A Healthy Professional Lifestyle?

[x2ski]

I want one.

I'm beginning to call myself a fatty-fat-fat; unfortunately, the self-degradation isn't helping.

I'm not that over-weight, but I'm not in shape (6'3" and 220 lbs); regardless, there are many aspects of my lifestyle that are definitely unhealthy:

1. I smoke.
2. I drink alcohol (probably too much and too often, but it still doesn't affect my day-to-day responsibilities).
3. I drink coffee (definitely too much [8-10 cups/day]).
4. I eat one gigantic meal per day, and it is the last thing I do before I go to bed, which is definitely not the appropriate time to be eating.
5. I don't exercise.
6. I puff (if you can't figure this one out, skip it and go to #7).
7. I sit in front of a computer screen playing poker all day and only take breaks to walk upstairs out of my basement to have a smoke.
8. I'm psychologically "weak" as far as self-motivation is concerned.

Let us address each point individually. I am open to all suggestions, even if you are only able to cover one or just a few of the above bad-habits:

1. I Smoke

Smoking is bad... I know that. But it is so damn awesome! I don't like the taste or the

smell of smoking, but that "tight" feeling I get in my throat when I inhale that drag is absolutely fantastic. It's like a tiny instance of panic that I have all to myself. Perhaps it's the postive feeling of control I get by not coughing when I take that drag but, nevertheless, I love it.

The euphoric feeling is good too.

It also complements Bad-Habit Points (2) and (6) perfectly.

I quit for about six months 2 years ago. I used the patch. It worked.

I believe I started again as a result of drinking more often, which we'll discuss later.

I initially started smoking at the age of 16, and have never, ever smoked more than a pack per day. I used to chew a tin of Kodiak a day in addition to smoking, but one day during my broke-ass years (18-19), I didn't have enough money for a tin... I haven't bought a tin since. I didn't start smoking more after I quit chewing tobacco, so why can't quitting smoking be that easy? Do I have to go broke first?

I need to quit smoking... Any suggestions?

(Please don't post pictures of cancerous lungs because I only find those to be curiously fascinating. Also, please don't suggest I take on bk in the Stars 100/200 so I run out of money for cigs, because I would also find that to be curiously fascinating)

2. I Drink Alcohol

Lately I've been drinking Miller Lite 'cause it's summertime, but my drink of choice is Corby's Canadian whiskey and Diet Coke. I drink Corby's because it is cheap and all alcohol and/or beer tastes the same to me. IMHO none of it tastes good, some are just more palatable than others.

I drink Miller Lite because now that I have a healthy BR I can afford more "premium" beers and want to support the brewing companies in my home state of Wisconsin. Before I had money, I would drink Milwaukee's Best Ice (aka Beast Ice), Busch Ice and other discount brews.

Let's just say that I'm not an alcohol aficionado.

So why do I drink? For the buzz. Thankfully, I've always had a low tolerance for alcohol and all other mind-altering substances. No matter how much I drink, smoke etc. I never need more than I did previously to get the job done.

Is drinking just for the feeling alone a problem in and of itself?

I am now drinking pretty much every night, and have been for about a year. I never get wasted, but I always manage to catch a buzz. When I am drinking whiskey-diets, I have between 3 and 4 "tall-ones". When I'm drinking beer, it's between 6 and 10 brew-dogs.

As I said earlier, I have never had a drink to "get the day started" or "make it through this meeting"... I stay completely away from all mind-altering substances until my daily responsibilities have been completed (including poker). I learned the importance of this while in college. Regardless of my "control" over my drinking, I know I have to back off. My main concern right now is that my wife is pregnant and I don't want to have a buzz on at 3 in the morning when she goes into labor.

I need to reduce/eliminate my use of alcohol... Any suggestions?

3. I Drink Coffee

Again, I don't like the taste of coffee, but I also don't feel an immediate physiological change as a result of drinking it. Unforunately, I quickly became addicted about 3 years ago to the point that a day without it is a day with a severe head-ache.

