#+title: meatbag maintenance
#+pubdate: <2020-08-15>

#+MACRO:  examine [[https://examine.com/supplements/$1/#effect-matrix][examine.com: $1]]

Accept that you are trapped in this bag of flesh for the current eternity. It is worth shaping your reality through this skin sack to be better. A better vehicle for the entity that is YOU = a better life and time here, as much as you can.

** [[#h-d445764d-4713-481b-860b-cf34bcd8722a][Exercise]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-d445764d-4713-481b-860b-cf34bcd8722a
:END:

Getting sweaty 3x 20 minutes a week can reduce your overall mortality rate significantly. The transition of your body from an untrained state into a trained one ("noob gains") is a wonderful thing to experience. This is probably the #1 thing on the list, as regular exercise will increase your overall energy level and allow for a higher quality sleep.

I cannot stress this enough, regular exercise boosts your energy, mood, and overall health. You will be more content if you exercise.

** [[#h-7935a434-4d6b-489b-bb1a-0d0c6815cd88][Teeth]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-7935a434-4d6b-489b-bb1a-0d0c6815cd88
:END:

Healthy gums = tight gums = less room for sugars and foods to get stuck between your teeth. You can get healthy gums by flossing *regularly*. Brush your teeth and floss to remove bits that would stick around and rot your teeth.

Every time you drink {soda,coffee,tea,<anything acidic>}, you lower the PH level of your mouth, leaving your teeth in a weakened state until things normalize. My current mental model is to imagine a "time-to-normal PH" timer that resets everytime I take a sip of coffee. Thus, it's in my best interest to intake my coffee in a short time window, as opposed to sipping it all day.

** [[#h-57583996-7d9e-4091-beb0-4ffc9087504a][Sleep]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-57583996-7d9e-4091-beb0-4ffc9087504a
:END:

Keeping a regular sleep schedule schedule is the key here. Habit is everything, and your body will help you both fall asleep and wake up if you get this down.

- Keep your sleep area as dark as possible
  - remove any blue light source from within your room
  - blackout curtains
- Get a box fan for white noise if you need to mask surrounding sounds
- Don't use your bed for anything other than sleep or sex
  - If you lounge in bed, your brain will associate it with "lounge time" and you will want to be awake

Other: When you are sleep deprived, your ability to gauge your sleep deprivation is degraded. Also, you cannot "pay back" sleep evenly -- you will simply be off (that is, you cannot make up an all-nighter all at once, you feel it's effects for awhile).

** [[#h-2d5f4ffd-d0f4-4bca-82ab-5204f116e371][Diet]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-2d5f4ffd-d0f4-4bca-82ab-5204f116e371
:END:

Fasting (or intermittent fasting) can be a powerful tool.

I'm an off and on keto dieter. There's plenty of resources around for how that changes your body's relationship to insulin and fat. I will emphasize here that for weight loss purposes, the main advantage is the loss of appetite that people experience on keto, allowing them to have an easier time maintaining a caloric deficit.

** [[#h-3dd729a7-0f82-4b68-a320-4fab18920606][Skin]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-3dd729a7-0f82-4b68-a320-4fab18920606
:END:

- Use sunscreen when you will be outside for extended periods of time (>30 min)
- Moisturize chronic or seasonally dry areas
- WASH YO FACE

** [[#h-23ddb084-820d-4469-99c3-cefa2a646056][Lungs]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-23ddb084-820d-4469-99c3-cefa2a646056
:END:

Your lungs are only meant to process air. Don't make a habit of putting not-air into them.

** TODO [[#h-663e81a9-8ea1-4b2d-93c2-326ddfcb02ac][Brain]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-663e81a9-8ea1-4b2d-93c2-326ddfcb02ac
:END:

Philosophy can be kind of weirdly helpful because changing your view can make "everything" seem totally different even though nothing has changed. I find the concepts in the school of stoicism motivating and helpful for becoming content (ie not happy).

** TODO [[#h-b5506c20-0216-43e2-a03e-8bac63e4d748][Supplements]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-b5506c20-0216-43e2-a03e-8bac63e4d748
:END:

This section is less "tried and true" maintenance -- that is, sleep + exercise will do much more for you than anything in this section.

Some supplements may be thought of as insurance -- the idea is you are somehow more deficient than you "normally" would be, so you should compensate your bodily need externally to cheat the natural route. I will tag those supplement headings with an ~insurance~ tag.

*** [[#h-345ced5c-c5df-4c31-8cb3-a1ae8f49f0b5][Magnesium]]        :insurance:
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-345ced5c-c5df-4c31-8cb3-a1ae8f49f0b5
:END:

{{{examine(Magnesium)}}}


*** [[#h-3ff5ebe0-cb48-4961-961f-dde558b47d1e][D3]]               :insurance:
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-3ff5ebe0-cb48-4961-961f-dde558b47d1e
:END:
{{{examine(vitamin-d)}}}

*** [[#h-7bff7ed1-2f56-4142-88e7-2651d3c1e2d4][Fish Oil]]         :insurance:
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-7bff7ed1-2f56-4142-88e7-2651d3c1e2d4
:END:
{{{examine(fish-oil)}}}

*** [[#h-9cf0cab2-ede6-4d27-afb0-b89587946b92][Creatine]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-9cf0cab2-ede6-4d27-afb0-b89587946b92
:END:
{{{examine(creatine)}}}

*** [[#h-1e8c3f51-c8ee-41da-bbf8-6b530d32238a][Ashwagandha]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-1e8c3f51-c8ee-41da-bbf8-6b530d32238a
:END:

{{{examine(Ashwagandha)}}}

# An adaptogen that provides stress relief when taken regularly.

*** [[#h-b27c5cef-b862-4889-afe0-b5ab892cdf6a][Rhodiola rosea]]
:PROPERTIES:
:CUSTOM_ID: h-b27c5cef-b862-4889-afe0-b5ab892cdf6a
:END:

{{{examine(rhodiola-rosea)}}}