It's all perspective

Yes sir…I’ll see you Friday at 10:00 for your consultation!

I always look forward to doing nutritional consultations. It gives me the opportunity to inform people about the many misconceptions within the health and fitness industry. Occasionally during these moments, I’m reminded of the battle fitness experts are up against.

It’s interesting how perceptions dictate our attitude. Example…I think eating healthy is the most important thing I can do for my physical and mental health. Therefore I look forward to eating nutritious food that nourish my body and feeds my mind.

But for others…eating foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat are given high esteem. Eating healthy for these people is perceived as bland, restrictive, very boring, and simply not living life. These people see little benefit in eating healthy. (Of course they all can tell you about the person they knew who ate healthy their whole life and died young)

Back to my consult:

(This is a true story…Mr. Neck and I have known each other outside the gym… I have changed the name to protect the guilty)

Kelly:  Hello Mr. Neck, How are you doing?  Tell me your goals?

Mr. Neck:  Well…my doctor tells me I need to lose weight.

Kelly:  Did your doctor recommend you lose weight because of health reasons? (I already knew the answer…Mr. Neck was breathing hard just from walking in the door)

Mr. Neck:  Well…the Doc said I have high blood pressure, I’m type 2 diabetic, my cholesterol is high, and I have sleep apnea.

Kelly:  Ok. The first thing we need to discuss is your nutrition. Could you tell me what a typical breakfast looks like for you?

Mr. Neck:  Well…I have 4 eggs cooked in butter…hash browns…3 biscuits...buttered…2 cups of coffee with whole milk and 6 cubes of sugar. My family basically has the same thing…my kids may have a couple extra twinkes or ding dongs. (I didn’t know they still made ding dongs)

Kelly:  I definitely see some things we can work on.

Mr. Neck:  What do you do for breakfast?

Kelly:  I would never recommend someone do what I do. I have been eating the same meal for breakfast for 20 years. Most of our clients like variety and that’s what we are going to discuss for you today.

Mr. Neck:  Well what do you eat?

Kelly:  I have ½ cup of Grits…1 small box of raisins…and protein powder.

Mr. Neck:  What does your family eat for breakfast?

Kelly:  Well…pretty much the same. They vary theirs a little more with whole wheat tortillas and egg whites, or many of the whole wheat type cereals with skim milk.

Mr. Neck:  (Bewildered tone) Well…I can’t believe your kids eat that s___!

Kelly:  (I replied) It’s just as hard for me to believe your kids the s___ you mentioned.

Mr. Neck and I continued on with the consultation but the mood was never the same. Mr. Neck trained for one year and never changed his diet. He simply could not change the eating habits that created his health problems. Unfortunately his family has followed his lead.

I guess when it comes to food - it’s all a matter of perspective.

I'm Trying to Eat Better

Have you ever noticed how many people are offended by people who are fit, or people who are making an effort to change their lives? 

Take this for instance…My family and I went out to eat at a Mexican food restaurant one evening. I couldn’t eat because I was training for a bodybuilding competition. If you have ever seen anyone in contest shape, it is very obvious because of how lean they appear.   

As we walked toward the restaurant, a very overweight couple… eating ice cream… walked out of the door. When they noticed the veins in my arms they both looked at each other in disgust. (Note…I had on a regular polo type shirt…not a tank top)

So…what’s up with that?

How about the times I have taken my food on trips, only to be made fun of by others who are not so health conscious?   

These are just a few of the experiences I’ve encountered during my 25 years of being a personal trainer.

This is not only a problem for me, but it is a problem that many of my clients face when they try to change their lifestyle.

Let’s face it…a large part of the lifestyle we live is because of our environment. (Environment meaning friends and family)

Whenever we start to change our lifestyle, our “environment” becomes uncomfortable.

A friend or family member will ask… “You want to get some pizza?”…you respond, “No thank you…I’m tying to watch what I eat”…

Wow!!! You just created a cognitive conflict.

For many it will put them in a very defensive position. Most of the comments you will hear are:

~Oh…what’s wrong with you?

