Part 1/6?-?The Power Stone?-Managing?Health

Premise

I will be honest with you.

My experiments with health have not been consistent over the last couple of years. I have been unable to stick with a solid regime that affects my health positively. Also, because of the nature of my job, I am stuck in a fixed position for several hours every day.

When Things Got Worse

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, the little movement that I had in the office was restricted to my study room. This hurt my health significantly. I lost muscle, gained an unhealthy amount of fat, and developed a blinding back pain that attacked me at least three or four times a week.

So, I knew something had to change. I am happy to say that over the course of the last month, I took action. Here’s what I learned about managing health over the previous 30 days.

Build and Stack Healthy Habits

You don’t need to start doing everything from day one. I first heard of the term “Stacking Habits” when I read Atomic Habits. So, I decided to give it a shot myself. The first step was joining a gym.

You see, I did not join the gym to lose fat, gain muscle, or look good. I joined it to build a consistent routine. I joined it to have something healthy to do as soon as I woke up. Little did I know that to stick to the gym routine (and go when there were a few people around), I had to change my sleep schedule too. And that worked out perfectly for me! So, not only did I join the gym and went regularly, I started sleeping better!

Lesson: Start with one good habit, and the rest will follow.

Eat Consciously

On the first day back at the gym, I did not know my new limitations. So, even the most basic warm-up exercises left me feeling winded. That’s when I knew that the secret was not only working out regularly but eating healthy too. I gave up on eating oily and spicy foods. I started having a lighter breakfast and increased my daily intake of water. I now have a bowl full of oatmeal and milk instead of oily parathas (flatbreads) for breakfast.

Lesson: Your output (overall health) depends primarily on (the food you eat)

Stretch and Cardio

Stretching and running/cycling are the most critical part of my workout routine now. My body felt extremely sore after the first week of working out. Although I built strength, I did it in a way that directly harmed my body. That’s when my gym trainer taught me the importance of a pre and post-workout routine.

I incorporated 7 minutes of cycling and stretching into my gym routine, and it worked wonders. My strength training worked more efficiently! So, I started carrying this habit outside the gym. Now, whenever I am working, I remind myself to take deep breaths and practice 5 minutes of stretching after every 2 hours or so.

Lesson: Weight training is good for building up muscle, but cardio is a must for overall health and stamina

I know these are pretty basic tips, but they are the most important ones. For someone like me who has a naturally high metabolism, these tips helped me reduce my weight from 67 to 62 kgs within three weeks! Therefore, I am a first-hand witness to the fact that consistency works.

Try these tips for yourself, and let me know how they impact your life.

Onwards and Upwards!