I haven't looked much into quitting, but I know that combined with my other bad habits, it is a dangerous road to travel. I usually drink coffee while I'm playing poker all day and, once I'm done playing, put the coffee mug down and pour myself a drink/crack a beer.

I'm thinking that my caffeine addiction should be the last thing I worry about, but perhaps I'm wrong.

I need to reduce/eliminate my daily caffeine intake... Any suggestions?

4. I Eat One Gigantic Meal Per Day

As I write this, there is a 15" Counsin's Special Italian sub sandwich in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten later tonight. I haven't eaten anything else today (besides coffee), and I'm not hungry because the last time I ate was 2:30am last night I ate enough to tide me over 24 hours, which has become completely normal for me.

I think this began as soon as I went off to college 10 years ago. My parents have always been super healthy, so my youger years involved all kinds of bland, "good for you" foods (Grape Nuts, lean porkchops, apples etc.). Once I was on my own, I think I rebeled by eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and as much as I could in one sitting. This habit evolved to what it is today... One big-ass meal consisting of high-fat/high-carb food (I love Italian) followed by a 2-hour fast.

I tried Atkins about a year ago and was very successful... So successful that friends and family members bacame concerned that I was losing too much weight. I wasn't anorexic or anything (I was still eating A LOT, just low-carb), but I had lost so much weight (down to 187 lbs) that people started saying stuff. I didn't care either way, so I dropped Atkins (still drink diet soda though) and gained most of my weight back to what I'm at now (220).

I don't snack at all during the day, because snacking doesn't satisfy me. I am not satisfied until my stomach is full.

I need to eat 3 square meals a day, and find the time to prepare them... Any suggestions?

5. I Don't Exercise

I'm seriously considering the purchase of a
Gazelle FreeStyle Elite .

I need something that is both convenient and capable of getting me into shape. The reviews I've read at epinions.com and other sites show that it is probably a good buy. I'll probably buy one next week.

I used to be super-active... I was a downhill/XC skiier, wakeboarder, mountain-biker and all that fun stuff. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondilitis (AS) when I was 24. In short, AS is a rare arthritis of the spine the messes with one's active lifestyle. Lately I've been lucky if my back feels good enough for golfing.

The one thing about AS, and many other arthritic problems AFAIK, is that the more active you are, the better you feel. Although I can't do what I used to, I can still do stuff... I just need to start doing it.

I need to become more physically active... Any suggestions?

6. I Puff

This point can most likely be referred back to Bad-Habit #2 (I Drink Alcohol), but so many of my friends seem to have severe problems balancing puffing with a responsible lifestyle, that I thought it would be a good idea to post it here for others to consider.

I may or may not need to quit puffing... Any suggestions?

7. I Sit in Front of a Computer Screen Playing Poker All Day

This obviously isn't a bad-habit... If you believe so then you probably belong in another forum like cross-stitchinbitches.com or something or other.

I DO believe that this point is the root all of my other bad habits. It is what I do for most of my waking hours, so the things I do while not playing poker are most-likely the things I do to escape that big aspect of my life. Don't get me wrong, I don't think playing poker professionally is all that stressful... I've had much worse working conditions; however, after work I like to play... and my playful habits include vices that aren't necessarily good for me physically.

8. I'm Psychologically "Weak" as Far as Self-Motivation is Concerned

This, combined with bad-habit point #7, makes changing my lifestyle a difficult endeavor.

Believe it or not, poker has been the most motivating and longest-lasting interest in my life thus far, and I'm 28 freaking years old. Since poker is going to be at the helm of my consciousness for the time being, I need to work with it, and avoid coming up with excuses for not being a healthy human being.

I need to find a way to break my bad habits while incorporating a 40hr work-week of online poker-playing. I think that this should be easier to accomplish than having a tradtional job, since I can be much more flexible with my options... But perhaps this will make it more difficult?

