Former athlete
I was a tour playing tennis player back in the day. Now I'm approaching 60 and while I still have very fast hands to volley at the net, I notice that my mind just doesn't analyze and make decisions like it once did and I sometime get caught in with the ball right there while I'm trying to figure out if I should go forehand or backhand volley. It is frustrating. I know age is a factor, but what are the best steps one can take to increase their decision making speed in while they are playing a sport (or for any reason)? I want to slow this decline to a stop or as close thereto as possible. Thanks
Crash course in evaluating scientific papers
Is there any way to give us a crash course or high level pointers in how to evaluate scientific papers? In today's climate, information is so suspect. Biased journals claiming to be credible; papers producing findings when the study setup was not robust; media mis-stating conclusions; and now AI adding to the confusion. Specifically: 1-Good sources to find non-biased, scientifically validated studies. You probably can't cover every scientific field, so maybe health in general plus your areas of specialization. 2-How to tell if a journal or organization produces non-biased, scientifically validated papers, i.e., if they're a good source. 3-What to look for in study setup. I know this is a broad topic, but are there 6-8 key things that would help us weed out 90% of the trash? 4-What to look for in conclusions, e.g., statistical significance, wording ("should" v "does"), if it's replicated, effect of sample size, etc. If you feel this would require expensive subscriptions to various journals and, thus, isn't applicable to most of your listeners, I understand. Thanks, and I appreciate you!
Effects of cyclical breathwork
What are the physiological effects of various types of cyclical breathwork? How do the effects of cyclical breathwork compare to other therapies such as cold exposure or heat exposure, i.e., which practices give a greater return for time spent? A cycle goes like this: - Inhale, hold for 30 seconds or so - Exhale completely - Cycle - inhale and exhale continuously for 20-40 breaths, using a specific variation (see below). These are strong breaths using the diaphragm to inhale and exhale, making an inhale and exhale of equal length. - Inhale and hold for several minutes (but not past comfort). - Exhale (a variation on this cycle is to exhale and hold a minute or so, and then inhale and hold again a minute or so, before the final exhale) - Rest for a few minutes - Begin the next cycle Variations include, e.g.: - Inhale through nose, exhale through nose - Inhale through nose, exhale through mouth without vocalization - Inhale through nose, exhale through mouth with vocalization - Inhale through mouth, exhale through mouth without vocalization - Inhale through mouth, exhale through mouth with vocalization - Double inhale through nose, exhale through mouth without vocalization - Double inhale through mouth, exhale through mouth etc. I'd like to know which protocols have which effect so I can be more deliberate in my practice. Thanks!
Bliss, gamma state and heart coherence
My goal is to be able to willfully enter a state of bliss, or oneness, for a few minutes each day. I understand this state is usually accompanied by a gamma brain wave state and brain/heart coherence. Are there any best practices for inducing a gamma brain wave state? What about for sustaining it? What are the benefits (or drawbacks?) of being in gamma? I am more interested in the gamma aspect, but I understand heart/brain coherence also plays a role. I apologize, I don't think I can define heart coherence other than to say it starts beating in a different/smooth rhythm that is supposedly good for the body. Which mystifies me, because I thought HRV was a good thing, so I'm not sure why a smoother rhythm would be preferable. And heart/brain coherence is some kind of similar smoothness of messages passing between the heart and brain. If there is any scientific info you can discuss about what heart or brain coherence is, how to enter that state, how to sustain it, benefits, etc., that'd be great. Thank you!