Tag: health

Cold Showers Bring May Flowers

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This Spring has been…… less than ideal recently. While all of us are quarantined in our respected places of residence, I decided to make myself more miserable. How does one do that?

They take cold showers.

Yes, this week I tackled the one habit I was dreading on doing the most. The relaxing steam of a warm shower with the soothing water running down your body can be the most pleasant part of a day, but this week it was ripped away from me for the sake of experimentation and here is what I experienced.

1. What was the biggest change/effects I noticed?

I’ve been in cold water before, but this was different. My body was so conditioned to hearing the faucet turn on only to be followed by a nice stream of warm water. When I walked into that cold blast of water, I was more awake than I have ever felt in my life. All week, I never got used to that feeling of instantaneous alertness that came from being immersed in cold water.

2. What were minor changes/effects that occurred throughout the week?

I noticed that I was in a better mood after the shower and I felt a different level of concentration for about an hour after I finished showering.  My showers shortened significantly to the point where I was showering in about 2-3 minute. Each shower became a mission to scrub down as fast as possible.

3. Was this health habit enjoyable?

This habit sucked. I knew it was good for me, but I reallllllly hated it. It was a habit that I enjoyed the benefits of, but there was no joy in the habit itself.

4. How can this health habit sustainable in the long term?

This health habit is sustainable, but you gotta be a little crazy. I think a cold shower once or twice a week is doable, but I think it is all about familiarity. The more you do it, the better it will be. Just like waking up early, it is like ripping off a Band Aid.

I remember when I was in South Africa water was scared due to a drought they were having. I always volunteered to shower last which normally meant I got the cold water. Since I was there for 3 weeks, that meant just about 3 weeks of cold showers so I slightly knew what to expect. I still really hated this, but I’m so glad I did it. The mental clarity after the initial shock of the cold blast was slightly euphoric. That feeling of alertness was only thing that motivated me to keep on taking cold showers. I think I’ll consider taking a cold shower every now and then for that feeling of mental preparedness  because ready or not….

Life Willkomm

The Sweet Side of Life

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Welcome back for another week of trying something new.

 This week: No added sugar.

Ever since we were little, we are conditioned to love sugar. Movies, books, advertisements about candy are geared towards children. The sugar becomes more and ‘refined’ as we get older to be delicious desserts and delicacies, but sugar has become more and more mainstreamed into our diets rather than desserts. It is genuinely amazing to see how much added sugar is in food. If you read food labels anytime soon, it can be shocking. We know that we are not supposed to eat A LOT of sugar, but it can sometimes feel like we don’t have a choice. Sugar is in everything. I have heard that it can be good to cut added sugars out, so this week I tried it. Here were the results:

1. What was the biggest change/effects I noticed?

First and foremost, cutting out added sugar was much easier than I thought it would be. What was completely bizarre was the cutting of weight. I dropped 3 pounds eating my normal diet, doing my regular exercise, but I just cut out foods that had added sugar. I felt more focused when I woke up and more consistent in my energy level throughout the day rather than having spikes after I ate.

2. What were minor changes/effects that occurred throughout the week?

In the quarantine life where food is not as abundant as it once was, I noticed I just ate what was available. I found that whenever I craved something sweet at night, I was able to substitute that for something like bread and butter and I was fine. After a few days. vegetables had so much more flavor to them because my sweetness threshold got so much lower. I love food and I love to cook/bake, but I noticed more flavors in food when sugar was cut out of the normal diet.

3. Was this health habit enjoyable?

This was a totally fine habit. It was easier in quarantine because I’m not going out. I’m not having any mixed drinks with soda at the bar or going to grab some late night ice cream or desserts. It was enjoyable when I look back at how much consistency in energy I had.

4. How can this health habit sustainable in the long term?

This is completely sustainable to an extent. I would never want to become that killjoy who won’t go out or eat somewhere because they are doing “no added sugar.” I’m not going to avoid treats of life because of this habit, but I would like to continue to cut out sugar as much as I can in my normal diet because I think it was more beneficial than it was a burden. If you are interested, I would just say to not tempt yourself and buy snacks that are sugary. You can’t eat what you don’t have.

I really liked this habit and it gave me recipes to research other than just researching for school work. I think everyone should try it at least 1 week in their life. I know for some people, it really helps their skin, superhero celebrities do it for their diets, and it has made me enjoy food so much more. For me, I was the consistency in energy so I can be prepared for anything the day throws at me because ready or not,

Life Willkomm

Did this Habit Sink or Swim?

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Week 2:

This week, I have gulp down the challenge of drinking a gallon of water a day. We have learned in every health we have ever taken that we should drink 12 glasses of water a day, but how many people actually do that? Upon my brief research into why this is a trend, or a health goal, I learned that on average 4 out of 5 Americans are dehydrated.

That is scary to think about.

The benefits of drinking water flows from more energy, quicker metabolism, better sleep, improved joint health, healthier organs, and clearer skin just to name a few, so why doesn’t everyone do this?

I myself never carried a wattle bottle around till I went to college and even then, I carried around a dinky little water bottle that I would drink maybe once or twice a day. Now I carry a pretty large water bottle to force me to drink more, but to drink a gallon of water meant having to refill and drink it 4 times a day. To do this, I made a schedule to guzzle a full bottle every 3 hours. After doing this for a week, here is what I noticed.

1. What was the biggest change/effects I noticed?

            The number one thing I saw was improved mood. I felt like a stream of happiness when I was well hydrated for multiple reasons, but I’ll get into that later. The second biggest effect was having to pee. ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously, that got annoying real quick. I would be counting down the minutes in classes just so I could book it to the bathroom as soon as they wrapped up the lecture.

