Mark Divine's Blog, page 54

Weekly Monster Mash – 4/15/2016

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, then ROM Drills.

Work Capacity: 90 minute AMRAP:

1 mile run
50x burpee

Durability: Kokoro yoga or Active Stretch. Hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes.

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Published on April 14, 2017 18:00

The Mark Divine BLOG: Nootropics and Qualia

A topic I’m asked about often is nootropics. I’ve discussed nootropics on the Unbeatable Mind Podcast with awesome folks like Ben Greenfield and Mike Bledsoe. But most of the questions I get stem from an interview I did with Daniel Schmachtenberger, founder of the Emergence Project and a member of the Neurohacker Collective. The Neurohacker Collective has done a significant amount of research on enhancing physical and cognitive performance and has developed the nootropic, Qualia.

I’ve been using Qualia for a while now and I’m definitely experiencing some positive benefits from it. I’m not really big on supplementation. Most people know that I don’t like a lot of gadgets and I don’t like to have to take a lot of things because they run out and then you have to worry about them. You have to go buy another set or whatever, and it’s expensive. But if there’s one thing that I won’t do without now, it’s Qualia. I can let my fish-oil run out, and I can let my multivitamins run out, but I don’t want to let the Qualia run out. That’s extraordinary for me to kind of get to that point where “Wow. This is cool.” So, I wanted to put that out there, that I do endorse this product. I think it’s fantastic.

That all said, I want to share some common questions about nootropics and Daniel’s responses (excerpted from our Unbeatable Mind Podcast episode):

What is the difference between a smart drug and nootropic?

Daniel: Nootropic generally means something that increases some aspect of cognitive function beyond someone’s normal baseline without negative side-effect. Which is why it’s kind of this magically wonderful term, to the degree we can achieve it. Smart drug typically means some pharmaceutical that was for narcolepsy of ADD or some other purpose, that’s then being used for off-label purposes. And it can increase some aspect of cognitive function, but it’s probably going to have side-effects.

Are all nootropics a naturally occurring substance?

Daniel: Nootropics can be chemicals or naturally occurring substances. We’re not so much focused here on whether we extracted it from a plant or whether we synthesized it. We’re focused on what is the actual effect that it has on our physiology.

Does Qualia have both synthetic and natural ingredients?

Daniel: It does. In general, we’re oriented toward naturally derived things, because we have a whole evolutionary history with them. There’s a lot of synergistic compounds that are there. But there are times where there are synthetic compounds that we’ve developed that have really wonderful properties that are very inter-commensurate with human biology and don’t have any indication of meaningful side-effects, and actually, have a lot of neural protection positive kind of up-regulation.

The primary family of chemicals that we think about when we are thinking about nootropics are the Racetams. Piracetam was the first one. Then there are many other Racetams. And they primarily up-regulate the uptake of acetylcholine. They do a number of things, but the up-regulation of the NMDA receptor sites, uptake of acetylcholine in the post-synaptic neuron, that’s their primary thing. And then Ampakines, primarily up-regulate glutamate uptake…these are basically categories of chemicals that increase some aspect of neurotransmission. We’ve got, on some of these, 50 years of significant data showing that they’re extremely well tolerated and that in addition to actually up-regulating some aspects of human experience that are very meaningful, they’ve actually got physiologic benefits as well. Neuro-protective against oxidative damage in the brain, against glutamate excitotoxicity, against different things like that.

Again, we are technologists. We embrace technology. We just want to see the right use of it. There are synthetic chemicals that when used rightly can be beneficial. Our idea is that there is nothing not natural. If it exists in the universe it is part of the whole universe. And nature is the whole thing. So, what we’re interested in is understanding what nature’s doing well enough that any interventions we have are aligned with its homeostatic capability rather than not.

Can you share an example to help people understand how a nootropic is working on the brain?

Daniel: If a bodybuilder was just taking creatine without working out, they’re not going to get increased muscle growth. But if they are working out enough, their dietary intake of those nutrients is actually the limiting factor. And then they increase the bandwidth of the rate limiting factor, then the whole system can move further forward. So, it’s a synergy between how much stimulus is happening to the muscle and how much nutrients are available to repair it. And the detox capability, and the sleep, and the hormones that are involved in metabolism, catabolism, anabolism, right? So, it’s a right synergy of those things coming together, and saying, “Where are the limiting factors in being able to up-regulate those?” So that’s true for muscle development, it’s true for cognitive ability, it’s true for meditation, it’s true for a lot of things.

If someone were to take nootropics that say, were going to increase some aspect of neurochemical function, but then not actually practice using their minds in any disciplined kind of ways, or for any meaningful activity, you’re going to get a limited effect. Anyone can notice they can take caffeine or Adderall, and have an effect. They can similarly not take anything and focus, and study more, learn more, meditate more and have an effect. But if you combine those things you can have meaningful synergies of effects.

There is so much more to be said about nootropics, but for the sake of keeping this post readable, I’m going to cut if off here. If you want to learn more, listen to my interview with Daniel on the Unbeatable Mind Podcast. Daniel is insanely smart and just a wealth of information. If you’d like to learn more about Qualia, visit the Neurohacker Collective website.

Until next time, keep training physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Put in the deep work and continue to evolve!

-MD

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Published on April 13, 2017 06:00

Weekly Monster Mash – 4/8/2017

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, then ROM Drills

Work Capacity: 75 min. AMRAP:

10x Dead Hang pull up
20x Push up
30x Walking lunge
400m Run

Durability: Kokoro yoga or Active Stretch. Hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes.

