Thank You For Not Eating
Entrepreneurs and professionals need to keep their health at their peak. The entrepreneur is the business and the energy levels of the entrepreneur have a direct correlation with the success of his venture.
Having a lot of things to do in the day, it is not practical to spend 3 hours in the gym and another 2 hours doing other activities that are good for health. Some people can pull it off, but most of us cannot.
At least during the initial stages of the startup, a lot goes into building it. It might include 10-12 hour work days. In such an environment, how do we make sure that we do not end up paying for it with our health?
What activity has the highest return on health?
Not eating.
Nothing is more healthy for your body and your mind as much as starting to eat less than what you have been eating. Humans were never made for a consistent supply of food.
Genetically engineered seeds, pesticides, and other agricultural technologies have created an abundance of food. The body asks us to keep consuming because it doesn't know that we have some level of food security for the near future.
Regular fasting, eating less than required, and saying no to that dessert or the chocolate chip cookie might look trivial, but they are the small actions (or inactions) that add up and compound into great health benefits.
The biggest challenge with eating nowadays is that we do not need so much for our bodies to function. We are not chasing animals with a spear anymore.
The brain needs sugar and when we work with our minds a lot, we tend to be drawn to sugary foods. That sugar would be more than needed for the brain and the rest goes to the body.
Sugary foods will spike glucose levels, increasing sugar in your blood, which increases the production of insulin in your body and slows your insulin resistance will go up.
A higher insulin resistance triggers a -ve cycle in your body. Because of insulin resistance, your body cannot absorb all the sugar in the blood efficiently which triggers the production of even more insulin.
With time, you become Type 2 Diabetic with high blood sugar all the time. All of us, knowledge workers, who have a sedentary lifestyle are at risk of Type 2 Diabetes if we do not proactively keep our intake in check.
I am not a diabetic yet. And in my recent health check-up, I figured out that I might be at risk of diabetes if I continue the same lifestyle. The best way to check if you might be at risk is to test for HbA1c. It is better to test for HbA1c than for your current glucose levels.
HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. Ideally, your HbA1c should be less than 6%. Below 5.7% is normal. Above that is pre-diabetic. Above 6.5% is diabetic.
Type 2 Diabetes is a lifestyle disease. The kind of foods we usually have nowadays around us are mostly having a high glycemic index. As soon as you eat them, you will have a spike in blood sugar. Certain foods will slow-release glucose in your body and that's the healthy way.
Recently, I got Ultrahuman Cyborg. It is a continuous glucose monitor. The sensor works for 15 days and you have to "install" it on yourself. Usually in the arm.
The sensor has a small needle that pierces your skin and stays inside for 15 days (the lifespan of your sensor).
It tracks your glucose levels in real-time. You can pass the data to your phone via NFC by tapping on the chip. There is no bluetooth.
If you eat a bar of chocolate, then you will know that your blood glucose spikes up. How fast and to what levels. This just increases the guilt that you have with such foods, however, the sensor doesn't prevent to glucose spike in itself (duh).
Ideally, the blood glucose should range between 70 to 110. When you have a heavy breakfast with idlis and dosas, even if you are not eating anything sweet, you would be able to see that your glucose levels spike to more than 120.
Every time your glucose levels spike to more than 120, you are putting yourself at risk of developing some insulin resistance.
I am not a medical professional and I would recommend you to do your own research before you act on things. I gained my knowledge by reading the following books:
Even if you do not have diabetes or don't think you are at risk of it, I recommend you to read the above books because your metabolism is more than just staying alive.
The better your metabolism, the more your energy and productivity, and the more you can achieve with your professional life.
Managing your energy is critical. No matter how motivated you are, your body will not cooperate if you want to work hard and long hours. If you need those goals to be achieved, just like nurturing your email list, you need to nurture your body as well.
I will be publishing a detailed review of Ultrahuman Cyborg soon. It has been just five days since I started using it. I will mostly publish a video review about it. Stay tuned.
Cheers,
Deepak Kanakaraju