Neuroplasticity

            Neuroplasticity is often used to describe the changes in the brain throughout a life span. But how do things change in our brains? First, its important to know the basic anatomy and physiology of the brain. Neurons are studied based on how they synapse with other neurons that influence change through out our brains. Some changes include physical changes of neurons, cortical remapping as a result of injury, behavior, thought and emotions. Neurons in our brains reorganize pathways, create new connections and, in some cases, even create new neurons. There are four ways neuroplasticity can happen, it can vary by age depending on what changes more in control during a specific period. Other types of neurons may under go plasticity such as glial and vascular cells, plasticity may be a resulting of learning or recovering from brain injury. Lastly genetics and a person’s environment or how they react to their environment is the fourth reason for plasticity. There are two ways that these can happen. Functional plasticity is the brains ability to change and rearrange itself because it has to because it has been damaged, so it takes information and creates synapses to undamaged areas of the brain. Structural plasticity is the brains ability to change the physical structure of neurons as a result of learning.

            A neuron is a type of cells found in the body that is electrically excited and used to help the brain communicate within its self and to the rest of the body to maintain and control various functions of the body. Neurons are made up of a body, axon, and dendrites which are fingerlike projections used to communicate with each other. They change over time by increasing the number of dendrites. The more that we learn and are being challenged, especially after being injured, our brain has to figure out how we can modify a behavior, thought, or even physical ability. The move we have to adapt to specific demands, our brain is forced to then “grow”, change or adapt itself as well. Although we may not be able to form new neurons, new connections are able to form over a life span. Because neurons can change over time, the more signals sent between two neurons, the stronger the connections grows. With each new experience, lesson, or event, the brain slightly rewires itself thanks to the functioning, support, and nourishment of glial cells. We are able to understand this by using electrodes and tracking electrical and chemical signals given off by neurons.

            Growth mindset is the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. This is a huge part of how we can increase those synaptic connections that can make our brain grow. As we learn things, we remember them and form pathways and connections to solve a problem. Growth mindset is the cognitive behavior and belief about the development of one’s own intelligence.

"Good Habits, Bad Habits?"

“Good Habits, Bad Habits”

            Have you ever developed a habit and wondered why you developed that habit in first place? Good or bad habits like going to the gym every morning or reaching for that cookie before bed are habits that we develop that begin in our brains. Since the habitual behaviors are so hard to break, scientists are now trying to figure out how to break the habit. If scientists can learn how we can break these habits then we can learn how to form new habits, to break off old ones without using self-medication, and instead behavioral therapy. Advances in mental health would treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, fear, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

            Habit has been defined as a repetitive behavior that could eventually become a routine. Habits are formed when we explore a behavior and enjoy it or get something positive out of it. Generally, these habits form a routine when we receive some type of benefit. The more a behavior becomes a routine the less and less we become aware of the habit. Sometimes this can interfere with our daily lives, for example, you sometimes may find yourself asking, and did I lock the front door? Did I turn off the stove? Other times it can work against us when we allow bad or addictive habits to control us, such as, grabbing a cookie before leaving the kitchen or reaching for a small glass of wine upon getting home from work. Eventually, habits can become an addiction rather than controlled by conscious thought and behavior.

             A test using lab rats was conducted in the 1980s by British psychologist, Anthony Dickinson and his colleagues, who taught lab rats to press a lever then received treats as a reward.  When the lab rats pressed another lever they were rewarded with something unpleasant. Now that these lab rats have explored these levers, the next step was to let them determine which behavior they wanted to purposefully choose. The lab rats choose the reward that was pleasant, this is a formed a habit. On the other hand, the unpleasant reward was not chosen because it is a behavior that would not be mindfully chosen thus, not habit forming. The exploration of habits is controlled and monitored by our prefrontal cortex and striatum, which helps us figure out what works and doesn’t work, just as they observed in the lab rats. This is the first step to forming a habit, now that we have explored a habit we can now form it into a routine.

