The Monthly Practice Report – June 2012

 

 

Welcome to The Monthly Practice Report, where I detail my practice of healthy living: the commitments, goals, and other metrics!

 

 

Why I’m doing this:

• To be completely transparent – if there’s something you want to know about my health, chances are it’s down below. (if not, leave a comment or send me an !)
• To share the actual numbers with you in hopes that it makes this lifestyle (or any part of it) seem a little more attainable
• To publicly track my progress among several categories
• To provide cool resources that I find helpful
• To put my money where my mouth is and practice what I preach! :)

You’ll see information below on how I’m doing with my practices and anything else (hopefully) relevant!

I’ll also share some lessons learned and plans/goals for the future.

 

Please let me know what you think!

If anything is unclear, if you’d like more information on a certain topic, or if there’s something I’ve left out, I’m open to hearing all feedback and questions. Just leave a comment below.

Thanks – and I hope you enjoy this month’s report! :-)

 

Where was I in June?

• Seattle, WA: 6/1-6/11
• White Salmon, WA: 6/12-6/13
• Cottage Grove, OR: 6/14-6/30

 

Onto the Numbers!

FYI: some of the links below are affiliate links that will earn me a commission if you purchase through them. If you do, I absolutely appreciate it; if you’d rather not, that’s cool, too. If you have any questions about any of the products or services, please let me know!

 

MEDITATION

• Ideal/Goal: to meditate for at least 15 minutes in the morning, before other activities
• Total: 772 consecutive days!
  • Continued the daily practice for another month
• How long did I meditate each day?
  • 15 minutes: 0 days
  • 30 minutes: 30 days
  • Most often amount: 30 minutes (100% of the time – woohoo, baby)!
    • Last month: 30 minutes (29 vs. 2)
• Continue to use my Blissitations tracks
  • They’re really helpful for concentration, and one of the best parts is that I never have to think about how long it is – I just keep going until the track is over.

 

NUTRITION

• Ideal/Goal: since December 2010, I have been following the Paleo diet, which is lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. No legumes, grains, starches, processed foods, or sugars. Dairy is OK (raw/unpasteurized is best), though I tend to avoid it.
• When a guest in someone’s home, I defer to gratitude and do not refuse meals; that does not, however, give me free reign to eat whatever I want – everything in moderation.
• There are also “non-paleo” foods I still enjoy, mostly pizza, bread, and other baked goods. I occasionally allow myself these items – I’d rather be flexible and have a good time, than rigid and mopey. :-)

• Animal Products (red meat, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, and dairy)
  • Ideal/Goal: 20% OF THE TIME (or less)
    • For the month: 2% (WOW: just 1 meal of fish, 1 meal of eggs, 1 meal with cheese)
    • Last month: 11%
  • Breakfast: 3%
  • Lunch: 0%
  • Dinner: 7%
  • Snacks: 0%
• Not Paleo (the “no” list above)
  • Ideal/Goal: 10% OF THE TIME (or less)
    • For the month: 19% (in contrast to my Animal Products number: boo.)
    • Last month: 14%
  • Breakfast: 0%
  • Lunch: 20%
  • Dinner: 17%
  • Snacks: 22%
• Green Smoothies
  • Ideal/Goal: daily – mix of fruit, nuts and spinach, kale, avocado
  • For the month: 28 days (93% of the time)
    • Last month: 11 days
• Salads/Greens
  • Ideal/Goal: consume a meal of greens at least once daily
  • For the month: 28 days (93% of the time)
    • Last month: 30 days
• Sugar
  • Ideal/Goal: to avoid food with added sugar, and to limit my intake of high glycemic foods (honey, agave)
  • For the month: 11 instances (33% of the days)
    • Main culprits: nutella (!!!!) and cookies
    • Last month: 6 instances
• Alcohol
  • Ideal/Goal: 0-1 drinks per month
    • For the month: 0
    • Last month: 3

**Above percentages calculated for 30 days with an average of 90 meals + 70 snacks

 

