The Core 4: The Ultimate Path to Healing
Reimagine how you think about and approach these four cornerstones of better health and healing.
Good morning, health heroes.
I’ve spent the last four weeks sharing the Core 4 approach in a streamlined and easy-to-understand way because I believe that without this foundational truth, we won’t maximize our healing potential.
In a world that’s trying to sell you better health, sometimes the best thing you can do to take care of yourself is to put down the supplements, wellness drinks, and expensive weight loss programs and get back to the basics: Hydration. Exercise. Nutrition. Sleep.
Hang On. I’m About to Dish Out the Honest Truth.
If better health came in a bottle, a download, a program, or a diet, most of us would be cured by now. But it doesn’t. It starts with the things we already know… and often ignore.
We’re wrapping up a series of articles in which I wrote about each of the Core 4—hydration, nutrition, exercise, and sleep—and yes, you’ve heard it all before. That’s the problem. Familiarity breeds boredom, and boredom kills change.
Let’s reignite our passion for the Core 4. Here’s a new way to look at it:
The Core 4 are not just “healthy habits.” They’re the switch to everything your body is trying to do—healing, energizing, balancing hormones, fighting inflammation, and even calming anxiety. They’re the catalyst to healing behind how your body responds to every treatment, every supplement, every symptom. If you want to give your body a fighting chance of healing, these are your first-response weapons.
They are not optional.
They are your first line of healing—and the only part of your health plan that isn’t waiting on a lab result or a doctor’s permission.
And yet… we resist them. Why?
Deep down, this is a psychological struggle. We’re wired for shortcuts, promised quick fixes, and want complex answers because they make our inaction feel justified. But I’m giving you the truth:
Your body can’t do the extraordinary until you do the ordinary.
We've Got Our Priorities Reversed
Somehow, in our modern health culture, we’ve flipped the pyramid. We’re pouring time, energy, and money into things that don’t move the needle—while ignoring the things that actually heal us.
I’ve broken our approach to health in tiers to illustrate what’s going on. Let’s break it down:
Tier 1 interventions are emergency, life-saving measures. Think surgery, antibiotics, and hospital care. They are absolutely essential, but we hope we don’t need them often.
Tier 2 is where the magic of long-term health happens. This includes your Core 4: nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management. They’re not urgent at the moment, but they are vital—the foundation of how well your body functions, fights disease, and recovers. They’re the difference between staying well… and slowly breaking down. You can also manage health issues using medical and other interventions.
Tier 3 includes meaningful add-ons—complementary tools like acupuncture, massage, or mindfulness training that support whole-person health and help us thrive. They improve our quality of life.
Tier 4 is where things get sexy, flashy, and expensive—beauty routines, cleanses, detoxes, vanity supplements, trendy “biohacks,” and one-size-fits-all programs. These might feel productive, but let’s be honest: they often cost more than they contribute.
Why do I bring this up?
We’re treating Tier 4 like it’s Tier 2.
We're neglecting sleep but buying supplements.
We skip movement but invest in collagen masks.
We outsource health to products instead of building it with actions.
And that’s how we end up broke, feeling hopeless, and still unwell.
We’ve got to realign our focus—and efforts. The interventions that heal you most are often the least expensive and the most ignored. That’s the tragedy… and the opportunity.
Want to dive deeper into how to prioritize your interventions and stop wasting time, money, and energy on the wrong tiers? You’ll find the full breakdown in my upcoming book, Health Shift: Your Personalized Guide to Making Strategic Health Decisions. (The release date, May 17, can’t come fast enough!) I break down these tiers and give you a strategy for approaching all health interventions first before spending unnecessary time, effort, and money.
How does The Core 4 work, and why does it matter?
Think of your health battery as a health reserve.
The healthier you are, the more reserve you have - the faster and more efficiently your body can take the assaults on your health and recover from illness and injury. If you have a low health battery, you’re prone to getting sick or taking longer to recover.
If you have an illness, temporary or chronic, your health battery will be running low because your physiological systems are working hard to help you recover.
Although there are many, many ways to improve your health, it comes down to the basics that matter, and some might consider them… unglamorous.
As Dr. Jen Gunter puts it, they fall into a category that feels ‘eternally unsexy’ or unappealing, boring, and certainly not the latest and greatest.
But they are foundational. The foundation of a skyscraper isn’t what people notice, but without it, that tower would not stand. The foundation and building blocks are seldom credited for making the building great. The same applies to your health and the foundations that are necessary to keep you well. Without them, you begin to get sick.
You know by now that I’m talking about hydration, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. If you’re feeling unwell, chances are one or more of these things are out of whack.
The Core 4 is the primary foundation of health—hydration, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. It could be argued that there are more—stress management and spiritual health, for example—and I cannot argue that they can be satisfying and fulfilling.
But going back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, from a physiological perspective, these are the most basic of needs. If you do not have these four elements, you cease to live, and if you don’t make some attempt to approach these with the gravity they deserve, your health will tumble like a skyscraper without its foundation.
It is time to revisit the basics and prioritize the Core 4. Give yourself a refresher any time you need to!
Special Edition: The Core 4: Water
Water - the stuff of life. So why are we chronically dehydrated, and how can water help us heal? Let's dive in.
Special Edition: The Core 4: Nutrition
Nutrition - the building blocks of our health. Food is medicine, and what you eat directly impacts how you heal.
Special Edition: The Core 4: Exercise
It's time to get moving! How can exercise help prevent sickness, illness and injury?
Special Edition: The Core 4: Sleep
While we sleep, our body heals. Let's take a closer look at how sleep - even when its elusive - can change the trajectory of our health and healing.
As always, the comments section and my DM’s are open. Tell me, how have any of the Core 4 impacted your life?
In good health,
Dr. Alice
A little more about Dr. Alice Burron and Strategic Action Health:
Dr. Burron is a co-founder of Strategic Action Health, dedicated to helping organizations help their employees make better health decisions. Come check us out here!
Catch us on Instagram: @the.health.navigator and @dr_burron
You can also connect on LinkedIn, if you want to be professional about it. 👓
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Health Shift: Your Strategic Guide to Making Strategic Health Decisions book will officially launch on May 17, 2025! Mark your calendars! And if you’re in Cheyenne, join us for our party at Blacktooth Brewery. Have a beer on us! More information is coming soon.