This is something I have found I do without really trying to, or without thinking about it; I’ve made a game out of tweaking my healthy lifestyle. I really enjoy finding efficiencies with my body as it relates to food and fitness.

I’ve learned some things about how my body reacts to specific foods. While some people have no problems eating certain foods, my body reacts by retaining water. Foods that are high in sugar, in particular, have always had a negative effect on my body. The same goes for anything with lactose: my body does not like it, and my gastrointestinal tract really wants to get rid of anything containing lactose post-haste.

When it comes to running, if I run every other day, my body can sustain a pretty good pace, and I can make steady improvements without too much discomfort or pain. The same goes with push ups; doing them every other day has yielded me some quite good results. Of course, not being able to do anything for two weeks will be a setback, but I also know from experience that the setback will not be nearly as bad as what I used to think it would be. It will take some work to get back to where I was, but it can be done.

I like to use my Garmin GPS watch for tracking my runs, daily steps, and other fitness related information (like I used my Fitbit and Jawbones before it). I enjoy having data points to look at to track my progress and to help motivate me. It really becomes a game of stats.

We all have different motivations for getting healthy and fit, and we also use different methods to be successful at them. I like to have fun with it, and I like to use science and data when tweaking my health. Find what works for you and what makes it interesting and you’ll have an easier time sticking with it. You may learn something along the way, too!