Sounds nice, except for the being miserable part.
I don't have either the time or the money anymore to eat properly.
I use weed to cope with existential crisis and sociopolitically turmoil
Same dude. Same.
I also walk a lot as a form of exercise. I love eating an edible and then going to wander around. The edible hits mid walk and it’s awesome.
100%, I do the same while listening to music. On the best days, I'll lose all sense of time until I find myself on the other side of town.
I discover the best places that way, and I always pin them for next time I'm around. If I pass by an interesting looking place but don't go in, I'll mark it with a question mark in a list called "Sidequests"
I love wandering aimlessly around town. So many cool places to see.
Sometimes I’ll play a mobile game called Orna while I walk. It helps me get further out as I chase down monsters and loot.
Go team stoned walkers!
This is my go to as well. Add in some music or audiobook and stroll all over town. Come back home and sleep like a baby. It's a great combo and makes you feel good about getting that exercise in.
In the words of RTJ: Life's a shitnado, the smoke's my umbrella.
I hit rock bottom, gave up drinking, went to therapy, found a new job that I don't hate, gave up weed, found a partner, got asked if I wanted to go on a hiking holiday with her, said yes, panicked because I was totally out of shape, bought a bike, got in shape and enjoyed it, got married, have a kid on the way. Life's good.
Mid 30s.
Work, sleep, work, sleep, energy drink, work, sleep, energy drink, work, sleep, energy drink, work half a shift, 2nd energy drink, with 2nd half of shift, fucking crash into a vegetative state for a weekend.
Typical week.
Not doing great. >_>
Almost 31. I don't drink sugar anymore. I still eat fast food constantly and vape THC on the daily. I have a therapist now, though, and sometimes exercise.
I struggled to gain weight for most of my life, but I finally managed to put on some muscle via figuring out that I need to eat a ton of food alongside activity. Doing woodworking, drumming, and general housework has been enough exercise to keep me from getting fat and actually have an okay physique.
Mental health is in the shitter, but I'm working on it.
So I think I'm doing about as well as everyone else my age.
I still eat fast food constantly
Which fastfood?
Like McDonalds?
I feel like fastfood quality of taste went downhill... maybe its just my area... 🤷♂️ (that's on top of the related health issues)
Just about all of it. I drive around all day for work, so it's the only convenient and cheap way to get a hot lunch. I bring my lunch sometimes, but not as often as I should.
I'm also pretty tired after work and all out of executive function, so i don't make dinner as often as I should, since other things get prioritized. Will hopefully be moving to a place with a dish washer soon, which will hopefully help me stop avoiding cooking so often.
Quality has gone down for some items and locations, up for others, imo. Prices all suck, but so do grocery prices at this point. You can still get a meal pretty cheap if you are willing to just eat whatever is on promo.
Which do you like?
I kinda like the Bacon Cheeseburger at Five Guys
Idk about "cheap" tho...
Five guys is good, but it's insanely expensive for what it is. I feel like you get an equally good burger for a more reasonable price at Whataburger.
Braums does a good job with chicken strips and cherry limeade.
Taco Bell's boxes are the only thing approaching a decent value at this point, and they change them decently often.
I try to eat local if possible, though.
After i turned 30, i was rapidly confronted with consequences for my unhealthy lifestyle from my teens and twenties, you learn quickly that things need to change after glancing at death a couple times and at hospital stays.
Thankfully i have the motivation to keep living, and that began to drive my actions after that
Eat healthy less processed foods made in your kitchen and bought from farmers and markets
Gym and active hobbies like hiking and dancing at least three times a week
Hygene routines solidified, brushing teeth twice daily, non negotiable, thorough flossing and even tounge scrapping daily, fresh clean towel after the daily shower - its worth the extra laundry imo
Skincare, especially daily sunscreen, non negotiable - face, neck, and exposed arms - brimmed hat when on a daily walk, upf 50+ clothing if outside for more than an hour doing chores of on hobbies - in the morning vit c on the face, and in the night a retinol (vit a derivitive)
Hearing protection when at any music shows, wear them so you can keep hearing shows for the long term and not be that guy that says "WHAT?!" at every sentence. Genuinely, i prefer to go with good earplugs now than without
Keeping hold of and scheduling meets with friends, family, and neighbors - as you get older it gets so easy to drift a part, we are all busy, and that 3 minutes spent texting to say "hey lets hang out, does thursday evening work?" makes good friends into best friends - lonely people die faster - be that family, friends, neighbors, and yourself
As i get older and take care of myself, its easier to love myself, and thus, its easier to love other people and receive their love too. Get philosophical about it, it also takes care of you.
