Exercise. Exactly how is not important. What matters is just being consistent. Eventually it becomes a habit that will grow with you.
If it's difficult or frustrating, you're probably trying too hard. Ease up next time. If it feels like a chore, you're not doing the right activity for you. It should be enjoyable.
If it feels like a chore, you’re not doing the right activity for you. It should be enjoyable.
Very true
great advice.. scale into exercise gradually and let the benefits build up and pull you along, rather than pushing yourself to do more.. find an activity that keeps drawing you back into it because the results feel good..
This was key for me. I spent way too much time working way too hard, like 9 out of 10 exertion. I dreaded just getting started. I've now found that I can make better gains working in the 5 to 7 range, and I look forward to my workouts.
that's really well said.. and then learning to truly value rest and good food..
Also, start small. A 10 minute walk around the block. Consistency is more important than exertion. Do it every day.
On a sort of related note, I started writing down what I eat in one of those apps that also sums up nutritional information (Waistline on Android). It is quite useful to be more aware of how much you actually eat. Doesn't prevent you from eating unhealthy stuff sometimes of course but it prevents you from lying about it to yourself with selective memory.
It should be enjoyable.
Perhaps sports fit in this area?
I can't think of a single exercise that doesn't feel like a chore but doing sports, whether it is competitively or for fun.
Certainly! Just do something. Consistency matters. The nature of activity you choose is insignificant when you consider doing something, vs. doing nothing.
I bought myself a really nice gravel bike. I've found that apparently I really like cycling
The problem is if everything you tried so far is either a chore or causing massive pain.
Not giving a shit about a lot of stuff. Opinions and so on. Drop what pulls you down.
(Yes there might be exceptions)
Came in here to say exactly this. Stop giving a shit.
In the ocean of life, we are merely a droplet. We may be able to influence things in our immediate viscinity, but you're not changing the tides. Don't worry about the things you have no influence over.
Don't mistake me for being cynical in that, either. We all have our own influence, from the most powerful politican down to the most lonely and isolated of souls, you can effect change in your own way. Find your own voice and transmit your message... or don't! Do as you want. So long as you're trying to be the best version of you and you're honest with yourself, you'll find a lot of life's anxieties fall by the wayside.
The other messages in here are golden as well, and it's always the usual things simply because they're true: Sleep with regularity; Exercise; Cook; Reduce screen time; Delete social media; Brush your teeth; Shower; Touch grass; Get a hobby!
On that last one - if making money is your hobby, learn to draw furry porn. Jesus H. Christ a furry artist can make a shit-tonne of money. Ask me how I know.
Going to sleep at the same time every day.
2am, right?
Honestly, as a second shift worker, the important thing is that it's the same every day.
Getting back into bicycling. Nothing made me feel better about myself than being able to casually do ten miles. Even when I was very heavy, that made me feel like progress was possible.
Cooking every meal from scratch. Saved a ton of money, food tastes better and is generally healthier, and lost weight. Took some time at first but now I'm so used to it I can have my dinner done in 30 minutes if need be.
Daily meditation. I have a lot of deeprooted anxieties and insecurities going through my head on any given day; nothing I've tried so far has helped more with turning down the volume.
For real. After starting the day with just 10 minutes of meditation, I feel like I activated a cheat code for the rest of the day.
Lifting heavy 3-5 days a week.
Stretching. No, I mean REALLY stretching.
Drinking more water. How much? More.
Vacations out side of the country of my birth.
Saying no more often.
Saying yes more often.
Edit: I missed the “one”.
No worries, all sound good
just a few pushups every day or couple of days.. and i mean even just 3 or 4 good ones while something is in the microwave plus a little stretching.. mix in a few lunges..
and chicken soup when you're sick never gets old
Taking structred notes about my life in a way where they reference other notes and can be searched easily. I've built up a knowledgebase about the things in my life that works far better than my memory ever could. It's helped at work a ton too, as I'm better able to remember what I was doing yesterday and what progress I've made towards a particular goal.
TL;DR - Learn how to use note-taking software
Do you use Obsidian, logseq, Emacs or Notion?
textedit.exe, duh.
Seems harder to reference other text files
References are for Nick Fury and Captain America. The rest of us normies get textedit.exe.
I use Obsidian, but anything with a Daily Note feature is key.
Last year I decided to use the calendar on my phone for everything, works a treat. Sometimes I go to bed thinking, "I'll do that in the morning", and I forget about it unless I stick it in the calendar.
Running long distances. I fucking hate it but it makes me feel good.
Take care of your shoes and make sure your form is efficient, as in your feet aren't slapping the ground. I used to run as far as ten miles a day, now my knees are smoked and can barely handle sprinting to the end of the block with my dog.
I'm going to start. I started flossing a few years ago, and now I feel dirty if I don't do it after meals.
Wheat germ every morning.
My grandfather swore by it, and I found out that he was right.
In what way
It's a fibre supplement. Most people don't eat enough raw fruits and veggies. If you're living on boxed foods you need more bulk in your diet.
Take a multivitamin every day. You don't have to go crazy with it, but even if you already eat healthy it can help fill in some of the gaps.
Or maybe it's just placebo? But I feel better taking it vs not.
Meditation makes me happy.
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