Reddit mentions: The best aerobics books

I'm not sure if this qualifies for what you're looking for, but I'll re-post my highlights from a few weeks ago in case it helps:

• Exercise. “In SPARK, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer's. Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), SPARK is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run---or, for that matter, simply the way you think“. Source: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522973939&sr=1-1&keywords=Spark%2C+The+Revolutionary+New+Science+of+Exercise+and+the+Brain
  
• Eat a healthy diet and follow some of the practices taken from Blue Zones, which are populations that have an unusually high number of centenarians. Some key take-aways from studies blue zones (Source: https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/1426216556/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_cmps_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews):
  
  • Long-lived people live on a high-carb, low-fat, plant-based diet;
    
  • Long-lived people eat a lot of vegetables, including greens;
    
  • Whenever they can get it, long-lived populations eat a lot of fruit;
    
  • When animal products are consumed, it’s occasionally and in small amounts only;
    
  • Long-lived people had periods in their life when a lot less food was available and they had to survive on a very sparse, limited diet;
    
  • Long-lived people live in a sunny, warm climate;
    
  • Long-lived people consume beans in some form or another;
    
  • Nuts appear to be good for health;
    
  • The typical diet is very simple and many essentially eat the same simple foods every day
    
  • Quality food over variety is more important;
    
  • They had an active lifestyle and moved a lot
    
  • Many of them got 5 to 6 hours of moderate exercise per day;
    
  • Many of them loved to work and had a sense of purpose in life;
    
  • Many had large families;
    
  • None of them smoked or ate massive amounts of food.
    
• Be a super-ager – “Which activities, if any, will increase your chances of remaining mentally sharp into old age? We’re still studying this question, but our best answer at the moment is: work hard at something. Many labs have observed that these critical brain regions increase in activity when people perform difficult tasks, whether the effort is physical or mental. You can therefore help keep these regions thick and healthy through vigorous exercise and bouts of strenuous mental effort.” Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/opinion/sunday/how-to-become-a-superager.html
  
• Boost your microbiome by eating a diverse diet. “Diet is perhaps the biggest factor in shaping the composition of the microbiome,” he says. A study by University College Cork researchers published in Nature in 2012 followed 200 elderly people over the course of two years, as they transitioned into different environments such as nursing homes. The researchers found that their subjects’ health – frailty, cognition, and immune system – all correlated with their microbiome. From bacterial population alone, researchers could tell if a patient was a long-stay patient in a nursing home, or short-stay, or living in the general community. These changes were a direct reflection of their diet in these different environments. “A diverse diet gives you a diverse microbiome that gives you a better health outcome,” says Cryan. Source: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140221-can-gut-bugs-make-you-smarter
  
• Have a healthy mind-set – don't ever succumb to the stereotypical mind set that getting older = decline. “To Langer, this was evidence that the biomedical model of the day — that the mind and the body are on separate tracks — was wrongheaded. The belief was that “the only way to get sick is through the introduction of a pathogen, and the only way to get well is to get rid of it,” she said, when we met at her office in Cambridge in December. She came to think that what people needed to heal themselves was a psychological “prime” — something that triggered the body to take curative measures all by itself. Gathering the older men together in New Hampshire, for what she would later refer to as a counterclockwise study, would be a way to test this premise. The men in the experimental group were told not merely to reminisce about this earlier era, but to inhabit it — to “make a psychological attempt to be the person they were 22 years ago,” she told me. “We have good reason to believe that if you are successful at this,” Langer told the men, “you will feel as you did in 1959.” From the time they walked through the doors, they were treated as if they were younger. The men were told that they would have to take their belongings upstairs themselves, even if they had to do it one shirt at a time. At the end of their stay, the men were tested again. On several measures, they outperformed a control group that came earlier to the monastery but didn’t imagine themselves back into the skin of their younger selves, though they were encouraged to reminisce. They were suppler, showed greater manual dexterity and sat taller — just as Langer had guessed. Perhaps most improbable, their sight improved. Independent judges said they looked younger. The experimental subjects, Langer told me, had “put their mind in an earlier time,” and their bodies went along for the ride.” Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/magazine/what-if-age-is-nothing-but-a-mind-set.html
  
• Live a life that has meaning – or, in other words, have a personal mission statement in life. Strive to accomplish something or to help others. “It is the pursuit of meaning is what makes human beings uniquely human. By putting aside our selfish interests to serve someone or something larger than ourselves -- by devoting our lives to "giving" rather than "taking" -- we are not only expressing our fundamental humanity, but are also acknowledging that that there is more to the good life than the pursuit of simple happiness.” Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/
  
• Volunteer and help others. “Volunteering probably reduces mortality by a year and a half or possibly up to two years for people who are in their senior years,” says Stephen G. Post, a professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and the author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping and Why Good Things Happen to Good People. “If you could put the benefits of helping others into a bottle and sell it, you could be a millionaire in a minute.” Source: https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Why+do+we+hesitate+to+help%3F-a0352848707
  
• Do strength training – there is an association between muscular strength and mortality in men (2008). Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/2/4225/927.4
  
• This is also a great book: 'How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease' by Michael Greger: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25663961-how-not-to-die . You can find a summary of it here: https://www.allencheng.com/how-not-to-die-by-michael-greger-summary/

Understand the reason why you procrastinate. It is not about self control. This article breaks open the one of the biggest underlying reasons why people procrastinate:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/smarter-living/why-you-procrastinate-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-self-control.html

People procrastinate as a way of regulating their mood. Something about their condition or about the task they are procrastinating is causing them discomfort that they might not even be able to articulate, and procrastinating is a way of dealing with that discomfort in the moment.

One possible way to deal with this (not this specific thing you're procrastinating on, but the big picture) is that you may need counseling or to do other things to help your health to overcome depression or whatever hidden discomfort is causing you to procrastinate. I myself found that when I did not sleep well, I was chronically tired and depressed, but I didn't recognize it, because I masked it with caffeine. Caffeine doesn't give you the missing motivation back. It just keeps you wide awake and not wanting to do the things you need motivation to do. In a lot of cases, insufficient sleep is a major contributor to depression and anxiety.

I fixed my sleep problem to a large extent, using a weighted blanket, sensory deprivation (ear plugs and eye mask when I sleep), black-out curtains, blue-blocker glasses in the evenings, "dark room mode" of Flux (a screen dimming app for MacOS), and red LED light bulbs to light my room at night so I would actually get sleepy. (Now I just need to fix the schedule of my sleep; it's a work in progress.) That really helped.

Exercise also helps address depression, way more than I understood. See the book titled "Spark: the revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain".

When I reduced my depressive symptoms and improved my sleep, I felt a lot less prone to procrastinating.

Another great book on how to improve yourself and overcome things like procrastination is "Atomic Habits". This is a fantastic book. It explains that self transformation and improvement is not about revolutionary changes, but about establishing habits that get you a little bit of improvement but keeps you on a consistent trajectory of improvement. There's a lot of great stuff in there about procrastination.

If you can't seem to read books all the way through (a problem I had), try listening to the audio book while commuting. This has made a huge difference in my life. I actually finish books that I start now that I use audio books.

EDIT—

Of the various things that motivate people, fear only goes so far. After a while, concern over possibly ruining your life won't motivate you. I know this first hand, because I've procrastinated to the point of harming myself, and knowing that harm would come didn't motivate me to act. There is a much more potent set of motivators, and this won't be easy, but you need to find these and figure out how to view your work through these.

The most potent motivators are purpose, passion, and joy. In the grand scheme of your life, you need to find your purpose, develop a passion, and cultivate joy. There's an old parable about three men laying bricks who are asked what they are doing. The first one says "I'm laying bricks". The second says "I'm building a church". The third says "I'm building the house of God." Of these three, who do you think will do his best work and persist when the going gets tough?—The one who sees a grand, transcendant purpose in every brick he lays.

If you can't find a purpose in the task you are doing, step back. Some folks do boring work that is not rewarding in and of itself, but their "why" is their family. That is their purpose, and to provide for their family, they keep on keeping on. If you don't have a family, make a promise to your future self, and make bettering yourself your purpose. And if that won't do, seriously search for other work to do that you can get a sense of purpose from. I've heard of people who weren't responsible, but who got a dog or some other pet that then gave them a purpose, because that pet gave them joy, and they wanted a good life for this pet they loved so much. These are the stories where someone rescues a dog, but really, the dog rescued them just as much as they rescued it. Love makes all the difference here.

Think of something you take delight in, something that brings you joy, and if what you are doing can be thought of in terms of serving and pursuing this thing that brings you joy, the motivation from your delight may be able to help you overcome that heavy unspoken weight of apathy that causes you to procrastinate.

Ha! I was just about to do a very similar post.

Here's a list of things I've figured out over the years (I'm 43), in no particular order, natch. They're not all exactly steps or how to's, some are more things to regularly consider (actions eminate from thoughts).

1. Make lists: I still do paper lists, but using things like evernote, onenote, and keep, are invaluable for capturing ideas and staying organized. Sometimes I don't even need the lists I make, just the act of writing it down or capturing it helps me chill out and refreshes what I need to get done. Or get at the store (crap, forgot catfood again).
   
