Healthy habits

The guy from the radio station asks me, "What's your secret?" I'm ninety-four, so I think about it.

"I walk to the store every morning. I always take the stairs. I drink a lot of water, and I don't eat much sugar. I take my vitamins too."

"Is that all?" he asks. "No. I also have a small glass of whiskey on Sundays."

Okay. New plan. I want to lose weight before the wedding.

I'm going to give up soda and cut down on candy. No more junk food on weekdays.

Is chocolate junk food? Don't answer that. I think it's a vegetable. Chocolate comes from a bean.

Hey Ayşe, it's one a.m. and I'm in bed with my phone. Don't tell my doctor! She says I need to get enough sleep. Eight hours!

I go to bed at midnight, but then I scroll and scroll. She says fresh air helps me sleep well. So I opened the window. Now I'm freezing and awake.

Good night. Or good morning.

My smartwatch buzzes every hour. "Time to stand up!" I ignore it. It buzzes again. "Take a break!"

My coworker Jo says, "Sitting all day is bad for you." I say, "Coffee is good for you." She says, "Is it?" I say, "It is today."

Okay, I stand up. I walk to the kitchen. For coffee.

Day three of the plan. I'm still alive. I'm going to stick to it: more water, less cake.

My friend Sam says, "Once in a while, you can have a cookie." But one cookie is never one cookie. It's too much for me, Sam.

Keep going, Gökhan. Day four starts tomorrow.

New rule. I cut out fast food. No more burgers, no more fries. Only healthy snacks now.

At the movies, my friend Jo asks, "What's in your bag?" I say, "A snack. An apple." She looks again. "That's a hot dog, Murat."

"Do you know the calories in that?" she says. "No," I say. "And I don't want to know. Let me enjoy it."

Hi sweetie, it's Grandma. Three rules for this week. One: don't stay up late. Your cell phone isn't your friend at midnight. Two: put a bottle of water in your backpack. Three: set an alarm for seven.

I take a nap every afternoon at two. It makes me feel good. It's my secret.

So please call me after four. Not at two. Grandma is sleeping.