Okay...here goes. Today I woke up feeling like @$$! In truth, I'd say things have been this way over the last several months. I get out of bed, feel tired, exhuasted, sleep deprived and lethargic. I have little to no energy and find myself crawling to make coffee or find some form of caffeine to come to reality. I should mention too, that I've been to the chiropractor about 3 times this year for a pinched nerve in my back. Not fun! And no matter how much Motrin I swallow it doesn't seem to help either. Now, I've never had back problems in my life. But my age is definitely reminding me that I'm no longer in my invisible twenties. ~sigh~

I've spent the last 30+ years punishing my body by eating crappy food, smoking cigarettes, and drinking tons of caffeine which would definitely explain some of the symptoms above. Alcohol has never been a problem for me. I only drink on occasion. Of course, playing drums is a form of exercise, but it's not a daily regimen for me and I'm not gigging out 4 nights a week anymore. I haven't practiced on a regular basis in so long! I usually just show up to gigs and play without warming up or any prior exercise. I miss the learning curve and regimen of practice. I want to get back to the woodshed, but feel no motivation.

I feel like a need a complete life change in terms of my health and well-being - learning about health food, health supplements, brushing up on my (cough) culinary skills followed by daily exercise. And of course, quitting smoking - which is just going to be really difficult for me. Man, it's hard to believe I've been smoking for 15 years! All that $$$ spent could've bought me how much gear!?! Much easier said than done I realize. Everything is a process, but I can no longer live the way that I am and be happy. Something has got to change and I've got to start treating my body better or else I'm going to end up far worse than I am now. I've been lucky, but that surely won't last.

I've heard of detox supplements that supposedly clean your system out and renew your energy level etc. Anyone here have experience taking these? Please enlighten me.

Any particular health books or websites you found helpful that could give me some ideas to change my daily eating habits. Man, it's so funny. I read some where that a person should drink between 8-10 (8 oz.) glasses of water a day. I'm lucky if I even drink one a day.

How about exercise...besides drumming of course? Mountain biking, hiking, weights, running, treadmill, sit-ups, Body By Jake

I have no doubt I'm going to suffer from severe mood swings and major withdrawal of my daily nicotine and caffeine, but I'm ready to do it! 

Maybe I could've saved the time and just booked an appointment to see my doctor, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask what some of you do to keep your health in check.

thanks for reading....

Critter - The parts of your post that talked about feeling lethargic, sleepy and having a lack of motovation stood out when I read it.  I agree that crappy food, smoking and lack of exercise may be the cause but have you ever though about DEPRESSION?  I don't mean the down-in-the-dumps, feeling blue depression but the real clinical type of depression.  Read up on it, there is a lot to be found on the web (look at http://www.webmd.com/).  My wife is a mental health therapist and I'm her life long client.  It seems depression has run in my family so I've heard lots about how to deal with it.

By any means eat better and stop smoking.  If you start exercising go easy on yourself, start by walking.  If you take on too much it is too easy to get discouraged and quit.  Set goals that are realistic.  My favorite exercise besides walking is swimming.  Years ago when I was playing full time the small town I lived in had a nice pool.  It took me almost 3 months swimming 3x a week to get to where I could swim a mile.  It is a nice "zone" you can get to and is relaxing to the mind as well as a great exercise. 

Like Nutty said, you'll have to want it bad enough to do the work involved with getting better, but it will be worth it.  I didn't smoke tobacco but was very dependent on pot for about 20 years until I had enough.  Quitting was a process . . .  Good luck

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I waited until someone else said it.

I went through the same thing. At age 37 I finally went to a social worker for counseling to get rid of my lifelong depression (because something came up that sent me into a tailspin) and the counseling WORKED. I mean, it took 9 months and 6 months on Prozac (which really works), but now 11 years later I still feel great. And I still smoke (cigarettes and other things), still take pretty bad care of myself, and still drink more than a pot of coffee most days, BUT I feel great and I can't remember the last time I was actually sick.

The Prozac was a temporary thing, to get me feeling okay so the counseling could really take hold. Those 9 months changed my life completely.

Please look into it, if you think depression might be the root of what's going on. And I strongly suggest going to a regular social worker, not a psychiatrist. I tried two psychiatrists first, and not only were they more screwed up than I was, they made me feel worse.

Your father hit the nail right on the head.

I must say, when I went in to see my social worker (I did it through the state, it was cheap) I was taken aback - she was a young black woman. I was taken aback by all three things, young, black, and woman. But she turned out to be exactly what I needed, and she succeeded where the psychiatrists had failed. She succeeded because of what you said, she wasn't in it for the money, she was in it to help people. I still call her once or twice a year to say hi, and to say thanks.

Just something to think about, Critter.

well, of course none of us are docs here, but i'm sure we can all relate in one way or another to your sitch.

while i wouldn't rule out depression, i'd venture to say that your very lifestyle habits and food consumption could be the thing that makes you depressed [if indeed you're depressed, which you didn't say you were]. the very first thing that crossed my mind, which you alluded to, was water consumption. i couldn't believe the difference that drinking 8 glasses a day makes. you really do feel more clear-headed, and it aids digestion and cell renewal. so that's a good, immediate and cheap place to start. it may take time to get used to 8 glasses, so start slowly. add 2 extra glasses. and go filtered, if possible. after a while, you'll start to crave water.

