3575: 5 Habits That Changed My Life by Anthony Ongaro of Break The Twitch on Healthy Living

[00:00:00] This episode is sponsored by Vinted. I recently looked at my closet and realized how many clothes I keep telling myself I'll wear again, but somehow never do. They're taking up space, and some of that could be extra money instead. That's where Vinted comes in. Vinted is the second-hand marketplace app that makes it simple to sell pre-loved fashion and give your clothes a second life. Listing on Vinted is quick and straightforward, and once an item sells, Vinted creates the prepaid shipping label for you.

[00:00:30] Without adding much to your routine. What I especially like is that Vinted has no seller fees, so you keep everything you earn. That makes finally clearing out your closet feel a lot more worthwhile, and it may even make room for something you'll actually wear. So, take another look at what's sitting unworn in your closet. Give your clothes a second life with Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free and start listing today. With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn.

[00:01:01] This is Optimal Health Daily. Five Habits That Changed My Life by Anthony Ongaro of Break The Twitch, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. And with that, let's keep this intro nice and short and get right to today's article as we optimize your life.

[00:01:33] Five Habits That Changed My Life by Anthony Ongaro of Break The Twitch 2018 was an exciting and eventful year, full of many positive changes. I managed to lose about 25 pounds over several months, and I'm writing and creating YouTube videos more regularly than I did last year. While there have been some stressful aspects during this time, much of it has been mitigated by the habits Amy and I have implemented this year.

[00:02:00] Overall, I've been feeling more productive, creative, and much healthier than I have in quite a while. I took some time to reflect on what the most impactful changes have been for us, and it really boiled down to five fundamental habits that I've started doing almost every day. While none of these are extraordinary on their own, they have added up to create quite a substantial impact. Here are the five habits that changed my life in the last 120 days. 1. Eat Salad for Breakfast

[00:02:30] This is something that I never would have even imagined six months ago, but a recent trip to Los Angeles sparked the change. After a workout at the Culver Steps, my friend Phil and I went to a restaurant in the area where we received what, at the time, seemed like a peculiar recommendation. The server suggested we tried the breakfast salad. Mixed greens with over-easy eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and prosciutto on top.

[00:02:55] Being a breakfast traditionalist, enjoying the likes of waffles, pancakes, and cereal, this was not the most exciting idea to me. But we decided to try it nevertheless. The dish was absolutely amazing. And when I brought the idea back to Amy, she loved it as well. Ever since, we've been making a big salad for breakfast with avocado, eggs, and tomatoes, and we absolutely love it. A huge bowl of mixed greens is only 25 to 50 calories or so, and it really fills me up for the day.

[00:03:25] This has been an essential change that's increased our veggie intake and helped us to feel less hungry throughout the day. 2. Reduce Sugar Intake Substantially This is a habit that I've done in the past with great success and have seen similar results this year. The biggest impact is, when I reduce my sugar intake, I'm not hungry all the time, which makes it easier to avoid overeating in general.

[00:03:50] Every time I eliminate high-sugar and high-carb items from my diet, I immediately lose weight, feel better, and sleep better. The first week is absolutely the hardest, as my body always freaks out and wonders why it's not getting its regular sugar high. But after that, it feels completely natural, and my energy evens out substantially throughout the day. I've yet to find a downside to doing this, other than, well, not eating cookies and donuts as much as before.

[00:04:15] It's totally worth it, though, and reducing sugar doesn't mean that I don't have the occasional treat from time to time. 3. Drink Tons of Water Boring, I know, but so essential. This one is in just about every health book or video or article, but after taking my water intake more seriously, I completely understand why. I have a big 32-ounce water bottle that I start off the day by filling up and drinking completely.

[00:04:42] After that, I make sure to drink at least one more full bottle at a minimum. Sometimes I drink three or four of them, totaling about 128 fluid ounces per day. Not only does it help me feel more satiated overall, but it also provides a relatively consistent reminder for me to get up from my computer during the day, both to refill my water bottle and obviously to go to the bathroom. 4. Exercise Six Times a Week

[00:05:08] While this may seem pretty intense, my goal is to simply go to the gym six days a week. Some days I just walk on the treadmill. Other days, if I'm feeling pumped to exercise, I'll lift and run for an hour or more. However, just showing up at the gym six times a week is the key habit that's helped me accomplish great results. Amy and I go together, which makes it easier to keep up the habit as well. Not only has this habit bettered my physical wellness,

[00:05:33] I've noticed substantial benefits when it comes to stress management and mental wellness also. When I was going through a particularly stressful time, running on the treadmill was like therapy for me. Just like anything, running and going to the gym sucked at first, but after a month or two, it got easier and much more enjoyable. Out of all the habits that changed my life last year, this one helped to integrate and enhance the others.

