Fernando Palafox

Fitness

This is where I comprehensively outline my approach to health and wellbeing. If you’re looking for my current workout routine, click here.

Introduction

I’m a big fan of exercise and understanding how my body works. I’m also an engineer and I like measuring stuff, so I’ve spent a lot of time reading and learning about exercise, diet, longevity, and Quantified Self. I strongly agree with Paul Graham in How To Do Great Work when he says:

Ultimately morale is physical. You think with your body, so it’s important to take care of it. That means exercising regularly, eating and sleeping well, and avoiding the more dangerous kinds of drugs. Running and walking are particularly good forms of exercise because they’re good for thinking.

Here’s a bit of what I do to stay healthy, and some of the resources I’ve found helpful.

Exercise

I exercise because, to me, living life fully is about pushing my physical/mental limits and exploring the world. Exercise is one of the best ways to do this, it feels great, and it’s a great way to meet new people! To that end, I have a weekly schedule of 3-4 weightlifting sessions (see my current routine here), and a mix of cycling and running (coached by Brad Seng). I get at least one high-intensity cardio workout a week (e.g., intervals on the run, or a hard group ride/race on the bike), and one long ride (3+ hrs). I move around town on my bike most of the time which amounts to an extra 2-3 hours of low-intensity cardio a week. Finally, I make an effort to move a lot during the day and I’ve found that walking and talking/thinking is one of the best ways to do this (and ideas seem to flow better, too!)

Although I grew up casually playing soccer, I never trained for anything seriously. This changed when I moved to Boulder and I joined the CU Triathlon Team. Training for a sport like triathlon requires a consistency and structure that spoke to my left-brain inclinations. Even though changing old habits was incredibly challenging, I quickly found myself riding/running/swimming distances I’d never thought possible. Around 2020, I shifted to cycling only, and for a while I was really into ultra-distance cycling. Here are a couple examples:

After a couple years of cycling, I began to feel like it took too much time and optimized for very narrow goals (low weight and cardiovascular fitness). So sometime around 2023 I shifted my focus towards strength training, running, and mobility. I still ride my bike, but I’ve found great joy in the efficiency and effectiveness of lifting and running.

There is also a practical reason I exercise: I have a family history of obesity and diabetes, and even with my relatively active lifestyle, I’m still at risk (as evidenced by my bloodwork).

Sleep

I aim for the following:

  • ~8 hours of sleep a night.
  • A dark, cool room (eye masks are great).
  • Avoid bright lights 1-2 hours before bed.
  • Consistent timing.
  • Morning sunlight.

I’ve found that any extra work hours I get from sleeping less are mostly offset by the reduced productivity. And, there are correlations between bad sleep and diabetes as well as cognitive decline (to no one’s surprise). I’ve tried tracking sleep with devices like Whoop, but I didn’t find the data to be very actionable. Honestly, sleeping enough and keeping a consistent sleep schedule is all you really need. Here’s the podcast where I first heard about the importance of sleep.

Supplements

I do not recommend taking any supplements without first consulting a doctor. Here’s a list I’ve put together that includes the supplements I take, what they’re for, and approximate price/mg. My favorite are:

  • Caffeine. The cognitive benefits of caffeine are undeniable. I’m very sensitive to it so I only partake once or twice a week. I’m a big fan of using for hard workouts too. Really affects my sleep so I avoid it after 12pm.
  • Electrolytes. I sweat a lot (as in 2+L/hour on a hot Texas day), and I lose about 1g of sodium per liter of sweat. It took me way too long to realize that much of the mental fog I was experiencing was due to dehydration, and I’ve found that 1-2 LMNT packets a day are immensely helpful (more on days where I have long workouts outside). I’m a big fan of them since they have no added sugar and taste ok.
  • Vitamin D. There’s evidence of a significant association between low vitamin D levels and diabetes, as well as increased mortality. Given how cheap it is and my family history, I supplement with 4000-5000 IU a day.

Diet

I’ve tried all sorts of diets and I’ve found the most sustainable approach are the following guidelines:

  • Eat whole foods and at least one serving of vegetables a day.
  • Avoid added sugar.
  • ~2.0 - 2.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day.
  • If bulking eat at a slight caloric surplus (10-15%).
  • If cutting eat at a slight caloric deficit (10-15%). Err on the side of eating more. Don’t overdo this.
  • Avoid danger foods (processed, high-sugar, or high-fat foods) in general, but especially when I’m tired, stressed, or hungry.
  • No alcohol.

I’m not a monk, and of course I make exceptions. I track my weight daily for fun, but I mostly look for long-term trends (i.e. whether I’m bulking, cutting, or staying), and I don’t stress out over short-term fluctuations.

I try to never workout fasted. I normally aim to replace what I burn (in terms of calories), but if I’m training for an important event I’ll also aim for 100-120g of carbs per hour. This is a non-trivial amount (equivalent to around 3 Cliff bars per hour), so I use specialized products like Maurten or Neversecond.

Measurements

This is what I consistently measure:

  • Every 6 months: bloodwork (looking at testosterone, cholesterol, and blood counts)
  • Every 3 months: DEXA scan (depending on whether I’m trying to change body composition)
  • Every day: weight and sleep hours

Regular bloodwork is how I first found out that even with my active lifestyle, my blood glucose was on the upper end of normal (~5.5% HbA1c and fasting blood glucose ~96 mg/dL) and my “good” cholesterol was on the lower end of normal (4.8 mg/dL HDL). I consulted with an endocrinologist and this is likely due to a genetic predisposition for a higher baseline. The good news is that I can probably keep it in check with a healthy diet, exercise, and sleep.

I’ve also tried out continuous glucose monitors and HRV tracking (like Whoop), and I’m always interested in new gadgets. Recently, I’ve been experiment with a CO2 monitor to track indoor air quality (after seeing this post by Pieter Levels)

Resources