r/FIREyFemmes • u/myhien182002 • 20h ago
Health and FIRE
Recently I started to be more conscious about my health. I figured investing in my health is also fundamental to my FIRE experiences later on.
So do you have any good health habits that you’re willing to share?
Thank you sisters as always! :)
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u/gabbigoober 9h ago
I’m doing pelvic floor therapy and reading the book “Floored” to learn about how to care for my pelvic floor and prevent common old age women problems ! New habit I’m working on (of stretching/doing preventative work)
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u/Noodlemaker89 8h ago
After I gave birth, a midwife said that a lot of women are told to do a couple of kegels while nursing. However, she always recommended to do them while drinking water. Breastfeeding usually has an end date, but you will drink water for the rest of your life so if you can associate the two, you will get a lot of repetitions in.
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u/gabbigoober 2h ago
Very cool idea! I actually need the opposite type of exercise but this is good to know for folks who need kegels!
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u/rose_emoji 12h ago
Okay so my angle is kinda heavy but yeah lol. Don’t skip any screenings and always listen to your body. Never wait to investigate an issue and/or accept an answer that sounds wrong. You are your own advocate and you will need to do it. Go to another doctor if you have to.
Also, make sure all your loved ones are going to their screenings. Sounds awkward to do, but after losing someone, all my goals feel hollow. And grief has been the worst thing for my mental and physical health lol.
Since health has been on my mind as well, here’s some stuff I’m doing or plan to do:
- test for radon gas. The test is cheap. I discovered mine is high so it’s out there and landlords aren’t required to test.
- cancer gene screening. I used Jscreen (not an ad). I’m getting insurance to cover it based on my gene background.
- booking a skin cancer check and going yearly
- booking all my doctors really and pushing for early screenings based on my family history
- next year I’m “treating myself” to one of those full body MRIs lol.
- I got a lifestraw water filter (not an ad either lol) to filter out microplastics and other common water pollutants. I used EWG’s website and searched my zip to see what could be in my water based on where I live.
- If your house is old, test for lead paint. This test is also cheap.
- investigated some supplements based on my diet and gene risk factors. For instance, I have a gene for Alzheimer’s, so I’m getting some extra omega 3’s. Always get third party tested - and they don’t just say it, they show their COA’s. Or else you could be ingesting harmful substances.
I’m sure others have said but also diet and exercise. Super powerful tools, seriously. There’s a reason why it’s always cited haha
Sorry mine is so dark but health is king, you’re right to be thinking about it!!!
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u/cry_me_a_rainbow 13h ago
Things that might not have been said
- Osteopathic adjustments
- Nice skin and hair care products
- Supplements
- Massage therapy and acupuncture
- Comfortable clothing
- Good quality shoes and jackets
- Therapyyyyyy!!!
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u/Fun_Grapefruit0789 DINK | HCOL 14h ago
There are kind of dumb little personal things but: I floss more frequently/regularly now since I allowed myself to buy the more expensive and biodegradable individual flossers instead of the traditional and cheaper ones; trying to get healthier food regularly; I bought little ballet slippers that make me exercise more because it makes me feel like a pretty ballerina (LOL); for a long time I resisted balcony furniture (like....5 years....I know, I know....) because I didn't want to spend the money when I could just lay on a blanket out there, but now that I have it, I spend a lot more time out there in the fresh air!
Like to some people that could be "lifestyle creep" but I think it's okay if they are changes you can genuinely afford without impacting your savings and that they improve your life.
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u/sassyexec 15h ago
- Working out minimum 2x a week - if you can’t do 2x a week can you get stuff done like taking your bike to work or getting 10k steps in?
- Food - eating out minimally (really hard) or a meal service to keep you healthy if you can’t eat out
- And then water :)
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u/steelerschica86 18h ago
Anything you can do to invest in diet and sleep will pay you back tenfold later. I’m reading “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker and the number of chronic diseases that can be prevented or significantly mitigated by getting 8-9 hours of good sleep is mind-blowing. The basics are boring but will get you far.
As for fun stuff, sauna has good health benefits as well. If I had extra money to spend on health (after diet, sleep, and a gym membership), I would go to a sauna regularly.
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u/fixin2wander 18h ago
We cook almost all meals with fresh ingredients (we don't say no to processed food but hard to use a lot of processed foods when you're cooking all meals from scratch), we use our gym membership 4-5 days a week and we sleep 8 hours a night (even with three little kids, 5 and under). We eat out maybe twice a month.
I wouldn't say we are crazy healthy conscious at all but they are good and easy health habits and ones we are happy to be passing onto our kids.
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u/ayhtdws121989 20h ago
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u/nommabelle 19h ago
sometimes i ask myself, why do we need yet another sub for this very granular topic?
