Damn, just reading this thread made me brush, floss, and mouth wash my teeth. It burned because I hadn't done it in so long. Also I use this (http://www.dentist.net/plackers.asp) which makes me feel bad, considering how much plastic is wasted everytime I floss. Also yeah, I brush somewhat regularly and floss + mouth wash maybe once or twice a week and my dentist says my teeth are in much better condition then most people my age.
If reading this thread made you want to do all that, then it is doing its job. As for those little flossing thingers, you don't have to throw them away after each use. In fact, I use the heads on my floss tool until the floss breaks, which is usually after about two weeks. Just clean it and use it again if it makes you feel wasteful.
I'm very strict about my oral hygiene routine, haha. It goes as follows:
- Take half of a multivitamin before anything
- Floss thoroughly between all teeth
- Brush for two minutes (I actually have a little timer in my bathroom that I use) then spit
- Brush tongue for about 5 to 10 seconds and clean toothbrush
- Rinse with mouthwash for 30 seconds and spit
I do this twice a day, after breakfast and before I sleep, every day, and it makes me feel REALLY clean and healthy.
Also I've been trying to "bulk up" on and off for a couple of years now. It started with doing 15 to 20 push ups and 30 pull ups before taking a shower, and now I do about 30-40 push ups and about 40-50 pull ups (just started again recently). I've only noticed some change in the middle of last year and now I've basically run into a wall, and I haven't changed much at all. Also I REALLY need to do some sort of running/biking (would love a shitty BMX bike). I can't even run a couple acres without having to stop to breath, and now that my push mower broke (push mowing an acre is surprisingly hard) I get like no exercise.
It sounds like you've hit what's called a strength training plateau. There's an article about how to get past it here:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa020102a.htmBy the way wow, at your 40 - 50 pull ups. I can barely do two XD. How much do you weigh?
I do not brush or floss nearly enough. My main problem is that I need to get a routine started, but considering how fucked up my hours tend to be, it's VERY hard to get into a decent routine.
I'm kinda scrawny, so my friends say. I weigh 130-145lbs (it fluctuates over time), and I'm something like 5'11" or something. I'd like to bulk up, and to get rid of this annoying bit of stomach flab, but once again, the routine issue. Now, I'm up more at night than I am during the day, which makes something like weight lifting kinda impossible right now, since I don't want to wake everyone in the house (the home gym in my basement is kinda loud).
I drink WAY too much caffeinated stuff, and not nearly enough water, milk, or other drinks that are actually good for you. My staple drink is coke, and I get minor caffeine withdrawal if I don't have like, 6+ a day, give or take. I get actual cravings for coke.
It's all about how strongly you want to be healthier. If you REALLY REALLY want it, then you'll have to make a lot of sacrifices that suck at first, but pay off big time in the near future. I guarantee that you'll feel better after a couple weeks of dedication to being healthier, if that's what you want.
I was in the exact same situation in my teen years. My friend and I would probably drink about four liters of Mountain Dew (my staple, back then) every day and we'd never drink water or milk or anything. We would also stay up for hours and walk to 7-11 at 5am to buy a 40 oz. Slurpee (are there 7-11s in Canada...?) I agree that it's really hard to just start a routine out of nothing, so I would suggest just taking baby steps. If you're impatient with things that don't show immediate results, like I am, then this is MUCH easier than going cold-turkey. Make (and by make, I mean actually write or type out) a week-by-week plan for yourself, making one small goal after another, and stick to it 100%. Don't "reward" yourself or make exceptions or compromises, just stay with the plan. I have found that it's easier mentally, to form a routine if you start your weekly goals at the beginning of the week on Sunday, and keep them consistent with this time frame. For example, if you drink, say, 6 to 8 Cokes a day, starting next week, reduce it down to 4 to 6, and keep good track of this (maybe even have a little tally system going.) Also, make absolutely sure that you convince yourself you not only CAN do it, but that you WILL. Confidence in your own abilities to retain healthy convictions is majorly important. That's why it was so hard for me to stay with anything because I generally have low self-esteem, and I was always giving in to that.
Honestly, I'd go fucking insane if I stopped drinking coke flat out. You know how smokers get when they are quitting. That's how I'd be. Seriously. I'm that fucking addicted.
I've tried (semi-successfully) to lower the amount of coke I drink, but that usually results in the coke getting drank by everyone else so that when I do have a serious craving, there's no fucking coke to drink. And that craving does not go away until I get the coke. If there's no coke for 10 hours, I'll have that craving for those 10 hours, non-stop.
I totally understand your addiction. I used to be reliant on soda to function well throughout the day. Energy drinks, too. But if you are afraid of running into the situation you described, what about buying your own Coke? Maybe get yourself a six-pack every day, and ONLY drink that. If you don't trust yourself to keep away from the family Coke supply, let your family know that you're going to try to cut down, and tell them not to let you have any. There's nothing wrong with asking for help. Also, you have more incentive to quit because the less you drink, the less money you have to spend.
If your body doesn't work right without the constant flow of caffeine, and you get really lethargic and sleepy without it, you really should work on your sleep schedule. What I do to get back on a decent sleep schedule is stay up all night, without sleeping at all, and without napping the rest of the day until about midnight or 1am, then set your alarm for seven hours later. The amount of sleep you get is insanely detrimental to your physical and mental health. The fact that you aren't resting well probably has a lot to do with how hard it is to cut out some of your unhealthy staples.
Chances are you've heard most of what I just said before, and actually tried some of it, but there's no sense in not trying again, right?
Perhaps meth would be a good option then. (!)
YES, definitely. Meth addiction is a sure-fire way to lose weight. Also teeth, hair, brain matter, and sanity
