Are we that degenerate already??

Thanks for the recommend! I just finished it (I’m also not actually gonna do the 30 day plan). Even though my internet vices aren’t actually on my phone, and my phone might as well be a dumb phone with how little I use it, the book was still uber relevant to my life. Part One in the book that went over the negative effects of tons of media consumption was the wake up call I was looking for. I definitely notice many of the negative effects mentioned in the book in my life… I wanna take back my free time and attention :)

Bonus points that the book is entertaining. It has a few actually good jokes, and useful perspectives. And it’s not at all preachy or judgey (which sometimes is a pet peeve of mine with self help books - where they feel like they’re trying to sell you an ideology too hard).

Pretty crazy that the book is from 2018 and is still so relevant - if anything I feel like our knowledge that media addiction is bad for us has only gotten stronger, and as a population our media addictions have also gotten stronger - and more socially acceptable. I’d love to read a similar thing that was more modern and could scare me with up to date statistics that knew about TikToc and such.

Yeah I was thinking about checking them out. I looked at their pricing model and was really confused and put off by it. Makes it seem like you have to pay more to be better informed. The lowest paid tier for example doesn’t show the factuality score of a publisher, which I feel like would be important to me, but who knows maybe it doesn’t come into affect with how they show the news.

Does seem like they support RSS feeds which is sweet

I definitely don’t need it for anything. I might just note down some of my ambient music playlist that I like to work to. I’ll have to figure out a new news source for political news, maybe this weekend I’ll try setting up an RSS reader to aggregate some sources. But yeah, political news I think is what got me to start using YouTube a lot more since I’d be waiting to hear about updates to all this craziness (in the USA).

I read most of my books, but I also enjoy audiobooks. I usually read series I love, and listen to the “meh” stuff. Sometimes I’ll even stop an audiobook and go buy the book version if I like it enough.

I 100% agree that audiobooks are another form of media, but I disagree that they’re comparable to algorithmically addicting media (which I have a problem with). You can listen to a book and have your life changed, meanwhile, it is doubtful I’ll remember anything I scrolled through yesterday, or watched in YouYube compilations.

I’m sure someone could waste a bunch of time listening to books they didn’t even want to, but I don’t struggle with anything like that. I read basically daily, but I go through regular audiobook slumps. And especially when it comes to attaining new information (I’m thinking a biography, not a math textbook), I think reading and listening are both fine enough. I mostly read fantasy though, for what it’s worth.

But yeah I suppose I read the things I love because I do notice some sort of difference. Can’t put my finger on it right now, but I will continue to do both with my arbitrary distinction :P

This might be the way. I’ve actually been un-googling this week, maybe I should just delete my YT account as well… I think I was just hoping a book would warm me up to the idea, or have insights I hadn’t considered. But I don’t really see even an hour a day of videos daily as something I want in my future.

I know! Sometimes I’ll hear Teams notification sounds in YouTube videos and get a huge spike in stress/anxiety. Kinda hate it 🙃

Sorry to take so long to add my notes, but I kept thinking I’d work on them more to make them more definitive and organized… Just gonna give you what I have so far…

There is a lot of great info in the other responses that go into more detail - I’ve tried to make my notes to the point, and easy to review. I also didn’t note things that I didn’t feel weren’t applicable to my life. I also added some context to these notes that aren’t in my actual notes.

• Things to avoid:
  • Regular long periods of sedentary-ness
    • Get up and move every hour with some squats, push ups, planks, walking, etc
    • Your joints need motion to stay healthy. Cartilage isn’t vascular. Applying and removing pressure moves synovial fluid through cartilage, keeping it hydrated and flexible.
  • Injuries - especially regular injuries (like a repeated sprained ankle). Take care not to crash often while mountain biking…
  • Bad sleep
  • Bad diet
  • High stress
  • Putting on excess weight - even a 5% change in body weight can have a significant impact on arthritis.
  • Repetitive motions
• Things to do more of:
  • Exercise. Shoot for daily exercise, plus hourly movements. Try to get your heart rate up multiple times a day
    • “Motion is lotion” when it comes to arthritis
    • I set up an hourly notification during work hours where I get a random exercise to do - and I don’t clear the notification until I’ve done the exercise. The app:
    • Low impact exercise may be best (yoga, swimming, biking, elliptical, rowing)
    • I bought a rebounder (mini trampoline) and I’m convinced it’s a great long-term investment in avoiding arthritis.
      • I keep it by my couch and bounce a few times during a movie, before work, after work, when listening to music. It’s actually super fun and an instant way to feel better. I haven’t had to “try” to force myself to use it, I just walk by and get on for fun.
      • Nothing super long or intense, but it’s more fun and easier than doing body weight stuff. And there’s the visual reminder of seeing it.
      • I originally bought it to help with my lymphatic system since doctors kept telling me I had inflamed lymph-nodes. That was before I started trying to move more in general. So it’s kinda a two-for-one for me.
    • I also bought an under-desk bike for my office, and a standing balance board. I enjoy and recommend both.
  • Pay attention to insulin and your diet
    • Avoid sugary treats and drinks, especially on an empty stomach.
    • Avoid ultra-processed foods entirely
    • Try to get omega-3s, and vitamin D
• Misc notes:
  • While there are conflicting conclusions on running and arthritis, there is reason to believe that running doesn’t cause arthritis. It may not be a great activity for people with arthritis though.
  • Incorporating movement into your day reduces chances of arthritis.
    • Think bike commuting, walks, parking far away, exercise-tangent hobbies (skating, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, gardening)
    • Moving more often seemed like it’d be a big change for me, and maybe unsustainable, but I’ve been feeling so much better in general. And I’ve had zero back pain lately, which is huge for me. I used to nurse my back regularly (stretches and rolling out) to try and treat the pain and stiffness - but it’s just been gone as soon as I got that exercise reminder app.
      • I’ve always spent hours at a time at a desk. Many of my after-work hobbies are also at a desk…
      • Do not sleep on this change, the hardest part is remembering, but I always am excited to get up out of my desk to do 45 seconds of exercise.
      • I think it might even be helping with my work performance and having more energy through the day without crashes.

Thanks!! Just did a bunch of insulin research and added key takeaways to my notes. I’m pretty great at getting good sleep, and work has finally started to slow down making my life feel far less stressful