RUNNING: GOOD FOR THE BODY AND THE BRAIN

Could running make you smarter? The answer may surprise you.

Most of us think of running as a physical activity.  Certainly that appears to be the case.  Running can make us leaner, trimmer and provides more oxygen to the muscles making them faster and stronger.  Most of us know about the physical benefits of running and that is usually what motivates us to do it.

Running also has an emotional effect on us.  Running for at least 20 minutes produces a natural chemical called Serotonin, which allows us to feel calm, centered, focused and happy.  What a great natural drug we have built into our system to allow us to focus better, therefore being more productive with our time.

But what about the mental effects running may have on you? Only recently have there been studies that focus on the evolution of the brain and the impact exercise/running has played.

As stated in a recent New York Times article on January 1, 2013:

Our brains were shaped and sharpened by movement, the idea goes, and we continue to require physical activity for our brains to function optimally.   Endurance produced meals, which provided energy for mating, which meant that adept early joggers. …their bodies developing longer legs, shorter toes, less hair, and complicated inner ear mechanisms to maintain balance and stability during upright ambulation.  Simultaneously, humans were becoming smarter. Their brains were increasing rapidly in size. Today humans have a brain that is about three times the size that would be expected.  Scientists are suggesting that physical activity played a critical role in making our brains larger. What has been discovered is the development of substances that promotes tissue growth and health, including a protein called brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF.  These substances are important for endurance.  They are also known to drive brain growth.  Being in motion made them smarter, and being smarter now allowed them to move more efficiently.  As Dr. Lieberman states, there is a deep evolutionary basis for the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind.” 

– Gretchen Reynolds.

What I find intriguing and exciting about these findings is the heightened awareness surrounding the benefits that running provides to us.

I’m sure many of you haven’t thought much about running to make you smarter.  Perhaps now is a good time to look back over your life since taking up running and notice for yourself the development of your mind.

What has changed? What has improved?

Often we think, as we get older we will begin to loose our mind.  What if we are possibly reversing some of this by running and being physically active?  What I find key to this article is the discussion and conclusive studies about running.

Perhaps this information could impact how you look at your running lifestyle for the year.  We have just started a new year.  So often we begin to plan new goals, perhaps bigger goals to “out do” the year we just left behind.  Sometimes I think we get to a point where it may not be possible to out do what was previously done.  Maybe it’s a year where you begin to have a new focus.  Maybe you could create a goal around being smarter, being calmer, having better use of your days and time.  What if your goal about running had nothing to do with beating last year’s 10k time, or half marathon time, or marathon time?  Maybe the goal is to be a better parent.

For me, running is so much more than staying fit.  Somehow I knew deep inside that I was benefitting in so many ways, more than just physically, but often it is hard to articulate or express what we feel from running.

I’d like to encourage you to find some time, perhaps on your next run, to think about what NEW goal you could set for yourself this year that has nothing to do with your time or your distance.

How would that goal impact your life and the lives of others around you? Running truly is so much more than running.  It is a lifestyle, a way of being, and a way of expressing oneself.

Sharon Starika April 2013.

It can be exhilarating, a rush, it can be paralyzing and traumatizing: Fear. We have all experienced it. Where does it come from, how is it triggered, and how do you respond? Could fear become an ally instead of an enemy?

Fear can show up during a new situation, in an instant, there is that familiar, unwanted feeling. Like taking that first ski jump you haven’t been willing to try, signing up for your first marathon, or taking on something new in your life like a new job, having your first child, starting a new project at work, taking on a new sport or activity, all of which you have never done before.

Fear can also come from a previous accident or bad situation that has happened to you where your experience wasn’t good. Maybe it was a skiing accident, hitting the wall during your first attempt at a marathon, slipping and falling on ice, failing a test at school, loosing a job, or losing a spouse.

These types of triggers cause certain physiological side effects like a rapid heart beat, palms sweating, the sense of anxiety, breaking out into a sweat, feeling euphoric, feeling immobilized or feeling paralyzed. All of these reactions are normal and are part of our “fight or flight” mechanism. How does your experience of fear take over and how can you learn to experience fear in a better light.

