Jan 21, 2016

2016 goals: Health

If the biggest area I've neglected in 2015, it's health. Too shameful to even come up with the amount of exercising I did (hint: close to none), ate poorly for the most part, started snacking habit at work. 

I had some idea 2 weekends ago on health goals for 2016. While I cannot change the environment I'm working in (think a lot of sitting, looking at the screens, got home tired and frankly don't bother doing anything else), there is still some things I can do:

(1) I'm toying with the idea of getting up early half an hour or 45 mins earlier than usual - just so I can walk to my office instead of taking the commute. At the moment I walked home after work and it felt great to be able to walk free and people-watch (or lost in thoughts, which is more often the case). The amount of walking I do per day is shamefully little. If I can squeeze this routine in before work, I'll arrive in office more awake, warm (vs icy feet and  fingers in winter), brain functions should be better. I have no idea when to start this (not this week) and whether this will be too much in the summer (I bet it is), the plus side is I'll be doing some minimal form of exercising and get my brain ready for work, save some commute pennies, the down side is I'll be losing some sleep / need to sleep earlier the night before for the whole week.

(2) Similar to (1) above, instead of walking to office, I'll go for a jog nearby home for 20-30 mins. Speaking of difficulty in getting up, this applies to both ideas but this is probably more difficult as it involves changing into a gym gear and then work apparel. This one also will sweat more. A friend suggested I start with the lowest intensity and build up over time, she has a point. If I started out too intensive (30 mins for a start, high-speed), I'd only end up exhausted and will not pursue it again. I had to give her the kudos for sticking to her routine for 1+ years! (really how does one do that?)

(3) I'm prepared to pay more for good fruits. Since my fruit intake is quite poor no matter it is weekday or night, no matter how much I love fruits, there isn't a good timing for it. I've now resorted to bringing some to work so I can munch on, partly to replace snacking with junk food. So far it worked, sort of. There are only a few contenders who can serve the office setting. I think I'm willing to pay more for better fruits since they're well worth it (sumptuous!), and it can't really go wrong if I was to go the eat-whole-foods path.

(4) There was a tiny bag of expired instant pasta (I know) last week, I took the opportunity and made use of a tomato in the fridge, sprinkled some cheese powder leftover from mom's baking, black pepper, some rosemary (again pantry leftover) and it made a great meal. In fact I could halve it and make lunch for next day. The instant part was not healthy but I think I might experiment it with plain uncooked pasta next time. It helps to always have some vegetables on hand (the kinds that I like, not the kinds that my mom usually cooks). This idea needs a bit tinkering since those kind of foods (tomatoes, mushrooms) don't tend to last long in the fridge and I don't cook often enough to justify having them around in the house for too long. Hmmm....

(5) Keeping my bedtime. Because self-care gives me power to deal with the day.

Don't have ideas about how I'd like to take on 2016 (not advised...I know), but nothing has really 'clicked' so far except for health and social goals.

4 comments:

  1. I think these are some great ideas - you and I are in the same boat on a lot of them. And don't worry about not having a "grand plan" for 2016. Maybe you are not meant to have one this year. Maybe you just take it month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter and determine what you need to focus on right then and there.

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  2. Walking is great. You get exercise, fresh air, get to look at people and places. It's a lot easier on your joints and, as you mentioned, you don't get sweaty and have to change clothes. I agree with Pru about the grand plan. Take this year as it comes, perhaps.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by January! I've yet to catch up with your posts while I'm away last year, but I truly wish your new endeavors will work out favourably for you :)

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