Fitness

A place to talk about fitness and health on Farcaster.

Books

This was very good. It rings true to my own experience with depression. Summary:

1) There is a lot of overlap in the symptoms of mental disorders that we label distinct: depression, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, bipolar, etc. Mental disorders are often comorbid with each other (if you have one you are more likely to have others). And drugs meant for one disorder often work on others. For example, antidepressants are often prescribed for anxiety, bipolar, and schizophrenia, not just depression.

DSM haters know this one: psychiatry applies the medical gaze to taxonomize symptoms into “illnesses,” even though the symptoms are complex phenomena of mind not body, and the underlying physical illness is often not observable or understood. I was reminded here of Thomas Szasz, who famously said mental illness is a “myth” without an explanation of physical disease. Well, what if there *is* a coherent physical explanation?

Nutritional distinction I saw recently:

There’s a difference between stimulation and energy. 

Stimulation is a short burst that burns fast. Sugar, caffeine, and even your favorite song will stimulate. It is not sustainable and can have bad effects if it’s your sole source of fuel. 

Energy, on the other hand, is a calm activeness. It is at the mitochondrial level, and supported by balanced and habitual nutrition and fitness choices. 

By letting go of using stimulation as an substitute for energy, you can start the humble but rewarding path of finding true energy.

building /bracket | talking /greatbooks | ex-BCG, ex-PHD | poli + phil + econ

Very much agree. The one that works for me is fasting to get that calm long energy. Might not work for everyone, but for me it's fantastic way to start the day.