A “healthy artist.” An oxymoron, am I right? heheheh… heheh.
This can also apply to “healthy programmer,” sadly.
Like many jokes, there is often truth to them. Because digital artists are so passionate about their craft, and so sedentary because said craft requires us to be in front of a computer screen, we tend to just prioritize health less.
My New Artwork + Overcoming
I finally finished my artwork this month! It was quite busy, but I’m glad I finished it.
Why 2D with this? Part of it is to force myself to embrace the artistic process. It's easy to get caught up in the 3D and technical aspects, when in the end, all that 3D precision is just rendered into an image anyway. Forcing myself to work in 2D pushes me away from a technical mindset into a creative one. "Get out of my own head," if you will.
The art challenge was around "contrast", which is why I chose this high-contrast, black-and-white only style. I had a thought of adding color, but the artwork doesn't feel like it needs it. And to me, David and Goliath is a great example of contrast.
In some ways, I've also recently been conquering some Goliaths in my personal life. I've been having bouts with health going as far back as two years ago. Sadly, I haven't been taking care of myself as well as I should be.
When I was younger, my body could compensate and adapt just as well. But I've been exercising regularly, getting out of this chair, eating healthier.
And it's been hard, forcing myself to make these choices. But I've seen benefits already. I sleep better. I have more energy. I think clearer; my memory is better than it has been.
While this stage of life needs me to focus on this more than most, let me humor any younger viewers with a few tips on health advice. You may not need it now, but it will pay dividends as you get older.
What Am I Doing to Be Healthy
Overall, just get a yearly physical. With the tests they do, that’ll give you enough to know what you need to focus on.
Diet
Drinking more water. Along with just being good for me, it fills me up. It’s been a subtle way to combat snacking and big(ger) portions.
Limiting processed, “frozen meal" foods. Including fried food. Along with having more saturated fats (often as preservatives), they tend to just be less healthy foods.
Narrowing my eating schedule. I noticed I’d wake up during the night more if I ate closer to bedtime. Turns out, eating late means your digestion can occur during sleep, which could wake you up depending on what you ate. I stopped eating late, had a bigger dinner to feel full, and I woke up less during the night.
The most helpful quote I’ve heard is: “you can eat (almost) anything, but not everything.”
Exercise
The only important thresholds for good exercise is: raising your heart rate, keeping it there for a while, and breaking a sweat. That’s it.
Pick exercises you enjoy. It doesn’t have to always be running (although it’s one of betters one out there). Some workouts I’ve found easy to pick up, for me:
Skipping rope (you can get ones where you won’t trip over them)
Dance
high intensity interval training (HIIT)
You can find follow-along videos on YouTube. Make it easy on yourself.
Start with the habit, even if it’s shorter than the recommended amount of time. You can always build up the time spent.
Stimulation and Sleep
Going to bed and getting up at (somewhat) consistent times, no matter the day of the week.
Do nothing before bed. In a world of productivity, social media stimulation, and “getting everything done,” it’s hard to tell my brain to turn off. But if I am doing something, even “as a hobby” or “it makes me relax (it’s a ranked multiplayer match)”, it doesn’t work. So I avoid doing anything productive to tell my brain it’s time to wind down.
Avoiding (bright) screens before bed. About an hour before bed, I get off the computer, and read. Along with physical books, I bought a used e-ink reader. It’s honestly soo fascinating to use. The slow refresh rate and black-and-white screen is far less stimulating, which helps calm me down.
