What does it mean to be healthy? What *is* health? This feels like a question that can be asked through two lenses. The first is anthropological—what are human beings? What is our teleios, what are we made for? The second is about praxis—given our anthropology, what are human beings *for*? * Human beings are made for a nutrient-dense diet * Human beings are made for exposure to the sun * Human beings are made for sleep * Human beings are made for meaningful connections and relationships * Human beings are made for a humane pace of life * Human beings are made for a movement-rich life * Human beings are made for ambulation * Human beings are made for a world of scarce pleasures and inconveniences * Human beings are made for learning and progress There are some important statements that are probably best made in the *negative*. * Human beings are *not* made for a world of "horrific overabundance" * Human beings are *not* made for a world of constant convenience * Human beings are *not* made for information superabundance * Human beings are not made for the absence of exercise * Human beings are not made for chronic sedentary feeding (eating too much all day long) * With the anthropology in mind, what practices lend themselves to health? Some of these practices are very specific and well-defined; some are more reliant on a constellation of ideas that I've developed. And I think, too, of Mike Matthews' idea: "the foundation of fitness consists of pillars rather than puzzle pieces." That is, the emergent properties of adopting *all* of these principles at once could radically help me. * Good sleep * Exercise * Eating food, mostly plants, not too much (Pollan) * Hydration * Intermittent fasting * Exposure to hormetic stressors (exercise, heat/cold; see Lembke, Easter, Taylor) and learning to tolerate pain such as hunger, cold, duress * Boredom * Attention to addictive practices (Lembke) * Radical honesty (Lembke) * Human connection * Movement (NEAT, Built to Move, Nutritious Movement) * Sun exposure (Hubermann) * Mindfulness (Russ Harris, Andy Puddicombe) * Gratitude * Meaning * Satisfying agency motivations (progress, learning, feedback) * Slowness I don't think health should be worshipped. Some things worth doing will compromise health—for example, as I know firsthand, having children has cut back my sleep, exercise, and friendships. But on the whole, it's a meaningful activity and I am grateful for it. ## Reference [Huberman, Andrew. "Huberman Labs."](https://www.hubermanlab.com/) See also [this advice from Huberman](https://youtu.be/CGjdgy0cwGk): > Those five things sleep, exercise, sun, nutrition, and social connection are all critical for maintaining baselines of health and raising your baselines of health. (1:00:56) [u/bickilanto. Reddit post. "Mastery of the Basics" (2023, Reddit).](https://www.reddit.com/r/HubermanLab/comments/129uavk/mastery_of_the_basics/) Posted in the Huberman Labs subreddit, this is a good reminder not to get caught up in the optimizations if we haven't mastered the basics of health. Matthews, Michael. Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (The Bigger Leaner Stronger Series Book 1) (pp. 117-118). Oculus Publishers. Kindle Edition. > How important is your diet to achieving your health and fitness goals? Some people say it’s everything. Others say it’s second-fiddle to exercise, genetics, or some other factor. Still others say it’s 70, 80, or even 90 percent of the game. > > I say it’s 100 percent. And training correctly? That’s another 100 percent. Having the right attitude is 100 percent too. And let’s not forget getting enough sleep and rest, which is also 100 percent. ==I know, we’re at 400 percent so far, but that’s my point—we need a new paradigm because the foundation of fitness consists of pillars rather than puzzle pieces. If you undermine just one of them enough, the whole structure collapses.== You won’t lose fat or gain muscle effectively if you don’t control your calories and macros. You won’t recover from your training if you don’t give your body the necessary nutrition. You won’t get stronger if your workouts don’t follow certain principles and patterns. You won’t enjoy the process if you have the wrong expectations. You won’t be able to stick to the plan if you don’t maintain good sleep habits. The list yammers on.