Falling For TikTok Can End Your Year: How To Do the 3-Month Transformational Change
TikTok has once again made the simplest age-old tradition go viral like they invented it.
This year “transformational change” has taken over. TikTokers figured out that the last 3 months of the year are consequential to how next year will be. It is time to look inside for a total reflection on who one wants to be. A “new” person.
They focus on exercise, diet, saving, sleep and health.
Starting with Sober October, some are trading in their pints of beer for 1 gallon of H2O/day. Others exercise for 5 days/week, cook a new recipe/week and sleep 8 hours/night.
So just doing what doctors, nutritionists and Ayurvedic practitioners have been telling you for centuries?
Groundbreaking.
While this might sound like a doable plan when bullet-ing each goal in the newest journal, a total transformation might not be the best plan. Despite the best intentions, this is the most hectic time of year and newcomers to this game might come out disappointing themselves.
The $cience
Seeing yourself as a better person or a new person, which is the goal of this trend, is admirable. But, there is no new or old self. There is just self.
Based on doshic principles, each person has their own constitution and that decides how they can be their best self.
The simplest strategy to incorporate is to eat when hungry, sleep by 10p and wake before sunrise depending on your primary dosha.
Here are some tips following an Ayurvedic method.
Walk of Shame…
Exercise depends on energy expenditure capabilities. That is highly personalized. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
It’s 10p, do you know where your 10,000 steps have stepped? Aside for the fact that some people might be healthy doing between 3,000-8,000 steps/day, how much exercise to get in a week depends on specific doshic energy. Metabolism and digestion are highly personalized, so do not commit to something that will let you down.
Kapha has the slowest digestion and metabolism, thus gaining weight quickly. They can stand a long hard cardiovascular workout due to their persistent mentality. Do a HIIT session 5 times a week. This schedule can facilitate lipid metabolism and suppress depressive symptoms.
Pitta needs to release their competitive energy with a tough workout. She builds muscle well, so 3 days of weight training keeps her mental energy strong. Built up aggression can be channeled through ATP-using heavy lifting sessions instead of at that poor intern.
Vata might want to dance away the fears 2 days a week. She has a tendency to be on the lankier side because of fast metabolism, so anything too jumpy may set off unwanted weight loss and nerves. Because she is a fast learner and gets easily bored, try online videos of ballet or Bharatanatyam. Learning new physical methods supports healthy executive function and prevents cognitive decline.
Soups On!
Soup at Jean Georges at The Mark. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
For both diet and nutrition goals, try a mono diet for 21 days followed by natural foods for 2-3 months. This will take you into the new year with a lighter feeling. A traditional mild Ayurvedic Fall reset aims to reset the digestive system by eating one type of meal. Kitchari, which is cooked rice and lentils (usually split mung beans), is thought to allow the digestive tract and liver to better focus on their job of optimal digestion and detoxification. Natural foods in November and December include fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits. This an ideal time to visit local farmer’s and farmer’s markets to gather ingredients for soups. Try a new soup or vegetable stew recipe on Sundays to keep those scaries away. Pitta dosha should be mindful of their hangry status and split their meals into smaller portions throughout the day. Vata types need to set an eating schedule because they lose track of time and appetite.
No EtOH, Problem.
Pablo Picasso Still Life with Liqueur Bottle (1909). (Image: AKJAM Publishing taken at the MoMA NYC)
Giving up alcohol today is easier due to the support of a growing teetotaler community and EtOH-free products. The not-so-easy aspect of this goal is not removing sugar from life. Sugar is everywhere! Alcoholic drinks, aside from white wine, have a lot of sugar. Even mocktails can be quite saccharine. Adding the monk fruit swagger does not replace our attachment to the sensation and effects of sweet carbohydrates. We are a sweet tooth society. Have you seen the lines for Crumble? In addition to going EtOH-free for the next 3 months of the year, take a look at your sugar intake. Now, this is actually a good thing to journal. Focus on how much and which types your are eating. When the time is right for you, try removing it. If you can, try to not eat anything with sugar, except for fruits and veggies, for the next 3 months. Even after 21 days sugar sober, I never craved that little disaccharide again.
Chasing Oceans?
The ocean called, you’re drinking all its water. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Drinking more water is a respectable goal. We are made up of up to 75% water and it is not news that we need to drink at least 8 ounces/day. But why a gallon/day? A decade-old study showed that less than half a gallon of H2O reduced appetite and adipose build up, so why go overboard TikTokers? First challenge yourself to prioritize temperature over amount. October through December is an ideal time to incorporate drinking hot H2O for Vata and Kapha, but lukewarm for Pitta. Gross, right? That’s like warm beer. This is something to get used to, but the benefits outweigh taste preferences. Internal body temperature is warm and metabolism depends on water. If an Olympian workout is not scheduled, then cold water may cause higher adiposity in those prone to obesity. In those Kapha types, tepid to hot water increases energy use.
How much each person actually needs depends on dosha and absorption ability. Some people are made up of as little as 45% H2O. Vata needs the most and Kapha the least. Coconut water and aloe juice are absorbed more efficiently than regular water, which supports Vata and Pitta. The problem for the former dosha is that coconut and aloe are rather cooling to the digestive system. Magnet water may be more bioavailable than regular water for Vata. More studies are needed to substantiate these claims. Look for those on PubMed, which is the science of TikTok.
Lights On!
Marta Minujín The Erotics soft sculpture (1963) from Making a Presence. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Restful 8 hours of sleep is a challenging goal for most. This is the time period of the wee hours when Vata thoughts take over about everything we could have gotten done but did not. Let it go. To reach the intention of sleeping 8 hours/night, wake up before the sun. You will be ready to crash by 930a.
To quiet Vata’s restlessness, wake up around 30 minutes before sunrise. Kapha and Pitta tend to benefit from pre-dawn alarms set at least 1 hour before the sun greets us. For the former, an hour and a half is optimal, but let us not strain our gratitude so close to Thanksgiving. It takes a while to develop a routine for falling and staying asleep. I strongly suggest making this one a long-term goal. Journaling sleep patterns is encouraged to resolve persistent issues.
Bottom Line
The Fall reset is part of the Ayurvedic lifestyle. Going to sleep before 10p and getting up with the sun are standard modes of operation. It is important to remember that these “transformations” take time and are lifelong aspirations. Changing just one thing we consider not conducive to the best version of ourselves is an admirable start. And that is the bottom line- knowing who we are and what works for us.