Month: October 2017

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Questions from Clients: Glycemic Load

Hello There!

Tyler (author of this post) and Martin (humble editor) earnestly desire to help YOU sort through the’ loads’ of ambiguous information found online and offline – and then present this info in an easy to read, no BS way.

We do this because 1) we care 2) we want you to be able to make intelligent and well informed decisions when it comes to your health and ‘fitness’ (an ambiguous term in itself) – and –

Reason d’etre (3) – to provide those in our sphere of influence the ability to create change in the areas that matter to them/you MOST.

> this is why we encourage questions > this post is a response to one of our clients – if this individual is pondering this topic, so are 20 others…. So here it goes – Hope it helps!

The Glycemic Load,

“…. of our meals affects our hormones and not just the hormones that regulate blood sugar like insulin but also those that help regulate our overall stress tolerance like adrenaline and cortisol. The endocrine system, which is 0ur hormonal system, resides in a delicate balance, so even a few months of abuse will easily tip the scales out of balance.”

Now imagine what years of sugar binges, many moons of late nights and early mornings and a couple double double coffees a week are going to do to you…

Not only to our insulin levels, but also to our adrenal glands.The short answer is =

STRESS

Stress on the body is equal to stress on the mind (and vice versa). High glycemic diets stress both the mind and body by abusing insulin, adrenalin and cortisol. These guys are very powerful chemicals.

The worst part is, you can actually get addicted to the way they make us feel.

For the most part, foods that are highly refined and/or high in sugar and lacking in fibre, fats and proteins – will be higher on the glycemic index.

These foods cause blood sugar levels to spike, insulin levels to spike, as well as adrenaline and cortisol to be over-used. All of this will cause strain to the entire endocrine system.

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HOWEVER,

when we eat lower glycemic foods – those that are rich in deliciously healthy fats, fibre, protein (and are in their most complete form) – then we are getting out of the way of nature. That is to say, you will begin to let nature run its coarse; things repair themselves and the body is able to recover.

Eating lower glycemic foods will put less strain and abuse on the various organs and hormones of the endocrine system, as well as support balanced and more regular hormonal cycles.

That is why diet and lifestyle are so imperative in maintaining hormonal health.

If weight loss or change in body composition is one of your main goals, stay away from high GI foods.

Although,

there is a point when the body needs them I.E. after hard physical work…..This is because post-exercise there is a flood of cortisol and adrenaline. As we know now these are our body’s stress hormones and they cannot differentiate between types of stress > I.E. > If we are experiencing stress (physical or mental) they get released into our bloodstream.

A hard workout is no exception. In order to grow and repair efficiently we need to stem the tide of these stress hormones with a strong insulin response. The higher GI foods (along with a good protein source) will do this for us. The absorption is way faster but it needs to be specifically at this point – as our tissues are depleted of energy – in order for proper metabolic recovery.

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In general: avoid high GI foods, but also know that these same foods (as long as they have good, naturally occurring protein and fibre)  are BENEFICIAL depending on the TIMING of their consumption.

p.s. things like donuts do not count…. eat unrefined, and unprocessed naturally occurring foods whenever possible. Full Stop.

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Once again, I hope this helps. If you have any questions – do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment.

If you did find this valuable, please share it with your friends or on your social media of choice 🙂

Thanks,

Stay strong all!

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TYLER LEES-SCHMUT

Co-Owner / Instructor / Author @

Contact us Now for a Consultation*

 

 

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FLOW Knowledge: Flow Fun, Flow Family.

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Flow Fun! (Games)

Roger Caillois:

Psychologist and anthropologist – divided all games into 4 categories:

Agon

Games that are competitive in nature, like most sports and athletic events, participants pit skills against skills.

Alea

Chance is the defining feature; Aleatory games are enjoyable because they give the illusion of controlling the future.

Ilinx

Consciousness altering experiences via by scrambled perception – Any activity that transforms the way we perceive reality is enjoyable.

Mimicry

Activities in which alternative realities are created; dance, theater, the arts etc – make us feel part of something bigger than ourselves.

 

All games provide a sense of transporting one’s self into a new reality, much like how Flow has been described.

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THE AUTOTELIC PERSONALITY

The question at hand is this;

Do all people have the same potential to control their consciousness?

And if not, what distinguishes those who can achieve Flow easily from those who cannot?

 

Here are a few things to think about-

  • Attentional disorders:
    – when a person cannot control their attention they cannot attain flow
  • Schizophrenia:
    – Schizophrenic individuals have ‘over inclusion’ of stimuli due to a neurological pathology.
  • Chronic Stress:
    – attention is too erratic to get involved and enjoy a moment.
  • Self-Centeredness:
    – attention is too tightly controlled around the image of the self.