   
2. Calendar: Having a smartphone is such a huge help, put everything in there, appointments, birthdays, reminders. Practice remembering, and you won't always need it, but it's there if you do. I mean, garbage day is always friday for me, but why don't you guess how many times my phone has gone off Thursday night and I'm like, "oh yea".
   
   
3. Take it easy on yourself: Beating yourself up about forgetting things or spacing out is waste of time, damaging, and flat-out holding you back. I'm not saying be all laissez-faire about it, but don't make your situation worse with a bunch of negativity. I mean, if it worked there wouldn't be any issues, would there? I don't know how many times I've torn myself apart for forgetting something, yet again. It took me a long time to realize that that emotional nonsense was actually making it harder to accomplish what I was trying to do. Be nice to yourself.
   
   
4. Refocus: Every so often bring yourself back to the Here and Now, check the time, clear your mind, ask yourself "what am I thinking about" "what am I doing". This is one of the most useful things I've ever figured out how to do. Inner space is infinite and not always pleasant, if you'e got an active and vivid imagination it's not too hard to end up more than a couple dimensions over from reality. Developing the ability to slip out of the flow is a huge help for course corrections. It's not easy, but it's awesome. The benifits of mindfulness meditation are legion. Like while writing this post, I've snapped myself out of revery several times and gotten back to my paying job. See #3 above!
   
   
5. Double, Triple check: When you hear or read something, ask yourself, did that stick? It might feel like the info landed, but did it? Repeat your understanding back to the person your talking to, or ask yourself what it was you just read. I do this all the time at work, after a conversation or meeting I'll quickly go over my understanding to make sure it's clear (often with the aid of notes). "So RTM has slipped another 2 weeks which puts it behind the hotfix. We need to drop our current pass and spin up hotfix testing." Or "Wait a sec, before I go all the way to the lab, do I remember what rack that was in?"
   
   
6. Exercise: The benefits from 20 minutes of cardio every day are redonkulous. Check out Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain for the details, science, and some inspirational stories. It was written by phsychiatrist John J. Ratey, one of the authors of "Driven to Distraction'. Seriously, getting a run in for me is such good medicine, it clears the head, and destresses me. If I get off my ass and get a workout in first thing, I am on for the day.
   
   
7. Nutrition: We all know this one. What you put in your body affects your chemistry. Not just what, but when as well. There's a lot of ADHD management programs out there that focus on nutrition, avoiding certian foods, increasing others, taking supplements. Stack the deck in your favor. If I don't keep myself fed and get too hungry (anyone else forget to eat?), I get pretty useless and cranky until I gnosh.
   
   
8. Watch your manners: I don't know what else to say about this. "It's 11pm, should I really call my buddy?" "Oooh, I saw the movie they're talking about, should I go over what I thought of it?" "Why is this guy taking so long to get to his point, I get it. Should I tell him where he's going?" "I really really want to ask her a question, should I ask now?" Paying attention to manners can avoid and relive SOOO many issues. I've found asking and apologizing works very well. "Excuse me, sorry to bug you, but..." "I'm sorry to intrude, I had some questions, is this a good time?" "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you just said." I've found that even if you are spacing out or barging in, if you own that fact and mention it, people really appreciate it. Like after I hear my name for the 3rd? time, "Yes! Sorry, I was really into that. Whats up?" Just imagine someone doing what you do, to you. Good god, it's worth it.
   
   
9. Organize, Routine, schedule, Habit (structure): It's much easier to find things if there's a known place for them, and it's much easier to go about the day if it's already more or less planned out. Study at a certian time, do laundry on a certian day, keep the tools in a toolbox in a certian place. (Shower, pills, breakfast, shower, pills, breakfast, shower pills, breakfast) Build up useful habits, if you make things a habit, you don't need to remember. Put your keys in the same place everytime (my wallet and keys never leave my pocket, my phones in only a couple places). It's a bitch to get started, but don't give up and it'll stick. My wife is always losing her keys, coat, purse, glasses, and I'm like, "just put them in the same place", and she's like, "I'm not like you!" ORLY? :P "Maybe your not as bad but it just works for everyone". Try something, anything, because if you don't, it WILL just be chaos.
   
   
10. Follow through: If you start something, finish it. If you say it, do it. Making myself follow through on projects I've started, but have lost interest in, has really tempered my tendancy to just jump in, and there's an extra sense of accomplishment when it's just done. I grew up in a very flakey family, my step-dad would leave me stranded for hours after basketball practice (this was in the late 80's noone had cell phones), or make grandiose, exciting plans only to completely flake or make excuses. So for me, being on time or meeting a commitment I made to someone comes pretty easily.

>Of course, there is a delayed reward from books and TV- the book is in my mind forever, has given me new insight in the world, entertained me and made me think about things (if it's good).

Sorry, I don't think I explained myself well. When I mean delayed reward I mean that I can stay up all night watching It's always sunny, reading wealth poverty and politics, or playing Xbox. Because it isn't difficult I am always 100% enjoying, with working out you face a large lack of motivation to get to or stay at the gym and while you could play Xbox for 4 hours you wouldn't be able or want to be doing hill sprints for that long. Only once you finish your workout do you feel good about it. Same thing with a job or grades, working and studying suck but that promotion or A is awesome.

>There is no delayed reward from exercise- as soon as you stop doing it, you lose the benefits.

As for future benefits yeah tv shows books and documentaries are great for culture, conversation, and insight. As for working out, I mean there are countless studies about how working out benefits you in the long-run physically and mentally. Here is a book that goes into it

>But your "dedication, drive, passion" is for something that only benefits you, and you do for selfish reasons. Same as my leisure time activities.

Yes, I love to see progress in my body for sure this is a strong feedback mechanism, the same after you read a book and introduce new information to a friend. But, it doesn't just benefit me, it benefits everyone I interact with their is a noticeable change in personality between before and after I exercise or if I took a day or two off. It benefits me SO in regards to the physical relationship. I also feel a responsibility if society will absorb any health insurance costs.

I've read so many books that I honestly cannot say that any particular one is the most important. However, here's a list of really good ones:

• Starting Strength. Mark Rippetoe. I've read all three editions. The books have greatly influenced the way I lift, especially in the obvious sense of proper form for barbell lifts.
  
  
• Practical Programming For Strength Training. Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. Simple explanations of a lot of things related to training even nutrition.
  
  
• Beyond Bodybuilding. Pavel Tsatsouline. Amazing book filled with numerous lifts with the goal of using strength training to develop mass.
  
• Relax Into Stretch and Super Joints by Pavel as well. If you have issues with mobility or flexibility, these books are awesome.
  
• 5 3 1. Jim Wendler. I'm fairly certain the majority of people know what this is, but if you haven't read it, I encourage reading both editions and the one for powerlifting, especially if you're running 5/3/1 right now. All three books are a huge resource for determining how to program assistance and conditioning.
  
• Easy Strength. Pavel and Dan John This was a great read. It was filled with tons of things from articles written by Dan John as well as just a massive look at how to appropriately program strength training for people at numerous levels.
  
• 4 Hour Body. Tim Ferriss. This was an amazing read. It, like Pavel's Power to the People, was a great read on complete minimalism of training towards a goal.
  
  I've read so many more books than that. Since these are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head, I'd say that they are the ones that have made the biggest impression from reading them.

The New Rules of Marathon and Half Marathon Nutrition by Matt Fitzgerald is a good book that talks mainly about nutrition. Some people say it was written as a marketing ploy by Matt Fitzgerald, however there's still some great info in there about nutrition for training and race day.

Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger is also a great resource for all things training. Ignore the training plans in the back as they're likely too advanced for your first marathon, but the rest of the book has amazing information about physiology, cross-training, recovery, nutrition, types of workouts... Highly recommend. Then, if you get to a point where you want to take your marathoning to the next level, you'll have some great plans to work off.

Another great online resource is fellrnr.com (i've linked you straight to the marathon section) -- this guys has compiled A LOT of data if you're a data nerd, and there's also a lot of good info in there.

Just a note on using different resources -- you'll see that sometimes they can contradict each other. For example, Matt's book and fellrnr both speak to the benefits of fat loading during your pre-race carb load phase, but Pfitz's book writes this off as not necessary. This is normal, and don't get too caught up in what's right and what's not. The point is that everyones different, and you need to find what works for you.

This sub-reddit is also a great trove of information, with many people willing to answer specific questions about anything running related, so never hesitate to ask!

Good luck with your training and race!

Just take it one day at a time. I know living away from home for the first time can be scary, but you've made it this far and you can do this!

It's natural to wonder if you've made the correct choice, but try to take comfort in following the choices you have made so far. Just follow through with those choices. Going to school is almost always the correct decision to do, and since you left to go to school you're on the right path.

Just focus on your education and learn as much as you can in your classes. Get help from the professors or Teaching Assistants. Your college may even have free therapists if you want to get specific help. Be aware of all the perks you get as a college student.

Over the next few weeks you'll be establishing new routines and habits as you adapt to this new environment. It's going to be new and uncomfortable at first, but you will get used to it. I recommend exercise as a habit because it can be as effective as medication for keeping stress under control.

