Managing your fears

My magpie mind came across this study today as I was scanning the various feeds that I look at to spot stuff for this blog.  Psychology is fascinating to me, particularly how we relate in social situations.  I suppose some of that relates to that booklet I pointed to the other day on human combative behaviour, where two different modes of attack were presented - the predator and the alpha male.

Today I saw this article reported, which is of a study of MMA fighters, the impact fear has on them and how they handle it.   The whole article is available here:  Managing Emotional Manhood: Fighting and Fostering Fear in Mixed Martial Arts Here is the abstract:

Based on two years of fieldwork and over 100 interviews, we analyze mixed martial arts fighters’ fears, how they managed them, and how they adopted intimidating personas to evoke fear in opponents. We conceptualize this process as “managing emotional manhood,” which refers to emotion management that signifies, in the dramaturgical sense, masculine selves. Our study aims to deepen our understanding of how men’s emotion work is gendered and, more generally, to bring together two lines of research: studies of gendered emotion management and studies of emotional identity work. We further propose that managing emotional manhood is a dynamic and trans-situational process that can be explored in diverse settings.

It is a really interesting study and definitely worth reading through over a cup of coffee.  What I find interesting is the analysis of how the men in the study handle that fear and how the authors extrapolate those methods into other circumstances.

The methods that they pull out from the fighters can all be applied in everyday life.  Some of it reads like pop psychology but the reality from which they extract these methods does lend some credance to it all.  The methods: scripting, framing, othering.  It also talks about how fighters foster fear in their opponents - winning fights before they start. 

The end of the study is interesting:

Putting on a convincing manhood act requires more than using language and the body; it also requires emotion work. By suppressing fear, empathy, pain, and shame and evoking confidence and pride, males signify their alleged possession of masculine selves. Such emotion work may thus create an emotional orientation that primes men to subordinate and harm others. And by signifying masculine selves through evoking fear and shame in others, such men are likely to more easily secure others’ deference and accrue rewards and status. Managing emotional manhood, whether it occurs in a locker room or boardroom, at home or the Oval Office, likely plays a key role in maintain- ing unequal social arrangements.

 The same processes that are used in the cage can be used in the rest of life.....It is also useful to think through how  methods could be used in everyday life to handle fear in lots of situations.

Another week....another study on intervals

Well, another week and another study on the benefits of interval training.  This time it is Gibala's team again (they have done other work on intervals in the past e.g. this)  from  McMaster University in Ontario. The news story is here

Each session involved pedaling on a stationary bike for 10 repetitions of 60 seconds apiece at about 90 percent of maximal heart rate, interspersed with 60 seconds of rest, capped by a short warm-up and cool-down. Each entire exercise session lasted 25 minutes of which only 10 minutes was spent performing vigorous intensity exercise

The muscle biopsies revealed higher amounts of mitochondrial proteins, suggesting that the high-intensity, low-volume training increased the numbers of muscle cell power generators, a marker of improved metabolic health. Although the training regimen didn't decrease body mass in any of the participants, it did increase the maximal workload that each was able to achieve on the stationary bike and decreased heart rate during exercise, markers of improved fitness.

Again this is both exciting and frustrating.  Yes, short bursts of intense exercise have big impacts on mitochondrial biogenesis, insulin sensitivity and VO2 Max.....so for me I am excited that adding some sprints to my day can have a big benefit.  But as Alex Hutchison has pointed out recently in relation to a similar study how many people are likely to be motivated enough to find time even for this minimal exercise?

The abstract is here and the whole study is available here.

Low-volume high-intensity interval training reduces hyperglycemia and increases muscle mitochondrial capacity in patients with type 2 diabetes

Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIT) is emerging as a time-efficient exercise strategy for improving health and fitness. This form of exercise has not been tested in type 2 diabetes and thus we examined the effects of low-volume HIT on glucose regulation and skeletal muscle metabolic capacity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Eight patients with type 2 diabetes (63±8 yr, BMI 32±6 kg/m2, HbA1C 6.9±0.7%) volunteered to participate in this study. Participants performed six sessions of HIT (10 x 60 s cycling bouts eliciting ~90% maximal heart rate, interspersed with 60 s rest) over 2 wk. Before training and from ~48-72 h after the last training bout, glucose regulation was assessed using 24-h continuous glucose monitoring under standardized dietary conditions. Markers of skeletal muscle metabolic capacity were measured in biopsy samples (vastus lateralis) before and after (72 h) training. Average 24-h blood glucose concentration was reduced after training (7.6±1.0 vs 6.6±0.7 mmol/L) as were the sum of the 3-h postprandial areas under the glucose curve for breakfast, lunch and dinner (both p<0.05). Training increased muscle mitochondrial capacity as evidenced by higher citrate synthase maximal activity (~20%) and protein content of Complex II 70 kDa subunit (~37%), Complex III Core 2 protein (~51%), and Complex IV subunit IV (~68%, all p<0.05). Mitofusin 2 (~71%) and GLUT4 (~369%) protein content were also higher after training (both p<0.05). Our findings indicate that low-volume HIT can rapidly improve glucose control and induce adaptations in skeletal muscle that are linked to improved metabolic health in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The One Joint Rule

Kelly gave me a shout out on his blog the other day.  I've already said that I didn't deserve to be on that list, but it is nice to be mentioned.

 It’s a pretty powerful statement that a brilliant Scot (Conditioning Research) and a guy with an Iphone and an obsession with performance (me) are on the same list as the NYT, and WSJ?  Crazy.

If you don't know Kelly here he is talking about the importance of maintaining proper posture in movement.

No System Sounds on XP? Buttons greyed-out?

