Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff

[Catsmeow]

I know there was a health thread, but I don't feel like looking for it. So let's say you? Let's start a new one. I'll even go first.

waves a paw
Hello I'm Catsmeow. I hate cardio. So I decided to get my unhealthy butt in gear. How you ask? (I know you didn't ask) By deciding to walk/run 2017 miles this year. So that's approximately 5.5 miles a day with about a week of no miles. Yay.

Today, I went to the gym after (muttermuttermutter) not going. I got on the boring treadmill and walked. I was like I will walk 5.5 miles. I did not account for being out of shape or having an upper respiratory infection that makes breathing hard.

So... I walked 2 miles and called it. I actually consider this a success. So is anyone else trying to get healthier? Trying to eliminate debt? Trying to live on the cheap? Those are all my 2017 things. So if so, let's support each other.

If not, I got to talk about myself and you read it so. Win/Win?

[ZombieGenesis]

Congrats on any steps in the right direction!

Last year my wife and I made similar pledges. She's done better than I. She's done quite amazing actually.

For myself I just started DDP Yoga and it's going well. So far.

As for the other stuff, I just got my first paycheck from my YouTube channel and I'll be receiving a royalties payment from Amazon for my self published stuff soon so...going in the right direction there too!

[Derp]

It's been shown that doing more than about 4.5 miles a day (in one go, that is, not spread out) can actually be detrimental to your health.

But honestly, I would work to spread that out over the day. Depending on your stride length and height and such, it's generally considered a good deal to hit between 10 000 and 18,000 steps per day, which is actually considerable mileage, and has many health benefits.

But just increasing your current stuff by about 3,000 steps is usually enough to start getting healthier and avoid cardiovascular disease and such.

I've been tracking food using MyFitnessPal, and I got a Gear Fit 2 to keep track of steps and sleep and such. S health records a lot of useful info. Unfortunately, S Health and MFP (and the Gear) will not talk to each other directly, or it would be so much easier.

ETA: I've been using credit karma a lot more lately. My credit isn't terrible as it is, but I'm a single white guy who has always rented and has no loans outside of student loans, plus I just got my first credit card (even though it pained me to do so, philosophically) so like...it's hanging in that nebulous region of 'nothing bad, but nothing swell'.

[Catsmeow]

I have myfitnesspal. I go back and forth on pedometers though. I loved Body Bugg when it was a thing. Seriously. LOVED IT, but it was too large and a hassle. I like fitbit and I've used it, but I find it only records like every fourth step I make. This is because years of singing lessons have taught me to move without swinging my arms or moving my carriage. Yay for proper posture.

I'd be happy (if you want to PM me) to add you on my fitnesspal. Really anything anyone is doing in a positive step is awesome. So all of you are awesome.

[TNP]

@Derp An easy way to improve your credit score, if you have a little extra cash, is to take out a small, short term loan. Borrow something like $500 for 6 months. Pay 4 installments on time (a little early to be safe) then pay the rest off early. The interest will be minimal but you get a good credit report about it.

[Monogram]

The fact that you were willing to put effort into it says something. I say keep doing it, no matter how much or how little, it's having the drive to keep doing it, even if you don't see progress at first.

Especially if you don't see progress at first. But keep at it. It will show.

[Derp]

@TNP

I actually just applied for one last week. It's juuuust under where I can get it without a cosigner (and my bank's minimum is $2000), but all of my vehicles (which I own) are apparently too old to use as collateral.

So I shall wait a few months and try once more.

[GangOfDolls]

I'm trying to figure out if I can afford to buy a house in a hyper inflated real estate market where everyone's offering $100-200k over asking, cash, and waiving inspections. I make a decent salary but I have a lot of student loans and had to dip into my savings when I was unemployed for longer than anticipated a few years ago.

My biggest issue is finding ways to save more money every month while meeting obligations and trying to pay down debt from said unemployment period.

I have no idea if this is possible in reality or if I'm going to jut have to rent for a few more years.

[Catsmeow]

Dang. Where do you live (don't really tell me that's personal)? 100-200k OVER asking? As well, you can make a debt snowball and just pay it down and it goes faster than one thinks.

[Derp]

@Catsmeow said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

Dang. Where do you live (don't really tell me that's personal)? 100-200k OVER asking? As well, you can make a debt snowball and just pay it down and it goes faster than one thinks.

That's kind of what I was wondering too...

[surreality]

@GangOfDolls I would wait a few years, honestly, to see what the market does, even if that advice feels stymying and awful.

That is generally not a trend destined to last forever, and it would suck really hard to be paying today's price on a property that you would not be able to recoup when it does eventually drop back to the norm if/when you decide to sell.

[Ganymede]

@Catsmeow said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

So... I walked 2 miles and called it. I actually consider this a success. So is anyone else trying to get healthier? Trying to eliminate debt? Trying to live on the cheap? Those are all my 2017 things. So if so, let's support each other.

I decided to go hard this year running, and brought myself up to 3.5 miles in about two months.

Then, my fascia tore. It hurt to walk. A lot.

Go slow. Go real slow. I'd do 1 mile every other day to start. My partner used an app called Couch Potato to 5K, or something like that -- it's totally worth it.

[Cupcake]

I walk for 20 minutes a day now, thanks to my dog. Sometimes, if the weather's nice and I'm feeling energetic we'll go a longer walk. I've also pretty much completely given up soda.

