Would You Like To Make That a Combo?

I am at the drive thru of a fast food restaurant because my son needs some food at work (his boss is out and he can't close the shop to go and get food) and I need to get it quick and get back to my own workplace. I have decided on fish and chips for myself, in keeping with my plan to get sea food at least three times a week in order to increase my intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Well, sea food such as it is. I know, baby steps, baby steps . . I'll get there. Anyway, as I order, the cashier offers me the option to upgrade and get a soft drink.

I actually thought about it for just a brief moment, but I guess my mantra "no high fructose corn syrup" is starting to take root again, as I said, "No." No. It was that easy. What took me so long?

How The Brain Rewires Itself

article from TIME

It was a fairly modest experiment, as these things go, with volunteers trooping into the lab at Harvard Medical School to learn and practice a little five-finger piano exercise. Neuroscientist Alvaro Pascual-Leone instructed the members of one group to play as fluidly as they could, trying to keep to the metronome's 60 beats per minute. Every day for five days, the volunteers practiced for two hours. Then they took a test.

At the end of each day's practice session, they sat beneath a coil of wire that sent a brief magnetic pulse into the motor cortex of their brain, located in a strip running from the crown of the head toward each ear. The so-called transcranial-magnetic-stimulation (TMS) test allows scientists to infer the function of neurons just beneath the coil. In the piano players, the TMS mapped how much of the motor cortex controlled the finger movements needed for the piano exercise. What the scientists found was that after a week of practice, the stretch of motor cortex devoted to these finger movements took over surrounding areas like dandelions on a suburban lawn.

The finding was in line with a growing number of discoveries at the time showing that greater use of a particular muscle causes the brain to devote more cortical real estate to it. But Pascual-Leone did not stop there. He extended the experiment by having another group of volunteers merely think about practicing the piano exercise. They played the simple piece of music in their head, holding their hands still while imagining how they would move their fingers. Then they too sat beneath the TMS coil.

When the scientists compared the TMS data on the two groups--those who actually tickled the ivories and those who only imagined doing so--they glimpsed a revolutionary idea about the brain: the ability of mere thought to alter the physical structure and function of our gray matter. For what the TMS revealed was that the region of motor cortex that controls the piano-playing fingers also expanded in the brains of volunteers who imagined playing the music--just as it had in those who actually played it.

"Mental practice resulted in a similar reorganization" of the brain, Pascual-Leone later wrote. If his results hold for other forms of movement (and there is no reason to think they don't), then mentally practicing a golf swing or a forward pass or a swimming turn could lead to mastery with less physical practice. Even more profound, the discovery showed that mental training had the power to change the physical structure of the brain.

OVERTHROWING THE DOGMA

FOR DECADES, THE PREVAILING DOGMA IN neuroscience was that the adult human brain is essentially immutable, hardwired, fixed in form and function, so that by the time we reach adulthood we are pretty much stuck with what we have. Yes, it can create (and lose) synapses, the connections between neurons that encode memories and learning. And it can suffer injury and degeneration. But this view held that if genes and development dictate that one cluster of neurons will process signals from the eye and another cluster will move the fingers of the right hand, then they'll do that and nothing else until the day you die. There was good reason for lavishly illustrated brain books to show the function, size and location of the brain's structures in permanent ink.

The doctrine of the unchanging human brain has had profound ramifications. For one thing, it lowered expectations about the value of rehabilitation for adults who had suffered brain damage from a stroke or about the possibility of fixing the pathological wiring that underlies psychiatric diseases. And it implied that other brain-based fixities, such as the happiness set point that, according to a growing body of research, a person returns to after the deepest tragedy or the greatest joy, are nearly unalterable.

