About my fitness and diet

My diet and workout habits have gotten attention from my coworkers and friends I thought I’d publish a quick official Q&A (if you're bothered to know, but please consult qualified and experienced professionals if you need advice on fitness or nutrition)

Do I fast?

Yes. I have been following intermittent fasting for the past 7 or 8 years. First it was hard, then my body got used to it. After a few years the benefits of the 16:8 fast plateaued and I experimented with longer fasts. I am not religious about fasting. I would say I have fasted correctly about 80% of the time, if my body is feeling weak or I have a demanding day(s) ahead I break the fast. I have also broken my fast on vacations.

Am I a vegetarian?

I am currently an ovo vegetarian. I grew up in a relatively conservative Buddhist family, we didn't eat a lot of meat or eat out. But in my late teens I became more independent and started eating out and ate a lot of meat. Then as I became more interested in fitness in my late twenties I tried to eat better. Around 3 years ago I stopped eating meat. I don't think I am superior because I don't eat meat.

Do I smoke?

I smoked in my twenties, but I stopped.

Do I drink?

I drank in my twenties, but I lost interest. I don't think drinking is categorically wrong if you can handle yourself and you are not a public figure by consent (more to think here). I don't mind a glass of wine every now and then (but I can't justify the cost of buying a bottle right now).

Do I sleep?

I do sleep, but like a growing number of adults in my age group I do carry a sleep debt and there are nights when I just can't get a night of sleep. I’m not convinced of medication that promises sleep, but I have taken an over the counter melatonin supplement and magnesium. ( I am not convinced these help either)

What do I do when I can't get a good night's sleep?

Over the years I have gotten better at proactively managing my sleep debt. I have gotten better at meditating in a sleeping position (no, I can't meditate an entire night away). Sometimes I read fiction using a book light.

I have also gotten better at operating with a sleep debt by educating myself on the topic and improving my faculties, through meditation, fitness and diet and other lifestyle choices. I encourage others to value their sleep and I proactively take sick leaves when my sleep debt threshold has been surpassed. 

How do I meditate? 

I do a version of Vipassana meditation where I try to maintain my complete awareness on bodily sensations at will. If you are doing it right you should be able to fool a sleep tracker on an inexpensive fitness band.

How do I workout?

Early on, I realized being fit has more to do with nutrition than exercise. So I educated myself as best I could and found a few over the counter supplements and became smarter with my diet.

During the first 5 or so years I focused mainly on targeted resistance training sessions 3 or 4 times a week. But as my life got busier (and harder) I changed my resistance training approach to make it more sustainable and increase the return on my investment by lifting lighter, but more consistently and focusing on a few vanity muscles. Of late I have got a pull up bar fixed in my room and started doing more cardio by rucking and spinning. 

The Outsider, a first impression on the book and Absurdism

WARNING!!! This post may contain opinions or ideas that could be perceived as offensive to some individuals. The intention is not to cause harm or discomfort. If you feel that you may be offended or uncomfortable with differing religious opinions, I kindly advise you to refrain from reading further.   

At 37 years of age, I hold the view that reality constitutes creation and that most people if they are not being forced in some way would at least confess to agonism. Including Camus if you take the translation of Sandra Smith to be loyal to the original and that Camus meant to capitalize and uncapitalize the noun God in the final act between the Christian priest and Meursault.

I found 'The Outsider' extremely interesting and well written. It was short and to the point. I enjoy it when authors take a philosophical position or a question and use a story to investigate it and draw conclusions. This is probably one of the best books I have read.

As I see it the main concept being investigated in this story is moral responsibility and justice.

Salamano and his dog can be a metaphor that investigates how we can fail to comprehend our commitment when we become morally responsible for another. Camus ties Salamanos narrative masterfully with that of Raymonds in the early parts of the story. 

Meursault is the protagonist of the story. He is a young man with low affect, who seems disillusioned by society but showed an interest in life till his end. There are many references to sleep deprivation in Meursault’s narrative. Even at the point where he commits murder Camus brings this point to readers' minds. We learn that he has lost affect possibly since an incident in his youth where he was forced to abandon his educational pursuits. Although it is also a possibility that Meursault was born with low affect as this is not uncommon in some eastern cultures. Regardless of the cause of his affliction, Camus implies that Meursault is unable to rationally manage himself, his emotions and his actions when he is in the diminished capacity brought on by sleep deprivation and is at times portrayed as an observer of his own life. Camus asks the reader if it's moral to hold such a man at guilt? 

Camus fictionaly implies external agency for the acts and situations that brings Meursault to commit murder. He nudges the reader to think Salamano who is likely an elderly ostracized Muslim, the Christian Priest and the Judge who offers him pardon if he repents his sins can understand the cause of his affliction and influence of external agency using their belief systems. 

Camus asks the reader how just can a justice system be when the decision of guilt depends on the beliefs of those who decide on behalf of the accused? I wonder how many of our lawyers, juries and judges have read this book or agree with its message. 

Having read this book, I can understand why in 1942 Camus may have thought life was meaningless and absurd, but if he had lived to our days, inlight of the advances we have made in understanding the human experience, I believe he would have been intelligent enough to have seen enough meaning behind the mess. Too bad automobile safety was not what it is now back then and he was born in a terbulent time in his country.