An Argument for Oxygen Supplementation in Athletes

Oxygen Supplementation in Athletes a radical, new and old, thought?

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Live o2, Oxygen Supplementation in Athletes

The great thing about life is perspective.  You can use the information intended for one purpose, but with a different perspective you can look from a different angle, you can see an entirely new conclusion.  My hope is to walk you down the road to see that we have missed one of the most basic building blocks of performance in sport, oxygen.

The question I have always wanted to answer is how Native Americans were able to go on physically demanding hunts, maintain a slendor, muscular build without motor learning research performed during practice sessions or treadmills for endurance work or completed Olympic lifts in their weight room. So how could it be that they were able to accomplish such feats of  endurance and strength without all the training?

My first hypothesis is oxygen and our current lack there of, in our current lives.

Here are my thoughts that lead me to this conclusion.

  1. Otto Warburg, a mid 20th century cell biologist in Germany, cellular respiration is simple truth: cells that cannot breathe, cannot, and will not ever, work properly. Anything that skips the first and obvious neglects the
    metabolism of life.
  2. Current Atmospheric levels:  Compared to prehistoric times, the level of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere has declined by over a third and in polluted cities the decline may be more than 50%. This change in the makeup of the air we breathe has potentially serious implications for our health and performance, according to Roddy Newman and his book, The Oxygen Crisis.
  3. Manfred von Ardenne, developed in the late 1960s by Professor von Ardenne, (a student of Dr. Otto Warburg), Oxygen Multistep Therapy combines oxygen therapy, elements that facilitate intracellular oxygen turnover, and physical exercise adapted to individual performance levels.
  4. Dr. Mark Sircus states, “long and hard is the search for substances that athletes can use to increase sports performance. There are more than several substances that are natural, legal, non-toxic and safe that athletes can use, but like everywhere else in the world of medicine most still prefer dangerous pharmaceuticals to natural medicinals even with the risk of being discovered and banned from competition.”  and, “extra oxygen increases muscles’ energy production improving athletic output ability; intensity and duration.  The secret to Olympic success is higher concentrations of oxygen delivery to the cells.. ” For entire post, click here
  5. Oxygen has been proven to be a natural, ethical & legal way to stimulate biologically effective levels of growth hormones, especially the ones ethic-challenged athletes use illegally, like EPO, erythropoietin AND HGH, Human Growth Hormone?

I realize that additional details may be needed to connect these dots into a more detailed, comprehensive study, suffice to say that increasing your oxygen intake would benefit athletes, both in the short and long run.

 

 

 

The McCarthy Project EWOT Sessions

Exercise With Oxygen Training Sessions For Elite Performance in Life and Sport

live_o2_logoOver the years, The McCarthy Project has developed gestalt theory of elite performance and oxygen is a major component of that philosophy. Each session is 30 minutes in length: a 5-10 warm-up on a treadmill, or a bike trainer (you can use your own bike. if desired) followed by a 15 minute training session and a 5 minute cool down.

Session Rates:
Individual Sessions $50.00
Elite Package (16 sessions) $500.00
Gestalt Package (Unlimited sessions for 4 months) $1000.00

Location:
23568 Birch Road
Rogers, MN 55374

Each session package includes a 60 minute consultation to review your current fitness level and your goals. All sessions are by appointment only.

For more information on how we may be able to take your training to the next level, contact Stephen McCarthy at 612-741-0982 or cs(at)themccarthyproject.com.

Oxygen Training with LiveO2 Systems
LiveO2 Adaptive Contrast System

Some EWOT Training benefits include:
1. Increased oxygen saturation for the purpose of delayed onset of muscle soreness
2. Development of auto-immune system
3. Super charge current nutrition strategies with the increased oxygen levels
4. Amplify body’s natural hormones for an increase in muscle mass

 

 

Live O2: Leading Edge Oxygen Training for Elite Performance

Exercise With Oxygen Training: A part of the The McCarthy Project’s Gestalt Theory of Elite Performance

Over the years, The McCarthy Project has seen or worked with hyperbaric tents and systems, altitude training, elevation masks, and virtual reality trainers for the simple purpose of gaining an edge for athletes. After live_o2_logomany years of searching, The McCarthy Project believes that adding oxygen and oxygen training (i.e. exercise with oxygen training or EWOT) could be one of those Rosetta stones for athletes. It amazes the mind that you could move all around the idea of oxygen by taking oxygen away, sleeping low, training high and then the opposite (sleeping high, training low) to sleeping in a tent, but the idea of adding oxygen during a 15 minute workout could or would be the answer, but if you take the time to understand the science behind oxygen training, you will uncover that their are major benefits for working with oxygen and the Live O2 system.

Benefits Include:
1. Increased oxygen saturation for the purpose of delayed onset of muscle soreness
2. Development of auto-immune system
3. Super charge current nutrition strategies with the increased oxygen levels
4. Amplify body’s natural hormones for an increase in muscle mass

Oxygen Training with LiveO2 Systems
LiveO2 Adaptive Contrast System

For EWOT/Live O2 training sessions at our location,  visit here. Or how you would be able to take your training to the next level by purchasing a system, contact Stephen McCarthy at 612-741-0982 or cs(at)themccarthyproject.com.

Additional Information:

” LiveO2 Adaptive Contrast lets you switch between oxygen-reduced and oxygen-rich air during exercise. This creates a “magic moment” of super-oxygenation for the brain, liver and kidneys,” Live O2

Secondly,  The following quote is from a post on the subject of Dara Torres, US Olympic swimmer.  For entire post, visit here

“Dara Torres started to see some unexpected effects beyond endurance and strength.  She gained a lot of muscle — fast. The scale showed about 12 pounds of muscle gain from Jan thru March.  Don’t get me wrong – Dara is the totally awesome athlete – but how could she add that much muscle that fast at 45? The new muscle mass made her look much stronger than the Time Magazine cover.  Her shoulders were at least 2 inches broader this year – and her already awesome legs were wicked ripped. Why?”

Dr. Palacios compares his experience with LiveOperformance to his 15 years of experience with medical hyperbaric treatment.

Tulane University Beach Volleyball Coach Holly on Competing for the Right Reasons

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Beach Volleyball Coach Wayne Holly of Tulane University

Today, Tulane University’s Beach Volleyball Coach Wayne Holly will join Stephen to talk about the upcoming beach season. But as sometimes happens other subjects come out of the discussion and this interview has that flavor.  While we did discuss the future of college volleyball, we also discussed different perspectives young people could have for the sport of beach volleyball.

Coach Holly has a very lengthy bio when it comes to playing and coaching on the beach, but my challenge is for our listeners and young athletes to listen  to the entire interview.  Focus and concentrate on the words he is using and when he describes beach volleyball, how he describes the steps of attaining your complete potential and ultimately, how to fall in love with the game that he has invested his life.

