2018 Healthy Habits Challenge!

[Peter Deadpan]

I started the year off right. This morning when I was about to put cream cheese on my English muffin, I decided to swap it out for avocado (it was a bacon sandwich - baby steps). For lunch, I went vegetarian and had tomato and roasted red pepper soup with some fresh artisan bread for dipping. I had pomegranate for an afternoon snack. For dinner, I made an open-faced tuna melt with said bread and sliced tomatoes on top. I was still hungry, so I had a few figs.

Unfortunately, I'm currently drinking a beer, but at least I "balanced it out" with kombucha earlier (gut flora stuff).

I'm currently only supplementing with collagen powder that I add to my coffee in the morning (supports gut health and joints, skin, etc), but I'd like to add a high quality fish oil and get on a regular probiotic routine. I'm already drinking a fair amount of kombucha, but I'd like to start making it. I also recently added kimchi to my diet, as well as a high quality sauerkraut. Outside of that, I don't think there are any supplements I want to add. I'd like to be as food-based as possible.

I'm pretty proud of myself, mostly because of the wide variety of food I've eaten in the last couple days (I also had sweet potato yesterday, which has taken some time to learn to appreciate). Consuming a wide variety of healthy foods is the best thing I could do for myself right now.

For the last couple weeks, I've also been more mindful of my body, incorporating stretches into my daily activities. I might look stupid as I'm propping my foot up on the bathroom counter while I brush my teeth, but fuck... I'm getting a good pelvic stretch and basically tricking myself into developing healthier, more mindful habits. I also stretch in the morning in bed a bit when I wake up.

There is one thing that I have learned about myself that has made an immeasurable positive impact on my health (particularly my mental health); no accomplishment is too small to congratulate myself for. I'm not talking participation trophies here... I'm talking giving myself an internal "yay, go you!" whenever I do ANYthing good for me. This could be doing those morning stretches, or not skipping a toothbrushing session, or doing the dishes, or making a healthy meal. That may sound utterly ridiculous to some of you, but I think it's what has pulled me from the throes of depression. It's really hard to get anything done when you are clinically depressed, and if you can accomplish even the smallest task and sincerely feel good about that, it really encourages you to develop better habits and enables you to take bigger steps as you progress. I think you have to mean it though - you have to really give yourself credit for doing these things when you don't want to do them, and eventually, you'll feel more productive and capable and be less hard on yourself which will in turn interrupt and bring attention to those negative thought patterns. Anyway, I'm sharing this because it is what has helped me, and thus I hope someone will read this and find it helpful for them too.

 

[Tiger Owl]

I started the year off right. This morning when I was about to put cream cheese on my English muffin, I decided to swap it out for avocado (it was a bacon sandwich - baby steps). For lunch, I went vegetarian and had tomato and roasted red pepper soup with some fresh artisan bread for dipping. I had pomegranate for an afternoon snack. For dinner, I made an open-faced tuna melt with said bread and sliced tomatoes on top. I was still hungry, so I had a few figs.

Unfortunately, I'm currently drinking a beer, but at least I "balanced it out" with kombucha earlier (gut flora stuff).

I'm currently only supplementing with collagen powder that I add to my coffee in the morning (supports gut health and joints, skin, etc), but I'd like to add a high quality fish oil and get on a regular probiotic routine. I'm already drinking a fair amount of kombucha, but I'd like to start making it. I also recently added kimchi to my diet, as well as a high quality sauerkraut. Outside of that, I don't think there are any supplements I want to add. I'd like to be as food-based as possible.

I'm pretty proud of myself, mostly because of the wide variety of food I've eaten in the last couple days (I also had sweet potato yesterday, which has taken some time to learn to appreciate). Consuming a wide variety of healthy foods is the best thing I could do for myself right now.

For the last couple weeks, I've also been more mindful of my body, incorporating stretches into my daily activities. I might look stupid as I'm propping my foot up on the bathroom counter while I brush my teeth, but fuck... I'm getting a good pelvic stretch and basically tricking myself into developing healthier, more mindful habits. I also stretch in the morning in bed a bit when I wake up.

