Daily/Weekly habits to get and keep your **** together

Minime2.5 · 19-10-2019 4:41am #1

Looking to create a list of daily/weekly habits for us guys to stick to to either help people get out of a rut and stay out of it. Would appreciate some any/all input

1. Go to the gym and lift weights 3-4 times a week for 1 hour

2. Eat healthy 80% of the time

3. Drink very little if at all

4. Don't smoke

5. Make an effort to have a conversation with 1 stranger every week

6. Read 1 book a month

7. Get 10000 steps in every day

8. Develop hobbies that involve other people

9. Don't look at a TV/laptop/phone screen for more than 5-7 hours per week unless its for work or educational purposes

D'Agger · 20-10-2019 11:04am

Good thread idea and all achievable, I'd add drinking 2 litres of water (minimum) a day - good for the body

Just some tips on achieving the 9 items above - I've been using Screen Time Management on my Huawei phone lately - you can set a bedtime and it'll turn your phone to grey-screen an hour before, you can limit app usage before bed also. It's been really good so far for me so I'd recommend looking into apps for that if you're using your phone too much. I've deleted twitter/reddit/facebook/instagram apps off my phone too, I'll log in online every now and again to have a glance but it's reduced lots of wasted hours I think

I only get about 8,000 steps a day with the fitbit as I work in IT so I'm sitting a good bit. If you go to the gym, you'll almost definitely hit your daily steps just from walking around getting things setup, getting water. Or if you work in a big enough office then use a small enough bottle for your water that you'll have to refill a few times a day and go for a jaunt around the office before you fill it up....along with when you have to go get rid of all that water too!

whiskeyman · 20-10-2019 7:04pm

Forget the 10k steps.
Sure it's a decent motivator, but it's all about quality not quantity.
A slow 10k won't be ask good as a brisk 2k walk that really gets your cardio going.

Minime2.5 · 20-10-2019 9:04pm

whiskeyman wrote: »

Forget the 10k steps.
Sure it's a decent motivator, but it's all about quality not quantity.
A slow 10k won't be ask good as a brisk 2k walk that really gets your cardio going.

I disagree. Getting 10k steps over the day shows youve been active instead of sitting on your hole plus it adds to your overall calorie burn

cmac2009 · 20-10-2019 9:35pm

Minime2.5 wrote: »

I disagree. Getting 10k steps over the day shows youve been active instead of sitting on your hole plus it adds to your overall calorie burn

Why 10k steps and not 9.5k? Or 10.5k?.

Minime2.5 · 21-10-2019 12:29am

cmac2009 wrote: »

Why 10k steps and not 9.5k? Or 10.5k?.

Really? Its not a list of rules ,just guidelines. You could do more or less. The point is to be active

Keyzer · 21-10-2019 11:52am

This is a great idea - well done OP.

JupiterKid · 21-10-2019 1:44pm

Swim three times a week at my local pool - 30 25m laps front crawl/breaststroke/butterfly
Wall climbing once a fortnight
2.5 km walk in the Phoenix Park twice a week
Yoga once a week
Hobbies - Astronomy, stargazing, a bit of art here and there (paint and sketching) and creative writing when I can find the spare time.

sky88 · 21-10-2019 2:43pm

what ive found very helpfull is being able to walk in and out of work some of the way

park away from my job as we dont have parking then have a about 3km in and out to the car instead of sitting in traffic and great to clear the head before and after work while also being active

Drinking water to start the day also helps me great

Sleepy · 21-10-2019 3:03pm

I've recently taken up doing press-ups after my morning shower and am starting to see some results from it. I started off aiming for 20, hit that target and am currently hitting 30 most mornings with the current aim to get to 50 every morning. It's not much, I know but I just don't have the time or resources for a gym membership at the moment so I'm trying for small, incremental changes.

For losing/maintaining weight, I found the MyFitnessPal app great. I'd tried it years ago and it was a bit crap but the database behind it has improved enormously and I lost about 2 stone using it this year.

D'Agger · 21-10-2019 4:37pm

Sleepy wrote: »

I've recently taken up doing press-ups after my morning shower and am starting to see some results from it. I started off aiming for 20, hit that target and am currently hitting 30 most mornings with the current aim to get to 50 every morning. It's not much, I know but I just don't have the time or resources for a gym membership at the moment so I'm trying for small, incremental changes.

For losing/maintaining weight, I found the MyFitnessPal app great. I'd tried it years ago and it was a bit crap but the database behind it has improved enormously and I lost about 2 stone using it this year.

Exercise after a shower? Lunacy! :pac:

On MyFitnessPal - I hope you're using different credentials! They'd a massive data breach of credentials back in 2018

Sleepy · 21-10-2019 4:48pm

I simply can't function before a morning shower! Maybe someday I'll be one of those people who bounces out of bed but I suspect that day will only come when I've no reason to live my life around a 9 to 5 or kids sports practice!

