INTP Environments/House/Health

[PossumOfTheGrotto]

This topic came up because it seemed to be a natural progression of another thread: http://www.intpforum.com/showthread.php?t=5395

I am wondering what environments people do their reading/researching/thinking in? Does it seem like our type makes us more prone to certain environmental/health issues? If so, what do other INTPs do about it?

The thread this branched from was discussing certain physical/health traits common in INTPs (dark under-eye circles/lack of sleep/lack of sunlight + exercise/breathing problems/posture problems/etc.) I am wondering how other INTPs deal with this...if most of us do anything at all...and what everyone's thoughts are. It seems from the response to the previous thread that it is a real problem, possibly because as a type we spend so much time living inside of our heads instead of in our bodies.

I've noticed that, if I'm not careful, I will tend to sit on the couch for long hours at a time late into the night (if not all night), snacking on somewhat questionably nutritious foods and not moving a whole lot with thirty tabs open on my browser, several books strewn across the floor and possibly alternating all these with Hulu or Netflix. I also have an "office" where I spend a lot of time doing my thing (basically, an unused bedroom filled with books, computers and little trinkets, with a reading nook holding lamp/chair/ottoman/side table.) In both these places I tend to kind of cluster and spend hours.

A few years back I became aware of this and started improving my environments so I could keep doing my thing but mitigate negative effects from doing so. (My mom, an Idealist Counselor, was really into feng shui at the time and gave endless suggestions.)

Here's some of what I changed:

- I ended up bringing lots of plants into my home to improve the air (mostly succulents, as they can withstand my regular neglect), opening up windows and changing curtains to sheerer, lighter materials to improve light flow and other such things. It only took a small push one weekend (reluctantly pushed by my mom), and isn't something I have to really maintain on a regular basis. I can even not water the succulents for weeks and they still survive. (I am slightly more nurturing than a desert, as it turns out.)

- I bought a little shiatsu chair massager thingy and put it on a desk chair, so if I notice my muscles getting sore from laying in one position reading, I can sit in it for a bit.

- I bought a Brita and keep it filled in the fridge, along with buying lots of appealing fruits and such for snacking. (Right now I have pears, apples, pomegranates and raspberries in my fruit bowl.) I have been told from health care professionals that one of the worst things about the indoor central air/heat environment is that it sucks moisture out your body (which has an effect on your skin and on things like undereye circles), so I try to drink a lot of water. (I often make a little tray now of tea, water fruit and/or other snacks and carry it to wherever I will be "stationed.")

- Sometimes (but not super-often) I use this exercise bike I got at a garage sale...it has a little bar you can put a book into, so I'll set a book up and kind of absently peddle on-and-off while I read for a while. It's definitely not cardio or anything, but it is motion.

But those are some things I changed that helped. It's not perfect and is probably less than I should be doing, but it seems to have had mitigating effects on those negative health occurrences associated with being INTP. (For example - I don't have under-eye circles, breathing or posture problems, dry skin or sore muscles as a general rule.)

For a while I also tried doing those stupid friend things health websites suggest, like making "rail-trail walking-talking dates with your friends that make keeping on task easy"...but I noticed that my Rational friends and I would start walking, get involved in conversation, and then find ourselves clustered somewhere awkward near the beginning of the trail discussing light particles, string theory, anime and Visigoths. >_<

I did find, surprisingly, that places like bookshops with coffee bars were good for us to meet up in, because the temptation to walk repeatedly around the store examining new books that we then excitedly babbled about to each other made for several hours of motion. (Plus new books.)

The Nintendo Wii has also gone a long way towards making me move around more than I would normally. (I am not into group exercise classes at all, but I will easily plunk the Wii Fit down at 3:30 AM and jog around with my Mao Zedong and Dracula Miis for a while.)

But, anyway...that's what I do. I would be interested to know what other people do, what concerns or problems they have had and what other things might be good to incorporate.

 

[Jesse]

I walk. Not as much as I like but I do. I get sick of the computer after a few hours and then do stuff. I eat lots of fruit because it's always in the house. My posture is shit but I try to sit propery every time I catch myself. If I have a coffee i drink it outside in the sun. Little things like that keep me healthier than the average INTP.

