So, starting a new challenge, one thing I usually look for is the quick wins in life (I would say “work/life” – but that’s kind of a pointless dichotomy).   By “quick wins” I mean what are the things that are easy to implement, but create great outcomes?  Essentially, what’s the best ROI, given our time and effort as an investment? What are the LHFs (Low Hanging Fruits)? This is a powerful business concept, but why not use it for this application?

For healthy living, what this will look like is somewhat different for everyone, because effort required is defined personally (e.g., I hate running and love weights, but my sister loves running and is not enthusiastic about weights).  The LHFs for me when it comes to being healthy involves a lot of small common sense baby steps: be more active daily, drink more water, decide to have the healthier food options, don’t eat late at night, limit alcohol and other “empty calories” – in general: moderation and activity.  These are easy for me.  Stuff that’s hard for me and doesn’t pay off? Counting calories and overdoing myself physically – I burn out quickly, frustrated.  Stuff that’s easy and doesn’t pay off? Sitting at my computer, eating without thinking, staying up late, and reading YouTube comments (unrelated, but come on, reading YouTube comments never pays off).

Some things that are in the high effort/high payoff category for me are prioritizing sleep and cardio training – both examples of why you can’t just go for the LHFs, you have to also look at the longterm strategic outcomes.  I don’t want to send a message that those things that are hard are not worth doing.

Still, starting out with LHFs, even just identifying them, is a very powerful way to jump start toward a goal.  And if you’re anything like me, the more you see results, the easier it gets to push into the harder stuff, because you get more and more excited. I’m already 25% of the way to Disneyland, which makes me feel like a badass.  And if there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that feeling like a badass is a great motivator.  A little confidence in yourself can go a long way.  Knocking LHFs out of the way like a mega rockstar demigod epic dinosaur hunter will psych you up for continued success.

That all being said, I also like to identify “selfhacks” to get myself jump started in this game of personal “hardware” upgrades.  Being a nerd, if I can track health metrics easily and automatically, I am way more likely to be motivated – so I’ve let myself play with a lot of fun gadgets like the FitBit, and, best of all, the Withings WiFi Scale and the CardioTrainer app on my Android (I’d recommend those all – I’ve also tried the Bodybugg and the Nike+ but loved the aforementioned the most).  Being a ridiculous extrovert, my other selfhacks have been to schedule social things around activities instead of around food – things like swing dancing, and walking around Greenlake for a chat with a friend.

Both finding LHF and “selfhacks” really focus around knowing yourself and what works specifically for you, you might need to experiment along the way.  I’d love to hear what your discoveries are.

I never realized how much you use your voice before. To make a call, to make an appointment with the doctor, to have meetings, to collaborate with colleagues, to fellowship with friends, to order a meal, to communicate any preferences at all – I really need a voice.

Details are the first thing to go. It’s too much work to communicate anything with much subtlety.  You turn to employing a sharp whistle to get people’s attention.  Comedic timing is sadly right out of the question, something I discovered I want to use a lot in group settings but now cannot.  You start noticing your expressions become exaggerated, and you feel like The Little Mermaid on land suddenly.

Things are going on in your head but you have no way to articulate it, leaving you feeling invisible.

It’s actually ironic that I’m reading a book called “Fierce Conversations” right now, all about mastering skills to create meaningful conversations. But conversation is a different beast now, all “listen” and no “talk”.  Getting to know people in this state has been a fascinating challenge. Listen, listen, listen – ask for more elaboration on a topic, dig deeper, do more than bounce the ball of conversation back and forth, ala status quo.  Make the questions count (since in my case it’s such a pain to express them).

I can’t wait for my voice to return, but it’s made me certainly consider how much listening versus talking I do, and also how lucky I am to have the things I take for granted – to hear, to be heard, to see, to move (and in so moving, dance!), to taste and touch and smell. All these things which add so richly to my life, yet I hardly think about until something is broken.

