Edit (to give some context):
When I started to walk, I was barely able to walk at all. Like, really, a few steps to get to the mailbox would kill me and have me lay on bed for hours. I was in a really bad, bad shape (in the head too). Nowadays, I will walk 8-10km every single day and, added to that, I will go everywhere walking if at all possible. I'm still not an athlete but at the least my body is not a dead weight anymore (I feel better in the head too). And it all changed the day I decided I would simply walk a little more. A few steps at first, and then more, and then more. I was impressed by the huge impact of a seemingly little change. I celebrated each 'win' (the first time I walked the block, the first kilometer, and so on) and I never blamed myself for the (many) fails. Instead, I tried to analyze the reasons why I failed so I could do better next time.
Agreed so much. There is a good mental component to walking outside. It helps me de-compress the day. I also make a point to walk 6/7 days even if it's raining or cold or just miserable outside.
It doesn't need to be much, a 20 minute walk each day is way better than none at all.
If you dream of a past high point and wish to return to it, it's better to use it as inspiration and look to create new high points that belong to your current self.
I deamericanized my social media on the wake of the Trump electoral win. Desubbed from US Youtube channels, blocked magazines here that mostly deal with US politics while keeping world politics, unfollowed Masto and Bluesky accounts using similar rules.
I thought it may be an empty gesture, but... no, no it wasn't. My social media is healthier, I'm more keyed in to domestic news. Apparently somebody shot an American CEO and I'm not sure when it happened or what's up with that because all my feeds are about France and South Korea, which are objectively way more important.
If you're not American, consider it. Walk away from the cultural imperialism. It'll only become a better choice over time now.
I call this “physical memory”. If you struggle with remembering things, you can organize your space to augment your memory. It’s VERY effective and is often simpler/easier than writing things down.
Also, if you are living with someone who does this, for the love of god, do not move their stuff without asking. You are basically erasing part of their memory and setting them up for failure.
Immediately tossing negative/intruding thoughts when i think them. It took a year or two to start doing it so naturally i didn't even realize i was doing it.
Huge game changer with depression, and just life in general.
Drink water. Just have a waterbottle within arms reach and take a sip every so often. Makes way more of a difference that you would think with very little effort and eventually becomes a habit, making it take even less effort.
Meditating (not very good at it, but getting better and it's seriously helping)
Blocking Reddit on my router, blocking political communities in Lemmy
A consistent, normal sleeping schedule (a bedtime routine is more important than a morning routine, imo)
Yoga every morning to help my body work with me throughout the day
Reading more books
Getting outside more often
Paying closer attention to the thoughts that cross through my mind and stopping them when they're not helpful - this also helped me realize the underlying anxiety that's been with me for who knows how many years
Drinking more water
Edit: Oh I also:
Quit drinking alcohol, almost at the 1 year mark
Quit smoking weed, almost at 2 months fully sober now
I did these things one at a time, not everything at once. Mostly just sharing what I did here, but if you plan to do the same - listen to yourself. Start with #7 imo so you get a better idea of what you're up against. If it feels like too much, take a step back and slow down. You're not failing when you do this, you're helping your future self not fail entirely.
Oh at the first two words of point 8., I thought there is finally something not like what every adult would tell youngsters again and again, but no. Water. You said water. What a missed opportunity!
But in all seriousness, very good tips, all of them. I'm implementing all of them (though I'm struggling with 4 and 6), I would add just one and a half:
No phones in bedroom. This is the absolute prerequisite for number 3 (sleep schedule) and can be an enabler for reading books.
You may or may not get enough excercise from yoga and getting outside. If needed, add more.
Adding on to this, the easiest way of implementing this habit is to keep a bag of floss picks at your desk. Seriously, I don't even think about flossing anymore, I just do it when I'm bored or have an idle moment. My gums have never been healthier!
"Perfect is the enemy of good enough"
This changed my view about so many things: Exercise, it's fine if I don't go 100% everyday.
Work, it's perfectly fine to negotiate agreements.
Etc.
