
Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health? - sharmi
Apart from exercise, what other habits have had a big impact on your health?<p>For me, standing desk was a noticeable improvement from sitting desk for health and avoiding procastination.  But it is not doable when your energy is low ( tired or sick) and if I had particularly mentally demanding job on hand.<p>I have much better weight loss when pairing exercise with standing desks
======
drewmol
I have made a consistent effort to be honest. Being honest about my feelings,
thoughts and situations to everyone in my life; friends, family, and complete
strangers. It's been incredibly benificial to my relationships and emotional
well being, and I've been shocked at the level of compassion, motivation and
honesty I've recieved in return, including deepening of relationships and
emotional connection with friends/family/coworkers/acquaintances I've known
for decades, and people I've just met. My fears and pessimistic worries about
exposing vulnerabilities through brutal honesty have been overwhelmingly met
with love, compssion, understanding, support and opportunity. This including
the opportunity to offer the same to people whom I would have otherwise been
blind to their similar struggles, thoughts and situations. <\--- I typed this
and almost diddn't post it because (insert misanthropic adjective here)

~~~
Lordcosmo
Have you had bad experiences and if so, how did you cope with them?

This is something people nowadays should do more, including me. I am going to
make this my goal for the new year. I always fear how people will react/think
about me when I tell them my feelings/thoughts. This has caused my to lie
about a lot of things(mostly small ones), which becomes a habit in time. It
mostly comes from insecurity about yourself and low selfworth and not being
able to stand up for yourself. As such, I think these traits will greatly
improve if you are honest.

~~~
drewmol
Yes, certainly, but the bad ones are few and far between. Also honesty makes
it easier to identify and limit the emotionally toxic relationships. Coping
becomes much easier with the increased network of people to share with.

"As such, I think these traits will greatly improve if you are honest." \-
This has been my experience!

------
smashd
Potato hacking. I normally follow the "potatoes by day" variant. The process
is simple: steam/boil at least a couple pounds of potatoes, then let them cool
in the fridge overnight. The next day, you can only eat potatoes (no
condiments whatsoever!) until dinnertime, at which point you can eat a normal
dinner. Coffee, tea and water are fine during the day as long as they don't
have added sugar/cream/etc. Don't forget to cook more potatoes if you're
running low! They keep for at least a few days in the fridge.

In my experience the hack is a great way to liberate yourself from false
hunger signals and feeling like you "must" eat certain foods. If you're
hungry, the potatoes taste good. If you're not, they don't. Resetting all
these habits helped me shift the remainder of my diet towards better food
choices, to the point where I actively seek out fresh veggies & fruit and
dislike packaged or meat-heavy meals.

The hack is not for people that have issues with nightshades or starches of
course. potatohack.com has the most comprehensive info on the subject, but it
is discussed on other blogs as well.

~~~
tracker1
Interesting... I tend not to eat just potatoes (I'm diabetic), but wonder if
it would work with my typical "mash" (cauliflower, celeriac, parsnip, potato,
butter, cream, salt, pepper) it isn't just potato, but may be able to get a
similar effect if I cut the butter, cream, salt and pepper down.

Will definitely look into it.

~~~
smashd
Yes, there are cautions for people that are diabetic or pre-diabetic. I
suspect that you can't do the strict "hack" but there could be useful ideas in
there, e.g., related discussions on resistant starch.

------
smnplk
Did about 8k on the bike and got back on a rowing machine, but somehow ended
the year still overweight. So in terms of health my year will hopefully be
2017, I will get on a LCHF diet. Because I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, I did
a little experiment 5 months ago, I stayed gluten free for 3 months (because I
read somewhere that gluten could be the culprit) and my digestion and overall
being improved. So I need to get back on diet and also cut out all the sugars.
The biggest impact on my health has been impulsive overeating of candy. I even
got a little worried about possible diabetes and bought a glucose meter, had
an elevated blood sugar only two times in the morning, from 10 day tests. So I
might not have diabetes...yet. But if I keep this up, I'm on a good path. I
look unfit now, I weigh 110kg, I almost came to 100kg this year, but now I
bounced back, especially in December, go figure why :P But I am not out of
shape in terms of performance, I did a lot of weight lifting this year also, I
can squat 150kg and deadlift 210kg with np, I did some really heavy climbs on
my bike with 400 avg watts for 30 mins, so I am a lot better than average
overweight guy. 12 years of rowing in the past, also helps. I just need to
figure out why I constantly crave for short term satisfactions.

~~~
snovv_crash
Was in the same boat. I cut out sugar (except for a banana in a protein shake
each day) and made sure that I get enough protein. After a few weeks the sugar
cravings stopped and I also lost a bunch of water weight. I also seem to have
a smaller appetite, and when I eat I stop when I feel satisfied, which never
seemed to happen before, instead I would stop when my stomach felt
uncomfortably full because I never felt satisfied. I'm really happy with the
changes, and it is making it easier to stick with my lifting program because I
feel like I am making progress again.

