Traducción española sigue el Inglés

I’m still doing triathlons, playing basketball (I’d play racquetball, but I can’t find a court or anyone to play with) I know, ‘want some cheese with that whine?” Anyway, I’ve certainly learned about diet (not to say I follow it, but I’m better then I probably otherwise would be) and supplements and how different hormones affect your brain.

Ryan Underwood in Inc Magazine (February 2014 pp 86-87) has taken that information and applied it to boosting performance at work. In my 20 years of corporate experience, I would compare some days to running an extended triathlon. Ryan is quoting Baba Shiv a marketing professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. There are two primary pathways to the brain which is where serotonin travels which regulates your level of calm or fear and anxiety. The other pathway transmits dopamine, which moves you from boredom to excitement, engagement. You want a high level of both “for your best creative work.” “This will produce a condition in which you are calm but energized.” I’m thinking in terms of “never let ’em see ya sweat.” I’ve had those times, where you are highly aware, motivated, but you can’t let anyone see that you’re nervous. I’m thinking of some pretty dicey search and rescue cases where if you make the wrong move or too much someone gets hurt or worse, while still convincing your crew that you are in control and not the least bit worried. Ya, have to be a good actor too.

Sleep affects all kinds of performance, athletic, underway or at the office. “…two hours of deep, non-REM sleep each night for the brain to restore the proper levels of serotonin….it can be diminished by sleep interruptions as well as alcohol and caffeine consumption.”

Shiv says that you should eat protein in the morning vs carbs. The body uses protein to “convert to the much-coveted serotonim and dopamine.” First I have 2 eggs in the morning. I know cholesterol! But the research I’ve read is that the risk there was, initially, much overstated and also that there are nutrients, especially in the yolk that you don’t get elsewhere. But you can boil, or my wife bought an egg maker that you can micro-wave that are much healthier than frying. Still need carbs, that is the energy food and the earlier in the day you eat your energy store of carbs, the less you will go to sleep with and your body stores that as fat.

Exercise is also important to produce serotonim and endorphins which gives you a good strong, confident feeling. He also recommends “maintaining a variety of intellectual interests also keeps the creative juices flowing…talk to people in other disciplines and read widely outside your field to develop ‘knowledge nodes’ – bits of unrelated information that can come together to produce an unexpected solution.” I have no doubt that God gave me a wide background to help be in ministry. I haven’t stopped and I think a lot of my interests have made me more effective in apologetics and also in reaching others for Christ that might not respond otherwise.

Whatever enhances my ministry in service to our Lord Jesus, nutrition, exercise, creativity serving my fellow Christians, I try to do and be as effective as possible. Don’t we all want that? Coffee Break Bible Study is still at First St Johns Wednesday mornings at 10am. 140 W King St, park behind the church in downtown York. If you have any suggestions about pulling together a group for an early breakfast or other functions, please let me know and God bless.