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Feeling Tired After a Long Cognitive Work-Shift

Are you feeling tired after a long cognitive work shift?

First Responders suffer from mental exhaustion due to the pressures of a long work shift. It is more obvious that physical exertion and manual labor can drain your energy. Less clear is what complex cognitive tasks involve.

Feeling Tired After a Long Cognitive Work-Shift. The science behind it.

Researchers have found new evidence to explain why thinking causes mental exhaustion. And they also discovered that intense concentration leaves less brain power for making decisions.

The reasons?

Hard cognitive work leads to glutamate accumulation in the lateral prefrontal cortex
The need for glutamate regulation reduces the control exerted over decision-making
Reduced control favors the choice of low-effort actions with short-term rewards

You can read the full study on Current Biology

Behavioral activities that require control over automatic routines typically feel effortful and result in cognitive fatigue. This fatigue is related to the necessity of recycling potentially toxic substances accumulated during cognitive control exertion

The research used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to monitor brain metabolites throughout a workday. Two groups of participants performed either high-demand or low-demand cognitive control tasks, interleaved with economic decisions.

Choice-related fatigue markers were only present in the high-demand group. The same group experienced a reduction of pupil dilation during decision-making and a preference shift toward short-delay and little-effort options (a low-cost bias captured using computational modeling).

At the end of the day, high-demand cognitive work resulted in higher glutamate concentration and glutamate/glutamine diffusion in the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is a cognitive control brain region.

The result supports a neuro-metabolic model in which glutamate accumulation triggers a regulation mechanism that makes lateral prefrontal cortex activation more costly. This explains why cognitive control is harder to mobilize after a strenuous workday.

Now you know the reason why when you come home after a long work shift you prefer opting for a microwave easier dinner instead of cooking. You have limited energy and your mind naturally tends towards the easiest option.

The intense and long mental labor day results in toxic byproducts in the brain (glutamate). These toxins accumulate in the prefrontal cortex, which can reduce decision-making abilities and cause cognitive decline.

Feeling Tired After a Long Cognitive Work-Shift. What can we do to avoid this?

I hope that the First Responders’ organizations

would recognize the importance of self-care, encouraging staff to participate in some gentle mental and physical mindful activities such as yoga, breathwork, and meditation whose mental and physical benefits are supported by science. You can read more about it on FRY Canada’s research and links page
would allow their employees to share their feelings without red-flagging them. First Responders are human and having special mental health support can help them move through their challenging job.

What can you personally do?

Engage in meditation activities that can shut your sympathetic nervous system off and can improve the release of feel-good hormones in your body. That can help to make you feel restored.

We at FRY can help.

Meditation, Breathwork, Functional Yoga Movement, Relaxation, and Positive Affirmations are all supported by science to help you to overcome physical injuries and burnout.

Chose FRY. We are here to Help You!

Yoga regulates the immune response during stress

Yoga regulates the immune response during stress

Yoga regulates the immune response during the stress. In today’s fast-paced life the constant presence of stress can jeopardize your health. You need to be aware of this.

Stress and immune system

How does the stress affect the immune response? The immune system is a network of glands, nodes, and organs. It protects the body from bacteria and viruses. It requires a constant supply of nutrients to maintain its function.

What can affect the immune system? Toxins in the environment, poor diet, lack of or excessive exercise, and, guess what? Stress.

The effects of stress on the immune responses

The stress on the immune system is mediated by a complex “communication” between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. The mediators of these interactions are neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, hormones, and cytokines.

The effects of stress on the immune responses result in:

Alterations in the Number of Immune Cells. It is called “Immunosenescence”. This alterations dysregulates the immune function and inflammatory processes
Cytokine Dysregulation. It is a marker of difficulties in aging, as it links to an inability to control systemic inflammation

The effects of stress on the immune system responses. How to manage it?

The ability to mentally handle stress in everyday life alleviates the activation of the endocrine system. This, in turn, increases the effectiveness of the immune system. This is the union between body and mind.

The reflection of the union of the body and mind is what differentiates yoga from other forms of exercise. Yoga is meant to prepare the body to achieve tranquility of the mind.

Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra better describes the goal of yoga. He wrote “Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha“. That means yoga is the cessation of all mind’s fluctuations.

Yoga creates a sense of wellbeing. It boosts feelings of relaxation. It improves concentration and self-confidence. There are several studies supporting these results from the practice of Yoga.

You can read more at this link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10365315/

Yoga boost self-awareness and because of that you can better deal with the stress response. It provides more results in stress, anxiety and health management than relaxation.

