I’ve listed below the 3 most important things (in order of importance) for which I believe are necessary for a successful reboot, apart from staying the hell away from TV and the internet…
1.) Sleep – Sleeping just makes the whole process easier and go by a little faster. It helps out everything including your mood, alertness, brain function, and hormonal profile. You don’t want to be in withdrawal mode AND lack of sleep mode… it’ll make a teenage girl PMSing look like even the most highly medicated zombie compared to you. It is best to fall asleep at a time in line with your natural circadian rhythm. A completely dark area with no lighting anywhere is optimal to mimic a cave setting. The 2 worst things that ruin a person’s sleep quality are, you guessed it, TV and the internet late at night. This has to do with fooling your brain with lighting and artificial stimuli and tricking it into thinking it is morning and time to be awake. It is best to get into a routine of falling asleep at the same time and waking up at the same time everyday. All in all this will make you a far more productive person. Some people find that taking naps during the day can ruin their sleep quality at night, but do whatever works best for you… just don’t fall into “Not enough sleep, must chug copious amounts of caffeine to function” mode.
“I have no design, opportunity is my design.”
-Samurai Code of Honor
2.) Diet – I’ve experimented with many diets (Carnivorous zero-carb, vegan, high carb/low fat, etc. etc.) and found the one I describe below to be the most proficient, not only for providing fuel for exercise but for staying sharp and keeping lean body mass very high. Cutting out any macro or micronutrient will end up causing problems for most people sooner or later. I prefer to eat 33% fat / 33% protein / 33% carbohydrates. You certainly don’t want to be bingeing on junk food during your reboot because it’ll greatly increase your chances of relapsing. A diet close to the one outlined below is great for managing cravings and keeping consistent steady energy…
Eat – Meats, fish, eggs, starchy tubers, fruits, vegetables
Avoid – Grains, dairy, refined oils, sugar
Supplements – Vitamin D & Fish Oil
“In the pursuit of excellence, there are no limits.”
3.)Exercise – Just about any form of exercise is better than nothing at all. A good combination of cardio/weights/flexibility training is best. Good cardio exercises include walking, sprinting, running, biking, swimming, etc. Basic compound weight lifting exercises definitely pack on the most muscle and are the most metabolically stimulating. The term ‘functional efficiency’ comes to mind when describing these. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows , clean and presses, pull ups, and dips are FAR superior than any arsenal of isolation exercises. Mother nature could care less about how many tricep kickbacks you can do. Effective and popular rep and set schemes include 5×5, 4×6, and 3×8-10. Experiment on your own and figure out what works best for you. Whatever you do, please don’t be one of those tools that sits on his ass year round and then hits the gym right before summer to “sculpt his guns” in an attempt to get some farsighted attention from the sheilas at the beach. This type of training just reinforces beta-male behavior. I’ve got a couple bar monger acquantances that drink and smoke, are out of shape, and have never stepped foot in a gym in their life, yet they attract a lot more women than the “gun show” enthusiasts near the curl racks. Don’t eat right and exercise just to attract women. Do it for yourself and your own health. A good physique is a byproduct of being physically fit. It shouldn’t be the main goal, pummeling resistance should be. Any and all resistance must be squashed, and that includes your porn addiction.
“Life is hard, don’t be soft.”
-T.L. Bosiljevac
”The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.
The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black.
I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.”
–Henry Rollins
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