Thanks for the tip on MyFitnessPal, just checked and looks like I just used a random password rather than anything I use for "real" accounts...

An Ri rua · 22-10-2019 1:01am

As Sleepy said, the humble press-up.

But, spice it up a bit. Pike push-ups for your shoulders, diamond pushups for your chest and triceps. Buy a pair of pushup stands. So well worth it.

I practice Hindu push-ups and squats 3 times a week. Got up to 120 in 2016 before I got ill and had to start again. Never been diligent enough since. But... 2 or 3 sets of 15, even spaced apart over an hour, is more than most amateur athletes could manage. And I'm twice their age.

Do the plank.

Breathing. Practice breathing daily. Different types. Check out the various apps. Do box breathing for calm. Do rhythmic breathing for anti-stress or visualisation. Read up on esoteric breathing, particularly Rosicrucian breathing techniques (don't knock it til you've tried it). Breathing is the most underrated aspect of fitness, health and life energy. Give it some focus and it will pay dividends.

If you want to go further with breath, check out Some Hof's breathing techniques. Feel free to try the cold aspect of the Iceman's training too. Free app now on Play. Plenty of superb videos on YouTube.

Do brain yoga 1st thing in the morning. It only takes 2 minutes max ie 20 odd reps. Yes, it's weird but do the research. I have.

Research mental toughness techniques. It will pay dividends. Google the 'Gold Medal Mental Workout' which is available on Kindle. I came across it through Tomaz Kurz of Unbreakable Umbrella.

Review your day last thing at night and try and correct, in your mind, what you should have done differently. Think about the day ahead, make a plan and then calm your mind. Don't knock it, Churchill did something vaguely similar.

Only use Facebook etc for stealth, research or info receipt. Quit the teenage mindset.

Stop consuming 24/7. Games, films, news. Try and think at least once a day. No, you generally don't think much at all. Get some thinking guides eg De Bono.

Try and plan your commute and ensure quality listening whether it's David McWilliams or Tim Feriss or even Rudolf Steiner or Napoleon Hill. **** the Kardashians and all that ****. Or Brexit news or too much sport. Games are for children. Unless they're sex games.

Check out Mr Money mustache.

Give away some ****.

Stop any indulgence you have for one month, just to know you can. Of else you are a bitch-slave, my friend.

Oh. Buy a dip bar and a doorway gym. 10 mins every day or second day and you will be a champ. Streets ahead of most chumps.

Lastly, try out ideas like the above. But don't broadcast to your circle. People don't like change or oddball stuff. Be your own counsel on such matters. And reap the many benefits.

22-10-2019 1:33am

Sleepy wrote: »

I've recently taken up doing press-ups after my morning shower and am starting to see some results from it. I started off aiming for 20, hit that target and am currently hitting 30 most mornings with the current aim to get to 50 every morning. It's not much, I know but I just don't have the time or resources for a gym membership at the moment so I'm trying for small, incremental changes.

For losing/maintaining weight, I found the MyFitnessPal app great. I'd tried it years ago and it was a bit crap but the database behind it has improved enormously and I lost about 2 stone using it this year.

Be carefull only doing push ups as you can mess yourself up, without balancing out exercisjng other areas, which could lead to injuries or posture problems,

Im not trying to have a go at your progress, but try mix in some other stuff

LostinBlanch · 22-10-2019 10:53am

cmac2009 wrote: »

Why 10k steps and not 9.5k? Or 10.5k?.

Because it was originally a marketing ploy to sell step counters in the run up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

There was very little interest in the idea until the turn of the century, when the concept was revisited by Australian health promotion researchers in 2001 to encourage people to be more active.

Based on accumulated evidence, many physical activity guidelines around the world – including the Australian guidelines – recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week. This equates to 30 minutes on most days. A half hour of activity corresponds to about 3,000 to 4,000 dedicated steps at a moderate pace.

In Australia, the average adult accumulates about 7,400 steps a day. So an additional 3,000 to 4,000 steps through dedicated walking will get you to the 10,000 steps target.

Plus the fact that 10,000 is a nice easily remembered number; and for a lot of people it's better to have a specific target to aim for than not have one at all.

22-10-2019 10:55am

I've made some improvements;
Stopped eating a couple of takeaways/rolls a day.
Pretty much stopped smoking last summer, vape now.
Went from drinking 120-150 units of alcohol per week to 0 last summer.
Exercise properly 3-4 times a week.
Take dog out other days.

Right now I have diet sorted-ish along with exercise. I also read most evenings. My only new-ish habit is once a week I claim the sofa, make a pot of tea and sit down and read and don't move except to make more tea or pee then go to bed. :P

LostinBlanch · 22-10-2019 10:57am

To add to all the diet and gym stuff above. How about doing something creative even if only for a half an hour a week? It doesn't matter what it is, just to excercise a different part of the brain.