~~~
smnplk
Well done. I hope I can do the same. Do you think I can ease off sugar in
small steps, like substituting candy with sweetened tea (agave syrup) ? I also
heard that lemon juice helps when you get a sugar craving.

~~~
smashd
I personally eased off sugar in iterations, by making short "pushes" where I
cut out ALL added sugars and answered any cravings with fruit like bananas,
apples or grapes. Each iteration wouldn't last forever, but every time I
"cheated" it was with a little less sugar than before. And every time I tried
again I lasted a little longer before cheating.

Something that really helped me was getting angry at the companies producing
all these foods with added sugar. Seriously, look at the labels, it is
EVERYWHERE (at least in the USA). I resolved to not buy these products--why
give your money to these companies that can't make a product taste good
without resorting to cheap tricks? Why am I paying them to hurt me? I do still
buy dark chocolate for dessert a few times a week--I am not opposed to
dessert, but that's the only place I think sugar should be.

Ultimately I think everyone has a unique approach (mentally and physically)
that works for them, and it's probably an ensemble of smaller strategies
accumulated over time that create success in the end. Be willing to experiment
(safely), accept temporary failures, learn what works and then repeat all over
again.

------
benevol
1\. Mindful meditation [free]

John Kabat-Zinn [0] masters the link between science and meditation and has
published very valuable books (including guided/audio meditation exercises)
[1]. There are a couple of scientific studies which prove effectiveness [2]
[3].

2\. LSD [$5-10/dose + $25/multi-use test kit]

Benefits (mid- and long-term) are similar to those of meditation. In addition,
you may be able to access your spiritual dimension, which increases quality of
life even further (it is less immediate with meditation). It however requires
one to literally read/understand/know everything about the substance before
applying it (minimum literature: "The psychedelic explorer's guide" by
Fadiman). Also, order a test kit and test before you ingest. Certain "edge
cases"/people should not try it.

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-
Zinn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn)

[1]
[https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4180277/Mindful_Way_Through...](https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4180277/Mindful_Way_Through_Depression_-
_Guided_Meditation_Practices)

[2] [http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-
to...](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-
brain/)

[3] [http://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9214697/meditation-brain-
neuros...](http://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9214697/meditation-brain-neuroscience)

~~~
Fnoord
> In addition, you may be able to access your spiritual dimension

Spiritual dimension is just vague new age rhetoric. I don't want to be fear
mongering but you may end up with a psychosis as well. Recommending random
strangers to use recreational psychedelic drugs under the guise of getting
"similar mid- and long-term effects to those of meditation" is flat out
irresponsible.

For those who _are_ interested in using psychedelic drugs. First of all, never
use a full dose the first time you use it. Second, get a sitter aka
babysitter. That means someone who does not use any drugs (that means nothing
in the sense that the sitter(s) need to stay awake during your drugs usage,
and worst case the sitter(s) should still be able to drive you to the hospital
if its needed). Consider to inform your doctor and discuss with them the
alternatives.

Instead of LSD and other psychedelic drugs I want to offer an alternative. If
you want something akin to mindful meditation: do it more, or follow a 10 day
Vipassana course.

> Certain "edge cases"/people should not try it.

This disclaimer is too vague. Some people don't know they are, or are young
and will do it anyway because young people's brains (age < 25) are not yet
fully grown up.

If you're into mindful meditation and want to take it much further, follow a
10 day Vipassana course instead. You will get guidance from the people there,
and if you really get over the edge during your 10 day course (you're likely
to experience difficult times regardless), you'll at least not be under the
influence of drugs and will be surrounded by specialists who are sober. Also,
a mindfulness instructor (such a course might be worth paying for) has
followed a 10 day Vipassana course as its part of the requirement to become
one.

Finally, I can highly recommend yoga _together_ with meditation. (Without any
spiritual BS, as that is unnecessary/distracting and excludes those with
different religions including atheism. A good yoga or mindfulness instructor
will include everyone, and avoid using such rhetoric.)

