All Of The Lights! Our Love Affair with Artificial Light

This is a tough article to figure out what the opening line should be. Write about the fact we are not supposed to live life through a viewfinder/computer we have in our pocket? Write about not living in a video game scape or Netflix world? Or Do I start this with a rambling story reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode?  If you listen to Ray Kurzweil the singularity is on its way by 2045, also noting that 2029 is when artificial intelligence will achieve human levels.What is downright scary is that Kurzweil has an 86% accuracy rating with his predictions. The technological singularity is a hypothesis that the  invention of artificial super-intelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization. If we look at the events of the past 10 years we see that electronics are having a staggering effect on our civilization social media has a tangible connection with Arab Spring, the Occupy movement as well as the rise of ISIS with remote radicalization. Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole?  Do you want the blue pill or the red pill?  We will be going down a rabbit hole but not full Eddie Bravo today. We are looking at the long reaching effect that artificial light is having on us due to increasing use of cell phones, tablets and other various electronic devices. Simply put the blue light emitted from electronic devices tricks the brain into believing its daytime. Approximately 95% of Americans owns a cell phone or a hand held device of some kind,  this up 35% from the last study on cell phone ownership in 2011. What makes this all the more troubling is the fact that one in three Americans is not getting enough sleep as of a 2016 study published by the CDC. Approximately 100,000 deaths occur each year in US hospitals due to medical errors and sleep deprivation was noted to make a significant contribution. One of the main factors is artificial light that is emitted by cell phones, tablets and other common electronic devices.The light has a negative effect on the circadian rhythm of the body, circadian rhythm is defined by the National institute of health physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. they respond primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. Circadian rhythms are influential with sleep wake cycles, hormone release, eating habits, digestion, temperature regulation and other important functions. We need to be in rhythm to function and perform at an optimal level. I wrote this article because with fitness there are many facets not just working out, or only nutrition health and fitness cover many other areas.

In a 2015 PEW Research Center study nearly nine in ten Americans are online this is up from about half in the early 2000’s, this goes hand in hand with half the public owning tablets and 95% ownership of a cellphone of some sort. Seven in ten Americans now use social media; In 2005 just 5% of Americans said they used these platforms they are most popular amongst younger adults with 86% of 18-29 year olds use social media, 80% of those 30-49 years old and 64% of adults ages 50-64 years old.  The most important statistic is that 100% of your are tired of statistics, this is not stat101. I just wanted to drive home the point about electronic usage. In an article titled “The impact of smart phones and mobile devices on human health and life.” By Leonid Miakotko he notes six out of ten respondents confirmed that they had symptoms such as headache, distraction, and inattention after using smartphones/HHDs more than two hours. In the table he provides in the article there is a direct correlation shown between smartphones/HHDs usage time and negative effects stemming from extended usage. The light emitted from electronic devices is a modern malady in its truest form as our ancestors rose with the sun and ended their day when it went down. This is simply not the case now as 60% of people spend more than 6 hours a day in front of an electronic device. What is blue light you may be wondering; blue light is everywhere it can come from the sun, electronic devices, as well as fluorescent and LED light. 

Waves Don’t Die (facts about light)

• Light is defined as electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. 
• Light transmits spatial and temporal information 
• Electromagnetic radiation is separated into wavelengths (gamma rays to radio waves)
• The wavelengths that can be seen by the human eye is very small, titled visible light
• The waves emit energy and range in length and strength
• The energy of the wavelength is dependent upon the length of the wave.
• Visible light includes violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red
• Blue light is very short so the energy level is very high
• Due to the fact that blue light or High energy visible lights are shorter this causes them to flicker more than longer weaker wavelengths. This has a correlation to eyestrain, headaches and fatigue from overuse of electronic devices.
• The concern is that long term exposure to blue light could cause long term damage to the eyes. As our eyes do not have any protection from natural or artificial blue light.  