Firstly, understand that the “fight or flight” pattern will be there in some way. It is how we respond to the situation that matters. It is important to remember that we have choices. Life is not about finding the right way or answer. It’s about discovering in the moment what choices and options are available to you. It all begins with awareness. Once you are aware, you begin to see there are choices and options and in a moment’s notice, the world can open up to you.

Knowing there are choices is the beginning to experiencing more freedom with fear. You can start to feel more open and can sense the space and time around you giving you the opportunity to discover what possibilities exist. Presence is critical at the point. You may realize that by noticing your options, you gain a feeling of relief. Your heartbeat can slow down, your sweating slowly disappears, your breathing becomes more normal as you begin to notice and think about the choices you have. It’s important to learn and to notice not only the first choice that resonates with you, but also other possibilities that resonate with you. The possibilities will give you an undeniable sense of freedom. Replying on only one option can be confining, limiting, and scary. Imagine if your one choice doesn’t work, what do you have to fall back on.

For example, imagine skiing down an expert (black diamond) ski run for the first time. It feels so steep, so scary.  In that moment, panic sets in, takes over, and you become paralyzed.  But what if you could start to breathe, look around and notice the terrain, observe others skiers and how they are getting down the run.  As you take the time to look around, you begin to notice the different choices you have, how the terrain is different on one side compared to the other, you see how skiers are getting themselves down the hill differently. In this moment, space and time take over, you begin to feel more at ease and you can then search for the best option for you.

The same is true with your training.  Are you stuck in a rut?  Do you do the same routines year after year?  Are you afraid to open up, mix it up, and try something new?  What do you have to lose?

Recently my daughter was falling off the ledge at school, her grades became poor, she was trying very hard, but she wasn’t getting done what she needed to get done in several classes.  I met with her counselor. During the meeting it became clear to me that she needed help, but a different kind of help. As the counselor was going over each class, I was drifting in and out of thought wondering, where is she going to get the kind of help?  Like any parent, I began to feel scared not knowing the answer for my daughter. What is it she really needs? Where am I going to find the right kind of help?  In this moment of uncertainty and fear, I suddenly got very clear, the person who needed to help her was me. She didn’t need another tutor or special school. I needed to help her but I had no idea how. I didn’t know what I was doing or what she needed but I was willing to be open, to trust and to discover what she needed. I was scared; there was no manual for this. What was clear to me was that no one could help her like I could.

At first, I felt angry. Why me? Why can’t the tutors help her? Then I realized that my anger came from my fear of failing. In that moment, I reflected on my work, teaching others to learn miraculous things, and found the courage to go for it. I had nothing to lose.

I stepped into the unknown and started seeing what she knew and didn’t know. I trusted that by being present, choices, options, and direction would present itself to me, and it did. It was like going off a ski jump for the first time. A rush took over inside of me and in that moment of anxiety there was exhilaration and a sense of freedom. The dance began; I learned about her and found a variety of ways to show her what she knew and needed to know by introducing thoughts, techniques to solve problems, concepts and direction. After some time, she discovered what worked for her.

Shortly thereafter my daughter brought all of her grades up to A’s and B’s. However, this isn’t really what is important, is it? What is important is that she began to learn new ways of understanding and solving problems. In her discovery, she started to feel more confident and exited about what she had done. As a mother, I can say that there is truly no better gift than to watch the world open up to your child by supporting them with patience.

From here, you can begin to look at some other fears in your life.  Where do your fears lie?  How could you approach a fear in your life?  Perhaps you can begin this New Year by looking closely at your life, like you just looked at your training, and invite yourself to explore a fear. You will never know what’s truly possible until you open yourself up and try. One thing is certain, you can always go back to what you know and where you were, but if you never try you will never know. Do you have the courage to try? Courage is the greatest catalyst to Fear.

So where do you go from here?  Where do your fears lie?  How do you approach a fear in your life?  Perhaps you can begin this New Year by looking closely at your life and inviting yourself to explore a fear of yours.  You will never know what’s truly possible until you open yourself up and try.  One thing is certain, you can always go back to what you know and where you were, but if you never try you will never know. Do you have the courage to try?  Courage is the greatest catalyst to Fear.