There is one thing that I have learned about myself that has made an immeasurable positive impact on my health (particularly my mental health); no accomplishment is too small to congratulate myself for. I'm not talking participation trophies here... I'm talking giving myself an internal "yay, go you!" whenever I do ANYthing good for me. This could be doing those morning stretches, or not skipping a toothbrushing session, or doing the dishes, or making a healthy meal. That may sound utterly ridiculous to some of you, but I think it's what has pulled me from the throes of depression. It's really hard to get anything done when you are clinically depressed, and if you can accomplish even the smallest task and sincerely feel good about that, it really encourages you to develop better habits and enables you to take bigger steps as you progress. I think you have to mean it though - you have to really give yourself credit for doing these things when you don't want to do them, and eventually, you'll feel more productive and capable and be less hard on yourself which will in turn interrupt and bring attention to those negative thought patterns. Anyway, I'm sharing this because it is what has helped me, and thus I hope someone will read this and find it helpful for them too.

That sounds like an excellent and measured start to the new year. I endeavored to be less critical of others this year, then I woke up this morning and spent the whole day on the interstate... I will try again starting tomorrow.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

That sounds like an excellent and measured start to the new year. I endeavored to be less critical of others this year, then I woke up this morning and spent the whole day on the interstate... I will try again starting tomorrow.

 

[biohazard]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION]

I'm not sure if you know this but intermittent fasting does not involve snacks. The goal for IF is to not spike insulin so snacking would threaten that. Maybe this video could explain what I mean better.:

 

[kyuuei]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION]

I'm not sure if you know this but intermittent fasting does not involve snacks. The goal for IF is to not spike insulin so snacking would threaten that. Maybe this video could explain what I mean better.:

So I'm getting my information from this page. A Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting | Nerd Fitness

And I appreciate the suggestion, but I am aware it's meant to be based on times and windows of eating; I like to baby step into things.. going from eating 5-6x a day to only within certain windows of hours isn't something I'm willing to just jump into cold turkey and make the journey miserable for me.. and since I particularly don't have issues with diabetes or insulin or any serious weight loss needed, and I am ramping up my exercise by a decent amount and am unsure of how that will influence things, I'll take the slow route.

Eventually I want to get to a 1-2pm-to-9-10pm schedule (as I am night shift, it makes sense for me to eat more in the afternoons vs the daytime), with 16 hours fasting inbetween.. but I am not quiite there yet and this is all an experiment. Right now I can make it to 1pm if I drink some tea and water when I first wake up, and eat a yogurt around 11:30ish.. I suspect as I adjust I might not need this snack, but honestly I'm not heartbroken over 100 calories 2 hours before the 16 hours if that's the only thing making or breaking this routine. It seems to tie me over till around 1 - 1:30, and I eat two decent meals with another snack inbetween those two.. and then I'll drink something like a chocolate protein nut milk or just regular milk sometime around 11pm-12am.. though last night I didn't need that at all and felt sufficiently full.

I tend to be someone that doesn't dive face first into things I want to make into habits, I meander into them so it doesn't feel like a resentful chore but rather just something to try out and see how it goes.

 

[kyuuei]

A really awesome summary I found in the financial sections of frugal reddit:

“On Sale” signs are the devil: “Relative comparisons” mess with your head. Focus on the end price, not how good a “deal” it is.
It’s not a “bonus.” Money is money: How you got the cash should not affect how you spend it. Saying that “bonus” money doesn’t count feels good but being broke feels very very bad.
Use cash more often: Make spending painful and you’ll spend less. (Using cash is simpler than having a friend punch you in the face whenever you whip out your credit card.)
“Fair” is a four-letter word: Focus on value. The plight of moral justice in the economic universe can wait until after the electrician gets your lights back on.
Try a “Ulysses Contract”: Send me the deed to your house. If you don’t have more money in your savings account two months from now, I keep the deed. See? Saving is easy.
Drop Anchor: The only way to not be influenced by prices is to influence yourself ahead of time with other prices.

Source: This Is The Easy Way To Save Money: 6 Powerful Secrets From Research - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

 

[biohazard]

So I'm getting my information from this page. A Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting | Nerd Fitness

And I appreciate the suggestion, but I am aware it's meant to be based on times and windows of eating; I like to baby step into things.. going from eating 5-6x a day to only within certain windows of hours isn't something I'm willing to just jump into cold turkey and make the journey miserable for me.. and since I particularly don't have issues with diabetes or insulin or any serious weight loss needed, and I am ramping up my exercise by a decent amount and am unsure of how that will influence things, I'll take the slow route.

