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lowering stress for improved training, learning and flow state.

athletes who understand “flow state” will likely appreciate the importance of stress management during and after training. they understand the importance of being able to process information in training. being able to connect mind to body to identify small mechanical adjustments. when the mind- body is under stress / in a reactive state during training, it’s more difficult to stay connected and recognize opportunity for adjustment. mental and physical stress can choke the connection between your thinking upper brain and reactive lower brain. these two regions of the brain need to stay connected to learn. when you have a highly successful session, can you identify why it was successful? can you recall the finer points of your movement and mental state? etc? can you do the same for your failures?

acute stress can be a healthy motivator, but if you can’t consciously identify opportunity for improvement, learning is seriously limited. you often hear highly technical athletes like elite mma fighters talking about maintaining a “playful” mindset when sparring to keep the mind calm and pliable. this is when learning occurs. informed upper brain training becomes a part of your intentional programming. when its time to compete, those programs are called on reactively (sometimes described as muscle memory). if you’re constantly amped up in training, your physical performance will exceed your mental performance / learning. if you can remain calm and composed in training, there is more bandwidth for mental development and connection to the body. elite success is a balance of the two. cbd and other herbal modulators can help maintain this balance by keeping the mind and body out of the erratic state of high stress during training that chokes the connection between the lower and upper brain. stress reduction allows for better integration of the body, limbic system and frontal lobe.

stress, inflammation and recovery.

ongoing stress and inflammation is a large roadblock to recovery. most importantly, elevated stress and inflammation diverts energy from efficient reparative processes that happen in the parasympathetic. you know rest is critical to recovery. rest doesn’t just mean taking it easy, it means putting your mind-body in a biological state of rest-digest-repair. the higher your stress and inflammation, the less resources your mind-body has for recovery. consider it a balancing act. more stress and inflammation = less adaptation, repairing and growth.

addressing training fatigue. optimizing long term success.

the goal is not to address fatigue in acute. acute options typically come with “biological debt” meaning they “cost something”. For example, leaning on caffeine for improving energy has many short term attractions, but consistent use can chip away at your fundamental recovery processes and your “adaptive capacity / reserve” ( a term used to describe your mind-body’s ability to adapt. The stronger your adaptive capacity / reserve, the more resilient you are to physical and mental stress. This is why people with high baseline stress (physically or mentally) don’t process additional stressors or change efficiently. instead, they live close to the edge of "meltdown" sometimes called "having a short wick". the higher your baseline stress levels, the easier it is to tip you into a reactive state where your words and actions are more controlled by your lower brain than your higher processing upper brain. caffeine pushes the mind – body into a elevated state of stress, there is no arguing this. For some, it’s a welcomed feeling that kicks things into gear. For others, its uncomfortable pressure in the chest and it causes a “crash”. regardless of your perception, leaning on caffeine will only reduce your adaptive capacity. This is just one example of biological debt.

over training without taking the time to stretch and recover is another form of biological debt. most athletes have to repay this specific debt at some point in their career. high intensity training is stress. physical stress alone will elevate stress hormone, brainwave frequency and inflammation levels. coupled with mental stress compounds the consequences. having a consistent stress and inflammation management routine (product and behavioral) will make a big difference in elite performance and recovery.

recommended product.

based on our concept above, we recommend a good stress and inflammation moderating product(s) to build the foundation of any athlete protocol (almost all roots apothecary protocols have stress and inflammation at the base).

FYI: if you choose to include CBD into your routine, you can get all the products listed below at nachercbd.com.

click here to shop the athlete section of nacher cbd.