Started my fitness journey during covid and one thing I can recommend which is non-obvious to those who haven't been training all their lives is progressive overload:
If you're doing 20 pushups this month, do 21 next month, then 22 the month after, etc. Keep pushing yourself and you'll get stronger than you ever though possible. Take it at your own pace though, if you push too hard it's easy to hurt yourself.
It was interesting to read that. Of course you can't start doing that kind of workout right off the bat. You need to work up to it! Also, of course the workout regimine from "One Punch Man" isn't well balanced, he is training to be able to punch well, not focused on general health.
Are people seriously just jumping into this routine as a means of getting fit?
If you decide to buy sugary delicacies, you’ll have to resist the temptation at home, which you’ll inevitably fail. Just skip that boss fight entirely by not buying tempting things in the first place. Ok, maybe once a week, but certainly not every other day. You just need to resist the temptation for a few minutes at the store. Once you’re at home, you have no option but to eat normal food, because unhealthy food simply isn’t available.
I found Jesus. Well, he actually found me. Just kidding, it's booze. Don't take this world too seriously. It's an actual joke. Focus on doing the right thing, everything gets much clearer.
Finding Jesus is unironically great. His golden rule was "Love your neighbor as yourself" with a side of "hate the sin, not the sinner", he called out hypocrites and corrupt religious patriarchs, comforted the sick. Jesus was based af.
No disrespect, but an awful lot of people figured out "don't be a bigot" and "take responsibility for yourself" without all of the religion. I think you're smart enough to just be a decent human without all of the dogma. If you need "Jesus", ok. I think you can do well without it.
They specifically call out that Christianity isn't what they're talking about, but finding Jesus. No different than taking inspiration for being a better person from any other character from a story, be they Captain America or Captain Picard. I think we can all take inspiration from the Jesus who upon finding a capitalism happening in what's supposed to be a place of respite flipped the tables and whipped them the hell out of there.
We finally agree that Jesus was a capitalist. Rush Limbaugh once quoted the scripture, "Jesus trickles down to the needy." Let's take a moment the consider how powerful that is.
Sure. I did just fine on my own without. I only came around to Jesus after I started reading what he said outside the context of religious dogma. Lots of people figured out lots of things, some people compiled a great number of those things into a poignant and easily digestible package. I think Jesus was one of those people.
Another thing he figured out was "Your relationship with the divine is between you and the divine, you don't need priests to tell you how to pray, and doing it out in public so people see how pious you are is cringe". Jesus was about being a good person without the dogma. I doubt he'd be thrilled at the dogmatic institution erected around him.
Yeah, but they're the same old teachings of every other religion before Christianity. You gotta remember it's super-duper young compared to most others. Every modern religion just gets the same old human morals we had before religions and bundles up a bunch of really bad shit with them so they seem good.
If any of its true, the greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing people he was God.
Sure it's the same as it ever was, but the Christian nationalist perspective can only be excised in favor of this more reasonable, accurate interpretation of religious material by overpowering it. Christianity (or any religion) isn't going anywhere, so in my mind it's easier to push for positive change in a religion's prevailing interpretation, instead of hoping people lose their religion and maybe learn the right lessons in the aftermath.
I guess my point is I'm less concerned with whether any religion is true (simply unverifiable) and more with socializing people to interpret their beliefs in the best way possible. That's doable: far right conservatives did the reverse to American Christianity, so it must be possible to repair.
Sure, doesn't mean he wasn't based, and for most in the West it's the most convenient package. My personal theory is that Jesus went east, learned Buddhism, and brought it back in a Jewish accent.
I stopped putting blame on people. I focus on the grand scheme of things - not the individuals involved in it. The list of people I have negative thoughts about throught the week is zero long.
I'm going to answer your question with what I've done for the last 30 years. Carry no debt. I do occasionally carry some debt in the interest of satisfying the credit algorithms but otherwise I have no interest in playing the interest game.