For the complete interview, visit here.  For more information on Coach Holly and his program, visit here

Dave Trumbo of Stevenson on the Possibilities in Beach Volleyball

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Head Volleyball Coach Dave Trumbo of Stevenson University

Today, Stevenson University Head Volleyball Coach Dave Trumbo  joined Stephen to talk about the upcoming beach volleyball season and the future of beach in the college ranks. Some of the areas covered include: coaching for the love the game, the challenges of being located in a slightly colder climate and being a new program, the joy of going south for spring break, and the future of Division III programs in the sport of beach.

For the entire interview, visit here.

To connect with Coach Trumbo, visit here.

Looking into the Future of Volleyball with St. Marys Rob Browning

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Head Volleyball Coach Rob Browning of The St. Mary’s Gaels

St. Mary’s head volleyball coach Rob Browning joined to talk about the upcoming beach volleyball season and how the sport may change for the next couple years with the recent announcement of a NCAA championship. On top of that, Coach Browning will chat about the history of BYU volleyball and his thoughts on what a few of the great qualities of elite players.

For the entire interview, visit here.

To connect with Coach Browning, click here

Jacksonville Coach Darty on Creating an Environment for Athletes

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Head Volleyball Coach Julie Darty of Jacksonville University

Coach Julie Darty will be joining Stephen to talk on the subject of perfection and how young athletes can overcome this sometimes disrupting force, as well as, how creating the proper environment can lead to long term success.

For the entire interview, visit here.

To connect with Coach Darty and Jacksonville University, visit here.

College Coach on Beach Volleyball 2016

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University of North Florida Volleyball Coach Steve Loeswick

The recent announcement of the inaugural NCAA beach volleyball tournament in May of 2016 was a major step forward adding beach volleyball to the map as a youth sport.  The bigger question does this new tournament change your thoughts about playing beach volleyball in college, rather than simply indoor.

Secondly, Steven Loeswick of North Florida joined Stephen to talk about the future of the sport of beach volleyball.

So what is the future of beach volleyball for coaches? For players?

For the entire interview, visit here.  For additional information on Coach Loeswick, click here.

Awareness and Efficiency, Rather than Perfection

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Head Volleyball Coach David Rubio of University of Arizona

Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project was joined by David Rubio, Head Volleyball coach from the University of Arizona on the subject of perfection or efficiency in sport. Coach Rubio has over 30 years of history in coaching and is currently coaching his daughter’s youth team. On top of that, he will talk about areas to focus to use this personality trait to its utmost.

To listen to the entire interview, visit here.

For more information on Coach Rubio, visit here.

Outdoor Amazing Race

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40ft Giants Ladder

Exploring the outdoors and race the clock to complete tasks. The McCarthy Project has designed a course to challenge each persons ability to feel the adrenaline rush of competition while working with others.  This event will challenge your understanding of leadership, the role of communicating, conflict resolution, the influence of risk, and strategic planning, as well as, your physical talent.

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60ft Cable Walk

The event consists of (6-7) 5-15 min challenges: some are a physical challenges, some are strategic  You will compete against the clock for an overall best time.

Potential activities include, but not limited to the following:
1. Blind Maze
2. Cargo Net 50ft high
3. Log Walk 50ft high
4. Puzzle Game
5. Giants Ladder 40 ft High
6. Cable Walk

Log Bridge
50ft Cargo Net and Log Walk

Cost is $129.99 for 2, $229.99 for 4, $399.99 for 8

Location:
Uncle Fogy Nature Center
10454 108th Street Nw
Annandale, MN 55302
612-741-0982

Customer Feedback:

My teenage sons had so much fun this summer with your outdoor rock climbing and ziplining course in Annandale, we have now purchased the 3-Hour Outdoor Amazing Race. Thank you! – Jessica M.

For additional information, contact Stephen McCarthy at 612-741-0982.

Synthetic Gene Drive and Designer Athletes

By Stephen McCarthy, The McCarthy Project dna-694798_1280

For all of us who lived in the 1980’s, Rocky in Rocky IV gets absolutely demolished by the genetically and medically-enhanced Russian boxer, but refuses to quit, he wins right? The evil Russians were cheating anyways, right?    Within this context, enter synthetic gene drive technology with the capability of creating designer athletes.  Oh, I mean genetically modified human beings, we win right?

UPDATE: 5/13/16 New York Times: Scientists Hold Secret Meeting To Create Synthetic Genome

The new technologies like gene drive are editing and changing the DNA of human beings, breaking down ancient boundaries, creating genetically engineered human beings, are they human beings?  Frankenstein athletes? Russian boxers?

Designer insects and designer babies, all sound really cool, but the science is not perfect and potentially, has unintended consequences.  Furthermore, the question of what will happen to the rest of the athletes who don’t have access to the technology?  Or what are the long term health concerns, intended or unintended, for athletes who are touched by a synthetic gene drive organism? What happens to the next generation of athletes who are conceived by the new athletes? And this is just the starter questions.

From the nature angle, listen to my interview with David Epstein of  Sports Illustrated on genetics in sport.  Or Micheal Much of Rivals.com on nature vs nurture.

I will forever argue that the nurture process is strong enough to overcome the nature process, assuming the nature portion is not genetically engineered.  Allow the natural order of true vitalism and the human spirit to be the deciding factors, not genetic modification.

The ultimate question for athletes is would you like to be a designer athlete or compete against a designer athlete? Is this ethical? As far as food is concerned, it may look like a banana, but is it really a banana if the foundation building blocks are modified? Moreover, it may look like a human, but is it really a human being?

Here are a couple quotes to start your research:

From The Independent:

A powerful new technique for generating “supercharged” genetically modified organisms that can spread rapidly in the wild has caused alarm among scientists who fear that it may be misused, accidentally or deliberately, and cause a health emergency or environmental disaster.

The development of so-called “gene drive” technology promises to revolutionize medicine and agriculture because it can in theory stop the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria and yellow fever, as well as eliminate crop pests and invasive species such as rats and cane toads.

From Wired

The stakes, however, have changed. Everyone at the Napa meeting had access to a gene-editing technique called Crispr-Cas9. The first term is an acronym for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,” a description of the genetic basis of the method; Cas9 is the name of a protein that makes it work. Technical details aside, Crispr-Cas9 makes it easy, cheap, and fast to move genes around—any genes, in any living thing, from bacteria to people. “These are monumental moments in the history of biomedical research,” Baltimore says. “They don’t happen every day.” The technique is revolutionary, and like all revolutions, it’s perilous. Crispr goes well beyond anything the Asilomar conference discussed. It could at last allow genetics researchers to conjure everything anyone has ever worried they would—designer babies, invasive mutants, species-specific bioweapons, and a dozen other apocalyptic sci-fi tropes. It brings with it all-new rules for the practice of research in the life sciences. But no one knows what the rules are—or who will be the first to break them.

