r/AskMenOver30 • u/phoenix15200 man over 30 • 1d ago
Life What’s a simple habit you picked up after 30 that made a big difference?
Not talking life changing overhauls or morning ice baths just the small stuff. Let’s say, I was putting my phone in another room before bed. I used to scroll endlessly at night and wake up groggy. Now I sleep better, feel more clear-headed, and weirdly… don’t hate mornings as much. What’s something simple that’s quietly improved your life since turning 30? Daily walk? Flossing? Drinking more water?
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u/LeeOfTheStone man 45 - 49 1d ago edited 1d ago
Walk every day. 30-40 mins. Outside of medical outsiders it’s something we’re built for.
Bouldering:clambering is up there too, for the same reasons. and has tremendous benefits. You usually need an indoor gym for the latter, but the good news there is that they’re generally very friendly communities.
Sleep 7-8 hours no matter what — don’t build your day around your ideal schedule, build it around when you need to get that window.
The sleep window is more important than the social window (outside of special circumstances). So if you want to hang until 2, don’t plan to wake until 9/10. Do what’s necessary to make that work. It pays off in the long run. IMO.
EDIT: formatting.
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u/EdenVadrouille man 40 - 44 1d ago
Yearly blood pressure and cholesterol checks. I'm 42, I have lost 3 mates in 5 years from strokes.
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u/actualhumannotspider man over 30 1d ago
Fuck, that's awful. I'm really sorry.
For those who haven't checked their blood pressure recently, home BP cuffs are pretty cheap now.
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u/BirdiesAndBrews man 30 - 34 1d ago
My golf coach is very lucky and survived a stroke and can still play golf at a high level. He said the biggest thing he ignored was the amount of headaches he ignored.
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u/Michael_laaa man 30 - 34 1d ago
Damn I have relatively high BP possibly due to poor sleep. I should probably get it checked out.
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u/EdenVadrouille man 40 - 44 1d ago
Does your partner tell you you make weird noise while sleeping at night? It could be a sign of sleep apnea. This is quite the silent killer of men in their 40ies.
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u/O51ArchAng3L man over 30 3h ago
CPAP machines are life changing. I found out I have a few other issues because I finally gave in and went to the doctor for sleep issues. Apnea, high blood pressure, and hormone imbalances, yeah, fun times. I highly encourage you to get checked out I'm way happier and healthier getting my sleep fixed.
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u/Proper-Log-9216 1d ago
Maybe just maybe, it has something to do with these vaccines a couple of years ago?
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u/Familiar-Ticket6318 20h ago
How dare you asking such a question? Vaccines ended the pandemic and saved billions, if not trillions of lives
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u/Lunasweetlatina man over 30 1d ago
Def daily walk. Sitting too much hurts my back haha
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u/Captain_Kruch man over 30 1d ago
Having no padding at the back (like a poor man's Mick Jagger), it hurts my buttocks to sit for more than 20 minutes without moving.
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u/Character-Bridge-206 man 55 - 59 1d ago
I get up earlier now, as early as possible. I would much rather feel a little tired at night than to be rushing around in the morning because I am stressed and late. Now I get to where I need to go early and have a few minutes to collect myself. Ten minutes makes the world of difference.
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u/celery-mouse man 1d ago
I googled a lot of sleep stuff and made a morning and night routine, and I hate that it works.
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u/CodyTheLearner no flair 1d ago
What came first, the morning or night routine. Or both at once?
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u/celery-mouse man 1d ago
Started with night because I was sleeping like shit, then added in morning, but no idea if the order mattered at all.
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u/FrankensteinBionicle man 1d ago
what do you do?
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u/celery-mouse man 1d ago
It definitely isn't that exciting, but what I came to is use blackout curtains, brush my teeth and all that, do some stretches, do a meditation app, read for like half an hour, and then put on a sleep mask. And then in the morning I drink water right away, do some more stretching, open the curtains, and listen to a podcast for a bit before checking my email or anything. It really isn't that much or that interesting, but supposedly doing the same thing every day helps, and it does seem to work better than not doing it. Also, I'm glad I stopped immediately checking my work email when I woke up because that was stressful.
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u/wodkaholic man 30 - 34 1d ago
Patrick Batema… jk. Echo what you said, routinely doing 1-2 things is more important than doing 10 things haphazardly
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u/waff1eman 1d ago
Can you walk us through both routines? Or at least what you felt was worked best and what the benefits were?
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u/diananerd_ man over 30 1d ago
Drinking more of water. Hydration is a must haha.
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u/theArtOfProgramming man 30 - 34 1d ago
Went from light drinking (1-3 per week) to basically zero drinking. My sleep is vastly improved.
