As we reflect on the year that's passed it's important to recognise the things you've achieved …and of course there are always things you can improve upon!
Health is no different.
Here are some of the things I've learned personally in 2024 and will be working on in 2025
Caffeine
I love coffee, yet caffeine gets a bad press sometimes so at the start of the year I conducted an experiment on myself to figure out how much was too much and also what time it needed to stop. Here's what I found
I can drink coffee up until around 4pm with no impact on sleep quality or quantity
I can drink up to 4 cups with no impact on sleep quality or quantity
What does make a significant positive difference is not having it for 1.5 - 2 hours after I first wake up and making sure I never have it on an empty stomach, both on sleep, but also on perceived my energy, anxiety and focus
Fasting
“Intermittent fasting”, “time restricted eating”... Most people's idea of “fasting” basically amounts to skipping breakfast!
From observation of others, much of the benefit to time-restricted eating (doing a 12, 14 or 16 hour fast) seems to be about setting boundaries which means no snacking after dinner…
to be fair there is also definitely a benefit in giving your digestive system a rest, though how long that needs to be seems to vary person to person.
For me, I need to eat (protein, veg and fat) within about an hour of waking up - especially during hayfever season. It helps my energy and focus. It works better for me to try and eat my evening meal as early as possible which would create a 12 hour “fast”. Often that's not possible or practical and another exception is if I've been particularly active that day, then I need an extra meal/snack (protein + fat) before bed, otherwise my sleep suffers.
I have also learned that if I don't have access to decent food for an extended period of time in the day (usually down to lack of planning of course!), it's really not the end of the world and nothing terrible will happen. In that situation I'm better off “fasting” (not eating) rather than compromising and eating crap…mainly because once I start I find it hard to stop!
Note: longer fast do seem to have potential health benefits, but I would recommend preparing yourself for them properly and taking specialist advice, as there are risks/downsides too.
Sleep
The biggest learning for me this year has been about the importance of sleep consistency. Very few people know how much sleep they need; they guess or say “I can function on…” or “I can get by on…” which is not the same as what is your optimal amount. That said it is tough for many of us (myself included) to get the optimal amount of sleep every night but working on our sleep consistency is something the vast majority of us can do. Sleep consistency basically means standardising as far as possible the times we wake up and go to sleep - wake up is easier of course. By improving your sleep consistency it helps your circadian rhythms, which in turn helps your energy levels and your body to recognise things like hunger and thirst. This is not quite true but it's like working on your sleep consistency can in a small way compensate for not getting enough sleep and it also boosts your sleep quality at the same time.
Turns out our bodies love routine.
The “bad” news? Lie-ins don't work: You're better off sticking to a regular wake time and taking an afternoon nap and getting to bed earlier the following night(s).
(For those of you thinking “I can't nap”, you can train yourself to nap, but that's another story)
Meditation
I've been meditating now (with varying degrees of consistency!) for 10 years and it's become an increasingly important part of my daily routine and life.
The biggest thing it does for me is it provides an inner stillness and calm - it means I feel in control of my emotions.
And this year more than ever I've almost been craving it; if I miss a day, or sometime I've felt compelled to do another session later in the day - that seems like a fairly clear message from whatever or whoever I'd say…!
The thing we've done more of this year - especially in the last 3 or 4 months - and are really proud of, is meditate with the girls before bed. It's become a really nice ritual to bring us all together and relax at the end of the day. Its impact on the girls physically is profound (children are comparatively unsullied compared to us adults!) - you can see and feel them “switch off”. Of all the skills I've learned to do with physical and mental health over the years, this is without a doubt one of the main habits I'd like the girls to have as part of their lives.
Rucking
A few months ago I was feeling quite time-poor and looking for ways to add more cardiovascular exercise into my day; I'd become aware that I was missing my usual slots for biking or running if we were taking the girls to events or training.
Struggling to find “extra” opportunities I thought about how I could make more of what I was doing already: first things every morning I was walking the dog usually for about 20 minutes. I decided the best thing to try was to extend my walk - I could make it 40-45 mins if I a) get up on time and b) am efficient with the rest of my morning routine before appointments start
Then I thought “how can I make it more challenging” so, naturally. decided to carry a backpack with some weights in it.
It's been a bit of a revelation as I know that without even doing anything else I will invariably be doing a minimum of c. 5 hours a week of walking carrying a not-insignificant weight.
Sure, there are some mornings when I don't feel like it…but the dog needs walking anyway!
I'm not necessarily advocating “rucking for everyone” or “dog ownership for everyone”, though it certainly helps, more the thought process of how to get more from what you are already doing and how to tick multiple boxes at once when it comes to exercise - this is why “proper” strength training is so effective by the way - you get benefits to strength, fat-loss, CV fitness, mobility etc, etc, all at the same time if it's done properly
This dog-walking/rucking works for me because:
✔ By doing it first thing it can't get squeezed out by unexpected things cropping up
✔ Time efficient: helps cardiovascular fitness, core, posture and overall strength
✔ Outside in the fresh air and nature
✔ No-phone/screen time
✔ It's “hard” if it's dark/cold/wet/windy - sense of achievement plus I like exposure to the elements
✔ It's “nice” if it's a warm Summer's morning with a beautiful sunrise
Definitely a keeper.
Things I need to improve and will be working on in 2025
Eating more slowly and taking breaks to eat/drink
Unfortunately I've slipped into a habit of eating whilst on the go, at my desk/whilst working on the laptop and “just grabbing things” and shoveling them in my mouth. Not ideal. This affects how we digest food and extract nutrients and also adds to the “fight/flight state”. I was also reading that even these small breaks in the day help our sleep quality - so I'll be monitoring that!
NO SURFING / Not enough mountain biking / Haven't made enough time for friends
All part of the same thing. It's been a very full-on year for all sorts of reasons which has meant operating at close to capacity the majority of the time…and these are the things that have been squeezed out.
“Seasons” of life can be that way - my job this year is to make sure it doesn't become the norm.
Fortunately, by “B game” / non-negotiables with nutrition, exercise and sleep have held me in good stead. The aim this year is more A-game time!
Sauna and cold plunge
We went through a phase of regular cold plunging - that's slipped since the plunge pool broke! A new one is on the way and this year I'll be adding these in multiple times per week to support recovery.
Reply and let me know what you've learned about your health and fitness in 2024 and what you'll be working on in 2025…???