Kerrie "did something" to her fiancée's lap-top resulting in the loss of all Windows System sounds, also all sound using Firefox, though iTunes & RealPlayer produced sound just fine.

On Start >> Settings >> Control Panel >> Sounds, the Play button for System sounds was greyed-out. The record & play buttons on Sound Recorder were also greyed-out.

After many hours of unsuccessful tinkering, the problem was eventually solved HERE.

K-Lite Codec Pack 7.1.0 STANDARD version also contains a very nice Media Player.

The Vitamin D Association is organising 2 conferences in London in May

that might be of interest to you and your colleagues:

May 17 Vitamin D & Obstetrics – Improving Pregnancy & Childbirth

Some of the world’s foremost experts will show the strong evidence that higher levels of Vitamin D lead to easier conception, easier pregnancy, less gestational diabetes, less pre-eclampsia, reduced risk of emergency C-sections and an easier delivery, followed by less depression in the mother and a larger, healthier baby. There is also evidence that the risk of Type-1 Diabetes in the child is reduced and that the child will have stronger bones and teeth.

Professor Bruce Hollis will discuss findings from his recent Trials on vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and breastfeeding. He is the director of Paediatric Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina and has studied vitamin D metabolism and nutrition for the past 35 years. He has published significant scientific papers on the biomarkers of Vitamin D in the body as they relate to a number of illnesses

Professor Reinhold Vieth is Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada. His current research focuses on the roles played by vitamin D in many illnesses and especially gestational diabetes, plus toxicity and safe blood serum levels.

Professor Hollis and Professor Vieth will release findings of their recent work on what mothers and health professionals need to know about vitamin D – information that they hope will help clarify new guidelines for safe sun exposure, supplementation and suitable dietary sources of vitamin D.

More at: www.vitamindassociation.org/events

May 18 Vitamin D & Cancer – Treatment & Prevention

Long-term Vitamin D deficiency is associated with many cancers, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, heart disease, respiratory infections, muscle weakness, mood and cognitive function and infectious diseases such as influenza.

There is strong evidence that high levels of Vitamin D both help the body recover from cancer and also play a major part in preventing cancer.

Professor Joan Lappe is professor of medicine at Creighton University in USA. She will report on the results of a major Level 1 Randomised Controlled Trial that showed the preventive actions of Vitamin D and calcium against cancer.

Dr. Enikö Kállay will provide practical advice for Oncologists and other medical professionals about the latest genetic tests for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. She is Assistant Professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Department of Patho-physiology and Allergy Research, where she studies the role of Vitamin D and dietary calcium in the prevention and pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, with special emphasis on the CYP24 gene.

More at: www.vitamindassociation.org/events

Vitamin D Experts' Forum at the Wellcome Trust in London, England on Thursday 7 April 2011

I was there! See below.

The Vitamin D Association is running a major event in London designed to give an overview of the range of illnesses and treatments where Vitamin D is involved.

Speakers include Dr. Michael F. Holick, Dr. Reinhold Vieth, Dr. William B. Grant, Carole Baggerly, and Dr. David Grimes.

There will be ample time allocated to participate in open discussion about new treatment guidelines and protocols and to share your knowledge and clinical experiences.

The event is targeted at senior medical personnel, general practitioners, nutritionists, dieticians and other health care professionals.

Timetable

08:30 Registration
09:30 Chairman’s opening remarks. Rufus Greenbaum (Vitamin D Project Manager, Systems Biology Laboratory)
09:35 Vitamin D: A D-lightful story for good health. Dr Michael F Holick
10:30 UK Overview – Statistics about Vitamin D in the UK. Rufus Greenbaum
10:45 Discussion
11:00 Break
11:15 The Impact of improving Vitamin D levels – health & financial outcomes. Dr William B Grant
11:45 Vitamin D & Cancer – current trials and evidence. Carole Baggerly
12:15 Discussion
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Public Policy on Vitamin D. Dr Oliver Gillie
2:00 Clinical experiences in a UK hospital. Dr David Grimes
2:30 Discussion
2:45 Break
3:00 Treatment & Toxicity – Benefits and dangers of supplementing with Vitamin D. Dr Reinhold Vieth
3:30 Discussion – All
4:30 Closing Remarks. Mike Fischer, Director, Systems Biology Laboratory

Here's a graphic from the Forum:-


What I found interesting is the fact that some medical conditions follow a J curve vs serum 25(OH)D level. This suggests that people may be suffering from deficiencies in some of the other fat-soluble vitamins (A, E's & K's) due to the modern fad for low-fat diets. Hypovitaminosis K2 results in inappropriate calcification at high serum 25(OH)D level, which increases the risk factor for Coronary Heart Disease.

Unfortunately, the fact that highish (greater-than 50nmol/L, or 20ng/mL) serum 25(OH)D levels can cause harm, results in continuing Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt about Vitamin D and "expert" (e.g. the US Institute Of Medicine) advice that 600iu/day is sufficient for optimum health. See 7th April 2011: Vitamin D - Experts' Forum for more info'.


Anyway, here's me and my God-daughter Kerrie getting some free Vitamin D on Wednesday evening!


Cheers!

Has anybody seen my tinfoil hat?

This morning, I left two comments on Peter (Hyperlipid)'s blog. The second one has disappeared. EDIT: It went into the spam filter. It's visible again.

Some time later, Jay Bryant phoned me and asked me where my blog had gone.

"It's still there" I said, then refreshed the page. "Shit, it's gone!"

I managed to reinstate my Blog but apparently, there has been "unusual activity" on it. Hmmm. I just noticed that I'm following my own blog! How did that happen? Spurious follow now deleted.

This calls for a music video...