Lifestyle changes that are sticking - Protein, sleep, strength training & reducing coffee

 I have been continuously reviewing and hence updating my lifestyle.

This includes reviewing all the choices that I make.

I try to not just review them but also try to dig the reasons behind.

Why am I addicted to drinking tea, or coffee, or paranthas, or nankeens and what not?

For last three years, I have changed several of these things, and for good.

But, I am sharing the lifestyle changes that have stuck with me, and become part of my personality.

The reasons for making these changes are mostly for health benefits.

Some were driven by scares of High cholesterol & blood pressure, which has been a constant threat for a few years now. I overcome them, and then fall behind.

This tug of war keeps happening.

Vitals aside, i feel my best.

lets review my top 5 lifestyle changes as of Aug 17, 2026.

1. Reduced Coffee to one cup a day. 

It is the first cup of espresso which I consume in the morning before leaving for the gym. that's it. No more coffee, tea - black or green during the day. I do consume a very good decaf during the day, but no more buzz for me. 

how did this help? 

my sleep has definitely improved. 

Soon after going from 3 cups of coffee, to one, I noticed my Resting Heart Rate came down.

That just means that the buzz is gone, and the nervous system is a lot more calmer.

In early January, I had started to noticed some occasional twitching in my right eye.

Upon research, I found that it could be stress or too much caffeine.

Surprisingly, since dropping the coffee, that twitch disappeared too.

I am not looking to drop this one cup of coffee, because I love It so much. 

But, looks like I may have found the sweetest spot for myself.

2. No Fried Namkeens

This was my soft spot. Some of my favorite Indian namkees and snacks. 

the problem with these was that you are always on a slipper slope.

One mistake, and off you go.

For me, peanuts were a huge deal. and when fried and salted, they were a landmine.

I just could not stop. Even when I would know that it would wreck all of my progress and great work.

How did this help? 

I cant directly tell, but it has implications across the board.

High calories, negative impact on cholesterol & blood pressures.

The habit of contionous snack also wreck havoc on your body.

I have been able to get rid of in-between snacking completely or replaced it with better snacks like greek yoghurt with protein and fruits or protein shakes or just a handful of nuts.

the cravings are completely gone and now, it feels like how did I ate those?

3. Fixing my sleeping time

I was not in a very bad place before, but I knew I needed to make a change.

This is also highly dependent on my environment, but with my current job and profile, I am able to fully control this.

I used to go to bed by 11 pm. it would always be a struggle. right between 10:30 to 11:10, I would pull myself from in front of the TV to the bed.

Some days, "a great show" or that "match" would delay things even more.

For past 2 months, I have fixed that. I am in bed by 9:30.

During my travels to india recently, and back, jet lag also helped getting me back in the bed early.

and I have stuck to this for two months now.

How did this help? 

Getting good sleep fixes a lot of things. another foundational habit that has impact pretty much on everything.

4. Increasing Protein Intake

While apart from getting rid of the friend Namkeen, most of my diet was in good place, but I specifically increased my protein intake. 

for past three months, my breakfast is the same. 1 egg, 2 egg whites, lots of vegetables. 1 banana. about 20 grams of protein.

after returning from the gym, I have 2 to 4 scoops of protein. that is about 21 to 42 grams of protein.

my snacks are replaced by protein yogurt, and can add 30 grams of protein every day.

and some days I have egg salad in the later part of day made with boiled eggs, so it can mean I have another 15 grams of protein.

Overall, I think I able to get to 100 grams of protein per day from these changes.

whatever protein we get from other food like lentils, nuts is separate.

I am not at a point where I am able to count everything fully.

Increasing protein has significantly helped with the recovery. I would stay sore for 3 to 4 days from a solid back or leg workout, but that has changed since I increased the intake.

5. Regular strength Training

During 2018 and 19, I got hooked to weight training and never looked back.

It made me realize what a difference a strong body makes to ones day.

You feel amazing. Clothes fit better, but even more so you feel fantastic.

Its almost in a way you feel more useful when doing day to day tasks.

then in 2024, I got seriously into running. In 2025 I ran several half marathons and a full marathon (Chicago).

that year, while filled with great accomplishments, made me realize that long distance running with some strength work is leading my body open a lot of injuries. Endurance running didn't make me feel astonishingly strong, like before.

So, this year I pivoted back to strength training.

For past 2 months I have made a habit of waking up early and hitting the gym. this has improved my consistency to the gym, since there is really no distraction.

and I feel great, strong and on my way to building a great foundation again.

May be we will get back to running again next year, but if I did so, I will keep that with keeping my strength training really up there.

so that is my list.

Let me know if you have any questions.