But research in the past few years has overthrown the dogma. In its place has come the realization that the adult brain retains impressive powers of "neuroplasticity"--the ability to change its structure and function in response to experience. These aren't minor tweaks either. Something as basic as the function of the visual or auditory cortex can change as a result of a person's experience of becoming deaf or blind at a young age. Even when the brain suffers a trauma late in life, it can rezone itself like a city in a frenzy of urban renewal. If a stroke knocks out, say, the neighborhood of motor cortex that moves the right arm, a new technique called constraint-induced movement therapy can coax next-door regions to take over the function of the damaged area. The brain can be rewired.

The first discoveries of neuroplasticity came from studies of how changes in the messages the brain receives through the senses can alter its structure and function. When no transmissions arrive from the eyes in someone who has been blind from a young age, for instance, the visual cortex can learn to hear or feel or even support verbal memory. When signals from the skin or muscles bombard the motor cortex or the somatosensory cortex (which processes touch), the brain expands the area that is wired to move, say, the fingers. In this sense, the very structure of our brain--the relative size of different regions, the strength of connections between them, even their functions--reflects the lives we have led. Like sand on a beach, the brain bears the footprints of the decisions we have made, the skills we have learned, the actions we have taken.

Read more . . .

Combatting Resistance

Anyone who is trying to overcome bad habits and make positive lifestyle changes faces it. Resistance to change. I'm struggling with that right now, so I'm trying to make tiny changes that I can slip under the radar of my subconscious. :D Additionally, I'm struggling to rebuild a body devastated by three years of chronic pain. This week (and you may notice my weeks run Thursday to Thursday because that is when my TOPS Chapter meets) I am working on two things: totally removing refined sugars from my diet and just getting back in the habit of exercising every morning.

So far the sugar is going pretty good, but that's because this is a goal I return to regularly and have made permanent progress on over years of behavior modification. My goal for this week is to have no more than one sweetened soft drink. I allow myself the one because I have a very public life and chances are I'll be somewhere in the next week where a soft drink is my only option and I'm thirsty.

At home I use raw sugar, when I use added sugar at all. The only things I add sugar to are coffee and oatmeal. Raw sugar, at least in my opinion, is better than refined. It could be all my head, but when I miss my morning coffee and have to have coffee at office where the choices are white sugar or artificial sweetners, I notice I am more . . hyper. I'm not sure of a good way to test the validity of this observation, but I figure, eh, if raw sugar works, even in my head, I'll just use it.

I've having a more difficult time with exercise goals. Anyone who knows me knows I have a ferret-like mind that is easily distracted and so, as I've been doing searches and reading books about physical training, it is easy for me to see a cool link and end up pondering a page on the effects of climate change on larval termites or something bizarre like that. I've been adding to the links at the side though and have added a page to my Food and Exercise Log (see links at right) where I am compiling exercises I can manage and the reps each day.

So, I guess my exercise goal for this week should be to come up with a program I can manage and stick to it.

The Science of Lasting Happiness

Through controlled experiments, Sonja Lyubomirsky explores ways to beat the genetic set point for happiness. Staying in high spirits, she finds, is hard work

The day I meet Sonja Lyubomirsky, she keeps getting calls from her Toyota Prius dealer. When she finally picks up, she is excited by the news: she can buy the car she wants in two days. Lyubomirsky wonders if her enthusiasm might come across as materialism, but I understand that she is buying an experience as much as a possession. The hybrid will be gentler on the environment, and a California state law letting some hybrids use the carpool lane promises a faster commute between her coastal Santa Monica home and her job at the University of California, Riverside, some 70 miles inland. Two weeks later, in late January, the 40-year-old Lyubomirsky, who smiles often and seems to approach life with zest and good humor, reports that she is "totally loving the Prius." But will the feeling wear off soon after the new-car smell, or will it last, making a naturally happy person even more so?


Read more . . .