 

WHEREAS;

  • Individuals who can enjoy themselves anywhere have the ability to focus on what is important at the time.
  • These people pay close attention to minute details of their daily lie and environment, and in this way they are able to discover new and unique opportunities for enjoyment, or Flow.
  • The actions these individuals choose are ones suitably challenging for whatever situation they find themselves in,
  • These individuals constantly monitor their progress through some sort of feedback.
  • When adversity strikes, these people invest their attention in areas that are positive and constructive -they are not motivated by external factors, but internal ones.

 

 “The most important trait of survivors is a “non-selfconscious individualism,” or a strongly directed purpose that is not self-seeking.”
– Bruno Bettelheim

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THE AUTOTELIC FAMILY

Optimal experience in a family setting is not impossible, try to incorporate these five characteristics and you will be well on your way to Family Fun!

1) Clarity:

  • Children need to know what is expect from them—goals and feedback in the family interaction are important

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2) Centering:

  • Children need to think that their parents are interested in what they are doing, in their feelings and experiences.

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3) Choice:

  • Children need to feel they have a variety of possibilities to choose from – this includes breaking rules (as long as they can also accept that their actions have consequences).

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4) Commitment:

  • Children need to build trust in others, which allows them to feel comfortable enough in a given situation to become totally involved in whatever they are interested in.

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5) Challenge:

  • Parents need to be dedicated enough to provide increasingly complex opportunities for their children. Just like how a good coach adjusts the challenge for their athlete day by day.

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> These five characteristics parallel the dimensions of the Flow Experience <

The child who grows up with clear goals and good communication / feedback will also have a feeling of control over their lives.

Setting up an Autotelic family life will encourage focus and increase intrinsic motivation, over and above their increased access to the Flow Experience.

Furthermore these families conserve a great deal of energy by making it possible to increase enjoyment in all aspects of life. (i.e. less fighting!)

 

“Children who know what they can and cannot do, who do not have to constantly argue about rules and controls, who are not worried about their parents’ expectations for future success always hanging over their heads, are released from many of the attentional demands that more chaotic households generate.”
– Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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You are now armed with some valuable knowledge.

With the basics of what makes games fun you can turn LIFE into any game of your choosing.

More than that, you can choose to set up your life such that it positively affects the ‘Flow chances’ of those closest to you.

What more could you want?

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Martin Colangelo : “The Better Movement Specialist”

– Blog Author

Owner / Instructor @

*contact me for a consultation

 

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The Neuroscience Of: (Exercise)

The Neuroscience of:

The Connection between MIND and BODY

The body-mind connection has (re)captured scientific interest in recent years,

There are i fact many academic books dedicated to the topic – which reflects a growing interest in the subject… 

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Physical activity refers to energy expenditure initiated by skeletal muscles which move the body.

Exercise has been defined as:

“A disturbance of homeostasis through muscle activity resulting in movement and increased energy expenditure.”

The critical difference between physical activity and exercise is the planned and structured nature of exercise. 

> The aim of this article is to enhance your understanding of the neurology and importance of exercise <

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Just as sedentary muscle can atrophy and become weak and tight, so do our brains (in an analogous way).

Oxygen requirements for the brain is very high, specially if we plan to maintain a level of functionality in this busy modern world. 

There are multiple centres in the brain responsible for our myriad different executive functions.

And guess what? They ALL need to be exercised.  But let’s look at movement (first). 

When we move our body- blood, oxygen, nutrients etc all get pumped through the various centres of the brain, one of the largest centres being the;

Motor Cortex.

The Motor Cortex is also very old. We have been avid movers for many many many many thousands of years. And it is only recently that we have let the sedentary lifestyle creep in as a normative behavior. Let’s not let this happen any longer!

WHY?

Because movement and brain function go hand in hand.

It is kind of like a two way street. When you move the body the Motor Cortex lights up, which will cause improvements in your movement. As your movement strengthens so do the abilities of the Motor Cortex. A positive feedback loop occurs; as one gets better (exercise), so does the other (motor cortex) – which will then allow for further improvements in the former (Exercise)… and so on…  The gorgeous thing here is that adjacent brain centres can feed off of this improvement and increased circulation.

No ‘brain centre’ is an Island. 

Memory, problem solving skills, decision making ability, the interpersonal relationship part of our brain – etc – all gain from exercise by proxy. The reason this happens is because that motor part of the brain is very very old and very very important to survival. 

We are no longer required to run away from a saber toothed tiger to survive, so the main difference is that exercise is premeditated and deliberately practiced. The fact that you NEED to move still holds true. Thus “Exercise” – as defined above, is all important when it comes to thriving and living a long/strong life! 

Knowledge is Power! Thanks for reading.

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TYLER LEES-SCHMUT

Co-Owner / Instructor / Author @

Contact us Now for a Consultation*