My coach, Jim Karanas, used to say that athletic performance triggers the ego. It brings forward conflict, discomfort, anxiety, self-defeating thoughts, and doubts about what’s possible and what’s not.
In athletics, you do what’s necessary. You have the above thoughts without reacting to them — and stay with the event. The athletic objective is to learn to be nonreactive to distractions, including pain.
Giving up sugar can also bring forward discomforts — withdrawal symptoms, cravings — plus the anxiety, doubts, and self-defeating thoughts that may go with them. Like the athletic distractions, none of them is permanent.
You do what’s necessary to eliminate them and stay with the plan.
One difference is that, in athletics, it helps not to derive an identity from your performance. That identity, my coach said, is just ego.
In contrast, I say, what’s good about going through the process of quitting sugar is the sense of identity you develop when you do it. Your identity shifts.
You become The Person Who Doesn’t Eat Sugar, and things change.
– You stop finding sugary foods tempting. They’re Not Food.
– You consciously stop putting junk into your healthy body.
– People stop trying to persuade you to eat what you’d rather avoid.
– People stop giving you gifts of tempting sugary treats.
It’s not that the foods don’t look or smell appetizing. But they don’t bother us because we view them as something we simply don’t eat.
They’re no longer who we are.
Brain Chemistry Puts a Space Around Sugar
Eckhart Tolle, who wrote The Power of Now, talks about putting a space around pain, thoughts and memories — especially negative ones — by staying present in the moment.
Basically, that’s becoming nonreactive.
Once addictive foods — like sugar — have been removed from your diet, the right foods you’ve added along the way can, and will, enhance dopamine and improve your focus.
Meanwhile, serotonin will put a space around what’s happening — and make you less reactive — by literally increasing the time between thought and action.
The non-reactivity holds true whether the trigger is external — seeing chocolate cake, smelling freshly baked cinnamon buns — or internal — having a taste that triggers the desire for lots more.
I talk to my clients about stability, which applies to both brain chemistry and glucose.
When both are stable and even, my clients are able to make decisions about food, instead of reacting to every treat.
They make decisions, instead of succumbing to junk they know won’t do them good, just because they can’t resist or think they have “decision-making fatigue.”
Once my clients are stable, I know they’re on the ‘Zen path’ — as described in my last post — to making clear decisions about food and sugar.
The music industry is figuring out that a great Indoor Cycling class is built on a fabulous playlist. Now they're making noises that they feel they should be charging fitness studios a higher rate for their commercial performance licenses…
By Andrew Sparkler, Vice President, Business Affairs & Operations
At this year’s SXSW, SoulCycle teamed up with Spotify and some of their favorite DJs at what was dubbed as “an epic music and movement experience.” While the popular fitness club’s trip to Austin underscores the importance of music to its business, it is unclear if the music business is spinning to the same beat.
SoulCycle, launched in 2006, is now filing for an IPO. Its business is primarily based on offering a high intensity spin class led by an instructor who also serves as a DJ. Take a class, glance at their website or read their S-1 filing and it is clear that music is perhaps as essential to their business as the bikes themselves.
SoulCycle’s SEC filing characterizes its product as a “carefully curated ‘cardio party’ [that] is fueled by the personalities of our instructors, their uniquely crafted musical playlists and the energy of the room” and says that “[w]ith inspirational coaching and high-energy music, SoulCycle was created to strengthen both the mind and the body.” Their instructors go as far as to claim that music “is the most important part of what we do at SoulCycle.”
Performing rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI are on constant lookout for ways to generate royalties for their songwriters and rights holders, but one publishing exec (and former ASCAP vp) argues they need to look harder — maybe even break a sweat — when dealing with your favorite fitness center.
In an op-ed for Medium, Downtown Publishing vp of business affairs Andrew Sparkler said PROs are dropping the proverbial medicine ball by classifying certain gyms under “general” licenses — the same umbrella as restaurants, bars and concert/sports venues — when music has become such an ubiquitous and personalized part of the workout experience.
To make his point, Sparkler cites the popular SoulCycle chain of spin classes, who in a recent SEC filing for an IPO called their product a “carefully curated ‘cardio party' [that] is fueled by the personalities of our instructors, their uniquely crafted musical playlists and the energy of the room.”
In its SEC filing, SoulCycle projects 2015 revenue to be around $140 million and said it hopes to expand to 250 locations (up from 36 in 2014) in the near future.
Sparkler figures each SoulCycle is currently bringing in about $3.1 million apiece for the company, but is only paying a tiny fraction of that to PROs under the “general” licenses for the music it plays. BMI, for example, charges fitness clubs a maximum of $2,123 per year per location — which would amount to .01 percent of what Sparkler estimates each SoulCycle makes. ASCAP also has a flat fee per location, but it slides depending on inflation.
