Author Topic: Healthy Choices 2020  (Read 18504 times)

chaskavitch

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #150 on: May 20, 2020, 03:13:03 PM »
@chaskavitch no no don't remove the leisure activities! That will only make the part of you that feels neglected push back harder. Any time I have attempted to remove JOY from my life, so I can be a better more productive machine, I can "succeed" for a short time before I crack. It is human nature.

Right now you have heaps of stressors and you are contemplating removing relaxation from your schedule. I would sit down with your husband, map out the respective work, housework, childcare and block out time for each of you to have downtime. Don't push it to the end of the day or your to-do list because you will never get to it. Bring it forward and schedule it because it's a legit human need, and so is a reasonable bedtime.

If you are saying "there is nowhere in my day I can dip into an escapist novel for 30", what can you remove from the other activities? Downgrade meal complexity, tag off on the dishes, laundry happens on the weekend, forget vacuum ing exists. I am not saying live in squalor, I am saying *do less* and allot yourself some time.

It's not that I want to completely remove my leisure activities, it's that when they're placed at the end of the day, I always stretch them out to an unhealthy length of time that's affecting my sleep. 

If we put the kids to bed and stop answering "Mom I need to tell you something, but only in my bedroom!" by 8:30ish, then sweep or finish dishes or something by 9, I still have an hour or maybe 2 to read or watch tv or do yoga before I really ought to be asleep.  Two hours isn't that bad!  But I keep reading until 11:30 or midnight, and then baby girl wakes up once sometime in the middle of the night, and then we're up at 7, and I still haven't taken time to work out, lol. 

mspym

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #151 on: May 20, 2020, 03:24:37 PM »
@chaskavitch which is why I am saying pull them forward in the day and legitimise them in your mind so then it's no longer a "but if I put the book down now I will never read agaaaaaain" situation. Also when it comes to scheduling, having a thing planned after stops the first one from spilling over. Sleep isn't a hard limit for you so maybe another activity would be.

For example, I have an imaginary commute time booked in between when I log off work and when I go downstairs and engage in household tasks. This is my time to myself to read, or watch stupid YT videos, or catch up on the forums. It's 30 min for me to fritter as I choose.

chaskavitch

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #152 on: May 20, 2020, 03:44:33 PM »
@chaskavitch which is why I am saying pull them forward in the day and legitimise them in your mind so then it's no longer a "but if I put the book down now I will never read agaaaaaain" situation. Also when it comes to scheduling, having a thing planned after stops the first one from spilling over. Sleep isn't a hard limit for you so maybe another activity would be.

For example, I have an imaginary commute time booked in between when I log off work and when I go downstairs and engage in household tasks. This is my time to myself to read, or watch stupid YT videos, or catch up on the forums. It's 30 min for me to fritter as I choose.

Ah, that makes sense.  I like the idea of taking a little time between work and going down for the evening.  Our kids usually have a nap/rest time for 45 minutes or so in the afternoon.  Maybe I'll use that time, so I won't feel guilty letting my husband watch the kids while I do fun things.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #153 on: May 20, 2020, 03:53:38 PM »
@chaskavitch  - Would it help if this older lady said this?:  you have my permission to have some leisure. 

If Mama's not happy, nobody is happy.  You are the sun in the family solar system.  So you are being a better Mama being happy.  And it is very good for kids to see chores being done.  If you are talking to them or singing to them while you do whatever you are doing and getting them to help or amuse themselves while you take care of their needs...you are doing excellent parenting. 

And FYI - literature seems to indicate that children really need "just good enough parents".

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #154 on: May 20, 2020, 04:22:37 PM »
Chaskavitch - 45min nap time sounds like an *excellent* designated leisure time.

It is also good for kids to see you having some downtime while dad does some housework, and vice versa. It demonstrates that chores are a thing everyone does and leisure is a thing everyone has.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #155 on: May 20, 2020, 08:59:04 PM »
Both the men I have been married to have the ability to sit and relax while I am doing chores, and only one of them is an asshole. I aspire to do this and have even managed it once or twice myself :-).

Switching out most of the regular coffee is going swimmingly. It probably helps that I bought thirteen dollar a pound water processed decaf, which is like three times as expensive as my usual coffee, so it is probably, y'know, better.

mm1970

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #156 on: May 21, 2020, 11:38:14 AM »
Yes, all I can recommend is keeping the leisure, but add in more sleep.

My husband is much like you - he likes down time, it doesn't start until big kid is in bed (9:30? 10?) so he stays up until 11:30 often.  The dog wakes us up at 5:45 or 6, so he doesn't get enough sleep.

I used to stay awake later, to get down time after the kids were in bed, but it got to be too much. I'm a morning person anyway, so I said fuck it several years ago.  I go to bed around 8:15 or 8:30, read for 20-30 minutes.  I'm usually asleep by 9, sometimes 9:30, usually before the 7 yo and always before the teen.  I get 8.5 hours of sleep that way.