From International Business Times

Synthetic gene drives, using a simple gene editing system called CRISPR, can, for example, alter the traits of mosquitoes or invasive cane toads, and even eradicate the species. The technology offers tremendous benefits to human health and crops. But potential for misuse by terror groups or accidental release from labs is high, as these “super” organisms can spread rapidly, and cause health and environmental disasters.

Climbing a Tree Can Improve Cognitive Performance

By Stephen McCarthy, The McCarthy Project

street-sign-141396_640I ask one question, if you could improve your cognitive ability within two hours, would you do it?

Furthermore, if you could improve an athletes ability to problem solve with the use of creativity without a major investment of time or money, would you do it?

If we are honest with ourselves, the answer is resounding yes.

Well a recent study out of the University of North Florida has found that the simple act of climbing a tree can dramatically improve cognitive skills.

The study, led by Drs. Ross Alloway, a research associate, and Tracy Alloway, an associate professor, is the first to show that proprioceptively dynamic activities, like climbing a tree, done over a short period of time have dramatic working memory benefits. Working Memory, the active processing of information, is linked to performance in a wide variety of contexts from grades to sports.

The results of this research, recently published in Perceptual and Motor Skills, suggest working memory improvements can be made in just a couple of hours of these physical exercises. “Improving working memory can have a beneficial effect on so many areas in our life, and it’s exciting to see that proprioceptive activities can enhance it in such a short period of time,” said Tracy Alloway.

So the next time you are looking for a creative way to develop yourself or your athletes, look no further than the giant tree in your front yard, and yes, climbing a tree can improve cognitive performance.

For additional information, visit the UNF site or click here for the complete study.

New Study: Outdoor Micro Breaks Restore Your Attention

sunrise-453735_1280Highlights:

    • Neuroscience techniques provide direct empirical support for attention restoration theory.
    • A micro-break viewing a green, but not concrete roof city scene, sustains attention
    • The green roof city scene perceived as more restorative than concrete roof city scene.
    • Results suggest city nature is valuable for healthy cities and workplaces.

Abstract:

Based on attention restoration theory we proposed that micro-breaks spent viewing a city scene with a flowering meadow green roof would boost sustained attention. Sustained attention is crucial in daily life and underlies successful cognitive functioning. We compared the effects of 40-s views of two different city scenes on 150 university students’ sustained attention. Participants completed the task at baseline, were randomly assigned to view a flowering meadow green roof or a bare concrete roof, and completed the task again at post-treatment. Participants who briefly viewed the green roof made significantly lower omission errors, and showed more consistent responding to the task compared to participants who viewed the concrete roof. We argue that this reflects boosts to sub-cortical arousal and cortical attention control. Our results extend attention restoration theory by providing direct experimental evidence for the benefits of micro-breaks and for city green roofs.

Click here for entire study.

The Outdoors and Athletes Do Mix

image_bluejaysBy Jonnie Gall, GrindTV, February 15, 2015

Peek into the garage of any professional baseball player and you’re likely to see a shiny sports car with a hefty price tag.

But not Daniel Norris’, as the 21-year-old Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect from Johnson City, Tennessee, doesn’t even have a garage. In fact, his house is void of many of the luxuries that come with a lucrative pro sports career and a $2 million signing bonus.

That’s because Norris lives in a van.

“To keep this simple, they think I’m pretty weird,” laughs Norris, who says the people running the Blue Jays organization were wary at first of his unorthodox living situation. “They find it rather interesting.”

But the more you know about Norris, the more apparent it becomes that it’s the alternative—four walls lined with electronics and shiny appliances—that would be “weird.”

[Related: Daniel Norris showing drive in journey to Majors]

Norris, who made his major-league debut last September and is competing for a starting job this spring, grew up roaming the racks of tires and helmets at his father’s mountain bike shop in Tennessee, a local haven for outdoorsmen that had been in the family for two generations. On the weekends, his family rode bikes and went camping; Norris picked up rock climbing from his sister. Even during the first two offseasons of his pro baseball career (Norris was drafted from high school in the second round in 2011), he worked part-time at a local outdoor retailer, where he was introduced to even more new ways to get outdoors, like kayaking and backpacking.

For full article, visit GrindTV site

Leaders Worth Following

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Stephen McCarthy

What is a True Leader?  Is it the impulsive young person who is always talking and running out ahead of everybody and the team unknowingly just follows to failure?  Just the meat head jock who is the coolest? The girl who all the guys like, is good looking, smart and athletic?  No, no and no.

A leader is one who has the courage to stand on their own convictions, to walk the road not walked by everyone else, to risk, as well as,  to assist others who do not see the picture, to encourage, be willing to die for the cause that they seek. And in the end, when you find one of these leaders, follow them, they will take you home.

-Stephen McCarthy

On the courage to walk out your convictions:

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Ralph Waldo Emerson

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

On following everyone else and the same path:

Now we are told the individual’s highest aspiration or vision must be service to the group. The whole matter of “the greatest life” is presumed to be settled. It’s no longer worth re-thinking. This, of course, is propaganda. In many ways, from many angles, it’s taught and implied in our schools. Children learn to parrot the appropriate phrases. They utter them proudly.

– Jon Rappaport

Youth Coach on Changing Attitudes and Thoughts of Young Athletes

Hello Everyone,

I received this response from the post” The Necessary Art of Persuasion” by one of the best youth coaches, Colby Fuller.  He is THE coach who goes the extra mile, does the right thing, while not expecting or receiving the credit for the constant good work.  He is truly committed to youth sports and has proven this in motive and action.

The following commentary has years of playing and coaching wisdom, as well as, a great approach to teaching young athletes to think creatively for themselves. Enjoy.

sm

Dear Stephen,

I find this one interesting. I don’t think for a moment that I’m smarter than a Harvard guy but I’ve tried and failed many times with trying to maintain control of the team but to introduce accountability in small doses. What I’ve found that works the best is flat out telling the team that have free reign to play how they think the game should be played. That usually meant pass as little as possible and shoot as much as possible. When trying this method we usually find ourselves behind on the scoreboard. At halftime or earlier if I just can’t stomach it anymore, I call a timeout and say we’ve tried it your way, it’s not working. Now try it mine. If we are good enough to get back in it and win, we talk about how there are times for creativity on the court and times for discipline. As you know I have no problem letting a player shoot, if they are open. So in our post game we talk about by playing within the system we set our opponent up for ad libbing later. I feel that this method has been the most successful in allowing them to think it is their decision to change the style and pace of the game. Small amounts of freedom has led to better choices on the court with the reward being more wins, better team play and now in most cases, the offense runs without a play being called. They just do it, make their own adjustments and have been way more successful. I preached this so many times, “what is the best option?” that they now are constantly moving without the ball and moving the ball at the same time. So in a nut shell,we’ve tricked them into thinking that they are making the choice. But by playing within the system, they’ve learned to adapt to a more free style of play.