Switched to a low carb diet. Originally had serious heart problems. First Dr said to eat no fat and eat healthy grains. Had more heart problems. Switched to low carb, minimal grains. Ate non-processed meats, fats, and organic vegetables foods in general. Lost 50 pounds without any dieting what-so-ever and have way more ambition. New Dr said my arteries were now "squeaky clean" after a cardiac catheterization. Seems my heart problems were not hereditary as the first Dr said, but rather I can't handle carbs because of my hereditary. Turns out about half of the population has genes that don't allow them to handle carbs well - they tend to put on weight and have health issues like clogged arteries, diabetes, arthritis or cancer, maybe MS too. The diet change took a few years to fully kick in though. The difference however, was noticeable after the first 100 days.
Reading books and news on my phone while on the train/ public transit more generally. Great way to actually be somewhat productive. Ironic that I’m on the train rn, but since lemmy is still pretty empty, I’ve ended todays meme session about now
Getting my sleep fixed. Specifically: going to sleep at the same time every night, waking up at the same time every morning, cutting out caffeine completely, no or very limited sweets at night. My dad has bad insomnia (and habits) and I had sleep issues myself growing up. If I was late to high school one more time, I would have failed; and then I was late to graduation lol. Now I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and not tired. Every time I wake up before my alarm it's like 10 minutes before it goes off anyway. I set no alarm on the weekends and I wake up at the same time anyway. Caffeine is a shitty thing to get addicted to. You're not a soldier in a watchtower that needs to watch for an invading army every night, cut that shit out!
Following a weightlifting program has improved my life immensely. 2 years later my back pain is essentially a thing of the past, I look and feel better than my non active peers, my cholesterol and a1c levels are perfect , and I look like a brick shithouse
Anybody that wants to get started but doesn't know how feel free to drop me a line
As someone who never expected to become a gym rat I second this.
I started lifting as a purely whimsical decision with a mate and some dumbbells in his backyard.
I've now been a powerlifter for 6 years (minus a year due to work related injury) and it's truly my happy place, am I sad? (Stronger) Am I angry? (Stronger) Am I happy? (You guessed it, stronger).
Not only does lifting grow your body, but also your mind.
I may have permanent function loss, but I work around it, and I'm building back (slowly) and stronger than before.
Hardest part is getting started, followed by keeping with it.
My DMs are also open to those who are unsure where/how to start.
It's just brutal.. everybody says it but it's really true, a strong core (abs, lower back, ass + upper legs) makes your back so much sturdier and resistant to "going out"
If you want to go full on strength training, you could consider barbell training with a periodized program (531, tactical barbell, etc). You would essentially have to learn three or four simple lifts and then have at er. This is the route I went, would highly recommend it for anyone. These programs don't ask you to use strength that you don't already have, and the movements are very straightforward with lots of tutorials available on YouTube. It's all sub maximal training and slowly builds over time. Fitness influencers are always trying to baffle everyone with bullshit but the core recipe for getting strong is so extremely simple. Compound lifts, eat, sleep (And some token cardio)
If you just want the strong core and back, you could do hanging leg raises or an ab wheel and some romanian deadlifts with a kettlebell every other day or so.
That's great, they say it comes back quickly if you have trained in the past. And as I understand it, the compound lifts themselves also build the core to some extent just from all the bracing you'll be doing.
If you want to know how it all works check out the fitness wiki (optional) otherwise: Buy a power rack, barbell and plates (optional), or you can go to a gym instead. Download the boostcamp app and onboard yourself on the 5/3/1 for Beginners program. The app illustrates how each lift is done, and you can watch youtube for tutorials, they are pretty easy to learn. Lift Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Walk or easy jog for 30-60 mins Tuesday and Thursday. Eat a bit more than usual, a slight surplus like 200 cals, make sure you get a bit of extra protein. Sleep more and better if possible, if your schedule is fixed try to improve your sleep hygiene. Be relentless about making this all a habit, it represents about 1 hour of your day each weekday, but will pay dividends. Stick with that same program for 3 or 6 months. You'll be practicing the same lifts over and over, practicing your strength. Your technique will improve, you will get shockingly stronger. I'm happy to answer any and all questions for Lemmy folk interested in this.