EXERCISE

• Ideal/Goal: some form of movement every day; could my morning options (see below), hiking, biking, or walking – something to keep me fit, to maintain and sustain me! 
• At least 20 minutes of activity before meditation
  • Includes one or more of the following: yoga, energization exercises, tai chi warms-ups, balance poses, pull-ups, and stretching
  • Days: 24 (80% of the time)
  • Last month: 28
• Other Exercise
  • Walking: 38 miles for the month!
    • That’s about 9.5 miles per week, or only 1.3 miles per day!
  • Hiking: 5 miles (Bryce Creek)
  • Biking: 12 miles (around Cottage Grove)
  • PLUS: tree pull-ups ()
• Stationary
  • I do look for opportunities to stretch, change my seating position, or just to get up and move around whenever possible, particularly on the train.
  • Cars: ~4 hours (White Salmon-Portland and back)
  • Trains: ~10.5 hours (Seattle, WA – White Salmon, WA, 1 stop; White Salmon, WA – Eugene, OR, 1 stop)

 

JOURNAL

• Ideal/Goal: to express my Highest Goal, my Path, my ideal Partner, my Values, my Hell Yes’s, my Strengths, my Zones of Genius, my Gratitudes, and any Big Ideas.
  • Days: 22 (73% of the time)
    • Some of the content:
      • LOTS of ideas on a television show
      • Radio show brainstorming
      • My core: health!
      • Masculinity, Money, Mom
      • The Top 5 Values (guiding my life)
      • What I’m uniquely qualified to do in this world :)
      • My Strengths and Passions, and How/Where I want to Serve
    • Last month: 17
  • If I don’t get to journaling in the morning (before email/work, etc.), it usually doesn’t happen.

 

WEIGHT

• My Stats:
  • 6/4/12: 131 lbs., 9% body fat
  • 6/11/12: 132 lbs., 9% body fat
  • Average: 132 lbs., 9% body fat, 18.94 BMI
    • Last month: 130 lbs., 18.65 BMI
    • Difference: +2 lbs, +.29 BMI
• Weight/BMI
  • I weigh myself (usually) on the same day of the week, first thing in the morning – before eating or drinking anything.
  • According to the BMI data, I am within the healthy range (18.5-24.9 for men and women)
    • For my height, underweight would be below 127 lbs, and overweight would be above 174 lbs. (see this article from Livestrong.com for how to find the weight range.)
    • Formula to calculate your BMI: ([your weight in pounds] x 703)/ [your height in inches]²
      • Example:  (150 x 703) = 105,450/ (70 x 70) = 21.5 (within the healthy range)
  • It’s tricky because I found many charts online where according to those, I was underweight – it’s tough to know the validity of those sites, so I think BMI is a much more reliable figure.
  • OK, now I’m not so sure about how accurate BMI is when it comes to health. Really, I think it boils down to how do you feel? and do you have enough energy to do what you need?
• Body Fat (when available)
  • For body fat %, I’ve used scales that send electromagnetic pulses through the feet to determine body fat. With any device, I’m going to assume there’s a ± 2-3%.
  • Average for men is 18-24%; athletes typically compete at 6-13%

 

SLEEPING AND AWAKE

• Sleep Hours
  • Ideal/Goal: to sleep for at least 7-8 hours each night
  • Average for the month: 7.54 hours
    • Last month: 7.26 hours
  • Most often amount of sleep: 8-8.5 hours
  • Longest sleep: 8.5 hours
  • Shortest sleep: 5.92 hours
  • Number of days where sleep time was < 7 hours: 3 days
    • Last month: 7 days

• Naps
  • Number of days with naps: 12 (40% of the month)
    • Last month: 6 days
  • Average amount: 24 minutes
  • Mostly occurred on days with lots of walking/biking or being in transit

• Awake Hours
  • Ideal/Goal: to be awake for 16-17 hours
  • Average for the month: 16.46 hours
    • Last month: 16.85
  • Most often wake hours: 16.5-17 hours
  • Longest day: 17.83 hours
  • Shortest day: 14.33 hours
  • Number of days where awake time was > 17 hours: 8 days
    • Last month: 15 days

• Going to Sleep
  • Ideal/Goal: go to bed around 11 pm
  • Average for the month: 11:25 pm
    • Last month: 11:35 pm
  • Most often sleep time: 11:00-11:30 pm
  • Earliest sleep time: 10:30 pm
  • Latest sleep time: 1:00 am
  • Number of days where sleep time was past 11:15 pm: 8 days
    • Last month: 10 days