I'd also suggest trying to make friends. It took me a long time in college before I finally found a friend or two I felt I could trust and be myself around, so I feel a little hypocritical giving this piece of advice. But having someone to talk to can be very helpful. Check out what clubs your school has, you're bound to find something that interests you. And if you go to any nerdy clubs (Sci-fi clubs, writing groups, anime clubs, video game clubs) you might be able to ask around and see if there are other Bronies around if those are the kinds of people you are looking for for friends.
You can also always call your parents, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you too as they are also dealing without having you around.

But don't sweat it, you can do this!

No one can balance you out except you. All the answers you are looking for you have to find in yourself before you will be able to find them in someone else.

If you aren't already exercising, start there. I usually make this recommendation because it works for me. Read Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain if you need motivation.

I like to lift weights, swim, and run. I have done Martial Arts in the past but that is typically expensive and not a particularly good workout (unless it includes sparing). If you do these things regularly you will feel good. You will gain confidence. You will meet people.

If you really want to meet people join a team sport. Most of my closest friends I met through sports.

I think exercise and sports are some of the best ways to get myself out of my head and outside in the sunshine.

There are a lot of different directions you could go. Getting your drivers license I think would be a good place to start if that's something you want. It would help open up more opportunities for you. Have you ever tried to learn to drive? You could practice in an open parking lot with your mom.

Exercise is great for me when I get stuck in a rut. If you can do it first thing in the morning it really helps to get your day started out well. There are a lot of things you can do right in your room. Anything to elevate my heart rate is a big help for me. I like working out with kettlebells. You can also do jump rope or body weight exercises with minimal space/equipment. There's a great book called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain that shows how beneficial exercise can be for you mentally.

As far as education there's the GED and for work everyone starts with no experience and gets a first job sometime. There are a lot of jobs you can do that don't require much social interaction. I worked fast food for a couple years and didn't work on the cash registers at all or interact with customers in any way.

You have a bunch of different options and opportunities. Pick one to start with and post again to let us know how you're doing or if you run into any difficulties so that we can help.

Sorry- that day got quite out of hand. (Not) incidentally, I have moderate-severe ADHD, with all the attendant issues with focus and follow-up. Though I don't have A.S., my husband does, so I've got a multi-faceted perspective on this issue.

I am learning to overcome the ADHD with a system I've designed for myself, from a few different things:

1. The Pomodoro technique. Basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes, and begin executing a task / objective. When the time goes off, you stop- even if you're not done- and re-set the timer for 5 minutes. You take a 5-minute break. When the timer goes off again, you resume your task, or take stock to make sure that's what you should really be doing. Here's the website, or download a cheat sheet.
   
   
   
2. Getting Things Done technique; I use the inbox / task flow / ToDo List methods. Combined with the Pomodoro Technique, it's a fail-proof system for ensuring I execute tasks in the order of highest priority, whether I want to do them or not. This system ensures I'm never wasting valuable time on inessential tasks, while elegantly preventing procrastination.
   
   
3. I keep a journal of what I'm doing whenever the Pomodoro timer goes off, below by daily ToDo list. It helps me see when I'm getting off track. The most valuable skill I've learned over the few months I've been doing this is the habit of thinking, "what am I doing right now, and how does it help me achieve my objectives?"
   
   
4. Also, an "Energy management journal:" I track my intake of food, sleep, water, and exercise. Though I don't do anything like graph the data, the act of writing it down holds me accountable, and increases the likelihood that I'll make wise choices. If I'm having an unproductive day/week, I can usually trace it to a preceding disturbance in one of the above habits, so I've learned to take care of myself, if I want to perform well.
   
   
   I recommend looking into whether any of the above could help with the challenges you're facing. My husband now swears by the Pomodoro technique; it helps him get started on larger projects, and also stops him every 25 minutes, so he's never hyperfocusing so long that he forgets to eat/sleep, etc.
   
   
   Speaking of body maintenance, the most important thing you can do for your overall well-being is exercise. Strength training is preferable, supplemented by cardio, but no matter what you're thinking right now, check out this book. Sticking to a regular weightlifting routine has improved my productivity far more than anything else ever did (even my Adderall prescription). When you feel physically better, far more things are possible. For further reference, check out these books, too.
   
   
   Tl,dr; Learn to manage your time & energy; you'll be better equipped to improve your own focus and follow-up. Meanwhile, your former therapist has no excuse.

While your brain is developing, at least until 23, I would recommend that you only use nutritional and aerobic supplementation to boost your own natural brain development. Phospholipids, cholinergics, omega-3's, ALCAR and other "memory enhancing" supplements are just giving your brain more of what it needs to make cell membranes and neurotransmitters to strengthen and propagate your neural connections, which makes for a smarter brain with more robust, plastic circuitry.

I got into nootropics when I was 23, but I had also been an alcoholic and taken ADHD drugs since I was in kindergarten, both of which interfere with brain development. I think this has made me a particularly high responder for someone my age (now 26) and I don't think I had much to lose from starting when I did. If you haven't experienced a neurally traumatizing event, however, I would recommend exercising every day (there's a great book that just came out about smarts and exercise) and eating everything your brain needs to make it the best it can be.

That's just common sense based off of what is known about all of this stuff. A lot of people can mess themselves up or waste a lot of money getting into and out of nootropics. We don't really know what it does to developing human minds, however.

I'm surprised studies haven't been done on this at some point, at least on a group of students aged 18 who could legally consent to such a study. I understand the ethical ramifications of giving this to children... but college students are going to do this stuff anyway. It would be great to get some data out of it and see if we should be saying "no no don't" instead of "we don't know."

Great health is definitely vital to performing well with your job. If you’re mentally and physically in great shape then high performance naturally follows. Look to perfect these foundations: Sleep, Diet, Exercise, Mental health and Productivity.

For sleep, make sure you’re getting around 8 hours of ideally uninterrupted sleep a day.

For diet, there are many great ones around, the ketogenic diet is very healthy and good for energy.

For exercise, read this book (it’s not mine). Perfect for enhancing performance through exercise: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485969714&sr=8-2&keywords=spark

For mental health, a nutritious diet goes a long way. Mindful meditation for 20 minutes a day is life changing for a lot of people (research it if you don’t believe me). Also, personal improvement blogs and books have helped me a lot to cultivate a successful mindset, Steve Pavlina has a great blog.

For productivity, the reason I mention this is due to the fact we have limited energy and time each day. By maximizing our productivity we can most effectively use our limited daily resources. Shorter work days may actually lead to more work being done in the long run for example, 7 hours a day 5 days a week is my sweet spot but you may differ so do your research. Working long hours is admirable but in the long-term it can hurt your health and work, working smart is what you should aim for.

Hopefully this helps you out.

I've just ordered the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain hoping to get some answers to exactly that question.

What exercise, how much and what benefits are shown? I was rather surprised the other day, when I saw that a meta-analysis about prescription stimulants and cognitive performance compared the enhancement from said stimulants (effect size: small) with exercise, and quoted this meta-analysis.

>e.g., physical exercise, the cognitive effects of which have been found to be similarly small; see Chang, Labban, Gapin, & Etnier, 2012, for a meta-analysis.

Full reference >[Chang, Y. K., Labban, J. D., Gapin, J. I., & Etnier, J. L. (2012). The effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance: A meta-analysis. Brain Research, 1453, 87–101]


I haven't had time to look it up and investigate it yet - but, I must say, it's rather disheartening if the effect size is "similarly small" for exercise. I honestly thought it had quite drastic effects on cognitive performance.

We'll see how (if it does) the book differs in contention.

----------

EDIT:

I grabbed some interesting meta-analyses' for you that may be of your interest:

> Roig, M., et al. (2013). "The effects of cardiovascular exercise on human memory: A review with meta-analysis." Neurosci Biobehav Rev 37(8): 1645-1666.

EXCERPT: "Data from 29 and 21 studies including acute and long-term cardiovascular interventions were retrieved. Meta-analyses revealed that acute exercise had moderate (SMD=0.26; 95% CI=0.03, 0.49; p=0.03; N=22) whereas long-term had small (SMD=0.15; 95% CI=0.02, 0.27; p=0.02; N=37) effects on short-term memory. In contrast, acute exercise showed moderate to large (SMD=0.52; 95% CI=0.28, 0.75; p<0.0001; N=20) whereas long-term exercise had insignificant effects (SMD=0.07; 95% CI=-0.13, 0.26; p=0.51; N=22) on long-term memory.... Strategically combined, acute and long-term interventions could maximize the benefits of cardiovascular exercise on memory."


>Verburgh, L., et al. (2013). "Physical exercise and executive functions in preadolescent children, adolescents and young adults: a meta-analysis." Br J Sports Med.

EXCERPT: "Results suggest that acute physical exercise enhances executive functioning. The number of studies on chronic physical exercise is limited and it should be investigated whether chronic physical exercise shows effects on executive functions comparable to acute physical exercise. This is highly relevant in preadolescent children and adolescents, given the importance of well-developed executive functions for daily life functioning and the current increase in sedentary behaviour in these age groups."

