What Does Healthy Mean, Anyway?

Its easy to preach something you’ve been doing for months or years. I’ve always detested when some expert tells me how to do things, and all I think about is—well, that takes forever. Over recent months, I’ve enrolled in various online courses led by top experts, each filled with valuable insights. In fact, I now have four different documents packed with notes on growth, expansion, communication, and relationship-building.

It’s exhausting. I jokingly say I need an assistant, but honestly, I’m not quite ready to hand things over. At least friendly ChatGPT is here, making me feel a bit more accomplished than I probably am.

The Information Overload and Self-Improvement Fatigue

This influx of advice has made me realize just how quickly things can change—or maybe I’m just too wrapped up in the “get better” bubble, riding the longevity AI train solo. What I’ve noticed is that it’s impossible to consume everything. It’s overwhelming.

I actually had to take a full day away from the computer, convinced I’d vomit all over it if I stayed. Another personal day is definitely planned to recalibrate.

Back to Basics—Occam’s Razor

The world bombards us with endless advice, five-minute hacks, and “10 ways” articles that promise mental clarity or life improvements. But sometimes, we genuinely need to simplify. Occam’s Razor states that the simplest solution is usually correct. Essentially, when confronted with multiple explanations, the simplest—requiring the fewest assumptions—is generally best.

Other insightful laws to consider:

1. Hanlon’s Razor

• Definition:
  “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
• Explanation:
  People’s actions often stem from carelessness or ignorance rather than harmful intent.
  

2. Murphy’s Law

• Definition:
  “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
• Explanation:
  Often cited humorously to highlight the inevitability of mishaps.
  

3. Parkinson’s Law

• Definition:
  “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
• Explanation:
  Tasks tend to take exactly as long as the time you give them.
  

4. Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)

• Definition:
  “80% of results come from 20% of the efforts.”
• Explanation:
  Most outcomes result from a small number of critical factors.

5. Hofstadter’s Law

• Definition:
  “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.”
• Explanation:
  Projects often underestimate how much time they’ll truly require.
  

6. Sturgeon’s Law

• Definition:
  “90% of everything is crap.”
• Explanation:
  A humorous observation suggesting that most products or ideas are of poor quality, but the 10% that remain can be extraordinary.
  

7. The Peter Principle

• Definition:
  “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.”
• Explanation:
  People continue to get promoted until they reach a position in which they no longer perform well.
  

8. Chesterton’s Fence

• Definition:
  “Do not remove a fence until you understand why it was put there.”
• Explanation:
  Avoid removing systems or traditions without first fully understanding their purpose and history.
  

9. Law of Diminishing Returns

• Definition:
  “As investment in a particular area increases, the rate of profit from that investment eventually decreases.”
• Explanation:
  Initially, effort yields significant improvements, but eventually, further effort becomes less beneficial.
  

10. Goodhart’s Law

• Definition:
  “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”
• Explanation:
  Once people know they’re being evaluated by a specific metric, they’ll often manipulate their actions to optimize that metric, sometimes distorting true performance.

Hitting the Physical Wall—A Lesson in Recovery

Realizing this mental exhaustion coincided with my physical journey, I found myself hitting a wall. Initially, minor gym routine changes brought noticeable benefits—smaller waistlines, smarter food choices, improved stamina. However, I recently felt my weightlifting efforts plateau.

Sure, I ate healthier than most but still snuck in cookies and late-night ice cream. More importantly, I was constantly exhausted. It dawned on me—I’d been neglecting recovery. Despite eating plenty of salmon, branzino, chicken, and veggies, my protein intake wasn’t cutting it.

Protein—My Breakthrough

Introducing protein changed everything. As your resident evidence-based human experiment, here’s the simplified biochemistry:

Step 1: Muscle Damage & Initiation of Repair

When you engage in exercise, especially resistance training or intense physical activity, you cause tiny micro-tears (microtrauma) in your muscle fibers.

• These micro-tears trigger an inflammatory response.
• Immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils) arrive at the damaged site, releasing cytokines and signaling molecules (IL-6, TNF-α, IGF-1).
• This inflammatory phase signals the muscle to initiate repair and remodeling.
  