TL;DR do mindfulness, yoga, Vipassana don't do psychedelic drugs.

~~~
benevol
As I said:

 _It however requires one to literally read /understand/know everything about
the substance before applying it_

If you follow this, you will know if you belong to the category of people who
should not use the substance to discover more of what we perceive as reality.
It seems obvious to me that a comment on HN will never be able to fully cover
the subject.

I agree however 100% with your suggestion to add yoga.

~~~
Fnoord
>> It however requires one to literally read/understand/know everything about
the substance before applying it

> If you follow this, you will know if you belong to the category of people
> who should not use the substance to discover more of what we perceive as
> reality. It seems obvious to me that a comment on HN will never be able to
> fully cover the subject.

Yes, I saw that disclaimer as well. Do you want me to address it? Your usage
of "literally read/understand/know everything about the substance" fits CYA
due to being extensively broad. Nobody in the world ever read/understand/know
everything about any subject. Even those who maintain Erowid, studied
psychology in university, or Albert Hofmann for that matter know everything
about LSD. Those who know very little are arrogant about their knowledge
whereas those who do know a lot are modest and acknowledge there's so much
they do not know.

It is also not how drug usage should work. If you get drugs prescribed from
your MD you need to follow his directions as well as the directions from the
drugs. You're basically under his supervision and guidance, he's partly
responsible for your well being. The best you have as recreational user is
your own knowledge (while your psyche is impacted by the drugs), and hopefully
a knowledgeable, emotionally stable sitter.

Please, don't recommend psychedelic drugs (or even drugs) to random strangers
[1]. You may think they are intelligent and responsible, but many just aren't.
Recommend it only to those people you know very well, and follow the advice I
told you about not using full dose first time as well as sitter. The options
of more mindfulness, yoga, and Vipassana 10 day course are much less
dangerous. (Even those can be dangerous though which is why I follow yoga via
an experienced yoga instructor who is finishing their physiology study,
instead of following online free YouTube videos.)

[1] And especially not while using a good introduction, with sources, about
the benefits of mindfulness & meditation while not providing any for
psychedelic drug usage while suggesting it as the next step of mindfulness &
meditation.

------
igitur
A few things:

I started eating 2 hard boiled eggs (aka arse fruit) each morning. I now don't
have a hunger craving at 10am like I used to have and can easily work through
to lunch time and have a moderate lunch.

I joined a choir and it helps take my mind off the 9 hours of coding I do
every day. It also gives me an outlet for my limited artistic side.

You say besides exercise, but I have to add that I started boxing. We have
clubs that specialise in white-collar boxing, which has a lower barrier to
entry than normal amateur boxing. I'm not good, but the club is inviting of
all levels of talent and it's the best exercise I've ever done. Had my first
public fight in March 2016, which was a big psychological hurdle. Nailed it.

~~~
benevol
> I started boxing

The hits you receive cause brain cells to die. Your brain being your most
valuable asset, generally speaking, but even more so for intellectual work
such as programming, you may want to switch to a no-contact martial art (such
as kung-fu).

~~~
plinkplonk
"no-contact _martial_ art" is a bit of an oxymoron. If you plan to use your
martial art to improve at _fighting_ (vs general fitness) there is no way
around free sparring. Every school of Kung Fu _that teaches fighting_ includes
sparring.

If you don't want to get better at fighting, might as well learn ballet, or go
running.

Your point about head concussion from extensive boxing practice is a good one.

~~~
loxs
And still, there are martial arts that do not exclusively specialize in having
your head battered with heavy gloves.

------
imafish
I stopped running and started working more. My health has never been worse. I
regurlarly deal with back problems and I have gained a lot of weight. Used to
be thin, now I am somewhat chubby. I want to start running again.

