Author Topic: What is your health "must have?"  (Read 10330 times)

savenowspendnever

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What is your health "must have?"
« on: October 18, 2017, 08:01:04 AM »
Hi All!

First post outside of a case study - hope I'm in the right place for this question.

What are your health MUSTS? I'm curious to hear about your healthy interests, your ways to save money on nutrition or fitness, and how you feel about gear. Is there something you can or can't live without, and how do you do it in the most mustachian of ways?

savenowspendnever

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2017, 08:29:54 AM »
I'm going a bit more Reddit-style and replying to my question separately.

I am a gym goer, so off the bat this is my must have. To me it's worth it to pay for weightlifting as my hobby and social time with the regulars. After some shopping around, I did luck out and get the greatest deal I've ever seen at a gym, second to my previously free membership when I worked at a gym: buy one year get one free, $215 after tax. I average about 22 or 23 days a month there, so my first year in I'm already at less than a dollar a day per use. It's on my way to work and I shower there.

I like to work out in dry, wicking gear: I lucked out years ago and still have full workout wear from a woman I used to babysit for. My crappy gym shoes haven't failed me for walking around lifting weights, but I do have shoes for running and cycling - clip ins are certainly a must for me.

Heart rate monitor: I purchased a refurbished Garmin Forerunner and heart rate monitor and LOVE it! Not everyone tracks their workouts, but the heart rate zones give me an extra push on the spin bike, during a run, or out on the road. Having accurate and accessible mileage information is something I really like having in my workouts.

Cycling clothing: I have one kit, purchased on clearance from LBS, and an additional pair of shorts, bought at a used sports store in my old town. Man, I miss walking around that place...

When it comes to nutrition I eat whole foods and don't buy supplements that are so heavily marketed these days. I make my own kombucha (though technically a cost saving habit, I never actually purchased it before I started making it - just picked it up one day), good for the gut.

Overall I'm not very picky, but I'm not an old Hanes person either, and definitely would not choose to go without a gym for long term.

Asalted_Nut

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2017, 11:55:27 AM »
I am so jealous of your gym deal!
Currently have a small home-gym setup in my garage: 1 Barbell, 1 EZ Curl Bar, adjustable bench, squat rack.
I have it in my garage and have developed enough of a habit to be able to actually get myself out of bed and lifting in the morning.

As far as a health MUST, I have to say that now that I've made the jump to Bluetooth ear buds, there is no way I can go back to wired. Especially when running!

And since my workouts are at 4:30 in the morning, caffeine (initially pre-workouts, but now in the form of a pill) is a MUST.
Other than that the only supplement I use is ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, B vitamin) before bed.

As the weather shifts, I may bite the bullet this year and add a space heater to the list.

lbmustache

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2017, 12:21:36 PM »
Good running shoes. I'm not saying I buy $200+ running shoes, but I do not buy the $20 Target ones. I messed up my knee before, and worn out shoes are very obvious to me, so I do replace them about once a year. I think the general rule of thumb is every 300-500 miles?

A good water bottle. I swear by Takeya. Insulated steel, perfect spout size, keeps water cool for a long time.

Probiotics. These did so much for my digestive issues. I hate that they're expensive but they truly improved my life.


Laserjet3051

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2017, 06:08:00 PM »
Wholesome, nutritious, clean, food and water. Not willing to compromise on this and will spend the extra $ to improve food/water quality. As far as sports, I MUST have the core/essential gear to ski, MTB, road bike, surf, and backpack. Essential gear keeps me safe, effective, and comfortable. Everything else for these sports are just WANTS, I stick to the core gear but buy QUALITY.     Gear for other fun sports would be icing/gravy, as opposed to must haves (e.g. tennis, climbing, etc).

ElleFiji

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2017, 06:40:18 PM »
I pay out the nose to maintain a sleep and eating schedule, including snacks and meals out.

Working a little less, and sometimes turning down work.

Health insurance

Supplements to reduce my reliance on pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals because it's permanent and pharmaceuticals are a part of my treatment

FIREySkyline

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2017, 07:16:27 PM »
1. Quality food
2. Good weights (a gym is great, but don't even consider paying more than $20, I paid $10 for a membership. Many people have access to gyms for free through work or w/e. Home gyms are great for both time and money
3. My Garmin Fenix 5x -- I bought this just before I became a Mustachian, though...

onewayfamily

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2017, 05:28:05 AM »
Wholesome, nutritious, clean, food and water. Not willing to compromise on this and will spend the extra $ to improve food/water quality.