----------

A review article that may also be interesting to read called Reviewing on physical exercise and the cognitive function.

I haven't looked for a comparative study re: exercise vs. nutraceuticals/meditation - but that would definitely be interesting to see, so do tell if you find something relevant and share it!

Get this book and read it.

The compliments you are going to get from people here don't mean shit. You need to snap out of it and build yourself up. Self esteem is something you are going to have to work for. It doesn't matter what you think other people do, have to do, or don't have to do. You matter.

The VAST majority of your problems will be solved with exercise, your body, being the least significant. Read that book from cover to cover and commit to 6 days a week of an eventual goal of intense exercise of 80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30 minutes a week. It will be hard. You will fail some days. You will talk yourself out of it. Don't let it stop you.

Become obsessed. The motivation will become intoxicating and you will start to overcome the worst of it and yearn for the exercise. When you read the book you will see how it helps you psychologically.

I recommend the insanity video. It is a high bar to start at. Do it at your own pace. Do half time of what they do and take more breaks, but under no circumstances can you stop. This video will keep your heart rate up. Don't make a fucking excuse, the second you do, notice it, and say this is my first problem I need to fix.

Stop "looking for a guy". Work on you. When you feel like a guy doesn't matter, then you are ready for a guy. You need to feel like the guy is looking for you, not you looking for the guy. Your confidence will come when you conquer the things that are tough in your life. You need to get out of your comfort zone and grow. You need to find comfort in being uncomfortable.

Get "finding a guy" out of your head NOW. Shut it down. If you don't have a hobby, find one. Work hard at it. Maybe kick up your production at work. What do you have an interest in? Do it and get serious about it. Push! Do it on the days you don't want to do it.

So many things you can do to help but I bet my life that intense exercise is the way to start. Therapy is next. A guy?? Fucking last. TRUST ME!

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. I actually already subscribe to that podcast but didn't see they covered IF, i'll give it a listen.

As far as the study goes, I wouldn't expect a huge direct benefit to racing. Matt Fitzgerald covers this a bit in his book and suggests that training fasted or on a high fat diet can improve your ability to access and burn fat on race day, but there is also a benefit to taking in carbs before running, giving you the energy to perform best during that workout. He suggests doing some fasted long runs, and some non-fasted long runs.

All that said, I think the benefits of IF are indirect coming from the weight loss on race day, not necessarily any potential peripheral benefits to running fasted.

Yes, very much so. Exercise has many many benefits for both your body and mind. There is an excellent book on these benefits called Spark that delves into some of the brain benefits and mood elevating effects of exercise.

Anecdotally I have found that many adventure sports enthusiasts believe in helping their fellow athletes as an ethical imperative. Many races emphasize this as a key aspect of the event.

• The Tough Mudder Oath emphasizes teamwork over competitiveness, encouraging participants to put the needs of others over their own accomplishments.
  
  
• The Ragnar Relay challenges teams of 12 to work together to run 200 miles. Far more than most amateur athletes can do on their own.
  
  
• The GoRuck Challenge emphasizes that "It's not about you", forcing teams to work together towards a common goal.
  
  Each of these events are wildly popular and attract people from varying backgrounds.

All I do is be a magnificent student and human being. This book has helped me so much. Cuz I love STIMS. FUCK! I never knew drugs could be so awesome till I met stims.

Spark

It might seem like an advertisement but this book legitimately changed my perspective on a lot of things. Mostly stimulants, though. Yeah. Cuz stim addiction or stim..wanting?-- is a lot like ADHD.

Oh, shit, and uh, I realize my last post prolly didn't make it clear. I last took Adderall two weeks ago. Sometimes it's 6 months. Sometimes it's 2 months. Sometimes it's less... like, yeah, two weeks. I love adderall. My point was that I felt equal to what I felt on Addy or Vyvanse after 1.5 months of consistent exercise. Like, I legitimately felt as good as I felt on adderall 1 hour after exercising for the entire day... but the time that I felt that good on adderall was, like, 4 hours or something. I mean, I felt better than that for 1 hour, but then I felt worse than that for 2 hours (coming down).

Generally you don't want to use the running calculators to estimate your times... but that said I think your goal is not unreasonable. It sounds like training has been going well for you, and despite what others may tell you ("the goal of your first marathon should just be to finish"), having a goal time in mind will really help you push yourself. If you're as competitive as I am simply "just finishing" isn't enough.

Honestly, see how you feel after your first 20 miler. It will be a good gauge as to how your training has been going. Also, if you want to really step up your game pick up this book ($11.00 on amazon). It has some really good tips for overall nutrition as well as leading up to/race day nutrition. Might I suggest looking into the 10-day fat load... There are a lot of keto-haters out there, but I did it before my first marathon and all I can say is no wall was hit and miles 20-26.2 were actually my fastest.

And drink beet juice on the reg... that shits awesome (by "on the reg" I mean 3 times a week before your workouts...).

Good luck!

Hell to the Y to the E to the S. If past me had the opportunity to understand how I feel today and instantly transform my mind and body into what it is now by paying cash money, I would have shoveled my dollars over with a bulldozer.

I won't get into my issues, but they include a lifelong struggle with depression. Even though I am not on medication now, 90% of my days I wake up feeling pretty good. It used to be only 10% of my days I would feel better than "meh".

Biggest things for me were cutting out sugar and exercising. All that I have done has also come very cheaply. I started just cutting out sugary foods and cooking more. Eventually I ate keto. My fitness started with walking - just around my apartment at first, eventually around the neighborhood. Just from that, I lost a little over 10% of my weight, finally was able to have a regular sleep schedule, erased a lot of anxiety, and practically cured some nagging health conditions.

I think there is a lot of hype in the fitness, diet, and health industries that try to convince you that you need to spend a lot of money to be well, but so much can be done by yourself, at home. Just start small and keep adding good habits, and eventually you'll have a new lifestyle and a new mindset. And also, I think if you're not doing well physically or mentally, its can be better to add to your mindset and health than to add to your savings. If you're still able to at least save for the 401k, I think fixing your mental and physical health would be considered a good investment.

In the end, only you can decide what is best for you, but from my personal experience and what I've read on reddit of peoples' health transformations, I say hell yes to exercise.

I also recommend the book "Spark". It is in interesting examination of the science of exercise and mental health.

I have nothing to compare it to, but I basically abdicated all nutritional decision making to Matt Fitzgerald and his advice in his book.. link below. I firmly believe I needed the gels yesterday.. the immediate effect on my HR at the end seems like strong evidence.

I also avoided training with them as much as possible, but it’s a good idea to try a few and see what you like and then do a few longer runs with them. If you don’t like the taste of one, you may find others are better. I really like the Gatorade Mango and the new Maurteen gel (flavorless).

Strongly suggest you buy the book and follow his advice. It was recommended to me by a 2:25ish marathoner on r/artc as the definitive word on how to handle nutrition.


https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marathon-Half-Marathon-Nutrition/dp/0738216453

Look into sites like Lynda or Udemy. You pay between 10 or 40 euro's depending on the quality of the course & it's worth it. Making a website with php, sql databases (+html & css) are relatively easy. Aps for mobile devices are i think more difficult you either need Java or C# for that. Those are powerfull object oriented languages that will provide you with a whole universe of possibility's for creativity once you have mastered them, the websites i mentioned have courses for that as wel. You probably will get frustrated along the way, i found it to be challenging stuff- just keep at it. You could also consider investigating things like (zen) meditation in order to become calmer and improve your patience and also figure out which foods are good for the health of your brain, and exercise. those all help. https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain-ebook/dp/B000SFD21Q

After getting the courses it's all about the strength of your own motivation in order to grind through those courses in order to learn the skills.

Good luck !

Just going to start my book recommendations here

I've added a small takeaway I got for each book.

1. Endure
   Takeaway: how mental labor affects physical labor
   https://books.google.com/books/about/Endure.html?id=aRrcDgAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover
   
   
2. Good To Go: The Strange Science of Recovery. Takeaway: naps https://www.amazon.com/Good-Go-Athlete-Strange-Recovery/dp/039325433X
   
   
3. Sitting Kills, Moving Heals
   Takeaway: Former NASA scientist who studied astronauts during training and in their return. Says that just fully moving every 15-20 minutes is metabolically as powerful as intense exercise.
   https://www.amazon.com/Sitting-Kills-Moving-Heals-Everyday/dp/1610350189
   
   
4. Talent is Overrated
   "Expanding on a landmark cover story in Fortune, a top journalist debunks the myths of exceptional performance." of all fields including running. Takeaway: start with tiny wins instead of grueling challenges
   
   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4485966-talent-is-overrated
   
   
5. If Our Bodies Could Talk written by The Atlantic's health editor (and MD). Takeaway: the estimation of how much of our health outcomes can be improved by self care and improved environment.
   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30211959-if-our-bodies-could-talk
   
   
6. Matt Fitzgerald The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition Takeaway: Why Matt drinks fresh beet juice (not dried reconstituted) before a race https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0738216453/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0738216453
   
   
7. If somebody is interested in "woo" about health & athletic performance Edgar Cayce's Handbook for Health takeaway: worked for me https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Health-Through-Drugless-Therapy/dp/0876042159
   
   
8. Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods (Hawai'i author.) Takeaway: The Atlantic just recently pointed out salads as a differentiating factor in a healthy diet, she makes it fun.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Living-Cuisine-Spirit-Health-Guides/dp/1583331719
   
   
9. Kundalini Yoga for Youth and Joy. (Or anything Yogi Bhajan on diet or postures.) I lived and studied in a yoga community for five years that was Kundalini-based, but practiced yogas from all traditions. Takeaway: good prep for higher intensity sports https://www.yogatech.com/Yogi_Bhajan/Kundalini_Yoga_for_Youth_and_Joyhttps://www.yogatech.com/Yogi_Bhajan/Kundalini_Yoga_for_Youth_and_Joy
   
   Edit: tips on a separate post :)

We are pretty close to each other for running pace and both in triathlon. I think you are around a 7:10-7:15 pace for 5K right now. The 800s are great for elevating threshold/VO2, and I have found that a good indicator for 5K pace are cruise intervals. These are 3-4x 5-8min intervals at lactate threshold effort (near 5K effort) with 3min recovery effort between. They are great to mix into any training plan. You should be consistent in your interval paces for these. You can reduce the recovery time to 2 then 1 if you are pretty solid on the consistency and recovery improves.