            In the second process, neurons in our brains will chunk together to make up a cluster of actions and keep it stored in our brains circuits. In our brain, multiple circuits interconnect in regions called the sensorimotor cortex and striatum. These become strongly engaged when we perform the given habit. As we repeat the behavior, this system relies on dopamine, and is a positive feedback loop, which makes us want to do it again. This habit is stored in chunks of neuron activity and stored within the striatum so we remember what actions to take to do it again.  

            Scientists saw that after the lab rats had been trained for while, there was a difference in the infralimbic cortex, the part of the brain that imprints the habit, thus permitting the habit to continue before sending the message to the entire brain. They found that the infralimbic system was in charge of deciding whether or not to keep the habit or kick it. The reason is to make sure that we want to keep this habit going, otherwise, if we don’t want it, we still have a chance to get rid of it. This region of the brain is important for finalizing the semi-permanent behavior to the rest of the brain so that it becomes an unconscious repetitive habit.

            How do I kick my bad habits or turn bad ones into good ones? Scientist have used a technique called optogenetics that places a light-sensitive molecule in the infralibic cortex, where we finalize habits. By doing this they found that they were able to block the habit in the rats entirely. What about old habits? Scientists found that when they blocked a new habit, the old one reappeared in seconds. This is because our “unconscious” brain is up and working even though we may not be thinking about or paying attention. In other words, although habits or behaviors may seem automatic, a section in our neocortex is always actively monitoring our habits. We can combat the bad habits by visually or physically monitoring ourselves. For example, removing it entirely could interrupt the habit of reaching for the candy jar while watching television in the living room. Another example is if you want to condition yourself to exercise in the morning, try wearing your workout clothes or shoes to bed or lay them out so that you could go running in the morning. This way you are either avoiding the habit all together or consciously conditioning yourself to keep up a good one.

            By changing behavior and forcefully and consciously repeating them, you can find yourself weeding out the bad habits and forming new and healthy ones. Once we know how something in our body works we can learn how to manipulate it to our advantage. This article is a great example of how we can use science and information to better our lives. I would say that we are far from zapping a bad habit for good, but discoveries like this says a lot about how well we can adapt and improve our lives for the better. We are that much better to improving and advancing in the medical field, such as in mental health, to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, fear, or post-traumatic stress disorder. If there is one thing that we know, it is a lot easier to understand how we come to form habits and what we can do kick the ones we don’t want.

500K Class

500k

In this class each each person is given a heart rate monitor which calculates your live heart rate as well as calories during your 30 min workout. 250kcal is the goal to beat for ladies and 500kcal for men. Alex burned over 700 calories (his highest ever) and another female client almost hit the guys goal with 453 calories to end! Nice work everyone!

The great thing about this class is that YOU dictate how hard you work! Challenge yourself to see how many calories you can burn!

Weekly Meal Planner

This template can be used to start your food journaling and to meal prep for the week. In addition you can add grocery items to the bottom of the page and take with you to the market! This is also a great way to help budget your monthly food expenses. 

I can't wait to see what you have got for me!

Power Wave Teaser Workout

Beauty Detox Solution: Our Body Dictated By Nature

It’s not by choice how we understand what foods work best for our systems, but rather dictated by nature as the chapter title argues. Kimberly Snyder makes it a point to relate our digestive tract and liver to those of plant and meat eating animals. Like monkeys we have the front teeth to open hard nuts and shells and flat teeth to grind vegetables and leaves. Tigers on the other hand, have sharp fangs and claws to rip the flesh of their prey. The point is that our digestive tract, stomach, and liver work differently than carnivorous animals as do the physical traits that we poses. The human liver has a low tolerance for uric acid which is a by-product of consuming animal meat. “In contrast”, marks Snyder, “the liver of the carnivorous tiger contains uricase, which is an enzyme to break down uric acid… this enzyme gives the carnivorous tiger’s liver about fifteen times the capacity to break down uric acid from animal protein than human liver has” (2). In summary, humans’ digestive tract, stomach, and liver are designed to tolerate so much of certain foods and in this chapter Snyder breaks down the effects of over consuming animal protein and how this all ties into The Beauty Detox Solution.