Sincerely,

Colby Fuller, Rogers MN Youth Basketball Coach

Athletes have higher cognitive function than college students

Wednesday, February 06, 2013 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer

man-80086_640(NaturalNews) Professional and elite amateur athletes score higher on certain tests of cognitive function than university students, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal and supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

“Professional athletes as a group have extraordinary skills for rapidly learning unpredictable, complex dynamic visual scenes,” study author Jocelyn Faubert said. “The pros are much superior than scholars in our highly complex mental task.

“In other words, they are smarter [at] learning how to interpret the real world in action.”

The performance of 33 non-athlete university students on a cognitive test was compared with that of 102 professional soccer, hockey and rugby players from the English Premier League, the NHL and France’s Top 14, plus 173 elite amateur athletes from the NCAA American university sports program and a European Olympic training center. Participants performed a test known as 3D-MOT, in which they viewed a simulation of several objects moving through a three-dimensional space, then were asked to describe what they had seen. The movements of the simulated objects were randomly generated by a computer in order to prevent there from being any similarity with a real-world sport that could give the athletes unfair advantage.

The test was designed to evaluate participants’ visual perception and cognitive abilities in relation to complex scenes. Skills involved in such a task include the ability to distribute the tension between numerous moving targets and distracting items, to view a large field of vision, to perceive depth, and to follow rapidly moving objects. Each participant completed the test 15 times.

Although all participants improve at the task over the course of the 15 tests, the professional athletes were significantly better at tracking fast-moving objects than members of the other two groups. Likewise, the performance of amateur athletes exceeded that of non-athlete students.

“They appear to be able to hyper-focus for short periods of time resulting in extraordinary learning functions,” Faubert said.

Link to Study

Different Strokes for Different Folks: Connecting with Athletes

GFGH_combineThe following is a study around the process communications model. Over the last year, we have used this model with our teams with great success.

Different Strokes for Different Folks: Connecting with Students for Academic Success, By Michael Gilbert

Schools are challenged to provide meaningful learning experiences to prepare students for immediate and long-term success. The controversial Common Core is an attempt to institute a national curriculum in the United States to align with other countries.

Regardless of the approach, academic content is an important starting point for schools. Varying delivery methods are the companions to connecting with students for successful learning experiences. This article addresses how teachers might consider personality aspects in delivering curricula effectively. The methodology of doing so is explained by examining the Process Education Model, its components and implications. Also included are outcomes of several research and application projects.

The issues of how to prepare students to compete in a global economy are primary in education today. The “Common Core” is one possible approach for education in the United States. It was the adopted curriculum in 45 states. It is the closest the U. S. has come to a national curriculum, unlike most countries the world, where there is a national educational policy. However, issues regarding how to measure the results have spawned some crucial questions (Altman, 2014). While the “jury is still out” on the Common Core, the focus on delivering a meaningful curriculum remains. A formula to consider for academic success might be:

Content + Process = Academic Success

Traditional approaches to instructional delivery may no longer be effective.

“OK! Today, you are going to be working by yourselves. If you have any questions, raise your hands, and I will come to you.”

This scenario has been seen in classrooms all over the U. S. It demands that students conform to the way that the teacher wants them to behave. However, not every student is comfortable with static or limited delivery methods or constraining rules. We have learned that students have differing learning styles and ways of processing information (Gregorc, 1982; Kolb; 1984; McCarthy, 1980). Preference of intake modes (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) (Barbe & Swassing, 1979) and access to different abilities (analytical, creative, and practical) (Sternberg, et al., 1999) are other considerations for looking at student learning. Also, students may be more adept with some learning styles or focal areas, or “intelligences” (Gardner, 1983).

Classroom structure and limited instructional delivery may be problems in dealing with students who bring home-life baggage to school. They see their “success” as their ability to “shut up and listen to the teacher” (Knaus, 2013, p. 16).

Personality characteristics (Myers & Briggs, 1943, 1976, 1985; Noland, 1978) may also factor into classroom interactions. Most of these models attempt to depict an individual with regard to one or several aspects of personality and suggest that the individual functions in life and in learning situations with the manifestations of those characterizations. Complete Study

Oxygen and Elite Performance: The Science

The attached presentation was by Dr. Robert Rowen, an expert in the area of ozone therapies.  The presentation is very scientific and directed towards the medical profession.  The motive for posting the video clip is my question.  In the effort to attain elite performance, we are always looking for the way to enhance performance.  My question is what are the hindrances to our performance?  Oxygen therapies can eliminate these hindrances.  Enjoy.

The Myth of Multitasking By The New Atlantis

By Christine Rosen, The New Atlantis

brainconnectIn one of the many letters he wrote to his son in the 1740s, Lord Chesterfield offered the following advice: “There is time enough for everything in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once, but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time.” To Chesterfield, singular focus was not merely a practical way to structure one’s time; it was a mark of intelligence. “This steady and undissipated attention to one object, is a sure mark of a superior genius; as hurry, bustle, and agitation, are the never-failing symptoms of a weak and frivolous mind.”

In modern times, hurry, bustle, and agitation have become a regular way of life for many people — so much so that we have embraced a word to describe our efforts to respond to the many pressing demands on our time: multitasking. Used for decades to describe the parallel processing abilities of computers, multitasking is now shorthand for the human attempt to do simultaneously as many things as possible, as quickly as possible, preferably marshalling the power of as many technologies as possible.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, one sensed a kind of exuberance about the possibilities of multitasking. Advertisements for new electronic gadgets — particularly the first generation of handheld digital devices — celebrated the notion of using technology to accomplish several things at once. The word multitasking began appearing in the “skills” sections of résumés, as office workers restyled themselves as high-tech, high-performing team players. “We have always multitasked — inability to walk and chew gum is a time-honored cause for derision — but never so intensely or self-consciously as now,” James Gleick wrote in his 1999 book Faster. “We are multitasking connoisseurs — experts in crowding, pressing, packing, and overlapping distinct activities in our all-too-finite moments.” An article in the New York Times Magazine in 2001 asked, “Who can remember life before multitasking? These days we all do it.” The article offered advice on “How to Multitask” with suggestions about giving your brain’s “multitasking hot spot” an appropriate workout.