Eventually I want to get to a 1-2pm-to-9-10pm schedule (as I am night shift, it makes sense for me to eat more in the afternoons vs the daytime), with 16 hours fasting inbetween.. but I am not quiite there yet and this is all an experiment. Right now I can make it to 1pm if I drink some tea and water when I first wake up, and eat a yogurt around 11:30ish.. I suspect as I adjust I might not need this snack, but honestly I'm not heartbroken over 100 calories 2 hours before the 16 hours if that's the only thing making or breaking this routine. It seems to tie me over till around 1 - 1:30, and I eat two decent meals with another snack inbetween those two.. and then I'll drink something like a chocolate protein nut milk or just regular milk sometime around 11pm-12am.. though last night I didn't need that at all and felt sufficiently full.

I tend to be someone that doesn't dive face first into things I want to make into habits, I meander into them so it doesn't feel like a resentful chore but rather just something to try out and see how it goes.

I'm just stating the facts that it's about limiting meals and not snacking between meals. I understand your personal preferences but I wasn't clarifiying that at all. How you choose to get into it is up to you and is on your own accord. I wish you the best with it though. 👍🏼

 

[Lark]

Thanks for the information on intermittent fasting, its something I've read a little (very little) about but which interests me, when I have read about it it has involved more randomisation and has been linked to paleo ideas about feast and famines (literally) and trying to reproduce patterns of plenty and periods of want, some sources talk about this being seasonal while others dont, I'm not sure that I could do these sorts of fasting, I would find them difficult but I'm not sure what the hell they could do to my blood sugars too.

Today I did a hell of a lot of exercise, in the gym I did 10,000 steps on the steepest incline at a fast walk (I cant run on the treadmill because of a balance issue) and thirty minutes on the cardio setting on the cross trainer (my heart rate raises above the cardio level fast enough anyway) and finished off with fifthteen minutes on a fat burner setting on the cross trainer (the steps on treadmill were in between). When I'm stronger I'll use the staircase machine but I couldnt use it today, too weak.

So afterwards I got home, tested my bloods and they were still higher than I wanted so I went out and walked around town for the further 10,000, I'm finishing up today with 21, 559, I like taking the walks at night around the town but the place has loads of shady assholes in cars, probably engaging in small scale dealing or something like it. So I'll probably spend the morning walking early tomorrow and hit the gym afterwards.

My blood sugars have been messed up over Christmas, I made some lousy choices and thought everything would be fine if I just avoided the chocolate, there's loads of things that'll cause spikes other than that I'm finding. The only thing which was something of a disappointment was that I didnt do much reading today. Or CV or interview prep.

I spent my time watching videos of guys playing super ghouls and ghosts, I am kind of addicted to that game but I am a rubbish gamer, slow reaction times, anyway, I had that game for the C64 and it was my pride and joy back in the day, I'm amazed at how good some of those players are but they are pro-players. Technically this was time wasting but I mention it as combined with the rest after the exercise it actually helped me chill out, more than I have in the last year I think.

 

[Beorn]

Don't have time right now to state all my goals. But I did want to start my participation in this thread sooner than later.
Today I'm signing up for a footwear store's weight loss challenge.
Basically, I give them $60 and I return there to get weighed every week and if I reach certain benchmarks (something like 1.5 pounds a week) They'll give me back $40 in store credit. They offer a bunch of other support services, but I just need the accountability. Plus I might get some cool prizes at the end. We'll see. It runs for 11 weeks. My personal goal is to average 3 pounds a week or so and drop 30 lbs by the end.

 

[EJCC]

The healthy habit that I probably most need to adopt is getting better at relaxing.

That said... I am very, very bad at it. And if I get too invested in that goal, it'll mean I'm not relaxing anymore. So... we'll see.

 

[highlander]

Work out 4 - 5 times a week. At least two days upper body, two days lower body and all days incline walking for 20 - 30 minutes. Eat healthy and cut down on sugars/carbs.

So far so good for the most part. It's been more like 4 times a week. I need to continue to work on the food thing. Am eating healthier but need to cut down on the sugar/carbs.

 

[Beorn]

Got my first workout of the year in!

 

[ceecee]

The healthy habit that I probably most need to adopt is getting better at relaxing.

That said... I am very, very bad at it. And if I get too invested in that goal, it'll mean I'm not relaxing anymore. So... we'll see.

It's helpful to start very small with this. Use apps. I like the 2 minute breathing relax on my Fitbit and it vibrates on my wrist to remind me. I do it a few times a day and right before bed. It works. I've also used Mindfulness and Stop, Breathe & Think.

