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.

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Well said, Tim

But then
 I struggle sometimes with finding balance. 

It’s easy to fall back into the habit of reaching for a sugary snack or a caffeine boost when I’m feeling tired. 

How do you think we can effectively shift our mindset and create consistent habits that promote true energy, rather than relying on those quick stimulations? 

Serious question 

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Yeah i get the whole idea

But how does one do these without feeling like they are depriving themselves of?

I won’t call it withdrawal symptoms but it’s like a similar phenomenon 

One could have a hard time suddenly changing their lifestyle 

And it ends up feeling like total deprivation

Man that’s a tough one. 

My instinct is that it’s about:

1) *clearly defining* the things we think are long-term healthy vs long-term sabotage of our health (can start with the things that are super obvious rather than having to be too granular)

2) *really believing* that health is the greatest pleasure… even when it seems like some short term burst will be more pleasant than the health we want (or even the health we have)

I do think if we see this on an individual level, and we believe it too, that we will make the choices over time to build a good habit. 

And then good habits are good at sustaining themselves, like a wheel rolling down a hill.