I guess it’s good for the soul to be temporarily reminded how much it hurts when good things are gone, so that we appreciate them when they are there.

But any flu in Seattle specifically might be harsh as Vitamin D deficiency has recently been linked to an increase in colds and flu’s. Good to know; Seattle folk are not exactly known for their quality time with sunshine. 1.) We don’t have it. 2.) I’m not sure we’d want it – we’re all inside on our computers. The chicken and the egg question comes to mind: does Seattle breed geeks or do geeks gravitate toward Seattle? Maybe both. On this note, I might go for a walk this afternoon and give up on the phone recovery for a bit.

Speaking of walking, I actually saw a man walking down the street wearing a surgical mask today. Why are people panicking so much? Is it the Twitter paranoia seeping into real life?

At least at the end of the day, this madness will help to prep us for the eventual zombie outbreak. ;-)

Saturday, I rode from my place to the University District to get some lights and a gear problem looked at. I rode to Gasworks park to meet my friends Erica and Eva, and a bike festival was going on in the park. Not seriously, I took that as a good omen of my newly determined hardcore hobby. Turns out, Eva just got a bike too, and needed a bike buddy! Perfect. After a bit, Erica went to go sailboating (as people are want to do in these parts) and Eva and I fetched her bike from Phinney Ridge and headed downtown to meet up with other friends for The Dark Knight at The Big Picture. After that, I rode from Belltown to Justin’s place in lower Queen Anne, and even ran into (not literally) Andy along the way. Biking is great! All was well. I was feeling really prepped for Monday’s commute.

So, along rolls Monday. My ride into work is swell. I scoff at a hipster on a fixie along my way (internally, anyhow). I feel like a hardcore bike commuter. I got up Pine Street! Booyah!

(Warning: graphic description of DOOM)

Ride home: not so much. Down on Westlake I attempt crossing the SLUT tracks (South Lake Union Trolley, for those not in Seattle) and totally biff it into the street. TOTALLY BIFF IT. FIRST DAY. OMG. A hipster on a fixie comes to my rescue. IRONY. I peel myself off the pavement and into the timely #17 bus (Patron Saint of all Wonderful Bus Lines). The pain… oh the pain… like a good geek, I twitter to keep my mind off the stinging as oxygen starts hitting raw areas on my legs. Noticing high heeled girls on the bus giving me looks, my attention is brought to the fact that blood is making two little paths down my leg from my knee. The pain. Off the bus. Pain. Up the hill. Pain. Limp into the condo. Pain. Gingerly, I peel my clothes off and lower myself into the tub, then realize that my left leg is lacerated in several places on my thigh, and my knee looks like a large peeled blood grapefruit (but with real blood). I also sport a huge oval grease mark intersecting with the deepest part of the wound on my left knee. My right leg looks like it has gills. There’s more bruises starting to show up than unknown relatives after a lottery win.

I pour that stinging anti-bacteria stuff all over, and hold back on crying like a baby. I nearly loose it when I realize I have to dig the grease out of my knee unless I want an impromptu involuntary tattoo. This was the really painful part, especially because it seemed to take forever. I clean a sharp pair of scissors and scrape as much of the grease out of my wound as I can stand to, then sit in the tub, whimpering a bit. My kitty meows and tries to comfort me from the edge, fearing water yet very obviously concerned. Oh yeah, I’m a hardcore biker. Riiiight. I’m also Barack Obama.

Can’t wait for Day 5 – but I think I’m wearing pants instead of shorts tomorrow.

MORAL(s) OF THE STORY:

1.) The SLUT is a cruel mistress, and not to be trusted. If you must cross the tracks, try to hit it at a ninety degree angle exactly. I was close, but not close enough, and my tire got lodged in the track. Newtonian physics does the rest.

2.) Always carry change for the bus. Don’t leave home without it.

3.) Like Han Solo says, “Don’t get cocky, kid!”

4.) Don’t judge the hipster on the fixie. They don’t all hit drivers with U-locks in the back of the head.