• meditation – started with 10 minutes, currently 20 – normally with , or ;
• reading non-fiction for an hour, preferably two books in parallel, each for 30 minutes;
• refraining from social media and other Internet trash until evening.

After that I move on to my plan for the current day, however I sometimes postpone the morning routine for 2-3 hours so that I can study with fresh resources of willpower upon waking up. Nevertheless, I noticed a range of benefits since I regularly started incorporating this routine into my life. I am going to write about all elements of this routine in more detail as well as about those benefits in my blog posts.

Workout routine

I attempt to exercise every day. I do the above-mentioned weightlifting sessions every other day and I also do HIIT training 6 times a week. My goal is to get rid of excessive body fat and build more muscle at the same time (remember, these are two separate things, it is not possible to transform fat into muscle).

I have never really been doing serious weightlifting training and it was a mistake. Current research suggests it is the most effective way to build muscle tissue and lose fat. I am not sure why I have always been so reluctant to the gym, probably because I stereotypically associated bulky, bald, dangerous guys with it and because my dad is a cardio-freak. It is finally time to try the benefits of lifting weights though and see if it is really that effective in improving one’s physique.

I follow a The 12 Week Body Plan weightlifting protocol by Men’s Fitness at the moment along with Insanity Max 30 HIIT programme. I normally don’t do any steady cardio, although I used to run, cycle and swim a lot.

Nutrition

I am currently following slow-carb/paleo diet as I have always consumed too much carbs and it is time to see what may result from cutting them off*. I got this idea from the invaluable 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, several Men’s Health training guides and from opinions of many respectable figures that this type of food regime is optimal for fat loss and muscle gains. In no other diet’s case there seems to be such a high level of agreement and consistency across various sources that I’ve researched.

My routine is personalised, I do not strictly follow a particular food plan. I focus on eating vegetables (most often spinach, broccoli, spinach and kale) with various sources of protein and high-quality fats during the day (lentils, beans, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts), I limit my fruit intake to the post-workout period, I incorporate some diary – in a form of cottage cheese and curd – and I add some fat in a form of coconut oil, natural cocoa, flaxseed and coconut shreds. The most important part is to almost completely cut off carbohydrates, both simple, white ones as well as complex ones.

When it comes to drinks, I avoid alcohol at all cost and I limit myself to water and 1-3 cups of green tea a day. I also indulge myself into some cheat meals every Saturday as suggested by Tim Ferriss in order to boost my metabolism and keep myself motivated. I prefer to cook all vegetables and meat in a steamer – simple, quick, tasty and healthy. I use a frying pan with some olive oil or a cooking spray primarily for omelettes (which I absolutely love and eat for breakfast 6 times a week) and scrambled eggs.

*It may be a bit confusing as veggies are mostly carbs themselves but they cannot really be compared to other sources of carbohydrates.