The Monday Read

Health Reboot Take 7 Edition

I am once again planning to make some lifestyle changes to work on my health. Long term readers will remember this movie from the last six times it showed 😉

Basically the last couple of years have not been good for my physical health, and the last couple of months just really emphasised that.

I have three main problems: diet, mobility, and sleep.

The solutions seem pretty obvious, so it’s just a matter of making an effort to implement them. Wish me luck!

Emergency expenses

I got home on Saturday night to find my wife missing and my granddaughter excitedly telling me that we didn’t have any hot water (wife was next door at our daughter’s place having a bath).

Our gas water heater (over 30 years old) seems to have given up the ghost.

Of course it would choose to do so on a Saturday night in the depths of winter 😉

Reason #235 to make sure you have some money put aside for emergencies, or enough slack in your monthly budget to cover unexpected expenses, or both.

The Forum

The Forum is doing well (18,944 posts to date). Here are the latest active threads:

This week’s books

I seem to be going down a health rabbithole this year: I’m currently reading How Not to Die, by Michael Greger (a book about how meat kills you and plants keep you healthy), and A Beginner’s Guide to the End, by BJ Miller, a book about getting ready for death.

Maybe my Kindle is trying to tell me something?

Both books have been interesting, readable, and thought-provoking so far.

  1. Derek Sivers’ book recommendations and notes, if mine aren’t good enough: Books I’ve read
  2. This short essay on productivity and early retirement really struck a chord: Is productivity a worthwhile goal?
  3. Time to bet on Japan? JAPAN EQUITIES: ENTRENCHED PERCEPTIONS IGNORE IMPROVING REALITY
  4. A good reason to be optimistic about the Japanese economy in the medium term -a lot of this is going to be inherited in the next couple of decades: Japan household assets rise to record ¥3,072 tril at end of 2020
  5. This short video is kind of terrifying: How much time do we spend on our phones? | Chart of the Week
  6. I’d love to see a decent crash over the next few years: Let the wild rumpus start: is the US facing a stock market ‘super-bubble’?
  7. Honestly haven’t been too aware of the current dip: This is normal
  8. I’m trying to! Create for Just One Hour Each Day
  9. Keep these in mind: Some Things I Remind Myself During Market Corrections
  10. Nice to see Mark writing again: Which insulation should I use?
  11. Good stuff from Martin: Embracing Volatility – How to Buy Low and Sell High
  12. Not umaibo too! Japan’s favourite snack falls victim to global inflation with first-ever price hike
  13. A surprisingly mellow MMM: Reader Case Study: Is it Okay to Subsidize my Spendypants Adult Children?
  14. Probably needed this reminder: The opportunity cost of everything

What do you think? Anything good in there?

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14 Responses

  1. Didn’t you get a rowing machine? I browsed them once after you talked about them, and I’d be interested to hear how that has been going.
    Take a look at https://hundredpushups.com for something you can do anywhere, any time. And you can cheat if your want–I do them from my knees.

    1. Rowing machine was going great until November or so 😉

      Need to get back on the… rowing machine.

  2. Your water heater did well to last for 30 years. An electrician told me that we should expect ours to die at around 15 years. Something else to consider in the rent vs buy calculations for those thinking about buying a house/apartment.

    1. Yeah, I wanted to replace it when we redid our kitchen a couple of years ago but my wife vetoed that… ‘it’s not broken yet’, she said…

  3. Man, my physical condition is bad too. Back problems and recently knee problems (cartilage is gone). So reading your post is like looking into a mirror. I think motivation is the issue. We both know what we need to do, but still don’t do it right? I know what exercises to do and what habits to change but don’t do it. Not trying to put words in your mouth though. We all have our unique situations.

    I don’t own a car so I always walk everywhere. I thought that was working for me but it seemed to hit a plateau I guess (and now my knees hurt). As for sleeping, I try to go to sleep before 10 but then never sleep well anyway. My brain just doesn’t shut off.

    Anyway, let’s hope that 2022 is the year of improving bad habits.

  7. Ben,

    If you’re looking for a solution for mobility, I can’t recommend GMB fitness (gmb.io) highly enough. The founder lives in Osaka I think, and their online programs are excellent.

    Highly recommended.

  8. Were you asking for advice?? No? My two cents for free – get thee to the pool.

    The local pool has saved me during the last 2 years – I am more limber than I have been in a few years, and I sleep like a log. Also quite social – mostly older people in the onsen part who are a friendly community – so it’s good for mental health too.
    (Even if you can’t swim – there is usually a walking lane in Japanese pools. I couldn’t actually swim lengths when I started, but sure can now : )

    Ganbatte!

    1. Just got back from 90 minutes in the pool, actually! Feels good but I haven’t made it part of my routine yet…