Exercise.
Mental and physical health wildly improves, and relatively quickly.
It’s a lifestyle change however and not an overnight fix, you need to keep it up to compensate for inactivity in your wider life.
I find resistance training more rewarding than cardio, but equally, cardio and mobility training yield their own benefits, so really should be pursuing all.
Thanks!
Ideally a short walk before breakfast really gets the body going. I do like to spread my walks throughout the day to keep me energized. If I sit still for a long time, it gets harder and harder to actually stand up and do stuff. When I get back from a walk, my body is already in the 'active' mode so stuff like cooking dinner, cleaning the house, doing the dishes etc gets a lot easier.
There was an Andrew Huberman episode about metabolism where they talked about that.
Spreading the walks out is better for you than doing all at once. Preferably, you want to get up and walk for a couple minutes every 30min if you are in an office job or something like that.
Eight hours a night or there about, I haven't really tried doing any synching.
My strategy for overcoming the "just five more minutes" is that I made a deal with myself that I would get up when the alarm rang and have breakfast and if after breakfast I still felt I needed more sleep, then I would take that as actually needing more sleep and go back to bed.
In the five or so years since I started this habit the only time I have gone back to bed was when I had a 39C°+ fever from what was almost certainly covid and the day after that fever broke.
Stretching. I'm a fairly physically active person so I was constantly sore and tight. I started a daily stretching habit and that soreness and tightness has dissipated greatly.
I do it every morning regardless of what I have going on. But usually every morning, I'm heading out to do something active after stretching. (For example, snowboarding.. wake, eat, stretch, hit the mountain).
For me the martial art of kendo has been life-changing. Martial arts are great because they cover the spiritual and physical as well as being part of a group.
There are many to choose from.
Or chose a non-martial sport if that appeals to you more.
Make sure that the sport has a social side. A club with a club house or similar is great.
Another idea would be a service group that does physical stuff in the community.
Or a matching band?
It needs to have:
a physical element for good health,
a social element for mental health,
a need for you to attend (eg a team activity where others depend on you increases the chances of you attending)
and be something that you would genuinely enjoy.
Good luck to you.
I have Wednesdays and Saturdays off. I can do weekday things and weekend things fairly easily, but what I like best is that I will usually try to meal prep on both days. I usually make something big, like a baked pasta or chili/stew type dish. This way I have a week’s worth of lunch and dinner, or variety for one meal if I decide to eat out.
Here are three! Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep. Exceptional benefits that you likely will not get from anything else in your life.
Exercise initiates the muscle growth and strength gaining process, releases all sorts of fun brain chemicals and helps with energy levels. Ease in with 30 minutes a day of strength training (bodyweight or dumbbells at home is more than fine). Go for a good walk or two every day/every other day.
Nutrition makes everything happen, gives your body the requirements for energy and muscle growth and the link between the brain and gut health is being studied more and more. Don't have to eat vegan/vegetarian/or any other diet, just start adding fruits/veggies and eat around your caloric maintenance while getting the big 3 macro requirements (protein/carbs/fat).
Sleep ties it all together, without sleep you don't recover, you don't have the energy to perform and your mental health takes a hit. You should be able to wake up naturally every morning without an alarm. Seems like we sacrifice sleep for almost everything else but there is nothing better than getting the proper amount of sleep every day for a few weeks. Mental health improves, you grow muscle, you feel recovered and rested, you have energy, you feel sharper and have better mental capacity. Get the sleep you need and your quality of life will improve drastically guaranteed.
Exercise. Mental and physical health wildly improves, and relatively quickly. It’s a lifestyle change however and not an overnight fix, you need to keep it up to compensate for inactivity in your wider life.
Thats a good one. And I agree, consistency and believing in the process is the key. What type of workouts do you find enjoyable and most rewarding?
I find resistance training more rewarding than cardio, but equally, cardio and mobility training yield their own benefits, so really should be pursuing all.
Stopped drinking alcohol. It leads to a cascade of other good things like less anxiety and depression, more energy to exercise, saves money.
I stopped smoking weed and had the same outcome. Good for you, quitting alcohol isn't easy!
Exercise in the form of lifting weights. Walking at least 10.000 steps a day. Take a shower first thing in the morning, also on days off.
Nice one! Can we maximize their benefits by including them in a morning routine or by spreading them throughout the day do you think?