~~~
mjolk
Good luck with your startup.

~~~
askafriend
Having lived in San Francisco for the past couple years, something about this
simple exchange gives me a eerie twinge of intellectual sickness.

------
hakanderyal
I've changed my eating habits and started following ketogenic diet(keto)[0] 18
days ago, and I already had great results so far.

I wasn't terribly overweight, but always on the thin line between obesity and
overweight.

At the beginning: 184cm/6" height, 104 kg/229 lbs weight, 30.7 BMI

Now: 95 kg/209 lbs, 28,1 BMI.

Although I only lost 9 kg/20 lbs, I started wearing my XL t-shirts again down
from XXL, and all my jeans are too loose already.

The best part of keto is it's not just a diet for weight loss, but a balanced
lifestyle diet that I can follow for the rest of my life, that I never feel
hungry while doing so.

[0]: [https://reddit.com/r/keto](https://reddit.com/r/keto)

------
hurbledr
No real habits to report, but for anyone interested in sit to stand desks, I
found a site that sells them for relatively cheap. I can't personally vouch
for the quality of these desks, but as far as I can tell, they are the same
sort of thing that office furniture companies sell, only 300-400 bucks instead
of 1000-1500. Not necessarily high quality, but functional enough.

You do have to assemble it yourself, but anyone with a cordless drill and a
bit of sense should be able to manage. There are a couple things that can go
wrong, but they are easy to avoid and/or fix. The desk surfaces that come with
these are probably a crappy laminate, like sub MDF quality fiberboard. That
means that you have to be careful when screwing the legs into the surface,
because if your drill's torque/clutch setting is too high, the screw will just
spin and blow out the hole instead of fastening tightly. This is easy to avoid
though, just set the drill to one of the lowest torque settings, say 1-3, and
work your way up if the screw doesn't go in all the way. Also, there are
usually plenty of holes on the legs, so if you blow 1 or 2 out, it's not the
end of the world.

The only other thing to look out for is bad leg motors and/or bad control
boxes, which are surprisingly common. No worries though, these things are easy
to troubleshoot, and I'm sure the company will get you a replacement in no
time if anything is DOA, as it's pretty common.

Anyways, my point is, if you don't mind spending around 4 hours of your time
to read a manual and put one of these things together, you can save a
substantial amount of money.

Also, if you don't want a crappy surface, you can just order the legs and add
your own surface, although make sure to check that the legs can support the
weight.

woops, here's the link [https://www.autonomous.ai/smartdesk-sit-to-stand-
height-adju...](https://www.autonomous.ai/smartdesk-sit-to-stand-height-
adjustable-standing-desk)

also, if you're really a cheapskate, you could probably find all this shit on
alibaba or something, and save even more money.

~~~
tga
Ikea sells electrical standing desks too, available around the world: Bekant,
~$500ish

[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19022530/)

------
epalmer
Been LCHF Diet for 18 months. Last 2 to 3 months used guided meditation/self
hypnosis to control hunger and eating. Lost about 47 lbs in those 18 months.
Last 3 lost 15.

Exercise some and that makes me feel better as well.

This past year I have taken to napping 3 of 5 days at work 5 to 20 minutes. I
have my own office and I nap during lunch break. Most naps are about 11
minutes long. I always time them. Napping helps my productivity immensely in
the afternoon. I can be coding, architecting etc. within 10 minutes after the
nap. Oh, I usually drink one coffee or white tea before I nap.

~~~
sharmi
Is it possible to provide the link to the guided meditation? It sounds
intriguing

------
closeparen
Started to get serious about sleeping regular, sufficient hours, coupled with
situational changes that made this more tenable. It's night and day. I feel
like a completely different person.

------
buzzybee
Paying more attention to various natural cycles of mine. Started using a
calendar more regularly. Started using mindmapping more regularly. Gradually
shifted towards an 8-day cycle for the gym as I found a lot of success with
longer rest time in weight training. Experimented with removing coffee for a
two week period(somewhat useful). Made attempts to develop habits around
cleaning and practice in the first half of the year and am going to reassert
those in the coming year as more of a "everyday ritual" that I use to warm up
to project work instead of turning on news or social media. Started using
fl.ux again after a long break caused by an OS change and laziness, to the
benefit of my eyes and ability to be sleepy.

I'm most excited about controlling my time and information better. That gets
my stress down, which in turn does so much for my health.

------
markovbling
My back and shoulders have been hurting more and more (I'm only 27!) and it
took me way too long to accept that slouching over my laptop was causing it.

Putting my laptop on a pile of books and using an external keyboard and mouse
made a HUGE difference and my posture has improved significantly after just a
couple of months.

I recently bought a Roost laptop stand which is great for travel and looks
like spy gear but it is a bit pricey and a stack of books does the job too.

~~~
hundredwatt
I had the same problem. In addition to regular exercise, try doing these
stretches for once or twice a day:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdNS95hpL-o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdNS95hpL-o)
(they are fun too! Perhaps get a group together at your office to stretch
together once a day)

These exercises work to move your body back toward perfect posture, undoing
the damage caused by sitting, typing, etc.

I stopped using these in November due to travel. My back and shoulder pain
returned. It took about 7 days of consistent stretching for the pain to go
away again.

------
jehna1
Started counting daily calorie intake.

I use an app called "Lose it!" To track my daily calorie intake and have
paired it with Google Fit where I track my weight every day.