I'm looking for an all-around daily plan that would incorporate many habit changes at once while not distracting me from work. Instead of taking cigarette breaks, I would prefer to take work-out breaks, or healthy-snack breaks etc. The only problem is the time constraint of getting back to my good table before getting booted for inactivity.

So to all you healthy kids out there, how do/would you incorporate a healthy lifestyle into full-time poker playing?

To all of you who have had vices similar to those I have listed, how did you overcome them?

To all of you with bad habits that are not listed above, feel free to specifically categorize them below with hopes of a solution from one of your 2+2 comrades.

The Bad-Habit Points have been categorized below. Please submit your responses in the appropriate category and again, feel free to post your own bad habit looking for suggestions to eliminate it.

Thanks all, and here's to a healthy summer!

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
1. I Smoke

Smoking is bad... I know that. But it is so damn awesome! I don't like the taste or the

smell of smoking, but that "tight" feeling I get in my throat when I inhale that drag is absolutely fantastic. It's like a tiny instance of panic that I have all to myself. Perhaps it's the postive feeling of control I get by not coughing when I take that drag but, nevertheless, I love it.

The euphoric feeling is good too.

It also complements Bad-Habit Points (2) and (6) perfectly.

I quit for about six months 2 years ago. I used the patch. It worked.

I believe I started again as a result of drinking more often, which we'll discuss later.

I initially started smoking at the age of 16, and have never, ever smoked more than a pack per day. I used to chew a tin of Kodiak a day in addition to smoking, but one day during my broke-ass years (18-19), I didn't have enough money for a tin... I haven't bought a tin since. I didn't start smoking more after I quit chewing tobacco, so why can't quitting smoking be that easy? Do I have to go broke first?

I need to quit smoking... Any suggestions?

(Please don't post pictures of cancerous lungs because I only find those to be curiously fascinating. Also, please don't suggest I take on bk in the Stars 100/200 so I run out of money for cigs, because I would also find that to be curiously fascinating)

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
2. I Drink Alcohol

Lately I've been drinking Miller Lite 'cause it's summertime, but my drink of choice is Corby's Canadian whiskey and Diet Coke. I drink Corby's because it is cheap and all alcohol and/or beer tastes the same to me. IMHO none of it tastes good, some are just more palatable than others.

I drink Miller Lite because now that I have a healthy BR I can afford more "premium" beers and want to support the brewing companies in my home state of Wisconsin. Before I had money, I would drink Milwaukee's Best Ice (aka Beast Ice), Busch Ice and other discount brews.

Let's just say that I'm not an alcohol aficionado.

So why do I drink? For the buzz. Thankfully, I've always had a low tolerance for alcohol and all other mind-altering substances. No matter how much I drink, smoke etc. I never need more than I did previously to get the job done.

Is drinking just for the feeling alone a problem in and of itself?

I am now drinking pretty much every night, and have been for about a year. I never get wasted, but I always manage to catch a buzz. When I am drinking whiskey-diets, I have between 3 and 4 "tall-ones". When I'm drinking beer, it's between 6 and 10 brew-dogs.

As I said earlier, I have never had a drink to "get the day started" or "make it through this meeting"... I stay completely away from all mind-altering substances until my daily responsibilities have been completed (including poker). I learned the importance of this while in college. Regardless of my "control" over my drinking, I know I have to back off. My main concern right now is that my wife is pregnant and I don't want to have a buzz on at 3 in the morning when she goes into labor.

I need to reduce/eliminate my use of alcohol... Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
3. I Drink Coffee

Again, I don't like the taste of coffee, but I also don't feel an immediate physiological change as a result of drinking it. Unforunately, I quickly became addicted about 3 years ago to the point that a day without it is a day with a severe head-ache.

I haven't looked much into quitting, but I know that combined with my other bad habits, it is a dangerous road to travel. I usually drink coffee while I'm playing poker all day and, once I'm done playing, put the coffee mug down and pour myself a drink/crack a beer.

I'm thinking that my caffeine addiction should be the last thing I worry about, but perhaps I'm wrong.