Step 2: Protein Breakdown (Catabolism)

During and immediately after exercise, protein breakdown temporarily exceeds protein synthesis. Damaged muscle proteins are broken down by proteases (enzymes like calpain and proteasome complexes) into amino acids. These amino acids are then either recycled or eliminated from the body.

Step 3: Protein Intake and Digestion

Consuming dietary protein post-exercise provides essential amino acids necessary to shift your body from muscle protein breakdown to muscle protein synthesis.

• Dietary protein (eggs, meat, dairy, whey protein, soy, legumes) is digested into amino acids and short peptides in the stomach and small intestine by enzymes like:
  • Pepsin (stomach)
  • Trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidases (pancreas)
• These amino acids are absorbed into the bloodstream through intestinal cells (enterocytes).
  

Step 4: Amino Acid Uptake by Muscles

The bloodstream delivers amino acids, especially essential amino acids (notably leucine), to muscle cells via amino acid transporters.

• Leucine is crucial due to its unique role in activating muscle protein synthesis pathways.
  

Step 5: Activation of Muscle Protein Synthesis (Anabolism)

Inside muscle cells, amino acids—especially leucine—trigger protein synthesis primarily through the mTOR pathway:

Key biochemical signaling steps:

• Leucine activates mTORC1 (Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1).
• Activated mTORC1 stimulates S6 kinase (p70S6K) and inhibits 4E-BP1, leading to increased initiation of translation—the process where ribosomes synthesize proteins from mRNA.
• This process boosts the creation of muscle proteins (actin, myosin, and other structural and contractile proteins).
  

Simply put:

Leucine → mTOR Activation → Protein Synthesis → Muscle Building

Step 6: Muscle Fiber Repair & Hypertrophy

With sufficient amino acids and activated synthesis machinery, muscle cells now rapidly incorporate amino acids into muscle proteins.

• New muscle proteins repair the micro-tears, rebuilding stronger, thicker muscle fibers (hypertrophy).
• Repeated cycles of damage (exercise) and repair (protein synthesis) progressively enlarge muscle fibers over time, resulting in increased muscle mass and strength.
  

Step 7: Adaptation & Growth

Regular protein intake combined with repeated training sessions creates a cumulative effect:

• Over weeks to months, muscle cells adapt structurally, developing increased size (hypertrophy) and enhanced functional capacity (strength, endurance).
  

Balance: Protein Turnover

Muscle growth occurs when the rate of protein synthesis consistently exceeds breakdown, known as a positive protein balance. Protein intake, especially post-exercise, is crucial for tipping this balance towards muscle synthesis and away from breakdown.

Key Amino Acids in Muscle Growth:

• Leucine: Critical for activating mTOR and muscle protein synthesis.
• Isoleucine & Valine: Aid in overall protein synthesis and energy supply.
• Glutamine: Supports immune function and muscle recovery.
• Arginine: May enhance blood flow via nitric oxide, indirectly supporting muscle nutrient delivery.

Protein turnover is key: consistent intake shifts the balance toward muscle growth.

My New Routine & Feeling the Change

After adding consistent protein for two weeks, the decreased soreness and quicker recovery became evident. Now, lifting three days a week combined with yoga, Pilates, resistance bands, walking, and functional strength training allows ample recovery.

The feeling of regeneration is fascinating. Squatting and my dog-walking incline routine suddenly feels easier—though my furry companion disagrees. Speaking of which, is it morally questionable to wrap a five-pound weight around my dog so she exercises all day, much like humans with weighted vests?

For the record, my protein routine now includes two scoops of protein powder, collagen, vitamin D, sometimes turmeric, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics.

Simplify, Recover, and Thrive

Simplifying and prioritizing recovery have drastically improved my mental clarity and physical results. While embracing the foundational principles like Occam’s Razor and effective recovery strategies, I’m excited to see what the next two weeks bring. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about chasing endless improvements—it’s about mastering the basics and feeling genuinely good.

Let’s keep it simple, stay curious, and thrive.