Self-experimentation
Feb. 26th, 2014 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flexagonAs I think I haven't said in this space, I've formed a vague intention of consciously doing some kind of experiment on myself each month this year. Partly because small experiments are cool and who knows what benefits might accrue, partly because it started as a January contest with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
norwoodbridge and now he's trying something new every month too, partly because it's been fun so far.
In January I closely tracked my new "getting up when the goddamn alarm clock beeps the first time" habit/resolution. I failed twice (narrowly beatingnorwoodbridge, who was trying to go to bed at 11:30PM all month). Since this is for the whole year, I have continued, but no longer in a contest with anyone, and it's a bit easier now than it was at the beginning, so I think I can get away with layering.
In February, I refrained from buying physical items. This "no thing buying" is a thing I often do in the early part of the year, and have often done it for ten weeks rather than just four; still, I've been enjoying the small discipline of adding things to the wish list instead of buying.
In March... I'm considering two things, actually.
First, I need to nominate myself for promotion at work. My self-puffery is due on the 19th and oh, how I hate self-puffery. My idea is to work on my packet just a little bit, every day between yesterday and the 19th, so that I won't dread it and delay it and make myself miserable right at the end of the allotted timespan. As this does not align with calendar months and does not even hint at a lifestyle change I might maintain in the future if it "works", it may not be a self-experimentation thing at all.
I'm also considering eliminating dairy for a month in March. There seems to be some correlation between dairy intake and acne -- not for everyone, but with marked correlation for some individuals. There have been biggish studies of 9-to-15 year olds, though not of adults. Intriguingly, this dermatologist's comment on one of Seth Rogan's articles points to dairy as the cause of a specific kind of spot (the kind I get). So that's very interesting and maybe worth an experiment. I could try taking lactase enzyme supplements instead, but then if I didn't get results I would be unsure if I was taking enough -- it seems I'd get better data by completely cutting out dairy. It might work, it might not. It would at least teach me how to survive without cheese (or prove to me once and for all that I will die in its absence).
Other ideas for future months include: draw/sketch something every day or week, program something for fun every weekend, knit more, do something quantified and specific about flexibility training, pet ocikitten every day... we'll see. Things come up in my head often enough.
norwoodbridge and now he's trying something new every month too, partly because it's been fun so far.In January I closely tracked my new "getting up when the goddamn alarm clock beeps the first time" habit/resolution. I failed twice (narrowly beating
norwoodbridge, who was trying to go to bed at 11:30PM all month). Since this is for the whole year, I have continued, but no longer in a contest with anyone, and it's a bit easier now than it was at the beginning, so I think I can get away with layering.In February, I refrained from buying physical items. This "no thing buying" is a thing I often do in the early part of the year, and have often done it for ten weeks rather than just four; still, I've been enjoying the small discipline of adding things to the wish list instead of buying.
In March... I'm considering two things, actually.
First, I need to nominate myself for promotion at work. My self-puffery is due on the 19th and oh, how I hate self-puffery. My idea is to work on my packet just a little bit, every day between yesterday and the 19th, so that I won't dread it and delay it and make myself miserable right at the end of the allotted timespan. As this does not align with calendar months and does not even hint at a lifestyle change I might maintain in the future if it "works", it may not be a self-experimentation thing at all.
I'm also considering eliminating dairy for a month in March. There seems to be some correlation between dairy intake and acne -- not for everyone, but with marked correlation for some individuals. There have been biggish studies of 9-to-15 year olds, though not of adults. Intriguingly, this dermatologist's comment on one of Seth Rogan's articles points to dairy as the cause of a specific kind of spot (the kind I get). So that's very interesting and maybe worth an experiment. I could try taking lactase enzyme supplements instead, but then if I didn't get results I would be unsure if I was taking enough -- it seems I'd get better data by completely cutting out dairy. It might work, it might not. It would at least teach me how to survive without cheese (or prove to me once and for all that I will die in its absence).
Other ideas for future months include: draw/sketch something every day or week, program something for fun every weekend, knit more, do something quantified and specific about flexibility training, pet ocikitten every day... we'll see. Things come up in my head often enough.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-02-26 08:33 pm (UTC)You've inspired me. I am gonna think on this.
I have seen a few different articles linking dairy to outbreaks.
BUT SHOOOOOOOOOTS, ME LOVES THE CHEESE (I rarely break out.)
no subject
Date: 2014-02-27 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-27 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-27 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-28 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-02-27 05:44 pm (UTC)if you find quitting dairy helps, you may be able to return to eating aged hard cheeses (remaining lactose is negligible) and/or goat cheese (has A2 casein instead of A1, thus is digested/metabolized differently).
i think you did 23andme and i assume you're not genetically lactose intolerant?
no subject
Date: 2014-02-28 02:06 pm (UTC)