One effect I especially noticed was the disappearance of that perpetual state of happiness/satisfaction that comes from frequent physical exertion, which I think had a tendency to get in the way of a feeling of urgency regarding studies
Interestingly, I’ve had the exact opposite experience; working out relaxes me from which I observe an increased productivity. Perhaps the resultant change in productivity depends on the procrastination’s cause. Procrastination is sometimes categorized into two types—the relaxed type (feels negatively toward his/her work and blows it
off) and the tense-afraid type (feels overwhelmed by pressures). I self-identify as the latter, and reducing stress helps me a lot.
minimizing the amount of other tissue (including muscle in excess of what is strictly needed for a comfortable daily life)
This is a very strange criterion. Increased muscle mass generally means increased athletic ability, which most would consider a good thing. Body fat as well has a large range in which it is considered healthy. Why stay at the minimum of these ranges?
I think you might do well to separate your nutrition research from your fitness research. As you are looking into brain function, you’ll likely be interested in reading up on nootropics.
I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in athletic ability, save for the strictly functional ability to sustain going to school on a bicycle every day (thus saving a crapload of money), and to carry myself in a balanced and acceptably graceful way when walking down streets and hallways (which is to say, fit enough that I don’t trip over myself or get wound up after three flights of stairs).
The abilities to run fast, climb high, swim deep, row fast, or fight hard, are of absolutely no use to me whatsoever in the environment I live in. If I lived in, say, South Africa, where having a fit body in fight-or-flght condition is a matter of life and death, that would be a different matter entirely, but I don’t, and it isn’t.
And nootropics get me in the tense-afraid type state very quickly: I inevitably crash and burn, and it takes me a few days to go back to normal. Also, they very much hamper my sense of empathy: I become a mini-Ridcully, a mental locomotor engine which will only go forward, cannot steer, and which completely disregards the feelings of those around him in his enthusiasm to perform and achieve. They just aren’t a sustainable option for me.
I would like to add that I’d like my diet/regimen to be as inexpensive/accessible/sustainable as possible. That means as little drugs as possible, especially prescription drugs.
Well, for instance, dietary changes can strongly impact triglyceride:HDL ratio, which is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. But really, there are a thousand small ways that exercise and diet are tied to both quality and quantity of life. Everything from joint health, to organ reserve, to sleep quality, to mood.
I can appreciate the desire to establish minimums in the interests of efficiency, as I am this way with cardio myself. As far as exercise goes, the negative health effects of stress probably dominate differences in exercise regimes, so I’d optimize for that. Diet has a similar cost:benefit analysis in that you probably get the vast majority of benefits out of the first few (obvious) interventions with decreasing marginal benefit after that.
on the first few obvious interventions? In order of intervention.
Diet:
Nudging total caloric intake in the direction you want
Slowly replacing micronutrient poor foods that commonly recur in the diet
seeking out specific foods for their nutrient content
further optimizations (everything else)
Exercise:
Anything
Averaging several hours of moderate activity per week
splitting this activity between resistance exercise and cardio
further optimizations
The temptation is to optimize too much, too soon, and wind up with an amazing plan that you don’t actually follow. Between the guy who followed a sub-optimal exercise plan and the guy who occasionally started the perfect exercise regime for two weeks, guess who has better outcomes?
I’m a bit late here, but I’ve tried rhodiola, and it has exactly the same empathy-eating effect for me that you’re describing. Have you considered nicotine? It’s a nootropic that probably has prosocial and anti-anxiety effects (subjectively, it does for me), and most of the addiction potential apparently comes from MAOIs in tobacco, which aren’t present in gum, patches, or e-cigarettes. There’s also kava; it’s not a nootropic, but it’s prosocial and anti-anxiety and AFAIK doesn’t negatively impact cognition.
Interestingly, I’ve had the exact opposite experience; working out relaxes me from which I observe an increased productivity. Perhaps the resultant change in productivity depends on the procrastination’s cause. Procrastination is sometimes categorized into two types—the relaxed type (feels negatively toward his/her work and blows it off) and the tense-afraid type (feels overwhelmed by pressures). I self-identify as the latter, and reducing stress helps me a lot.
This is a very strange criterion. Increased muscle mass generally means increased athletic ability, which most would consider a good thing. Body fat as well has a large range in which it is considered healthy. Why stay at the minimum of these ranges?
I think you might do well to separate your nutrition research from your fitness research. As you are looking into brain function, you’ll likely be interested in reading up on nootropics.
I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in athletic ability, save for the strictly functional ability to sustain going to school on a bicycle every day (thus saving a crapload of money), and to carry myself in a balanced and acceptably graceful way when walking down streets and hallways (which is to say, fit enough that I don’t trip over myself or get wound up after three flights of stairs).
The abilities to run fast, climb high, swim deep, row fast, or fight hard, are of absolutely no use to me whatsoever in the environment I live in. If I lived in, say, South Africa, where having a fit body in fight-or-flght condition is a matter of life and death, that would be a different matter entirely, but I don’t, and it isn’t.
And nootropics get me in the tense-afraid type state very quickly: I inevitably crash and burn, and it takes me a few days to go back to normal. Also, they very much hamper my sense of empathy: I become a mini-Ridcully, a mental locomotor engine which will only go forward, cannot steer, and which completely disregards the feelings of those around him in his enthusiasm to perform and achieve. They just aren’t a sustainable option for me.
Could you be specific about which nootropics have been bad for you?
Metilphenidates specifically, in the form of Concerta XL and [Medikinet(20 and 10 mg).
I would like to add that I’d like my diet/regimen to be as inexpensive/accessible/sustainable as possible. That means as little drugs as possible, especially prescription drugs.
you care not one whit for lifestyle changes that, compounded, impact CVD and cancer rates significantly?
Please elaborate.
Well, for instance, dietary changes can strongly impact triglyceride:HDL ratio, which is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. But really, there are a thousand small ways that exercise and diet are tied to both quality and quantity of life. Everything from joint health, to organ reserve, to sleep quality, to mood.
I can appreciate the desire to establish minimums in the interests of efficiency, as I am this way with cardio myself. As far as exercise goes, the negative health effects of stress probably dominate differences in exercise regimes, so I’d optimize for that. Diet has a similar cost:benefit analysis in that you probably get the vast majority of benefits out of the first few (obvious) interventions with decreasing marginal benefit after that.
… Mind elaborating?
on the first few obvious interventions? In order of intervention.
Diet:
Nudging total caloric intake in the direction you want
Slowly replacing micronutrient poor foods that commonly recur in the diet
seeking out specific foods for their nutrient content
further optimizations (everything else)
Exercise:
Anything
Averaging several hours of moderate activity per week
splitting this activity between resistance exercise and cardio
further optimizations
The temptation is to optimize too much, too soon, and wind up with an amazing plan that you don’t actually follow. Between the guy who followed a sub-optimal exercise plan and the guy who occasionally started the perfect exercise regime for two weeks, guess who has better outcomes?
Have you looked at rhodiola and L-theanine? They tend to counter some of the negative effects of more intense nootropics.
No I haven’t, thank you for bringing them to my attention; I’ll be sure to give them a good look.
I’m a bit late here, but I’ve tried rhodiola, and it has exactly the same empathy-eating effect for me that you’re describing. Have you considered nicotine? It’s a nootropic that probably has prosocial and anti-anxiety effects (subjectively, it does for me), and most of the addiction potential apparently comes from MAOIs in tobacco, which aren’t present in gum, patches, or e-cigarettes. There’s also kava; it’s not a nootropic, but it’s prosocial and anti-anxiety and AFAIK doesn’t negatively impact cognition.