But more recently, challenges to the ethos of multitasking have begun to emerge. Numerous studies have shown the sometimes-fatal danger of using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, for example, and several states have now made that particular form of multitasking illegal. In the business world, where concerns about time-management are perennial, warnings about workplace distractions spawned by a multitasking culture are on the rise. In 2005, the BBC reported on a research study, funded by Hewlett-Packard and conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, that found, “Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.” The psychologist who led the study called this new “infomania” a serious threat to workplace productivity. One of the Harvard Business Review’s “Breakthrough Ideas” for 2007 was Linda Stone’s notion of “continuous partial attention,” which might be understood as a subspecies of multitasking: using mobile computing power and the Internet, we are “constantly scanning for opportunities and staying on top of contacts, events, and activities in an effort to miss nothing.” Full article

See also a Stanford Study on the same subject

 

Scott Nagy of SDSU on Leadership Development

South Dakota State Basketball Coach Scott NagyStephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project will be discussing the concept of leadership development in a world of “get mine first.” Subjects covered will include how do you break down the walls created by athletes who are just interested in getting theirs and how to be a great follower that can develop into a great leader.

For the complete interview, visit The McCarthy Project on Blog Talk Radio.

Bio Information on Coach Nagy:

Scott Nagy returns for his 20th season at South Dakota State after guiding the Jackrabbits to three straight postseason appearances, which includes back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths in 2012 and 2013, and a bid to the College Basketball Invitational in 2014. He also led the Jacks to eight NCAA Tournaments at the Division II level.

The most prolific coach in school history, Nagy seems to hit a personal or team milestone every season, with the latest being the program’s 1,400th win on March 1, 2014 against South Dakota in the final game of the 2013-14 regular season.

Steve Jobs Didn’t Let His Kids Use Ipads

kids-ipad

By Adan Salazar, Infowars

A recent New York Times article exemplified how technological and billionaire elites live by different standards than they prescribe to the American populace.

A piece entitled “Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent,” discusses how the late Apple CEO refused to allow his children to play with one of the company’s most popular devices, the Ipad.

“So, your kids must love the iPad?” I asked Mr. Jobs, trying to change the subject. The company’s first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” he told me. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

I’m sure I responded with a gasp and dumbfounded silence. I had imagined the Jobs’s household was like a nerd’s paradise: that the walls were giant touch screens, the dining table was made from tiles of iPads and that iPods were handed out to guests like chocolates on a pillow.

Nope, Mr. Jobs told me, not even close.

Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends.

Unfortunately, The Times didn’t press Jobs for a more in-depth explanation on why he restricted his kids’ use of a device that’s now played with by millions of children throughout the world, but the fact that various elites have followed in the tech guru’s steps suggests there is a double standard between how they raise their children, and how they believe lower and middle class American parents should.

The double standard is clear when one considers the actions of billionaires, such as former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, whose foundation has invested millions of dollars pushing the Common Core curriculum onto public schools, but who opts to send his own children to private academies where the Common Core standard is not taught.

Another New York Times article from 2011 also revealed that some charter schools where elites send their children prohibit computer monitors, a stark contrast to the flood of computers we’ve seen fill public schools over the past few decades. Compete article

Stephen McCarthy and the “Leap of Faith”

stephen_leap_of_faith_1
Stephen at the top of the pole ready for the leap of faith.

I, Stephen McCarthy, took a “Leap of Faith.” I have had a fear of jumping off buildings, bridges, even escalators for a long time. Today I conquered that fear and actually jumped of a pole 35 feet in the air today to hit a ball 10 ft away.

After contemplating for about 5 minutes on the perch, I made the decision to jump.  Then an additional 3 minutes making sure it was the right decision, I put it to rest.  I jumped.  After a safe ride down, assessing all my body parts and a mental checkup, I had survived in one piece.

Thank you to all the guys and girls from TeamQuest.

stephen_leap_of_faith
Stephen’s “Leap of Faith”

 

Brennan Platt of BYU on Moral Victories and Game Theory

brennan_platBrennan Platt of BYU recently co-published an article titled, “Sticking With What (Barely) Worked: A Test of Outcome Bias.”  The interesting part is Dr. Brennan Platt is an economics professor at BYU.  With all the recent movies around “Money Ball”, game theory and scientific management of sport, Brennan will be joining Stephen to talk about his findings, the trends, the limitations, and ultimately, how do you use the study to create a better decisions.

For the complete interview, visit The McCarthy Project Blog Talk Radio.

Bio Information:
Brennan C. Platt is an Associate Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University.  He received his B.S. degrees in Economics and Mathematics from Arizona State University in 2001, graduating Summa Cum Laude and from the Honors College.  He then earned his M.A. (2005) and Ph.D. (2006) in Economics from the University of Minnesota, and has worked at BYU since then.  He researches the theory of price formation.  One current strand of his research investigates the determination of prices in search environments, including how these are distorted by insurance.  Another strand analyzes several unique all-pay auctions, such as penny auctions and political rent seeking. Full Bio

Training (Retraining) the Mind with Jason Colvin of TeamQuest

jason_colvinToo many athletes have the athleticism to play at an elite level, but they do not. But why?

Jason Colvin of TeamQuest joined Stephen McCarthy of The McCarthy Project to talk about creativity, individuality, and how a team can be developed towards not just doing what athletes are told by the coach, but living in the moment and completing the task that is needed at that moment based on what the athlete knows and sees. Other areas covered include: Finding connectivity through people, why you should not force your agenda on players and the parent, how to develop deep coach and player relationships. To listen to the complete interview, click here.

For the complete interview, visit The McCarthy Project on Blog Talk Radio. Or for more information on our custom performance building events, click here.

Bio Information:

Jason is all about the outdoors, experiential learning and environmental awareness. He has been guiding individuals through outdoor leadership adventure trips, challenge courses and environmental education for five years. He earned Association of Challenge Course Technology Certification (ACCT) after training in high ropes facilitation and course management. He has a B.A. in fine arts and spent two years as a studio artist before breaking through to the world of outdoor learning and adventure. Click here for more on Jason Colvin and TeamQuest .

Daniel Coyle, Author of The Talent Code

Daniel Coyle on what it takes to compete at a high level

daniel_coyleNatural talent does not always win.  Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, talked about the ways work and understanding win out, rather than potential.

For the complete interview, visit here.

Bio Information:

Daniel Coyle is the New York Times bestselling author of The Little Book of Talent, The Talent Code, Lance Armstrong’s War, and Hardball: A Season in Projects.  A contributing editor for Outside Magazine, he is a two-time National Magazine Award finalist.  Coyle lives in Cleveland, Ohio during the school year and in Homer, Alaska, during the summer with his wife Jen, and their four children. Full bio

BMX Pro Mike Aitken on Creativity

mike_aitkenStephen was joined by BMX Pro Mike Aitken.  Mike has a deep love for the sport of bmx and a creativity that is unbelievable. He has truly paid the price with serious injury and a long rehab to return the to the sport. He talks about his experiences, his love of the sport and the lost concept of creativity.

For the complete interview, visit here.

To connect with Mike, visit twitter

Insanity in Athlete Development

One of the great myths of success in life and sport is “That if you work harder and longer, the work will produce the results” or “if you work harder than the other person and give up on a balanced, healthy life, that you will make it.”