I bounced around from BBB to a few different templates and then I switched to tactical barbell operator which I run now. The 10 reps of BBB are rough. Did you look at boring but strong? It's 10 sets of 5 reps at the same %, so same volume in the end but I found it less brutal.
Just a plug for tactical barbell operator, It's three days a week of lifting and 2 to 3 days a week of either HIT or LSS depending on the conditioning template you incorporate. The conditioning stuff is baked in and it feels much more like a complete plan compared to 531. Really digging it
I think what you're doing now is really close to "Less Boring But Big" which is 3 sets of 10 for the supplementary lifts instead of 5
There's not really a lifting group here yet.. It would be really cool to have something like weightroom but I'm not sure I'd have what it takes to start up a community. There are definitely folks who lifting and are interested in lifting, just no critical mass yet..
Many of your thought patterns are actually just habits, rather than an intrinsic part of who you are. It's not easy and requires consistent effort like any habit change but they can be changed.
Joining a sword fighting gym. Absolutely fantastic community, and while I'm currently laying in a hot tub to soothe my absolutely dead legs, I'm definitively in the best shape I've been in in my adult life.
I wish I could remember what my motivation for it was but it was certainly the most beneficial thing I'd ever done, until I found out about "un-making" your bed. If you're not changing your sheets every day, and let's be real no ones got time for that, it is more beneficial to pull your sheets off and let them air out for the day.
But goddamn that video might make me want to change my mind again.
I'm really glad you found something that works so well for you! Self-love is indeed wonderful. For others reading who might want to try affirmations, it's worth noting that research has found they affect different people differently. What helps one person might not help another, or could even decrease mood in some cases, especially if the affirmations don't feel authentic to where someone is in their journey.
If you're curious about building self-love, you might want to experiment mindfully with different approaches to find what resonates for you personally - whether that's self-compassion practices, ACT, gradual behavior change, or other methods. Pay attention to how different practices actually make you feel rather than how you think they 'should' make you feel.
I quit drinking for a while there and when I did I picked up this peculiar habit of drinking tons of soda water. Still do it to this day. Love my tiny bubbles.
Every week I write my weight on the giant whiteboard in the kitchen. I don't erase it, just keep the log running all year long, for anyone to see. It's an amazing motivator.
Walking. Long daily walks.
It changed (& helped save) my life.
Edit (to give some context):
When I started to walk, I was barely able to walk at all. Like, really, a few steps to get to the mailbox would kill me and have me lay on bed for hours. I was in a really bad, bad shape (in the head too). Nowadays, I will walk 8-10km every single day and, added to that, I will go everywhere walking if at all possible. I'm still not an athlete but at the least my body is not a dead weight anymore (I feel better in the head too). And it all changed the day I decided I would simply walk a little more. A few steps at first, and then more, and then more. I was impressed by the huge impact of a seemingly little change. I celebrated each 'win' (the first time I walked the block, the first kilometer, and so on) and I never blamed myself for the (many) fails. Instead, I tried to analyze the reasons why I failed so I could do better next time.
Agreed so much. There is a good mental component to walking outside. It helps me de-compress the day. I also make a point to walk 6/7 days even if it's raining or cold or just miserable outside.
It doesn't need to be much, a 20 minute walk each day is way better than none at all.
Exactly, I could see the effect on me (body and mind...soul?) very quickly, and back then I walked not much at all :)
This is solid advice and a well-written post. Thank you!
Thank you :)
Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to your past self.
Oddly, that works in negatively for me.
If you dream of a past high point and wish to return to it, it's better to use it as inspiration and look to create new high points that belong to your current self.
If more of us were doing that, the world would most certainly be a much, much less shittier place than it is!
I'm still fat by these rules ... damn
I deamericanized my social media on the wake of the Trump electoral win. Desubbed from US Youtube channels, blocked magazines here that mostly deal with US politics while keeping world politics, unfollowed Masto and Bluesky accounts using similar rules.
I thought it may be an empty gesture, but... no, no it wasn't. My social media is healthier, I'm more keyed in to domestic news. Apparently somebody shot an American CEO and I'm not sure when it happened or what's up with that because all my feeds are about France and South Korea, which are objectively way more important.
