cermakalex 21-Day Challenge: Gratitude Journal
So, I’ve been focusing my mind on things I’m grateful for for the past seven days. And I have to admit, every day is a bit of a challenge. My mind isn’t set up to notice these little joys, and then writing them down in the evening is even harder. Finding one thing is doable, but I’ve set myself the goal of four.
One solution is to write them down as soon as they happen, as soon as we realize them. Yes, realizing them – that’s also sometimes a stumbling block in this hectic world. This advice is useful, but it’s also terribly difficult. I’ve been trying this method, but there are still days when it’s not easy, and I struggle to remember or find what it could be. So keep your fingers crossed that I can stick with it for the next two weeks and build this habit.
Another Helpful Habit – Getting Enough Protein
What next? I don’t want to wait another 14 days before starting a new 21-day challenge. I’m already eyeing my next habit. Oh, how we want everything right now, right? But I think I’ve found a good candidate. It won’t interfere with this mind-improving habit at all.
Over the past week, many health and longevity podcasts I follow have been discussing how important it is to get enough protein. For example, Huberman Lab Clips, Glucose Revolution, and so on.
So, it’s not surprising that I’ve started thinking about my protein intake. When I looked at what I’ve been eating lately, I realized I’m consuming a lot less than I should. What’s the right amount? Some say 1.2g per kilogram of current weight, others more boldly suggest 2g per kilogram of ideal weight. Whatever the correct answer, I’m eating sometimes half, sometimes a third of the lower recommended dose. So focusing on a greater intake of protein definitely isn’t a bad idea, and I can start working on that right away.
It’s one of the pillars that should help optimize health and physical condition for old age. We lose muscle mass so quickly that it’s really important to start maintaining protein levels and building muscle or not losing it while dieting as soon as possible.
What Has the Most Protein:
GlucoseGoddess now has a calculator in her video that calculates how much protein is optimal for you based on your parameters. I’ll use that as my main starting point and start working on it. It won’t be easy to get to about 115g of protein per day overnight, especially when I can barely hit 60g some days.
It should start with a good protein-packed breakfast. If I want to divide those 115g into 3 meals and one snack, breakfast should contain up to 35g of protein. Looking at the table above, this is definitely going to be a challenge. However, if we start well in the morning, we don’t have to catch up during the day, right?
Breakfast will be savory, with eggs, cottage cheese, or yogurts as the base. Another thing I’ll be adding to my diet is an afternoon snack, which I’ve been skipping lately. The best option seems to be skyr with fruit and nuts, which has up to 12g of protein per serving. That’s a better choice than Greek yogurt or similar ones. Best if it’s low-fat, because I’ll get plenty of fat in my morning breakfast and definitely in lunch and dinner. Phew, I’m curious to see how I do.
This may even bring me to the point where I’m eating more food than I’m used to. But as Dr. Gabrielle Lyon mentions in the podcast, people with a high protein intake and exercise lost fat well, not muscle mass – and that’s exactly what we don’t need. So let’s see how it goes after a week.
Keep your fingers crossed!