Echoing what other people said, your vices come to get you in your thirties and you have to either decide to give into them, or confront them.
I still struggle with fast food and sitting a lot, but I work out regularly now at 3-4 times a week to counter it, stretch, and now I purposely try to not be sedentary. I walk and bike when I can, avoid endlessly driving or anything else that is just sitting. In the last 18 months there has a been a dramatic improvement to my health with all of my numbers being better than where they were before. I've learned that even a modest amount of trying will do an exponential amount of payoff.
Someone said in a comments field "Why should I spend 30 minutes a day sweaty and miserable" (referring to working out). I've learned that for myself it's not about the 30 minutes feeling miserable, it's the rest of the day where you feel much better. I'm no longer winded going up stairs, I can carry things, I feel like I have some of my endurance from my teenage years back.
When I want ice cream... I eat ice cream.
Making up a plan for how to take care of myself. As it currently stands, it entails:
Unless I deal with the above first, I don't see how I'm going to find energy to do anything else, even though I want to exercise, eat well and whatnot.
Stretch and eat fiber.
It's literally all anyone has to do to stay fit, but almost no one is willing to do it. It's fucking weird especially as people get older that they don't do either. Even if it doesn't add "years of life" it drastically improves the quality of your years.
Which in a lot of ways is even more valuable.
I’ll be 44 on Easter Sunday.
Lots of veggies. Lots of strength training, but nothing too complicated. Also, doing stuff with my kids like Little League and Cub Scouts keeps me moving.
Quit reddit and twitter.
Quiting Facebook was a huge improvement in my life
Learned a lot about health and fitness in my early 30s, made it my hobby essentially. But things change so also learned that it's not about what I did today or even this month, it's about what I mostly do and getting back to it. Kids come along, house moves, job moves, disruption after disruption... Gotta lose the self blame and get back up every time. That is for sure an equally important thing to learn.
I have a diet of looking at nutrition labels and frowning, and midnight snack attacks.
At least three times per week I practice self contempt and when possible I have a couple of anxiety crises.
Just bought a new mattress so hopefully sleeping better soon
Yas!!!! I was having back problems, told myself "Well old chap, your back is ageing now innit?" Turns out I had a mattress problem. Make sure you get a good frame too.
I stopped drinking alcohol.
I strongly reduced my consumption after my first kid was born and just drank less and less.
Initially I reduced my consumption because being hangover while taking care of a crying baby SUCKS! Then the less I drank the more I realized the impact of even a glass of wine to my mood and energy level.
It feels harder, where I live now. It feels like I'm getting so much older so quickly.
I’m not really tbh.
Im 49. I cycle for 1 hour a few mornings a week and try to walk at lunchtime, but my job is sedentary. Truth is I'm pretty overweight. I try to eat well, but I eat crap as well. I drink at the weekends. My worst vice is a couple of ciggies a week. Ok, a day. I try to vape instead, which is better for me but a ridiculous habit at my age. I will stop both.
On the up side I live rurally in Scotland and have a family I love and a job I don't hate. I'm hoping to get healthier for a holiday in October. But I have shit will power. Onwards!
The weather doesn't help with trying to get cardio which is mostly outdoors.
100%
I signed up for a cycle to work challenge to use the bike every day in Feb. Managed 2 trips.
I did a step challenge in February to try to get it into my life. I did it but I barely left the house in March. I'm in Ireland.
I am not smug about it but I’ve been taking better care of myself for around 10 years and it’s grrrreat.
The healthy people were right.
I saw some photos of myself dancing at a friends wedding and did NOT LIKE what I saw. Pure vanity.
I got a personal trainer and set some very silly stunt goals - I knew I didn’t want to focus on how I look, but focus on being the kind of person who could do interesting things and that would have a side effect that looked good. It worked! Plus I learned how to do cool things with my body.
Sometimes being hungover or eating huge meals interfered with my quest to do a pistol squat or a one arm push up or run a race. So I moderated that and hit my goals.
Now my baseline is fairly healthy. So when I go out until 4 with people my body is able to handle it better. I still pay, but I understand the trade off and it isn’t something that happens to me it’s something I chose.
Therapy came in when I was extremely stressed. I avoided it for so long and it was dumb. It’s good to talk to people about your life and challenges. Coaches help players.
My sleep used to be very bad. But I want to do a one arm pull up this year. My body needs rest to get strong enough. So I gotta plan to sleep! I have to give up some other choices to get what I want.