~ Or the sympathetic…oh…is there something wrong?

~ What?…do you think you are better than us?

~ Do you have an eating disorder?

~ Watch out guys…here comes Kelly (followed by several uncomfortable laughs)

Why is it that our friends, family or people in general feel the need to say unkind things and criticize peoples efforts to become better?

Social psychologists have extensively studied this type of behavior. These negative comments are indicative of a pattern… one desires something… finds it unattainable… and reduces one's dissonance (state of mental conflict) by criticizing it.

The, “I’m trying to watch what I eat” comment puts people in a state of Cognitive dissonance. (CD) CD is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously.

People may feel surprise, dread, guilt, anger, or embarrassment. People are biased to think of their comments as correct, despite any pain that might be experienced by their healthy counterparts. This bias gives the dissonance theory its predictive power, shedding light on otherwise puzzling irrational and destructive behavior in their comments.

Your comment…”I’m trying to watch what I eat” is perceived by our friends as a personal attack. When you decide to change your life by eating better and working out, you are reminding them that they should start taking responsibility and creating a healthier lifestyle. You are basically shining a light on something they know they need to change.

For any body out there who is considering making a change, realize your efforts may be met with resistance from those closest to you… But don’t let THEIR discomfort discourage you from making your life healthier.

Your number one priority is you and your family.    

Yeah...that's it....

As I turned around, I saw a few boys laughing after my son, Konnor, sarcastically made that comment.

There was a  young man in our sports training class was commenting that he could have lifted the weight if he would have just slid back on the bench a little further...to which my son replied...Yeah...that's it…..

Konnor’s comment reminded me of all the times I thought...Yeah...that's it….

~ I'm big boned

~ I have a slow metabolism   

~ You would be amazed at how little I eat

~ I think I have low Thyroid

~You’re just blessed

~ It’s easier for you

~ I eat a lot of salads

~ I don’t have time

~ Eating healthy is expensive

~ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

~ Fibromyalgia

~ My dad’s big...my mom’s big...I can’t change what I can’t control 

~ I'm insulin resistant...therefore I'm over weight (No...You’re over weight...therefore          your insulin resistant)

~ Well... it said low-carb.  

~ I'm addicted to sugar 

~ If my knees didn't hurt I could walk more

~ I need to run more

~ I need to spin more

~ I need to weight train more

~ I need to Zumba more

(Anything other than the obvious…we need to eat healthy)

Einstein once said… “The world we have made is a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far. This creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them”.

Self-sabotaging patterns of thoughts and behavior will forever define you as a person.  I’m sure you’ve heard…”If you continue to believe as you have always believed… you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted… you will continue to get what you have always gotten”.

If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.

How do you want your life to be?

                                                                                               

Illusions of Truth

Let’s suppose for a moment that a group of prisoners have been bound together in a cave from birth. The prisoners are positioned so they can only look forward. Behind them is a road on which individuals pass, carrying a variety of objects. Behind the road a fire is blazing, causing a projection of shadows of the travelers and the objects onto the wall in front of the prisoners.

The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game; naming the shapes as they are cast on the cave wall. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who play poorly.

The story continues with one prisoner breaking free. When he turns around he is blinded by the light. Once his eyes adjust, he is able to see that the light is coming from the fire. Then he sees people walking in front of the fire that is casting the shadows on the wall. As they speak, the prisoner realizes their voices are bouncing off the wall and appear to come from the shadows. This is a moment of enlightenment.

Once enlightenment occurs, one is compelled to lead one from ignorance toward wisdom.
The enlightened prisoner would go back to the others and try to explain that what they were seeing were mere perceptual illusions.

Due to the conditioning these people have experienced their whole life it will be almost impossible to understand what the enlightened prisoner is trying to tell them.

~ Plato’s Allegory of the Cave


Describing the shadows in health and fitness by so called “fitness experts” is the major problem in helping people overcoming their issues with food. Education is of utmost importance…but if your information is flawed, you will be confined to a life of eternal frustration.