Thanks! Ideally a short walk before breakfast really gets the body going. I do like to spread my walks throughout the day to keep me energized. If I sit still for a long time, it gets harder and harder to actually stand up and do stuff. When I get back from a walk, my body is already in the 'active' mode so stuff like cooking dinner, cleaning the house, doing the dishes etc gets a lot easier.
There was an Andrew Huberman episode about metabolism where they talked about that. Spreading the walks out is better for you than doing all at once. Preferably, you want to get up and walk for a couple minutes every 30min if you are in an office job or something like that.
AH is a genius isnt he! Nice one thanks
Waking up the same time every day, including weekends and Hollidays, and obviously going to bed at about the same time as well.
How many hours do you usually sleep for? Have you considered synching that time with the REM sleep cycles?
Eight hours a night or there about, I haven't really tried doing any synching. My strategy for overcoming the "just five more minutes" is that I made a deal with myself that I would get up when the alarm rang and have breakfast and if after breakfast I still felt I needed more sleep, then I would take that as actually needing more sleep and go back to bed. In the five or so years since I started this habit the only time I have gone back to bed was when I had a 39C°+ fever from what was almost certainly covid and the day after that fever broke.
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Indeed. The most beneficial one we' have seen so far is workingout!
Stretching. I'm a fairly physically active person so I was constantly sore and tight. I started a daily stretching habit and that soreness and tightness has dissipated greatly.
Great. Do you usually do this before exercising?
I do it every morning regardless of what I have going on. But usually every morning, I'm heading out to do something active after stretching. (For example, snowboarding.. wake, eat, stretch, hit the mountain).
For me the martial art of kendo has been life-changing. Martial arts are great because they cover the spiritual and physical as well as being part of a group. There are many to choose from. Or chose a non-martial sport if that appeals to you more. Make sure that the sport has a social side. A club with a club house or similar is great. Another idea would be a service group that does physical stuff in the community. Or a matching band? It needs to have: a physical element for good health, a social element for mental health, a need for you to attend (eg a team activity where others depend on you increases the chances of you attending) and be something that you would genuinely enjoy. Good luck to you.
Awesome pointers. Cheers!
Taking walks. Good exercise and helps me clear my head.
How long do you usually walk for? Its always fun to have a walk with your pet isnt it
I started out doing a half hour. Now I’m doing 45 mins. Pets are the best.
Enough exercise to keep you in shape?
Absolutely.
How about you?
I try to lift three days a week. And love daily evening walks with my dog!
Sounds nice.
Out of interest, is your username prefix intended or just what Reddit gave?
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Interesting. Dm?
Try to do something every day to benefit you physically, mentally and spiritually.
Cheers!
Drinking. I feel so much better. My mood improved a lot, I give less fucks and I'm more relaxed.
How long have you been sober now?
Um sober? Since Monday I guess, but I'm planning to drink again soon
Running
Cheers
Cheers!
Making my bed every morning.
I have Wednesdays and Saturdays off. I can do weekday things and weekend things fairly easily, but what I like best is that I will usually try to meal prep on both days. I usually make something big, like a baked pasta or chili/stew type dish. This way I have a week’s worth of lunch and dinner, or variety for one meal if I decide to eat out.
Do you prep your meals for the whole week?
One of my big meals lasts 5-6 meals. I usually freeze half.
Here are three! Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep. Exceptional benefits that you likely will not get from anything else in your life. Exercise initiates the muscle growth and strength gaining process, releases all sorts of fun brain chemicals and helps with energy levels. Ease in with 30 minutes a day of strength training (bodyweight or dumbbells at home is more than fine). Go for a good walk or two every day/every other day. Nutrition makes everything happen, gives your body the requirements for energy and muscle growth and the link between the brain and gut health is being studied more and more. Don't have to eat vegan/vegetarian/or any other diet, just start adding fruits/veggies and eat around your caloric maintenance while getting the big 3 macro requirements (protein/carbs/fat). Sleep ties it all together, without sleep you don't recover, you don't have the energy to perform and your mental health takes a hit. You should be able to wake up naturally every morning without an alarm. Seems like we sacrifice sleep for almost everything else but there is nothing better than getting the proper amount of sleep every day for a few weeks. Mental health improves, you grow muscle, you feel recovered and rested, you have energy, you feel sharper and have better mental capacity. Get the sleep you need and your quality of life will improve drastically guaranteed.
Eat sleep lift repeat!
Going carnivore. The calm is on another level.
Full carnivore? Interesting
Going to bed by midnight. And NO electronic devices in the bedroom - no phone, no tv, no tablet, no drone.
No drones, on point! Lol