Add the following quote:

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”  – Ellen Goodman

I challenge all athletes and parents..  What is the “real reality” that we are teaching in sport based on this myth and the quote from Ellen?

The thought of working harder could be changed to the following:

“If everyone is going this direction, I can take a different direction to the same end point by working smarter than everyone else..”

The trick is.. Does anyone have a different path?

Check out these pages and our philosophy… You will find a million different paths to every goal of obtaining elite performance in life and sport.

Detox Your Environment

By Stephen McCarthy

The following short youtube clip is from Dr. Edward Group on the importance of detoxing your environment.

Areas covered include:

1.  Add plants to your living space.

2.  Use a air purification system.

3.  Clean out or throw away toxic cleaning supplies.

4.  Use Himalayan salt and aroma therapy to detox air.

Education and Training… Natural Method Defined

By Stephen McCarthy, The McCarthy Project

dovestones-104912_640Over the last years, I have been asked numerous times. Define your philosophy of teaching and training for elite performance.

I landed on the concept of natural means and methods of education and training, but what does that really mean?

Ultimately, the natural method of education and training is the use of nature and the laws of nature through our observations and our senses to find the truth on performance and develop the use of our talents, on an individual basis.

The funny thing about the natural method is that it is not new, the concept goes back to the Greeks, up through John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau to Johan Guts Muths, the father of physical education.  During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, scientific means and methods attempted to replace the laws of nature as the form of information and observation.  While I agree that science and scientific management can be applied to life, they are not the “end all, be all” solution to developing talent.

Here are a couple quotes on the thought of the natural methods and the use of the laws of nature:

In general, Locke advocated..”plenty of open air, exercise and sleep…” John Locke, Some Thoughts on Education, 1693, pg. 24.

“Comenius and Locke, prior to Rousseau, had proclaimed an education according to nature when they urged that children become familiar with their natural environment by using their senses for observation and that teaching should proceed in accordance with natural laws of child development.  Rousseau accepted and expanded upon his predecessors’ viewpoints.  Both Comenius’ and Lockes’ aims of education subjected the child to authority– Comenius to the will of the Bible, Locke to the demands of society.  Rousseau, however, desired to free the child from every bondage, permitting a completely natural development of his individual personality”  Bennett, A World History of Physical Education, 1953, pg 183.

“Life is the trade I would teach him.  When he leaves me, I grant you, he will neither a magistrate, a soldier, nor a priest, he will be a man,” John Jacques Rousseau, Emile on Education, 1762, pg. 9.

“Observe nature and follow the route which she traces for you,” John Jacques Rousseau, Emile on Education, 1762, pg. 13.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” 19th Psalm of David

“In the natural method, the most important rule is, in forming an idea of an object, to employ all the senses completely on it,” Johan Guts Muths, Gymnastics for Youth, 1803, pg. 404.

Additional Resources:

1. Mastery of Self and Your Surroundings with Erwan Lecorre

2. Research shows outdoors improves bodies response to training

3. Natural movement training is whole body training

 

 

Twitter, Facebook really do make people stupid.

By Julie Wilson, Natural News

Social-Media-Type-Words2014 exists in an era when technology allows us to instantaneously access vast amounts of information; however, this advancement has apparently caused our intellect to dwindle, resulting in a population of people unable to think analytically.

A recent study conducted by Dr. lyad Rahwan, an honorary at the University of Edinburgh, revealed frequenters of social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, have difficulty thinking critically and independently.

Dr. Rahwan’s study consisted of a group of 20 individuals whom he asked three trick questions repeatedly.

“For example they were told that a bat and ball cost 1.10 [British pounds (GBP)] in total and that the bat cost 1 [GBP] more than the ball, and then they were asked to work out how much the ball costs,” reported the Daily Mail.  More information

Additional Research:

1.  Limit technology, Improve Performance

2.  30 min of cell phone usage changes performance

3.  Limiting technology with North Carolina Basketball Coach

 

Guts Muths on Development of Character

Johan Guts Muths
Johan Guts Muths

We have every considered our feebleness and bodily infirmity as the gifts of nature, our diseases as innate evils, and our vices as the shoots of original sin;  instead of deeming them, what they almost always are, the consequences of our corrupt mode of life and education.  It is but too true, that we are much more fond of having recourse to the shop of the apothecary, the magnetizing quack, or the panaceas of empirics, for preserving our lives, and dispelling disease, than drawing nearer to nature, or at least suffering our innocent children, whom a similar fate awaits, to draw more near to her, and imbibe health, strength, and longevity, from her breast: it is but too true, that many slaves of luxury, effeminacy, and fashion, consider affected sentimentality as a mark of refined understanding; delicate health and bodily debility, as indications of a mind highly cultivated; womanish softness, as a token of noble descent, and superior education; and in short, all these, as no less certain proofs of high birth, than the long nails of the Chinese.

It is but too true, that in many men of letters cannot conceive of solid learning, unless built on the ruin of the body;  that even enlightened parents and tutors think they do enough for the physical department of education, and follow completely the modern mode of education, as it is called, and the directions of the wisest physicians, if the child be not suckled by a stranger, eat non pap, be neither swathed, rocked, put into leading strings, injured by stays, nor crammed with food; if he breathe pure air, get the small pox by inoculation, drink water, wear short hair, be accustomed to moderation in eating, once now and then take a little walk, and be exempted from swallowing preservative medicines, and from the application of the rod.

The erroneousness of these opinions is sufficiently obvious.  The good included in the last I prize: but a child may be brought up very effeminately with cropped hair, under this philanthrophical education, as it is usually styled;  which assuredly is far from sufficient, to carry a youth up to that degree of bodily perfection, where health is combined with strength and activity, with endurance, courage, and presence of mind, in the true manly character.

-Johan Guts Muths, Gymnastics for Youth, 1803, pg 99-100.

Thomas Jefferson on Why Study Classics

Letter to John Brazer 24 Aug 1819

Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

You ask my opinion on the extent to which classical learning should be carried in our country. A sickly condition permits me to think and a rheumatic hand to write too briefly on this litigated question. The utilities we derive from the remains of the Greek and Latin languages are, first, as models of pure taste in writing. To these we are certainly indebted for the national and chaste style of modern composition which so much distinguishes the nations to whom these languages are familiar. Without these models we should probably have continued the inflated style of our northern ancestors, or the hyperbolical and vague one of the east. Second, among the values of classical learning, I estimate the luxury of reading the Greek and Roman authors in all the beauties of their originals. And why should not this innocent and elegant luxury take its preeminent stand ahead of all those addressed merely to the senses? I think myself more indebted to my father for this than for all the other luxuries his cares and affections have placed within my reach; and more now than when younger, and more susceptible of delights from other sources. When the decays of age have enfeebled the useful energies of the mind, the classic pages fill up the vacuum of ennui, and become sweet composers to that rest of the grave into which we are all sooner or later to descend. A third value is in the stores of real science deposited and transmitted us in these languages, to-wit: in history, ethics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and natural history.