Your kids are young, it's gonna suck because they need you.  There's no way around that.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #157 on: June 13, 2020, 02:37:20 PM »
@chaskavitch no no don't remove the leisure activities! That will only make the part of you that feels neglected push back harder. Any time I have attempted to remove JOY from my life, so I can be a better more productive machine, I can "succeed" for a short time before I crack. It is human nature.

Right now you have heaps of stressors and you are contemplating removing relaxation from your schedule. I would sit down with your husband, map out the respective work, housework, childcare and block out time for each of you to have downtime. Don't push it to the end of the day or your to-do list because you will never get to it. Bring it forward and schedule it because it's a legit human need, and so is a reasonable bedtime.

If you are saying "there is nowhere in my day I can dip into an escapist novel for 30", what can you remove from the other activities? Downgrade meal complexity, tag off on the dishes, laundry happens on the weekend, forget vacuum ing exists. I am not saying live in squalor, I am saying *do less* and allot yourself some time.

It's not that I want to completely remove my leisure activities, it's that when they're placed at the end of the day, I always stretch them out to an unhealthy length of time that's affecting my sleep. 

If we put the kids to bed and stop answering "Mom I need to tell you something, but only in my bedroom!" by 8:30ish, then sweep or finish dishes or something by 9, I still have an hour or maybe 2 to read or watch tv or do yoga before I really ought to be asleep.  Two hours isn't that bad!  But I keep reading until 11:30 or midnight, and then baby girl wakes up once sometime in the middle of the night, and then we're up at 7, and I still haven't taken time to work out, lol.

How have things been lately?

I struggle with this too since leisure time feels so scarce during the preschool years. What's helped me is to do chores with my kid underfoot even though it takes a little longer. I try to give my daughter slots of my undivided attention in the morning, but otherwise I think it's good for her to be left to her own devices a bit. I'm still present and not distracted (as in on my phone) but I'm not focused completely on her.

I also asked my partner to do the bedtime routine while I finish up the dishes. That way once our daughter is in bed, I can switch gears to leisure and hanging out with him or friends (pre-COVID) and that precious time isn't eaten away by responsibilities. It's been my favorite lifestyle change since having a baby.

I also kind've deposit my daughter in bed after the bed routine and am strict about not dragging the evening out. I need that time to recharge so I can have something to give her the next day.

I figured out that my main barrier to going to bed at a decent hour is if I leave my teeth brushing as my last task because I'll just procrastinate doing it and read "one more page". So I try to do it the second-to-last thing and have the last thing be something luxurious, like reading.

Finally, I try to give myself more leisure than what seems reasonable (in terms of everything else I want to fit in) as I'm scheduling my week. I find I'm way less clingy if I can tell myself that I can pick up where I left off with my leisure the next day. If I don't give myself ample leisure, I end up taking it (and more) anyway.

All of these things don't completely override the lizard brain, but they've helped me not always be in lizard brain mode.

Hope you find some good hacks that work for you!

Luz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #158 on: June 13, 2020, 02:40:50 PM »
It's been a few weeks now and I've had 4 water bottles a day since I started my hydration goal! Woot, woot! Slapping on those 4 rubber bands was the ticket!

I think I'll rest on my laurels for the rest of the summer because the baby is a few weeks away from arrival and my next goal is posture (Sept-Dec 2020), which I'm sure will kick my butt.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #159 on: June 13, 2020, 03:38:18 PM »
It's been a few weeks now and I've had 4 water bottles a day since I started my hydration goal! Woot, woot! Slapping on those 4 rubber bands was the ticket!

I think I'll rest on my laurels for the rest of the summer because the baby is a few weeks away from arrival and my next goal is posture (Sept-Dec 2020), which I'm sure will kick my butt.

Well done with the water!

My healthy choice this week was to discuss Covid prevention measures with the company I'm temping for.  I may not have a job next week

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #160 on: June 14, 2020, 12:32:55 PM »
@Luz, I love how you are thinking about making a system that works for you! Wishing you the best for the home stretch.

@oneday, good luck!  I hope it goes well. I feel very fortunate that my employer is taking the whole thing very seriously. I am really dreading working a full day in a mask, which I think is coming--I got really tired when I just, like, spent too long at Home Depot in one yesterday. But I could always take out the filter (it is a piece of an HVAC filter, interestingly enough) if I need to pull more air, although that wouldn't be as protective.

I have a weirder than usual relationship to my body right now because of prepping for IVF. I'm starting by taking birth control pills to create a sort of blank canvas to start from--and I haven't been on HBC in a long time! Really takes me back to the aughts. And then thinking about all the meds I will be taking for stimulation (*shudders*). It's very unnatural, and egg retrieval is surgery. But I think I am going to frame it as an interesting challenge for my body. My two living children were conceived the old-fashioned way, so this is very different for me!

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #161 on: June 14, 2020, 06:55:27 PM »
Wow @La Bibliotecaria Feroz that certainly will be a challenge for your body!  Very best of luck, I hope you get what you are hoping for and the process is not too taxing.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #162 on: July 27, 2020, 03:32:48 PM »
IVF didn't yield any embryos but it was really quite tolerable, so I am going to try it again.