It has been way harder to eat excessively, as I'm constantly aware that I'm
accounting all I eat. So mostly it just makes me aware about what I'm eating.

Results: Constant 0.5kg weight loss in every week.

A bit aside from the subject, but I also have changed to use paper money
instead of cards.

I have a weekly budget that I get from the ATM every Monday. This raises
awareness of the money I spend, since I can see my current budget every time I
open my wallet. It has helped me to save significant amount of money.

------
imartin2k
I stopped eating refined sugar (as far as possible) and I quit Twitter. Both
made me feel better and less dependent on external stimulation. Positive side-
effect: Increased self-confidence about being in control of things that before
seemed to be in control of me.

In regards to sugar, I know limiting my sugar intake will remain a healthy
habit forever. In terms of Twitter, I see it more as a temporary experiment.
At least for the moment.

------
tracker1
Not for me, but for a lot of friends, Pokemon Go made a huge health impact,
just from the increased walking around... One friend in particular started
going to more parks, etc just to walk their trails and get more game play.
Kind of wild.

For me, It wasn't really a year I pushed myself as much as I could/should.
This coming year, planning on going lower carbs again, but also limiting my
calories a bit more than the last time. A few years ago, I lost 80# by going
low carb, but wound up in the hospital for ketoacidosis. Will have to keep a
closer watch on my blood sugar and insulin levels. I've been within 15# of
that weight since, but it's been hard.

One funny thing (kind of in response to the potato hack post), is that since
that year, I really don't care for potatoes by themselves as much (straight
mash, or fries), I'll have a little, but a year without added starchy foods of
any kind (bread, rice, potato, corn) really changes what you like. I do seem
to do better on red meat (even leaner varieties like bison) than I do with
poultry.

So, ready for round 2.

------
sawmurai
No more drinking. Used to waste a lot of time, money and calories. Haven't
been hung over for exactly one year now :))

------
i0exception
Waking up before 7 AM every day - I seem to have a lot more energy throughout
the day and I sleep better at night.

------
vbsteven
I adopted daily meditation exercises and read a lot about stoic philosophy. My
mental state is better than ever and I'm sleeping better because of it.

------
BjoernKW
(Guided) meditation (using
[https://www.headspace.com](https://www.headspace.com) )

------
Fnoord
So without mentioning running, exercise, and yoga and discrediting the change
of 2015 (using small brushes to clean between the teeth so I don't have to see
the dental hygienist every year) my next step (after very recently having my
last wisdom tooth finally extracted, and an infection under a molar cleaned)
made in 2016 is to brush my teeth 2 times a day. Including in the morning,
when I'm a stressed zombie. I've been bloody stubborn/lazy on this throughout
my youth and it is finally time to treat my dental hygiene like an adult
should.

------
DrNuke
It sounds a given but walking one hour a day, every day, really makes wonder.

------
froh42
I started dancing Zouk. Besides the fact that dancing is fun and good for your
soul it greatly improved my posture.

~~~
neuronexmachina
Longtime WCS dancer here, recently tried Zouk for the first time. It's fun, I
really like the flow of the dance!

------
dvcrn
Adapting BulletJournaling.

I noticed that everything digital is starting to distract me if I'm not
careful. Even if I just go to my mac go check OmniFocus, my brain
automatically wanted me to do other things on my Mac at the same time, while
I'm already using it. Same for my phone.

I discovered the BulletJournal as a fantastic planning tool. Instead of having
note apps, calendar apps, todo list apps and so on, I just have my nice
Leuchtturm1917 notebook and a pen with me. It's destressing me, allowing me to
be more analog and man, I completely forgot how nice good paper can feel.

It also helps me a lot fighting perfection and OCD. Every pen stroke is
permanent which makes me appreciate mistakes more. Instead of an error, every
wrong line gives the notebook more personality.

Lastly I was so surprised what a engineer brain can do with simple dotted
paper. It's so easy to create new modules and layouts to expand the system
further to solve another specific problem. It made me became creative with
inventing new spreads for planning my months, tracking my daily habits or just
scribbling down all movies I still want to watch.

It's a perfect non-digital companion for a digital guy like me and I love it.
Just sitting in a cafe without my Mac or phone and reviewing my paper based
system started to become a regular ritual that works like therapy. I'm very
excited to start 2017 with this little guy in my bag :)

------
Jyaif
Measuring my weight everyday on an IoT weight scale. Really helped me lose
close to 7kg over 7 month (by eating slightly less, and better food),
something I never managed until now.

------
tudorw
Standing to work, walking to think, meditation just because...

------
thescribe
I started running every day. I try to do mindfulness meditation but frequently
get stressed and forget.

The running has been amazing.