Neanderthin: Review from Nerdheaven.com

Neanderthin (Paleo) life style

The Paleolithic Diet a.k.a. Neanderthin is the diet that we humans are genetically adapted to eat. The paleolithic age is the same as the Stone Age - so this is a stone age diet or life style. This has been humanity's preferred diet for something like 2.5 million years, and humans have only genetically changed 0.005% since the introduction of agriculture (the Neolithic). As a rule, agricultural (and technological) products are not healthy to eat, and we should predominantly try to eat only those whole foods that are healthy in their raw state (though almost all humans, including hunter-gatherers cook their food). (Check out the Paleolithic links)

This is not a quick-fix diet but a way of life. You're not supposed to starve when you eat only paleo foods. Eat when you're hungry!

Disclaimer: the below are the bare essentials with no particular attempt at being in-depth, and they're to an extent my personal notes (and may change as my opinion does). Read the books in the Paleolithic links section if you need specifics.

Read more . . .


Other Links
Review at Low Carb.ca
Review at Obesity Cures.com

Aging Muscles Become Hard of Hearing

As people age, neurons have to yell louder at the body's muscles to whip them into action, according to a new study, but exercise could reverse the aging effect.

Researchers examined the relationship between neuron activity and corresponding muscle force for 23 subjects between the ages of 18 and 88. They found a diminished ability of the muscles to respond to the commands of neurons amongst the older participants.

Specifically, the researchers looked at the dorsal interosseous muscle, situated between the index finger and thumb. This muscle is activated by 120 individual neurons. Each subject had a small needle-like electrode inserted into their index finger. The electrode was hooked up to a computer which recorded the electrical impulses as they traveled from the neurons to the muscle fibers.

The participants were asked to use that finger to follow the outline of a wavy line with peaks and valleys on a computer screen.

Read more . . .

Trip Into The City

I went with a friend into the City today. She had tickets to the Donald Trump motivational thingie and invited me along. We didn't go yesterday. Neither of us could justify and entire weekend doing that sort of thing. It was quite disappointing in many ways, being just a day long infomercial selling very pricey "wealth making" tools. But I did get a bit of a kick in the butt.

There was a man, Raymond Aaron, who gave a 90 minutes commerical for his mentoring program. (On sale, $995) He talked at length about how successful people have mentors. (He also was dismissive and sarcastic about us "losers" who don't have the big bucks to have mentors.) There were interesting bits in his presentation, a hodgepodge of a lot of other motivational programs. And several times I just wanted to get up and counter some of his crap, point out that I was homeless at one time and have chronic depression and have struggled about the after effects of abuse for decades. I felt quite motivated, but no in the way he intended.

But the one thing that interested me was about how he promised to help folks by making them set goals every 1st day of the month. I was thinking, there's no reason regular folk can't do that to help each other. Oh, we probably have to do some attitude adjustments to re-focus ourselves on success instead of failure. So I am researching goal setting. I hope to get enough stuff together to do a program for TOPS soon.

Okay, what else happened. Well, I was with a great lady, one of my agents. It was great riding into the City with her and chatting about family and life. She's the first person I've met who talks at least as much as I do, but it went well anyway. I really feel like I connected with her in a lot of ways. Although she isn't Cassie. No one is Cassie. I miss Cassie. ::sniffle::

Getting an aerobic workout in 30 minutes

(including the time it takes to change your shoes)

A general formula: Target heart rate or pulse: 60-80% of 220 – age. It's great to plug into a formula, but unfortunately, this formula is general and isn't that accurate for each individual. The target heart rate formula can be as much as 20 beats per minute off, so I find using the target heart rate formula alone inadequate. You'll learn more about the pace that's right for you by observing your perceived rate of exertion. I like these guidelines from Miriam E. Nelson, Strong Men and Women Beat Arthritis, Putnam, 2002. You can take your pulse or use a heart monitor to get your pulse rate while exercising, and it's interesting to compare your perceived rate of exertion with the target heart rate you get from using a formula. But, unless you're interesting in competitive aerobics, working with the perceived level of exertion works fine.