regarding the other food/lifestyle stuff: depending on how much time and money you have, and what your lifestyle/job responsibilities are, you could either start incorporating healthier items into your life slowly [start with breakfast... have cereal or yogurt, fruit and granola vs. bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches...mmmmm] -- or go all-out and book an appointment with a holistic practitioner and nutritionist [note: the two won't always agree on everything, but you'll get good insights] and go for a full-scale detox. you could try a supervised fast [i only like this if you can stay home for the week...fasting at work is too stressful], or just get counseled on areas you need to fix. another thing i like, even if you're eating like crap, is raw juice. i'm talking celery-ginger, or beet-ginger, or kale-carrot-orange...whatever. just get raw juice, and make it organic. sure, it's a bit expensive, but it's cheaper than paying for bypass surgery and what-not. you would not believe the energy blast you get from the stuff. note: try not to heavy-up on the carrots and other super-sweet veggie/fruit...kinda defeats the purpose.

another great thing: go for a serious massage. throw down the big bucks, get thyself to a dayspa, sit in a stinkin'-hot steam shower, then let 'em rub away your woes. massage is great for detoxification, relaxation, flexibility and getting 'in tune' with your body. a good msg therapist will make you feel relaxed, open, revitalized and cared for. that last one is so key -- you have to believe that you deserve to be healthy and you are worth feeling good. it sounds very new-agey, but it's a really basic, simple principle that's very easy to forget in our busy, stressful, unhealthy lives.

that's the smoggy solution [short-term] for jump-starting health. and like i said in mr. a's frozen-shoulder post, oftentimes having these negatives befall us is a great step into a more positive place. so take these body messages as a sign that you need to care for yourself more.

oh...lastly -- on depression. i tend toward that, too. whole family does. i haven't had a bad bout in over 3 years, but if i did, i'd do st. john's wort. i tried paxil, i think it was, and it gave me horrific stomach upset and jitters. st. john's effects were very good, very subtle and had no jitters. a truly amazing herb that as i understand it, is the most highly-prescribed antidepressant in germany and scandinavia. it really works.

and re: exercise, by all means -- find something you like. i had a down period and now i'm back in the gym. i just do 15 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, and 15 with freeweights. i'll build up to 40, then 50 minutes. i have to do it, because i feel like crap if i don't. and winter's coming, so i want to ensure my immune system is doing it's thing to keep me from getting the sickies.


good luck, critter! like robyn [and that freaky guy tony on the 'gazelle'] say:

YOU CAN DOOOOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!

Well Smoggs, sounds like you're way healthier than most! How's the sugar battle going, anyway?

And Critter, you haven't checked in--what do you think of the suggestions, what's going to work for you to try?

Here's a supplement I really like, that I've been using for over a year now. It has a bunch of healthy goodies in it, tastes very good(!) and is a bit easier than juicing your own, or buying botulism-tainted carrot juice. It's not cheap ($39/jar, lasts me about 1 1/2 mos) but it's helped me feel much better.

http://www.greensfirst.com/

robyn

This may not be what you're talking about but Luzianne sells a coffee/chicory blend.

Update time.

There's a lot of good stuff to go through here and I REALLY appreciate everyone taking time out of their day to give some opinions and advice. 

Depression....hmmmmm...could be. It does run in my family. I consulted my mother-in-law (who is an RN) and told her my symptoms etc. She said,"it sounds like you have low serotonin levels". I'm now taking supplements for that...four days and counting. I hear it takes about two weeks or so for one to notice the effects. We shall see.

Started drinking more water too...about 2 bottles or so a day....filtered water that is. As for the caffeine, my wife and I bought the 8.oz diet coke like they serve on an airplane. Ah....a little glucose never hurt anyone.

As for the smoking, I've cut it down to about 5-6 a day as opposed to a full pack, which is where I was. So far so good. I haven't been as groggy as I thought I'd be. Sunday, the wife and I got on the treadmills for about 30min. Funny, but I felt energized the entire day. Legs were a little sore, but not bad. Felt good! I tried doing some crunches to work on the ole' snack pouch too, but my back wasn't having any of that. So for now, the treadmill and swimming will be fine. Did some light weight lifting too...arm & leg curls etc. All in all, we spent about an hour total in the gym.

I'm gonna check out some of the website links provided and get researching.  Again, thankyou all!!!!

You seem to be doing REALLY well as it is going on but theres no harm in me suggesting stuff.....which i shall be using soon (i eat far too many sweets)
1-Whenever you feel like popping out to get a pack 'o' fags (cigarettes) just take out the money you would spend on the cigarettes and put it into a jar of some sort. It's hard to do at first but you'll get the hang of it.

2- I'm kind of in your position myself tbh. I eat rubbish every day for lunch. But i'm planning solutions to all of that. To combat the several Dr Peppers i drink every day i'll buy a smoothie or apple juice. For the bags of sweets i consume every day i will convert to dried apricots or some sort of dried fruit. And finally for the multipack of crisps i have all the time for my entire lunch!!! i am currently moving on to cheese and onion pasties (bad i know, but better) I'm planning to move onto either sandwiches/rolls or ive seen some nice salad things in sainsburys (our supermarket)

GOOD LUCK
Jack

what about mercedes benz? surely, that is healthier! 

i'm really glad you brought up the soda stuff, robyn [i was gonna mention it but i've already said too much. yackety-yack-yack]. i really think it's terrible stuff, and always get angry when i see parents give it to young kids. and adults drink it in droves, which i don't get, coz it totally does not curb thirst.

unbelievable but true: i never tasted soda til i was 18. my mom just did not allow that kinda stuff in the house.

personally, i think you're better off drinking beer.