Month 2: Exercise, Nutrition, & a Summary

Exercise

Just Do Something

I started with the bar embarrassingly low: just do something that counts as "exercise" daily. So, for several weeks I religiously did the bare minimum—never breaking a sweat..

Turns out this approach has science behind it. Research shows habits take 2-5 months to form, not the mythical 21 days [1,2]. Minimal dose exercise approaches work extremely well for inactive individuals, as they're programs people actually sustain [3]. Finally, scientific justification for doing the bare minimum.

It wasn’t until week 3 when I began craving the exercise that workouts grew to a whopping 20 minutes. I'll be ready for the Olympics sometime around 2087.

Exercise requires careful dosing: too little isn't beneficial, but too much can worsen symptoms [4,5]. "What symptoms?" you ask. I'll keep them conveniently vague, though I could out-flop a World Cup midfielder if it means avoiding burpees. There's a Goldilocks zone, and I'm determined to find it without getting eaten by bears—that said, I'm in greater danger of being consumed by my couch.

Just Don't Stop

Until I started craving "The Burn," I wanted nothing to do with it. Perhaps I strove for something a little better than water aerobics at a retirement home, but I knew that if I felt too much pain or soreness, I'd quit. "Pushing to failure" is simply too horrible. Instead, I "just don't stop." Once I pick up weights, I do everything to avoid putting them down. Maybe I only do four bicep curls before switching to triceps, but for 10-15 minutes, I keep the weights airborne. And those airborne dumbbells went from eight to ten to fifteen pounds by the end of the month.

Despite being barely capable of remembering which leg I started on, I can see results: physical muscle changes, improved mental clarity, and more restful work breaks. It can’t be said that this is more than moderate exercise, but moderate exercise improves thinking and memory within six months, with neuroimaging showing physical activity enhances cognitive health by reducing inflammation and stimulating brain-protective growth factors [6,7,8].

Resolutions specific to month 2. on the vertical axis the scale is from feeling/resolution completion "pretty bad" to "really great".

Nutrition

Vitamins

I've noticed a cruel irony: when I feel healthy, I take vitamins, but when I wake up with a stuffed nose and the room spinning like a carnival ride, vitamins are the last thing I want. I act like a petulant child being force-fed vegetables.

If a petulant child I was going to be, then it was just as well that I reap the benefits of childish behavior. I switched to gummy fruit snack vitamins. They weren't children's doses, but yes, they were sugary and elderberry flavored. For someone whose only candy is 70% cacao dark chocolate, this felt like pure hedonism.

And wouldn't you know it—I took my vitamins every dang day. I started regularly getting vitamin C, D, zinc, magnesium, K2, turmeric, ginger and more. They became a treat I looked forward to, which is more than I can say for many adult responsibilities. After my body's vitamin intake increased with the fruit-snack bribery, I was more willing to take a few adult pills.

Better Meals

Continuing last month's meal plan meant I was already eating more protein and healthy ingredients, but sometimes it’s nice to write down an almost (or already) complete item on your checklist just to feel the rush of the little checkmark.

Good nutrition begets good nutrition. In "The Dorito Effect," Mark Schatzker writes about post-ingestive feedback [9]. When nutrient-dense food is consumed, the body sends messages saying, "remember that food—it provided helpful nutrients." This changes taste buds and cravings. With conscious effort, I won't always have to force myself into salads and kimchi—I'll actually prefer them. Like Stockholm syndrome, but healthier.

As I exercise more, I crave meat and vegetables. As I eat better, I crave more specific meals. These days, my body wants more than blind calories; the microbial slums in my digestive tract are gentrifying, and suddenly everyone's too refined for gas station burritos.

Month 2 Summary

This month has been exciting. I'm feeling consistent results—less stressed, healthier, better. It's unsettling how much difference basic self-care makes when you've been operating like a neglected houseplant for years.

Resolutions for months 1 and 2. On the vertical axis the scale is from feeling/resolution completion "pretty bad" to "really great".

James Clear talks about needing to change your identity before leaning into new habits [10]. But as someone who has pulled muscles walking (walking), I couldn't gaslight myself into believing I was suddenly a gym rat. I'm thin but wildly out of shape—there's no fooling that reality.

Instead, I sidestepped the identity crisis by leaning into who I already was: someone who sees things through. I had a month-long resolution, and I would complete it. Every day I exercised—some workouts were pathetic, but for thirty-one days straight I managed it, getting better at exercises, trying new ones, doing longer workouts. I'm ready to arm-wrestle my friend who benches 225—assuming he's recently suffered a debilitating injury.

Now I can believe the shifted identity: I am someone who exercises regularly and enjoys being in shape.

Throughout the month, my favorite discoveries were sleeping with ice packs and eating fruit snack vitamins, and the most rewarding resolution was daily exercise. These habits are worth keeping - they're helpful and most are genuinely fun—Ah, the older I get, the stranger I become.

References

[1] Windle, R., Finan, S., Gribble, R., Rogers, A., Fear, N. T., Wessely, S., & Chesnokov, M. (2024). Time to form a habit: A systematic review and meta-analysis of health behaviour habit formation and its determinants. PLOS Medicine, 21(12), e1004466.

[2] Kaushal, N., & Rhodes, R. E. (2023). What can machine learning teach us about habit formation? Evidence from exercise and hygiene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(7), e2216115120.

[3] Nuzzo, J. L., Pinto, M. D., & Nosaka, K. (2024). Resistance exercise minimal dose strategies for increasing muscle strength in the general population: An overview. Sports Medicine, 54(4), 825-851.

[4] Physiopedia. (2024). Exercise and activity in pain management.

[5] Nijs, J., Kosek, E., Van Oosterwijck, J., & Meeus, M. (2014). Exercise, not to exercise, or how to exercise in patients with chronic pain? Applying science to practice. Clinical Journal of Pain, 30(7), 573-582.

[6] Harvard Health Publishing. (2024, August 26). Exercise can boost your memory and thinking skills. Harvard Health.

[7] Harvard Health Publishing. (2014, April 9). Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Blog.

[8] Gomez-Pinilla, F., & Hillman, C. (2013). The influence of exercise on cognitive abilities. Comprehensive Physiology, 3(1), 403-428.

[9] Schatzker, M. (2015). The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor. Simon & Schuster.

[10] Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Avery.