I finally found a way to meditate that I like! I set my white noise app to play five minutes of ocean sounds and I just relax and listen to them and think about my breathing. Sometimes I do box breathing.

Times don't seem to be getting any less stressful. How is everyone holding up? How are you caring for yourself?

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #163 on: July 27, 2020, 03:42:41 PM »
@La Bibliotecaria Feroz Fingers crossed for better luck next round.

I have hit the mid-winter, mid-project valley of despair slump, not helped by 3 days of torrential rain meaning I can't get out of the house for my midday sanity walk. But! I have picked up my embroidery again and it gives my hands something to do when I am on 2 hour work calls AND I have been plugging away at Spanish AND I have been getting to do the fun design work in my job so it does feel like progress is being made, which is satisfying.

Other healthy choices - keeping up my ankle exercises to try stop this sequence of repeated sprains, and drastically reducing the amount of animal protein in our diet.

mm1970

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #164 on: July 27, 2020, 04:13:12 PM »
This is definitely turning into an ultra-marathon, not a sprint.  My stress levels have been all over the place, and that causes my digestive system to go crazy sometimes.  So, I'm constantly re-tuning my workout plans.  I was running 3x a week and lifting 2x a week and walking 2x a week.  Then I started running every day and my sciatica and Achilles were unhappy.  So I cut back to running 2x a week (dropping the long Saturday run, replacing it with a walk).  Then I increased my weightlifting to 4x a week.

Well, it turns out, I kind of like just doing jack shit on Sundays, except for maybe a longer dog walk or some yoga.  So, I'm dropping the Sunday weight lifting.  So, 3 days of lifting, 2 days of running, a couple of days of walking (plus extra walks during the week if I need the sunshine).  And...taking days off when I want to, not just when my body rebels.

I've also dug out my 21 day fix containers to help with meal planning.  My digestion has gotten more and more finicky (I think partially due to peri-menopause).  I really have to eat mostly healthfully and I have to keep my volume of food down to 2 to 2.5 cups at a time to keep my stomach happy. 

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #165 on: July 28, 2020, 01:34:58 AM »
This is definitely turning into an ultra-marathon, not a sprint.

You got that right!

Something changed in the last few days and I've found it easier to do the healthy things (eat, exercise, reflect, self-kindness). Wish I knew what!  But one measure is the number of long walks: about every other day recently.  It's a virtuous cycle that I'll try to keep spinning.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #166 on: July 28, 2020, 02:48:53 AM »
My head is so full of the studio I actually forgot about the other big healthy choice I actioned this week. I officially signed up for the year-long OptiFast programme at the obesity clinic of my local hospital. While I'm not entirely convinced that the three-month shakes/soups it starts with is a good fit for me, I think I will be able to make it through that and the year-long support from doctors, psychologists, dieticians, and personal trainers will hopefully make the difference in me actually getting somewhere with losing weight. Due to the pandemic, they may not be able to start the next session in August, but I'm signed up and will start whenever they can facilitate it again.

Hi @Moonwaves I did a very similar program starting in Fall 2018 and lost 70 lbs.  While I realize the shakes are not for everyone, they really do the trick.  I'm actually jealous of your program, we did not get psychologist or personal trainers.  Anyway, it was life changing for me and the healthiest choice I could have ever made.  PM me if you want to chat about it.

Well, it looks like this programme won't actually start until October. In the meantime, I am trying to cut down on the massive amount of sweets and crisps I consumed during the start of this whole COVID thing. I wasn't even under lockdown but I still stress-ate a LOT. Actually, have been doing ok with that for the last six or seven weeks. Still, on balance, a bit too much chocolate some days but last week, I even had a couple of days where I ate only my meals. My goals for now are to have at least three or four days with no chocoloate/crisps a week by October and to use up all of the food I have in the house by then. Since I live alone, I won't have to go food shopping for three months and actually, I'm kind of looking forward to that.

In the past three weeks I have been getting waking up by half-five and either doing stretching exercises or a short guided meditation. I really don't like getting up so I can start either of these while still lying down and it helps me to slowly come to life. Then I open all the windows wide and do about ten minutes from my TOMM housework list and then sit for five minutes to stop sweating before getting ready to leave for work at half-six. Need to get better on going to bed on time, though, there have been a couple of days when I turned over and slept for an extra half-an-hour and I'd rather not do that. We're due to be over 30 degrees every day this week, getting up to 35 on Saturday so apart from early in the morning, I won't be moving a lot at all. That's about 85 to 95 fahrenheit and I grew up in  a place where the official definition of a heatwave is five days above 75 fahrenheit.

Does anyone have any recommendations for short (15-20 mins) guided meditations in either English, German or French? I am finding myself extremely fussy in this regard and would like to find one where I don't mind either the accent or the tone/timbre of the voice.

chaskavitch

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #167 on: July 28, 2020, 06:51:42 AM »
I've definitely fallen back on all of my stress responses of eating too much at night and staying up late instead of going to bed, which is working out swimmingly.  I haven't been doing well planning meals/shopping lists either, so we've had a lot more baked potato or pasta nights than I'd like. 

