Healthy Life Update: It's Been Awhile
Well, hello again. There was a time when I made Healthy Life updates fairly regularly, but now they are very few and very far between. The reasons for this were covered in my last update when I discussed getting back into a healthy routine at the beginning of 2023.
How did 2023 go? Overall, alright. I lost 35 lbs and was keto most of the time. While I was doing better than the few years prior, I was still farther from where I wanted to be. I had some areas that I really wanted to address:
* Diet
* Exercise
* Sleep
* Addictions
* Aging well
I was two days away from my 52nd birthday when I took another one of those long, hard looks at myself. I want to live a long and healthy life so I had some tough decisions to make. I needed to make changes and there was no time like the present. So, here's what I'm doing and my plans for the future.
* Diet: I've been back on the Keto bandwagon for a while now. It works for me and I feel better when I eat like this most of the time. I say most of the time because I do allow myself a "treat" here and there. Allowing myself a treat helps me not to go completely off the rails. At the beginning of March, I also started doing Intermittent Fasting (IF) again. The combination of Keto and IF does wonders for me so I was determined to get back into this routine.
* Exercise: I'm fully back into hiking. I hike at least once each weekend and walk during my lunch break at least twice a week, but often three.
* Sleep: I struggled to either fall asleep or stay asleep. While some of that did resolve once I hit menopause last Fall, it wasn't until I learned about grounding that things really improved. I bought a grounding mattress topper for my bed and my sleep quality is amazing - which makes me feel amazing.
* Addictions: I quit smoking cigarettes after a 26-year addiction back in January 2014. In 2021 with all of the stress I was under, I had almost convinced myself to buy a pack of cigarettes. Instead, I bought a disposable vape. Thus began a two-year addiction to nicotine, albeit in a different form. I put in the work and quit the nic...for a second time. It didn't take long to notice the health improvements from quitting.
* Aging well: Diet and exercise can go a long way to helping you age longer and better. I wondered if there were other things I could do to help. Grounding isn't just good for sleep but for this, as well, so I was making headway, but was there anything else? I found out about a supplement called Urolithin A. While it doesn't work for everyone, for the people it does, it can make a huge difference. I started taking the supplement just recently, so it's too early to tell, but I feel something.
How will this all play out? Only time will tell. In my 5-Year Plan, I specifically made a deadline to get my proverbial shit together this year. I'll definitely update you as we go along. In the meantime, if you're interested in anything I've mentioned, I've provided links below.
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