800s are just above threshold effort. I do these at 6:20-6:30 pace. The cruise intervals I do at 7:10-7:20 pace, and I can run the top of that pace in a sprint triathlon. I ran a track 5K in 20:54 at my peak, so I would say around 21:30 for me on a road 5K effort.

EDIT: Training reference I use for triathlon training from the book 80/20 Triathlon :

http://8020endurance.com/8020-workout-library/

IMO, nutrition is just as important to "train" as your actual fitness. Eating four hours before the race is fine, but you may have to adjust and eat much more if you're going to leave that much time before the race before consuming more CHO.

I wouldn't worry as much about the electrolyte capsules, the bonk was from inadequate CHO during the race. You have to aim for a minimum of 30g/hour, but ideally 60-90g/hour if your stomach can handle it.

For gels I would try the new Maurten "gels" or carb drink. The gels are like nothing I've ever had before. The consistency is like Jell-O and they have a very neutral flavor. They are so much easier to consume than any other gel on the market since they all have the consistency of glue. The drink is also good if you normally carry fluids with you.

Anyway, I'm rambling, if you are serious about getting your nutrition straight, you should look into Matt Fitzgerald's book. It really helped me set a base of knowledge and then I tested out what worked best for me.

Here are some resources that have been incredibly helpful for me. :)

Books:

• Driven to Distraction by Dr. John Ratey -- I haven't read this one in a while, but I love Dr. Ratey. He is a great writer on issues of science, biology, and mental health.
  
  
• Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey -- Sections on how beneficial exercise is in managing ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
  
  
• Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Dr. Russell Barkley -- Best book for adults with ADHD I've read. Backs everything up with science. Makes a very solid case for self-care and medication.
  
  
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World -- Hyperfocus == Deep Work. Use this philosophy to make the case to a boss or team about reducing interruption at work.
  
  
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0
  
  
• StrengthsFinder -- ADHD makes us painfully aware of our weaknesses. Learn what your strengths and positive personality traits are and how to build off them.
  
  Videos:
  
  
• 30 Essential Ideas You Should Know About ADHD by Dr. Russell Barkley -- Awesome series about the nature of ADHD. MUST WATCH
  
  Podcasts:
  
  
• The Value Of 'Deep Work' In An Age Of Distraction by Hidden Brain -- A podcast version of the Deep Work book if you're like me and have trouble getting through 200 pages.
  
  
• Embrace the Chaos: Why Disorder May Be Good For Us -- We may beat ourselves up over our struggles with structure, but here's a solid case on how less structure makes us more adaptable.

Exercise can cure the bad health caused by your drug and alcohol habit. It will give you a better sleep wake pattern. It will help you with self discipline and give you the resolve and energy to say no to drugs. Tired and sick-feeling people often have no self control. Exercise will alleviate most of your other health problems. Also, exercise literally makes you happy. it will make you smarter. This is well documented. If you want a book on the myriad benefits of exercise, check this out: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

Exercise is about a lot more than just your specific health problem. It will help you look and feel more attractive and help you to stand up straight with your shoulders back. As someone with scoliosis, I know standing up straight with your shoulders back is nontrivial. Notably, it’s very hard to do if your muscles are deforming you. You need a strong core to be able to look your best. And you don‘t get a strong core without exercise.

If you can join a gym you can meet people. When you have more confidence people want to be around you and you can have friends. And when people want to be around you some of them want to be around you. Sexually. You‘re at rock bottom. Working on even one of the six things will help you with all others.

You‘re looking for excuses. It’s good you know you don‘t have these six things. Now it‘s time to do something. If you do nothing it won’t fall on your lap. Not good health. Not friends. Not a meaningful hobby. Not a good job. Not romance. Nothing. And in ten years you’ll be making the same post and maybe then your parents will be dead or incapacitated and can no longer give you your stipend, so you’ll have less than you do now. You’ll be ten years older. With none of the potential you have now. People will not be as forgiving of your empty resume in 10 years.

You’ll be more cynical and nihilistic and depressed. You’ll look worse (sorry aging tends to do that. Especially if you don’t exercise. There’s a saying in my culture: In youth, beauty is a gift from god. In old age, beauty is a lifetime of discipline and wisdom.) and less attractive. The unhappiness of your life will be etched on your face. Ever wonder why some old people just look ANGRY? It’s not because they are in the moment. It’s because their face got stuck that way after a lifetime of frowning and scowling. Young children will run away from you. And your body will hurt more. Nothing will get better if you don’t act. It all gets worse.

And what would be the point of that? To make a post complaining then letting 10 years go by? You don‘t have to join a gym. You can work on any of these things, though I think it‘s the easiest thing to do right now. Everything flows from good looks, good health and a happy countenance.

Do you take care of yourself, other than doing nofap.

Here is some tips, that have helped me.

1. Eat a healthy diet. "Perfect health diet" is a good one. Also start looking into minerals and vitamins, they can have great combined with good nutrition.
   Socialanxietysupport.com has some good forumposts about vitamins/minerals that might be helpful:
   
   http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f11/is-manganese-the-solution-70691/#/topics/70691
   
   http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f11/selenium-implications-in-sas-97817/#/topics/97817
   
   Also look into iodine, magnesium and b vitamins...
   
   
   
2. clean your room, make your bed every morning.
   https://youtu.be/jHIkjJV8DdM
   
   https://youtu.be/KgzLzbd-zT4
   
   
3. walk, run, lift weight, HIIT workout. Read the book "Spark" , if want to know more about the way exercise helps depression, anxiety, stress, memory,willpower and more.
   https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514
   
   
   
4. meditate, bioenergetics, yoga
   
   https://youtu.be/Pafdo1Pln5I
   
   
   There is alot of other things that will help you, but this is a good start.
   
   Good luck dude

Good advice here. Plan looks basically good. If you want to add more overall distance, lengthen the easy runs. Make sure you take it easy on your long runs and recovery runs. Distance builds endurance, and the pace doesn't matter much. Most beginners try to run too fast.

Definitely work on your diet. Eat plenty of carbs (60-70% of your total calories). Whole grains are better than refined carbs. Cut way back on fried foods, sweets, and fatty meats. Check out the New Rules of Marathon Nutrition for sensible, non-dogmatic advice.

With the caveat that I am also not a mental health professional and I can only speak from an anecdotal / personal reading level:

On another point related to depression, it also sounds like you were making choices that were exceedingly unhelpful to your mental state purely by being heavily invested in drugs and spending most of your time indoors. Your sleep schedule also likely suffered.

If you read things like John J. Ratey's Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and particularly some of the research behind it, you see that exercise and time outdoors has a massive, massive effect on mental well-being. Not only are you in better shape, you're also mentally sharper, more resilient to stresses (with brain pathways for stress being literally down-regulated by aerobic exercise, meaning you physically don't even have as strong a reaction when something stressful happens), and there is growing research that several of the chemicals produced by your body during exercise (particularly Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and IGF-1) literally grow your brain and can repair neuronal damage that comes from time.

Others have given good recommendations on how to handle this, but as someone who has spent some time living at home, trying to figure out what to do, here's my digital two cents: take some time to exercise every day. Install a fitness app and shoot for 6000+ (better, 10000+) steps outside every day. Go to the gym several times per week, and spend some time doing intense aerobic exercise to get your heart pumping. Find as regular a sleep schedule as you can, and eat healthy.

Mens sana in corpore sano and all of that. Take care of your body and your mind as well as you can, as that will help in every aspect of this process, both for your own mental health and for your acuity as you perform in job interviews and discussions with recruiters.

I started My Marathon and have a little bit of First Ladies of Running left. Haven't started Running with the Buffaloes yet - but that's high on the list to pick up once I finish those two.

