Why does physical fitness occupy such a prominent place in my life? And how does my concern with physical fitness manifest and relate to other values?

This page is a stub, created on 2020-04-20 (last updated on 2025-09-17). Its contents are notes on the issues and angles I want to address about this topic.

On This Page

• Physical Fitness, Philosophically
• Exercise
• Diet
  • Supplements

Introduction

I imagine that this will likely end up being a whole section of examining physical fitness from different angles. My immediate purposes are to give an indication as to why physical fitness occupies such a prominent place in my life and exactly how it manifests, provide a bit of detail about what I do for exercise and diet, and describe some of my personal history and evolution in my approach(es).

Physical Fitness, Philosophically

Here are a few areas I'd like to explore:

• media imagery: the role of cartoon depictions of superheroes and developmental concepts of masculinity
• consistency and integration: developing not only the mind, but also the body
• connection to rules, discipline, and how cheating is psychologically untenable for me
• the body as a work of art (functional "versus" aesthetic goals)
• connection to physical health
• self-esteem versus second-handed approval-/attention-seeking
• shirtlessness: feeling sexy versus feeling wanted; pride versus flaunting
• the rebellion against shame triggers
• simultaneous feelings of pride and revulsion when looking in the mirror
• the role of my genetics (eg, my being an ectomorph) in why achieving fitness goals is so rewarding
• the impact of "eat, eat, eat!" and "you've gotten skinnier" as a criticism in my childhood
• social stigma against judging / concern with the physical: "even deep waters have a surface"
• terms like "narcissism" and "vanity"
• exercise versus recreation and cardio
• my history with exercise
  • dabbling as a kid and through SMC
  • starting lifting at UCLA
  • High Intensity Training (HIT) and SuperSlow
  • RP

Exercise

2024-05-03 Note: I use the RP Hypertrophy App now. I will provide more content here later.

Diet

2024-05-03 Note: I use the RP Diet App now. I will provide more content here later.

Supplements

Supplements with Food

To be frank, I'm not confident how much good these various supplements are doing and how much I'm getting what I need from things like food (and in the case of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight). I might be largely throwing my money away. But given the fact that I don't really have a lot of variety in my diet, hate seafood, and have a general disposition toward eating the same boring things day in, day out (especially when I'm strictly adhering to a predefined meal plan!), I think of this as a sort of insurance policy, covering my bases in terms of important nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc). Over the years, I've introduced a lot of various supplements, some for promoting general health and some to address specific issues, and I've given an indication below as to what benefit I hope to gain from each of them.

Previously discontined supplements:

• iodine and potassium iodide: Originally introduced to help with thyroid function (particularly because I don't eat seafood or have any other iodine/iodide intake in my diet), but discontinued because it was the likely culprit in triggering hyperthyroidism.
• psyllium husk capsules: Originally introduced to help with GI issues and bowel function (recommended by gastroenterologist), but discontinued because it was ineffective.
• calcium citrate: Originally introduced to support bone health, but discontinued because it seemed unnecessary with my dairy intake and potential inflammatory effects.

Supplements between Meals

typically 2 hours after last meal and 45 minutes before next meal

Miscellaneous Supplements and Food

typically consumed daily, with rare exceptions