Energy Stimulants Are Addictive

Stressful events occur throughout the day and they often go unnoticed by us. Stuck in traffic, being late for work, an encounter with an angry customer, a fight at home, all are stressful events. Even a negative thought about something bad that happened years ago can produce the same result. Research suggests that when we are stuck in traffic we produce enough adrenalin to run a mile. 

If you combine a single negative thought with low blood sugar then adrenalin really starts pumping. This results in the body using energy otherwise utilised to repair itself and instead all energy goes into constantly pumping out hormones to control blood sugar levels that you don't need to use. Because of this we become tired, irritable, can't sleep, etc., etc.

To compensate for the loss in energy we turn to stimulants such as sugar, coffee, tea, chocolate, and alcohol. Smoking also increases for those who smoke. These are things that need to be cut out of our diet and replaced with foods that I described in yesterday's post. So how do you give these addictive substances up?

The answer is, 'slowly'. If you cut everything out all at once your body will over-compensate for the reduction and guess what, you are back to producing even more adrenalin. As we have discussed, it takes 40 to 80 days to change a habit. Eating the wrong foods can also be a habit (and a craving) so it is going to take you a while.

Don’t despair though if you can’t give up some of these stimulants, that will only add to your stress levels and to producing even greater amounts of adrenalin.

Here are a few more dietary tips to help you overcome the use of stimulants;

• Unrefined, slow-releasing whole carbohydrate foods such as wholegrains, vegetables, and fruit.
• Combine carbohydrates with protein-rich foods.
• Eat regularly at the same time each day and don’t skip a meal.

Fat Food Fix

For the last few weeks I have been busy and feeling under pressure. When my energy levels dropped in the afternoons I would simply have a coffee and a chocolate bar to get a quick fix and get the energy boost needed to get me through the rest of the day.

At least twice now I have had what I thought was the beginning of a heart attack during my presentations. I became dizzy, couldn't breathe properly, felt my blood pressure rise sharply and my heart rate went through the roof. I couldn't think straight.

Knowing a little bit about heart attacks, I knew that I wasn't having one. I also knew that it felt like I was frightened of something, I was getting a sharp burst of adrenalin and cortisol in the same way that happens when I am nervous, frightened or worried.

I started reading about what was going on. It turns out that when we seek those energy boosters such as coffee and sugar, it has the opposite reaction after a short period. Initially, we get a burst of energy and then we get a deeper 'crash' after an hour or so.

To compensate for this crash adrenalin and cortisol is released into the body, just like when we are frightened, nervous or worried. And as you know, adrenalin and cortisol are poisons when they are continually released into the body.

Here are some quick fix tips on what to do to avoid low energy;

1.     Drink green tea, not coffee or black tea.

2.     Never skip breakfast.

3.     Eat protein every meal.

4.     Have a snack of fruit, nuts, cheese, hummus, or yoghurt between meals.

5.     Avoid caffeine after midday.

6.     Don't drink alcohol immediately before bedtime.

By doing these simple things, you will find your energy levels will rise and stay at their best all day.

Tomorrow I will take a closer look at the types of food that we should try to eat and more importantly, why. Don’t panic, I am not here to change your diet, just give you some things to ponder over.

Eat, Sleep and Hunt.

Who would have thought that if we didn't do these three things well enough we are more susceptible to stress. Apparently it all comes from early times (like most things about our body and brain). We ate pure unprocessed food, we slept a lot, and we would hunt all day. Don't worry, you don't actually have to go hunting, replace hunting with exercise.

There is plenty written about the importance of sleep so I am not going to add to the plethora of information on it, Google is full of helpful information for you. Just know that you need sleep for your brain to process the day's activities. When you sleep your brain defrags the thousands of thoughts and activities accumulated through the day just like when you run a defrag maintenance tool on your computer.

Dreams occur when your brain is defragging (is that such a word). We go through three REM cycles a night, at least we should, each one lasting about 120 minutes. Rapid eye movement is the last stage of each cycle and is when dreams occur. If you don’t go into this dream phase then you may feel tired the next day.

Exercise is what you need to do to ensure that blood is circulated through your plumbing and filters (kidney, liver, lungs, etc) so that clean oxygenated blood flows into your brain and 'cleans it out' properly. 30 minutes of continuous medium-to-fast paced walking is enough to ensure your filters are working hard enough. Plus, exercise can assist in growing new neurons in your brain, those little things that send messages around the brain. Know that this is a good thing.