If you're not American, consider it. Walk away from the cultural imperialism. It'll only become a better choice over time now.
I'd even say to consider it if you are American. There is so much great stuff out there that you only find outside the bubble.
If I choose to do something later, put it physically in the way.
Trash needs taking out, but I'll do it in the morning? Put it in front of the door.
It is both a reminder and an obstacle to overcome.
Are you my wife?
I call this “physical memory”. If you struggle with remembering things, you can organize your space to augment your memory. It’s VERY effective and is often simpler/easier than writing things down.
Also, if you are living with someone who does this, for the love of god, do not move their stuff without asking. You are basically erasing part of their memory and setting them up for failure.
Immediately tossing negative/intruding thoughts when i think them. It took a year or two to start doing it so naturally i didn't even realize i was doing it.
Huge game changer with depression, and just life in general.
Drink water. Just have a waterbottle within arms reach and take a sip every so often. Makes way more of a difference that you would think with very little effort and eventually becomes a habit, making it take even less effort.
This is even more important as it may also force you to get up and go to pee now and then, which may save someone from building stones.
My 1.5 liter water bottle is one of the most useful items I've ever bought in my life
Edit: Oh I also:
I did these things one at a time, not everything at once. Mostly just sharing what I did here, but if you plan to do the same - listen to yourself. Start with #7 imo so you get a better idea of what you're up against. If it feels like too much, take a step back and slow down. You're not failing when you do this, you're helping your future self not fail entirely.
Oh at the first two words of point 8., I thought there is finally something not like what every adult would tell youngsters again and again, but no. Water. You said water. What a missed opportunity!
But in all seriousness, very good tips, all of them. I'm implementing all of them (though I'm struggling with 4 and 6), I would add just one and a half:
Flossing is great. Don't gamble with your long-term oral health, which can have devastating consequences on your overall quality of life.
Using those small "circular toothbrushes" is even better, flossing forces the teeth to move a little when you force it in.
Source: my dentist.
Which one is that?
Adding on to this, the easiest way of implementing this habit is to keep a bag of floss picks at your desk. Seriously, I don't even think about flossing anymore, I just do it when I'm bored or have an idle moment. My gums have never been healthier!
Even better, check out a Waterpik. Basically power wash everything out. Feels so much nicer than floss.
Also, there's studies recently saying not flossing can lead to a higher chance of dementia, as the rotting tooth can go to the brain
Taking walks
Using a calendar religiously.
Disabled the Shorts section on YouTube with an extension. Drastically reduced spaced out doomscrolling.
Taking walks. It made me more aware of how isolation changed my perception of the world.
Things are uglier now that I'm no longer used to it. The garbage, the decay, the lack of maintenance everywhere, things feel unclean. I feel unclean.
So I try to be cleaner and look after my own garbage. But man do I hate random people sneezing around me!
"Achievement unlocked! You now have Mysophobia! Your prize is a pack of tissues."
"Perfect is the enemy of good enough" This changed my view about so many things: Exercise, it's fine if I don't go 100% everyday. Work, it's perfectly fine to negotiate agreements. Etc.
20 pushups every morning before my shower. My back is a not cured, but a lot better for it.
Started my fitness journey during covid and one thing I can recommend which is non-obvious to those who haven't been training all their lives is progressive overload:
If you're doing 20 pushups this month, do 21 next month, then 22 the month after, etc. Keep pushing yourself and you'll get stronger than you ever though possible. Take it at your own pace though, if you push too hard it's easy to hurt yourself.
Just 80 more pushups a day then work on 100 sit ups and 100 squats a day. Screw the 10K run.
What's so magic about the number 100?
I was going to respond with a gif but the fact that someone on a health/medical website had to write this is funnier than anything I could have found:
https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/one-punch-man-workout-review
It was interesting to read that. Of course you can't start doing that kind of workout right off the bat. You need to work up to it! Also, of course the workout regimine from "One Punch Man" isn't well balanced, he is training to be able to punch well, not focused on general health.