~~~
Timethy
Same! I'm 8 weeks in and already feeling the benefits. I'm 39, 190 pounds and
my goal is 170.

------
niftylettuce
Listen to yourself more.

~~~
asdfasdfa11112
This, introspection is apowerful tool.

------
drakonka
I got one of those kneeling chairs (technically borrowed from a coworker who
wasn't using it) and it has been _excellent_. We got these new fancy chairs in
our new office and mine was hurting my back even more than our old fancy
chairs. Switching to this kneeling chair helped so much - no more back pain.
It also has quite a few different seating positions you can adopt if you
adjust frequently or are a "seat fidgeter".

Upon writing this up I realize this is not actually a habit but a different
piece of equipment, it just came to mind in relation to the standing desk
mentions.

------
rurban
I had to stop surfing, so I started playing table tennis. Five times a week.
This and playing Pokemon Go, i.e. walking a lot the extra mile.

------
tomkha
I quit drinking coffee and start drinking liquid guarana instead (Scitec
Nutrition brand specifically). It's like legal cocaine. I'm using it for
morning and early evening boost.

~~~
napsterbr
I replaced coffee and energy drinks with caffeine pills. Same (or better)
results, no sugar. Question: do you think this guarana drink is more powerful
than coffee? It's quite common to see guarana drinks (mostly soda) here in
Brazil, but I don't see them as energy drinks.. To be honest, I feel as I'm
lacking energy for everyday activities.. Do you or anyone know whether any of
these scitec nutrition products (or whey protein, etc) could help regarding
energy? Or it's just for building muscles?

~~~
tomkha
Guarana energy drinks and (for example Scitec) pure liquid Guarana are two
different things, that's the reason I mentioned some brand. You need to try
pure guarana. For me it's like 5-coffees at one 40ml shot, few hours lasting
effect and no shaking. But be careful, you can overdose pretty quickly (start
with recommended dosage on package and gradually add few milliliters each day
to find your optimal/maximal dosage).

------
hd4
30 push-ups and 8 pull ups every morning. I've built a noticeable amount of
upper body muscle and lost about 1.5st weight over about a year.

------
andthat
Started doing Ashtanga Yoga. Opened up my shoulders and chest which got rid of
my constant tension headache after about 5 years.

------
ud0
I started running for 30mins every day. I'm not overweight but I've lost a few
pounds and I feel much more healthier.

------
jefozabuss
I stopped drinking sugary drinks (mostly coca cola) everyday and lately I just
reward myself with a small can on special occasions/hitting milestones, etc.

I had huge cravings on the first 1-2 weeks but nowadays I don't feel the need
to drink them at all.

Since then I lost quite some weight and my blood pressure got a lot better as
well.

------
emrex
I started doing Hijama (cups with complete toxic blood extraction idk if I
described it well) every 3 months. They say it has allot of health benefits.
The most amazing thing I experienced is sleep like a deer which I was not able
to do and wake up with a clear head.

------
fudged71
Gym 6 days a week. Really starting to feel proud of the gains. More confident
overall, and a clearer head.

------
msach22
Diet. When I ate unhealthy food and or fast food a lot, I saw a loss in
willpower to do things. I think proper diet has a lot to do with how my day
goes. It defines my daily discipline.

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ZeroFries
Practicing self-enquiry. The practice is essentially trying to rest in the
sense "I am", or simply being aware of awareness itself, rather than the
object of awareness. It has drastically reduced mind chatter and anxiety.

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mckn3
Decided to refrain from caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. I've had an increase in
energy, clearer thinking, more restful sleep, and feel better with more
positive thoughts than before.

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AznHisoka
1\. not using my cellphone while in the bathroom and not actually sitting in
the toilet unless i was almost ready to 'do business'.

2\. not eating anything past 8pm.

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tedmiston
Counting the ounces of water I drank every day reduced dehydration headaches
significantly.

There are a slew of apps that offer water logging, but I like Fitbit's
implementation.

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miguelrochefort
Ketogenic diet + Intermittent fasting (23:1)

\- Energy levels are stable

\- Never hungry

\- Need to sleep 1h less

\- Feel better (less inflammation)

\- Fewer migraines

\- Weight loss

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8a
Writing in the morning.

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Opteron67
being more social and going back to gym

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Opteron67
also eating vegetables a lot and reading HN :)

