugar — but we go on long walks of about 5,000 steps (is that 10,000 in dog steps?). I’ve started spending the rest of the morning doing things that matter to me: my personal writing projects (like this newsletter!), catching up on reading, or listening to podcasts as I tidy my home. I start work at 9:30 feeling recharged, not depleted.

To try this yourself, first notice when you feel your best. What’s your “peak” window of time each day? Are you most energized in the morning? Or does your creativity flourish in the natural light of mid-day? Maybe you’re a night owl who feels energized when the sun goes down and the world goes quiet. Whatever the answer, the key is to protect that time for yourself. Use it for movement, creativity, connection or anything that makes you feel most like you. Please drop me a line and tell me how you’ve given your best hours back to yourself.

One habit to rethink:

The case against diet sodas and artificial sweeteners continues. Many people drink diet sodas to cut back on calories, but new research suggests these artificially sweetened drinks confuse the brain by delivering the taste of sweetness without the calories the brain expects. That mismatch triggers the brain’s hunger signals, making us want to eat more.

The research: The study was published in Nature Metabolism. Researchers tracked how sucralose (a non-caloric sweetener), sucrose (table sugar) and water affect the part of the brain that helps regulate hunger and metabolism. It included 75 adults with a range of body weights and used MRI scans, blood tests and hunger ratings to assess responses to each drink.

Main finding: The artificial sweetener sucralose had a bigger effect than table sugar or water on blood flow in the brain’s “hunger center” (otherwise known as the lateral hypothalamus).

What it means: Sweeteners might make your brain feel hungrier than regular sugar. The findings support earlier research on the effects of artificial sweeteners. That’s why many experts, including the World Health Organization, have cautioned against using artificial sweeteners for weight control.

The takeaway: If diet sodas work for you, no judgment here. But if you’ve noticed post-diet soda sugar cravings, try weaning yourself off by drinking sparkling water with a splash of lemon, lime or fruit juice.

One day brighter: Joy scroll with me

You’ve heard of doom scrolling. Well, I like to “joy” scroll. I seek out news that makes me happy, and now I’m sharing it with you.

The dogs were good again: My favorite social media account right now is We Rate Dogs, so I was thrilled to see the Washington Post Inspired Life column feature Matt Nelson, the founder of We Rate Dogs. I have followed his work for years, but didn’t know much about him. 15/10. Read more.

Barack Obama’s photobomb: Two cute kids were getting their picture taken during peak cherry blossom bloom. Then a familiar face strolled by. See the photo.

March Madness highlight: Hansel Enmanuel lost his arm at age 6. Now he’s a Division 1 basketball star with 1.5 million Instagram followers. Read more.

Truck, a Love Story: My colleague Elaine Lipworth wrote a love story about her late husband Stephen and his truck. Bring a tissue. Read more.

Look up: National Geographic shares some cool night sky events to see in April including a pink moon, a four-planet alignment and a galactic smiley face. Read more.

Sharktopus: Watch this video of an octopus hitching a ride on a shark. The odd pairing can’t be explained, but it’s fun to watch. Read more.

One small win: My new toothbrush

Dentists recommend we brush our teeth for two minutes. That’s a long time! A friend recommended a rechargeable toothbrush with a built-in timer. I found one on sale and wow, what a difference a built-in timer makes. My teeth have never felt cleaner. Bonus small win: use toothbrushing time to stand on one leg or do squats.

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Tara Parker-Pope is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and part of the team honored with the Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am the founding editor of the New York Times Well section and now serve as Chief Content Officer at Thrive Global. The One Day Better newsletter brings you easy, science-backed tips for living a simpler, healthier, more meaningful life. You can learn more about me at taraparkerpope,com

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