But to whom are these things useful? Certainly not to all men. There are conditions of life to which they must be forever estranged, and there are epochs of life too, after which the endeavor to attain them would be a great misemployment of time. Their acquisition should be the occupation of our early years only, when the memory is susceptible of deep and lasting impressions, and reason and judgment not yet strong enough for abstract speculations. To the moralist they are valuable, because they furnish ethical writings highly and justly esteemed: although in my own opinion, the moderns are far advanced beyond them in this line of science, the divine finds in the Greek language a translation of his primary code, of more importance to him than the original because better understood; and, in the same language, the newer code, with the doctrines of the earliest fathers, who lived and wrote before the simple precepts of the founder of this most benign and pure of all systems of morality became frittered into subtleties and mysteries, and hidden under jargons incomprehensible to the human mind. To these original sources he must now, therefore, return, to recover the virgin purity of his religion. The lawyer finds in the Latin language the system of civil law most conformable with the principles of justice of any which has ever yet been established among men, and from which much has been incorporated into our own. The physician as good a code of his art as has been given us to this day. Theories and systems of medicine, indeed, have been in perpetual change from the days of the good Hippocrates to the days of the good Rush, but which of them is the true one? The present, to be sure, as long as it is the present, but to yield its place in turn to the next novelty, which is then to become the true system, and is to mark the vast advance of medicine since the days of Hippocrates. Our situation is certainly benefited by the discovery of some new and very valuable medicines; and substituting those for some of his with the treasure of facts, and of sound observations recorded by him (mixed to be sure with anilities of his day) and we shall have nearly the present sum of the healing art. The statesman will find in these languages history, politics, mathematics, ethics, eloquence, love of country, to which he must add the sciences of his own day, for which of them should be unknown to him? And all the sciences must recur to the classical languages for the etymon, and sound understanding of their fundamental terms. For the merchant I should not say that the languages are a necessary. Ethics, mathematics, geography, political economy, history, seem to constitute the immediate foundations of his calling. The agriculturist needs ethics, mathematics, chemistry and natural philosophy. The mechanic the same. To them the languages are but ornament and comfort. I know it is often said there have been shining examples of men of great abilities in all the businesses of life, without any other science than what they had gathered from conversations and intercourse with the world. But who can say what these men would not have been had they started in the science on the shoulders of a Demosthenes or Cicero, of a Locke or Bacon, or a Newton? To sum the whole, therefore, it may truly be said that the classical languages are a solid basis for most, and an ornament to all the sciences.

Henry David Thoreau on Why Study the Classics

By Henry David Thoreau, “Reading” from Walden

Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau

The student may read Homer or Æschylus in the Greek without danger of dissipation or luxuriousness, for it implies that he in some measure emulate their heroes, and consecrate morning hours to their pages. The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense than common use permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have. The modern cheap and fertile press, with all its translations, has done little to bring us nearer to the heroic writers of antiquity. They seem as solitary, and the letter in which they are printed as rare and curious, as ever. It is worth the expense of youthful days and costly hours, if you learn only some words of an ancient language, which are raised out of the trivialness of the street, to be perpetual suggestions and provocations. It is not in vain that the farmer remembers and repeats the few Latin words which he has heard. Men sometimes speak as if the study of the classics would at length make way for more modern and practical studies; but the adventurous student will always study classics, in whatever language they may be written and however ancient they may be. For what are the classics but the noblest recorded thoughts of man? They are the only oracles which are not decayed, and there are such answers to the most modern inquiry in them as Delphi and Dodona never gave. We might as well omit to study Nature because she is old. To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent, the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object. Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written. It is not enough even to be able to speak the language of that nation by which they are written, for there is a memorable interval between the spoken and the written language, the language heard and the language read. The one is commonly transitory, a sound, a tongue, a dialect merely, almost brutish, and we learn it unconsciously, like the brutes, of our mothers. The other is the maturity and experience of that; if that is our mother tongue, this is our father tongue, a reserved and select expression, too significant to be heard by the ear, which we must be born again in order to speak. The crowds of men who merely spoke the Greek and Latin tongues in the Middle Ages were not entitled by the accident of birth to read the works of genius written in those languages; for these were not written in that Greek or Latin which they knew, but in the select language of literature. They had not learned the nobler dialects of Greece and Rome, but the very materials on which they were written were waste paper to them, and they prized instead a cheap contemporary literature. But when the several nations of Europe had acquired distinct though rude written languages of their own, sufficient for the purposes of their rising literatures, then first learning revived, and scholars were enabled to discern from that remoteness the treasures of antiquity. What the Roman and Grecian multitude could not hear, after the lapse of ages a few scholars read, and a few scholars only are still reading it.

However much we may admire the orator’s occasional bursts of eloquence, the noblest written words are commonly as far behind or above the fleeting spoken language as the firmament with its stars is behind the clouds. There are the stars, and they who can may read them. The astronomers forever comment on and observe them. They are not exhalations like our daily colloquies and vaporous breath. What is called eloquence in the forum is commonly found to be rhetoric in the study. The orator yields to the inspiration of a transient occasion, and speaks to the mob before him, to those who can hear him; but the writer, whose more equable life is his occasion, and who would be distracted by the event and the crowd which inspire the orator, speaks to the intellect and health of mankind, to all in any age who can understand him.

No wonder that Alexander carried the Iliad with him on his expeditions in a precious casket. A written word is the choicest of relics. It is something at once more intimate with us and more universal than any other work of art. It is the work of art nearest to life itself. It may be translated into every language, and not only be read but actually breathed from all human lips;–not be represented on canvas or in marble only, but be carved out of the breath of life itself. The symbol of an ancient man’s thought becomes a modern man’s speech. Two thousand summers have imparted to the monuments of Grecian literature, as to her marbles, only a maturer golden and autumnal tint, for they have carried their own serene and celestial atmosphere into all lands to protect them against the corrosion of time. Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them. Their authors are a natural and irresistible aristocracy in every society, and, more than kings or emperors, exert an influence on mankind. When the illiterate and perhaps scornful trader has earned by enterprise and industry his coveted leisure and independence, and is admitted to the circles of wealth and fashion, he turns inevitably at last to those still higher but yet inaccessible circles of intellect and genius, and is sensible only of the imperfection of his culture and the vanity and insufficiency of all his riches, and further proves his good sense by the pains which be takes to secure for his children that intellectual culture whose want he so keenly feels; and thus it is that he becomes the founder of a family.