I don’t drink much, just the occasional cocktail that I mix at home. I avoid most processed food, Blue Apron has significant helped with that and taught me how to cook healthier foods. It probably helps that I enjoy eating fresh veggies like bell peppers and tomatoes as a snack. I probably don’t exercise as much as I should, but I do go for walks or bike rides and in spring-fall, I spend more time outside in my little garden. Gotta get that Vitamin D!
My biggest vice is I’m a stoner. I smoke more than my doctor would prefer, but it makes me feel better and has vastly improved my mental health 🤷♀️
Name checks out.
I'm not 30 yet but I'm pretty dang close and most of my friends are either right there with me or pushing 40 at this point. I hear pretty often about how lucky I am that I can eat however I want and don't have to work out and I'm still in great shape. I have a pretty obvious secret though. I mostly only eat healthy stuff that I cook at home, so when I go out I can eat the greasiest cheesesteak you can find it and not feel bad about it, and I do all my own home repairs and renovations. I don't go to the gym, but this morning I hauled 20 6x6x12 beams and about 40 bags of 80 cement to the back field by myself in the blistering sun to build a play structure for my kid. If I don't have anything to build I have a pallet of cinder blocks that don't current have a purpose that I just move around a big field back and forth to keep my hands calloused.
I'm pretty salty about it because I just started with a new doctor, and when asked if I work out I told him such, and he said that doesn't count and I should start going to the gym a few times a week to help my heart health. I think he was sponsored by planet fitness because he kept talking about it.
Usually 4-5 days a week for a couple hours on weekdays, 6+ hours on weekends. A little less in the winter months when we focus on indoor stuff, there's only so much. My kids out there with me almost everyday and loves it. I don't think he'd let me skip to many days even if I wanted to.
We'll spend the rest of the afternoon getting all the posts up, letting them dry all day tomorrow, then work on framing it out next week, probably wrapping it up next Sunday. After that we're building a greenhouse/photos studio for my wife. I like using hand tools which slows things down a lot.
Less alcohol, more fiber!
I've been going to therapy. That's about it.
Don’t undervalue that. Working on your head impacts everything else down the line.
I've always eaten better than most but it has improved even more since I finally went vegan 7 years ago, been vegetarian on and off since my teens but now I'm sure it's for life, and I'm very happy and proud about that!
But I'm not doing well otherwise, got pretty major executive dysfunction which is getting worse with age so I'm stuck at home 95% of the time, unable to do the most basic tasks.
My dad passed away in December 2024 and the closest friend I've ever had passed away in November last year, so it's been real fucking hard to not get so bad that I need serious help, like a psych ward, but I'm managing ok most days. There are more things, both stuff that's too complicated to explain quickly and stuff I don't feel like sharing openly like this.
Never been able to force myself to work out or do anything physical just for the sake of health, I'm fully aware that it's important and that I'm losing years of life but it just doesn't happen no matter what I try. I'm not obese though, never was.
Sleep has been rocky all my life, it was pretty good for about 5 years until last year, it's still better than in my teens and 20s though.
But I'm using all the energy I have to get better. It's slow, very slow, and even one thing too much can push me back down for weeks, but long term I'm improving in most aspects.
I'm just so fucking tired of being broke all the time and never having money to do anything, I get barely enough for rent, bills, food and snus (yeah, I should stop, but I've never even gotten close to doing so, and living in my city which is basically snus heaven where every grocery store has like 40 kinds and convince shops have 100+ and almost all my friends and some family members use it too makes it feel impossible (not putting any blame on anyone else, just explaining the circumstances)).
So yeah, good and bad, heh.
It comes and goes in waves kinda like New Year’s resolutions but in general the amount of kindness and care you invest in yourself and those around you increases.
Your body will punish you harder and harder for staying up late and drinking=> ok let’s do less of that. (I’m at a place now where that happens once every 3-4 months…and even then it’s just 2-3 beers and I’m done)
You notice your social circles becoming less dynamic. So you value those around you more and more.
You learn more empathy, so you take more care of people.
You learn the value of time and choose to spend it with your loved ones instead of insert meaningless time sink.
It’s not perfect, but it does increase.
At least that has been my experience so far.
I eat like shit, and it probably wouldn't hurt to cut back on the beer, so I kinda compensate through everyday stuff. Such as never using an escalator or elevator when it's a matter of fewer than 3 floors, I generally walk when I can, and every other workday starts with 30 push-ups and 10 chinups.
35, intermittent fasting (since I am incapable of eating normal portions per meal), 3-4 session of cardio a week (cycling), climbing twice a week including short gym session afterwards to build up muscles. Also no alcohol for the last two years.