In order to move forward we will need to define some roles as we have some spillover, and confusion could ensue. We already have defined circadian rhythm as them as physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. They respond primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. What is of note is that circadian rhythms are found in most living things including animals, animals, plants and many tiny microbes. The study of circadian rhythms is called chronobiology. We also have biological clocks which the NIH defines as an organisms timing device, they are found nearly in every tissue and organ. Researchers have found similar genes in people, fruit flies, mice, fungi and other organisms that are responsible for making clocks components. One thing to be aware of is that circadian rhythms and biological clocks are not related. But that biological clocks produce circadian rhythms and regulate their timing (spill over). Now we have the master clock who is like the big boss you face at the end of the video game. The master clock coordinates all the biological clocks in an organism, keeping them in sync. In animals with a vertebrae this includes humans, the master clock is approximately 20,000 neurons that form whats called the suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN. This nucleus is located in hypothalamus getting direct communication from the eyes. The circadian rhythms control many of the functions of the body including sleep, hormone release, eating, digestion and body temperature. Disrupted rhythms have been linked to chronic conditions such as sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, mental illness and season affective disorder. Circadian rhythms determine sleep patterns, the master clock controls the production of melatonin a hormone that can make you sleepy. The master clock receives direct information a light when there is less light the brain makes melatonin to get you drowsy, if you use blue light emitting devices this can disrupt that cycle. The American Sleep association notes that 50-70 million Americans have a sleep disorder, the most common sleep disorder is insomnia with one-third of adults reporting short term issues and ten percent reporting chronic issues. The website of sleepassociation.org has a lot statistics that drive down sleep disorders to different age ranges. What it does have that I will put up is a chart of the sleep needs by age group:

Adult 7-9 hours 

Teenager 8-10 hours

Child 6-12 years old 9-12 hours 

Child 3-5 years old 10-13 hours

Are you getting enough sleep? 

I feel like the guy who is trying to burst your bubble, you just want to play candy crush, words with friends or just check your snapchat. Your question for me should be “what solutions do you have me?” If you want to live until 100 plus like I do your going to want solutions for issues that come up in order to live an optimal life. I gave you most of the stats on why blue light exposure is not good for you. The question remains what lifestyle adjustments can be made to improve your quality life. You can limit the amount of artificial blue light you are exposed to by taking the following measures wear blue blocking glasses. In an article from Dr. Mercola titled “Benefits of Blue Light Blocking Glasses he notes that one of the benefits is to prevent damage to the essential fat in your retinal pigmented epithelium which is responsible for converting sunlight into vital DC electric current your body needs.  Furthermore the same article notes that blue light will increase the distance of the proteins in the respiratory electron transport chain making them far less efficient in producing mitochondria.  A recent study showed that blue light blocking lenses have a positive effect on people with Bipolar Disorder who wore the glasses from 6 pm to 8am for one week. They had significant improvements in the symptoms of mania. A 2009 research study found dramatic improvements in insomnia and mood in half the patients who wore blue blocking glasses. You can also increase the amount of antioxidants you eat and take as vitamins. The nutrients Zeaxanthin and lutein are found in green leafy vegetables like kale and cooked spinach. It is also found in orange and yellow colored vegetables, as well as organic, pastured egg yolks are also a good source. One of the other avenues to protect yourself are the applications such as f.lux, that blocks blue light there are many other apps that can do the same. When we manage the amount of  artificial blue light coming in we have better control over the many systems in our body circadian rhythms, the biological clock, the master clock as well as sleep and hormonal balance.  Next week you will be getting a Holiday Survival field manual an advanced version of the Holiday Survival Guide.

8 ways to Break The Chains of Self Doubt

Welcome back to the FFS Blog it has been way to long since I wrote any new posts. Like all good writers I was gaining experience, the more you learn the less you think you know. At times I get inspired only to let that inspiration dim, let the opportunity pass me by missing out on fun, missing out on the success, losing sight of the great journey we call life or more importantly the lessons life holds. Get lost in the wonder of exploration your hand at something new or an old past time can be exhilarating, inspirational and fucking fun! The failure lies in not trying, but rather in letting the siege of self doubt hold you back from your dreams. We have all had feelings of self doubt, self pity, thinking that a task or goal is to much or maybe impossible. An experienced backpacker laying out the logistics for their latest adventure he or she may be looking at the peak of the mountain range thinking how will I get there. Am I up to the task? Only to have that feeling return emphatically when they have the mountain within eye shot. I was thinking two or three months ago about this very issue a number of valuable questions arose: 

 -How I can attack the issue  of self doubt head on?