You can read more at this link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17544857/

Tools available for you with “FRY. First Responders’ Yoga. The Book”

An excerpt of “FRY First Responders Yoga. The Book” is below. You can download it at this link: https://www.frycanada.com/books/#Books

“The HPA axis works in a straightforward manner of managing the neurological and endocrine systems to activate the fight-flight-freeze response, also known as the stress response.

When the fight-flight-freeze response is activated there is a release of corticotropin-releasing hormone, known as CRH. When this hormone binds to receptors in the pituitary gland it releases the ACTH (adrenocorticotropic) hormone.

This hormone then binds to the adrenal cortex, stimulating the release of cortisol from the adrenals. After a stressful event, in which the fight-flight-freeze response is activated, cortisol is continuously released throughout the body for several hours.

The reduction of what we perceive as stress and anxiety can be modulated by yoga practice as it can modulate your stress response systems, as medical evidence has shown.

Modulating your stress response means emphasizing the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest response, over the sympathetic nervous system, the stress response.

The physiological benefits of that modulation are easy to understand now that you have read the differences between the two branches of the autonomic nervous system in Chapter 3: reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, easing breathing and also increasing the heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly, an ability First Responders need to develop.“

That is what we do with FRY. Sign up to FRY The APP and start your journey to your Mind-Body Wellness and Resilience.

We are here to help.

Movement & Mind Training in Mood Disorder Treatment

Movement & Mind Training in Mood Disorder Treatment

Movement & Mind Training are tools to help Mood Disorder Treatment.

Keep reading to discover more.

Movement & Mind Training in Mood Disorder Treatment: Mood Disorder Treatment and Neuroscience

According to Neuroscience principles our brain can rewire the neural connections. These connections link together various lobes. They also link sensory input and motor output.

Our neuron connections constantly change in response to environments and life experiences. They change in number. They change in strength. This is Neuroplasticity: the changes in the number and strength of connections between our neuron. It plays an important role in treating the mood disorder.

Mood disorders can have a foundation in the quality and number of neuron connections. Neuroplasticity is key to good brain function. Brain malfunction may indicate that certain aspects of Neuroplasticity may be impaired.

The game changer is that we can reverse this process thanks to Neuroplasticity. In which way? Through exercising, training our mind and eating in a better way.

Movement & Mind Training in Mood Disorder Treatment: Chemicals imbalance effect your mood.

The level of the protein called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) indicates Mood disorder.

BDNF is required for neuronal development early in life and for neuronal survival and function in the adult brain.

BDNF is a key molecule in Neuroplasticity.

Stress or glucocorticoid exposures (steroid hormones used for the treatment of inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer) decrease the level of BDNF in the hippocampus. Levels of BDNF are lower in the brains of people with depressive symptom (you can read more at this link)

The level of BDNF indicates the neurons’ ability to form new or stronger connections with other neurons. How can we increase the level of BDNF? Keep reading to find an answer.

Movement & Mind Training in Mood Disorder Treatment

Physical activity is considered a potential intervention for depression prevention (read more here at this link).

Exercise may be one of the best ways to promote healthy Neuroplasticity in parts of the brain that are implicated in depression.

Studies have shown that:

exercise (especially aerobic exercise) can increase the levels of BDNF in the brain
there is a correlation between more exercise and a bigger hippocampus, that means better regulation in learning and memory encoding.

Training the mind is another way to improve the brain’s Neuroplasticity mechanisms. You can reap that benefit by:

Challenging the brain by learning something new
Putting yourselfe in slightly uncomfortable situations
Practicing Mindfulness meditation.

You are what you think…and eat

Eating plays an important role in the neuron connection. This is due to:

The Gut-Brain Axis – It links the cognitive and emotional activity of the brain with the activity of the intestinal system. It is a channel by which the food we eat, after it is broken down into the gut by digestive enzymes, shapes our moods, our cognitive function, our reactivity to stress, our memory operations, how the brain ages, and much more.
The release of food-related hormones – Eating induces the brain to release “feel good” hormones, such as endorphins.

The role of sleeping in Mood Disorder

Mood disorders are found in one-third to one-half of patients with chronic sleep problems. Likewise, most patients with mood disorders experience insomnia (link to the study).

So we need to maintain a good sleeping regiment. Cutting out caffeine intake in the afternoon, winding down before bed, cooling the bedroom, and sleeping away from electronic devices can help.

Conclusion

FRY The Method offers techniques that will trigger the body resilience with movement.

FRY The Method trains your mind with meditation.

FRY The Method helps to relax your body with relaxation techniques.

