BP 86 - Forty Health Practices I Engage in Daily
Provided below are the principal health practices and strategies I implement every day. The hope in my practicing them is that not only will I live a long life, but I’ll feel well and energetic well into old age.
1/I go to bed early (at or before 9:00p).
2/I get up early (4:30a). Yep, that equates to at least 7½ hours of sleep a night.
3/I take naps several times a week.
4/I practice intermittent fasting nearly every day. My typical feeding window is 11a to 630p every day.
5/I floss, gargle, and brush at least twice a day.
6/I take an icy-cold shower [see Note below] for the last two minutes of my daily, morning shower.
1/I go to bed early (at or before 9:00p).
2/I get up early (4:30a). Yep, that equates to at least 7½ hours of sleep a night.
3/I take naps several times a week.
4/I practice intermittent fasting nearly every day. My typical feeding window is 11a to 630p every day.
5/I floss, gargle, and brush at least twice a day.
6/I take an icy-cold shower [see Note below] for the last two minutes of my daily, morning shower.
Note: In the summer months, my icy-cold shower is more cool than it is cold.
7/I practice Wim Hof breathing after my morning shower every day.
8/I, typically, fast one whole day a week (usually on Fridays), where I fast from after dinner the previous night to at least 3p on the day of my fast.
9/I use the toilet often: Several times a day (mostly in the morning), and pretty much like clockwork. (My apologies if I’m sharing too much private information. Older folks are allowed to talk about such things.)
10/When eating, I follow the advice of Michael Pollan: ”I eat [real] food. Mostly plants. Not too much.”
11/I drink about ¾ of a gallon of water every day.
12/I don’t use (or misuse [to avoid anything, like painful feelings]) food, stimulants, depressants, or alcohol. I limit all caffeine and alcohol intake.
13/I pray and meditate every day, throughout the day.
14/I listen to music I enjoy all day.
15/When I feel pain, fear, rejection, or embarrassment (or any host of other difficult feelings), I stay with what I’m feeling and don’t run from it.
16/I write a lot.
17/I stretch a lot.
18/I practice my physical therapy, yoga-like stretching, and postural exercises a lot. I do all of them every day; a few of them, I do multiple times a day.
19/I train in martial arts (for the joy of it, first and foremost; and for my immediate and long-term health) every day except on Sundays.
20/I bounce on my mini-tramp for several minutes almost every day.
21/I forgive those who hurt me. I live by the slogan: You’re forgiven… long before you do or don’t do, say or don’t say anything.
22/I live with purpose. I know why I exist, and I live congruent with that self-knowledge.
23/I spend time with those I love who live near me.
24/I tell those I love how much I love them and what they’ve meant to me in my life.
25/I don’t spend much money; actually, I’m pretty much a minimalist.
26/I move healthily and change postures a lot.
27/I walk and turtle-run a fair amount. I shoot for around 10-12 miles/week.
28/I try to sit for no longer than 20 minutes at a time.
29/I do quirky things and make fun of myself when I’m out in public.
30/I pay little attention to the snap judgments and fickle opinions of others.
31/I do mostly only what I want to do. Even the various things I do to support myself (paid work, etc.) are really just hobbies to me.
32/I listen a lot.
33/I read a lot. I set a goal each year of reading at least 50 books a year.
34/I play a lot.
35/I think, feel, and dream a lot.
36/I traverse obstacles and stairs mindfully. In my life, it’s amazing how many times I’ve hurt myself bumping into things or stumbling on the stairs (especially when I’m sleepy). The less this happens, the better. Hence, why I take an intentionally mindful approach to traversing such things.
37/I invite God to be a part of every aspect of my day—even my innermost thoughts and feelings.
38/I look at things optimistically. I may often be less “right” than a pessimist, but my optimism makes me a much happier person. Also, I probably do better at everything simply because I'm happy.
39/I don’t accept illness or disease. I relax and fight it with prayer, laughter, and healthy, surrendered living. Here’s a prayer I pray often: "Lord, make me well miraculously, or show me how to make me well. Either way, I’ll be eternally grateful to You [see Note below]."
Note: This pray is inspired by the teachings of J. Rufus Moseley (1870-1954).
40/I use social media (sparingly) to post encouraging things. Other than that, I generally avoid social media. I refrain from (and mostly scroll past) all political discussions.
7/I practice Wim Hof breathing after my morning shower every day.
8/I, typically, fast one whole day a week (usually on Fridays), where I fast from after dinner the previous night to at least 3p on the day of my fast.
9/I use the toilet often: Several times a day (mostly in the morning), and pretty much like clockwork. (My apologies if I’m sharing too much private information. Older folks are allowed to talk about such things.)
10/When eating, I follow the advice of Michael Pollan: ”I eat [real] food. Mostly plants. Not too much.”
11/I drink about ¾ of a gallon of water every day.
12/I don’t use (or misuse [to avoid anything, like painful feelings]) food, stimulants, depressants, or alcohol. I limit all caffeine and alcohol intake.
13/I pray and meditate every day, throughout the day.
14/I listen to music I enjoy all day.
15/When I feel pain, fear, rejection, or embarrassment (or any host of other difficult feelings), I stay with what I’m feeling and don’t run from it.
16/I write a lot.
17/I stretch a lot.
18/I practice my physical therapy, yoga-like stretching, and postural exercises a lot. I do all of them every day; a few of them, I do multiple times a day.
19/I train in martial arts (for the joy of it, first and foremost; and for my immediate and long-term health) every day except on Sundays.
20/I bounce on my mini-tramp for several minutes almost every day.
21/I forgive those who hurt me. I live by the slogan: You’re forgiven… long before you do or don’t do, say or don’t say anything.
22/I live with purpose. I know why I exist, and I live congruent with that self-knowledge.
23/I spend time with those I love who live near me.
24/I tell those I love how much I love them and what they’ve meant to me in my life.
25/I don’t spend much money; actually, I’m pretty much a minimalist.
26/I move healthily and change postures a lot.
27/I walk and turtle-run a fair amount. I shoot for around 10-12 miles/week.
28/I try to sit for no longer than 20 minutes at a time.
29/I do quirky things and make fun of myself when I’m out in public.
30/I pay little attention to the snap judgments and fickle opinions of others.
31/I do mostly only what I want to do. Even the various things I do to support myself (paid work, etc.) are really just hobbies to me.
32/I listen a lot.
33/I read a lot. I set a goal each year of reading at least 50 books a year.
34/I play a lot.
35/I think, feel, and dream a lot.
36/I traverse obstacles and stairs mindfully. In my life, it’s amazing how many times I’ve hurt myself bumping into things or stumbling on the stairs (especially when I’m sleepy). The less this happens, the better. Hence, why I take an intentionally mindful approach to traversing such things.
37/I invite God to be a part of every aspect of my day—even my innermost thoughts and feelings.
38/I look at things optimistically. I may often be less “right” than a pessimist, but my optimism makes me a much happier person. Also, I probably do better at everything simply because I'm happy.
39/I don’t accept illness or disease. I relax and fight it with prayer, laughter, and healthy, surrendered living. Here’s a prayer I pray often: "Lord, make me well miraculously, or show me how to make me well. Either way, I’ll be eternally grateful to You [see Note below]."
Note: This pray is inspired by the teachings of J. Rufus Moseley (1870-1954).
40/I use social media (sparingly) to post encouraging things. Other than that, I generally avoid social media. I refrain from (and mostly scroll past) all political discussions.
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