Did you know Zeke is a near daily intermittent fasting practitioner? It’s true! Typical fasts commence around 11 and end about 12 hours later.

Why IF? Because of studies, discussions or research? Biorhythms? Hmmm. A better question might be Why 12 hours of no eating?, with better portending to a more helpful understanding of why. Yes, once again, better in the absolute sense is better here too.

The details behind the answer are deceptively straightforward: since Zeke can only regularly sleep 9 to 10 hours, and since it takes time to actually get into and out of bed, make breakfast, and so on, the guru recommended 12 hours is no problem.

Folks, making this a reality has taken dedication and devotion. Serious commitment. Consider the intermittent fasting rewards the next time you’re wondering if it is in your best interest to get out of bed.

We are in Oahu!! North Shore brah. We think we spotted Chandler’s daughter even on a leisurely walk. And almost ate an entire pineapple.

One of the phenomenal flora specimens.

Lovely…

Last night, laying in corpse pose post scheduled intermittent fast commencement, I walked through the following morning several times. Visualization, ya know? Given the need to leave on time was as paramount as can be, I wanted to give myself a better chance of actually completing the remaining details. One such matter, the matter of all matters actually, was my state of mind upon rising: to be or not to be amiable to the fasting interruption is the question.

The practice came from a book I read my sophomore year in college on sports psychology. The cover showed some dude sitting on a bench, head in hands and obviously meant to be the image of someone completely unhappy with their performance. Don’t want to be that guy.

The book recommended a daily relaxation exercise towards reducing competition jitters. It was great: starting with the feet, go bone by bone and muscle by muscle, checking in and, if possible, relaxing the particular area. Ultimately, pouco e pouco, on up to the head. I read that, with practice, an athlete would be able to calm themselves in any milieux and thus [likely] become a more consistent performer. M J, a housemate and also keen to not be that guy, became my partner and we walked each other through the process for weeks.

(15 years later, what a surprise: M J and I are working in the same building!)

Maybe because of the book or perhaps something else, I woke an hour early feeling good, providing time for making a nice breakfast and other pleasantries.

Epilogue I

Everyone – the often referenced and still unnamed book included – advocates picturing in your minds eye winning the race or a perfect execution of something such as rowing. A few years ago and decades from the daily practice with M J, it dawned upon me the technique could be applied to non supine situations.

Why apply only to such stereotypical matters? Why only macro movements? Why ignore the rest of my life? Why did it take so long for a more wholistic adaptation of the technique?

Epilogue II

What is intelligence? I like definitions which focus on the individual’s ability to timely splice together disparate facts, experiences and conclusions to address the current need.

If something doesn’t make sense and ought to, perhaps our individual language implementation isn’t thorough enough to get it. Because, as Thor pointed out, all words are made up.

Thus speaketh The King of Self Care.