Lately I've been doing a little bit better getting up at 6:15 in the morning 3 days a week to work out, and fitting in some more yoga instead of snacking in the evenings after the kids go to bed.  My sleep time hasn't been great, but I really am working on it, because it's catching up to me more and more.

My poor husband, though, is home all the time with the kids, and he's going a little crazy.  We split the day for work time - he works until 1 pm, then it's my turn until 5ish, and I'm at the office on Sundays - but he's ended up working evenings and some weekends and has decided we need to steal an au pair from someone, since there are no new ones coming into the country right now.  We're still paying to hold our spot at daycare, but neither of us actually want to put the kids back in, since school is starting soon and almost all of the kids or teachers there have siblings/kids in elementary school.  My mom works at an elementary school too, and she's torn between not wanting to leave her coworkers in the lurch and absolutely freaking out about going back to work and never seeing us again because it's not safe.  I just hate not knowing what's going to happen. 

On the bright side, other than a few questions about "when will (the zoo/museum/library/park) be open again?", our kids are doing great at home.  They are young enough that they don't have any REALLY close friends to miss, and we're lucky enough to have an enormous yard to help keep them occupied, even if it is hot AF most of the day.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #168 on: July 28, 2020, 05:31:37 PM »
Does anyone have any recommendations for short (15-20 mins) guided meditations in either English, German or French? I am finding myself extremely fussy in this regard and would like to find one where I don't mind either the accent or the tone/timbre of the voice.

https://www.calm.com/ has a lot of stuff in English, not sure about other languages.  They also have an app for the smart phone if that works better for you.  There is free content, and even more content if you pay for the premium version.

I don't have any particular recommendation, as it sounds like you are looking for something that you'll know when you hear it.

Moonwaves

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #169 on: July 29, 2020, 12:12:30 AM »
I might give Calm another go. I did take a look at it but got a bit frustrated when everything I wanted to listen to was part of the paid part and generally, if the free content is not good enough, I have no interest in paying for more. Maybe I should look to see if there's a reliable way to filter out all of the paid content.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #170 on: July 29, 2020, 11:57:07 PM »
I might give Calm another go. I did take a look at it but got a bit frustrated when everything I wanted to listen to was part of the paid part and generally, if the free content is not good enough, I have no interest in paying for more. Maybe I should look to see if there's a reliable way to filter out all of the paid content.

Oh, another idea.  Due to the Pandemic, my health care provider gave me free access to Calm for a year.  Does your health care provider have any resources?

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #171 on: July 31, 2020, 03:33:36 PM »
I want to brag on my hubby a little bit.

Years ago, pre-kid, we worked out together. At first, after work.  But then we realized we were more likely to be "too tired", so we started going early morning.

Enter: kids.  For many years after kids, we took turns on days.  I'd get Tue/Thu/Sat, he'd get Mon/Wed/Fri, or vice versa.

Then a few years ago, he just stopped going.  We both work hard, and are stressed out.  He would go to bed at 11:30 pm (still does) and would have SUCH a hard time getting up at 5:30 am (duh).  I told him that sleep is more important.  You need more sleep!  So, he stopped setting the alarm.  And he stopped working out.  For ... 3 years.  4 years?  I don't know.  I lost count.

As the years went on, I just slowly started working out every day, because, well, he wasn't.  At some point the doc suggested he lose a bit of weight, so he walked on his lunch break for an hour for a couple of months.  But then stopped again.  Then the kids got older, which made it easier for me - I could work out even if he was traveling, because: teenager.

So...we adopt a dog in November, and that's great because he takes her for 2 walks a day, totaling about 1.5 miles.

And then COVID happens.  A week before the gym closes, I stop going.  I start doing LIIFT4 from Beachbody (had done it before) instead of BodyPump at the gym, and continued my running.  Months of all 4 of us being stuck at home 24/7 with a dog that wakes up at 6:15 am... He spends 2 months or so watching me do LIIFT4 (it's an 8 week program, but took me longer to finish).  Then, he decides to start it himself (even got the teen to join him for 5 weeks).

He just finished!  The full 8 week program, 4 days a week.  I'm so proud.  Sometimes he works out in the morning. Sometimes, he has meetings and has to sneak it in later. 

He's going to start all over again in a week.  Go hubby!  Plus, a month or two ago we started doing long walks together on weekends.  Every other week, we go with the dog on a hilly, mostly dog-free walk (she's not good with other dogs).  Aim for 5-6 miles.  On alternate weeks, we hike with the boys, which is 2-3 miles of almost constant whining.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #172 on: July 31, 2020, 03:38:00 PM »
Good job, husband of @mm1970!

I have been doing Jazzercise on Demand. Hopefully it is enough to help me keep some muscle mass. I think my waist is expanding because of the lack of sufficient strength training--not that 8 lbs weights are a substitute for barbell training, but it does get some muscle activation going more than it seems like it would.