I'm interested and was wondering if you could elaborate on the water side of things?
I've always been a 'drink the local water' both at home and abroad and have never purchased bottled water - even in 3rd world countries.
What do you do to increase water quality?

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2017, 06:55:20 AM »
Definition on my abs. I don't have to look like a model, but losing ab definition would mean something was wrong.

Fresh vegetables and fruit.

I like my weights and rowing machine, but when I'm away from home I revert to body weight exercises so I don't need them.

Elle

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2017, 07:32:26 AM »
As far as a health MUST, I have to say that now that I've made the jump to Bluetooth ear buds, there is no way I can go back to wired. Especially when running!

Wireless ear buds intrigue me - do you have a recommendation for ones that you've liked? 

NextTime

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2017, 10:12:17 AM »
Good running shoes. I'm not saying I buy $200+ running shoes, but I do not buy the $20 Target ones. I messed up my knee before, and worn out shoes are very obvious to me, so I do replace them about once a year. I think the general rule of thumb is every 300-500 miles?

A good water bottle. I swear by Takeya. Insulated steel, perfect spout size, keeps water cool for a long time.

Probiotics. These did so much for my digestive issues. I hate that they're expensive but they truly improved my life.



Which probiotic do you recommend? I've researched them before, and like many things in this internet age, all the info and counter info give me a headache.

FallenTimber

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2017, 08:03:56 AM »
My wife and I set goals for ourselves to only eat meat that we raise ourselves or hunt ourselves (or with fish, catch ourselves). If we don’t have the meat, we make a vegetarian meal. Right now we have 40 chickens in the freezer, 6 ducks, 2 deer and hopefully an elk before February. We still buy the occasional salmon or shrimp though, so we’ve fallen short of reaching our goal entirely.

If you aren’t able to raise or hunt yourself, consider investing in a deep freezer (less than $100 around Black Friday) and going in with family or friends to purchase a whole beef, half of beef, quarter of beef, etc from a local rancher. All you have to do is show up at the butcher and pick up your meat. It’s a good way to get healthy meat on the table for a reasonable price, plus you’re helping support local.

ketchup

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #12 on: November 09, 2017, 09:24:36 AM »
The cheap musts:

Tap water.

98% of meals cooked at home.

Weights in a spare bedroom, 3x/week.  No need for a gym membership.

Good sleep.  Enough sleep.  Gratuitous intimate physical activities.

Consistent physical activity level. 10k-15k steps a day usually (I have a tracker from United Healthcare that pays into my HSA based on activity levels; if it's worth it to them, it has to be even more worth it to me).  Heresy on this forum, but I really don't bike a ton.

The spendier musts:

Good groceries.  Nothing nutty (except the nuts), but lots of fresh produce, and meat from a CSA.  Nutrient dense with an emphasis on vegetables.

Cod liver oil.  The only supplement we take (and only when we're lighter on fish than we'd like, or when on the road), and we get the "good stuff" from Rosita so it's a bit pricey.

Non-crappy/less-crappy travel food.  Sometimes needed for GF's business trips.

ElleFiji

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2017, 09:47:50 AM »
Naps

Lis

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2017, 01:08:19 PM »
As far as a health MUST, I have to say that now that I've made the jump to Bluetooth ear buds, there is no way I can go back to wired. Especially when running!

Wireless ear buds intrigue me - do you have a recommendation for ones that you've liked?

I bought these on Amazon and I'm super happy with them. These are my second Bluetooth - the first ones I bought I just got because they were cheap and I was sick of wires (I think they were on sale for $5) but the quality of the sound was meh at best, which wasn't a huge deal considering I primarily wore them when I was either at the gym (loud machines) or doing housework where I couldn't hear regular speakers (vacuuming, washing dishes), so I didn't mind. But they broke within 6 months - one side stopped working all together and the other bud would heat up to uncomfortable temperatures. So I splurged on these and I'm really impressed - good sound quality, battery life is long, the strap part is loose and doesn't get in the way.

For other health stuff - I also drink Natural Calm for extra magnesium and it's done wonders. I can tell when I forget to take it. Better sleep quality (fall asleep faster and stay asleep through most of the night), better energy, no more leg cramps. It's also supposed to lower anxiety - as an anxious person who's always working on her stress level, I can't tell if it's specifically helping, but I'll give it some credit anyway :)

savenowspendnever

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2017, 02:55:50 PM »
Good running shoes. I'm not saying I buy $200+ running shoes, but I do not buy the $20 Target ones. I messed up my knee before, and worn out shoes are very obvious to me, so I do replace them about once a year. I think the general rule of thumb is every 300-500 miles?