Those who have not learned to read the ancient classics in the language in which they were written must have a very imperfect knowledge of the history of the human race; for it is remarkable that no transcript of them has ever been made into any modern tongue, unless our civilization itself may be regarded as such a transcript. Homer has never yet been printed in English, nor Æschylus, nor Virgil even–works as refined, as solidly done, and as beautiful almost as the morning itself; for later writers, say what we will of their genius, have rarely, if ever, equaled the elaborate beauty and finish and the lifelong and heroic literary labors of the ancients. They only talk of forgetting them who never knew them. It will be soon enough to forget them when we have the learning and the genius which will enable us to attend to and appreciate them. That age will be rich indeed when those relics which we call Classics, and the still older and more than classic but even less known Scriptures of the nations, shall have still further accumulated, when the Vaticans shall be filled with Vedas and Zendavestas and Bibles, with Homers and Dantes and Shakespeares, and all the centuries to come shall have successively deposited their trophies in the forum of the world. By such a pile we may hope to scale heaven at last.

The works of the great poets have never yet been read by mankind, for only great poets can read them. They have only been read as the multitude read the stars, at most astrologically, not astronomically. Most men have learned to read to serve a paltry convenience, as they have learned to cipher in order to keep accounts and not be cheated in trade; but of reading as a noble intellectual exercise they know little or nothing; yet this only is reading, in a high sense, not that which lulls us as a luxury and suffers the nobler faculties to sleep the while, but what we have to stand on tip-toe to read and devote our most alert and wakeful hours to.

I think that having learned our letters we should read the best that is in literature, and not be forever repeating our a-b-abs, and words of one syllable, in the fourth or fifth classes, sitting on the lowest and foremost form all our lives. Most men are satisfied if they read or hear read, and perchance have been convicted by the wisdom of one good book, the Bible, and for the rest of their lives vegetate and dissipate their faculties in what is called easy reading. There is a work in several volumes in our Circulating Library entitled “Little Reading,” which I thought referred to a town of that name which I had not been to. There are those who, like cormorants and ostriches, can digest all sorts of this, even after the fullest dinner of meats and vegetables, for they suffer nothing to be wasted. If others are the machines to provide this provender, they are the machines to read it. They read the nine thousandth tale about Zebulon and Sophronia, and how they loved as none had ever loved before, and neither did the course of their true love run smooth–at any rate, how it did run and stumble, and get up again and go on! how some poor unfortunate got up on to a steeple, who had better never have gone up as far as the belfry; and then, having needlessly got him up there, the happy novelist rings the bell for all the world to come together and hear, O dear! how he did get down again! For my part, I think that they had better metamorphose all such aspiring heroes of universal noveldom into man weather-cocks, as they used to put heroes among the constellations, and let them swing round there till they are rusty, and not come down at all to bother honest men with their pranks. The next time the novelist rings the bell I will not stir though the meeting-house burn down. “The Skip of the Tip-Toe-Hop, a Romance of the Middle Ages, by the celebrated author of ‘Tittle-Tol-Tan,’ to appear in monthly parts; a great rush; don’t all come together.” All this they read with saucer eyes, and erect and primitive curiosity, and with unwearied gizzard, whose corrugations even yet need no sharpening, just as some little four-year-old bencher his two-cent gilt-covered edition of Cinderella–without any improvement, that I can see, in the pronunciation, or accent, or emphasis, or any more skill in extracting or inserting the moral. The result is dulness of sight, a stagnation of the vital circulations, and a general deliquium and sloughing off of all the intellectual faculties. This sort of gingerbread is baked daily and more sedulously than pure wheat or rye-and-Indian in almost every oven, and finds a surer market.

The best books are not read even by those who are called good readers. What does our Concord culture amount to? There is in this town, with a very few exceptions, no taste for the best or for very good books even in English literature, whose words all can read and spell. Even the college-bred and so-called liberally educated men here and elsewhere have really little or no acquaintance with the English classics; and as for the recorded wisdom of mankind, the ancient classics and Bibles, which are accessible to all who will know of them, there are the feeblest efforts anywhere made to become acquainted with them. I know a woodchopper, of middle age, who takes a French paper, not for news as he says, for he is above that, but to “keep himself in practice,” he being a Canadian by birth; and when I ask him what he considers the best thing he can do in this world, he says, beside this, to keep up and add to his English. This is about as much as the college-bred generally do or aspire to do, and they take an English paper for the purpose. One who has just come from reading perhaps one of the best English books will find how many with whom he can converse about it? Or suppose he comes from reading a Greek or Latin classic in the original, whose praises are familiar even to the so-called illiterate; he will find nobody at all to speak to, but must keep silence about it. Indeed, there is hardly the professor in our colleges, who, if he has mastered the difficulties of the language, has proportionally mastered the difficulties of the wit and poetry of a Greek poet, and has any sympathy to impart to the alert and heroic reader; and as for the sacred Scriptures, or Bibles of mankind, who in this town can tell me even their titles? Most men do not know that any nation but the Hebrews have had a scripture. A man, any man, will go considerably out of his way to pick up a silver dollar; but here are golden words, which the wisest men of antiquity have uttered, and whose worth the wise of every succeeding age have assured us of;–and yet we learn to read only as far as Easy Reading, the primers and class-books, and when we leave school, the “Little Reading,” and story-books, which are for boys and beginners; and our reading, our conversation and thinking, are all on a very low level, worthy only of pygmies and manikins.

I aspire to be acquainted with wiser men than this our Concord soil has produced, whose names are hardly known here. Or shall I hear the name of Plato and never read his book? As if Plato were my townsman and I never saw him–my next neighbor and I never heard him speak or attended to the wisdom of his words. But how actually is it? His Dialogues, which contain what was immortal in him, lie on the next shelf, and yet I never read them. We are underbred and low-lived and illiterate; and in this respect I confess I do not make any very broad distinction between the illiterateness of my townsman who cannot read at all and the illiterateness of him who has learned to read only what is for children and feeble intellects. We should be as good as the worthies of antiquity, but partly by first knowing how good they were. We are a race of tit-men, and soar but little higher in our intellectual flights than the columns of the daily papers of the mind, the classick pages fill up the vacuum of ennui, and become sweet composers to that rest of the grave into which we are all sooner or later to descend.”

Study: Reading Books Triggers Lasting Changes in the Brain

By Elizabeth Renter, Natural Society

books_reading-263x164If you’re a reader, chances are there are a few books that stand out as having changed the way you thought about something. Far more than just a little escapism, books have the ability to change our lives, and as a new study shows—they can even change our brain chemistry.

Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta published their work in the journal Brain Connectivity, where they revealed reading a novel can have lasting effects on the brain.

For the study, 21 undergraduates were recruited to read the novel Pompeii, by Robery Harris. Written in 2003, the volume follows a protagonist as he watches the impending eruption of Mount Vesuvius from afar. It’s a thriller and has a “strong narrative line”, something the researchers thought important when choosing the book. More details