Although I have been so busy painting and/or gardening, I've only been doing it once a week! And usually another day I do yoga.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #173 on: August 08, 2020, 11:18:16 PM »
I might give Calm another go. I did take a look at it but got a bit frustrated when everything I wanted to listen to was part of the paid part and generally, if the free content is not good enough, I have no interest in paying for more. Maybe I should look to see if there's a reliable way to filter out all of the paid content.

Oh, another idea.  Due to the Pandemic, my health care provider gave me free access to Calm for a year.  Does your health care provider have any resources?
I did actuallycheck thisout but they don't coverany online stuff. Ifwe end upgoing into lockdown again perhaps they will. While searching, I actually realised that work has put up a whole load of short exercise videos, stretching etc. So that was something good to find, too. And now that I'vefound the insight timer app, I'm sorted for meditations for a while. Funny how I like to think of myself as easygoing and then I get so fussy about something like that. Oh well, there are probably worse things in the world to be.

In today's healthy choices, I got up by six, had a quick wash, got dressed, brought the first of two washes down to the cellar and then unlocked mega Hausfrau level and opened all the doors and windows wide open to air the place out a bit while it's still 'only' 21°.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #174 on: August 15, 2020, 01:01:57 PM »
I'm trying a new way to get my big muscle groups worked. History shows that I will not make myself do a 40 minute strength training routine. But I will do yoga and Jazzercise and walking. Jazzercise is good for legs but I don't really like their upper body stuff and the abs are all crunches--I still need pushups, chin ups, and planks.

So I am experimenting with just, doing some exercise sometimes, especially if I've been for a walk and am reasonably loose. No changing clothes, no warm-up and cool-down (maybe a quick stretch), just a couple of quick exercises for those muscles that I'm missing.

How's everyone else holding up?

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #175 on: August 15, 2020, 08:32:37 PM »
@La Bibliotecaria Feroz that sounds similar to the approach I'm reading about right now: Tiny Habis by BJ Fogg.  I'm having good results with the technique.

Doing surprisingly well in the recent past (like 3 weeks or so).  I think this means my stress level has fallen off...a good thing, but also I wish I knew WHY.

Sleep is getting under control; not where I want to be quite yet, but good headway recently. 
Exercise/cardio/physical therapy - spotty
Food/eating - still not getting enough veggies, but need to focus on the prior two areas, I only have so much focus at a time.

Hydration is good.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #176 on: August 15, 2020, 09:29:43 PM »
The animal protein reduction is becoming the new normal. We haven't given up completely but it's significantly reduced and I am really enjoying tofu. I've actually restarted some weights sessions this week and it's feeling good to move. Workstress is turning my sleep to shit so back to the meditation I go.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #177 on: August 17, 2020, 04:42:05 AM »
So I am experimenting with just, doing some exercise sometimes, especially if I've been for a walk and am reasonably loose. No changing clothes, no warm-up and cool-down (maybe a quick stretch), just a couple of quick exercises for those muscles that I'm missing.
This is something I want to try incorporating into my life. It sounds like something MMM mentioned years ago in a blog post - something like having weights or whatever easily accessible so when you're passing by and have a couple of minutes free, you can just go for it.

My recent most healthy choice was to actually go to the doctor about the pain in my back/hip and stop assuming it was just because I'm fat and decrepit and getting old (honestly just didn't have the energy to have another conversation that came down to "lose weight"). He somewhat begrudgingly prescribed me 6 x 15 minutes of massage, which the physio asked me to take as 3 x 30 minutes so that they would have enough time to actually achieve something considering I had "only" had massage prescribed and not general physio.
Even when I was telling the physio what was wrong, where it hurt, etc., there was a bit of "well, you're overweight and your musculature is probably weakened" but once she actually started working on my back, she stopped that straightaway. At the end she said that even if I had had a prescription for general physio, it was bad enough that massage was the right thing for now. She reckons I will probably have to do one more set of massage after this one, and only then might be able to start physio that would actually strengthen things at a more basic level. Even after that one session I have had so much less pain I am astonished. I hadn't realised the extent to which I had just begun accepting it as normal. I still have a fair amount of pain but keep finding myself doing certain movements very slowly and then realising I don't need to any more because it doesn't hurt the way it was.

mm1970

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #178 on: August 17, 2020, 02:17:48 PM »
I'm trying a new way to get my big muscle groups worked. History shows that I will not make myself do a 40 minute strength training routine. But I will do yoga and Jazzercise and walking. Jazzercise is good for legs but I don't really like their upper body stuff and the abs are all crunches--I still need pushups, chin ups, and planks.

So I am experimenting with just, doing some exercise sometimes, especially if I've been for a walk and am reasonably loose. No changing clothes, no warm-up and cool-down (maybe a quick stretch), just a couple of quick exercises for those muscles that I'm missing.

How's everyone else holding up?

I like this.  I think Mark's Daily Apple had a thing on that recently "micro workouts".  If you walk past your pullup bar, do pullups.  That sort of thing.  It also keeps your body primed for exercise.

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/benefits-of-microworkouts/

I think my kids ONLY do micro workouts, ha!