• Waking Up
  • Ideal/Goal: wake up around 7 am
  • Average for the month: 7:00 am
    • Last month: 6:50 am
  • Most often wake time: 6:30-7:00 am
  • Earliest wake time: 6:15 am (catching a train!)
  • Latest wake time: 8:45 am
  • Number of days where wake time was later than 7:15 am: 6 days
    • Last month: 4 days

 

PRODUCTIVITY

• Working Hours
  • Ideal/Goal: 6-7 hours per day, with each chunk being only 90-120 mins.
    • Days worked: 29 (97% of the time)
      • My days offline (see below) may go from one evening to the next, rather than one whole day, so I may end up working a little bit every day
      • Last month: 30
    • Average hours per day: 6.47 
      • Last month: 5.47
    • Number of days where work was > 7 hours: 15 days (50% of the time)
      • Last month: 9 days
    • Most hours in one day: 10.5
  • Blocks of Working Time
    • Ideal/Goal: work for no longer than 90 minutes or two hours at a time
    • Number of blocks > 2 hrs: 11 instances
      • Longest working session: 3 hours
      • Last month: 15 instances and 3.5 hours
  • In February, I began tracking  as part of my $100 a day goal
• Days Offline
  • Ideal/Goal: one 24-hour period off the computer each week
  • Number of days: 5 (100%)
    • Last month: 4 days
• Morning Creativity Practice
  • Ideal/Goal: waking up an hour earlier to focus on creative work (before exercise and meditation)!
  • Days with Morning Creativity Practice: 22 (73% of the time)
    • Last month: 24
• iDoneThis – a simple online tool that helps me record what I did everyday!
  • My streak as of the end of June: 151 days

 

OTHER HEALTH

• Contacts
  • Ideal/Goal: to wear 8 hours or less per day
  • Days worn: 24 (80% of the month)
    • Last month: 24
    • Average hours per day: 6.95
      • Last month: 6.85
      • Average time I pop them in: 4:00 pm
      • Average time I take them out: 11:00 pm
    • Number of days where use was > 8 hours: 3 days (10% of the time)
      • Last month: 8 days
    • Most hours in one day: 10
• Vitamins
  • Nothing to report this month!

 

What I Learned + What’s New:

• MEDITATION
  • Guess it wasn’t that hard to commit to 30 minutes every day! In fact, in the last two months, there’s only been ONE day where I only meditated for 15 minutes—not too shabby!!
• NUTRITION
  • I clearly don’t need any animal products, and was actually surprised I ate as little as I did. I guess I did make many of my own meals this month, and since I normally count on eating meat/fish when I go out with others (or to their home), that just didn’t happen.
  • Curious if you can go this long without animal products? Consider becoming a Weekday Veg! (it’s how I got started…)
  • In contrast to my excellent nutrition, I really gave in to all the cookies and nutella lying around. I’m not immune: if the stuff is in the house (and I’ve been given the green light to eat it by my hosts), I tend to have a problem. Perhaps I look at it that since I eat this way so rarely, it’s OK (and it probably is), but I’d still like to have a bit more control in these situations.
• WEIGHT
  • While it’s nice to have a low body fat percentage, I realized it doesn’t help when you’re in a cold climate: there’s nothing on the body to retain the heat and keep you warm! Guess I’ll just need to stay in more tropical climates… :)
• SLEEPING + AWAKE
  • So awesome to see all my numbers lining up in terms of how much I want to sleep and be awake (all the numbers are within my ideal range! Also great to see the “extremes” (“number of days…”) are decreasing across the board.
  • I definitely feel rested and alert in the morning, even getting up consistently early. How fun I’m most often getting 8-8.5 hours of sleep each night – so important!!!
• PRODUCTIVITY
  • I purposely worked myself more this month as I knew the first half of July would be consumed by a conference and other activities. So, days were longer, but I still paid attention to my nutrition, exercise, and rest!

 

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OK – that’s the monthly report for June!

 

How are your practices going?

 

I’d love to hear your response + any other comments you have below!

And if you have any feedback or questions about something you’re tackling, feel free to share!

 

Looking forward to learning more!

 

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