Snyder professes, “the key to being your healthiest, more beautiful self is eating the way your body was designed to eat” (3). The liver is one of the largest organ in human’s body and is in charge of metabolizing fat and cleansing the body of toxins. Snyder explains digesting too much or  just enough animal protein creates all sort of problems for the body such as purines, uric acid, and ammonia. Snyder cites Gabriel Cousens, M.D., author of Conscious Eating where he discusses how ammonia is a by-product of animal meat that actually contributes to the cause of aging or looking older as it also depletes the body’s energy. This is not something all of us want; we want to too look young and vibrant… so why are we filling our body with toxins and wasting our body’s energy from being productive? I was taught that if I want to be strong and healthy i was supposed to eat lots of meat. While this may work for some, it may not work for others, and it is certainly an attitude that most of us have adopted due to factors such as culture, religion, and society. Many studies show that that there is a high correlation between consuming animal protein and numerous health issues including heart disease, cancer, kidney failure, constipation, gout, gallstones, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, osteoporosis and diabetes. All of these sound pretty scary but I’m sure Kimberly Synder is not trying to scare us away from meats or convert us to vegetarians.

 

I believe her message (and mine) is to be aware of your own body’s reactions to foods, specifically meat. Journal your reactions to different kinds of meat and which kinds of meat you prefer over others. For example, beef is not my favorite meat and in fact leaves me feeling hungry, sluggish, and sometimes sick if I eat too much. If and when I do eat meat I prefer chicken breast or turkey. My overall point in presenting this section of the book is to remind you to be aware of your eating habits as well as the reaction your body has to certain foods; find what foods works for you and find your go to foods and no-no foods.

The Beauty Detox Solution: Introduction

The reason for reading the Beauty Detox Solution is to bring out our inner beauty; the glow that we all know we have within us. So how do we get there? Well … we can start by understanding how our digestive tract works. By understanding what foods work for our system, we can influence the way we look and feel, as the saying goes “you are what you eat”!

In the world of fitness and nutrition, I do my best to keep an open mind at all the various conversation that goes on—after all we are still trying to figure out how the human body works and operates. I found myself at a Target 3 years ago roaming around the fitness and nutrition section when a Green covered book caught my eye—on the front cover read The Beauty Detox Solution: eat your way to radiant skin, renewed energy and the body you’ve always wanted. I Said to myself, “Yes. I want to beautiful and have a have that body I have always wanted”. I share my thoughts on this book and break down the essence of what I believe to be Kimberly 
Sybnder’s mission and share her knowledge as a reader of hers.

After reading the introduction, I am excited to get started on re-reading her informative Detox Beauty Solution. Synder states that her mission upon writing the book is to learn, “ how to unlock your highest potential beauty and achieve optimal health” as well as to help free up precious time  and energy from health gimmicks to debilitating diets and cleanses.

Beauty, defined by Kimberly Snyder, “should be deep, lasting and magnetic, and grow from the inside out”(Xii),in other words beauty is not only the appearance but a reflection of the health of the inside of your body, in other words Synder marks, “A woman who just glows”, if you are healthy inside then you will be and feel healthy on the outside.

Snyder tells us about her professional and even more interestingly her personal experiences during her 3 year around the world experiences of immersing herself in cultures. She explains that in Thailand fruit is culturally important and she discovered that coconut oil can be used to nourish the skin and in China she learned that the beautiful glowing women eat goji berries and focused on medicinal herbs, whereas in India she discovered her passion for yoga, and last but not least she found that in Africa, women use natural shea butter on their skin. Since being influenced from her travels Synder has created her philosophy of living a healthier and fuller life by introducing three Beauty Detox Phases.