In my profession, personal training, I see this dilemma a lot. People come to me with preconceived notions about the “truth” of health and fitness. Their truth comes to them in the form of family, friends, books, and infomercials. (Shadows) These sources of information lead to illusions of truth.

Take a look at these illusionists…

~“Watch the fat melt away instantly as a healthier, firmer body emerges. Enjoy more energy as well as freedom from the symptoms of everything from diabetes to heart disease.” –Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution.

~“No measuring… No counting calories… Eat anything you want once a day.”
-The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet.

~“If your blood type is O, you should eat meat, cut out wheat and grains, and engage in vigorous aerobic exercise…If your blood type is A you should be a vegetarian and engage in gentle exercise like yoga….” -Eating Right 4 Your Type

~“The Zone is….that mysterious but very real state in which your body and mind work together at their ultimate best…the mind is relaxed, yet alert and exquisitely focused…. The body is fluid, strong, and apparently indefatigable. It’s almost euphoric. There are no distractions, and time seems to slow down to a graceful waltz”. -The Zone Diet, by Barry Sears.

In David Eagleman book, “Incognito”, he speaks of this real world manifestation of implicit memory know as the “illusion of truth effect”: you are more likely to believe that a statement is true if you have heard it before…whether or not it is actually true.

A simple pairing of these nutritional concepts from above can be enough to induce an unconscious association and, eventually, the sense that there is something familiar and true about the pairing.

It is important to understand that human nature has two sides (please understand that I am simplifying)…an emotional side and a logical side. The emotional side is triggered by our unconscious associations/memories. The logical side is conscious thoughts.

Our unconscious memories are stored deep within the limbic area (emotions) of the brain. If we do decide to try one of these diets from above, you are somewhat aware (unconsciously) of the claims proposed by the authors. What this leads to is memories that are stored and incorrect. These flawed memories lead to actions that are destructive to our goals. (The dilemma of perception)

Example of a professional dieter…

The moment you step on the scales and see weight loss, you reinforce your belief that “this is the diet for you”. Your Amygdala (memory) has stimulated the Nucleus Accumbens (brains pleasure center) which creates an illusion of success. (Most times the weight lost on the programs above come from muscle and water loss which leads to a decrease in your metabolism)

Had this person stepped on the scales and not lost weight, their Amygdala would have stimulated their Insula… which would have created and aversion toward their program. (This program may have been working…you could have lost fat and built muscle which would have registered as no weight loss)

Perceiving weight loss as success, verses no weight loss as failure, is the cognitive hiccup in all of our efforts for life long weight management.

So I guess the question is…”What do we do?” To begin with we must pursue knowledge without any interference of our emotions (confirmation bias). Keep in mind the “health experts” (shadows) often pray on our emotions. They attract that deep desire for what we have always longed for. Remember the words they used…“Instant, freedom, no measuring, no counting, anything you want, and almost euphoric.” These words lift us to incredible highs only to bring us crashing back down

Schopenhauer once said… “It’s as if life consists of an unending cycle of needs and need of satisfaction. When the need is satisfied, we experience momentary satisfaction, which last only until another need arises, and on it goes”.

It is very important to enjoy the emotions that gives our World color and brings happiness and meaning to our lives. But it is especially important to acknowledge the emotional responses that bring pain and frustration.

In our search for Shalom, (absence of struggle) logic is required. It won’t always be fun and exciting, but it will always be the best decision for long term happiness.

The secret for happiness begins with personal awareness… then proceed to educating yourself from an empirical perspective. (The scientific method)

Always remember there is nothing harder than breaking flawed neurological patterns of belief.

It is only through awareness and education that we will ever achieve enlightenment…and it is only then that true knowledge will manifest itself in our newly created reality of a healthy mind and healthy body.

Appetites

“The lives of many humans are governed by nothing more than the pleasure and pain that comes from the satisfaction and frustration of appetites. Appetites and reason are part of every human, but his or her character is revealed by which of the two dominates”
Aristotle


~Why do I continue to spend more than I make?