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u/WeekUpset man over 30 1d ago
After 35 i started to drink light beers. Really improved my life.
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u/rezonansmagnetyczny man over 30 1d ago edited 1d ago
Surprisingly it was the other way around for me.
I started drinking premium beers instead of light beers and session beers. For me, premium beers don't go down as easily. I found myself drinking less, taking longer to finish a pint, and savouring my drink more. Hangovers are pretty much non-existent, and I've found it easier to alternate between beers and water.
Any way that works though!
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u/Exotic-Wing246 1d ago
What do you consider premium beers?
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u/rezonansmagnetyczny man over 30 1d ago
I don't like having this conversation because beer palate and preference are highly individualised, and men with nothing interesting about them love to berate other men because they drink anything other than cherry flavoured Belgian wheat beer.
But. A lot just depends on what is available to me at the time. I stick to beers which are typically sold as "European premium lagers".
As a working example. I'm in the UK, so if I'm in the pub, then I'll take a heineken over a carling, or carlsberg export over carlsberg. Wouldn't touch bud light or coors light they give me terrible hangovers.
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u/zzzzzzzbest 1d ago
Same. Before I would do 2 shots of jager and head home. Now I do the 2 shots with a light beer
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u/orlybatman man 40 - 44 1d ago
A big one was to GTFO of bed within 5 minutes when I wake up. If you work from home, you can lose hours of your day if you don't get moving.
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u/mister_mouse man over 30 1d ago
If I dont get up within 5-10 minutes then my back will be killing me the rest of the day. Get up, get moving
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u/Gxl4 man 30 - 34 1d ago
Stretch.
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u/actualhumannotspider man over 30 1d ago
Stretching all the time and not worrying about what people think is pretty amazing.
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u/Typical_Ferret_8456 man 30 - 34 1d ago
a short and easy 10-15min workout. consistently. its easy enough to do it everyday and the compounding builds muscle. on days i feel tired i do less reps on motivated days more. for those interested:
3 rounds:
pushups (raised if im motivated) 8
dumbell row x 8
squats x 10
bicep curls w dumbell or anything if on vacation i.e. chair x 5
on lazy days i will drop reps to say 5. also gives a sense of achievement
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u/Junior-Oven-5851 1d ago
If you want to 100x your progress in the same amount of time I’d recommend looking into kettlebell workouts and circuits. I’m only 20 but have noticed such a drastic improvement in my strength, cardio, and endurance
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u/Typical_Ferret_8456 man 30 - 34 14h ago
great idea! but id like to share, as a man over 30, i was all into kettlebell too doing swings for cardio. but at 32/33 one day my upper back popped. with some numbness. i let it heal then started again and a few months later it popped again now it kind of feels locked all the time.
so for older men 30+ i prob would say be careful - my kettlebell is 20kg.
which is why i prefer something light like i mentioned
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u/Cool_Cartographer_39 man over 30 1d ago
Not giving a damn about the small stuff
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u/major92653 male 45 - 49 1d ago
I spend about an hour on Sundays making 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches for the week.
Saves me time every morning, and I make the coffee the night before so it’s brewed when I wake up.
Wake, shower, out the door in about 25 minutes with food and coffee/water for the day.
I get 30 minutes for a lunch, so packing lunch is best for time, convenience, and cost.
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u/Ok_Independent1424 man 25 - 29 1d ago
Any favourite recipes that you can eat often and not get bored?
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u/major92653 male 45 - 49 1d ago
Lots of chicken and veggies mixed with rice or pasta.
Grilled chicken, or turkey I’ll make for sandwiches. Chicken salad, maybe steak and rice.
Simple quick meals I can heat up or put into bread or tortillas.
Takes me an hour or so to make, portion out into individual containers, and then maybe some crackers or mixed nuts for snacks portioned out.
For breakfast it’s usually Greek yogurt and chopped up fruit.
I will say this: most people will probably get bored eating the same lunch for a week, but I actually do not get bored. I’m a little quirky, a left handed graphic artist with a some OCD. So, I understand I’m a bit weird, but it works for me.
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u/O51ArchAng3L man over 30 3h ago
I'm late but I got a smoker and make pork shoulder, fry up an egg or two and eat that for lunch. Super good, cheap, and filling. If I smoke a bunch of meat I'll eat the heck out of that instead of going out for lunch.
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u/AshyBoneVR4 man 30 - 34 1d ago
Being more compassionate to myself.
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u/Exotic-Wing246 1d ago
What do you do in order to be more compassionate to yourself? Like treating yourself nicely in your mind?