According to his calculations, fitness center revenue increased over 104 percent in the U.S. between 2000 and 2014, and SoulCycle jumped 108 percent from 2012 to 2013 alone.
While noting that SoulCycle is doing nothing wrong — they’re simply paying the bills sent by PROs — it’s those rights groups that should tap into “this cultural phenomenon and increase their rates accordingly.”
So where does this lead? My guess is that ASCAP and BMI will be looking for ways to monetize (make more money) off the excitement surrounding SoulCycle/Indoor Cycling and the ease of music delivery from Spotify/iTunes Music = they'll be contacting clubs and studios with “revised” (read more expensive) license agreements.
As someone who prefers to maintain a level of fair exchange, I can't begrudge them for asking a higher rate than a sports bar or restaurant would pay. My only hope is that club/studio owners/managers recognise the value great music brings to our classes and not follow the LA Fitness path that pretends to save money by enforcing canned Muzac use by their Instructors 🙁
I just became aware of a new Indiegogo campaign for an innovative* method of pedaling a bicycle. Similar in functionality to a KrankCycle, the Caron Bicycle uses independent left/right crankarms that create 6 different pedalling movements.
They have their crankset installed on a conventional IC in this video. Watch and then tell me if you feel these added exercises would improve your class… or is it just a solution in search of a problem that doesn't really exist?
This animated video shows the various muscle activation from the different pedalling techniques.
*I'd be curious to know if Matrix has patents on the KrankCycle that would extend to a leg powered bicycle?
In case you haven't seen the KrankCycle in action:
Caron claims this on their campaign page:
Technology for CARON Bicycle is protected by patents worldwide, including US Pat. No. 7,544,139.
It might be cool to observe power output – especially during one legged work 🙂
During an office-clearing project, I found an article I wrote years ago about a book by Hirschman and Munter. They advocate 3 rules for approaching food whenever you feel like eating.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Rule 1: Ask yourself if you’re hungry.
The purpose of food is to fuel us when our bodies need it. That’s signaled by physical hunger. Asking this question over and over reinforces the critical connection between hunger and eating.
Rule 2: Ask yourself what you’re hungry for, what you feel like eating.
The idea is to tune in to what your body is telling you. This assumes that the body will know what it needs nutritionally. You can then choose in accordance with that.
Rule 3: Stop eating when you’ve had enough.
This also involves tuning in to what your body is telling you and recognizing the feeling of “comfortable fullness” as the right amount of food.
Take it from a sugar addiction expert: these 3 rules could easily backfire when it comes to sugar.
Why Don’t They Work When Sugar’s Involved?
First, clients who eat sugar frequently may not get hungry. As explained in a previous post, my research hasn’t yet uncovered a solid explanation for exactly why that is. Still, too many clients have described this phenomenon for me to think it’s not real.
These clients may even get symptoms (headaches, queasiness, and so on) instead of physical hunger. The symptoms can typically be traced back to low glucose.
Second, it’s not surprising that someone who’s hooked on sugar feels like eating sugar. Frequently.
How can it be helpful to tell someone who’s going through sugar withdrawal — which may include cravings — to tune in to the body and eat what she/he wants?
Third, the comfort stopping point works well only for those who tend to eat to fuel.
It’s not always easy to stop eating sugar at the comfort point if (and when) the client’s “relationship” with sugary foods is based on satisfying a craving or an addictive urge.
Athletic Training Theories Apply To Sugar Addiction?
From my coach, I learned that the purpose of training is to bring consciousness to the process.
When athletes talked about the pain of athletic training, the coach would say that pain stimulates resistance. But through continued training — and by adding consciousness to it — our response to pain changes. We become nonreactive to it.
It doesn’t feel any better, he’d say. It just doesn’t bother us as much.
Once you remove an addictive substance, like sugar, from the diet, the body may start to display different signals. Hunger pangs may return — or show up for the first time — reflecting the body’s needs. Control over food may increase. Appetite may decrease. Awareness may increase and unconscious reactions decrease.
Significantly, over time, we become less and less reactive to external sugar triggers.
The triggers might include the sight of appetizing foods, the delicious smell of baking cookies — or even sounds that bring on cravings. For example, someone fond of candy might have been triggered in the past by the sound of someone unwrapping a candy bar. Once they’ve been “off” sugar for a while, that sound could become less automatic in triggering the desire to eat candy.
It’s not that the foods lose their appeal; it’s just that they bother us less.
These changes may take time, but staying off sugar long-term could be considered continued, long-term training.[/wlm_private]
[Part 2 will cover athletics and sugar addiction.]
Healthful omega-3 fats are found in such foods as fatty fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts and walnut oil, and leafy green vegetables. Other top sources of fats include raw coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds. With nuts and seeds, raw is better than roasted.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Higher intake of omega-3 fats may be associated with decreased incidence of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. A diet lacking omega-3s may result in cognitive or behavioral problems, or such conditions as dementia, schizophrenia and more.
