Where I am and Where I Want To Be

 Here are the issues I'm dealing with right now that are affecting my quality of life and making it so I feel like I'm just existing and not thriving at age 44:

*Depression

*Ahedonia

*Migraines

*Anxiety

*Binge Eating Tendencies

*Sugar addiction

*Over-reliance on alcohol

*Persistent lower back pain

*Obesity

*Total lack of physical fitness

*Joint pain due to lack of strength and flexibility

*Screen addiction

*Feeling like I'm failing my kids and setting a bad example for them

*Worsening vision

*Insomnia

There are probably others that I don't even know about. A couple come--to a certain extent--with age, but I am confident they are worse than they need to be (like my worsening vision) because of my lifestyle.

Here is the tools I want to use regularly to help me become the person I want to be by the end of 2023:

*Primal/Keto Eating. Every day. When I slip up, I need to get back on the wagon.

*Intermittent Fasting. I want to eat two meals a day to help control my calories.

*Daily walk/cardio exercise to help with mental health, headaches, and insomnia. Walking/hiking/biking, preferably on one of the beautiful trails around where I live, and when possible with an exercise partner to improve socializing.

*Stretching, at least 3 times per week to aid with flexibility and joint pain

*Strength training at least 3 times per week following Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint ideas.

*Meditating daily - if only for a few minutes - to calm my mind.

*Get outside and spend time in fresh air every day to get vitamin D

*Maximum 2 hours of screen time daily, preferably in the morning, to get work done and daily scut.

*Alcohol only on special occasions.

*No screens after 2:30 p.m. when I pick up kids to help model good screen habits. 

*Read a real book every night with a cup of calming tea.

*Bed by 9:30 to read, lights out at 10 p.m.

What I am doing right now:

*Eating keto/primal

*Intermittent Fasting

I know if I tried to implement all of these lifestyle changes at once I'd lose heart and give up. Like I have done a million times before. So for now I am focusing first on food, which is my biggest problem. I am currently on day 5 of keto/primal and dealing with keto flu symptoms. I'm also jumping right into intermittent fasting by doing an 18:6 fast. I know that's not what the experts recommend to start out with, but I generally do ok without breakfast after the first week and if I'm eating low carb, so it works for me. I've done it before.

I'm going to focus just on these two things for at least a week, maybe two.

What's coming next. 

*Daily walk 

*Reduced screen time