Holistic Highlight #003
Why your shoes matter, Why aren't you taking creatine, Optimize your mind
Hello everyone, I am writing today after spending a night of singing along with Zac Brown Band. If you are a fan of the band or country music, I highly recommend catching a show on their next tour if you can! I have to shout out my friend Duncan Butler, who catered an amazing experience for Sydney and I all night.
Anyways, down to business, today I’ll be discussing a few topics that came up in conversation throughout this past week with clients and colleagues.
Today’s topics are
Why your shoes matter
Why aren’t you taking creatine?
Optimizing your mind
Let’s dive in.
Why your shoes matter
I’ve preached to my athletes for years now the importance of wearing the proper footwear for the weight room, but that has evolved into just wearing the proper footwear for whatever task is at hand.
When it comes to training for strength and power in the weight room, the goal is to increase motor unit recruitment and rate of force production through various lifts and movements.
Let’s look at deadlifts as an example. If I am training to increase my lower body strength and am performing deadlifts at high intensity, this requires me to exert force into the floor through my feet to complete the lift. To maximize force transfer into the ground, I ideally would want to wear a shoe that has a flat hard sole that will facilitate force transfer into the ground.
Another analogy is if you had to complete a heavy deadlift, would you rather push off a hard floor or pillows?
On the other hand, if you were going to go on a long run, would you rather wear a shoe that has minimal support and makes you feel the impact of every step on your run, or where a shoe with a supportive cushioned sole that facilitates force absorption and reduces the impact of each step?
Now there are many types of shoes both for training and running out there and I’d recommend you find what works best for you. With running shoes, the best way is to find a business you can visit who will analyze your gait to determine your ideal shoe. For training shoes, one that fits your foot with a wide toe box that doesn’t squeeze your toes together, has a hard sole, and overall is comfortable.
Wearing the proper footwear for the task at hand in training can enhance your training and also help reduce the risk of injury.
Why aren’t you taking creatine?
I get asked very often from athletes or colleagues if they should take creatine. The answer without hesitation is always YES. Now why is that, what are all the benefits, and are there any risks or concerns when taking it?
Benefits of creatine
First off, there are many types of creatine on the market, but one form has the highest absorption rate amongst all of them, and that is creatine monohydrate. While most companies use this form in their products, it is important to check the form used before purchasing. This isn’t to say that other forms aren’t effective, but creatine monohydrate is the oldest and still most effective form out there.
Now where do I begin with the benefits of creatine. First, it enhances muscle performance and strength, promoting higher work capacity, muscular endurance and power output. This is due to the function of creatine. When a muscle contracts, it uses a form of energy called ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate) which then becomes ADP (Adenosine Di-phosphate) as a by product after losing a phosphate molecule. Creatine’s function is to re-synthesize ADP back into ATP by loaning a phosphate molecule. By supplementing creatine, you are enhancing this process of energy production making it more efficient, which in turn increases your work capacity.
Creatine also aids in preventing dehydration, cramps and injuries by increasing water retention in skeletal muscle. Now many people often look at this as a negative, thinking they will have a bloated ballooned appearance because of holding too much water, but I have yet to see anyone who supplements creatine walking around looking like a water balloon, so this isn’t a warranted concern.
Creatine also supports cognitive function and memory retention, and there are studies looking into further benefits in regards to preventing cognitive decline.
Concerns? Cons?
Taking creatine will raise your creatinine levels in your blood. Elevated levels of creatinine are usually associated with your kidneys not functioning properly. However this isn’t the case and there hasn’t been any research to show that creatine causes any type of kidney disorder or disease. However, it is recommended that when taking creatine you stay plenty hydrated and drink plenty of water.
As always if you are interested in adding creatine to your regiment, I recommend Thorne as my go to company for supplements. You can find the link below by clicking on the Thorne image!
Optimize your mind
I recently installed a water chiller and pump on to my ice barrel at home so now I can reap the benefits of a daily cold plunge without draining my bank account by buying hundreds of pounds of ice every week. I have never taken the plunge more than two days in a row up until this point and now being seven days in, it has been a game changer for my mood and mental clarity.
I’m not focusing on the benefits of cold plunges today, more so the benefits that follow. For the past month I have taken many steps into optimizing my mind, like deleting my twitter, making it a priority to read everyday, writing my thoughts down, cold plunge and breath work, and practicing gratitude. The results have been significant.
I say this because with the clarity I have gotten from incorporating all of these, I have now been more productive with tasks at work, or house projects at home, I have been more calm and don’t stress over situations that I know would normally raise my blood pressure, and I have also been happier.
Being in this positive state of mind has only had a positive ripple effect on other aspects of my life, and that is why I believe it should be the first step for anyone with a goal ahead of them. When I have only focused on the physical side, what I was doing in the gym, sleep, nutrition, I was in great shape, but I’ve always been a scatter brain and often suffer from paralysis from analysis. Having racing thoughts, getting overwhelmed by the perception of having too much to do, and then often resulting in doing nothing.
Getting my mind in check has cleared things up, and I believe is the reason I now and many others can constantly make progress even with a million things going on in their life.
So as previously mentioned and in last weeks highlight, try journaling to collect your thoughts in one place, take a cold plunge to make everything else in the day seem easier, practice breathing exercises to relieve stress, practice gratitude to focus on what you already have, rather than what you don’t. You may be surprised how they may help you.
Practice strength, fuel the machine, chase a state of zen.
See you next week.
Cory