Here are some helpful tips to assist you in moving forward to overcoming a fear in your training and in your life:

•    Acknowledge and be able to describe the fear.  This allows for you to have a clear awareness.
•    Witness what you have chosen in the past as your response to this fear.
•    Open your self up to be present, and notice other options or choices that are available to you.
•    Have the courage to take a risk.
•    Remember, you can always go back to your original response.
•    Go for it!  Take that first step in a new direction, perhaps into the unknown, be present and see what happens.
•    Share and celebrate success for taking that first step towards greater freedom in your life!

Read more of my articles on TriEdge.net.

It’s that time of the year when holidays and festivities are upon us and perhaps it is also a time when we have indulged in eating a variety of foods or drinking beverages that may not be so good for us- or should I say for our stomachs? With that being said, it is most likely not the beginning of your gut not feeling so good.

Your “inner gut” is the hardware that digests, absorbs, and transforms what you eat into fuel and nutrition, allowing you to have energy to live life. You may be surprised to learn that you could have an enemy living deep inside you, inside your gut.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:
•    Do you lack energy on a frequent basis, regardless of how much sleep you get?
•    Do you ever have any muscular or connective tissue injuries?
•    Are you frequently injured?
•    Does your stomach bloat or feel irritated often?
•    Do your muscles seem weaker more often than you’d expect from your training?
•    Do you often feel like no matter how good your diet is, you still don’t feel as energized as you think you should?
•    Are you experiencing hair loss or thinning?
•    Do you eat wheat/bread products or sugary foods?

If you answered “yes” to a few of these questions, read on. Or maybe you know someone, a friend, your partner, or your child that falls into this category. You may be able to help yourself, and someone else too.

Your gut is the driver of optimal health. It is where foods and fluids are processed and then through proper digestion become the fuel your body relies on. If this magical engine is failing, you will suffer. How do you know if this is a problem? Did you answer “yes” to any of the questions above? Have you tried everything else?

Many of us have trimmed our diets down to perfection, and still haven’t had positive results. The reason is because inside the lining of our intestines is where we also carry bacteria. We have friendly bacteria, and then we have “not-so-friendly” bacteria called Candida. If you’re anything like me, Candida loves to rampantly take over the digestive tract time and time again.

The first signs of Candida are usually fatigue, no matter how much rest or sleep you get, and then bloating. The gut begins to swell and no matter what you eat or drink, even after drinking water, you never feel energized from the food source, and then you often crave sugars and caffeine for an instant pick-me-up.

Overtime you can begin to experience tissue injuries. Why? Because optimal nutrition is dependent on the absorption of the food and if you are no longer absorbing the nutrients you consume, your body becomes depleted and eventually will shut down.

There is a simple test you can do to find out if you have Candida. After trying this test for myself, I was surprised to learn I had it because I don’t eat dairy, gluten or wheat. It is important to do this test first thing in the morning before you eat, drink, or brush your teeth. Collect some saliva in your mouth and after you have a fair amount, gently spit into a glass of water and watch what it does. If your saliva stays afloat for 10-20 minutes, congratulations, you’re fine. If it begins to sink, either quickly or slowly over the next 10-20 minutes, you have Candida. Often it will be in tiny amounts that begin to break off and start to trickle down to the bottom.

What can you do to remedy Candida? A colleague and health practitioner friend of mine turned me on to a great product to combat Candida called Three Lac. To learn more about Three Lac visit www.ThreeMax.net, call (716) 373-0983, or contact Mike Winicki, Three Lac’s founder at mwinicki@yahoo.com.

Once you get started with removing Candida, you will begin to feel much better.  Your energy will return and your physical, emotional and mental states will begin to become strong again.  Often we don’t know how bad we are feeling until we start to make changes.  We often think what we were experiencing is normal. From here you will improve your capacity to absorb proper nutrients, so you will get the most out of your diet, hydration and exercises. You will experience fewer injuries, have better recovery after your workouts; feel stronger, faster and leaner from your workouts as well.

Once you take this step of taking care of your insides, indulging won’t have such negative impacts on you. There is no time like the present to get your on track, to have a healthy and enjoyable season.

Check out this presentation and improve your posture in the workplace, at the movies, in your car, and standing.