Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

deep, regenerating sleep, it also speeds recovery at the cellular level.
     

avoid too many changes at once
     
    Stress breaks down the body to varying degrees. This is fine: It’s how we grow stronger—at least, once we recover from it. Provided that you have the resources and know-how to facilitate recovery, this process is healthy. If you don’t, it can be detrimental.
     
    The computer makes for a good analogy. If a computer tries to download material from several websites at once, the delivery of all information is slowed. Similarly, the body can deal with only so many demands placed on it. To overwhelm it is to slow the delivery of all results. Unlike a computer though, the body is able to prioritize. If you have a viral infection such as the flu while you are weight training, the time your body needs to recover from the workout will be considerably longer than usual. This is because the body perceives the viral infection as more threatening to the body as a whole than the acute damage of muscle tissue caused by exercise. But since the body must repair the muscle tissue to at least some degree, the flu will linger slightly longer.
     
    It is not in our best interest to take on projects that ultimately slow our progress. I use this premise when designing my training program: I work on one aspect, become proficient at it, and then move on to the next. A parallel can be drawn between the phasing approach to training and everyday life: If you are going through a stressful time at work, are just recovering from the flu, and have recently moved to a new city, it’s not a good time to start training for a triathlon.
     

mind-body connection
     
    Most days, someone is vying for our attention. From television commercials to pop-up internet advertisements to billboards, our senses are in high demand. Everywhere we look, someone is marketing something. But once we are conscious of a particular product, how much influence does marketing have on our perception of it? Apparently, a significant amount: The better the advertising campaign, the better the product is perceived to work.
     
    The placebo effect is a good illustration of this. Numerous studies show that placebos have about a 30 percent success rate. This means that if 10 people have a headache and are each given a pill they are told will cure it, 3 of those people will feel better. The pill might be nothing more than a sugar pill, with no headache-curing properties; it is simply the person’s belief that the pill will cure the headache that cures the headache. When well-thought-out marketing comes into play, the “placebo effect” will be higher—as high as 60 percent. Using impressive, scientific-sounding words and routinely making unsubstantiated claims, sport nutrition companies are among the most exploitive of this knowledge. But it works, and not just to sell their products, but in their products’ application. Athletes who believe that they have more energy after taking a pill often do. Those who believe they can lift more weight sometimes can. Even more impressive, the color of the pill can play a role in the outcome: The color red is thought of as an “energy” pill, while blue pills have a calming effect, facilitating speedy recovery.
     
    The opposite is also true: The body has a compelling effect on the mind. If the body is being stressed beyond a point from which it can reasonably recover, thinking will be altered. Brain chemistry, affecting mood and general outlook, becomes distorted when the body is stressed. I’ve certainly noticed this effect after weeks of high-volume training. My ability to think clearly and to reason, and my cognitive aptitude in general, becomes impaired.
     
    Simply being aware of the mind-body relationship is helpful. Knowing that this relationship is as close as it is will shed light on why we sometimes think what we think, even if it is not always rational.
     
     
    The mind can significantly influence physical perception. Reducing physical stress improves mental clarity.
     
     

healthy food makes a difference
     
    Many people subscribe to the “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” philosophy. This way of thinking does make sense in certain situations. However, it’s not a sound approach when applied to something with a cumulative effect, like diet and nutrition; poor diet is in part responsible for many ailments. Yet, many people believe that if their heart is still beating, their diet must be okay. To