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Published on April 07, 2017 18:00

Weekly Monster Mash – 4/8/2016

Baseline: Pre-SOP and box breathing, then ROM Drills

Work Capacity: 75 min. AMRAP:

10x Dead Hang pull up
20x Push up
30x Walking lunge
400m Run

Durability: Kokoro yoga or Active Stretch. Hydrate and fuel within 30 minutes.

The post Weekly Monster Mash – 4/8/2016 appeared first on SEALFIT.

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Published on April 07, 2017 18:00

The Mark Divine BLOG: Sneak Peek at Unbeatable Leader

A few weeks ago, I announced on the Unbeatable Mind Podcast that I have a new book coming out this year, Unbeatable Leader. I shared the first chapter of the book on that podcast and I wanted to make sure my blog followers got a preview as well. I know I’ve been neglecting the blog lately (sorry), but it’s because I’ve been busy working on the book! My intention is to help leaders understand how to evolve consciousness to what I call the fifth plateau. You’ll learn more about this over the coming weeks as I plan to share snippets with you leading up to the launch of the book. Without further ado, here is the excerpt from Unbeatable Leader:

Wake Up Your Why

You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading the last one. I arose at the crack of dawn, my plan set. Mount Marcy, the highest peak in the Adirondacks peered down on me. I was going alone and planned to power it out. Running the arduous trail as much as possible.

First, I lightly jogged down to the dock at our family summer home at Lake Placid, upstate New York. Plunging into the frigid waters I freestyled around Gull Rock and back. Then cranked out a hundred push-ups. The sun threatened to peak behind Saddleback mountain to my rear, lighting the lake with an odd glow. The clouds on Whiteface Mountain painted a perfect mirror in the lake. It was utterly silent, beautiful and peaceful. Only me, a few fish and the animals stirred.

In that moment, I felt alive and connected. But my life outside of that moment felt anything but alive and connected then. I lacked direction under the blanket of a depression that I wore. I saw no motivation beyond the extrinsic drive to prove myself to my parents, society… whoever cared.

But they only cared about their own perceptions and needs, which is common. I don’t mean to say that my parents didn’t care about my health and safety, etc. They were good people. They just didn’t care about what I needed and desired, because they couldn’t. They wanted the son they saw in their eyes–perfect–the one who looked like Dad. The one who my Mom kept home while other siblings shipped off to boarding school.

I didn’t realize then that nobody in my life really cared about me. And I would say that’s true with most. And the baggage of negative and confusing messages had caused my own existential crisis. I should have felt on top of the world. If I was a 23 year-old, fully employed, MBA student at an elite business school, I wasn’t feeling it.

In fact, I was fumbling through my job as an auditor at Coopers and Lybrand, struggling to like the work and the environment. I’d only done it to be noticed and to keep up with my smart friends from Colgate University. The goal of earning that MBA and CPA and attaining financial independence at an early age was not something that I had consciously thought through. But there it was, anyhow. It drove my actions like a robot programmed by masters with designs of how it would serve them.

My father’s program to finish what I start became my mantra and helped me stay focused. My future was so bright, I should have worn shades, but I felt like shit.

Now, I had this long weekend break and knew that if I could run to the top of Mount Marcy, I would feel alive again like Lake Placid and all of nature for that matter.

I desperately needed a wake-up call. Something to snap me out of my misery. I couldn’t discern the programming from reality. On that morning, I didn’t know the mountain was to graciously provide my first wake-up moment.

Many more awakenings would come over the years and in greater frequency. Each one opening me up to my “why.” My reason for existence. My Dharma. Each evolving my consciousness and providing new perspectives, liberating me to follow my essential nature. Away from that pre-programmed mental and emotional pattern of my youth.

But wow. That first awakening, on the peak of Mount Marcy. It didn’t change my trajectory right away, but it set it all in motion. It was the moment that I realized I had the power of choice.

I set off on the trail with my backpack and supply of water. And a PB and J sandwich. The trail started flat but soon turned its rocky routed face upward. 24 miles total, no problem. I could jog forever. Bouncing around and over the obstacles provided an amazing concentration practice. A single misstep could result in a sprained ankle or painful walk back.

The day wore on and I kept my focus. Slowing to a fast walk on the steeper part. Passing other hikers like they were standing still. I was silent. Inwardly focused. My mind replaying the latest confusing scene with my broken relationship. I went quiet for long periods of time as I concentrated on the rocks and hand-holds. Hours slipped by until suddenly I emerged from the tree line and saw the summit looming. I quickened my pace in spite of my exhaustion, motivated by completion now.

Summiting, I quickly found a ledge to sit on, powered-down a sandwich and a water bottle and intended to lay back on my rocky bed to rest. But I was stunned by the beauty of the 360-degree panoramic view over the 6 million acre Adirondack Park. And I began to experience a radical shift in my perspective. A cascading experience where I was moving away from my brain’s thoughts. Backward and upwards. At least, that was the sensation anyhow.

It was as if I was sitting on a different rock watching myself sit on that ledge. And in that moment, I could suddenly see my life clearly, as if the forest and the lake were the movie screen, and my life was playing over it. I felt amazingly alive. Deeply connected to nature around me. I was so utterly exhausted though, that I seemed to be hallucinating. But that hallucination felt more real than the thoughts in my head. In that moment I experienced a separation from my thinking mind. A first for me.

But what separated? Who was watching the thinker? I didn’t have the answers. I just knew, for the first time, that my story–what I watched from afar then–was not me. Then I fell asleep.

Ok friends, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed that little look into my book. If you’d like to hear even more from Unbeatable Leader, head over to the Unbeatable Mind Podcast and listen to the rest of Chapter 1.

Until next time, wake up

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Published on April 03, 2017 06:00