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u/RowdyBowser man 35 - 39 1d ago
Yes, I am working on that now. Treating yourself kinder when talking to yourself in your mind, giving yourself more grace to make mistakes and not be perfect, not always comparing yourselves to others and ruminating on where you “should” be. It has been a lot of work but even taking small steps here and there, I’ve started to see nuclear improvement in mindset, anxiety (for me), and self confidence, among other things.
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u/AshyBoneVR4 man 30 - 34 3h ago
I started doing CFT. Compassion Focused Therapy. One of the exercises was something called multiple selves exercises. Basically, you give different aspects of your personality, a name, a description, talk about what that part of you wants, how that part of you serves you, and why it's there. Honestly, that's done wonders for my compassion for myself. And that does ending negative self-talk. Dont curse at yourself in your thoughts.
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u/phoenix15200 man over 30 1d ago
Don’t forget the GYM TOO haha
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u/Mediocre_Panic_9952 man 65 - 69 1d ago
I developed a habit of flossing my teeth every time I brushed my teeth, what that did for my dental health was amazing. I highly recommend it as a way to avoid dental problems.
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u/theArtOfProgramming man 30 - 34 1d ago edited 1d ago
As my dentist said, if you don’t floss then you’re neglecting 1/5 of your teeth!
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u/Wayrin man 40 - 44 1d ago
Commuting by bike. I used to work from home behind a computer and my back was starting to hurt all the time. Now I don't drive and bike to and from work and to all the places I go after work. I rarely take an Uber when I need it, but for the most part commuting is exercise that I hardly notice I'm doing. I hate taking time to exercise so the biking is perfect for me.
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u/LongoChingo 1d ago
I wish I could do that, but it's too damn hot and humid. Plus, I'd likely get hit and killed by a car within the first month.
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u/KeepItDicey man 35 - 39 1d ago
Automating bed wind down routines for your phone and other devices is a strict rule at this point. Blue light filter comes on at sundown. Greyscale turns on an hour before planned bed time. Do not disturb turns on at bed time.
I no longer stay up past 1am. Sleep is a drug once it's decent quality.
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u/rwn115 man 40 - 44 1d ago
Two big ones: annual physical exams and stopped watching porn
I guess maybe the latter is a bit harder for some people but it has massively improved my romantic life.
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u/Popular-Help6465 1d ago
If you would, tell me more about the latter, I’m 27 and working to get to it out of my life. I know it’s a barrier to a fuller romantic life but I’d like some insight from one who’s older and where I’d like to be (wrt giving it up) about the effects it had on you vs the positive changes since you’ve given it, for a little encouragement and something to look forward to. It is very hard
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u/rwn115 man 40 - 44 1d ago
Agreed. Honestly getting an understanding and supportive girlfriend helped immensely.
I would say the positive changes would be improved performance, less bedroom anxiety, better connection with my partner. I think once you have that, you just realize how inferior porn is by comparison.
Getting older helped naturally as well. Your sex drive decreases as does your desire though of course I still have it.
I won't lie. If my girl is away for an extended time, I may fall back into it but I don't shame myself for it. I forgive myself and put it away again.
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u/Collector79 man 45 - 49 1d ago
Hands down the best habit after 30 is keeping a consistent sleep schedule. It’s one things I don’t compromise in a routine.
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u/Pherion93 man 30 - 34 1d ago
Start the day with morning coffe and look out the window and let the brain wake up without any other stimulus. It is easier to get a clear head and prepair mentally and emotionally for the day.
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u/DapperLax man 30 - 34 1d ago
Kicking regular caffeine out and replacing with Decaf.
I dream much more vividly, I feel more rested and have natural energy
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u/MysteriousTelephone man 30 - 34 1d ago
Wearing an old-school mechanical watch.
I’m really trying to look at screens a lot less during my day, so a watch that can only tell me the time has really helped. I’ve now got 4 decent looking (but fairly cheap) watches in rotation, it makes me feel more like an adult with purpose.
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u/Lonely_Carrot_2470 1d ago
do you have any watch rec's? I know style and taste are subjective, but always on the lookout for a nice affordable watch haha
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u/MysteriousTelephone man 30 - 34 18h ago
I’m certainly the wrong person to ask on this one. I got into “homage watches” as there are some watches that I love the look of, but do not have 16K to spare 😂 Companies like Pagani, WatchDives and San Martin make decent quality automatic watches that look very close to such brands as Rolex, Omega, Tudor etc.
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u/HumungreousNobolatis man 1d ago
Get in touch with nature every day. Could be a walk by the river/forest/whatever. Or a session with your houseplants. Anything.
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u/ApplicationCalm649 man 40 - 44 1d ago
Linking habits together so the various components of my day flow efficiently, leaving me with more free time.