The Best Meditation Apps of the Year

 

[Sacrophagus]

Hopefully everyone will reach their goals, but I'll invite you all to add something else to your list. Add a strong resounding why. Why do you want to accomplish them? Put that strong reason that will make you get back up whenever you're thinking about quitting or procrastinating. The first "why" is usually not that strong. So if you answer "Well, I want to make more money this year because I enjoy financial freedom", then ask yourself again "Why do you enjoy financial freedom?", and keep asking yourself why and answering honestly until you reach a profound and honest reason with a strong emotional component that will shake every fibre of your being relating to your unique experience and deepest desires.

If you have someone close to you, who will never judge you, but can hold you accountable to your resolution, then by all means invite them to do so. A support system will make things easier.

 

[that's not my name]

I couldn't do anything with a barbell besides hip thrusters (partial left bicep tear) so I had to do a bodybuilding style workout. Word to the wise...never superset pistol squats with single leg leg press. I looked like a mess and thought I was dying multiple times.

 

[xenaprincess]

I love the meditation suggestions. I was using Headspace for a while but then fell off the wagon. Need to calm my OCD brain.

Need to eat even better.

Need to sleep more.

 

[Galena]

I just want to not burn out from work...or, not escalate to a new level of burnout, anyway. Work volume isn't an issue so much as an unpredictable routine (tech requests from people who need help doing things), so dealing better with uncertainty is key...or, at least deal with uncertainty at all. Miscellaneous physically healthy things also will help.

TBH my "why" is scaring myself by reading too many stories about workaholics whose bodies just said ENOUGH, got sick, and forced them out of regular work.

 

[ceecee]

I just want to not burn out from work...or, not escalate to a new level of burnout, anyway. Work volume isn't an issue so much as an unpredictable routine (tech requests from people who need help doing things), so dealing better with uncertainty is key...or, at least deal with uncertainty at all. Miscellaneous physically healthy things also will help.

TBH my "why" is scaring myself by reading too many stories about workaholics whose bodies just said ENOUGH, got sick, and forced them out of regular work.

You have to create boundaries and enforce them. You also have to stick to a schedule you create. I work from home and apparently that means I work 24/7 to some people. I don't answer emails or my work phone after 5pm. Outside of the very rare emergency, no work related issue, supervisor or coworker breaks that rule. I understand this is easier said that done and it's much easier for some types vs others - I'm only saying that you have to be your own advocate.

 

[biohazard]

I have trouble sleeping because I'm withdrawing from Zyrtec-D. It's a pretty insane withdrawal where I get red rashes and insanely intense itching from head to toe. So I've figured out natural solutions like milk thistle herb, bromelain, quercetrin, and turmeric to help keep my histamines at bay. I also continue my keto diet and I'm eating cow liver 2x a week to help with my own liver. I eat sauerkraut because it contains 2000% more vitamin C than is needed per day and helps my immunity.

I can't sleep worth shit at night. So my healthy solution for that has been smoking weed... well I actually have been vaping it and using a type called "Northern Lights" which apparently they give to cancer/leukemia patients to help them sleep. Anyway, it's been amazing. I had the best sleep of my life last night and can't wait to sleep more. I slept through the whole night, only got up once at 3:30am for some water. I slept from 9:30pm-7am which is gold for me when I can't sleep until like 4am. So yeah, this is my healthy habit that is helping me out and I'm excited to feel better with more proper sleep.

🤞🏼👌🏼🤞🏼

 

[Galena]

You have to create boundaries and enforce them. You also have to stick to a schedule you create. I work from home and apparently that means I work 24/7 to some people. I don't answer emails or my work phone after 5pm. Outside of the very rare emergency, no work related issue, supervisor or coworker breaks that rule. I understand this is easier said that done and it's much easier for some types vs others - I'm only saying that you have to be your own advocate.

I am definitely a type that has more trouble, but that didn't stop me - the problem of boundaries and control of workload and timing is actually the one I've made crazy strides on over the last year and now feel I've got handled, with no more rough patches in this respect than anyone else. The support of a leader who was in fact your exact type played a big part in that! This boundary management is no less than one of the steps to mastering an advanced role and its responsibilities, not something in conflict with them.

The issue this year is that something less obvious about work continues to have corrosive effects in spite of the above success, and figuring out what that is - the uncertainty of the duties is just my best guess for now. Also, my relationships in the office are all on positive terms and all respectful of the limits when I communicate them, so it would be very surprising if it were that kind of abuse, either. Hell, it could even be something like how I'm spending my time at home and effectively resting.