I’ve been living a sedentary life. I sit a lot. And if I remember correctly, it has been going on for almost a decade. At first, it was because of the nature of the work that I did (I was a translator/editor at that time), but it gradually became a “habit.” I was overweight (I still am), had trouble sleeping, and my social life was practically a mess (still somewhat true). It put me in a position where I got tired easily from even doing daily activities.
Then, this year, I decided to put this to an end. I don’t really remember the exact reason, though. Probably a mix of not wanting to become a burden on the family and just wanting to feel good about myself. All in all, that’s not really important. Some would argue that having a clear reason behind it would help me, but I beg to differ that not having a clear reason also might be better since I won’t have some bullshit mindset like “feeling less motivated” to potentially stop me.
So here are a few things that I did:
I sit a lot because of the nature of my work. That’s why I now try to consciously get up from the chair and take a few minutes to walk and stretch. One piece of advice I got is to buy a standing desk and a good ergonomic chair. That’s a great idea, but I can’t do it right now since I’ll be moving from my current place in a few months (hopefully). I’ll definitely buy them in the near future, though.
Sleep has been a problem for a long time. Even when I try to get into bed early, I still can’t fall asleep. Now, I try to consciously get into bed before 11 or 12 PM, maximum. It’s still hard to do, but I’ve seen some progress lately.
I jumped into intermittent fasting in full throttle because I had the mindset that my sedentary life happened because I was overweight. Starting with the 18/6 eating window for two weeks (with a few cheating days) and then going with 20/4 for a month. It was looking really good. I lost a few kg. But after that, my weight was stuck, and even when I kept doing it (the second month coincided with Ramadhan, so I only ate meals once a day when breaking my fast) for another month, my weight was still around the same. Something must be wrong here and I decided to keep looking for the answer. Turns out our body is too smart. After a while, they would adapt to the calorie deficit state and become more efficient at burning calories. So, it became a zero-sum game. Damn.
I came across some articles suggesting fasting for 5 days and then eating normally for 2 days to prevent the body from adapting. But I found it difficult to stick to because of the 2 “cheating” days. It’s hard to limit cheating to just 2 days, at least for me. This method might work for you, though.
Lately, I no longer practice intermittent fasting, but at least I only eat one or two meals a day now.
Finding a weight loss method without including exercise is nearly impossible. I wasn’t doing it regularly (at least 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time) until late April this year. One thing I’ve noticed is that exercise won’t magically make you lose fat overnight. But I definitely feel more energized throughout the day after regularly doing it. I feel healthier overall, and that’s a feeling I haven’t had in ages.
I’ve tried to exercise regularly a few times in the past, but one thing I do differently this time is that I don’t over-push myself, at least for the first few days/weeks. I don’t know whether it’s gonna stick from now on, but I have a feeling it will. I found it to be fun and fulfilling this time. Start slow, add more intensity gradually.
Eating better has been the hardest part. I don’t cook (which is actually the best solution here), and finding a healthy meal around is challenging. Too many processed and unbalanced foods. Both are way tempting too.
So this time, I’m making an effort to choose healthier meals every day. I prioritize vegetables, protein, and fruits while reducing my intake of carbs and flour-based foods. I don’t particularly enjoy high-sugar drinks, so that one doesn’t bother me that much.
I’ve been rarely walking. I can chain myself to my chair the whole day and then just go to bed when I get tired. The walk that I did was just going to the bathroom and taking food, every single day for years. Even when I don’t order food online, I’ll go to the nearest warung by motorcycle. No sunlight exposure too, which means low vitamin D.
But let’s face it. Walking takes time. So, I try to fix it by combining it with other activities like getting meals. Less ordering food online and more walking to the warung. I do it at 10-11 AM every day so I can get sunlight exposure, too. Two birds one stone.
I plan to make time for regular running at least once a week too, but I still frequently end up skipping it. Oops.
Those changes make me feel better overall. I still struggle with it and a lot of other things, but I hope to get better day by day, or at least not get worse than today, haha.