Tue. Jan 18th, 2022

Be Super

"Be Authentic"

VFP#1 - VFP#8

The first 3 weeks of action

ByMr P

Action for the first preparatory 3 weeks of VFP#8-Growth:

Step 1: This may take 1 – 3 weeks. 

This is all about establishing the correct sub-conscious and automatic ‘links’ between your brain, your heart and your body. What we are doing in this preparation stage is resetting your automatic / autonomic nervous system so it functions correctly to support you – as opposed to working against you (which is most likely at the moment – even if you are a professional athlete).

Let us make sure your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings are tuned in together – this is essential; however, most people do not have this insight and only have some of these aspects tuned in – so let us get tuning in correctly . . .

VFP upward spiral

Insights for tuning:

Insight 1 – Your thoughts cause your emotions and consciousness to impact on the secretion of hormones and fire neuroreceptors in your brain. The effect of this on your heart and brain frequencies is significantly good or bad – depending on your thoughts.

Insight 2 – Similarly, your physiology (your body and in particular muscle tension and the ANS – Autonomic Nervous System) influence your thoughts – your body has memory as well as your brain and it reacts to this memory automatically!!

Insight 3 – Without thinking; simply by physically smiling and having positive facial expressions (both in a mirror and with other people); and by having a more positive tone and rhythm in your voice; and by having a more positive body posture (whilst sitting and standing and walking and resting / sleeping); and by breathing correctly; you can positively change the physiology of your body for the better – this happens without even thinking and simply by being in a more positive way!! This has a knock on effect because other people will notice this positive feeling and will respond to you in a more positive manner – as will others you do not see or perceive. This positive energy will radiate out from you without you being conscious of it and it will ‘come back to you’ and make you feel good and this will produce even more positive hormones – and all this before you even start to train.

If your life is already free from all these aspects then you can get continue, however . . . 

If your life is not stress free then – TAKE NOTE:

Overcoming stress, anxiety and trauma are essential before you start . . .

Stress, anxiety and trauma are all problems associated with safety (or a lack of it).

Safety is not simply the removal of threat and (according to Stephen Porges and Polyvagal Theory) is dependent on 3 conditions:

  1. If your autonomic nervous system is in a state that supports defense – or put another way; if you are defensive or feel challenged by the opinions or actions of others then your ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) will not be able to trigger the release of positive hormones; it will activate stress related hormones and these will inhibit effective training, inhibit growth and recovery and lead to over training, tiredness and make it difficult for you to maintain effective patterns of good training – it will also inhibit your ability to listen and learn and to focus. Being defensive is going to STOP your PNS from activating!! You want to be training within your Optimum Arousal Zone (within your PNS – Parasympathetic Nervous System). You do not want to be training when your SNS – Sympathetic Nervous System is activated.
  2. The ‘social engagement system’ (PNS) needs to be activated to ‘down regulate’ sympathetic activation and ‘up regulate’ parasympathetic activation. Being physically positive and happy is going to ENCOURAGE your PNS to activate.
  3.  Your own physiology (brain and body) has to positively receive and acknowledge the positive physical facial, vocal and gestures from others.

All of these 3 conditions can be nurtured to ‘widen your window of tolerance to life and training’ – and this is what you need to work on in stage 1; especially if you recognise any defensive nature in what you do or the way you react to people or situations. Training with a socially positive partner is better for you, rather than training with an overly intense, aggressive or ‘miserable/moody/complaining’ or passive partner.

Optimal-Arousal-Zone

If you need more information – Click here for support with this.

If you are smiling and feel positive, then let’s move on to consider the actual training:

In terms of training, then during this initial 3 week phase then engaging in more fun based or play activities would be very supportive for you for long term success. This may not be essential (you may be able to enjoy time in a gym with a persoanl trainer or with some other supportive person). Alternative activities to the gym can include such thing as natural body movement exercise – uch as going on an adventure. Initially this me be on your own (you need to start this and can’t afford to accomodate the needs of others).

