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.

I massively reduced alcohol, ultra processed junk food and sugar.

Not easy, but am definitely seeing the benefits 9 months on and now have the will power to say no, something that I was unable to do for a very long time!

@HairyKitty I started off doing Caroline Girvan’s Iron series, but now I mostly do a Joe Wicks one (it’s called something like ‘30 minute dumbbells with abs finisher’) and another of CG’s called ‘30 minute dumbbells’. I do one maybe 3 times a week, and also keep the dumbbells somewhere accessible so sometimes just grab them & do 5 minutes of a few basic exercises (squats, deadlifts, shoulder press etc). I use either 5kgs or 7.5kgs depending on the exercise.

I’ve been doing this for a couple of months and my body looks and feels really toned. I can also feel how much stronger I am.

It’s hard to pin down to one because for me it’s the combination of giving up meat and dairy, eating 5 portions of fruit and veg per day and exercising daily.

If I had to pick one it would be giving up meat.

Going to the gym - I stopped going during lockdown and didn't start again until early last night and put on more weight that I ever had (partially perimenopause as well i think) and went back to the gym, then did a low cal diet for a few months as well; going to the gym seemed to have the biggest impact though. I go for two one-hour sessions each week. I also sleep better on days I go.

Slimming World - have lost 2.5 stone and am now at my target weight.

It seems giving up alcohol has made a difference for many- I definitely see a link between alcohol intake and sleep quality. I know I use a glass of wine (and it is often just a glass) as a means of relaxation (I have a job which is pretty tough mentally, I see sad things) so I would like to find a substitute for that- maybe I'll just take the dog out when I would normally pour a glass of wine as I do find that relaxing!

Cutting down alcohol, yoga.

The one thing? Consistency 😁 Someone else has mentioned atomic habits and I would really recommend this to anyone wanting to make a change. It doesn’t matter what you pick but it’s being consistent and doing it every day that will make the difference. So maybe start off with something you can do everyday so you can build up in your mind the message you are a healthy person who looks after themselves.

@Brokenstone do you exercise before breakfast? Any tips for making the fast from 5pm and exercising after a fast doable? Is it just willpower and practice?

Cooking as much from scratch as possible.

Drinks enough water.

Daily yoga.

Walking everywhere I can.

Sleep when I'm tired.
Say no to things that I dont want to do.
Drink water
Eat regular meals
Gave up smoking.

@Noelcansing

Exercising after fasting is easy if you eat low carb, because your body is used to burning fat, knows it has an abundant supply (to last a good few hours anyway ) and your blood sugar is kept stable

Much of what we interpret as hunger is a low blood sugar caused by eating carbs (refined, non refined it's all broken down to the same glucose element). That process triggers insulin. With insulin in your blood stream, your body cannot burn fat and switches back to burning glucose.

The body has to 'guess' how much insulin to release: too much insulin will cause your blood sugar to drop. This signals an emergency and your body is dead set on having more carbs to quench that fire only for the cycle to start again.

Without insulin, the body peacefully burns whatever fat it needs and blood sugar stays stable.

The win:win of low carb eating. Exercise anytime you want, yes, even for performance athletes.

Eating less and never being overweight.

Minimum of four hours outside every day. For me that's fresh air in the countryside, woods, forests, bays and beaches.

No alcohol except for the occasional glass of Pimms in the summer.

Stop drinking all together

Getting decent sleep every night.
Getting my steps in (dog wanders help).
Batch cooking and not buying junk - if it's not in the house it doesn't get eaten).
Keeping fluid topped up, always have a glass of water to hand.

@FinallyHere Wow, this is really helpful, thanks!

@EileenBrysonsTeabags
I have a strict bedtime routine now which I look forward to every night. Each step is a form of mindfulness of unwinding. I’m in bed and asleep by 10pm almost every night now and wake up at 6am (even without an alarm) feeling good.

This sounds amazing and is my goal . Can you share your routine?

Single thing? Being at least 800 miles and a body of water away from my mother. Also running outdoors, drinking more water, and eating lots of fruit, veg and olive oil.

Whilst I already exercised and ate healthily I'm another one who noticed a massive difference by giving up alcohol - I'm not great at moderating though my one glass turns into a bottle! Take a magnesium tablet 30mins before bed (10pm) then wake up around 6 feeling refreshed and energised for the day.

Totally get that re your mother, the stress of a strained parental relationship really takes a massive toll.

I have two

1. running. I was the least sporty person in the world growing up but took up running in my mid twenties and never looked back.
2. portion control. I recall in my early twenties having a chat with a housemate on the lines of “how are you so slim”. She told me very honestly that she puts reasonable portions of food on her plate and never cooks/buys more than what she knows is sensible to eat. Sounds ridiculous but at the time this was enlightening to me- I’d grown up enjoying the feeling of being very full- perhaps my parents encouraged it if I’m very honest. Anyway training myself to make less food on a regular basis, and get used to never feeling “stuffed” has had a massive impact.

I left the UK. I see blue sea and blue sky from my window as I wake up.

Honestly I used to suffer from SAD so badly. I don't get it at all now

Haven't RTFT so apologies if the conversation has moved on.

The one biggest thing I did was to work to improve my sleep.

I read the book Why We Sleep by Matt Walker.

And from there:
• I gave up alcohol, because it negatively affects my sleep (and I was desperate to sleep better).
• I started exercising in the mornings, to get outside and get bright morning light first thing to set my body clock, and because the exercise should help me sleep at the end of the day
• I stopped eating after 6pm because otherwise I'd struggle to fall asleep (this was hard to get used to, I'd been eating a bowl of cereal before bed forever, but it made such a difference)
• I made having a sleep window of 8+ hours the main priority.

It was an incremental process, but it made such a difference. The anxiety gradually reduced, I was much less emotional, and I raved about sleep to anyone who would listen because I felt so much better!

And then from there all the other healthy habits came in. But sleep was the start.

I'm in the same cycle OP and feel like I just need one good week to wean off sugar / carb cycle and set myself up for a healthier lifestyle, but I can't seem to get there mentally. I've been working on my stress levels in other ways and not obsessing about my weight and I feel much happier now but have managed to gain even more weight while trying to be 'kind to myself'. Its so frustrating but when I was going to weekly weigh ins I was so down and I was getting panics and binge eating to counter act panic so not losing anything. I'm reading this thread with interest!

No alcohol
HRT
exercise every day