A good water bottle. I swear by Takeya. Insulated steel, perfect spout size, keeps water cool for a long time.

Probiotics. These did so much for my digestive issues. I hate that they're expensive but they truly improved my life.



Which probiotic do you recommend? I've researched them before, and like many things in this internet age, all the info and counter info give me a headache.

OP may be buying the probiotic drinks "Good Belly," as I've seen those in stores in both single serve shots and carton sizes. I prefer to make my own kombucha and water kefir. Kombucha was more hobby than anything, I've been letting the SCOBY sit dormant. The water kefir is a relatively new venture, but I much prefer it to the kombucha! It gets waaaaaay fizzier, as much as soda, and tends to really hold the flavor and fizz once you refrigerate it. I purchased the dehydrated grains off of Amazon for $10 and they multiply as you make more. Disclaimer, I don't know whether or not these have improved my health - I just make them because they taste good and are fun to manage!

Elle

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2017, 03:12:01 PM »
As far as a health MUST, I have to say that now that I've made the jump to Bluetooth ear buds, there is no way I can go back to wired. Especially when running!

Wireless ear buds intrigue me - do you have a recommendation for ones that you've liked?

I bought these on Amazon and I'm super happy with them. These are my second Bluetooth - the first ones I bought I just got because they were cheap and I was sick of wires (I think they were on sale for $5) but the quality of the sound was meh at best, which wasn't a huge deal considering I primarily wore them when I was either at the gym (loud machines) or doing housework where I couldn't hear regular speakers (vacuuming, washing dishes), so I didn't mind. But they broke within 6 months - one side stopped working all together and the other bud would heat up to uncomfortable temperatures. So I splurged on these and I'm really impressed - good sound quality, battery life is long, the strap part is loose and doesn't get in the way.

Thanks!

gggggg

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #17 on: November 11, 2017, 10:58:22 PM »
Really good running shoes are my only must have (Asics Kayano, every time since forever), the rest I can go cheap on.

Asalted_Nut

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #18 on: November 12, 2017, 07:27:23 PM »
As far as a health MUST, I have to say that now that I've made the jump to Bluetooth ear buds, there is no way I can go back to wired. Especially when running!

Wireless ear buds intrigue me - do you have a recommendation for ones that you've liked?

These are the ones I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Headphones-TaoTronics-Earphones-TT-BH07/dp/B06ZYX6Y1T/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_107_bs_t_1/140-5325977-3086659?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1WEFB2J6E53YPXPF7DPQ

I have to say I am extremely pleased with them, especially for the cost. The sound quality is fantastic, and they come with three sets/sizes of both the rubber bud as well as the small rubber hook, so you can customize them for the most comfort while ensuring they don't fall out of your ear (a problem I had with many ear buds prior). The small size is also nice, and the ability to change the volume and track with the headphones themselves has spoiled me.

Added bonus, you can also use them for calls! Though I don't have a smartphone so I haven't been able to test out how well they work for that.

Battery life is fine, but this is the first wireless pair I've ever bought so I don't have anything to compare that to. The USB charging cable is only a few inches long which is odd, but the plug is the standard for pretty much all android and dumb phones so I have been able to use my phone charging cable instead.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #19 on: November 12, 2017, 07:51:06 PM »
over the counter eye cream
Since I was 'hit in the head' (car accident) when I close my eyes, they do not close all the way. I need eye cream at night to keep my eyes healthy

Rollin

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #20 on: November 23, 2017, 12:09:58 PM »
A comfortable, efficient, well-maintained bicycle.

Rubyvroom

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #21 on: November 23, 2017, 05:57:53 PM »
Yoga! Seriously, I think the stress relief alone is lengthening my life. When I do yoga in the AM before work I can make it until at least 3pm before I want to throat-punch my coworkers.

KarefulKactus15

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Re: What is your health "must have?"
« Reply #22 on: November 29, 2017, 07:50:14 AM »


I like to work out in dry, wicking gear: I lucked out years ago and still have full workout wear from a woman I used to babysit for. My crappy gym shoes haven't failed me for walking around lifting weights, but I do have shoes for running and cycling - clip ins are certainly a must for me.



I was reading this and wondering why a man is babysitting and wearing women's clothing....

Then I realized I must have some gender stereotypes in my mind that I need to work on purging...