I've been sticking to my workouts.  I run Tues (speed work), Thurs (something else).  I lift MWF (I am doing beach body "Hammer and Chisel" and the workouts are very challenging.  Lots of balance work, and boy do they love Bulgarian split squats.  It's very different from my last program that I finished.  I've been using my two 10kg kettle bells for squats.  Most of the workouts are 35-40 minutes.  I do them in the morning, and I try not to focus on the fact that they are 40 minutes.  I just work my way through them.

Saturday long walk and Sunday, miscellaneous.  I want to incorporate more yoga.  Some day.

Kids start school (virtual) tomorrow.  So they have a "PE" schedule that I made them make themselves.  (for their breaks).  I've cut up a bunch of veggies, and we have some healthy-ish snacks.  I miss free school lunch.  We picked up lunch for the 8 yo today because we picked up his class packet.  They gave us a sheet to tell us how lunches will go in the school year.  Namely, no free school lunch.  Or more accurate - only if you qualify.  During school AT school last year, my kids both attended schools where 70-90% of the students were eligible, so everyone got free lunch.

Now that we are virtual (and big kid starts High school, so he aged out anyway), it's back to adding $ to the accounts.  It's just easier to cook at home.

I've been aiming to get enough veggies.  I'm pretty good, but it's hard.  I can't really fit enough in the fridge to last a week for all of us. 

pdxvandal

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #179 on: August 17, 2020, 03:48:52 PM »
It's been really hit and miss for me, mostly the latter. Sleep generally has been much better (no alarm-setting), but the exercise routine has been spotty at best. I did buy some free-weight dumbbells which I use occasionally. Motivation, finding a routine I like and cardio have been the key issues. I love playing basketball and played in a league for many years, but the league is on Covid hiatus and it's not easy to find a gym (not to mention basketball is one of the more unsafe sports for virus spread). Our HOA-dues funded gym, which I had started going to more often pre-Covid, is open on a limited basis. I just don't feel like going there during this pandemic.

I like hiking and outdoor activities like kayaking, but these options are now so overcrowded, anything decent within a 45-min drive, it seems. It being harder and harder to find an easy to reach, true nature escape sucks.

I generally dislike running, although on a 2.5-mile walk today, I decided to run the last 1.5 miles or so, and made it without stopping. I would probably be a good runner with my body type, but I just have never been smitten by the activity unless it involves a sport.

Small victories, but I need more opportunities to sweat and drop 10-15 lbs. Good luck to everyone. It would seem easy being WFH and no commmuting, but it's just not for me.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #180 on: August 19, 2020, 12:13:18 AM »
@Moonwaves I'm glad you're getting relief!  I've had to "encourage" doctors to prescribe what turned out to be the correct solution, as well.  Good for you getting in there & getting it done!

@mm1970 I've relaxed my standards on what constitutes a veggie during the pandemic because fresh just doesn't keep long enough and I'm shopping less often.  I'm now sometimes counting starchy veggies (such as corn) as "veggies" rather than starches.  Also eating more canned veggies, canned soup and frozen veggies.  Yesterday was canned creamy broccoli with extra frozen broccoli added.  And this is really cheating, but I found Harvest Snaps Green Pea Snack Crisps at Costco and I'm even counting those sometimes!  They keep fairly well in a ziploc. 

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #181 on: August 22, 2020, 03:36:23 PM »
I 've continued expanding my repertoire of vegan meals - some have been winners, some not but tofu stir-fry has now entered the regular rotation so that's great. I also asked G yesterday if he had his fitbit and if I could use it. He's looking out for it and I think I'll get back on that wagon.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #182 on: August 23, 2020, 07:08:27 AM »
I've been doing much better the last two weeks about getting to bed earlier and not eating so much sugar. 

Currently it seems the key is to not watch TV OR have a good book series to read, and just do a nice yoga practice after the kids go to bed :)  I can't snack while I'm doing yoga, and then afterwards I'm relaxed, comfortable, and slightly bored, so I go to bed.  I snack less during the day when I'm not exhausted and crappy feeling, so it's a wonderful cycle.  It makes it easier to wake up to lift in the morning, and that seems to help my mood with the kids during the day, too.

My husband is still working a bunch at night, but he's trying to get to bed at a decent hour too (before midnight is pretty good for him).  It's amazing how much less snappy we both are when we get enough sleep. 

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #183 on: September 04, 2020, 09:42:00 AM »
How is everybody doing?

I have been playing video games too late at night, but I am working on being more cognizant of the time and trying tricks to make me stop sooner. Last night I didn't need to wash my hair (I wash at night early in the evening so it can air dry), so I waited to take a shower until AFTER I had played my game. That way I wasn't too comfortable to get up and I had the shower time to start relaxing for bed. I shower by a night-light.

I am also trying to have a slightly dull or already-read book to read at bedtime. I finished Weird Al: Seriously and am on to a third reading of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.