-If that does not work what flanking maneuvers can I utilize to accomplish my goals?

-How do we make success a repeatable system?

-What can I do to challenge myself in all areas of my life? 

-Can I get ready for a half marathon in two months? 

-What about working on an advanced certification in sports performance? 

-Can you work on yourself while growing a business?

This begged further questions that needed to be answered mainly what does it take to overcome self doubt? How can these feelings of doubt be adapted to chasing our goal down? Self doubt has been a road block for me as of late, but this was not always the case. A few years ago I guess you could have called me cocky or foolish take your pick. Maybe I was flat out confident in my abilities, as I felt that whatever I put my mind to I could accomplish. This feeling arose out of being challenged with an obstacle or two only to rise above or adapting to the obstacles in my path. My money is on the latter. Unfortunately as of late this has not been the case as their have been plenty of setbacks and loses. We will be looking at a few key areas that can create a time of self doubt in everyone such as self criticism, lack of inspiration, tackling tasks alone, and the underlying causes for self doubt. As well as eight ways in which these areas can be addressed. 

Its Monday morning your in the bathroom brushing your teeth outside the window your hear a muffled sound of someone talking to you. Opening the window, What did you say? You suck!You're a bum and your breathe stinks! No morning coffee, but this is happening again this is the third time in as many weeks. I have a tough enough time believing in myself without feeling like an out and out fraud. During the weekly sales meetings when I give my reports I expect to be outed for not knowing what I am doing or not deserving my job. Many of you would not take  remarks deriding your performance or abilities in your jobs from someone else. What comes to  mind for me are the commercials where Peyton Manning is imitating a belligerent fan, yelling at people in a normal job. Many of us walk around on a cloud of doubt and feeling like a fraud a phony or a fake without Joe from Fox Lane tweeting about our performance on his fantasy team. Conor Mcgregor is a world famous combat athlete competing in MMA and Boxing both sports where if you take self doubt into the ring you will have a short night and a shorter career. The level of belief it takes to compete in combat athletics is staggering, let alone to challenge someone considered the greatest defensive boxer of all time. Everyone has an opinion on Mcgregor’s antics, his way of selling fights, his persona. Let me steal his line Who the Fook is this guy?  He is a fighter who early in his career he had nothing he was on the dole. All he did was train in a country known for boxing not MMA. It was not until recently he started to train in America.  In eight years with hard work, will, determination and a crazy belief in himself he is a two division champion in the UFC. Watch this video about his self belief.Conor Post Fight Video On top of all that he just fought Floyd Mayweather an impossible fight they said, he had no chance they said. In essence all he thought was fuck what you say I know what I can do, I know who I am.

Some people write down their goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and or quarterly basis on a phone, a tablet,  a notebook, and or computer. Keep them in one location not in all four places. Successful people break down goals to manageable steps so its digestible. What do your goals look like? Do they wake you up at night? Scare the shit out of you? It should scare you on some level so as to encourage you move towards the goal. In the Four hour work week Tim Ferris spoke about having a big enough goal something that inspires you to attack it every day. This means you will need to be sure you have the right goals leading you in the direction of the main goal. Are the steps leading you to where you need to be? Do the steps allow you to win along the way? So that winning on a larger stage feels natural. If you look at some training plans for 10k’s and or Half Marathons they will have one or two 5k or 10k races in there. So you have success on a smaller stage to build you up.   What is my part in this story? My question was, can you get ready for a half marathon in eight weeks? Am I willing to put the work in to get there? Looking at my goal I developed a plan with steps that take me on my journey winning step by step, mile by mile until its completed. Things had to be different this time no wavering we have to have a full commitment. It was my job to get my miles in, to take care of my body as well as to make adjustments as we went. During the long runs if I had hills I faded, until the adjustment was made in my training and in my mindset. I let some of the people who I work with who are endurance athletes my plan creating a community.