Are people seriously just jumping into this routine as a means of getting fit?
I'm sure there's someone, but its mostly just a meme. Even in the context of the show, its played as a joke.
One Punch Man fitness routine.
Loosing weight starts at the supermarket.
If you decide to buy sugary delicacies, you’ll have to resist the temptation at home, which you’ll inevitably fail. Just skip that boss fight entirely by not buying tempting things in the first place. Ok, maybe once a week, but certainly not every other day. You just need to resist the temptation for a few minutes at the store. Once you’re at home, you have no option but to eat normal food, because unhealthy food simply isn’t available.
That is far more thought than I put into this comment.
Congrats! Sounds like the world is your oyster my man
Getting rid of victim mentality. This is the biggest curse you can put on yourself (that being said I've not tried heroin).
Enjoying the menial tasks. I enjoy sweeping because of it, it's very meditative. My grandfather used to love it and I see why now.
I found Jesus. Well, he actually found me. Just kidding, it's booze. Don't take this world too seriously. It's an actual joke. Focus on doing the right thing, everything gets much clearer.
Finding Jesus is unironically great. His golden rule was "Love your neighbor as yourself" with a side of "hate the sin, not the sinner", he called out hypocrites and corrupt religious patriarchs, comforted the sick. Jesus was based af.
Institutional Christianity, on the other hand...
No disrespect, but an awful lot of people figured out "don't be a bigot" and "take responsibility for yourself" without all of the religion. I think you're smart enough to just be a decent human without all of the dogma. If you need "Jesus", ok. I think you can do well without it.
They specifically call out that Christianity isn't what they're talking about, but finding Jesus. No different than taking inspiration for being a better person from any other character from a story, be they Captain America or Captain Picard. I think we can all take inspiration from the Jesus who upon finding a capitalism happening in what's supposed to be a place of respite flipped the tables and whipped them the hell out of there.
We finally agree that Jesus was a capitalist. Rush Limbaugh once quoted the scripture, "Jesus trickles down to the needy." Let's take a moment the consider how powerful that is.
Sure. I did just fine on my own without. I only came around to Jesus after I started reading what he said outside the context of religious dogma. Lots of people figured out lots of things, some people compiled a great number of those things into a poignant and easily digestible package. I think Jesus was one of those people.
Another thing he figured out was "Your relationship with the divine is between you and the divine, you don't need priests to tell you how to pray, and doing it out in public so people see how pious you are is cringe". Jesus was about being a good person without the dogma. I doubt he'd be thrilled at the dogmatic institution erected around him.
I'm just glad you're trying to be a good person.
Yeah, but they're the same old teachings of every other religion before Christianity. You gotta remember it's super-duper young compared to most others. Every modern religion just gets the same old human morals we had before religions and bundles up a bunch of really bad shit with them so they seem good.
If any of its true, the greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing people he was God.
Sure it's the same as it ever was, but the Christian nationalist perspective can only be excised in favor of this more reasonable, accurate interpretation of religious material by overpowering it. Christianity (or any religion) isn't going anywhere, so in my mind it's easier to push for positive change in a religion's prevailing interpretation, instead of hoping people lose their religion and maybe learn the right lessons in the aftermath.
I guess my point is I'm less concerned with whether any religion is true (simply unverifiable) and more with socializing people to interpret their beliefs in the best way possible. That's doable: far right conservatives did the reverse to American Christianity, so it must be possible to repair.
Sure, doesn't mean he wasn't based, and for most in the West it's the most convenient package. My personal theory is that Jesus went east, learned Buddhism, and brought it back in a Jewish accent.
Ngl, my neighbours are pretty hot, so I'd actually enjoy finding Jesus.
Drinking primarily water instead of sodas.
Embrace stoicism.
You adopted stoicism? I'm neather pleased not displeased by this.
Your opinion is not mine to change, so it would be useless to try. I'll let it pass through me and when it has passed only I remain.
I stopped putting blame on people. I focus on the grand scheme of things - not the individuals involved in it. The list of people I have negative thoughts about throught the week is zero long.