My 'wish list' highlights right now include Duel in the Sun, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, The Barefoot Sisters Appalacian Trail books Southbound and Walking Home, Swimming to Antartica, and Physiology really fascinates me even though I only understand a fraction of it so I kind of want to check out Running: Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology in Practice, 1e

I also have a couple of business related books (But those are boring. I just feel like I have to read them to stay relevant in some conversations.) I need to get through, as well as some good fiction reading in just to detox the brain. Haha. Archer has been taking precedence over that before bed lately though.

Not just a matter of beauty. Physical well-being results in improved mental functions as well!

You don’t have to buy into sports or competitive gym culture to feed your brain some good hormones; there are plenty of enjoyable physical things for intellectual types to do, from hiking and backpacking to dance to traditional martial arts. Or just plain running like Murakami.

Try reading this. He does a great job of explaining when and how to use gels.

I think using them on 10 mile runs isn't necessary, and you can train your body to better use fat stores for energy by foregoing a gel on a run of that distance. When you do your longest runs leading up to the marathon, that's when you should practice with gels. I disagree on one point with the previous poster- I think taking a gel 15-20 minutes before a marathon is a good idea. They are made specifically to give you quick energy, and while other foods can do the same thing I think gels do a good job of getting you that energy quickly and efficiently.

I agree that of course you should do the type of exercise that you really enjoy. But in case you want more than that, the research that exists in this area and supports that idea that exercise can be a helpful treatment is mostly about aerobic exercise like walking/running/cycling. But that could just mean researchers haven't looked into strength training as much, not necessarily that it isn't as good.
Maybe more helpful is that research indicates that high levels of exercise (defined in the study as burning around 8 calories per pound over the course of multiple exercise sessions in a week) creates the largest decrease in depression symptoms. So I would say do whatever exercise you enjoy and mets your goals that gets you to that level.

Source is the book Spark: Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

Please read the book SPARK by John J. Ratey, MD. Specifically chapters 3-5, but the whole book is an excellent read. It will help you understand how exercise will help you with bouts of stress, anxiety and depression.

It might offer you some valuable insight as to what is going on in your brain. Good luck and keep with it!

Whether or not you hit the wall not only is a matter of training but also having and carrying out a solid in-race nutrition plan. The wall hits people because their lower bodies run out of glycogen, and they haven't sufficiently re-fueled those stores with carbohydrate during the race.

Matt Fitzgerald and the Hanson brothers are among the few experienced running writers who seriously get into fueling during races, and they may be worth a read for finer points.

But in general you need to work on fueling during long runs. Thankfully, Chicago's drink stations use Gatorade (which contains carbs; low-cal drinks like Ultima do not), and if you prefer to fuel that way you can practice hitting the Gatorade every 1.3 miles during training runs. You could also practice with gels or gummy-style fuel like Shot Bloks, but that gets a lot more pricey than Gatorade, and Gatorade has the added benefit of also rehydrating you.

Again, others get into the finer points of marathon fueling much better than I just did, but that's a place to start if you want to avoid the wall.

I have had GAD since I was 15 so I applaud you for seeking professional help. Exercise won't cure cancer for sure (I've had that too) and it may not eliminate GAD, but it certainly will not hurt and may actually help. Exercise "messes with brain chemistry" in a very good way. This book by a neuroscientist explains what exercise does to your brain: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

So go to therapy, definately take your meds but your parents may actually be on to something.

I've probably been in better-than-average shape for most of my adult life with just a few periods of falling off the wagon. My starting template was the lovely little book "Triathaloning for Ordinary Mortals" that I discovered while going to college back in the Pleistocene. If you ignore the 'triathlon' part (I had to quit running at 20yo, my knees kept blowing up) it's a pretty nifty set of simple guidelines: work out 3-6 days a week for at least 20 min at a time for a minimum total of 3-5 hours/week, don't take more than 2 days off in a row unless you're sick or injured or something, keep your heart rate up while you're doing it, mix up what you're doing and the intensity through the week/weeks, and keep building more time as you get time especially on your 'long day' (unless you're OK where you're at of course, then you can kinda cruise at that level). Everything is just tracked by time so any given week you can bike, run, hike, skate, ski, go to the gym, paddle a boat, do a workout video, shovel snow, whatever. It all counts so long as your heart rate is up.

If you take those guidelines + bolt in some resistance training at least 2x/week & sprinkle in some yoga when you get the chance, you've got a flexible system that can run for the rest of your life without getting bored. If you decide to get into a sport you can use the majority of your time to specialize with that, and if the seasons or your interest changes you can just float over to other activities. Recently I've decided to increase my weekly volume to 8+ hours/week to see where that will take me, but if I get tired of that or run into scheduling issues I can always ratchet it back down without quitting entirely.

This time of year the type of exercise I'm doing often depends on the weather. I'm aiming for a bunch of mountain bike hours primarily, but if the ol' man and I spy a prime opportunity to nab a hike or backpacking trip (often involving pack rafts & fishing because you can't ever combine The Dirtbag Arts too much), imma be on it in a hot second. :)

Racing Weight and Fitzgerald's New Rules are both good resources.

Be careful, though. Eating disorders are way too common in endurance athletes, and have ended many running careers. If you are not overweight, it is better to eat a healthy diet, train well, and let the weight take care of itself.

Really late reply, but in training my LRs are generally mostly 24-milers. For early in the cycle, especially in cooler weather, I'm just running easy-ish, so I generally don't bring any nutrition. For later in the cycle, I'm usually doing TLTs or a significant number of MP miles, and take 3-5 gels throughout the run, evenly spaced, usually without water because I'm too lazy to carry gels *and* water.

For races I use this book, which (among other things) recommends 60-90 g carbs/hour while racing. I prefer water to Gatorade in races, so this works out to 9 gels during the race: one a couple of minutes before the gun goes off, and then another every 3 miles. Ngl, it's a lot, and if the weather is warm I'll back off a bit due to limitations on the amount of fluid available. It's ok to have some stomach discomfort during the race - part of the point of taking gels in training runs is to get your GI system used to it (the other part, of course, is to help nail the workout).

Grandma's is a great race - I've never done, but at least a half-dozen members of my club are going this year. Good luck!

The bias on this article is just depressing.

The heart rate monitor system is excellent for figuring out how much work someone is actually doing and is more for the students than the gym teachers. At least I hope there are gym teachers that aren't abusing this power.

The first chapter in this book talks a little about how the first Heart Rate Monitoring system in Gym worked out.

There's a lot of scientific evidence for it—I did a quick google and found some stuff, although there are probably better explanations than what I found in a few seconds.

There was a study done in the past five years—at Yale IIRC—that indicated that exercise is equivalent to anti-depressant medication in treating depression.

Here is a psychologist being interviewed about what exercise does to the exerciser's mind.

Here, the American Psychological Association (APA) explains that exercise improves the brain's ability to handle stress, which in turn should reduce anxiety.

There's no cure-all; the one thing you need to do is actually a lot of things that will work together in a perfect storm to reduce and possibly eliminate your anxiety.

About exercise:

• don't worry about whether you feel a "runner's high"—it usually does come, but after at least several weeks of training
  
  
• what you are after is not only an endorphin rush; exercise is being shown to actually change the structure of the brain in positive ways, not the least of which is to be more resilient and less prone to anxiety
  
  
• if your pulse seems too high, slow it down. Remember, you're not out there to prove you're Superman/Superwoman. Speed and endurance will come; think of your mind/body as an engine that you're working on. You need to build it up before it's ready to race.
  
  
• Exercise is not punishment. Too many people get the idea that running/exercise is a way to do penance for bad behavior. You're out there to do good to yourself because you deserve it.
  
  I got a lot out of this layman's book about the effects of exercise on the brain (based science from the past 10-20 years); you may want to look at it.
  
  PS: I found this interesting article in The Atlantic about exercise and depression as well; looks pretty good, and it's from last year.
  
  edit: grammar

I think John Ratey would make a superb guest.

Rogan often encourages exercise and talks about the mental health benefits, but he struggles to articulate the actual scientific argument for the phenomenon. This man, Ratey, has written popular science books on the subject of exercise's effect on the brain and mental health - thus he would be a very good guest!

Everyone here should also be aware of his excellent book on the matter: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

Sounds like it induces psychosis.

Exercise has a number of positive effects on the brain and psychological health, would definitely recommend it after an experience like that.

Fx see spark

You should talk to your coach about any conditioning work and my coach use to send us to an athletic trainer that knew what areas we needed to focus on for fencing and can determine where you need to concentrate on and give you a guide you in the right path.

There are some things your coach might not want you to work on building muscle on, my coach didn't want me to work on my arms as much because I had a heavy arm (not that he didn't want me to do workouts for it, he just didn't want me to build more muscle that would make my arm heavier). Same thing with my quads/hamstring they were huge so he wanted me to build more of my lower legs instead.

When I trained by myself I use to focus on lower body for explosiveness with footwork, hand strengthening to help prevent cramping, and core muscles for helping with form for building and other than that my conditioning was mostly concentrating on explosiveness and stamina.

I think there is a book out written by an athletic trainer that recommends workout regimens for fencers, I can't tell you if it is any good or not.

edit: here it is, it seems to not be very good and more of a general weight training introduction. maybe some coaches/fencers on here can comment on it.