Only thing I need to fix is sleep, I usually only get 7h a night and I feel like it should be 7:30-8.
Added the cardio like 6 months ago, am a voluntary firefighter and we have an event each summer where we run/hike up a hill wearing our oxygen bottles/mask and my goal is that I can do that easily.
Stopped drinking, exercising frequently (strength, running, cycling), eating better, sleeping better, just generally trying to improve my situation little by little.
🫡
I'm nearly 50. But luckily I did martial arts for 15 years and so during that time frame from my late twenties through my '30s and early '40s I was very active I biked many many miles a day I ran I did martial arts I did a lot of things to keep me active. I now work a very active job in the IT construction industry building new restaurants businesses stores etc so I'm always moving lifting ladders things like that while I don't actively exercise I exercise every single day. People doubt that I'm 50. People doubt that I have a grandchild and a second one on the way. People doubt that I have kids that are old enough to be married with kids. It's not only good genetics but it's also that I stayed active the entire time. And never became sedentary and never became one of those people that just waited for something else to happen.
I eat vegan now (at least at home) and low fat. It made my cholesterol go from borderline hypertension to 100% optimal/healthy.
I run a couple times per week. 5K in <30min in a city. Not record breaking, but pretty okay for a non-athlete approaching 40. I also cycle everywhere, walk everywhere, no car, so carry my groceries home.
Sleep is hit and miss, most nights 8 hours, weekends up to 10 hours.
Being single helps a lot. I don't have anyone draining my energy and money and blaming me for their problems. Biggest positive shift in my life was no longer letting life-draining vampire people into my life.
I have a great job, I eat right, and I exercise a lot and have engaging hobbies and volunteer work outside of my job. Engagement is really what makes me happy.
I do struggle with sleep but that's something that has been true my entire life, but it's just random, not chronic.
42 and I am not, nothing to live long for. Just gonna enjoy the time I have left enjoying myself.
Started with simply drinking more water. Eventually I got into better shape which led to more energy. Sleep is still shit though...
I started exercising more about 1,5 years ago. Mostly strength exercises, but since 2 months also running. I'm eating more fruit and we barely eat meat or fast-food anymore. I try to keep a regular sleep schedule, but I don't sleep very well. Overall I'd say I'm taking better care of myself than in my 20s.
I'm nearly 60.
Resistance training twice a week. Walks, swimming laps, short jogs, and cycling for the rest. I eat a mixed diet that leans plants, but I do eat some meat, eggs, and fish.
No alcohol, mostly plant based diet, no fast food, no processed food, no intoxicants, no prescription drugs. Hiking and gravel riding.
Took the leap and actually started paying a nutritional biologist (translating an Italian term) and lost 10 kgs without noticing.
All while keeping training at least 3 days a week and maintaining strength gains and sometimes even getting better.
I also started a book club focused on sci-fi and non-fiction about technology and digital rights, to force myself to start reading again, since I noticed a sharp degradation of my ability to express myself and to analyze discourse.
Finally, I am learning French as my fifth language.
I would love to say I am doing great for being 40+, but mental health and zero social life affect me more than I would like to admit.
Meh. Eat what the fuck you want, do whatever, you either enjoy life or be miserable like MisterNeon :)
I dunno honestly, I just try to exercise, avoid shitty food and eat what I enjoy, and little things like that. Nothing specific or routine like that
Second half of 40s. 30 minutes of cardio followed by 1 hour of yoga twice a week. I would love to add in another activity for 3x per week, but haven't managed yet. Eat 95% vegetarian, low on dairy. Otherwise I don't pay much attention, definitely snacking too much. In summer I bike a lot. Using a sit/stand desk regularly at work. Should do more, but it's gotta be enough for now.
I've cut way back on the sugar and carbs I consume. I'm also consuming far more protein than I used to. My current favourite protein is Lactantia Ultra filtered milk, 4 grams of sugar, 20 grams of protein per 250ml. I still eat too much bread.
I lift weights at home 4 times a week. I started about 18 months ago but didn't make much progress in the first year or so. The last 3 months has been awesome because of a new routine and a better protein source.
I'm 58, started lifting at 56 and have never had so much upper body strength. I do not skip leg day even with a bum knee.
Trying to stay as healthy as possible. It's hard, because convenience calls to you at this age when you have very little time and not a whole lot more energy to do anything after your soul-crushing job takes it all away from you.
