The 6 Strangest Health Habits
That’s me hanging on the ledge in the middle of the photo.
I will always remember the night I willingly lowered myself into an ice bath as the day I went over the edge and became certifiably weird. Crazy might be a better term for it.
Healthy behavior can seem unusual when viewed from the perspective of the mainstream. After all, the very fact that some behavior stands out as “healthy” means that the norm is unhealthy, and anything that goes against the norm is by definition weird. Running up and down streets just for running’s sake, for example, is kind of strange from a certain perspective.
But some of us take things a little too far. By some of us I mean those who eat Paleo, live Primally, and Move Naturally. CrossFitters might also fit this category.
Here are a list of the things I do regularly in the name of health that raise eyebrows at fancy cocktail parties (which I never go to):
- Take cold showers. This is guaranteed to weird people out. Why I would ever choose to take a cold shower is beyond them. Right now, almost all my showers are cold, unless I’m feeling really down and just need to pamper myself. This is actually one of the most beneficial strange habits I have, as it has noticeably improved my toughness, recovery, and sleep. My immune system also seems more robust generally.
- Eat butter. I eat butter straight. Just cut off blocks and pop them in my mouth. I picked this up when I was following the advice of the WAPF to take a spoonful of grassfed butter oil and fermented cod liver oil. I ran out of the oil, so I substituted with regular grassfed butter, and have kept it up ever since. If I’m ever feeling peckish, I just grab a block of Kerrygold’s and take a bite out of it (just kidding. I’m not that crude. I use a knife). I find this is easier on my digestion than snacking on nuts, a common pitfall among Paleo dieters.
- Don’t eat. I generally don’t eat until noon, and I usually have my last meal of the day around 7pm. Those of you who practice intermittent fasting don’t need an explanation, but you’ve got to admit, it weirds people out. It really weirds out flight attendants when you refuse both meals on a 14 hour flight.
- No pillow. This may not be as strange as I think, but I’ve always slept with a pillow, and all the beds I see in the world have pillows. I’ve been experimenting with going without, but usually I’ll grab one in the middle of the night without realizing it. The one time I managed to go all night, I woke up with absolutely no stiffness in my neck, which is new for me.
- Standing to work. Nobody said anything the day I walked into the teacher’s room with a desk stand for grading book reports, but there were definitely some looks. It’s not that I’m being rude by refusing a seat. I’m just more comfortable standing. I’m also more alert and productive, and I don’t end the day with back pain.
- Go barefoot. In Korea, hiking is a popular pastime, as well as an excuse to get an entirely new outfit. For me, it was an excuse to get out of my usual outfit. While Korean families trudged over gravel in their armored boots, I danced past them in bare feet and drew stares, inspiring more than a few wistful glaces from those who envied my freedom. I’m pretty sure I’m having the most fun.
What do you think? Are these behaviors as weird as I think? Maybe you’ve got something to top me? Share it in the comments.
Photo credit: Anna Pusack
Long live the weirdos!
I too take cold showers, don’t eat until 11 or noon (and often skip dinner– I usually just eat a 3-hour meal in the middle of the day, it’s deliciously decadent), go barefoot as much as possible. I do like my pillows, though.
I don’t like to stand around all day, prefer to sit, but have spent so much time sitting on the floor yogi-style these past 7 years, that I simply can’t sit in a chair anymore. When forced to, I will sit cross-legged on the chair or put my feet up on the table. I can’t stand to have my feet lower than my knees, it doesn’t feel natural or good.
More weirdness: I never use soap. I give myself a full-body oil massage every morning and then take a shower, and I feel (and look, and smell) clean. From time to time I’ll clean my skin with baking soda, which scrubs away dead skin cells and leaves me feeling extra-extra clean. I also use baking soda on my scalp, which feels great. Also brush my teeth with baking soda exclusively. I love baking soda.
I swear by my weekly Salt Water Flush, and I’ve also been practicing Urine Therapy daily for 6 years now, but that may be a little too out there for most folks.
I love to experiment on my body in these ways and very rarely meet people who are as delightfully weird as I, apparently, am.
I’m seriously thinking I need to try this baking soda thing for washing. I use it for brushing my teeth, but my scalp is always dry, even though I don’t use soap very often. Also, what kind of oil do you use? That also sounds fun.
I started out using sesame oil, but it’s heavy and not easily absorbed by the skin, so it would clog up my shower drain and get on my towels and clothes (because if you’re taking cold showers, the oil doesn’t wash away as much as in a hot shower), and over time everything started to smell rancid and I had to throw a bunch of my towels and clothes out.
So now I use a light olive oil with a few drops of rose oil. Goes on easily, gets absorbed, doesn’t create the havoc that sesame oil has caused, though over time it does accumulate on my towels. That’s the price you pay, I guess. As an aside, I have tried every conceivable environment-friendly way to get oil out my towels, but no luck.
I used to have a very dry scalp, and I think the biggest thing that helped relieve that was an overall decrease in my anxiety (mainly thanks to psycho-spiritual healing work). What I really love with the baking soda is scrubbing my scalp with my fingertips (since there’s no mousse effect), it feels great and I’m sure it helps with dry scalp because you get more blood circulation and the baking soda removes dead skin cells (it also makes a good face scrub). Plus, not using shampoo doesn’t strip your hair/scalp of its natural oils as much. You could try including your scalp in your daily oil massage (I don’t because I have very long hair that I’d rather not wash every day).
Yeah, the towels thing was a concern, though theoretically, your skin would eventually absorb the oil after a shower. If only I had time to lounge around until that happened…I did try olive oil for my hair. That seemed to help a lot.
i envy your ability to take cold showers and walk barefoot. I usually only eat lunch and dinner so that i get. The butter thing……. is bizarre.
But butter is so delicious! Even Anna thinks its bizarre, though I’ve caught her with large unaccompanied pats of butter recently, so maybe she’s coming around
For a few years now, my preferred sleeping position has been on my stomach with my head turned to the side and the pillow over my head. Perhaps this has long been beneficial rather than just strange. I had no idea cold showers could have benefits. I’d like to try it but my love of lounging it hot showers may prevent it.
I don’t actually know if sleeping sans pillow is beneficial, but based on evolutionary principles of health, it makes sense. Do you notice a difference in your posture compared to others? The cold showers are definitely the hardest to keep up, but also the most rewarding.
My newest/weirdest health habit was giving up soap. It’s interesting when someone finds out…
What do you use? Baking soda or oil like Alegria?