Waking up the same time every day. Or at trying my best to
I'm going to answer your question with what I've done for the last 30 years. Carry no debt. I do occasionally carry some debt in the interest of satisfying the credit algorithms but otherwise I have no interest in playing the interest game.
Do you count a mortgage as carrying debt? Seems pretty unavoidable to me.
Actually I do not. That's an investment.
Makes sense to me
Bidet hits all of those things
Regular exercise, setting aside some time to enjoy reading.
Switched to a low carb diet. Originally had serious heart problems. First Dr said to eat no fat and eat healthy grains. Had more heart problems. Switched to low carb, minimal grains. Ate non-processed meats, fats, and organic vegetables foods in general. Lost 50 pounds without any dieting what-so-ever and have way more ambition. New Dr said my arteries were now "squeaky clean" after a cardiac catheterization. Seems my heart problems were not hereditary as the first Dr said, but rather I can't handle carbs because of my hereditary. Turns out about half of the population has genes that don't allow them to handle carbs well - they tend to put on weight and have health issues like clogged arteries, diabetes, arthritis or cancer, maybe MS too. The diet change took a few years to fully kick in though. The difference however, was noticeable after the first 100 days.
Reading books and news on my phone while on the train/ public transit more generally. Great way to actually be somewhat productive. Ironic that I’m on the train rn, but since lemmy is still pretty empty, I’ve ended todays meme session about now
Getting my sleep fixed. Specifically: going to sleep at the same time every night, waking up at the same time every morning, cutting out caffeine completely, no or very limited sweets at night. My dad has bad insomnia (and habits) and I had sleep issues myself growing up. If I was late to high school one more time, I would have failed; and then I was late to graduation lol. Now I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and not tired. Every time I wake up before my alarm it's like 10 minutes before it goes off anyway. I set no alarm on the weekends and I wake up at the same time anyway. Caffeine is a shitty thing to get addicted to. You're not a soldier in a watchtower that needs to watch for an invading army every night, cut that shit out!
Following a weightlifting program has improved my life immensely. 2 years later my back pain is essentially a thing of the past, I look and feel better than my non active peers, my cholesterol and a1c levels are perfect , and I look like a brick shithouse
Anybody that wants to get started but doesn't know how feel free to drop me a line
As someone who never expected to become a gym rat I second this.
I started lifting as a purely whimsical decision with a mate and some dumbbells in his backyard.
I've now been a powerlifter for 6 years (minus a year due to work related injury) and it's truly my happy place, am I sad? (Stronger) Am I angry? (Stronger) Am I happy? (You guessed it, stronger).
Not only does lifting grow your body, but also your mind. I may have permanent function loss, but I work around it, and I'm building back (slowly) and stronger than before.
Hardest part is getting started, followed by keeping with it.
My DMs are also open to those who are unsure where/how to start.
I do. Struggling with lower back pain right now...
It's just brutal.. everybody says it but it's really true, a strong core (abs, lower back, ass + upper legs) makes your back so much sturdier and resistant to "going out"
If you want to go full on strength training, you could consider barbell training with a periodized program (531, tactical barbell, etc). You would essentially have to learn three or four simple lifts and then have at er. This is the route I went, would highly recommend it for anyone. These programs don't ask you to use strength that you don't already have, and the movements are very straightforward with lots of tutorials available on YouTube. It's all sub maximal training and slowly builds over time. Fitness influencers are always trying to baffle everyone with bullshit but the core recipe for getting strong is so extremely simple. Compound lifts, eat, sleep (And some token cardio)
If you just want the strong core and back, you could do hanging leg raises or an ab wheel and some romanian deadlifts with a kettlebell every other day or so.
Thanks. Will look into those. I did some strength training back in the day - and enjoyed it a lot - but that was not focused on the back/core.
That's great, they say it comes back quickly if you have trained in the past. And as I understand it, the compound lifts themselves also build the core to some extent just from all the bracing you'll be doing.
What do you recommend?