High triglycerides (blood fats) have been shown to be associated with depression, aggression and hostility. Omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in preventing high triglyceride levels.
As an additional benefit, fats can increase satiety. When fats (or proteins) first enter the small intestine, they trigger the release of a hormone known as CCK (cholecystokinin), which produces satiety, the feeling that we’ve had enough food. Interestingly, CCK cuts down our carb consumption and carb cravings specifically. A diet too low in fats can thus result in cravings and overeating.
For all of these reasons, it’s good to eat some healthful fats with your meals.
Do You Often Eat the Wrong Carbs?
Lets start with leafy green vegetables. Do you eat enough of them? Enough would be 3 to 5 cups per day, every day. But how do vegetables affect your mood?
Leafy vegetables contain folate. A diet that’s deficient in folate can result in low serotonin production, which in turn can cause possible depression. Build big salads from a variety of “serious” greens (kale, spinach, arugula, chard and more). Not iceberg lettuce! Eat these serious salads every day. (And other vegetables, too.)
On the other hand, a diet too high in the wrong carbs — meaning starchy or sweet carbs — will trigger high levels of insulin. Some people, called carbohydrate sensitive, release extra insulin when they eat these types of carbs. That can actually change the neurochemical balance of the brain.
To give just one example, a high-carb diet can make you insulin resistant. This is not always recognized. We typically hear that insulin resistance is a result of overweight — but it can also be caused by diet.
Insulin action is necessary for the production of serotonin. So insulin resistance could cut down on serotonin production, leading to depression or other dysphoric (rotten) moods.
When you eat carbohydrates, emphasize vegetables, lentils, beans, rice, or root vegetables — such as yams, turnips or parsnips. These would be more desirable than always turning to pastas and breads, which may trigger more insulin. Research has shown that, in general, wheat tends to trigger higher levels of insulin resistance than other starchy carbs.
And always keep your intake of sugar to a minimum — or eliminate it altogether.
Do You Drink Alcohol Regularly or Frequently?
Regular use of alcohol may either cause, or exaggerate, low brain levels of serotonin. Alcohol can do that in a couple of ways. One is by causing malabsorption of folate. Another is by actively destroying vitamin B6.
As explained above, folate and B6 are both necessary for serotonin production. Also stated above, B6 is necessary for production of norepinephrine and dopamine, as well.
So drinking alcohol frequently can result in depression and other mood disorders, resulting from low levels of these 3 important brain chemicals.
In addition, alcohol use can cause reactive hypoglycemia, a condition of low blood glucose following the consumption of alcohol. Reactive hypoglycemia results from the high insulin levels triggered by alcohol. High insulin may then cause glucose to drop — quickly and quite low.
Reactive hypoglycemia is associated with various mood-state disorders, such as depression, irritability, outbursts, or temper tantrums. If you want to keep your moods even, whenever you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
Finally, low serotonin is often associated with cravings, especially for carbohydrate foods. To help keep serotonin levels adequate, limit alcohol consumption. Drink less often or have fewer drinks when you do drink.
There’s much more we could say about bad moods and foods. For example, bad moods can bring on cravings, typically for carbohydrates — and not the good kind. PMS or stress can also bring on cravings. But what causes cravings is a topic for another post.
Sticking with the current topic, if your diet tends to be high in white flour or sugar, or if it tends to be low in protein, good fats, complex starches, or veggies — or if you drink alcohol frequently — please try these general guidelines:
– Eat lean protein throughout the day. Lean protein would include fish, shrimp, eggs, chicken, or unsweetened protein powder.
– At lunchtime, avoid or limit starchy or sweet carbs.
– Eat plenty of vegetables, especially leafy greens, throughout the day.
– Whenever possible, select complex carbs — such as quinoa, lentils, turnips, squash — rather than white flour products.
– Include some healthful fats in each of your meals or snacks.
– Limit your alcohol consumption.
These general guidelines may help you improve your mood and increase your energy levels — whatever you may be doing throughout your day or week.[/wlm_private]
You may also find that your food cravings will diminish and — along with them — the urge to overeat!
In advance of recording her new Audio Profile Beat Down, Instructor Krista Leopold and I discussed her need to take a break from teaching. With a demanding tech job, along with being an active soccer mom, Krista explains why she decided to step away from regularly scheduled Spinning® classes in this episode of the Podcast.
This ties in with my moving to Florida and having to give up my classes at Life Time Fitness. So for the first time in 17 years I don't have a scheduled class next week 🙁 Not sure how I'm going to feel, once this sinks in…
For those of you who are still teaching, we've published Krista's profile Beat Down for our ICI/PRO members. It's going to include a special treat – a fully mixed MP3 of the complete class playlist!
