(1) There's always new information. Sometimes it arrives just after the old information gets synthesised and digested. A nutritious metaphor? This note makes some changes, then summarises the iterated health battle plan for convenient reference.
THE STANDARD TO ACHIEVE
(2) Some quantitative targets:
- Body fat of 15-16%, measured using calipers.
- A height-to-waist ratio of 0.45 (80-81cm).
- Averaging 7.5 hours sleep per night
(3) Foundational daily, weekly, sleep, dietary, exercise, emotional and fun routines below are generally followed. The rest of life must fit in and around these bases to the health battle plan.
THE CHANGES
(4) Earlier sleep. Adjusted routines. Lights out at 2300 was too late and allowed no buffer for whenever I was late. Therefore hard stop work and screen entertainment 2130 with lights out by 2230. Pragmatics.
(5) More systematic fasting. Time restricted eating already in place to help manage caloric intake on a day-to-day basis. Viz. no eating before noon or after 2100. Evidence also suggests longer fasts are better for encouraging ketosis, autophagy and DNA repair. Therefore do a longer fast each week. Specifically, the liver exhausts stored glycogen after ~16 hours. Ergo at least 24 and ideally 36 hours.
(6) Protein powders and amino acids after exercising for muscle gain. Maximise the value of the exercise I do.
(7) Additional supplement: Berberine. Helps manage blood sugar levels, low density lipid (LDL) cholesterol levels, visceral fat, potentially cancer risk. Functionally similar to metformin, but anecdotal reports suggest fewer side effects. Suggested dose is 0.5g to 1.5g daily with food, ideally in multiple doses.
(8) Additional supplement: CoQ10 (ubiquinone or ubiquinol). Antioxidant and supports energy metabolism. Aging, heart health, blood sugar, cancer, neuroprotective. Suggested dose is CoQ10 200mg twice daily although much more is ok too.
(9) Additional supplement: Fisetin. Neural health, antioxidant, autophagy, cancer, blood sugar, weight management, cholesterol management, heart disease. Senotherapeutic. Natural dose in some diets is 0.4mg/kg daily. Suggested dose is 5-25mg/kg daily with food.
(10) Greens powders. Another source of vitamins and macronutrients (but not fibre). Very low calories and less dependent on coincident food than pills for bioavailability, so better for long fasts. Also good alongside other supplements from time to time. Mix with water, pancake mix, porridge, scrambled eggs, soup.
LOOKING AHEAD TO BATTLE HEALTH PLAN 3.0 ...
(11) Potential additional supplement: Resveratrol. Antioxidant. Neuroprotective. Blood pressure. Anti-inflammatory. Senotherapeutic (maybe). Insulin sensitivity and blood sugar. Cancer. Supplemental resveratrol may not have high bioavailability. Suggested dosage to consume daily is 2000mg. It may be better to apply topically. This supplement is not well enough understood yet to justify its inclusion but research should be monitored.
(12) Other senotherapeutics to consider in the future: Dasatinib (cancer drug, induces apoptosis in senescent cells), quercetin (flavonoid, like fisetin; in general eating lots of vegetables may also provide these).
THE PLAN
(13) A morning routine. Each morning. Alarm 0615. Sit up. Get up. Intend kindness, diligence, compassion. Exercise. Cold start to shower. Stoic mind. Review OKR, getoodo, calendar. Ensure there will be fun. Live with intent.
(14) A bedtime routine. Each night. Alarm 2130. Stop. Stretch. Journal. Read. Lights out 2230. Sleep with satisfaction.
(15) Other daily routines for sleep and health.
- No caffeinated drinks after 1500
- I have all-but-intermittent screens off from 2130
- My room is as dark as possible
- Sauna's, hot tubs and hot showers just before bed are all really good
- Take the stairs if it's 4 stories or less (NEAT)
- Use that walking desk, get a standing desk whenever you can (NEAT)
- Only eat between 1200 and 2100 (and try to start substantially later than 1200)
(16) Exercise. Every morning: Calisthenics. Every evening: Stretching and stability exercises. Regular fortnightly routine for substantive exercise and longer fasting. Exercise 12 days out of 14, evenly split between cardio and weights. Adjust the regular plan as life schedule changes.
- C Mon - day weights
- C Tue - day weights, travel overnight; dinner before 6pm and start long fast
- L Wed - day cardio; high protein dinner between 8pm and 9pm (26 hours)
- L Thu - evening jitsu; full fast ends with lunch (41 hours)
- L Fri - day jitsu or day VO2
- L Sat - morning long cardio
- L Sun- catch up day
- L Mon - day cardio
- L Tue - day VO2
- L Wed - day cardio before 1pm, travel overnight; lunch before 1pm and start long fast
- C Thu - day weights; full fast ends with dinner after 6pm (29 hours)
- C Fri - day cardio
- C Sat - day weights
- C Sun - catch up day
(17) Calories. Continue to manage the caloric intake. Do this by eating a lot of protein (1.2-1.6/kg; 100-150g/day) and a lot of vegetables. Minimise alcohol. Minimise polyunsaturated fats. Great foods include broccoli, bok choi, brussel sprouts, cabbage (healthy coleslaw), avocado, peas, fruit, other vegetables, olive oil, soup, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, seeds, nuts. Also Huel, eggs, frittata, some fish, some chicken, spinach, kale, carrots. Healthy curries and spicy food. Drink lots of water and lots of different herbal teas. Exemplary meals:
- Breakfast: Eggs, fruit, porridge (maybe - blood sugar impact?), vegetables and salad, or skip
- Lunch: Huel, eggs, omelettes, frittata, salad, baked beans, fruit, protein bars (Chia Charge), nuts, soup
- Dinner: Fish, chicken breast, salad, chickpeas, vegetables, bean dishes, spinach and did I mention veg?
(18) Spices. Particulars as in the original battle plan. But in general use lots and often.
- Basil
- Black pepper
- Capsaicin (from cayenne pepper or chilli powder or paprika)
- Cinnamon
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Curcumin (tumeric)
- Dill
- Fenugreek
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Saffron
- Sage
(19) Supplements. Once daily with food except where noted.
- Omega 3 (3000mg of EPA and DHA, inflammation)
- 1400mg insoluble fibre (gut health)
- 2000mg fisetin (senotherapeutic)
- Berberine: 1000-1500mg via 500mg with any meal I have (chronic illness risk reduction)
- CoQ10: at least 200mg with any meal I have (mitochondrial health)
- Multivitamins, nutrients, anti-oxidants: 1-2x RDA (general health)
- Extra vitamin K/D2, 2x booster pills December-Feb inclusive, 1x March to November
- Amino acids after intense exercise (maximise the benefit of the exercise)
(20) Prosocial work. Make sure my daily work reduces the net harm others experience. I need to write and think more precisely on this topic, but directionally I am content with this focus.
(21) Always have a quarterly objective centred around fun, relaxation and entz. And make sure I do something fun each and every day (see morning routine).
(22) Sources:
- personalised assessments and advice from Matt Lovell
- Amino acids and protein
- Berberine
- CoQ10
- Fisetin
- Greens
- Fasting
- Resveratrol
- Other senotherapeutics