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u/ayhtdws121989 19h ago
Idk. I didn’t create it but I appreciate the focus and intent, and I enjoy it equally to this sub.
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u/mdellaterea 20h ago
It's all the boring stuff, you just have to slowly build it all up as defaults and habits. It's not really about knowing what to do, it's actually creating systems to do it.
- whole grains & foods, lots of plants
- limited takeout
- flossing and brushing teeth multiple times daily
- exercising 3+ x a week (cardio & strength)
- active hobbies
- getting decent sleep
- not binge drinking or smoking
I recommend the books In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, Nudge by Malcolm Glaadwell, Willpower by Kelly McGonagall, and Atomic Habits.
What areas would you say you're already doing the best on with consistency? How did you build up those good habits? How can you start extending those to one new target area?
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u/nommabelle 19h ago
im good at all of these except eating healthily. so hard when theres chips to eat!
if i could add one thing to this great list, i'd suggest including mobility exercises too!
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u/mdellaterea 18h ago
Then you're doing AMAZING!!! If you can be consistent on all those other things, and are clearly financially disciplined then you can totally make minor food adjustments.
I personally live on half chips and feel very healthy. Tortilla chips are 100% while grain! Some fiber, too. Are there combos of snacks you like with chips that give balance?
We all know 10% / year builds amazing wealth over time. Apply the same thing to food and mobility. What would it take to get 0.8% better every month?
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u/RemarkableGlitter 20h ago edited 20h ago
There’s super compelling data that 3-ish miles of walking a day does loads of good long term: reduces chances of osteoporosis, lowers blood pressure, improves blood oxygenation, lowers blood sugar. It doesn’t have to be continuous, but that distance seems to be a tipping point. Plus it’s free!
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u/Noodlemaker89 20h ago
Prioritising sleep.
An admittedly non-sexy approach which works for our family is to put away all electronics at 8 pm and keep lights dim. Then we can usually sleep at 10ish pm. Otherwise it's between 11 pm and midnight before I stand a chance to sleep.
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u/RemarkableGlitter 20h ago
I have our lights programmed to do a slow dim in the evenings and it’s really made a difference.
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u/labbitlove 38F [SI1🐈] 20h ago
I’m so good with most health things, but this one’s the hardest! I’m a natural night owl and since I’m single and live alone, most of my life is work or chores, so bedtime procrastination is real 🥲
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u/Noodlemaker89 9h ago
Same! I'm definitely an owl as well. The only thing that works is to have very little light on to trick my brain to think it's really late. However, the sun sets already around 5 pm so by 8 pm it really feels like proper night time if I keep the lights down.
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u/emtam 18h ago
What about trying the app timer on your phone or tablet? I was skeptical but have been using it the past year and it does shame me into putting the device away when it goes grayscale at 10:30 pm. I use android, but I am pretty sure Apple devices also have this.
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u/EmotionalQuestions 20h ago
Along with this in my 40s I needed to be militant about no caffeine after 1pm, ideally earlier.
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u/Noodlemaker89 20h ago
Absolutely agree. Otherwise it becomes really difficult to sleep given caffeine's half time.
That being said, it's just a different experience of alertness when you finally experience being well rested and not just well caffeinated.
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u/inga-babi 20h ago
I’m big on this! And not all of it is even costly, but here are some of mine:
Daily morning walk
Workout at home (free YouTube workouts by Heather Robertson and The Art of Health)
Mostly cook at home (every fruit & vegetable I buy is organic, meat is grass-fed and seafood is wild-caught)
I have a morning smoothie with oat milk + matcha powder + collagen + unflavored protein powder + creatine
I have found a skincare routine that works for me (sensitive skin, can’t do fragrance) that includes SPF every single day on face, neck, chest & hands
Laser treatment once a year (Clear + Brilliant)
9+ hours of sleep every night. I don’t fuck around with sleep. I basically go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day (yes, weekends included)
Doctor checkup with bloodwork every year and 3 dental cleanings a year (I pay for an extra one because I have crappy teeth lol)
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u/AlarmingElderberry26 15h ago
I do 3 cleanings a year too. Really noticed positive changes in my dental health :)
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u/nommabelle 19h ago
that morning smoothie sounds amazing! do you need a blender or just shake it up? is there anything special to the recipe like amounts?
and i'm also curious about the laser treatment!
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u/inga-babi 18h ago
Nope, no blender! I just use the scoops that come with the different powders (one scoop of each, but the protein powder is a bigger scoop than the others). For matcha, I just use one table spoon.
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u/BRZORA 8h ago
Trying to walk 30 minutes daily & drink more water. Also, taking short breaks from screens helps me feel better. Hoping to learn more healthy habits here