I'm not a nutritionist, physical therapist, or any other kind of -ist when it comes to physical well-being. Everything presented here is anecdotal and should be considered for entertainment purposes only. All calculations made against a 182 centimeter/6 foot tall, 45-year-old male body with full mobility. I'd never claim that the following could cure depression, but it sure has helped with mine.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Per Hour | Hydration | Coupled with recommended hourly "stand up and stop looking at monitors", daily total 2.6 liters/88 fluid ounces. |
| 0400 to 0600 | Sleep | Wake up. |
| 0400 to 0600 | Nutrition | Large coffee with skim milk and honey, nattÅ (fermented soy bean), 1 tbsp salsa. |
| 0745 | Nutrition | Quick oats, 2 pitted prunes, protein powder, multivitamin, calcium and iron supplements, glucosamine. |
| 0810 | Exercise | 4 kilometer/2.5 mile walk, 40-45 minutes, 400 calorie burn. |
| 0900 to 1000 | Sleep | Pure downtime rest, if needed. |
| 1200 | Nutrition | 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 handful each: air-fried chicken breast, raw sliced carrot and crumbled broccoli crown, 1/2 pkg instant noodle, 1/2 tbsp pickled garlic and spicy fermented soy. |
| 1600 | Nutrition | 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 handful each: air-fried chicken breast, raw sliced carrot and crumbled broccoli crown, 1/2 pkg instant noodle, 1/2 tbsp pickled garlic and spicy fermented soy. |
| 2000 to 2200 | Sleep | Go to bed. |
It boils down to sleeping enough, drinking enough water, eating a minimal amount of calories, and paying roughly an hour in sweat to cover the 15 hours of sedentary near-inactivity that goes along with being a desk-bound, digital creative developer and gamer. My key productive hours are the first four to six after waking up; if I can get something done in that window, the day is a victory and everything else is icing. The hour of physical exercise is included in that period.
Initial side effects include: inability to actually sleep 8 hours straight. Raw fury at not having a full stomach. Inner voice constantly asking "why are we doing this?", particularly during the daily walk. Once all of this is established as habit, it gets easier. I'll go so far as to say it helps keep me spiritually balanced using all of this as daily way-points. The structure is very reassuring, reminding me that I'm on a positive path regardless of whatever other work does or doesn't get done.