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Starvation


Over the last few years I’ve implemented intermittent fasting into my nutrition plan. Each day I typically fast for 16-20 hours with the occasional 24 hour or 40 hour fast. I have noticed that as long as my insulin levels are stable, I don’t get that hungry during the fasting portions of the day. However, once I take in that first meal, I find it challenging to be satiated initially, especially if it’s following a tough leg workout. It’s almost as if while I am fasting, my body has learned to ignore that urge, but once I feed it, the desire for food is turned back on.

Learning is much the same way. If you have been out of the habit of learning and growing as an individual, that thirst remains quenched and the desire to be stretched is quieted. It’s like the mind has resolved itself to remain in its current state. But once you start “feeding” it, the hunger is triggered. As you challenge yourself with new knowledge and skills, your mind will start asking for more. As your mental capacity is stretched, your brain will start to yearn for even more stimulation. In this way, learning and self-education can almost be addicting (Spoken like a true nerd, I know. Don’t judge me.)

A starvation victim loses his appetite if he has been without food long enough. Your mind works the same way. So, in order to build momentum, this process often needs a catalyst. You may not feel like being challenged. You may not feel like starting from the bottom and learning a new task. You may not feel like picking up a book and reading. You may not feel like being stretched. Just start and let the feelings catch up. Start feeding your brain and psyche and, after a while, it will start asking for it. It may even demand it. But you must take the step and begin nourishing your mind first.

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