If you want to know how it all works check out the fitness wiki (optional) otherwise: Buy a power rack, barbell and plates (optional), or you can go to a gym instead. Download the boostcamp app and onboard yourself on the 5/3/1 for Beginners program. The app illustrates how each lift is done, and you can watch youtube for tutorials, they are pretty easy to learn. Lift Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Walk or easy jog for 30-60 mins Tuesday and Thursday. Eat a bit more than usual, a slight surplus like 200 cals, make sure you get a bit of extra protein. Sleep more and better if possible, if your schedule is fixed try to improve your sleep hygiene. Be relentless about making this all a habit, it represents about 1 hour of your day each weekday, but will pay dividends. Stick with that same program for 3 or 6 months. You'll be practicing the same lifts over and over, practicing your strength. Your technique will improve, you will get shockingly stronger. I'm happy to answer any and all questions for Lemmy folk interested in this.
I bounced around from BBB to a few different templates and then I switched to tactical barbell operator which I run now. The 10 reps of BBB are rough. Did you look at boring but strong? It's 10 sets of 5 reps at the same %, so same volume in the end but I found it less brutal.
Just a plug for tactical barbell operator, It's three days a week of lifting and 2 to 3 days a week of either HIT or LSS depending on the conditioning template you incorporate. The conditioning stuff is baked in and it feels much more like a complete plan compared to 531. Really digging it
I think what you're doing now is really close to "Less Boring But Big" which is 3 sets of 10 for the supplementary lifts instead of 5
There's not really a lifting group here yet.. It would be really cool to have something like weightroom but I'm not sure I'd have what it takes to start up a community. There are definitely folks who lifting and are interested in lifting, just no critical mass yet..
Taking time to just think about whatever in quiet. I do it outside if it's nice and it's so peaceful.
Stopped drinking alcohol.
Started walking more and taking the stairs instead of elevators whenever possible.
Stop complaining and start focussing on solutions instead of problems.
That's what the CEO killer thought too!
Many of your thought patterns are actually just habits, rather than an intrinsic part of who you are. It's not easy and requires consistent effort like any habit change but they can be changed.
Joining a sword fighting gym. Absolutely fantastic community, and while I'm currently laying in a hot tub to soothe my absolutely dead legs, I'm definitively in the best shape I've been in in my adult life.
Geralt?
One day, when I'm in actually GOOD shape, and have a bit more grey.
Journaling and meditating.
This sums it up for me too.
Without hesitation it’s making my bed in the morning. This video inspired me to this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zSg5yT0dJWk
I wish I could remember what my motivation for it was but it was certainly the most beneficial thing I'd ever done, until I found out about "un-making" your bed. If you're not changing your sheets every day, and let's be real no ones got time for that, it is more beneficial to pull your sheets off and let them air out for the day.
But goddamn that video might make me want to change my mind again.
I'm really glad you found something that works so well for you! Self-love is indeed wonderful. For others reading who might want to try affirmations, it's worth noting that research has found they affect different people differently. What helps one person might not help another, or could even decrease mood in some cases, especially if the affirmations don't feel authentic to where someone is in their journey.
If you're curious about building self-love, you might want to experiment mindfully with different approaches to find what resonates for you personally - whether that's self-compassion practices, ACT, gradual behavior change, or other methods. Pay attention to how different practices actually make you feel rather than how you think they 'should' make you feel.
Gaining just a little bit of control over my thoughts about myself
Started a savings account. Used to be what I had in my wallet was my life's savings, didn't think I earned enough to accumulate anything. I was wrong
taking vitamins, drinking green tea, daily 30 minuet walk and trying to learn something new each day even if its something small.
Listening to audiobooks to fall asleep. I've had insomnia forever and it helps better than anything else I've tried.
I quit drinking for a while there and when I did I picked up this peculiar habit of drinking tons of soda water. Still do it to this day. Love my tiny bubbles.
Carbonic acid is a bastard
Eating oranges
Every week I write my weight on the giant whiteboard in the kitchen. I don't erase it, just keep the log running all year long, for anyone to see. It's an amazing motivator.