2018 Healthy Habits Challenge!

[Lark]

I've decided that Thursdays are going to be my accountability day, so I'm going to post here.

My goals at the moment are pretty simple:-

- 10,000 - 20,000 steps a day, recorded on my fitbit.
- 8KG iron dumbells 20 reps X3 times a day.
- 8hrs sleep each night and get up earlier in the morning each day and go for a walk, 30mins or more, first thing in the morning.
- Do some sort of fitness reading/learning each week.

I'm going to go beyond this eventually and reconnect with the gym and HEMA. There's other stuff that I need to see movement on and get sorted out in the mean time too.

[kyuuei]

Heyo! So I was MIA for FOREVER because I lack a working laptop. Mine exploded one day and that was that. Still working on getting a fix or replacement for it. I hope everyone can continue to enjoy this space while I'm still scrounging up money and time to get this problem resolved.

[Tilt]

I just shared this with my friends, but I'll share it here because it's relevant.

The paradigm shift from exercising to 'stay thin' vs exercising to *stay fit* is huge and I think so important. For me, and I realize this is going to seem unfair to others, but for me, I started becoming very out of shape over the past few years or so, but part of why that happened was because I was still pretty thin and so didn't 'need' to exercise so much (that was my rationalization). But what I didn't realize (and now I do, in retrospect / in comparison) is that I had lost almost all of my muscle tone and definition, and cardiovascularly wasn't super healthy or fit. But I didn't have a huge amount of motivation or really 'need' to get out and exercise, because I looked thin. Even when I was running more last spring and kicking things up a notch, I was only doing that like once a week or a couple of times a month, which isn't much at all. Well anyway, early this year it just hit me that I had no muscle tone anymore (compared to how I was in college, when I worked out a lot AND ate a lot lol), so that's what prompted my starting to do planks almost every day, and shifting from 'eh, I'm just gonna be lazy because I don't really 'need' to run because I'm skinny', to kicking my ass outside and doing a 2.5 mile walk at minimum (if I did indeed lazy-out and not run), which typically always shifts into running the entire time and for example today, doing 4.5 miles because it felt so good once I got into doing it. Anyway -- staying fit and feeling good. That's my new reason for getting my butt off the chair. And I'm loving feeling strong / muscle-y again.

So for me this year I'm focusing not on the 'I don't need to because..... X' aspect of thought patterns that I used to have, to it not being a matter of 'need' (ie being fit isn't totally tied to a person's weight (statement of the obvious)), but rather a matter and focus of actually *being fit and healthy* and living that. Building strength and endurance.

My friends and I like to call it "functional movement"!

[xenaprincess]

A few things, before I am recruited by the sumo wrestling team:

1. stop eating periodically at each meal so that the brain can reassess how much is in the stomach
2. stop eating at a reasonable time during the meal, not just when the plate is empty
3. eat fewer carbs
4. be more conscious when I'm eating out of stress

I know these things are very vague. Better to have concrete goals like 'only eat 1/3 cup of starch at any sitting'....or limit carbs to 100g per day...I'll need to revamp these goals

[Lark]

Well, I'll be honest I've not been keeping my goals in terms of weight lifting daily, I think I need to create some sort of visual chart to record it better when I do and to motivate me when I cant be bothered.

I also have fallen short of the 10,000 steps two or three times since last friday, and its usually not by much, on one occasion it was by about 238 steps, which is not a lot at all and I'm thinking about just what I'm going to do in order to avoid that again. I think I kind of get into a sort of thinking of "that's close enough", which it isnt, as I feel totally different when I've done 10,000 plus to when I've done less than that, I feel really much, much better the closer that I get to 20,000 each day.

I added some friends to a work week hustle on fit bit too and the one who is the big stepper and usually just takes it easy was less than 10,000 ahead today when I check this morning which was interesting, I think I could have beat them but I didnt prioritize it again today. I cleaned out the car and I think its got about 8yrs of dirt built up on the inside, I need to do that a lot more often, and it probably still needs more work. The rain prevented me painting and repairing fences that I had planned as activity for the day too and then I felt tired and sick because the diabetes and wound up day sleeping which wasnt great. Need to avoid that sort of thing.

When I'm struggling with that simple stuff I dont know how I'm meant to be getting to grips with my hobbies and stuff again.

[xenaprincess]

I also have fallen short of the 10,000 steps two or three times since last friday, and its usually not by much, on one occasion it was by about 238 steps, which is not a lot at all and I'm thinking about just what I'm going to do in order to avoid that again. I think I kind of get into a sort of thinking of "that's close enough", which it isnt, as I feel totally different when I've done 10,000 plus to when I've done less than that, I feel really much, much better the closer that I get to 20,000 each day.

I added some friends to a work week hustle on fit bit too and the one who is the big stepper and usually just takes it easy was less than 10,000 ahead today when I check this morning which was interesting, I think I could have beat them but I didnt prioritize it again today.

When I'm struggling with that simple stuff I dont know how I'm meant to be getting to grips with my hobbies and stuff again.

In terms of motivation, what about giving yourself a reward? It could be something very small like $1 toward whatever thing you like, so you work toward getting something small. Obviously it can't be a decadent food, but it could be a smoothie or something else that's healthy. I have an FP friend who is highly motivated by stickers with smiley faces haha. I guess it's a matter of figuring out your motivator. If the abstract (and kind of arbitrary) number isn't a motivator, a concrete thing might be better for you.

In terms of the simple stuff... it's tough. There is a time and place for things. Go easy on yourself? I understand the frustration but then again... it's hard to do everything at once.

[xenaprincess]

My diet is bound up with not wanting to eat meat, for socially conscious reasons. So I waffle between a low carb diet that involves meat (like paleo) and a higher carb diet with no meat.

Does anyone have a suggestion for his to accomplish fewer refined carbs and no meat? Would that mean salads and tofu substitutes and eggs?

[kyuuei]

A few things, before I am recruited by the sumo wrestling team:

1. stop eating periodically at each meal so that the brain can reassess how much is in the stomach
2. stop eating at a reasonable time during the meal, not just when the plate is empty
3. eat fewer carbs
4. be more conscious when I'm eating out of stress

I know these things are very vague. Better to have concrete goals like 'only eat 1/3 cup of starch at any sitting'....or limit carbs to 100g per day...I'll need to revamp these goals

While #3 might be vague, the rest seem like pretty sound goals tbh.

Measuring things makes it hard when things are vague, but to take #1 for example, you can always say "Halfway is a good starting point." or you could say, "I'm going to use salad plates instead of dinner plates and go for seconds if I want them" for #2. But they don't sound like totally vague goals to me.

[xenaprincess]

Some more lifestyle adjustments:
1. Take stairs unless it's impossible. Ex - at subway stations, rather than the escalator.
2. Stop eating habits that are arbitrary. Ex - getting a Vietnamese sandwich every weekend, or getting this special dish that is only available on Thursdays. Half the time I eat this out of habit, not necessarily because I truly desire the thing.
3. Have a starch substitute when possible. I started back onto a cauliflower rice thing in lieu of real rice today.

[Metis]

This thread died 38 days ago. Would it be "unhealthy" of me to "necro" it?

As soon as I put away the rest of this chocolate babka, I'll do something healthy, like post a new health challenge.