If you have read the articles above, you can link the benefits of FRY The Method to your overall mind-body wellness.

Download FRY The APP at this link to start your Mind-Body Wellness journey right now.

Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™. January 2023

Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™. January 2023

This VIRTUAL “Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™” will guide participants in creating a VISION BOARD that will help guide their 2023.

A Vision Board is a collection of images, words, representations of what we wish to achieve and how we wish to live our life. It helps create self-awareness of what we desire. It plants the seeds to guide you towards your accomplishments.

This “Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™” will:

– Introduce the Kundalini yoga practice for Prosperity. Prosperity does not only mean material wealth. It means to be wealthy in all aspects of life: health, love, happiness etc. Kundalini is the yoga of awareness, and we begin the workshop awakening our awareness.

– Guide participants in meditation, self-reflection and the creation of a Vision Board for 2023 – a visual representation of what they wish to achieve, using the energy cultivated.

– Lead participants through a Classical Yoga Nidra Practice to “create the life they wish to live ™”. Classical Yoga Nidra relaxes, rejuvenates and rebalances the mind, body and spirit, entering a deep state of relaxation and inner-awareness. Once in the optimal state of relaxed awareness we can visualize how we wish to live this life, planting the seeds to manifest.

– Close with fine-tuning of the individual vision boards.

Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™. When?

Date: Sunday January 8th, 2023

Time: from 9AM to Noon

Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™. January 2023. The Price and Ticket

Cost: $75.00CAD (plus HST and Eventbrite fee)

REGISTER EARLY and start collecting old magazines, markers, paints, art supplies you would like to use to create your masterpiece Vision Board. We recommend using a 8½ x11 cardstock or half of a 22-x-28 Poster Board, any colour.

NOTE: There will also be an additional mid-year Workshop available for which you may register to fine-tune your Board, with additional Kundalini and meditation energy.

Reserve your spot NOW at this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/219211336007

We take care of YOU. Have a look at all our events and courses at this page: https://www.frycanada.com/events/

“Vision Board Energy Workshop – Create the Life You Wish to Live™”. Your Instructor

Julia (Dharma Gian Kaur) is an Advanced Sivananda Yoga Teacher, certified California College of Ayurveda (CCA) Yoga Nidra Teacher Trainer, and a Kundalini Yoga Teacher based in Ottawa, Canada. She has been teaching and providing CCA Yoga Nidra sessions in groups and privately for many years. She is currently the only Classically-based Yoga Nidra Teacher Trainer in Canada (CCA-YN). She is also a certified Canadian Fitness Professional (CanFitPro). She has over 1000 hours of yoga training, including trauma-informed movement. She has 2 sons who are First Responders which spawned the creation of F.R.Y. First Responders Yoga, of which she is co-founder and co-creator of F.R.Y. the APP.

Julia holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Laws and was a practicing lawyer. She is currently writing and publishing in various journals on topics of wellbeing.

Julia is a Registered Yoga Alliance Instructor (RYT-500) and also a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Julia has classed herself as a “mobile yoga provider” travelling to talk, teach and study.

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course February 2023

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course February 2023

Deepen your meditation practice with this experiential “Meditation: How to?” 4-hour course to immerse yourself into a deep meditation practice.

Eligible for 4-Hr Continuing Education with Yoga Alliance.

Meditation is a mind training. With this course you will learn what Meditation is, how to set up your personal practice, what is the science beyond Meditation. You will also explore, under the guidance of an experienced Meditator/Teacher the following Meditation techniques:

Gratitude Meditation
Reprogramming Meditation
Compassion Meditation
Abundance Meditation
Loving-kindness meditation (Metta)

Who is the course for?

Everyone. Everyone who wants to learn more about the power of Meditation. Everyone who wants to deepen their personal Meditation practice. Every yoga instructor who wants to learn more about Meditation.

Meditation is one of the 5 key elements in FRY The Method session.

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course February 2023

The Time Table of the Course (times in EDT)

Saturday February 4, 2023: from 8 to 10:15am (15 minutes break)
Sunday February 5, 2023: fro8 to 10:15am (15 minutes break)

Certification: After completing this online “Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course, you will receive a Certificate to upload in your Yoga Alliance dashboard if you are a YA Teacher.

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course February 2023

The Cost (Canadian Dollars):

Early Bird: $124 (20% discount)+ HST + fee through Eventbrite before November 15, 2022
General Admission: $155.00 CAD + HST + fee through Eventbrite

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course February 2023

The Ticket

Tickets available at this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/387122713457

“Meditation: How to?” 4-Hr Meditation course.