Esse85 · 22-10-2019 11:02am

Hows this going for you :

Develop hobbies that involve other people

What do you hope to do?

Great list to see.

sky88 · 22-10-2019 1:55pm

LostinBlanch wrote: »

Because it was originally a marketing ploy to sell step counters in the run up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Plus the fact that 10,000 is a nice easily remembered number; and for a lot of people it's better to have a specific target to aim for than not have one at all.

anything that promotes being active is a good thing always need something to aim for i use the 10k as base of what i think i should be hitting and use it as motivation

Sleepy · 24-10-2019 11:50am

Another habit I've picked up in the last year is using DuoLingo on the three days a week I use public transport. Started off doing their French course as a refresher before a family holiday there over the summer and on returning from that, took up Spanish, a language I'd no prior experience of. I've completed around 70 lessons to date and while it's never going to make me fluent, I'd be comfortable enough that I'd "get by" on a holiday or business trip to a Spanish speaking country.

It's free and it engages the brain during dead time that I'd otherwise simply be playing a game on my phone or reading fiction. I go through fits and starts with it if I'm reading something particularly good but I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the duolingo since it's a form of self-improvement.

Sleepy · 24-10-2019 11:50am

Deleted User wrote: »

Be carefull only doing push ups as you can mess yourself up, without balancing out exercisjng other areas, which could lead to injuries or posture problems,

Im not trying to have a go at your progress, but try mix in some other stuff

I've been adding crunches for the past few weeks and am currently considering getting myself a doorway pull-up bar again.

Gun_Slinger · 24-10-2019 12:09pm

One thing that was very transformative for me was installing a simple app on my phone called "Sportsman". It has around 10 simple exercises to choose from (all free weight) and you design the amount of reps and exercises you want. I started off with a very basic routine like below:

Plank (30 seconds)
Push-ups (10)
Situps (20)
Squats (20)
Burpees (10)

and did 2 reps of the above. It took me about 10-15 minutes to complete and did it when I got up first thing each morning.

The great thing was that it was so quick to do and since I had some form of exercise done each morning my mindset for the day changed. I had a healthy breakfast and completely cut out snacking (there are always sweets in our kitchen at work) so not to negate the work I had already done.

When I got in the habit, I designed longer more complicated workouts each morning where now it takes about half an hour to complete, usually 3 reps and am doing well over 100 pushups along with chin-ups, burpees etc each morning.

I am usually the worst at keeping stuff up but found starting with a very simple routine that was finished quickly allowed me to stick through the first few weeks until the habit stuck in. Really was a game-changer in my life and so so simple.

ancapailldorcha · 24-10-2019 12:41pm

I was getting into the whole fitness thing until the weather changed and it was no longer suitable for me to just quickly head there and back before work. Staff are worse than useless as well and the web seems to be bloated with annoying contradictory info.

Anyways:

1. If someone is not adding to your life then cut them out. Obviously if someone needs help or some such thing then that's different but if an associate is just a negative influence then I don't think it's worth putting up with them.
2. Try and get out of the house, even if only for a walk. It's nice to get some fresh air even if it's cold out I don't fancy doing anything.
3. Have a few different hobbies. I have a meetup group for discussing politics, I go to the cinema, walks/reading in the park (London has lots of those), Netflix and the widely despise videogames.
4. Alcohol. I just don't see the point any more. If I meet someone in a pub, I'll plump for an OJ and some crisps which is probably only a slight improvement but with a guarantee of no hangover.
5. Daily reading, even if only for 15-30 minutes. It's just nice to switch off and enjoy a good book.
6. Pet your cat. If you don't have a cat, get one. Stress relief like no other IMO.
7. Social media. You don't need this. Maximum a few minutes a day.

H3llR4iser · 24-10-2019 3:02pm

Let's see if I can have a crack at this whole malarkey...semiseriously, of course.

1. Have things to do that don't depend on others
2. Don't let your job follow you around and define you
3. Wanting to learn something new or improve is fine...
4. ...but if you are in good health, have a good job and no out of control debt, you're probably doing a lot of things well and don't NEED a "change"
5. Unless you have some specific health issue, don't impose arbitrary and punitive limitations or regimes on yourself
6. Do exercise that you ENJOY, not the the fad of the moment everyone suggests or that's supposed to make you look good. Playing football or basketball instead of "lifting" is totally fine
7. Do things you like to do and feck off those who think otherwise
8. We all die eventually. You can get there perfect and polished like 100-years old Bugatti and be supremely bitter as to "why should I die now?". Or you could get there as an absolute wreck of a Ford Fiesta, missing a few panels, with no headlights, but grinning from ear to ear thinking "what a ride!".

Last but not least...

9. Stop making silly, arbitrary lists to put unnecessary and unhealthy pressure on yourself

Daily/Weekly habits to get and keep your **** together

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