Microworkouts are going well but adjusting to the metabolism of lockdown remains a challenge. I ordered some jeans in a larger size, because there is a nip in the air in the mornings and pants season is coming and I deserve to have pants that fit. And I also got yoga pants to be prepared for my next IVF cycle in October.

I had to go off caffeine for 3 days for a test preparatory to the IVF cycle and... it wasn't that bad! I mean, I was sucking down decaf like there was no tomorrow and I had a couple headaches, but not so bad. But now I wonder if I should try making a permanent switch when the caffeinated coffee runs out (I normally brew half regular and half decaf).

Cassie

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #184 on: September 04, 2020, 02:21:25 PM »
I have lost 11lbs in a month.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #185 on: September 04, 2020, 03:02:46 PM »
I am hanging in there.  Doing well at eating.  Not doing great at sleeping.

My healthy choice has been to take some vacation.  As soon as I finish a couple more tasks.  But I am currently converting a meeting recording and daren't do anything but surf MMM.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #186 on: September 04, 2020, 03:15:25 PM »
I'm also struggling to come to terms with lockdown metabolism.  At least hydration and sleep are still good.

Exercise - just joined a new online group, so good motivation for the moment.

Eating is still terrible. Just trying to get 5 servings of friut/veg every day is a struggle, but one I have a little more capacity to deal with these days.

@Cassie That's a lot. Are you well?

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #187 on: September 04, 2020, 03:59:53 PM »
Yes I decided that I wasn’t going to drink anything with calories except for one cup of coffee. I drink water the rest of the time.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #188 on: September 04, 2020, 04:27:08 PM »
Yes I decided that I wasn’t going to drink anything with calories except for one cup of coffee. I drink water the rest of the time.

Wow, what a difference that has made for you!!!!

Cassie

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #189 on: September 04, 2020, 04:37:55 PM »
5 years ago it took me 1 year to lose 30lbs and I have kept it off. This is much easier.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #190 on: September 04, 2020, 06:02:45 PM »
- My quest to Care Less at work is going poorly but at least the project is interesting and my work is good?
- I bought an activity tracker (Withings Steel HR) because it does spur me to get out of my seat on a regular basis AND it has a nice watch face that helps me reduce the number of times I pick up my phone to check the time only to be sucked into Doomscrolling however now I am raising multiple tickets to try get the stupid thing to stop thinking my stride length is >1m because it messes up my distance calculations. [Now I have data but it's wrong data? Is that better than No Data?]
- My sleep is a bit messed up at the moment from a delicious combination of Reading Too Late + pre-DST Early Morning Wake-ups but at least we are heading into Spring so maybe things are looking up.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #191 on: September 15, 2020, 02:30:08 PM »
I'm going to try writing down my mini-workouts to make me even more motivated and to make sure I hit certain goals.

But I can tell they're helping--I got my third chin up back today!*

*Technically it's two, since I start from a full extension but with my feet down, but then I do two more without touching, then I put my feet back down to do a couple of assisted chin ups.

I also got some exercise bands to add interest and variety to my at-home strength training. Jazzercise On Demand includes some band videos.

mm1970

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #192 on: September 15, 2020, 03:02:47 PM »
Mini-workouts for the win!

Great job on the chinups.  I've never ever managed one.  Ever.

The terrible air quality means allll the mini-workouts right now.  I skipped my morning run, and instead did a Leslie Sansone "15 minute mile" walk in the morning with the 8 yo, and then another one at lunch because I was exhausted and needed a pick me up.  If I do one after dinner, then it's almost the same as running my 3 miles, right?

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #193 on: September 16, 2020, 12:29:52 AM »
Very impressed by your chin-up report LBF! I want to do one of those one day.

My recent healthy choices have been going to the pool every week for the past four weeks and doing an hour of aquajogging. Ok, this week was only half-an-hour because I went yesterday at lunchtime but I tried to move faster to get a good workout. They've just announced that they will be opening the indoor pools again after all, so that's great. The outdoor pool near work is only open until the end of this week. Might try to go again after work on Friday - I'm really loving being in the water again. 

And following a suggestion from someone's journal I have now done a guided meditation a couple of time immediately upon arriving home after work. It has really helped in terms of refreshing me and making me feel like it may actually be possible to do something other than sit and read/watch netflix in the evening. I choose one of the longer 30-40 minute ones and sit on the balcony, enjoying the view and breathing deeply.

Finally, I was frustrated to not be receiving a reply to my query at the obesity clinic as to whether the OptiFast programme is actually starting in October and if so, when. Yesterday, I saw that a local pharmacy had OptiFast on speical offer and so I went in and bought myself two boxes, thinking that maybe I could at least do a few weeks on my own. Less than ten minutes later, the clinic phoned me to say that the programme would be starting in mid-November. Presumably I triggered some variant of Murphy's law. Glad to have a date and, more importantly, the day of the week fixed so that when I'm trying to make plans, I know what day to keep free.

oneday

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #194 on: September 16, 2020, 05:03:53 PM »
@mspym did you ever get your activity tracker working correctly?

