This post is about my journey with my personal health and how I overcome those battles. I will also be sharing health tips which worked well for me. Read on if you would like to know about how I tackled these issues.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, our lives were affected in many ways. We learned that people with pre-existing medical conditions are more likely to succumb to the virus.
On a personal note, I felt concerned & realised that I am almost bidding goodbye to my 20s. While Covid was a serious issue for all of us, I had my share of personal battles with my health. To name a few, starting with the most dreadful.
- Phlegm discharge almost every morning
- Mild Fecal Incontinence
- Lactose intolerance
- Lack of energy
Phlegm Phlegm Go Away
We all dread waking up in the morning, but the reason I dread it is different from most people. Every time I brush my teeth, I will be coughing for a few minutes just to discharge phlegm accumulated from the night before. On bad days, it could be as long as 10 minutes. I found out later that consuming foods such as pastries, milk & desserts or anything creamy late in the night will worsen the phlegm on the next morning.
It took one incident to force me to put a stop to the problem.
During Covid, I was politely evicted by the landlord due to the discomfort caused to him. To be fair, he gave me 2 months to resolve the issue, but I didn’t took it seriously enough. After moving to another place nearby, I made a vow to solve this problem.
A general practitioner told me that it was due to the back flow of phlegm during sleep & it could be caused by snoring and facial structure. Another concern that was creeping up was sleep apnea.
After an extensive research and experimenting, I am glad to announce that I solved this issue by applying the list of actions below.
- I made a habit to stop consuming the foods mentioned earlier before 6 in the evening.
- Consuming an anti-inflammatory potion every morning(Maca +ginger +turmeric powder + manuka honey dissolved in warm water)
- Mouth taping every night before sleeping(This is safe if done properly)
- Avoiding all types of sodas.
Spill the TEA
I’ve had issues with fecal incontinence(involuntary discharge of faeces which can cause discomfort an itchiness) for a couple of years but it wasn’t a huge concern at that time. All these while, I suspected that it was due to my lactose intolerance. I just assumed that it got worse due to age(I love eating pizza & drinking chocolate milk). Recently, its occurrence became more frequent and even when I reduced my dairy intake, it didn’t get any better. I knew I had to get to the BOTTOM of it(pun intended)
At the start of 2022, I paid a visit to a specialist at the hospital. After taking my blood and a sample of my stool, she advised me that a colonoscopy(inserting a camera from you know where) may be required if the root cause wasn’t found. Fortunately, there was no issue with my blood or stool. I was reluctant to do a follow up, so I performed a mini experiment to find out the root cause. I tried removing some types of food from my diet temporarily, but to no avail.
The discovery came during an unexpected incident at Starbucks. I ordered a cup of Matcha Latte, substituting the milk option to Soy Milk. Less than an hour later, my stomach felt uneasy. After taking another usual dump, I said “How can this happen even after changing the milk option to soy!?” Then it struck me, it could be the Matcha. Lo and behold, I did a quick google search and found out that Matcha contains a substantial amount of caffeine. It was hiding in plain sight. CAFFEINE was the cause of all the discomfort and months of being in the dark.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Most of the insightful lessons came from reading books from health experts. Reading alone isn’t sufficient. Just like a peanut butter sandwich can only be enjoyed when we apply it on the bread. One must apply the knowledge from books into our daily lives. Here are the 3 books that gave me the highest ROI on my personal health journey.
- Why we Sleep by Matthew Walker
- Genius Foods by Max Lugavere
- Outlive by Peter Attia
Sleep is for the weak. No Sleep makes you weak.
Do you remember a time when you didn’t had enough sleep due to insomnia or partying late BUT you woke up the next day feeling refreshed & seized the day like a champ? If you said yes, then you’re still in a dream, awaiting to be woken up by the alarm which will bring your consciousness to the unending battles ahead. The only thing you wished you’d done was to sleep early.
One of the turning points of my life came after reading a bestselling book by Matthew Walker. The book is called “Why we sleep” and I never saw sleep the same way again. I remembered doing badly for an exam because I experienced “brain fog” due to extensive mugging the night before. Looking back, I realise how all those “bad days” largely came from lack of sleep.
- Have a fixed sleep schedule everyday, including weekends.
- Avoid naps in the day to avoid feeling awake during actual bedtime
- Avoid consuming water 1-2 hours prior to bedtime
- Sleep in TOTAL DARKNESS
- Sunlight viewing upon waking (on most days)
Getting SMART(literally) with food choices
After reading Genius Foods, I pondered on the importance of the foods mentioned in the book. It inspired me to update the items on my grocery list.
Since I am in a good mood, here is the items on my weekly grocery list.
- Avocados
- Blueberries
- Eggs
- High Protein Low Carb Bread
- Bell Peppers
- Salmon
- Lactose Free Milk
- Dark Chocolate(Minimum 80%)
- Can of Tuna
- Coconut Water
Other items not included here which deserves a special mention are
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 100% Peanut Butter(no sugar added)
- Moringa Leaf Powder
- Organic Ginger Powder
- Manuka Honey
- Whey Protein
Outlive your Mind & Body
Back in 2019 while I was working in a bank, I observed many of the staff working till 8 or 9 in the evening every day. The atmosphere felt grim & a random thought popped in my head. One of the biggest fears I had was being immobile in my late years due to spending the entirety of my 30s and 40s in an office. A fat paycheck would be meaningless if I can’t move anywhere with my body. I had to make wise decisions now to avoid ending up in that gloomy fate. There is a saying “Use it or you’ll lose it” which I apply to my body. Below are the main physical activities I perform on a regular basis.
- Walk at least 5000 steps daily
- Strength training 3 times a week
- Cardio workout once a week
I first came across Peter Attia while browsing on Instagram. He was on a podcast with Andrew Huberman, another renowned health expert whom I follow.
After sharing the concept of health span with one of my friends, he sum it up with a brilliant quote that blew me away.
“I want to be so healthy that I can walk to my grave”
There are 4 pillars of health which can be summed up with the visual below.
On average, I used to fall sick with a high fever twice a year.
After learning & applying what I read, between 2021 till the time of writing which is the end of 2023, there were 2 incidents of high fever. One of them was due to the Covid vaccine.
I believe that a large part of this improvement was due to the supplements I use on a regular basis. Here’s the list.
- Omega-3 Fish Oil
- Magnesium
- Black Seed Oil
- Marine Collagen
- Spirulina
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Hair Skin Nails
- Vitamin D-3
- Ashwagandha Root
- Vitamin C + Zinc
Before I end, I would like to mention that every new habit I picked up and every old habit that I remove from my routine is not done overnight. I did face some difficulties along the way & it took some habits longer than others to stick.
(Not all habits are created equal)
Patience is a virtue. The visuals below sums up this paragraph.
DISCLAIMER: This post is intended as a form of personal sharing.
Please seek professional medical advice(NOT FROM ME) before embarking on a new habit or diet 🙂
If you know anyone who might benefit from this post, feel free to share it with them.
If you have any questions regarding the information provided above, feel free to reach out to me. 🙂
WISH YOU A HEALTHY & ABUNDANT 2024
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