Having taken part in two recent Healthzilla: Healthy Habits podcasts - namely #15 Taking Care of Your Mental Health and #16 Enabling High Performance through Healthy Habits - I thought I could share some personal thoughts and experiences related to a few of the topics we discussed with our guests.

In this blog post, I will discuss details about my own healthy habits in light of the changes I have been facing in the past six months since I left behind my corporate job. Sleeping for recovery. Mindfulness meditation for remaining centered, and walking for exercise.

In case you are interested in reading more about the science behind the habits, I have added some links to the text which will take you to a relevant article or piece of news on the topic in question.

Three big changes: work, life, virus

The way I see it, there have been three major changes in the past half a year which have affected my life in such a way that I have seriously needed to consider what are the habits that I must incorporate in my life to not only survive but hopefully also thrive when it comes to my health and wellbeing. In addition to considering the relevant habits, there have been of course all kinds of practicalities that I have needed to take care of just to make sure things move forward. But I think that part is not really very interesting for you, my dear reader, so let’s focus on the changes and the habits!

The first change is what I already mentioned, i.e. that I embarked on a new phase in my life without the security of a “permanent job” (does such a thing even exist?) and faced a world in which I do not know when is the next time I will see someone paying me a salary.

The second change is the launch of a new version of Healthzilla: Healthy Habits app which took place in January. I kid you not.

And the third change - I think you might guess this - is of course the emergence of the COVID-19 virus and the effects it has had on everyone on the planet.

Adjusting Habits during the lockdown

I guess the biggest change for me has been the loss of daily contacts and routine which I was very used to at my former workplace. You know: arriving in the office in the morning, being in the same physical space with familiar faces while having meetings, sharing lunch with a few colleagues, etc. All that is now gone. And to make it worse, the loss of the workplace social contacts was even exacerbated by the COVID-19 virus and all the social distancing measures that have taken place since. Although here in Finland we have not enforced quite as strict measures on people’s behavior as in some other parts of the world, I haven’t, for instance, met any friends over lunch or dinner since mid-March. That’s over two months ago.

Luckily, I was mentally prepared to face tough times (though perhaps not a pandemic!).

So how did I prepare myself to “go boldly where I have not gone before”? By starting to use the new version of the Healthzilla app in January and choosing as my goal ‘ Stress Free’. Obviously. I know, what a shameless advertisement! :D

Practically, using the app has meant that it recommends and monitors for me the following healthy habits in terms of how to take care of my body, mind, and diet:

Stress Scan (daily)
Sleep 7+ (hours a night)
Mindfulness
10K Steps
Fasting
Breathing
Cardio

Although I pretty much do all of these things on a regular basis, I will next focus on the ones I believe to have been the most important ones for me in this situation so far.

My key habits for stress management

Sleep for recovery

I cannot stress this enough (pun intended!) but if I don’t get my sleep, I am not a fun person to be around. Neither am I very productive, creative, social, and happy with my life if I haven’t slept well (which makes sense in light of this article on sleep). So for me, it is crucial to turn off my phone and iPad well before bedtime. I also do my daily meditation before going to bed.

With close to two decades of experience, I believe meditation helps me to calm down and relax and thus positively contributes to lowering my stress levels and improving my sleep quality. Because I tend to wake up relatively early every morning even without an alarm, I also make sure I start my evening routines in good time. That being said, I try not to be too stringent about it and, for example, occasionally enjoy watching a movie or some series on TV/Netflix into the night. Sometimes I also skip my evening meditation (and might perhaps do it the next morning instead). Yet, every time I do either, I notice it the next day due to lower sleep quality.

Mindfulness meditation for staying centered

The meditation practice I already mentioned. Another mindfulness exercise for me is a short morning Qi Gong exercise which takes me less than 5 minutes to do (so in a way it is a bit like brushing my teeth every morning, just another habit!). The exercise helps me to wake myself up and to become centered and grounded right from the beginning of the day. It’s actually quite amazing how different I feel if I skip this for any reason.

In addition to meditation and Qi Gong I also do mobility and stretching exercises mindfully and on a regular basis. Not daily, but usually a few times a week. Typically, I incorporate these exercises to my visit to the gym so that I do them before and/or after having done my cardio/strength training. During these corona times, my workout regime has naturally faced some challenges but luckily I have been still able to visit my CrossFit box from time to time and do a workout with some friends, an aspect which also has a crucial impact on my wellbeing as a social animal. Going to the gym has been possible due to Finland having allowed having max ten people with safe distances in the same location at a time. Yes, I know this is a luxury compared to what many people have faced and still might have to face in some parts of the world. Let’s hope this phase will pass soon everywhere and for everyone.

Steps for exercise

Being a dog owner has some perks and one of them is that you get to go outside for walks several times a day! It also means that every day starts for me by taking my furry friend out once I have woken up. On many days during the year the Finnish weather can be, let’s say “less inviting”, but every time the air is still fresh and invigorating. And, I get to enjoy it 3-4 times a day. Usually, at least one of the walks is a bit longer one so I tend to get my 10K steps per day quite well.

Health outcomes, and what yet might be the most important “habit” of them all

It would be great to be able to say that my life is stress free because of the healthy habits I have (and which are recommended by the app ;-)). But the truth is it is not. Although my Stress Score is on a good level pretty consistently, there are of course things that make me stressed and times when I feel anxious. I believe it is part of life. On the other hand, I also firmly believe that because of my healthy habits, the effects of the stress and anxiety are less powerful and go by faster. That alone is a good enough reason to stick to these habits, don’t you agree?

To conclude this blog post, I would like to raise something I didn’t discuss (but could perhaps in a future blog post) and which I believe to be - and also science says so - the most important factor in living a healthy and happy life:

“Close relationships [...] are what keep people happy throughout their lives [...]. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.”

So, in addition to all the healthy habits you can build and sustain yourself and by yourself in terms of body, mind, and diet, it is truly important to value and appreciate the relationships you have with people close to you. Especially in these exceptional times of change we all live in right now.

Healthy Habits in Times of Change