 

[BitRogue]

I think responses have been pretty low because most INTPs will read this, do a double take and think 'What? Whats this health and harmonious living BS?!?! A waste of brain mips'

I actually do get out on good weather days. I have an innate desire to explore, go adventuring and discover new places. Sometimes this comes into conflict with my desire to stay as far the hell away from other human beings. I actually own a 4x4 and I enjoy travelling out to find lonely places in the world far from civilization. Bushveld, deserts, remote beaches and high up on mountains.

Closer to home, on some sunny days, I will strap the GPS to my mountain bike, pack the DSLR and a book and go geocaching. This is not particularly a regular thing, but I do enjoy it. On lazier days, I'll pack the same equipment into the car and go for a drive into the countryside.

But Im not a health and fitness freak. I do the bare minimum, but Im not overweight or unfit in any major sense. I dont particularly eat healthy tho but Im also NOT a snacker. When Im concetrating on something, the last thing I care about is food, its a huge distraction. I spend inordinate amounts of time in front of the PC or on the sofa watching movies and reading books. My house is neat, but not overly so. Just enough so that the rare visitor cant complain. Chaotic order is my term for it. No plants, posters or pictures anywhere in my house. But I do have a HUGE bookcase and another HUGE DVD rack which usually gets a lot of comments, along with the ceiling mounted projector and the 2,5m screen .

 

[Wizardry]

I'm more INTJ but ever since I was younger I have an almost trance-like desire to maintain some level of "strong, healthy". I remember when I was 5 I stole all my mom's workout tapes and had a little routine I did everyday. My worst nightmares consist of me being old and feeble and I hate those dreams where my teeth are falling out. My only hope is that I age gracefully and avoid the various age related diseases.

I've noticed that, if I'm not careful, I will tend to sit on the couch for long hours at a time late into the night (if not all night), snacking on somewhat questionably nutritious foods and not moving a whole lot with thirty tabs open on my browser, several books strewn across the floor and possibly alternating all these with Hulu or Netflix. I also have an "office" where I spend a lot of time doing my thing (basically, an unused bedroom filled with books, computers and little trinkets, with a reading nook holding lamp/chair/ottoman/side table.) In both these places I tend to kind of cluster and spend hours.

I've been doing this a lot over the past few years but I switched to always eat healthy food or no food at all. I set aside time everyday though to go walk/jog a couple miles. Some things

-Buy frozen fruit. They allow them to ripen more fully and don't have as much pesticide risk.
-I suggest always taking vitamin C, vitamin D, fish oil (be very picky with this), and if you are a bit overweight start taking resveratrol. The kind made from muscadine grapes is the best.
-I have cut coffee out but now I'm seeing research where it helps enhance certain aspects of human longevity so I might change my mind.
-Go back and study nutrition. US has the entire idea of how to stay healthy backwards. The food pyramid is crap.

If you start something and come to a point where you get lazy just imagine yourself with disgusting black s*** in your veins sucking the life out of you. Always keeps me motivated.

 

[Stoic Beverage]

I have to share a computer, so I'm forced away from it fairly often. Having two siblings, I can't do much for long without one of them wanting to take whatever entertainment outlet (is that a term?) I'm using away. The only thing I can do without being interrupted is read. I bought a hammock recently, and it's great. I can't use it during winter, but I'm reading outside for hours on end if the weather is nice. However, I still manage to stay pasty white. That's due to me descending from people living in pretty much every country in Europe full of pale people. Sigh.

 

[gruesomebrat]

I tend to do a lot of biking. Not so much as I should be, but... still, considerably more than anyone I know. I'm planning on riding across Canada one of these summers, so a lot of my physical activity is just training. Between school and FB/INTPf, though, I haven't been getting as much time for training as I'd like to. Also working against me is that the days are getting much shorter. As I tend to stay at school late, talking to some of my teachers about their classes, I generally end up coming out of school with about an hour of light left. Riding in pitch dark, when the temp is hovering around -5C is not fun...

Hopefully, winter break will allow me some intensive training time. Then again, who knows what crazy shit my family will force me to put up with for Christmas week.