What's the one thing that has made the biggest difference to your health?

[stripeyronnie]

Feel like I'm stuck in a health rut, a stone or two overweight, drinking a bit more than I would like, not sleeping well, not finding time for exercise, flipping between just about coping with 3 kids/ work/ dog/ house and then reaching a point of almost burnout and getting ill and having to rest before getting back into it all again. I do try to make better choices- I eat gluten free as I feel better on it, get out with the kids on bikes/ with the dog but it's just so bloody hard isn't it to prioritise self care when there's so much going on? I'd love to know what one thing you introduced to your life which has made a noticeable difference to your health?
For me it was losing the mindset that I had to clear my plate/ eat at set times regardless of hunger- since I've tuned into my hunger levels I have definitely been eating less and my weight has been the most stable it has for years. However any attempts I make to drink more water/ take a vitamin/ exercise more/ meditate- I don't keep up consistently as I either don't see an immediate benefit or it becomes too hard to fit into life.

Biggest immediate difference - gave up alcohol.

Over a few months - lost weight and had more energy, slept better, aches and pains disappeared, lower blood pressure.

Congrats on getting back in touch with your appetite & keeping your weight stable ⭐⭐

Take a multivitamin & mineral when you brush your teeth in the morning. Sounds like you're doing everything else right, except maybe going to bed a bit earlier! Don't worry about drinking water; as long as you drink liquids when you're thirsty, there's no problem.

The thing that made the biggest difference to my health was getting shingles, which started an unstoppable decline into ME-CFS. But that's not the kind of thing you wanted!

Morning: mutlivit
Evening: bed.
Job done

Fun and frequent, regular exercise - everything else seemed to fall in around that

Exercise..made me feel good, more flexible, younger, happier, and more toned. I did circuit training and walking. Just out the door and walk for half an hour..nothing major.

Regular exercise and eating fewer carbs. I have more energy and I don't have the energy highs and slumps I used to. It helps with losing weight as well.

Move soooo much more.
Sleep soooo much more.

Pilates. Everything used to ache, especially my back, and is much better now. I'm also stronger with a bit more muscle tone and a tighter core.

I had chemo last year and the side effects include making the body very sensitive to stuff that is not good for me.

Since then I've found that cutting down on animal fat, alcohol and salt, and drinking more water, eating a wider variety of veg, and taking more exercise (running 2 or 3 times a week), make a HUGE difference.

I feel well, young, energetic, positively springy. I get better sleep and have better skin & glossier hair.

The nice thing is I can have alcohol or cream or whatever if I want to, just not as frequently.

I noticed that when I eat a lot of fruit I feel more kind of solid and present. Heightened senses maybe

Only eating real food, cutting out UPF

Pilates makes me ache! It seems no matter how long I do it for, I still feel like I’ve done a full body workout for days afterwards. I’m just about recovered and then it’s time to go again

Reducing my sugar intake, stretching daily, and planning my meals.

i aim to get in at least a 20 minute walk outside daily and making a conscious effort to move around my flat throughout the day since I WFH now. I’ll dance for a few minutes or stretch or do a short exercise video every couple of hours or so.

I don’t drink alcohol but if I did I’d cut it out.

also being less available for certain friends who text me 24/7 about their problems but don’t listen to mine.

I do know what you mean @FoodFann, but overall my general aches and pains have reduced - and start to come back if I miss a couple of classes on the trot. I've been too busy to go at all this week, for example, and I'm lying here with a sore back!

Start looking a food labels- the realisation of how much crap is in some stuff pushed me to become more plant based. Have lost a stone in the last 8 months 😃

Not getting how crap in food is linked to plant based? DS's falafel he likes has a long list of ingredients. Reading ingredients has led us to eating more whole foods like meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables.

Running. Whole 30. Yoga.

I started running as a total non exerciser, in 2018. Never done any sports or fitness before. That helped me to lose weight and stop smoking, so the combination was of course life changing.

I did a round of whole 30 at the end of lockdown #1 and it just turned my food on its head, I have never felt so well. Also in lockdown, I started doing yoga every day and again, never since have I felt so energised and grounded.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot as, like you OP, I’m caught in the spiral of feeling tired, eating badly, drinking too much, weight gain, diet… I think a touch of the dreaded perimenopause, and total lack of self care. I’m still running, and doing a bit of strength training, but my diet is poor and I drink too much, sleep badly, and I’m carrying a vanity stone that I want to lose. We go on holiday today, but I am planning a round of Whole30 when I get back- I need a shake up in my life!

Meditating every single day.
Limiting time on my phone.
Resting when I need to.

Ending late nights especially once catch up tv came along. So a consistent night's sleep.

Cutting down on alcohol
Lifting weights. Just doing free YouTube home-workouts using 5-7.5kg dumbbells has made a huge difference.

Exercise made the biggest difference. Cutting out alcohol for a year made disappointingly little difference. I calorie counter for six months about ten years ago, lost a heap of weight, and felt great but it was tough and I’m struggling to apply myself again even though I need to.

*calorie counted

Regular sleep patterns and exercise to the extent that I'm able.

Alcohol stopped, I took promethazine 25mg every night, drank trip, 16:8, lemon water first thing everyday, no caffeine after 12pm, eat very healthy, very little processed food, tai chi, 10,000 steps a day outside of the home, squat and plank challange. Leaving my ex, allowed me the head space to do this. Good luck!

I gave up alcohol.
I started taking magnesium and having a good, consistent sleep routine.
I started taking vit B complex, vit D3 and K2, and a good quality Omega 3.
And I try and do 10,000 steps a day.

I’m in the same boat op.

i think sleep and early nights are key. If I go to bed early I’ve got more chance of getting up early and exercising. If I exercise regularly I eat better. If I’m well-rested I can generally function better with more consciousness.

Bad sleep equals no exercise and sloppy habits.

Talking of habits, there’s a really good book called Atomic Habits which really is very interesting and useful in terms of making changes.