[00:05:58] Working out regularly encouraged me to eat better, drink more water, and make healthier choices overall. And lastly, number five, write down and catalog every idea. This is what has enhanced my creativity and helped me stay on track with creating videos and new blog posts consistently. While an incredibly simple idea, it's been very, very effective. I carry my favorite notebook with me just about everywhere and jot down ideas as they come to me.

[00:06:25] I've forgotten enough good ideas at this point that I don't want to lose anymore. The major benefit here is that once you start capturing your ideas, you can start comparing them, combining them, and sensing themes. Instead of coming up with new ideas, it's much easier to look through and expand on an existing idea. It's a great resource to have so that when I sit down to come up with a blog post or video, I'm not starting from scratch.

[00:06:49] While these habits are small changes on a day-to-day basis, the resulting impacts have added up substantially. My weight loss has been slow, but steady. My productivity and output has slowly increased, and more systems are being built to help maintain and continually increase the momentum. I'd encourage you to try one or two of these things and remember to start small. It's really the repetition of these habits that changed my life, not how difficult or how many of them I tried.

[00:07:18] While you don't need to do everything at once, the important thing is to keep on going for as long as possible. It's a journey, not a destination, as the old adage goes. You just listened to the post titled, Five Habits That Changed My Life, by Anthony Ungaro of BreakTheTwitch.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments.

[00:07:47] It's weeknight dinners, sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com. New and exclusive holiday decor just launched online at the Home Depot.

[00:08:16] Check out the viral Grand Duchess collection with smart holiday lights you can control from your phone. Easily customize the twinkle across trees, wreaths, and garlands to match your holiday vibe. Create stunning light effects, then switch it up with the tap of your fingers. Even the man in red will be impressed. Shop the holiday decor you want online only at homedepot.com. Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary.

[00:08:44] The author Anthony and I surprisingly do quite a few things that are similar. I'll start with tip number five where he talked about writing down and cataloging everything. Believe it or not, that's something that I do and I've actually talked about it on the show before. I actually keep a notepad and pen on the end table by my bed because sometimes when I'm trying to go to sleep, I actually have some really good ideas pop into my mind. Now that's not the ideal time to have that happen, of course,

[00:09:12] but at the same time, I don't want to forget some of these ideas. But by writing stuff down like this, by writing down these good ideas, it actually allows your brain to relax. Now the burden isn't on you. By simply writing down, you're relieving yourself of that extra stress. Now you don't have to worry about it. You don't have to worry about forgetting this great idea that you had. Or maybe it's not a great idea. Maybe you just remembered that you have to do something tomorrow

[00:09:40] that just somehow popped into your mind at that very moment. And so if you're able, keeping a notebook with you all the time, even if it's small, even if it's just a three by five card, something so that you can jot these things down is super helpful. And I actually use this notepad to write down ideas of what to talk about when I do this podcast. Sometimes I'll have an anecdote, something that I've experienced in my life that I want to share with you. And so I'll write it down so that I don't forget it. Now quickly, I'll mention his exercising six times a week.

[00:10:08] I love that he understood that that sounds overwhelming for many people. Six days a week? Are you crazy? I can't afford that kind of time. But I love that he said, well, really, it's just about going to the gym six days a week. It doesn't mean that you're going in there for an hour six days a week. The mere act of getting there, getting to the gym, walking through those doors, means you're going to move your body. And that's good enough sometimes. There are many times when I will wake up and mentally,

[00:10:36] I just don't want to go to the gym or I don't want to work out that day. But my body is saying, look, you've rested for two days. We need to get going. But my mind just isn't there yet. So I will force myself, it's not easy, to get to the gym, do my warm-up. But by the time I'm done with my warm-up, usually my brain has caught up. And then I'm pumped and ready to go. That happens most of the time, but not all the time. Sometimes my brain still lags. But maybe that's the day where I only spend 20 minutes in the gym.

[00:11:05] Either way, I'm always happier that I made the effort than if I had done nothing at all. And sometimes that's enough to keep the momentum going. All right, I hope you have a great start to your week. Thank you so much for listening. And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.