Info about the Teacher

Sasy is a 500 hours Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). He has been lived and taught yoga in many studios in Northern Italy, in Fuerteventura (Spain), India (Mysore), Nepal (Pockara) and all of 2018 in Los Angeles (USA).

He also has some experience in Karma Yoga including Anand Prakash Ashram in Risikesh (India) where he led Vipassana Meditation and Karuna Home for Disabled and Orphaned Children in Bylakuppe/Mysore (India) where he taught Yoga in a Yoga Studio inside the Tibetan Camp 1. On March 2020 he completed his three months of Karma Yoga at Sivananda Ashram Bahamas.

Sasy is a former Italian Police Detective and chief who has spent 20 years serving the Italian Government in the field of crime and narcotics. Knowing very well the stress and all the consequences that First Responder service can bring into the personal life of every single officer or member, Sasy was inspired to offer training for First Responders. Drawing on his past in law enforcement and the knowledge he developed since 2005 in the fields of meditation, stress reduction, Yoga and trauma-informed movement, Sasy co-founded together with Julia Long, F.R.Y. First Responders’ Yoga Canada, a tool box mind body wellness that compiles breathwork, functional yoga movement, trauma informed Yoga, meditation and positive affirmation techniques, designed for First Responders by First Responders, tailored to their needs. And with the F.R.Y. The App the tools are available anytime, anywhere, when needed, at a push of a button.

In 2005 Sasy started his spiritual quest and decided to dedicate his life to yoga since 2014.

He is the author of “The Key to Happiness” and “Yin Yoga“, two manuscripts in which he shares a glimpse of his personal spiritual journey, some easy-to-understand neuroscience about meditation and deep breathing, life-altering tools that transformed his daily living. in 2020 he co-authored his 3rd book together with Julia Long, “F.R.Y. First Responders’ Yoga. The Book“. All the manuscripts are available on Amazon, both paperback and digital formats. You can buy them at this link: https://www.frycanada.com/books/

Sasy has lead sessions at International Festivals, most recently at the International
Festival of Yoga, out of Dallas Texas (2020, 2021 and 2022) and Bliss Beat Festival in Alexandria Italy (2020).

“Unlock Your Breath. The Road to Bliss” Breathwork Course January 2023

Breathwork Course Unlock the Breath The Road to Bliss

“Unlock Your Breath. The Road to Bliss” 6-Hr Breathwork Course January 2023

With this “Unlock Your Breath. The Road to Bliss” 6-Hr Breathwork Course you will get a profound understanding of breathing to take care of all the body-systems, your mind and move the awareness to a deeper level.

In this on-line course eligible for 6 hours Continuing Education with Yoga Alliance you will learn how to use your breath to increase body’s energy, health and awareness.

An intensive self-experience Breathwork/Pranayama course to:

Understand your breathing
Take care of your body/mind system
Deepen your awareness to move beyond the awareness sheath (awareness layer) to the bliss sheath (bliss layer)
Become aware of the deeper layers of the self

About the Techniques you will learn in this Breathwork course:

The Locks (Bandhas)
The Retentions of Breath (Kumbhakas)
Belly Breathing
Yogic Breathing
Alternate Nostrils Breathing (Anuloma Viloma)
Shining Skull Breathing (Kapalabhati)
Fire Breathing (Bastrika)
Humming Bee Breathing (Brhamari)
Equal Ratio Breathing (Samavritti)
Not Equal Ratio Breathing (Asamavritti)
Stepped Breathing (Viloma)
Mantra Breathing (Positive Affirmations Breathing)
Rolling Tongue Breathing (Sitali)
Smiling Breathing Breathing (Sithkari)
Ocean Sound Breathing (Ujjay)

You will also learn modifications to enhance and control these techniques to suit your own practice.

Who this course is for:

Everyone. Everyone who wants to learn more about the power of breathing. Everyone who wants to deepen their yoga practice. Every yoga instructor who wants to learn more about Breathwork.

Breathwork is one of the 5 key elements in FRY The Method session.

“Unlock Your Breath. The Road to Bliss” 6-Hr Breathwork Course January 2023.

The Time Table of the Course (times in EDT)

Saturday January 21, 2023: from 8am to 11:15am (15 minutes break)
Sunday January 22, 2023: from 8am to 11:15am (15 minutes break)

Certification: After completing this online “Unlock the Breath. The Road to Bliss” 6-Hr Breathwork course, you will receive a Certificate to upload in your Yoga Alliance dashboard if you are a YA Teacher.