New Research You Must Read

New Research: Self-Control Requires a Shot of Sugar

Do only coaches, teachers and therapists have to exercise self-controlnon-the-job? How about folks on a diet, parents with kids, and executivesninfluencing and convincing their corporate team?

Profound Fact: This may be the most practical scientific research of 2007.

Every time you exercise self-control in not shouting at-or- shooting friends, family and business associates, you use up your available supply of glucose (blood-sugar).
It is your glucose availability that affects you ability to resist temptation.

Self-control uses up your glucose fuel supply. So says Roy F. Baumeister of FloridanState University and Kathleen D. Vohs, University of Minnessota.

1. Your 3 pound brain requires 23% of all the oxygen you inhale; when younare learning or testing, your brain requires an additional 10% or 33% ofnall available oxygen.

2. Glucose (blood sugar) is required to fuel all your muscles in order to walk,nthink and act. Like gas in your car, glucose is depleted with self-control.
Once emptied, your self-control is riding on fumes, and you explode atnyourself and others.

3. Aha. You need glucose to resist temptation, exercise self-control, and tonlea
and remember.

4. Remember it this way: the more you exercise self-control, the more it wanes.

The Kicker

So? Here what the researchers did: Two groups took Stroop Tests requiring thenexercise of self-control. Group A was given lemonade with Splenda, a sugar-freensweetener and Group B drank lemonade with real sugar, both after the exercise ofnself-control testing.

Group B (real sugar) outperformed Group A (artificial sweeteners) in the nextnset of tests by up to 50%. Why? The Glucose was replenished by the drinking of sugar. Yes, there was a control group, and real sugar was the conclusive winner.

We have all been brainwashed that real sugar causes diabetes and makes you fatnas an elephant. Only indiscriminate intake of sugar in food and drink may nexacerbate blood sugar. Remember the line from the song, “A spoonful of nsugar makes the medicine go down!”?

A cup of coffee or tea, even cocoa in the course of your day, does not initiatendiabetes or create obesity. What it does is excite the creation of glucose,nyour fuel of life.

Coda: you do not have to be a coach, teacher or therapist to want to improvenyour ability to exercise self-control; you, me and the rest of Homo sapiens arenin the business of persuading and influencing others. The secret is replenishingnyour glucose with real sugar. How about a candy bar before exams? Indeed.

Google: 12.04.07 published in the jou
al, Association for Psychological Science.

Temptation

When you give into temptation – an alcoholic falling off the wagon and takingna swig – you heart reflects it.

Self-regulation is your ability to inhibit your impulses – like sticking to you
diet, controlling your emotions, and exercising persistence and determinationnto solve a problem.

Guess what? You have a limited amount of self-regulation and once depleted, you fall off the wagon. But you already figure that out, right?

New research at the University of Kentucky offers evidence there is a biologicalnindicator (gas tank) that measures our resistance level to temptation. When it hits near empty, we become impulsive and subject to jerky decision-making.

HRV

Heart Rate Variability (good old HRV) monitors your state of self-regulation.
Get this: when you are working to resist eating the chocolate donut instead of nchomping on Bugs Bunny’s carrots, not shoot your significant-other, or maiming your business associates, your heart rate soars and snitches on you.

So what? This offers scientific evidence of the link between self-regulation andnyour cardiac response. What we have is a feedback mechanism to indicatenwhen we lose or exercise self-control.

Let’s consider it as feedback between the three structures of your brain.
Reptilian complex (autonomic nervous system and instincts), Limbic Systemn(emotions), and Neocortex, our reasoning and analysis processes.

When we exercise self-regulation, our heart reflects it as a significant cardiacnchange. This knowledge offers options to improve your behaviors and live healthier.

Google: 3.22.07 published in the jou
al, Association for Psychological Science.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Poor body posture, incorrect positioning of your keyboard, screen and mousencause neck, back pains and often lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

This computer-usage study followed 500 students (ages 12-18) and reports, after 2-3 hours of daily typing or surfing the Internet, students suffer the same neck, back and hand disabilities as adults.

Ergonomist Robin May Gillespie says, to avoid these pains, the mouse must be asnclose to your body as possible, keep your hands flat on the keyboard (avoid bendingnyour fingers), and lower your monitor to keep your neck straight.

The more you bend your hands over the keyboard, the greater the risk of
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Unless you have experienced your hands freezingnup on you with pain on use, CTS is a meaningless caveat. It really hurts andnlingers up to 5 years.

Do This

Start by being aware of how long you have been sitting at the computer –nand become oblivious to the clock. Every 45 minutes, takes your hands offnthe keyboard, stand up and shake you hands vigorously for 30 seconds.

Next, become aware of your shoulders and drop them, and roll your necknin a circular and counter-circular direction for 30 seconds each way.

Some folks make sure their chair at the computer can be adjusted to line upnlooking down at the monitor. Looking upward inflames your neck muscles.

Endwords

Think about this new research on glucose and self-control, temptation,nand how you unconsciously create computer rituals of behavior. It is your health atnstake.

May we suggest you consider expanding your personal productivity skills.
You have the ability to read-and-remember three (3) books, articles andnreports in the time others can hardly finish one. This leads to acingnexams at school and scoring promotions in your career.
Ask us how.nncopyright 2007 H. Bernard Wechsle
www.speedlea
ing.orgnhbw@speedlea
ing.orgn n