I don't know that it's having any effect on my weight, but I generally feel better.

I'm also three months away from completing payments owed on a major debt which will free up my finances considerably.

[Arkandel]

I set up a whole regime around walking - it's not the best cardio but it's the safest cardio, so it'll need to do.

What works for me (although obviously it might not be everyone's cup of tea) is gamifying the whole experience; yes, it can be fun since it gives a chance to reflect, think of things - I don't even know how many PrPs I've worked on while taking a long walk - but it can also get boring after a while.

So, these are my tricks:

1. Figure out my limits, both physical and otherwise. For example time is a limit; if going from A->B takes 1.5 hour then going back the same way takes another 1.5, which I might not have. So I need to consider my routes in advance, or count on taking public transit back as needed.

2. Give me something at the end of the trip. For example I walk downtown where the largest Indigo bookstore I know is, so I can sift through new arrivals. Or to a restaurant I really like to have lunch at. It's nice to walk toward something than just aimlessly.

3. Have something to do in the mean time. Pokemon: Go works (it used to be Ingress) but... anything, really. Music is certainly great for this (I suggest bluetooth headphones if you have them, cables suck once you're getting sweaty). Stay safe!

4. Finally... Fitbit is also a blast for all this since, by the end, you can have little competitions with your buddies if anyone you know has it. If you do and you don't have buddies I'll be one! Just ping me.

That's all.

[Derp]

@Arkandel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

Finally... Fitbit is also a blast for all this since, by the end, you can have little competitions with your buddies if anyone you know has it. If you do and you don't have buddies I'll be one! Just ping me.

Anyone on here using the S Health Together stuff? So far, I think I'm the only person I know using it.

[Catsmeow]

I cut back to a mile walk today. Well a little over a mile as I'm walking hella slow and it took me half an hour. I was sore from yesterday and I'm still sick. I think I might stick with this for a bit until my body says it's good to go.

I like Couch 2 5K. It's a great app. Sadly, I can't breathe when I run. Seriously, my lungs are like NOPE and just shut down. Then I'm gasping for air and throwing up. My friend who thinks everyone should run was even like, "You know, it's okay if you are never a runner." So I've altered goals. A mile walk a day and be able to run a 5K by the end of the YEAR. I think this is more than practical.

[Wretched]

@Arkandel said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

2. Give me something at the end of the trip. For example I walk downtown where the largest Indigo bookstore I know is, so I can sift through new arrivals. Or to a restaurant I really like to have lunch at. It's nice to walk toward something than just aimlessly.

This right here. I used to walk... like a lot. I was a lean mean walking machine. Then... i became a sedentary machine and I doubled in weight or more. It's been a long road of health and mental issues since. A few weeks Twice a year i walk when my wife takes the train home from work, and go and meet her and in that time, things improve. The rest of the year, i have no goals, so walking becomes a joyless chore. No goal means I make excuses to go home, or stay home.

[Kestrel]

My New Year's Resolution for 2016 was to give up alcohol. As of 2017 I've accomplished this, and didn't have even a drop of alcohol throughout the last year, not even on my birthday or any other special occasion. It didn't feel like that much of an effort but I am super proud of myself all the same. Bit by bit I'm trying to get healthier, and having gone plant-based a few years prior (also as the result of a New Year's Resolution!), this felt like the next logical step.

Granted, my goal was also to drop 10kgs in 2016 and I didn't succeed in that resolution, but you know ... win some lose some. (I actually dropped 20kgs but regained it. GDI yo-yo dieting.)

My resolutions this year are twofold, and are a fair bit simpler:

• Be more selfish.
• Start a bullet journal.

The first resolution I realise isn't one most people would make, or even look favourably on other people for making, but I've come to realise that taking better care of myself is a major step I need to make as a grown-up. I'm one of those people who'll drop everything in an instant for a friend, but when it comes to my needs, I usually leave those to the wayside and I'm way too critical and harsh on myself, while other people never meet me halfway, nor do they extend the same care or permissiveness I offer them. So ... yep. 2017 is the year that I stop feeling bad for needing to put myself first, in lieu of expecting other people to meet the standards I set for myself.

Apart from that, I'm notoriously disorganised and need to get my shit together. So instead of making a list of resolutions for myself this year (which I usually do), I've decided to take it bit by bit, month by month, and set myself health/education goals as I go, to suit my fluctuating state, while focusing on the little things and the getting of the shit together (e.g., do laundry today). I like that the bullet journal system is very suitable for an on-the-fly kind of lifestyle, since you don't pre-plan your year or even month — you use as much space as you need for the day/week, index your newest lists and goals, and then write up your next month after as many pages as you've needed to use for the one prior.

I may post pictures after I've prettied mine up for the week and stuff, if this thread is still going and I'm not feeling super self-conscious by then!

[Misadventure]

I love that due to my job I get points for tracking meals, sleep, and steps, and those points convert to dollars to counter medical care costs beyond what insurance covers. My wife and I racked up over $400 last year, which isn't a huge amount but made it worthwhile.

She wins at steps, I win at sleeping.

[Lithium]

I am in shape, it's a perfectly valid shape.

Also: Life is a terminal condition, nobody makes it out alive.

Also also: Congratulations on getting in a more socially acceptable shape.

Also also also: I need a pool, my knees can't take extended walking/running.