~Why do most of my relationships fail?

~Why do I continually sabotage all of my efforts in becoming a healthier person?

I want happiness; why do I continue to do things that increase my anger, anxiety, and frustration?

Shantideva… an 8th-century Indian Buddhist scholar stated it best…“ I yearn to be free of pain but rush straight into it; I long for happiness, but foolishly crush it like an enemy”.

To understand this human conundrum requires a basic understanding of neural anatomy. The human brain is the most complex organism in the human body. There are over one hundred billion nerve cells that work together creating consciousness. Add to this the shocking complexity of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of neural functions occurring at the same time. Making a rational decision can sometimes be a daunting task.

Within the brain lies the executive coordinator...the Frontal Lobe. The Frontal lobe (FL) is the most evolved part of the brain, and is responsible for executive functions such as watching, supervising, filtering, guiding, and directing your behavior. It is the executor of our logical, rational decisions.

The (FL) is the chariot driver in Plato's allegory of the charioteer. Plato imaged the mind as a chariot being pulled by two horses. The rational brain, (FL) he said, is the charioteer: it holds the reins and decides where the horses run. If the horses get out of control, the charioteer (FL) just needs to take out his whip and reassert authority. The horses represent an area of the brain known as the Limbic system. The limbic system (LS) is a term for a set of brain structures that functions include the regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, hunger, thirst, sexual arousal, memory, and associations of reward, pleasure, and addiction. The job of the charioteer (FL) is to keep the horses (LS) from running wild and moving forward.

With that single metaphor, Plato divided the mind into two separate spheres. The soul (mind) was seen as conflicted... torn between reason and emotion. When the driver and horses wanted different things, Plato said, it was essential to listen to the driver (FL). "If the elements of the mind which lead to order and philosophy prevail," he wrote, "then we can lead a life here in happiness and harmony, masters of ourselves." The alternative he warned was a life governed by impulsive emotions. If we follow the horses (LS), we will be led like “a fool into the world below.”

All sorts of neural battles often lie behind our obsession with food. We make promises to start tomorrow, only to find ourselves falling back into the same behavioral patterns of our past.

Most of our behaviors are conditioned responses. Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) is a form of associative learning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov. The typical procedure for inducing classical conditioning involves presentations of a neutral stimulus along with a stimulus of some significance. Pavlov referred to this as a conditioned stimulus (CS). (Wiki.Classical conditioning)

It is very important that we first understand the learning patterns of behavior before we can direct them. The human mind works a lot like a computer. Computers and the human brain are machines of memory and application. When it comes to computers, specific commands can be given which can provide specific information… A lot like our brain.

The big difference between computers and our brain lies in the programming.
The memory stored in our computers is void of any subjective interpretation…meaning memory is stored without any emotional attachment (except the attachments of the programmer). Let’s suppose for our purpose that the programmer (charioteer) is entering information based on science that is void of any vested interest. Any time a program is call upon, the best factual information will be presented. This is the big difference when compared with the brain.

All human memories are stored in an area of our brain (amygdala) that is paired with emotions. Unfortunately this can lead to beliefs that are not factual and actually takes us further away from our goals. This dilemma is exemplified in Fad diets…fad diets create flawed neurological patterns of beliefs.
(i.e., Adkins...The Zone...Sugar Busters...HCG)

Once an incorrect belief pattern becomes established within the memory cortexes of your brain, it becomes difficult to change. The more often you receive a pairing of a specific stimulus (i.e. emotions and food) the more established the nerve pattern becomes and the more conditioned response is established.

This condition is often referred to as… “The Life-process Model of Addiction” This view is that addiction is not a disease but rather a habitual response (conditioning) and a source of gratification and security that can be understood only in the context of social relationships and experiences.

As we evolve in our personal understanding of ourselves, be constantly aware of your emotions and the behaviors that follow. All behaviors have consequences.

Strive to become the Charioteer in your life or the wild horse will do as wild horses do…run wild.