Food is something that I never really thought too much about before. We all know that if we eat badly we will feel bad and probably not be at our best. What I have only recently found out was that if we don't eat the right food then there is a high likelihood that our brain will react adversely as if we are under stress. 

It all has to do with our insulin levels. When insulin (blood sugar) drops our body produces Adrenalin and cortisol, both of which occur when we are under stress. Additionally, these two chemicals are like a poison to our body. Adrenalin and cortisol are produced so that we can run away from danger, if there is no danger and we don't run then the poison sits in our system. Hence another reason to exercise by the way.

I am going to take a closer look at this eating factor, I'll tell you how you can eat better to reduce stress. That's for next week.

I Have Lost My Lifeline!

In my rush to get to the airport this morning I left my mobile phone behind. No problems, who needs one anyway, it's just for making phone calls after all.

I got to the airport and went through screening, too easy. I went to the lounge and realised that I couldn't get in without a ticket, I use my phone for this usually as it has the Air NZ App on it. The friendly service assistant printed my tickets and allowed me to enter. Easy as, who needs phones.

I had to walk to the barista and place my order manually, my phone sends an automatic order to the barista when I walk into the lounge. I needed the exercise anyway.

Sitting having breakfast I was pondering the busy day ahead, two important meetings with prospective clients and a workshop in the afternoon. Where are the meeting and at what time? These are in my phone....

I know, I will call my wife and ask her to look in my phone for me. We don't have a landline at home, all mobile phones. Where is her phone number, in my phone. Panic. I know, I have my laptop, I'll message my daughter on FaceBook and get her to call my wife. Smart thinking Lance. Daughter calms wife, wife's phone is turned off. Argh!

Don't panic Lance, you teach this stuff. Take a deep breath, slow yourself down. Remember the mantra, 'slow is smooth, smooth is fast'. Luckily I have my e-Diary saved on Google, a quick print off the calendar and I am away.

So how do I find the venues for these meetings? Usually on my phone using the GPS thingy. Time to print out the maps at the airport and maybe pick up one of those ancient paper maps at the Wellington airport when I arrive. Sorted.

I could go on but you get the picture. Technology is fantastic until something goes wrong. And it is usually just a little thing. You leave your phone somewhere, the battery goes flat, someone trips over a cable and takes out the national grid.

My mobile phone is my lifeline these days as they are for most people. But sometimes you just have to go back to the old fashioned ways. I wonder if the younger generation coming through will know how to do that? 

Am I A Slacker?

Yes I am, a slacker. Someone who for the last umpteen months has written a post/blog every workday morning. Lately I have been getting slack, I have been posting later and later each day, sometimes not bothering to post at all. What a disappointment I have turned out to be!

What does this slackness say about me? That I cannot be trusted, that I have let people down, that I have failed, that I am hopeless, that I am a slacker? No, it says that something is going on.

Some of you who follow my posts might have been thinking that I was on holiday, that I was ill, or that I am struggling. Maybe you even thought that I wasn't writing any further posts, that I couldn’t be bothered. That's just your brain always thinking negatively, always biased, and always exaggerated. It is doing this so that you are prepared for the worst.

Worry, fear, anxiety, and stress all come from your brain. If you worry about one thing and don’t control that thought then your brain will add more worry to try and help you by offering more suggestions. “Is this what you are worried about” your brain will ask you. “No”, you will say (in your head) so your brain will give you something different to worry about and ask you the same question again. “How about this one?”

Whenever you have a negative thought about a situation, (or about yourself), just know that it is your brain telling you stuff that you may just need to ignore. Here’s an example – when was the last time that you achieved something great and your brain said to you "But you could have done much better?" "If you had done this differently then you would have had a better outcome." Rubbish. Ignore your brain, you are great and you are doing great things.

If you are someone who has lots of these negative thoughts, change the pattern by wearing a rubber band on your wrist and flick it every time you have a negative thought. The pain will soon tell your brain to stop thinking negatively.

How do I feel about not posting each morning? Really bad. And I know that it is just my brain telling me that I am useless, that I am letting people down, that I can't be trusted. My brain is viewing the world through dark tinted glasses just like yours is.

So what have I been doing not putting out posts each morning? I have been doing lots of other things and have had to prioritise what I do first thing in the mornings. It's a nice place to be, being busy, and I am very lucky. Even more so for having an understanding reader of my posts such as yourself.