The two most common tips that I regularly see are Exercise and Meditation.

John Ratey says in Spark that 30 minutes of moderate exercise is best for women with ADHD (he recommends 15 minutes of intense exercise for men)

Meditation can help build up practices to help you build good practices. Dan Harris's new book would probably be a good start. I listened to 10% Happier and found it to be good. You can also listen to him on the 10% Happier Podcast.

That's at least for starters.

Give it some time for the medication to start working before trying much else. I use a couple of supplements through the advice I found on examine.com but I would recommend giving yourself a few months before speaking to your doctor before looking into supplements.

From there it depends on what you struggle with. There are a lot of things to try but just try a few at a time. I've tried doing everything at once and had it all crash down in front of me.

These books are very helpful: Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance and The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition.

From a personal point of view: Last year I dropped my weight from 96 kg (212 lbs) to 72 kg (159 lbs). This happened from mid January to the end of June. At this point I was training for my upcoming marathon in September.

I think it's best to lose weight in the early phases of a training program. Another thing to consider is when to eat. Personally I found that I could do most of my easy runs without eating beforehand. When I came back I would just eat what I had planned to eat before, instead of eating before + after. Also, I tracked everything religiously in MyFitnessPal for 8 months. I continued a bit after I reached my goal to be sure I knew what to eat to maintain my weight.

You can see my progress here.

I'm currently a bit heavier after being injured, not able to run, and still eating all the christmas food and cookies! But I started tracking in MyFitnessPal again this Monday. My plan is to be lighter than ever in about 2 months. My goal is around 68 kg (150 lbs). As of this morning, my weight is 76,5 kg (168,5 lbs). For reference, my height is 184 cm (6 feet 7⁄16 inch).

Last time I did this I had no problem with my quality workouts. But maybe I did them too slow compared to what I could have done. I'll have to be a bit more careful this time around, since I know my speed / what I am capable of now.

If you have a little down time, I seriously recommend that you (and everyone) reads a book called Spark by John Ratey. It's an excellent read about the neurobiology of exercise from a psychiatrist who largely looks at exercise and ADHD but extrapolates some of his theories with support from other researchers. Some very cool experiments, and definite food for thought.

Well said.

I just finished a fascinating book Spark that explains how exercise enables many people to overcome their substance addictions, precisely because exercise actually does change the chemistry of the brain. It's pretty fascinating stuff; I learned some things about myself that I didn't realize previously.

You have two options here:

• The long one: Stretch everyday, 10 to 20 minutes. Hold every position for about 30 seconds. Do NOT bounce; bouncing is known as ballistic stretching and it as stupid as stretching can get.
  
  
• The somewhat shorter way: Isometric stretching(a.k.a. PNF), 3 times a week in addition to normal stretching the rest of the week. To give you a general idea, isometric stretching is pretty much stretching as far as you can comfortably go, contracting the muscles for somewhere between 5 to 30 seconds, depending on how hard you contract, and then letting go and try to push the stretch a little further. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat up to 5 times. It's hard, and quite uncomfortable, but it works. Relax into stretch and Stretching scientifically are the best books I know on the subject.
  
  Also, dynamic stretching is to be done at the beginning of your workout, and passive at the end.
  

I've always thought this was the best way to curb my ADD along with medicine and if anyone is interested there is an amazing book written by a physician about this subject! Helped me understand a lot: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

I pretty heavily disagree with the other advice proffered. Yes, you can adapt your body to burn more fat and fewer carbohydrates in the marathon, but you will go slower by doing so. Carbohydrates are just going to give you more energy, flat out, and energy = speed at this distance.

Most ~faster~ marathoners will be taking in at least 400-500 calories during the race, and they are completing it in the low 2 hour timeframe. It's not unrealistic for someone in the 3 hour timeframe to take in 700 calories.

This book by Matt Fitzgerald is a great resource, he summarizes the point in a lot of articles online if you just search for "Matt Fitzgerald Marathon Nutrition"

Read this book (or download the audiobook off Audible), it explains in really interesting terms how exercise strengthens the reward center of the brain. In a nutshell, exercise, at first you might hate it (like your first beer) but eventually you "get it" and you realise how happy building your fitness level can make you.

http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113506

Check out this guy. He has an interesting philosophy on stretching that seems to work pretty well. There are also some videos of his on Youtube you can watch for free where he explains a lot of his ideas and exercises.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Free your tastes from the cage of other people's opinions and pretensions. Try young adult fiction like Harry Potter and trashy romance novels. Try anything by E.L. Doctorow. Or try some nonfiction. Anything by Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Pinker...

http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394322770&sr=1-12&keywords=blink
http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394322814&sr=1-1&keywords=spark

I'm treated for anxiety, depression and ADHD. I've long noticed that the best periods of my life are directly correlated to being far more active.

I recently read a great book on the subject called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. I'd highly recommend it.

I would recommend trying everything - make sure you experiment with pre-run food and nutrition/hydration during your run. It's all very personal and you will need to find out what works best for you.

Personally - it takes a lot for my stomach to "practice" using gu. I like gu the best (right now) because I cannot chew shot blocks or gummys when I run. I try to eat a half a gu every 30-40 minutes while running (about every 4 miles). I need to drink water when I eat the gu but on most hot summer long runs I will train with a group that puts out water/gatorade every 3-4 miles for up to 20 mile runs. I had previously had problems stomaching gu during races so during my last training cycle I would force myself to "over" gu during training runs to try and get my stomach used to it. So basically if I was feeling good during a training run I'd just try to eat as much gu as I could possibly stomach. I also use training runs to get over my fear of pudding and gelatin-like snacks (the first few times of the season include some dry heaving)

If you want to go into some more detail I would recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marathon-Half-Marathon-Nutrition/dp/0738216453

I don't know of any books that combine the two, I kind of doubt there is.

The closet thing that comes to mind is: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=sr_1_31?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375234209&sr=1-31

I mean there are tons of books on meditation, and tons of books on yoga, but not about the two.

Yoga and insight meditation are pretty diverse activities. One trains the mind, the other the body and somewhat the mind. You can use meditation to strengthen your yoga practice by training your mind to be in the moment and focus more on the body. Yoga makes you more limber to be able to sit longer and perhaps focus more on the body in meditation.

I'll be interested to read any such books if someone does post them.

Another parallel story here – law school, smart, lack of progress, etc.

Diagnosed with depression at 35. Once treatment had me somewhat stabilized, I started reading up on depression and mental health. (lifelong habit: must learn all the things. right now. unless required by school or job.)

Anyway, that eventually had me reading Spark by John Ratey (co-author of Driven to Distraction). I was reading for the chapter on depression, and found I related to it quite well. But then I skimmed through the rest, and got to the chapter on ADHD...and was stunned. It was so clearly me. Then started reading all the things on ADHD to make sure I wasn't out to lunch, and made an appointment to see my doc.

Doc talked to me for about 20 minutes, asked a whole bunch of questions, then sent me home with a questionnaire to complete and send back to him. Did that and went back for a follow-up, which was more questions. Ended with confirmation of what I'd known since the day I hit that chapter in Spark.

Now I'd say I'm doing okay – awareness and Adderall are both helping, but it's a long road. I'm confident my career (in particular) would have had a different trajectory if I'd been diagnosed years ago, but I'm still in an okay spot. I've also been able to see how my ADHD has affected me as a spouse and parent – and I'm trying to find ways to be better at both.

OP, if you want to read about the link between running (well, exercising) and mental health there's a book called Spark by Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey that's actually pretty good, definitely motivates you to get up and start working out.

Exactly. Eat the right foods and you'll both lose weight and make running gains. I recommend this book for diet plans. By Matt Fitzgerald.

In the book he describes a really simple way to choose your diet. Categorize foods in groups in this order: 1. Vegetables 2. Fruits 3. Nuts/seeds 4. Fish & Lean meats 5. Whole grains 6. Dairy 7. Refined grain 8. Fatty meats 9. Sweets 10. Fried Foods.

Basically all you need to do is eat more veggies than fruits, fruits than nuts/seeds, nuts/seeds than fish & lean meats and so on. Bias your diet toward the food groups on the top of the list and you'll be good to go.

It's simple physiology. The muscles aren't physically short, it's just that we have a thing called the stretch reflex that freaks out when we move our muscles outside a certain range of motion, and causes the muscle to contract in order to stop the motion.

When a doctor whacks our knee with a hammer, they're testing the stretch reflex. The hammer impact causes a small and momentary lengthening of the quads, and the stretch reflex counteracts it by contracting the.

What stretching does is create a "new normal" in terms of RoM for the muscle. It is a retraining of the nervous system, not the muscle tissue, and for this reason, frequency is key.

If you want to read more about it, Glorious Socialist Athletics authors Pavel Tsatsouline and Thomas Kurz have written excellent books about it.

