Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has an extreme diet and it reflects society

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has an extreme diet and it reflects societyTwitter CEO Jack Dorsey has an extreme diet and it reflects societyLets talk about Twitter CEO Jack Dorseys eating habits. The 42-year-old tech mogul tweets about them at length, details them in interviews, and waxes enthusiastically over their effects on his productivity and focus.But as he pulls back more and more of the curtain onto the wellness routine that appears to structure much of his day-to-day life, Dorseys emergence as something of a health and fitness influencer has made people nervous and, frankly, confused. Can someone evenbean influencer when theyre already one of the fruchtwein powerful tech moguls in the world? What does it mean, in a society that values healthandgetting stuff done, to hear out the dietary advice of a person who is not a medical professional butispossibly among the handful of people on earth best qualified to discover, once and for all, the ultimate productivity hack?Follow Ladders o n FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSo, heres what Jack Dorsey eats. On Sunday through Thursday of each week, Dorsey consumes a single meal between 630 and 900pm that consists of chicken, fish, or steak, and a salad, spinach, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts. Hell have berries or dark chocolate for dessert, and maybe some red wine. On Friday and Saturday, as of recently, he eats nothing at all.The first time I did it, like day three, I felt like I was hallucinating, Dorseytold CNBCin an April 8 interview that turned its fair share of heads. It was a weird state to be in. But as I did it the next two times, it just became so apparent to me how much of ur days are centered around meals and how - the experience I had was when I was fasting for much longer, how time really slowed down.In addition to fasting so hard that its made him basically hallucinate, Dorsey says that he walks five miles to work ev ery day except Tuesdays and Thursdays, when he works from home. On those days, or whenever he cant squeeze in his walk, he does short HIIT workouts from home.Because Twitter is the platform where people tend to voice their opinions on random things like the dietary choices of tech billionaires, it was there that Dorseys extreme lifestyle became a hot topic. A majority of responses to his CNBC interview were not exactly positive, and some even likened his extreme diet to the restrictive behaviors associated with eating disorders. Butplenty of others disagreed with that take. The responses to Jack Dorseys biohacking are remarkable,remarkeda Twitter user with the handle robwynge. So I guess everyone else thinks were crazy?Were not going to get into labels where it comes to Dorseys biohacking routine, though anew storyfrom Medium suggests theres some science to back up the clarity-enhancing benefits of at leastpartsof Dorseys approach. (Weve talked about ways to tryintermittent fasting safely, too.) But when a hugely influential CEO proclaims a right way to eat, insofar as peak productivity can be attained, it reinforces a stubborn storyline in our cultures already-fraught relationship between achievement and food.While many of us try to eat well and exercise for the sake of feeling good, strong, and healthy, it isnt hard to fall into the trap of viewing physical wellness as a rating system for our own discipline and control - virtues that were taught are valuable, and that will help us reach our goals. Think of how many times youve joked to a coworker about how youre being naughty as you go in for a second slice of cake at the company party, or complimented a friend for being good about sticking to their workouts.We use diet and exercise as tools to keep ourselves in top working order, but we also use them as measures of accomplishment and self-worth. Yet, for many of us, linking the basic necessities of life to a sense of work ethic can quickly become a losing game. There are only so many hours in a day, and only so much energy to devote to the project of success. Its no wonder that for so many people, food and fitness are tied to feelings of shame, guilt, and even failure.Theres little question that Dorseys diet details have the potential to be immensely triggering for people recovering from eating disorders - that criticism is valid and fair. But they also threaten to diminish the real joy that can be had from being active and eating well, which transcends metrics of achievement.We dont just eat to stay alive and be productive we eat to experience pleasure, to celebrate culture, and to nurture connections with family and friends. We also dont just make food and fitness choices based on their effects on our waistlines or our output, but because they improve our quality of life as a whole. Eating well and being active sustains our physical and mental wellbeing, such that were able to meet each new day with the energy to uncover its possi bility.When the basic tools of sustenance become targets to either get right or wrong, they can feel likechores of adulting- as if we didnt already have enough of those, in the first place. For some of us, the trade-off between peak productivity and everyday enjoyments will never feel worth it, and thats totally okay. The best things in life arent always the ones that are easiest to measure.This article originally appeared on Brit and Co.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people