2. What were minor changes/effects that occurred throughout the week?

            I noticed that my diet got significantly better. I couldn’t each junk food because the a junk food would absorb the large amounts of water and make me feel bloating. Therefor, I felt full and unable to eat copious amount of bad food. I also felt so much more refreshed in the morning rather than dreading the 8:30 alarm. I felt like my sleep was more refreshing than it had been in the past. Ultimately, I felt like a well oil machine rather than a creaking slug that got dragged through the day.

3. Was this health habit enjoyable?

            This habit was very enjoyable just to see the effects it had. It was comparable to the first time I put on a pair of glasses and the euphoria of seeing the detail that has always existed, but you had never known about. It didn’t completely change my life, but it definitely made it more enjoyable.

4. How can this health habit sustainable in the long term?

            This is a sustainable habit, but it takes determination. It is not unrealistic, but there is a large margin of making it a daily habit. I’ll admit, on Saturday I fell short of my goal. Being less active on Saturday as opposed to downpour of business on weekdays made it harder to be intentional. Because I slacked on Saturday, I felt pretty bad on Sunday, like a drug had worn off, but I was able to soak in some water Sunday and go into the week strong. Like all the health habits, I’m finding it takes a few things to be successful:

a plan

proper setup

accountability

For me, accountability came from my body telling me, “WATER ME! I’M DYING!” but accountability can look different for everyone. Sometimes it means making a reminder in your phone or just always having a water bottle in your line of sight to saturate your mind in building the habit. For me, this habit helped to build up a reservoir of energy and I plan on continuing drinking a gallon of water a day to have energy to spare because….

Ready or not,

Life Willkomm

My Time in the Iron Paradise

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Week one:

This week, I decide to tackle the health trend of working out. Obviously, working out is recommended by nearly every health professional as a beneficial way to take care of the human body on a physical and mental level. I am one to hit the gym every now and then, but this week, I decided to work out on an extreme level for a total of six times this week. I decided that I should hit the weights for four of the sessions and then just cardio, like running or stairs, for the other two.  

1. What was the biggest change/effects I noticed?

            The biggest change I saw was the fatigue. I normally work out a few times a week, but to only have one rest day in the week…..ew. I found myself having less energy to do homework or get out of bed in the mornings, but it did make my sleep so much more restful. This fatigue came into full swing at towards the end of the week, but I noticed that after my day off, I was looking forward to going back to the gym.

2. What were minor changes/effects that occurred throughout the week?

            I gotta say, my favorite minor change was the increase in appetite. I made sure to weigh-in before workouts to track any change in weight. I found that I was able to eat slightly more, especially on a day I was doing cardio, with no weight change. When I would fall asleep at night, I woke up feeling so much more refreshed than I normally would. My body would crave rest, use it better, value it more.

3. Was this health habit enjoyable?

            I personally thought this habit was enjoyable to do. There is a community at the gym that is not as intimidating as people think. Many times, people feel like the “big guys” at the gym are really mean, but many times, they are some of the nicest people who are just enjoying a hobby. The release of endorphins that comes along with working out was the best part.

4. How can this health habit sustainable in the long term?

            This is definitely a sustainable habit for the determined, but it requires time management. Making time to walk to the gym, work out, walk back, and then shower is normally taking an hour and a half minimum. Taking six days a week to dedicate to working out is definitively not sustainable for everyone. I would say the number one thing for working out, other than eating something that will sustain you, is to have the right attitude or a goal in mind. Working out for the sake of being active does not work for most people. Like many things in life, there has to be something to strive for. I believe this is why most people fail at continually going to the gym. They don’t choose a goal that is:

            A. not right for them   

                        or       

            B. unrealistic

I did enjoy my time exploring this habit more and this is one I think I will continue a little while longer. It requires a bit of discipline, but adding in a workout buddy can help tremendously. Although I don’t think I was fully prepared to take this challenge on, sometimes you have to just grit your teeth, suck it up, and power through.

Because….

Ready or not,

Life Willkomm

First Steps are Memorable

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In a fast moving world with multiple vices battling for our attention, we find it hard to make time to try new things. We all have a list of things we have wanted to do in the past, but never found the right time to do it. There is always an excuse of why we don’t try new things and why we stay in the cocoon of safety that can be found in the routine.

What happens when we change the cycle?

What happens when we break out of the cocoon?

Sticking with the analogy of the caterpillar, after a butterfly emerges, it doesn’t fly right away. It is fragile. It is trying to gain its bearings in a new world. Some butterflies are able fly quicker than others while some butterflies will seemingly remain motionless for an hour. When we try something different, We don’t always take off right away. We can be ill prepared, unsupported, or be unsure about what might happen and that uncertainty can stop us from experiencing life.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

                                                                                                -Lao Tzu

This blog is about taking that single step. To venture and dare to tackle tomorrow chore list. The find out what happens when you adopt the habits reserved for the healthy. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health,

Is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity.”

World Health Organization 2020

I want to explore that definition of health more in the coming weeks and become a human guinea pig for the sake of breaking the mold. What are trends that we have heard are healthy, but never actually tried for ourselves. Time appears to be the biggest constraint we often find tethering us to routine. It is hard to experiment when it costs the most precious commodity that humans are allotted. What results­ am I going to see in a week and what health trends are actually worth it?

I’m sure you’re wondering what counts as “worth it.” Well, I will be taking on a series of health trends and judging them on a few categories.

  1. What was the biggest change/effects I noticed?
  2. What were minor changes/effects that occurred throughout the week?
  3. Was this health habit enjoyable?
  4. How can this health habit sustainable in the long term?

In the case of week one, the journey is going to begin with a literal single step. One of the most common health habits that we are taught it working out. Time to test this habit out. I am going to be spending at least 30 minutes working out at least four days this week and judging it accordingly.

Ready or not,

Life Willkomm.