@La Bibliotecaria Feroz , way to go! My current quest is to do AN pushup.  Once I conquer that, it will be time for chin ups.  My dad tried to tell me that "girls can't do those kinds of things, they don't have the upper body strength." Bah.

@mm1970 3 mini workouts are definitely just as good!  Air quality is massively better here, hope it's clearing for you as well!

@Moonwaves I think they try to get a certain amount of people enrolled before they start a new "class". Mine was also delayed by a month.

In the last two weeks, some things have clicked into place and I'm back on top of my health game.  Some intangible/internal things that I don't always understand or have control over.  But, notably, one "click" was having my room mate travel for a couple weeks. When she's back, I'll have to have a talk with her about our combined grocery & cooking situation.  It feels scary to me, because I dislike setting (or re-setting) boundaries (especially when I have to "ask" or "take back" something), but I'm sure from her side it will be no big deal.  Right? 😬

mspym

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #195 on: September 16, 2020, 06:46:01 PM »
You can do it @oneday! Go for mature adult conversations to resolve trivial issues instead of just avoiding one mildly awkward conversation!

Activity tracker - ongoing back and forth trying to get them to realise that in no world does a 1.6m woman take strides >1m. The most maddening part is they keep falling back on canned answers when the standard calculations for height to stride length (and vice versa) are easily accessible on the internet so it's not even that it's just me Being Wrong. I have never felt more like they have just filed me under "weird hysterical customer" than when I get their canned "our calculations work for most people" pablum. THAT IS WHAT I AM SAYING I AM DEEPLY AVERAGE SO I SHOULDN'T BE GASLIT BY A EFFING WATCH NUMBNUTS. And that is how they win.

So yeah, going rurl well.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #196 on: September 16, 2020, 08:33:11 PM »
Jazzercise on Demand sounds awesome!

Sleep has been meh.
Water intake has been a consistent 80 oz per day with my rubber band system.
Flossing happens 2x daily without fail.
I don't think I'll tackle posture this year.

I'm going to try to tackle 1 health habit a year. To make it easy on myself I'll say that for this year, water was the habit :)

I did figure out where my third flossing can fit in though. Both kids nap in the afternoon after lunch. When they're down, I grab a handful of chocolate chips (to motivate myself) and start my exercise routine (clearly, it's not high impact). I pace the living room for 20 minutes (while eating my dessert), then do strength and flexibility exercises. I'm going to floss after the chocolate chips are finished. I think making it a habit is just a matter of getting used to grabbing the floss container along with the chocolate. I'll try it out tomorrow.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #197 on: September 17, 2020, 12:15:23 AM »
@Moonwaves I think they try to get a certain amount of people enrolled before they start a new "class". Mine was also delayed by a month.
They do the same here. This one was supposed to start in August but was moved to October because of Corona. This time it has been moved because there are new materials available and they want to start with the new materials instead of starting with the old materials and then having to give us all new material three weeks later. At least now I know. I spent so much time psyching myself up to even register that I've been nervous that that feeling would fade before I even got to start. I'm still feeling pretty positive about it though. For September I've been trying to cut down on sugar - so at least I feel like I'm doing something, if you know what I mean.

@Moonwaves I think they try to get a certain amount of people enrolled before they start a new "class". Mine was also delayed by a month.

In the last two weeks, some things have clicked into place and I'm back on top of my health game.  Some intangible/internal things that I don't always understand or have control over.  But, notably, one "click" was having my room mate travel for a couple weeks. When she's back, I'll have to have a talk with her about our combined grocery & cooking situation.  It feels scary to me, because I dislike setting (or re-setting) boundaries (especially when I have to "ask" or "take back" something), but I'm sure from her side it will be no big deal.  Right? 😬
This will definitely be worth it. She may even be grateful that you've brought it up because she came to similar conclusions while she was away but wasn't sure how to bring it up.

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #198 on: September 17, 2020, 01:46:01 AM »
Here is an actual healthy choice - leaving the household of boys to visit my friend, do yoga together and then eat a dinner cooked by her excellent boyfriend. Everyone wins including the boys I am leaving behind as they get to eat hot dogs and burgers for dinner aka TOTAL TEEN TRASH.

Also. Ofpym asked me how could the watch situation be "resolved" in a way that left me happy and it's really got me thinking. Honestly, I think if they had just said upfront "woah that is weird, let's look into it" and I dunno quietly tweaked my data in the back end I would have been perfectly happy. So maybe I take the Walkaway Victory and just use it as a goodlooking watch and step counter and that's enough.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2020, 01:49:47 AM by mspym »

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Healthy Choices 2020
« Reply #199 on: September 17, 2020, 09:12:02 AM »
@oneday, good luck with the push ups! I used to modify by putting my hands up on a bench/coffee table/etc.--that way I could get a decent set of them in but not have to put my knees down (better core activation with knees up).

FWIW I was like 35 when I did my first chin-up. I didn't have the grit earlier, I don't think.

I am continuing to meditate most days. I tried the Calm app but turns out I would rather just listen to white noise and breath without someone talking to me.

Good luck with your new class, @Moonwaves! @mspym, I hope your evening is lovely.