What Social Media Looks Like to Men

We are awash in guilt about our failure to optimize. But that’s just another impediment to perfection we must conquer — today!

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Do you have the perfect morning routine? Atomic habits for a lifetime of happiness? Set out water the night before, put a squeeze of lemon in it. Make sure you get ten minutes of sunshine in your eyes. Don’t look at your phone. Try journaling! Studies say those who reflect on what’s going right for them live longer. Hit the gym, but not too hard. Don’t drink coffee too early; your cortisol is already naturally spiking. And don’t drink coffee too late, because it will ruin your sleep, and the perfect morning routine begins the night before. And the night before begins at 2 p.m., when you should stop drinking coffee!

How’s your health? Have you tried intermittent fasting? Prolonged water fasting. Sardine fasting (nothing but sardines), olive oil fasting. Have you tried to mimic famine conditions for mental clarity and ketosis? Nothing will make you healthier faster. Except maybe dry fasting, which mimics starvation and dehydration. Mimics isn’t the right word. “Is” is. You won’t believe how your body will transform fat into water to survive — but be careful because it can kill you. Indian clubs, Persian meels, Russian kettlebells. Are you using a mace for workouts or dumbbells, like an idiot? You need an accountability partner, not in real life. Over the app, for a few. Have you tried sauna? Cold plunging, cold showers? Do you have an Oura ring, a Whoop, a Fitbit? Are you tracking your sleep? How much sleep debt have you accumulated? Did you know 8,000 steps is the new 10,000 steps? A paper confirmed it. But have you ever thought of 20,000 steps?

Michael Brendan Dougherty

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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