January 2023

Good morning,

 

Disclaimer

You are getting this email because you shared some interest in my ‘routines’. I am hoping for feedback and improvements if you deem them necessary.

I’m hoping to send this email to you guys MONTHLY to hopefully build a community of healthy habits. If you don’t want these emails please feel free to unsubscribe at the bottom and you’ll be automatically removed from this mailing list.

I started this year (1st January 2023) weighing 96.5kg. This was an accumulation of drinking, bad sleep, and over-eating from Korea 😅 #noregrets
 
This morning (06/02/2022): I weighed 92.65kg.
 
I use the Renpho app, which gives detail on much more metrics. #consistently-inconsistent. If you would like more data on something, please ask.
 
Contents:
  • Cardio – Exercise
  • Strength – Exercise
  • Diet and Fasting
  • Sleep
  • Gout
  • Household Chores
  • Extra content if you want it in the future
Cardio – Exercise

For this month, I was focused on not changing my diet too much and focusing on exercise.
 
I started with 5-minute skipping ( 30 seconds skip, 30 seconds rest ) and this has now gone up to 1 hour of skipping by the end of the month.
 

I have also due to my dog-sitting nature, added lunchtime walks where I would walk for 1 hour with the dogs. I added a weighted vest to my journey. Which adds about an extra 4kg to my walks. I plan to increase this when I see fit but for now, the 4kg is enough to make me look forward to ‘taking the vest off’ after my walk :)

 

I clocked in the range of 10,000 steps to 20,000 steps a day in January and am happy to report that this is an easy habit to keep going.

 

Strength – Exercise

 

This month – I, unfortunately, gave up my Gym membership as I and Eden didn’t go very frequently and thought it was a waste of money. With this, I’ve invested in a pull-up bar and gym rings to my routine.

 

This started about mid-week of January so the progress is still slow. Currently, I aim to do the following every day:

 

My philosophy of muscle exercise at the moment is to find something I can do every day and use body-weight exercises.

 

I am currently improving my reps. Please note, the numbers of my exercise are the MINIMUM I do in a day.

 

Some days I do more because I feel like it and even more rare days I might make the minimum go up.

 

An example of how I do these exercises: The pull-ups I might do ‘2 per set’ but I do it 5 times sporadically spread out the day. I do this for all the exercises as for me it’s important to get me moving instead of an intense 1.5 hours of muscle work.

 
Diet and Fasting to lower blood pressure
 

I’m still eating with friends and meals whenever I want. I’ve done my best to incorporate a 16-8 fasting window.

 
In the last week of January, I noticed a pattern where I would fast from 1 or 2 pm and eat again in the morning around 7 am. ( I just check my app and check I’ve done 16 hours )
 
Then on the weekend – I flip it, where I start eating at 2 pm and stop eating at 10 pm so that I can eat with friends for dinner.
 
An example roughly:
 
Mon -> Thursday: 6am -> 2pm  (eating window)
Friday -> Sunday: 2pm -> 10pm (eating window)
 
On days I need to change the window, I do a ‘harder fast’ by not eating longer. For example, on Thursday I will stop eating at 2 pm and only eat again at Friday 2 pm. Which is 24 hours fast! as I want to change the ‘8-hour’ window to the evening.
 

This started, when my older brother gave me some tips on how to lower my blood pressure. If you are interested in the blood pressure data, please let me know. But on average… it’s going down 👀 Trends are going in the right direction and I believe atm, this balances ‘life needs’ and ‘health needs’.

Speaking of blood pressure. I have started eating potatoes and spinach for dem potassium gains! (potassium apparently helps with blood pressure)

 
I microwave potatoes for 6 minutes and finish them off in my cast iron pan. (if I’m lazy)
 
If you want more delicious potatoes please quarter them and put them in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Mix with garlic, oil, salt, and pepper.
 
It has been a better rice alternative and the craving for rice is non-existent as I feel like I’m eating chips.
 
In terms of alcohol, my golden rule of “not to drink unless I’m with my partner, Eden”. Has worked like a charm. No more drinking on poker nights and no unexpected drinking binges.
 
Sleep
 
As you guys know, I love my sleep and I track using ‘Fitbit’.
 
My sleep score on Fitbit ranges from 77 to 88, depending on the day. This equates to roughly 5.75 to 8 hours of sleep. 
 
The general rule I do is, if I slept less than 6 hours (based on the app) then I prioritize sleep over ANYTHING else due to my mental health condition.
 
I’m happy to report that I’m waking up in a range of 5 to 7 am every day and sleeping around 8 pm to 10 pm. After quitting my employment, waking up and having a ‘purpose’ has changed a lot to make me not feel groggy in the morning.
 
My tips from my older brother for lowering blood pressure:
 
  • Try to fast before you go to sleep, 4 to 8-hour window,
  • Have a hot shower before you go to bed (to ensure your core temperature is cool).
  • Set the thermostat to 17 degrees in the evening to ensure better sleep.
 

I’m happy to report that ‘falling asleep’ hasn’t been a problem for me this month, but in the past, I used to listen to ‘harry potter’ while going to bed. I have not needed that this month but do miss sleeping to Stephan Fry’s storytelling.

I found this is best for falling asleep as I’m not staring at my phone and if you have an android I made a script to automatically play harry potter if the phone charges after 8 pm. (also sets audible to stop after 1.5 hours; puts the phone on do not disturb and the volume that Eden agrees with)

 

House Hold Chores

 
Me and Eden decided to do a ‘weekend chores list’ to clean the house. However, she didn’t like cleaning for 1 hour once a week!!!! so much so that we are now deciding to get a cleaner! ( this just means we need to iterate!!!! )
 
I have decided to change my systems for cleaning to spread the ‘weekend chores list’ throughout the month and notify both partners of the ‘chore of the day’. This then tells us ‘one unit’ of cleaning that needs to be on a ‘random day’ and repeated after a few days.
 

This means, some days we might have ‘3 chores’ but also some days we have ‘0 chores’. This spread all the tasks in a month and thus saves us 4 to 5 hours a month! I hope this works and I’ll report next month on how it went.

Gout

 
I’m happy to report that my gout hasn’t come back. I was really worried that the skipping might cause it but I think now it is preventing it 😅
 
Also, a system of ‘ensure my water bottle is full’ every day has ensured that I drink water throughout the day. Which I’m sure has helped with Gout.
 
 
Extra Routines
 
  • I have added systems to shave, and do my skincare routine. The advice I got from my twin brother. I don’t know how to measure this however I do think it’s a ‘good thing to do’.
  • Gratitude journal and posting on youtube and Instagram
  • Email lists 👀
  • Dental routine to look after my teeth
  • Personal and Business finances management
  • Productivity at work
I’m happy to talk about any other routines however, most people in this email list seem to want to focus on the ‘health trinity’ (sleep, exercise, and diet). If you want to know any other routines in my systems please give me an email
 

I hope you enjoyed this email as much as I have written it.

 

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Many thanks

 

Jun-te Kim