Active movement: 50-60% heart rate maximum or easy, sustainable movement that increases your heart and breathing rate but doesn’t make you sweat unless it’s hot. Gardening, strolling, golfing, etc. Do this as often as possible, because it’s healthy and enjoyable to move, but it won’t improve your aerobic condition unless you’ve been totally sedentary.

Aerobic training at a beginning level: 60-70% is rapid breathing with the ability to converse with only slight strain. Perspiration appears after about 5-15 minutes depending on air temperature. You could continue this indefinitely.

More advanced aerobic training: 70-85% with more rapid but not labored breathing. Possible to converse but with interruptions and more strain. More fatigue by the end of exercise session.

Overexertion: excessive effort with heart pounding and breathing too rapid to speak. Don't do this!

Goals: Exercise aerobically 3 times a week. Begin with twice a week if you can't commit to 3 times. Just make a commitment you can keep and move up to 3 times a week later. The idea is to make a manageable goal that will bring success. Success leads to confidence and more success. This is a sample program. You should make a plan that progresses at the right pace for your body, but do improve your level of aerobic fitness over time. Without asking your body for just a little more output over time, you won't become more fit.

How to begin if you’re out of shape:

Week 1: Active movement (50% of maximum heart rate) for 10 minutes

Week 2: Active movement for 15 minutes

Week 3: Active movement for 20 minutes

Week 4: Active movement for 10 minutes, beginning aerobic training level (60% max heart rate) for 5, then active movement for 5

Week 5: Active movement for 5 minutes, beginning aerobic training level (60% max heart rate) for 10, then active movement for 5

Week 6: Active movement for 5 minutes, beginning aerobic level for 5, more advanced aerobic level (70-85% max heart rate) for 5, active movement for 5

Week 7: Active movement for 5 minutes, beginning aerobic level for 5 minutes, advanced aerobic level for 10, beginning aerobic level for 5

read more . . .

Okay, I can do this. Just how to figure how what qualifies as "leveling".

Really Bad Night Last Night

And after I bragged how I don't have trouble falling asleep. Of course, it wasn't the falling asleep that was the problem. It was waking up around 3a with a really painful neck and my CPAP just not fitting right. I tried going back to sleep, after taking 600 mg of ibuprofen, just curling up without the CPAP. But the sleep was fitful and full of dreams I can't remember.

I'm trying to find a way to focus my weight loss energy. Those of you who know me know I am like a ferrett mentally . . .any new idea pulls me off track. But I think my "leveling" idea is valid and am researching types of exercise to include. I am probably just a bit above the lowest functioning I have ever been. So I have to start slow.

I figure I can divide up the types of training kind of like they do stats in a video game: strength, stamina and agility. That would be, of course, strength, endurance and flexibility in my real world. I'm researching what the best sorts of things are to include, I'll keep you updated.

Weigh In A Disappointment

I actually gained a pound or so. Although if the waterworks just before I left are an indication, I'm probably in the dreaded PMS. But it has just steeled my reserve. Cassie may be gone, I may have no one in my family to encourage me, but I have my TOPS chapter and I'm going to lose weight. I always lose weight between relationships and this will be no different. . .except that I am not going to let myself get back into a relationship that fails to sustain me emotionally and physically so that I turn to food for fulfillment.

That's all for now. Really tired.

Official Relaunch

This blog has been around for a long while but I never actually did much with it. That is about to change. As I've struggled with separation and impending divorce and depression and fibromyalgia and trying to find some love, I've realized that at the base of most of my worst feelings is shame at my weight and the, probably false, belief that my husband rejected me because I'm fat.

So, number one goal is to take off the 80 pounds I've put on in the last three years of being ill and an additional 40 or so. I'll be weighing in at my TOPS chapter tonight and I'll have that in the Food and Exercise blog listed in the links, but I'll have to figure out a quick way to show that.

Wish me luck, guys and gals, today my weight, tomorrow the world.