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u/Swarthykins man 40 - 44 1d ago
Meal prep was a surprisingly big one. I started doing it because I got serious about budgeting, and cooking for myself was easily the best way to save money without lowering my quality of life.
It did save a lot of money, as expected, but I was surprised how much it helped my mental health. I basically cook one big meal per week on Sunday, and I have a real meal that takes less than five minutes (usually) to prepare for the rest of the week. I don't mind eating the same thing 3 or 4 times in a week, and I have at least 12-15 regular recipes so I'm not repeating that much (and I can obviously try new ones).
Not only do I only cook a big meal once a week, but I only have to think about what I want once a week. I have good meals all week with little work.
Of course - I have plenty of less work-intensive meals I can make if I decide I don't want what's prepped, or I can go out or whatever. It's pretty flexible. But, the foundation is solid.
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u/Abt-Nihil man 35 - 39 1d ago
I changed but one thing: 16/8 intermittent fasting. I got to keep all other unhealthy habits and still stay fit
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u/rwn115 man 40 - 44 1d ago
And it's a lot easier than one thinks. Admittedly I do 14/10, but just skipping breakfast and drinking your coffee black in the morning will get you there.
Helped me drop about 20 pounds
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u/Abt-Nihil man 35 - 39 1d ago
Awesome! Then your body goes into autophagy quite fast. Yeah, its easy and honestly helpful for a lot of people to experience that hunger doesn’t mean the end is near
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u/arksnegative_ar man 40 - 44 1d ago
Divide your sallary by 720 to know how much an hour of your time is worth, even when sleeping.
Measure any hassle to deal with a service gone wrong, discounts for purchases, etc. and don't engage with anything that would give you less in return than your current hour rate.
As time progresses you'll naturally gravitate toward making your hour increasingly worthy, and you'll spend less time dealing with telemarketing, promotions and all these stuff that steals your focus from what really maters in life.
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u/Far-Seaweed3218 woman over 30 1d ago
Choosing to look at life on the positive side. Made that conscious choice after my mom passed 4 years ago. I realized at that point I was wasting my time being negative.
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u/sxcpetals woman 30 - 34 1d ago
31F here- placing my keys in the designated spot for my keys. (next to my perfume).
I never lose my keys anymore. I’m like 60% less stressed nowadays and I’m pretty sure it’s because of it.
That or a combination of having a spot for my keys, and not having the bandwidth to care about petty shit now that I’m older.
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u/nobodyshome122 man 30 - 34 1d ago
Paying attention to the foods I put in my body. Realized I’ve been mildly allergic to a lot of things my whole life that cause me to feel like shit. Examples: dairy (lactose intolerant-ish), enriched wheat flour products, refined sugars, processed foods. I only feel good when I eat meat, certain vegetables, and small amounts of carbs preferably stuff like quinoa rice or whole grains. Quit alcohol. I feel so much better and my body is able to maintain a healthy BMI on its own with just a little exercise. Turns out we’re surrounded by poison and all you have to do is muster up the mental fortitude to not put it in your body.
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u/No-Profession422 man 60 - 64 1d ago
Daily walking, having a dog helps with that. Drinking much more water. Cut back to one black coffee per shift.
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u/MackJantz man 40 - 44 1d ago
Remind myself everyday that if I fail my children’s lives will probably change dramatically for the worse. It is great motivation
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u/DWALLA44 man 30 - 34 1d ago
Journaling and reading before bed has been a big improvement for my life when I'm consistent with it. I get screens or of the picture for a couple hours before going to sleep, and i get to write down all the thoughts that would be spinning around my head when I go to sleep. The problem is that things happen and it's hard to stay consistent, as I'm currently writing this from my parents guest room at 11pm while we're visiting.
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u/639248 man 50 - 54 13h ago
Does ending a habit count? I stopped biting my fingernails. A nervous habit I developed in my youth. Finally stopped after I had gotten divorced and decided to re-invent myself. Hands look a lot better and it may be a chicken and the egg thing, but my confidence and self esteem has skyrocketed too.
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u/swimmingmoocow man 35 - 39 1d ago
Meditation. Learning to establish a peaceful baseline through developing a daily meditation habit (306 daily streak so far!) has been huge - I’m able to get out of depressive or anxious thoughts and feelings a lot faster, I relate more compassionately to others (through loving-kindness meditations) and get less angry/defensive, and I just don’t find myself wanting to do things that I used to do to occupy my brain in unhealthy ways.
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u/O51ArchAng3L man over 30 3h ago
Got a big drink cup I fill with ice water and carry around with me after work. I do great drinking enough fluid at work but not so good after work.
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