From Knowing to Doing: My Health Wake-Up Call Abroad

Do you ever have that moment when you think, “I really need to start taking my health seriously”? 

Or maybe you’ve promised yourself, “This time, I’m going to exercise regularly”?

I’ve had those thoughts so many times, but for years, they stayed just that~~~thoughts.


That all changed for me about two years ago. I’d lived in the U.S. for six months that time, and something clicked. I started to become more aware of my health. Part of it was because I’d read journal articles about how exercise benefits brain health. I already knew exercise was good for me, but it hit differently when I saw the research laid out so clearly. It made me wonder Why do I know this but still not make it a priority?


At the same time, I realized my BMI wasn’t in the ideal range. That was a wake-up call. Living in the U.S. also pushed me to make healthier choices without even realizing it. For example, I found myself walking more. The roads are safe, well-paved, and comfortable for pedestrians (something I had rarely experienced in my home country). It felt easy, even enjoyable, to walk places here.


Eating habits were another big shift. Honestly, it started because I couldn’t find many restaurants that matched my preferences. And, let’s be real, there’s almost no Indonesian food here unless you go to New York or Philly. So, I started cooking at home. At first, it was just a necessity, but it quickly became a habit. Cooking made me more aware of what I was eating, and I naturally started choosing healthier options~~fewer processed foods and more whole, clean ingredients.


Then, I made the big leap: I started exercising regularly. I’ll admit, the beginning was hard. I had to push myself to stick to a schedule and get to the gym, even on days when I didn’t feel like it.

I told myself, Just do a 40-minute workout—it’s better than nothing. Slowly but surely, it became a habit. And then something amazing happened. I started seeing results. Over time, I lost about 10 kilograms. But more than the weight loss, I felt so much better, both physically and mentally. I had more energy and confidence, and I just felt lighter. Of course, I’m not perfect. There are still days when I feel lazy or unmotivated. But I remind myself why I started: to feel good and to reduce my health risks.


That said, I do worry about what will happen when I go back to Indonesia. Let’s be honest, our food is just too delicious! And walking isn’t as easy there because the infrastructure doesn’t always support it. But this experience has taught me that habits are shaped by our environment, and I’ll have to find ways to adapt when I’m back. For now, I’m holding onto these healthier habits and the way they make me feel. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.





Location: State College, PA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

I don't hate comments :)

Popular Posts

Authorship dan Etika Kontribusi: Sebuah Refleksi Pribadi dari Mahasiswa Doktoral

Image
Baru-baru ini aku sedang menyusun sebuah draft opinion paper yang bersumber dari esai ujian komprehensifku yang mana proses penyusunannya dilakukan berbulan-bulan. Paper ini mendapat respons positif dari pembimbing dan komite doktoralku, sehingga mereka menyarankan agar segera aku submit ke jurnal ilmiah. Ketika diskusi soal pengiriman paper ini berlangsung, advisorku bertanya: “Apakah semua anggota komite mau dicantumkan sebagai co-author ? Tanyakan dulu, karena tidak semua merasa nyaman namanya muncul jika merasa kontribusinya tidak signifikan.” Kemudian beliau menjelaskan bahwa menurut APA Publishing Policies , konsep authorship mengikuti prinsip contributorship . Ini artinya, authorship bukan hanya untuk mereka yang menulis, tetapi juga bagi siapa pun yang memberi kontribusi ilmiah substansial, seperti: Konseptualisasi ide dan tujuan penelitian, Mendesain metodologi atau pendekatan penelitian, Melakukan analisis formal yang signifikan, Berpartisipasi aktif dalam pen...
Read more

Tahun Ketiga PhD: Antara Tidak Terasa dan Terasa Banget

Image
Tidak terasa (eh, kadang terasa juga ding 😅) perjalananku sebagai mahasiswa PhD kini resmi genap tiga tahun. Aku menutup tahun ini dengan menyelesaikan doctoral exam tahap dua (dari total tiga tahap di programku). Ujian ini tidak main-main. Untuk bisa menyusun jawabannya, aku harus membaca minimal 100 artikel ilmiah, baik jurnal maupun buku, yang menjadi dasar teoritis dan metodologis topik disertasiku. Bukan karena apa, tapi itu syaratnya. Kalau tahap pertama namanya Qualifying Exam/Exam Candidacy untuk menilai apakah kita layak menjadi PhD Candidate atau tidak. Tapi ini akan berbeda ya ntah penamaan ujiannya dan juga proses ada berapa tahapan yang harus dilalui (jadi wajib hukumnya kamu baca handbook program yang mau dipilih). Sedikit gambaran, program PhD di Amerika Serikat itu cukup berbeda dari banyak negara lain seperti Indonesia, Jepang, Belanda, atau Inggris. Di sini, mahasiswa PhD wajib menjalani kuliah di kelas ( coursework ) selama dua tahun pertama, bukan langsung ris...
Read more

Dari Mean ke Multilevel SEM: Sebuah Perjalanan Pendewasaan Berpikir Ilmiah

Image
Dulu, ketika aku pertama kali belajar statistik dan analisis data, pendekatan yang kupahami masih sangat tradisional. Misalnya, jika aku ingin mengetahui apakah stres berkaitan dengan fungsi kognitif, maka aku cukup menghitung rata-rata (mean) skor stres dan kognisi setiap orang, lalu yaudah, ambil dua variabel, cari korelasinya. Kalau ada grup berbeda? Pake ANOVA. Mau prediksi? Linear regression. Simple. Logis. Rasanya cukup buat "menjelaskan hubungan antar variabel". Tapi ternyata, makin banyak belajar, makin kerasa: dunia ini lebih kompleks daripada sekadar rata-rata. Dan hasil penelitian bisa misleading kalau kita cuma ngandelin between-person analysis atau data yang dirata-ratain aja. Apalagi kalau kita bicara soal perasaan , kognisi , dan perilaku sehari-hari —nggak sesederhana itu. Makin aku mendalami metode kuantitatif, makin sadar bahwa mean-level analysis atau between-person comparisons itu nggak cukup buat memahami bagaimana proses psikologis bekerja " da...
Read more