Health
Physical discipline is the other half of the engineering mindset — show up, systematize, measure.
Four evidence-based pillars I keep coming back to: how I train, what I eat, the systems that keep me consistent, and the science of staying useful for decades.
01 · Training
Training (CrossFit)
CrossFit's definition — constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity — is also a useful engineering principle: vary the stimulus, measure the output, avoid overuse.
- Varied loads, time domains, and movement patterns prevent plateaus and overuse injury
- Functional movements (squat, hinge, press, pull) transfer to real life
- Intensity is relative and scalable to any level
- Track work output (time, load, reps) to make progress measurable
- Consistency beats peaking
Source · CrossFit (constantly varied programming); PMC NIH (CrossFit physical fitness review).
training in motion
From the floor, not the brochure.
A selection of short clips — bar work, conditioning, recovery — to show the pillar in practice. Tap any clip for the full player.
02 · Nutrition
Nutrition
Treat food as fuel and recovery: enough protein to repair, enough carbs to train, enough fat to keep hormones healthy.
- Protein ~0.6–1 g per lb bodyweight, split into 20–40 g doses every 3–4 hours to maximize muscle protein synthesis
- Carbs are the primary fuel for hard training and the recovery after it
- Fats ~0.4 g/lb support hormones and recovery
- A simple starting split is ~40% carbs / 30% protein / 30% fat, adjusted to goals
- What you measure (even loosely) you can improve
Source · International Society of Sports Nutrition; NIH (dietary protein & muscle mass).
03 · Habits
Habits & Discipline
Motivation is unreliable; systems are not. The Stoics knew it, and so does modern behaviour science.
- Every habit runs a loop — cue, craving, response, reward; to build one: make the cue obvious, the action attractive, the response easy, the reward satisfying (and invert each to break a bad one)
- Write an implementation intention — 'I will [behavior] at [time] in [place]' — it roughly doubles follow-through
- Stack new habits onto existing ones
- Discipline is just well-designed habits on autopilot
Source · James Clear, Atomic Habits; NIH (implementation intentions).
04 · Longevity
Health & Longevity Science
The goal isn't lifespan — it's healthspan: the years lived fully, physically and mentally.
- Distinguish lifespan (total years) from healthspan (years in good function)
- Peter Attia's four pillars — exercise, nutrition, sleep, emotional health — with exercise the single most powerful lever
- The metrics that matter most: cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max), strength & muscle mass, and Zone 2 aerobic base
- 'Medicine 3.0' = proactive prevention over reactive treatment
- Train for the decades, not the mirror
Source · Peter Attia, Outlive; Johns Hopkins Medicine (aging).
recovery & longevity
The other half of the work.
Cold exposure and decompression — the boring, deliberate practices that keep the training possible.
On mindset
Health is where the stoicism gets a body.
Discipline over motivation. Systems over willpower. Showing up on the boring days. The same principles that hold for the gym hold for the workshop, the codebase, and the rest of a life worth living.