Thrive Forward

Woke up all excited to go for a run this morning. Well... it snowed. Like really, it snowed... on March 18th. Sigh! Treadmill it was!

Apart from that my day was good. Met another prof today :) The interview went well and I felt like our personalities matched. The lab itself however was very very quiet and introverted. Yet, it's productive so I can't complain. Also, I got my acceptance for the Nutritional Science Grad School Program. Wohoo! Now contacting more profs, and more interviews... It never ends!!!

The day was nicely finished with some hot yoga and now me writing this post.

Today I wanted to highlight an athlete who I have began to admire the last few days. I'm talking about Brendan Brazier, a ironman triathlete, "Vega" company owner, and author of "Thrive". He's another one of those athletes who contribute their success to being vegan and he actually did a whole TEDx talk about how he came about his diet. Definitely worth a watch if you're thinking of transitioning to a more plant based diet. Even if not, he's just such a great speaker and I love his sincere tone. I don't know what it is about this guy, but it feels like everything he says is coming from his heart :)

The amazing thing about Brendan is that he created this program called Thrive Forward which contains a bunch of videos related to nutrition and a bunch of stress related disorders. Do check it out! It's absolutely FREE!!! I've spent the last two days watching these videos so I thought I'd share what I learnt :)

Key Philosophies
* Add things to your diet instead of taking things out
* Improvement not perfection ;)
* Plant based foods are the most nutrient dense- have a high net gain nutrition
* Energy from nourishment not stimulation (caffeine, loud music, energy drinks, sugar)
* Caffeine is ok (when you have exams/ deadlines) but remember that it creates "biological debt" and you will have lower energy levels after the effects wear off


Traveling
* Keep with you energy bars, fruits and granola mixes while on the road
* Ask for a mini fridge in your hotel room
* Go to ethnic restaurants like Mediterranean or Ethiopian for more plant friendly foods

Libido
* "Libido starts at the grocery store"
* Stress/ cortisol severely decreases libido
* Obesity has a huge impact on Erectile Dysfunction (I've learned in anatomy that ED is a major symptom for heart disease)

Cortisol/ Stress
* We all have a stress threshold, if you go over it you will get cravings, poor digestion, premature aging, and frequent flu's
* Cortisol negatively impacts other hormones (amenorrhea), raises blood glucose levels (takes it away from muscle which causes muscle wasting) and leads to weight gain
* Cortisol temporary boosts your immune system but it crashes after the cortisol levels go back to normal. So you usually get sick right after a stressful event not during it.

Miscellaneous
* Immune system boosting foods- turmeric, hot pepper, garlic, ginger, brocolli, shitake mushrooms, probiotics, green tea, citrus fruit, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds
* Running activates the right (creative) side of your brain which promotes mental clarity and creativity
* Your body blood pH will always stay at 7.35 regardless of what you eat. However, when you consume a lot of acid producing foods (meat, dairy, processed crap) then the body will compensate by releasing calcium from your bones.
* Dehydration is a big factor in fatigue as it decreases your blood volume and more works needs to be done to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body.

Are there any athletes that you guys look up to? How have they influence you?