The Journal #8
Nature. BCAA. Kindness. Fibre.
01. WELLBEING - Joe Gaunt
‘Live in Accordance with Nature’
I think there is so much to love and take influence from with stoic philosophy. One of the central principles of stoicism is to ‘live in accordance with nature’ and whilst this principle developed to include our own and the nature of others (coming in a later Journal post) I want to highlight the simple but highly impactful benefits of nature and the outdoors.
Seems simple right? But is there any science to show this actually benefits us? Yes, lots!
Walking outside and being close to nature has been widely recognised for its health benefits, both psychologically and physically. Here's a summary of the findings from research papers on this topic:
Psychological Well-being Improvement: Walking outside, especially when engaging cognitively with the environment, can significantly enhance psychological well-being, including attentional functioning and reduced feelings of frustration (Duvall, 2011).
Enhanced Mood and Well-being: Nature walks are associated with increased enjoyment, positive affect, and a subjective sense of connection with nature, which is linked to environmentally sustainable behavior (Nisbet & Zelenski, 2011).
Stress Reduction: Group walks in natural environments can lead to less perceived stress compared to urban environments (Marselle, Irvine, & Warber, 2013).
Reduced Depression and Anxiety: While the evidence is more consistent for reducing state anxiety, nature walks show potential for alleviating symptoms of depression as well (Kotera, Lyons, Vione, & Norton, 2021).
Cognitive Benefits: Walking in natural environments as opposed to built environments has been shown to improve cognitive performance and induce a higher level of meditative state (Bailey, Allen, Herndon, & Demastus, 2018).
Physiological Health Benefits: There's evidence that walking groups have significant health benefits, including improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate, body fat, body mass index, total cholesterol, and enhancements in VO2max (Hanson & Jones, 2015).
So ignore the weather and get outside as often as you can. The benefits are huge both physically and mentally.
02. PERFORMANCE - Jonny Grayshon
BCAA
What’s the story?
Branch Chain Anino Acids are marketed for building muscle.
But if we eat a balanced diet, high in protein, we don’t really need them.
Leucine is 1 of the key amino acids which plays a huge role in building muscle (muscle protein synthesis) and is found in high amounts in whey protein, dairy, meat and fish.
If we consume enough of these foods (0.4g protein / kg body weight every serving) we will ingest enough leucine to stimulate MPS.
Therefore we can achieve the same result from an effective nutrition plan and not have to use a BCAA supplement.
Real food will always trump supplements due to the additional nutrients, ability to fill you and the thermic effect of digesting the food (burn more calories which is good for weight management).
The only time a BCAA supplement or pure Leucine supplement may be useful would be to ‘supplement’ a vegan or vegetarian diet as the leucine intake for this preferred nutrition choice would be very low which wouldn’t be optimal for building and repairing muscle.
In a nut shell, aim for 0.4g of protein per kg of body weight every ~4 hours for optimal chance to build and repair muscle and you won’t need to use a BCAA.
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian you may want to consider supplementing your protein intake with leucine.
03. MINDSET - Mike Bates
Kindness
‘Be the change you want to see’, one of the four pillars which make up my Four B’s framework for high performance.
The others?
Be a Community not a Crowd
Be on a Mission. Together.
Be Unselfish.
But, before we look to change the world or someone else we must look inward and champion change for ourselves.
Putting others first is a classic masculine trait and it can be a destructive one.
Trust me, I know.
Another is not treating ourselves in the same way that we would treat someone else we really care about.
Like taking your dog to the vets for a limp but not going to check out that persistent cough with your doctor.
You do matter, you know.
Be kinder to yourself.
Last weekend I was invited to speak on behalf of Leeds Hospitals Charity at their annual Children’s Ball in Harrogate. It was a wonderful occasion surrounded by some really positive people and in support of a very worthy cause.
I got up to do my bit after dinner and for the first time ever my mind went completely blank. I don’t know if I was tired or full from the meal but I didn’t feel myself up there with the microphone.
I took a deep breath and centred myself and the words came back.
It probably lasted for 8 seconds but it felt like an eternity.
In fact, no one even noticed. Phew!
But for the next 2 days, and even now as I share this, all I could tell myself was that I didn’t perform. That I messed up. That perhaps I wasn’t good enough.
If my wife or child or friend had had the courage to stand in front of an audience and it took a few seconds for them to find their words I wouldn’t have been critical at all. I would have congratulated them for doing the tough stuff and for getting through a challenging moment.
I couldn’t find any positive thoughts for myself.
It reminded me of a reflective Jonny Wilkinson when asked about what he remembered from his glorious rugby union career.
He said that he didn’t think twice about the world cup winning drop goal in 2003 but that a missed pass for Newcastle in a nothing game kept him awake at night for years.
He went on to say that he used to think that by being self-critical he was pushing himself to improve but, with experience and hindsight, he now knows that it did the opposite.
Worse, it took the joy out of playing the game that he loved.
I thought about Jonny and then about my ‘Be the Change you Want to See’ value.
I needed to stop this cycle of self-destruction and replace it with self-kindess.
I overcame a real challenge up on stage and styled it out so that no one even noticed. I had the courage to0 be vulnerable and to tell my story to a large group of stangers. Hell, I spoke without a fee in support of a charity.
Well done Mike was the response from my wife.
It should have been the same from me.
Noticing and changing the voice in our head makes the difference to how we feel. It is a choice to see things as good or as bad.
Moving forward I intend to be more kind to myself when I falter or fail.
Just like I am to everyone else.
04. QUOTE
“A man is no bigger than the smallest thing that provokes him”
Dan Horton
05. TIP
Eat 30g of fibre every day.
Most of us are on point with calories, carbs, protein, fats and water but miss fibre off the list when it comes to our dietary choices.
Fibre matters to our overall health and the way we feel, in lots of different ways. Here are just a few:
Healthier weight (fibre fills you up for longer)
Consistent bowel movements and less bloating (and farts)
Fosters a diverse gut microbiome
Balances cholesterol (a big contributor to poor cardiovascular health)
Helps lower high blood pressure
The most bang for your buck in fibrous terms are the following foods:
Beans, broccoli (and other veg), berries, apples & pears, nuts & seeds, grains.
Most adults eat an average of 20g of fibre each day.
Don’t be average.
Aim for a minimum of 30g.
The Journal by NXT45
