I recently started thinking about, and sometimes doing, the big middle of the day meal and meager dinner. So much smarter for someone like me who works all day (I'm retired and I seem to do more now than before), and by the time I eat dinner I want to sit and veg. Not good for digestion! So it occurred to me that, while a life-long habit of big meal at night, I could flip dinner to midday. I could eat that meal at 2 or 3 p.m., and spend the afternoon moving around. By the time dinner comes around, I'm ready for a nosh, not a meal. It's better for me, my digestion and even creatively. I mostly have time in midday to cook, sometimes time runs out at night and I end up "cooking" from the freezer.
As time goes on, I imagine that although I will not always have a big meal at midday, but I can still develop a habit of eating a lighter meal in the evening. Believe it or not, retirement is a great time to shed old habits and begin new ones.
This was the perfect nudge I needed heading into spring—thank you, Charles.
“Start small” and “reward yourself” hit home. I’ve been procrastinating on my return to running, and just committing to ten minutes feels doable, not overwhelming. I’m going to pair it with a favorite podcast—that little dopamine hook makes a difference.
Also really appreciated the reminder that we procrastinate starting, not doing. That reframe alone just cleared some mental fog. I’ve already laid out my gym clothes for tomorrow and set a 10-minute timer on my to-do app.
As for goals: mine this spring is simple—get my body moving daily, without making it a moral battle. More joy, less judgment.
Grateful for the science and the gentle tone you bring to this work.
interesting question of what i’m gonna focus on this Spring. usually I have the annual goals and I don’t think of it in terms of seasons.
my wife is pregnant with our second, due in August. so I think my goal this Spring should be to chill as much as possible but also get ahead of my to-do list, in order to be as present as possible with our new daughter.
I recently started thinking about, and sometimes doing, the big middle of the day meal and meager dinner. So much smarter for someone like me who works all day (I'm retired and I seem to do more now than before), and by the time I eat dinner I want to sit and veg. Not good for digestion! So it occurred to me that, while a life-long habit of big meal at night, I could flip dinner to midday. I could eat that meal at 2 or 3 p.m., and spend the afternoon moving around. By the time dinner comes around, I'm ready for a nosh, not a meal. It's better for me, my digestion and even creatively. I mostly have time in midday to cook, sometimes time runs out at night and I end up "cooking" from the freezer.
As time goes on, I imagine that although I will not always have a big meal at midday, but I can still develop a habit of eating a lighter meal in the evening. Believe it or not, retirement is a great time to shed old habits and begin new ones.
I think this is a great idea. When we eat during the 'peak' of our day, we set ourselves up to manage our energy better.
This was the perfect nudge I needed heading into spring—thank you, Charles.
“Start small” and “reward yourself” hit home. I’ve been procrastinating on my return to running, and just committing to ten minutes feels doable, not overwhelming. I’m going to pair it with a favorite podcast—that little dopamine hook makes a difference.
Also really appreciated the reminder that we procrastinate starting, not doing. That reframe alone just cleared some mental fog. I’ve already laid out my gym clothes for tomorrow and set a 10-minute timer on my to-do app.
As for goals: mine this spring is simple—get my body moving daily, without making it a moral battle. More joy, less judgment.
Grateful for the science and the gentle tone you bring to this work.
Thank you, Anton. It is wonderful to hear this helped - and good luck with the journey back to running!
interesting question of what i’m gonna focus on this Spring. usually I have the annual goals and I don’t think of it in terms of seasons.
my wife is pregnant with our second, due in August. so I think my goal this Spring should be to chill as much as possible but also get ahead of my to-do list, in order to be as present as possible with our new daughter.
That sounds like a brilliant plan.