8 ways to overcome self doubt 

1. Community Create a community around your goals this community should have mentors as well as people that have the same or similar goals in mind. Your will be able to draw from a well of shared experiences bounce ideas off of one another and create a personalized playbook for achievement.  
2. Inspiration Is the goal big enough to get you out of bed early? We need to find that dream or idea that really gets us going, something that will stoke that fire on a daily basis. What would you do for the love or the passion? What can you not do with you time? Or would you do for free? Its that level of passion and desire that is needed here. 
3. Dealing with the underlying cause of self doubt This may be the toughest one to deal with. The harsh reality is it could or should be number one, today it’s batting in the three hole. We will need to employ a number methods to address the underlying causes of self doubt. One is to dig in on what they are, where they originate and actively manage our behavior patterns going forward. A common cause is comparing yourself to others; Why do you think horses wear blinders? The truth is you're only competing with yourself.
4. Release Self Criticism ie shut that voice in your head up.  Think about all of the negative thoughts you have on repeat as pigeons. Round up all of those troublesome pigeons of doubt in that coop you call a brain. Lets release them into the wild, relieve ourselves of the doubts burden. Unshackle your mind so you can sore to the levels you need to reach.  
5. Work, Work, Work leave it all out on the “field” out work you self doubts. Put in an absurd amount of work so there cannot even be a shadow of a doubt that your ready. Know your craft forwards, backwards and sideways. When Steve Spurrier was the head coach of the Redskins he laughed at the coaches who worked the crazy hours. At that point it was all over but the shouting, it was a new role in a new league he simply did not know his craft nor was he willing to earn it. 
6. Play Small Ball or pull a Michael Jordan/Lebron James; Why are your talking about crying Jordan? Yes I am talking about the GOAT in an article touching self doubt….. Think about the fact that Jordan or a long retired Lebron could come back and score at least 20 points 5 free throws from fouls, four jump shots, and three three point shots at minimum. They know how to play small ball keep adjusting their shots out until they find a rhythm. 
7. Self Care in order to reach my goal what type of man/woman do I have to become to complete my journey? What do I need to sustain myself? On a daily, weekly or monthly basis that allow me to keep moving forward? You will have to be selfish here looking out for your own best interest. This is very challenging especially in the light of self doubt.
8. Celebrate your successes  this is of maximum importance it possibly could fall under self care. Many doubters fall into the trap of Imposter Syndrome. This is where individuals have the inability to internalize their accomplishments with an intermittent feeling of being found as a fraud. When you celebrate your successes you take the power from imposter syndrome.  They can be small or large a win is a win; no one take that away from you don’t steal it from yourself.

I used the eight ways to overcome self doubt with this goal worked and it worked well.  During the taper phase of my training and injury snagged me on the day I was to pick up my race swag making it tough to walk let alone run. I was not going to be deterred, I sought out treatment in the days before the race but still was limping. Against the better judgment of professionals I attempted the 13.1 mile race. Around mile 7 I could not move my quads and my hamstring was about to pop, my plan was to walk the hills and run the straight aways. Luckily cooler heads prevailed. While I did not finish the half marathon I never quit, self doubt did not take hold on that day. One of the reasons was my main inspiration to be disciplined in my actions and my intent in this endeavor. A true inspiration to me has been my father who has dealt with many serious health issues of the past years and honestly has been winning. He has been pushing forward through sheer will a relentless will in himself day by day, issue after issue. The newest issue he is facing has no guarantee he will walk again. Do you think self doubt has crept into his mind? That I can guarantee it has, but the trick is it does not stop him. This has been a very personal article for me to write revealing a lot to you. My hope in writing it is that it helps you to see striving forward chasing your dreams down.