I've committed to a Muay Thai class three nights per week, I've started a Yoga and joint strengthening and flexibility class that meets once a week on weekends to work on my abysmal range of motion that will only continue to get worse if I don't focus on improving it. I find that I go to classes more than I would go to a traditional gym because there's a bit more accountability when there are other people there who know you and recognize you and encourage you to keep showing up and working hard each session, versus the battle I have to have with my own psyche to force myself to go to the gym and do a productive workout.
In addition to those activities, I'm back to counting calories again, the only method that has ever yielded real weight loss results for me in the past because... duh. It's the only system that makes sense when you think critically about it. Eating healthier meals is also not so bad when you get to convince yourself that you get more bang for your buck, calorie-wise. I neglected my diet for so long, and I blame a lot of my poor discipline on me having an absolutely phenomenal metabolism in my teenage years and early twenties. I could binge eat all day and barely see any weight gain. As you get older, that goes away and it leaves you feeling like the joy of eating tasty food is simply gone.
Luckily, if you can stick with it and find some healthy and filling meals that you can keep in your back pocket, it gets easier over time. Sure, every now and then you have a bad day where you go over your limit, or go get totally wasted drunk with your friends, etc. but as long as you have more good days than bad ones you'll stay in fairly good shape and stave off chronic illness.
One thing that has never changed about me is I keep a consistent sleep schedule. I get my 7.5 hours of sleep and that's non-negotiable. So many of my peers report getting less, and honestly it shows in the ones who are barely sleeping or addicted to their phones at night. If you make one positive change in your life, get a full night of sleep, and if you snore, get tested for sleep apnea. I was actually getting really crappy sleep for a long time, and then I got tested for sleep apnea and I was in the moderate range, so CPAP for me. Once I got used to it (~2 weeks to a month) I started getting the best sleep of my entire life and I woke up each morning with energy and vigor, not feeling groggy or somehow more tired than when I went to bed.
Other than that, you just have to learn how to deal with the stress of life and balance working and having fun in ways that doesn't involve destroying your body prematurely.
I started avoiding alcohol and soda, eating more plants, making food at home instead of fast food, sticking to a sleep schedule, limiting caffeine intake to 4 coffees a day, and most days I ride a bike instead of driving. Going on regular walks is also 10/10, would recommend, even if they're short ones: Anything is better than nothing!
So far, I am pretty healthy, though my "good" cholesterol is a little high probably because I snack too much on stuff like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.
The biggest easy thing to do for me was probably cutting out soda and alcohol: I lost like 20 lbs without changing much else.
A higher effort thing that also makes a big difference is learning to cook: It saves you money, can improve your nutrition, and is an important life skill you should learn anyways! You can't out-exercise a bad diet, so you're better off just eating right.
Skincare now mandatory
Weight management efforts now mandatory
Weight training now mandatory, just to stop losing muscle... even more if you want to improve
Quality sleep, consistently timed
Switch to whole foods based diet
Form working relationships with my doctors
Got my food allergies tested. Avoiding those have really helped my mystery "ughh why do I hurt" days
Comprehensively. Yes and always.
Reducing the amount of carbs in my cooking. Plenty of walking with the dog. Riding my exercise bike at home with this nifty app that shows a video of a route and adjusts the pressure according to the typology since health issues prevent me from biking anymore.
Started doing PT for an injury I sustained in my 20's, and then largely ignored. Its made a huge difference. Probably going to quit one of my business (sell my stake) and take a lower paying role so I can focus on building up my vanilla operation. In my 20's I focused on living in a manner consistent with my values. In my 30s I thought I could "get ahead" and took a corporate job, then started my own company. Now in my 40's, its time to get back to my roots while I can still push it physically.
I eat whatever i felt like that day, work has been very rough on my body and mental health so sometime i skip dinner because of indigestion.
Sleeping wise, well i find it hard to sleep early because i loath tomorrow.
I'm getting out of shape because of the stress eating lately, but i also been baking cookies quite a lot so maybe that's the cause as well.
Also everything hurt. Back, knee, hand, finger.
Mentally i've adopted 4 cats and 1 hamster, and also do some gardening, and yes it definitely help coping with whatever problem i have right now.
Fiber. I started biking years ago and have been doing bodyweight exercises off and on since college
Nope. I've never been into junk food and alcohol anyway.
Doing thorough research on quality support items like wobbly stools, rope, and a really nice bathing toaster. Going to set myself up for success in my future endeavors.
thanks for using Leebra!
go to feed...
I eat better (when I had money). No fast food, I only drink alcohol every couple of months, and avoid harmful drugs. Going to bed early I see it as a luxury. I walk instead of driving. My go to beverages are ice water, cold brew black coffee, and occasionally soy milk.
I'm fucking miserable.
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