The first thing I would recommend is watching all of these videos. They're dry..but necessary information.(Dr Russell A Barkley ADHD-The 30 Essential Ideas everyone needs to know) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzBixSjmbc8eFl6UX5_wWGP8i0mAs-cvY


If you haven't already, learn to separate the science of actual ADHD and the general perceptions that are out there and won't die. The reality of it is, ADHD is purely a wiring/brain issues based in the genes. Medicine is the only established treatment that works (there should be things that supplement the meds, organizational stuff, support structures, diet and exercise). The videos talk about all of them. My Dr is an adhd specialist, everything he's told me falls right in line with this. The internet, and unfortunately a lot of general MD's that don't specialize give a lot of the bad information that is constantly out there. Another interesting book in regards to excercise is: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514
The author cowrote a best selling ADHD book.

For the record, I'm not saying it's impossible to manage adhd without meds. Plenty of people do. However, I'm under the impression it has to be "light" adhd and the people have to be disciplined. Most genuine ADHD cases need the meds as a starting point.

I read a great book called Spark that goes into the details of this.

​

Exercise regulates the mood hormones and has been effectively used as a treatment for depression. IIRC he devotes an entire chapter to depression in the book (though it might have been a shared chapter on mood disorders). Super interesting stuff and there's also a lot of info on Alzheimer, anxiety, and a bunch of other neurological conditions affected by exercise.

Exercise. Helped my depression and anxiety better than anything else.

And not just a couple of miles a week. I mean intense exercise. (I prefer barbell training.)

Try taking up a martial art. The best type of physical activity for improving cognitive function is that which is both physically and mentally challenging.

I recommend skimming through this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

I really love Pavel Tsatsouline's Relax Into Stretch. Very effective.

I have no firsthand experience but I just read this book called Spark: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

In it the author argues strongly that 1) exercise is essential and 2) it changes your brain chemistry and form and 3) it helps many mental illnesses.

It's genuinely a fascinating book and I highly recommend it!

All the answers you need are here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Mountain-Bikers-Training-Bible/dp/1884737714

As /u/milliken says, having a structured training plan is definitely beneficial. I'm just now starting to develop my plan as I get back into racing after a long layoff, and I've found this book indispensable.

FWIW, I also recommend:

• http://www.amazon.com/Lactate-Threshold-Training-Peter-Janssen/dp/0736037551
  
• http://www.amazon.com/The-Cyclists-Training-Bible-Friel/dp/1934030201/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1BHJ1VR61WPGYDBP8TAC
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Training-Racing-Power-Meter-Hunter/dp/1934030554/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y
  
• http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Meter-Handbook-Triathletes/dp/1934030953/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Heart-Training-Edmund-Burke/dp/0880117702/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427498205&sr=1-1
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Serious-Training-Endurance-Athletes-2nd/dp/0873226445/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427498205&sr=1-5
  

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

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Your training will almost certainly improve with the addition of more carbs to your diet. The research shows that carb deficient runners are slower but don't feel slower. Check out the book: The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond ""the Wall"

This only matters if your goal is to race as fast as possible. If you're happy with your diet, stick with it.

Thanks for this post.

I just bought a treadmill this summer to help get back into regular exercise.

I read a book called Spark a couple of years ago which has some really cool info about what exercise does for the brain.

I don't know if there's an article version of it on the web. I used this book which is a pretty easy read. I bought it and feel like it's well worth the $10, but a quick google search shows that he's written a few articles that are available online. Here is a sort of quick-and-dirty version of what he recommends for the last 48 hours before a race.

I had the same question a while ago and searched this subreddit. I saw a recommendation for this book: The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond ""the Wall"". I highly recommend it. It really helps.

Having said that, here is what I do:

• If I run under 60 minutes in the morning, I don't eat anything before it
  
• If I run over 60 minutes, I eat a banana and a toast with any topping I feel like (honey, cream cheese, etc...) one hour before the run
  
  I also drink a double espresso first thing in the morning.

Read Spark (here on Amazon). It really breaks down the awesome benefits of exercise on a vast array of mental benefits. It does discuss depression and it is more dependant on the person, but exercise and medication is a powerful combination which he works toward getting the patients to just exercise.

There's an entire book on this topic of exercise and the way it affects our brain: http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/

It seems like we have a lot of pedantic individuals in this thread who like to trash-talk studies without even considering the possibility that they may have some merit.

I actually do have a recommendation. The method that worked the best for me in resolving my own anxiety and depression was something called Core Transformation (see the book by Connirae Andreas. (Full disclosure: I work for the author.) I found that practicing this method a few hundred times completely resolved my anxiety, and 90% resolved my depression, which is more than any method I tried previously. It's a very experiential method, not so much cognitive, and aligned with meditation practices. I consider CT to be metta on steroids.

If you prefer a more cognitive method, Feeling Good by David Burns is the classic text. I definitely recommend that one too, as it will give you insight into how you are participating in creating your anxiety and depression by how you think about things. Learned Optimism by Seligman is another good choice for cognitive work.

Regular exercise can also be useful. See Spark for the science of how that works.

I recommend the Galloway Method and this book to everyone. I've been doing run/walk for virtually my entire ten years of running. I use the app RunMeter because the premium version (for a whopping $5/year) allows you set run/walk intervals. I listen to podcasts for most of my runs, and fortunately we've got great trails for running where I live. You can also check out Jeff Galloway's website, and several of his training plans are on there for free. It's quite possible your library will have his book as well.

I do have to say, the less you weigh the faster your times will be. It's the simple physics of it takes more energy to move more mass. But more than anything, be consistent. Work up your distances slowly, but be consistent.

And you could appeal to his sense of science or self improvement with this e-book, "Spark". "...beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance."
http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

Spark is a really good book on the health benefits of exercise for those who want to know more than the video offers.

This book provides a lot of information on the cognitive benefits of exercise. It is written by a science journalist who actually interviewed many of the scientist that conducted the studies he describes, it also very well cited. It covers a lot off different aspects but it should give you plenty to start.

You also might be interested in physiological response to imagined motor imagery.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15375347

Muscle tissue actually generates a lot of chemicals on its own, and a bunch of those chemicals are important for mood and sleep.

Great book on the subject:

https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=nodl_

This book touches on some of the points mentioned in other comments, and illustrates the connection between morning exercise and better emotional and cognitive function. It's worth a read or listen if you do audio books!

Good on you! I'm also starting again. Yesterday I started reading this book: https://www.amazon.ca/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain-ebook/dp/B000SFD21Q

I can only recommend it, the first few pages have already completely pulled me in.

I recently made the same decision. For ongoing motivation is highly recommend cecking out this book. Just listening to the audio version makes me want to lace up my shoes and head out

Relax into Stretch

Stretching Scientifically


If I were to buy one book about stretching, which one do you recommend and for what reason? Main one I would like to look at is the isometric stretching for side splits.

Check out her book on Amazon... and the amazing comments. http://www.amazon.com/Prancercise-The-Physical-Spiritual-Excellence/dp/159594690X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Not a big fan of Matt Fitzgerald, but The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition has some good information in it.

I just finished Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, MD. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.

Not exactly on brain training but "Spark" by John Ratey is interesting study on effects of exercise on the brain.

Eu acho que o programa de educação física devia ser alterado. Exercício fisico é absolutamente crucial para um estudante. Li recentemente o livro "Spark" (http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514/ref=sr_1_3/177-6089882-2280667?ie=UTF8&qid=1420361932&sr=8-3&keywords=spark) e tenho também estado atento aos vários estudos que provam que praticar exercício físico é das melhores coisas que alguem pode fazer.

Dito isto, o plano actual de educação física baseia-se em dança e vários desportos. Acho que todos ganhavamos se em educação fisica se aprendesse fitness e apresentasse vários estudos do efeito do fitness em transtornos tipo OCD, ansiedade, depressão e também os seus efeitos na concetração, circulação sanguinea e em doenças mais específicas.

Exercício Físico é a chave para uma população mais saudável.

This book was pretty interesting.

I've been seeing a ton of EMG data cited from this book in other research, and I was wondering if anyone had seen an english translation of this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Fitness-Krafttraining-%C3%9Cbungen-Methoden-Gesundheit/dp/3499194813

Thanks!

Here's a good book on the subject!

Yeah studies have shown exercise improves learning ability and retention. On my phone right now but just google it, it’s a big thing now.

edit: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514

try this book out, I got good results with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Relax-into-Stretch-Flexibility-Mastering/dp/0938045288

Except for a correlation IS a relationship. Though I understand your need for research. I would recommend Spark by Dr. John Ratey and Brain Rules by John Medina. Here's a little web-based snippet of the Exercise chapter from Brain Rules.

not that i completely agree with either of you of course

Yes. There's an entire chapter on it in Spark: the revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain.

Anecdotally, individual experiences vary. There have been a few threads on this over at /r/xxfitness.

Consistent, scheduled exercise helps a lot.

Check out a book called "Spark":

http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113506

The book "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" includes a lot of research that describes benefits to morning exercise.

agg get oot bnow while u stil can

[dontt ende upo like me halp] (https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514)

There's research that supports this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316113514/

I like both of these:

http://phraktured.net/starting-stretching.html

http://www.amazon.com/Relax-into-Stretch-Flexibility-Mastering/dp/0938045288

along with band hamstring stretches, couch stretch, and squat to stand.