As you settle down in from of your computer to read the latest and greatest Fitness and Nutrition blogs from your truly, there is a high probability you have already done a bit of fitness today. You have exercised to relieve stress, clear out the pent up energy and generally feel good about your life. The combination of Mind, Body and Spirit in your daily practice are essential , I agree. Well what if I told you that there is some new science out that shows Moderate Drinking can actually be a part of your daily exercise routine?! Its all physiology baby! In the same way we spark our metabolism to cleanse the body, a little drinking can actually do the same for the mind.
The brain is a fascinating place where hormones, electricity and neurons work in a complex dance with one another to create thought, action, and feelings. If you haven't dug into it yet and really gone down the rabbit hole of incredible science I REALLY encourage you to do some research. But Im getting ahead of myself. We are hear to talk drinking right?
Well it has long been shown that cultures and populations that drink moderately live a bit longer than others. Part of the reasoning behind this is lower cardiovascular disease and even lower cancer rates in certain populations but the Brain Science community is now weighing in and the results are very interesting and timely. And the reason is....
Alzheimers disease scares the shit out of me. More than cancer, More than nuclear weapons. As I write about often in my blog at thriivathleteics.com, the compounding effects of our western diet, high stress lifestyles, and rather poor care taking of our bodies is creating a perfect storm for early onset cognitive decline in the population. Inflammation that is caused by a protein buildup (amyloid-beta) on the ends of our neural synapses is one cause of the brain going down the drain. But a little drink may provide some relief to that nasty plaque build up!
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, Low dose Alcohol consumption clears inflammation in the brain just as physical exercise clears inflammation from our cardiovascular system. What the researchers found came from a little talked about waste clearing pathway called the "Glymphatic Pathway" which reduces waste in the brain through the Central Nervous System and your Spinal Cord. Alcohol consumption, particularly wine which has beneficial Reverstrol ( a powerful antioxidant) , works WITH your natural anti-inflammation processes to clear excess amyloid beta protein away from the brain.
The study claimed that 2 drinks per day was adequate for optimizing the anti-inflammatory response so don't go overboard here folks. I remember when I wrote the article about tequila a while ago and the stock price on Patron went through the roof! But it seems for the moment that supplementing your training plan with a little wine or a cocktail is just fine. Additionally, though not scientifically proven, drinking alcohol makes you way more interesting at dinner parties... just waiting for the science to prove that.
Go and crush it today y'all. Always be conscious of what you put in your body and damnit be nice to everyone. Positive attitudes go a long way and we all know that the never we are, the more people want to have a drink with us!.
Love,
Eric
Programming Notes 4/13-4/16 ** This is Week 4 of the Muscle Endurance Cycle. This week we repeat the :90 Lower Body Primal sequence that we did last week, with a little variation. That was really spicy!. I have tempo deadlifts, to be done at light/moderate load and lots of time under tension for the midline this week, on Monday and Thursday. Eat well and sleep with performance in mind.
4/13
Baseline:
3X :30 @ Each
-Mountain Climbers
-Side Plank L
-Squats
-Side Plank R
-Inchworm Push Ups
-Lateral Line Touches @ 15’
Midline Strength:
4 Rounds Not For Time
A) 150’ Overhead Kettlebell Carry “L”+ 15 Toes To bar
B) 150’ Overhead Kettlebell Carry “R” + 15 Toes To bar
C) 150’ Barbell Farmer Carry + 15 Toes To Bar *Alternate Arm Each Round
Row Conditioning:
(Repeat)
Every 3 Minutes X 6 Rounds
-30 Cal Row
4/14
Baseline;
500m Row
3X
8 Single Leg Toe Touches
8 Side Lunges
8 Box Step Ups
:60 Deadbug Hold
Hamstring Primer
3X 8
-Romanian Deadlift 155/105
-Pendlay Row
Tempo Deadlift:
3 X 10
Single Leg Deadlift
(1,1,3)
Strength WOD;
20 Minute Ascending AMRAP
2,4,6,8,10…..
-Box Step Up and Overs 50/35
-Box Handstand Push Ups
-Deadlift 225/135
-Renegade Row 50/35
4/15
Baseline:
100m Run
5 Wall Squats
5 Elbow To instep Lunges
200m Run
5 Wall Squats
5 Samson Lunges
400m Run
10 Jump Squats
10 2ct. Mountain Climbers
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Muscle Endurance Week 4;
5 Rounds “Light-ish”
:30 Front Squats
:30 BackSquats
:30 Back Rack Lunges
-Rest 3:00 Between Sets-
*Bar Does not get put down, move from one exercise to the next.
Conditioning:
EMOM 15
15 Double Unders
3 Thrusters 115/75
4/16
Baseline:
400m Run
10 Banded Good Morning
10 Banded Monster Walks
25 Calorie Bike
10 Hollow Rock To Superman
10 Ice Skaters
400m Run
Midline Strength:
3X
:40 Work / :20 Rest
-Side Plank ‘L’
-Plank
-Side Plank ‘R’
-Superman Hold
Conditioning:
2 Rounds for Total Time..
20 Cal On Air Runner (500m Run)
200’ Sandbag Carry 150/100
20 Cal Run
-Rest 4 Minutes-
20 Cal Run
10 Sandbag Clean
20 Cal Run
-Rest 4 Mins-
4/17
Baseline:
3X
10 Banded Pass Thru
8 Burpee Pull Ups
20 banded Pull Aparts
8 Burpee Toes To bar
Gymnastic Strength:
3X Max Reps
-Weighted Pull Ups
Conditioning:
AMRAP 8
27 Cal Row
27 Push Press 95/65
27 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
-Rest 6 Mins-
AMRAP 8
21 Cal Row
21 Push Press 75/55
21 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
-Rest 6 Mins-
AMRAP 8
15 Cal Row
15 Push Press 45/35
15 Chest to Bar
