The health and fitness industry is enormous, and most of it is not on your side. Products are marketed by people paid to market them. Books are written by people with something to sell. Podcasts are funded by supplement companies. It’s not always dishonest, but it’s rarely neutral.

So before anything else, here is the honest version: some things genuinely help. A good pair of running shoes matters. A decent blender makes it easier to eat well. These are real differences, and if something makes the list here, it’s because I believe that.

But most things don’t move the needle much. The supplement industry is almost entirely noise. Most fitness gadgets collect dust. Expensive programmes often teach you things you could have learned for free. The basics — consistent movement, enough protein, enough sleep, less stress — still account for the vast majority of the result. Everything else is a rounding error at best and a distraction at worst.

What you’ll find below is a short list of categories. Within each one, I only point to things I’d recommend to a friend.