The Wednesday Wellness threads are meant to encourage users to ask for and provide advice and motivation to improve their lives. It isn't intended as a 'containment thread' and any content which could go here could instead be posted in its own thread. You could post:
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Requests for advice and / or encouragement. On basically any topic and for any scale of problem.
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Updates to let us know how you are doing. This provides valuable feedback on past advice / encouragement and will hopefully make people feel a little more motivated to follow through. If you want to be reminded to post your update, see the post titled 'update reminders', below.
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Advice. This can be in response to a request for advice or just something that you think could be generally useful for many people here.
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Encouragement. Probably best directed at specific users, but if you feel like just encouraging people in general I don't think anyone is going to object. I don't think I really need to say this, but just to be clear; encouragement should have a generally positive tone and not shame people (if people feel that shame might be an effective tool for motivating people, please discuss this so we can form a group consensus on how to use it rather than just trying it).
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Working out: I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week for the last couple of months. This is my first regular habit since the pandemic broke my previous one so I'm happy about that. A few days ago I admitted my hip injury from moving in march wasn't going to go away on its own so I am doing some exercises which seem to be helping (its not bad enough to cause a limp so ignoring it doesn't feel irresponsible but it has dragged on a bit). I would like to build a regular yoga habit for days I don't go to the gym but those are hard for me because I get bored and wander off. At least on the exercise bike I can listen to an audiobook AND play a puzzle. I once had a yoga while watching desperate housewives habit, maybe I should pick something like that again.
Digital wellness: I've been actively cutting back on algorithm internet for several months. I started with a 9 day full fast and since then I've been just trying to log it and keep an eye on the numbers. On vacation, other than on the airplane, I pretty much stopped logging it and that was fine but then I kept up a much higher habit when I got home so I did a weekend total fast from twitter which was probably good for me I feel more balanced and less stressed. I actually didn't feel tempted at all but maybe that was because I was still using youtube.
Socializing: I went to my third timeleft dinner last week and it was the first time I've really not been happy I went. The conversation ranged from things that bore me to tears (heavy metal and band recommendations) to keeping-my-mouth-shut-around-strangers when people talked about polyamory and a dude recently having a breakup where he cheated on his girlfriend and he wasn't unhappy he'd hurt her, just that she hates him now. I mostly think of myself as an ambivert but this wore my batteries all the way down and kind of made me hate strangers. And then I added two first dates over the weekend and I'm just socially tapped out on people I don't know.
Dating: I've been on three first dates in the last month. I have current pictures taken for a friend who did a great job (lots of poses, three outfits, tons of pictures to choose from) and I'm at my thinnest in 20+ years so at least I don't have to be worried men will feel catfished. That said dating in your 40s is harder for women, even in the bay area, and I am struggling to use hinge in an effective way. "Looking young" is an advantage IRL but not on apps. Okcupid at least you used to be able to trust the algorithm to prioritize what you care about (intelligence, for me). Hinge is where everyone is but the information is so minimal. I also wish there was a default profile question where people would say they were separated but not divorced. Its such an awkward conversation to have but apparently one you need to have at this bracket (I understand why people date before they are divorced but I am not willing to date them).
Intellectual: I just finished my second masters and I need a project. I'm considering doing the UCLA extension class on tv writing but that might be completely insane, to finish two years of online grad school and then jump back into it. I just got my sundays back! Other projects I've considered is getting into game jams and light game development or actually going back and finishing one of the novels I started last decade.
What exercises do you like for weird hip stuff? Like your standard Cossack squat, clamshell, fire-hydrant circles type of thing; or did you dig up something more exotic?
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I've actually just joined my first game jam, Adventures for one-page RPGs, which seemed like a good way to dip my toes in the water -- we'll see if I can actually force myself to carry through!
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For the month of September I'm doing a thing for charity where I have to run a certain number of miles in the month. Having been focused on strength training for the last couple of years, it's good to get back into cardio, and I forgot how much I enjoyed a long run on the road as opposed to the treadmill. I ran a half-marathon last weekend (completing it just shy of two hours) and am planning to do another this Saturday. I'd love to get to a time of 1:45, but I'd settle for 1:50.
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New Year's resolution check-in:
How goes it @self_made_human, @thejdizzler, @birb_cromble, @ThomasdelVasto and @falling-star?
Been tracking my calories more consistently after enlisting a friend to expect daily screenshots. Up 3 pounds in the last month. Trying to lock in for a yearly event at the end of the month. The past two times I've been it was full of girls my type and in my league.
My progress on squats is unreal. I'm already back to struggling to fit into jeans. Daily fruit smoothies with a fuck ton of protein powder might have solved my previous lifting bottleneck.
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Spending is $2,267.27 lower than the same day last year.
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A sub 6:00 mile for the full 5k is bad?
The best mile I ever ran in my life was 5:58 and I literally spent the rest of the day coughing blood. How do you do it?
For context my PR is in the 14:50s. I've run that pace for a half-marathon before, but have gotten fat the past few years so am slower.
I started running when I was in 7th grade and slowly built mileage throughout high school, college, and the first few years of grad school, which resulted in my peak fitness in 2021 with PRs of 14:54 in the 5k, 30:40 in the 10k and 4:17 in the mile. The key was just lots and lots of running, a substantial amount of swimming and biking, and some lifting. As well as heavy dose of natural talent.
Since not being part of an NCAA team, I've gotten slower and really since 2024 where I got COVID and then proceded to gain 20 pounds in a matter of months, my fitness has definitely taken a hit. I'm trying to get back into it though and have lost most of the weight I want to and am back to good mileage (67/week). So hoping it's just a matter of time.
Big tip from me would be to slow everything down. A lot of people end up running pretty hard on what is supposed to be their easy run, my past self included. Not only does this inhibit the system you are trying to train (your aerobic system), but it also reduces the amount of training you can handle and makes you hate running. If you really want to get better, I would suggest buying a heart rate monitor and capping all your easy runs at 60-65% of your max heart rate. This is going to feel really slow and you may have to walk all uphills, but you'll quickly see improvement. About 1-2 of your days you can go as hard as you want, but most runs should be this easy.
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I'll let @thejdizzler comment on his training for himself. But don't discount his elite level dedication to diet.
Reading that, it makes sense. He puts as much effort into running as I do into lifting.
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No exercise other than running around at work. I still intend to cancel my gym membership as a lost cause.
I have other things I would love to talk about, but due to a catastrophic failure of OPSEC, I can't. They know where to find me. Hello.
Otherwise, I continue being the best I've ever been, really. Long time coming.
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