I need to reduce/eliminate my daily caffeine intake... Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
4. I Eat One Gigantic Meal Per Day

As I write this, there is a 15" Counsin's Special Italian sub sandwich in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten later tonight. I haven't eaten anything else today (besides coffee), and I'm not hungry because the last time I ate was 2:30am last night I ate enough to tide me over 24 hours, which has become completely normal for me.

I think this began as soon as I went off to college 10 years ago. My parents have always been super healthy, so my youger years involved all kinds of bland, "good for you" foods (Grape Nuts, lean porkchops, apples etc.). Once I was on my own, I think I rebeled by eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and as much as I could in one sitting. This habit evolved to what it is today... One big-ass meal consisting of high-fat/high-carb food (I love Italian) followed by a 2-hour fast.

I tried Atkins about a year ago and was very successful... So successful that friends and family members bacame concerned that I was losing too much weight. I wasn't anorexic or anything (I was still eating A LOT, just low-carb), but I had lost so much weight (down to 187 lbs) that people started saying stuff. I didn't care either way, so I dropped Atkins (still drink diet soda though) and gained most of my weight back to what I'm at now (220).

I don't snack at all during the day, because snacking doesn't satisfy me. I am not satisfied until my stomach is full.

I need to eat 3 square meals a day, and find the time to prepare them... Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
5. I Don't Exercise

I'm seriously considering the purchase of a
Gazelle FreeStyle Elite .

I need something that is both convenient and capable of getting me into shape. The reviews I've read at epinions.com and other sites show that it is probably a good buy. I'll probably buy one next week.

I used to be super-active... I was a downhill/XC skiier, wakeboarder, mountain-biker and all that fun stuff. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondilitis (AS) when I was 24. In short, AS is a rare arthritis of the spine the messes with one's active lifestyle. Lately I've been lucky if my back feels good enough for golfing.

The one thing about AS, and many other arthritic problems AFAIK, is that the more active you are, the better you feel. Although I can't do what I used to, I can still do stuff... I just need to start doing it.

I need to become more physically active... Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
6. I Puff

This point can most likely be referred back to Bad-Habit #2 (I Drink Alcohol), but so many of my friends seem to have severe problems balancing puffing with a responsible lifestyle, that I thought it would be a good idea to post it here for others to consider.

I may or may not need to quit puffing... Any suggestions?

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
7. I Sit in Front of a Computer Screen Playing Poker All Day

This obviously isn't a bad-habit... If you believe so then you probably belong in another forum like cross-stitchinbitches.com or something or other.

I DO believe that this point is the root all of my other bad habits. It is what I do for most of my waking hours, so the things I do while not playing poker are most-likely the things I do to escape that big aspect of my life. Don't get me wrong, I don't think playing poker professionally is all that stressful... I've had much worse working conditions; however, after work I like to play... and my playful habits include vices that aren't necessarily good for me physically.

[/ QUOTE ]

[x2ski]

[ QUOTE ]
8. I'm Psychologically "Weak" as Far as Self-Motivation is Concerned

This, combined with bad-habit point #7, makes changing my lifestyle a difficult endeavor.

Believe it or not, poker has been the most motivating and longest-lasting interest in my life thus far, and I'm 28 freaking years old. Since poker is going to be at the helm of my consciousness for the time being, I need to work with it, and avoid coming up with excuses for not being a healthy human being.

I need to find a way to break my bad habits while incorporating a 40hr work-week of online poker-playing. I think that this should be easier to accomplish than having a tradtional job, since I can be much more flexible with my options... But perhaps this will make it more difficult?

I'm looking for an all-around daily plan that would incorporate many habit changes at once while not distracting me from work. Instead of taking cigarette breaks, I would prefer to take work-out breaks, or healthy-snack breaks etc. The only problem is the time constraint of getting back to my good table before getting booted for inactivity.

[/ QUOTE ]

[PokerCat69]

I am the same as you. Except I exercise a bit.