Usually when I hear the phrase 'lifestyle change' I'm immediately skeptical because it's usually code for dieting. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Herbal Magic, Slim Fast; they're all 'lifestyle changes' that are designed to make you lose weight. Hell, even veganism, running, joining the gym, and cycling, which are lifestyle changes, can be done exclusively for weight-loss reasons but may not include the deliberate exculsion of foods or calories (dieting). Lifestyle changes are sneaky things, and this far along the fat acceptance path I give serious thought before making any changes of this kind (which is rare). For example, when I was pregnant I definitely tried to eat better, what with building a new human and all, because I knew that eating nutritionally dense food was the best thing for me and Kat. The morning sickness and change in diet did end up with me losing weight, but it was unintentional. The lifestyle change *caused* weight loss, but it wasn't meant too.
This brings me to Ryan's doctor appointment last week. The two things came up in the same session; Dr. N wants Ryan to lose some weight *and* make some lifestyle changes for reasons I'm not at liberty to discuss right now, and while I'm on board with the lifestyle changes, things like being more active, remembering to eat regular meals and get enough sleep every night, I'm not seeing how weight loss will help my hubby. We don't even actually know how much Ryan weighs, and he didn't step on a scale at the appointment, so the doctor was just doing an eyeball diagnosis. Weight loss is not a magic bullet for health, it's just weight loss. It's just fewer pounds. I'm not a doctor, but I don't think it takes a Ph D to realize weight =/= health. Then again, I know all about weight stigma and the current medical paradigm, so I'm not surprised it was suggested. Then again, at least it wasn't ONLY suggestion.
What are some of the best lifestyle changes you've ever done? The worst? Something as simple as setting your alarm 20 minutes earlier, or something as challenging as training for a marathon? Do tell!
Meditation. Hands down. I started setting my alarm earlier to meditate every day. Now and then when I am not feeling well or haven't gotten any sleep, I skip it, but for the most part, I get up and meditate. And it makes my days go SO much better!
Mmm meditation. What do you meditate about?
I love that I've added regular walks and yoga to my day. On days I dont' walk, I do yoga, and vice versa. No point overdoing it.
Becoming involved in a community activity--a sports league or club, volunteer work, church or synagogue groups...really anything that gets you out of the house and feeling connected to others.
General practice doctors seem to always ignore mental health, but it's at least as important as physical health (and often related). That's why I get so annoyed with doctors who demand 30 minutes to an hour of cardiovascular exercise a day or dieting--they may help your physical health numbers in some way, but it's not worth it if you're bored, miserable, and obsessed with food. Better to not diet, exercise in ways that I find fun (usually competitive sports for me), and stay happy.
Great point, Brian! Mental health is as least as important as physicaly health, and I strongly feel that both are connected to our emotional health. The three together make up a triforce of balance that needs to be maintained.
I am currently attempting to give up caffeine for Lent, and if it sticks, I'm going to make it a permanent lifestyle change.
Of course, I couldn't "just do it." I'd tried "just do it" before and it hadn't worked. This time I thought in depth about why I had come to depend on caffeine to get me going and made lifestyle changes to remove the necessity for caffeine before I quit taking it.
Eating regular meals! It's changed my life. I used to eat chaotically and on the run. Taking charge of my own food and making sure I get up early enough for breakfast has measurably improved my well being.
Jennifer H: Smart thinking. Tackling why you need the caffiene before tackling the substance itself sets you up for success instead of failure. Me, I'm under-slept all the time thanks to baby, so the caffiene stays! Welcome to the blog.
Chloe: This is one I'm hoping Ryan does too. Breakfast is where we're starting and it's already showing big returns. ^__^
@ JeninCanada: "underslept all the time thanks to the baby" YES, I was too! This leads me to another prerequisite for success: timing.
My sleep habits had been terrible for years due to PTSD. I got into taking caffeine when I had to get up for a full-time outside job and be alert right away no matter what kind of night I had had. Meanwhile, therapy was helping with the PTSD. But at the same time, my husband and I had been discussing having kids and we came to the conclusion that we had to start by a certain date, if possible, due to assorted things. We couldn't solve every problem in our lives first or we would never have kids.
Like many couples, we could either budget all but a tiny fraction of the net paycheck from my job for child care, work clothes, and extra gas, or dump the extra stress and just live on his paycheck. So I became the daytime caregiver, and for most nights of the week the nighttime caregiver as well so that he could get up rested and bring home grocery money. So even though the PTSD was easing, my sleep patterns were still lousy.
I tried to "just quit" caffeine a couple of times, but came to the conclusion that at that time, the best thing for my baby--later, babies--was to get going in the morning with artificial help. I suppose some people would call this procrastination. Me, I called it pragmatism.
Now the last kid is old enough to sleep through most nights and big enough to bring himself in to us if he is having trouble. Now my PTSD is largely resolved, I can count on being able to get to bed and stay there almost all the time, and if the withdrawal headaches get terrible the oldest kid knows where to find the cereal and milk. Now I have successfully gotten to bed at a decent hour more often than not for weeks, dislodging the ingrained habit of staying up late that remained after the PTSD and the teething episodes were over. Now is the right time.
"Just do it" is nearly always hogwash.
Letting go of 'should'. That word is the biggest damn trouble-maker. I still struggle with it, but when I can firmly say that is a 'should' not a 'want' and I won't do it, I feel so much better about myself.
Also, finding out I had a gluten allergy and dropping gluten has been a huge (yet subtle) benefit.
Deciding to park my car 10 minute walk away from my workplace. I am forced to walk... It gets me 20 minutes of exercise a day. Not only is it good because of that but because it lets me clear my head and calm down my thoughts after a stressful day.
I do have to say I disagree with your view that weight =/= health. Exercise and weightloss is one of the most effective treatment for many many things... Including mental health!
Thanks for sharing your opinions... It's nice to hear the other side of the coin. Honestly!
"Exercise and weightloss is one of the most effective treatment" No, exercise and weight loss are two different things. Exercise is effective for many people. Weight loss is not. And exercise does not mean weight loss. Click around the Fatosphere for studies on this topic.
I sleep....
no really, I sleep. I have struggled with almost debilitating depression after going through a traumatic event in my life which was made even worse by insomnia, I had gone through numerous anti-depressants trying to find one that didn't make me feel anxious, jittery, cause my hands to shake to the point I couldn't even type, and make me completely emotionless to the point that yes I didn't feel sad anymore, but I also felt no happiness, there was just nothing.
Finally after working with a doctor who was willing to look at other options we found a non-habit forming sleeping medication that can actually gets me to sleep and then I found out that I need more sleep than the "average person." So I am very conscious about getting at least 9 hours of sleep a night or more if I feel signs of depression showing up. Getting that amount of sleep has allowed me to get off all prescription medications and I can cope in a healthy way now with life and depression. While I have gotten a lot of crap from some people because they don't need that much sleep and so it must be "too much" but the difference it has made in my life has been truly life changing!
Teresa: Amazing! I'm so glad that you found something that works so well and helps so much. Welcome to the blog.
Linda: Me too. I gave up 'should' (for the most part) and it's so freeing. Is it need or want? Then I'll listen to myself. But should? Should can GTFO. Welcome!
Matt: Mmm walking. I've added in probably about an hour of walking to my day, or 20 minutes of yoga, since Kat was born and it's done wonders for my mental and physical health. Jen is right though; weight =/= health. They're two things that can inform each other, but they're not the same thing. Love your blog, and thanks for commenting!