Once you have taken the action to do this on a regular basis, then you should ideally take it to the next ‘important level’  – which means doing it with a partner or family member or supportive other. An adventure may include walking, running, cycling, dancing, climbing, swimming, jumping, lifting, throwing and carrying. These are all physical activities that can be enhanced with social interaction and fun – this should be your focus during step 1 of this 3 week phase – SPORT and TEAM TRAINING IS ALSO EXCELLENT.

You will also get a feel for how stressed out you are, how flexible you are, how fit you are and how strong you are – all of this will better support your forthcoming training routine.

During step 1 – you should be learning to set up new patterns of physical activity using these fun based activities and building them into your natural rhythms in line with any work and social commitments. These may then be added to or replaced with your focused training schedule in a few weeks time.

Step 2: This may take 1 – 3 weeks and may be nurtured alongside Step 1: 

This focuses on your food and drink intake and your rest and recovery.

It is essential that you are aware of the insights from VFP#1 – LiCrON / Regeneration

Adopting The LiCrON protocol is essential for Growth because 80% of growth is related to nutrition and 20% is related to physical exercise / training. With VFP we balance both of them, however, it is essential you establish a pattern for the 80% before going any further.

Step 3: This may take 1 – 2 weeks and should only commence after Step 1 & 2:

Step 3 is concerned with setting up the correct training schedule ready to start in the next few days or 1 – 2 weeks.

There are certain underlying principles that apply to everyone, however, ‘as a base’ the insights focus on the majority of adults who simply want to be fitter, stronger and more agile. We have produced a downloadable pdf that you may use to plan a strategy for your training schedule.

Click here for the 2nd Phase –  The Super Fitness & Exercise Protocol called VFP#2 – Growth.

Related Post

Real Life VFP#1 - VFP#8

Preventative Mental & Emotional Health Care Package

Mr P
Open chat
Ring / Text to Join for Free
Become a Free Provisional Member
Simply text 'Be Super' followed by your Full Name to become a Provisional Member - its that easy.
Unyte iLs app
SSP Certified UK Therapist

Some of the negative effects of Covid-19 include:

  • Struggling to deal with loss and / or feeling isolated or lonely..
  • Joint pain, loss of energy and weakness.
  • Feeling unsafe and not knowing why.
  • Confusion and frustration with not understanding what is going on.
  • A lack of trust with people, situations and places.
  • The lack of stucture and order and not knowing what to do with your time.
  • Brain fog - not being able to concentrate or think clearly.
  • Struggling to have longer conversations and discussions about positive and creative opportunities - and too much negative talk.
  • Couples and families stuggle interacting together due to a lack of personal and joint purpose in life.

The severe isolation measures imposed by governments have been traumatic to the psyche of people; to the extent, many have the fear of getting tests done and or divulging the results to authorities for fear of loss of income or further isolation. Others live every moment on the edge of media releases and feel totally reliant on vaccinations and guidance and rules on how to live.

THE BIGGER PERSPECTIVE - FURTHER CAUSES OF NEGATIVITY . . .

Society has created a situation where many people have an overdependence on other people for guidance and regulations on how they live. This can be clearly seen with those people who have retired or are suddenly not working and do not know what to do with their time. For many people walking the dog, watching some form of day time TV and cooking, represent the limits of their activity. Their social interaction and discussions are based around such activity or in discussing the limitaions imposed on them and everyone else -

"very few people do something that is both creative and of benefit for themsleves and others; furthermore, they do not discuss the creative process for making this happen - they have lost (or never developed) this self-relience and love of life - they are lost within an 'auto-pilot' existence" -

THIS IS THE BIGGER PERSPETIVE THAT COVID-19 HIGHLIGHTS!

When individals within a relationship or within a family, educational, work or team environment, lack any purpose in life or don't have any creative ideas to stimulate their emotions or thoughts, then they are more dependent on external forces to influence their behaviour. The majority of outside forces are negative, therfore most of the time people will be negative. Covid-19 is not the cause of this negativity - it highlights the hidden problems faced by most people and society.

This post provides a short practical instruction on how to conduct a quick coherence / QUICK CALMING/POSITIVITY PRACTICE:

The optimal times for doing this practice are:

  • first thing in the morning whilst still in bed (before getting up)
  • First thing when you get to work or school etc.
  • every 90 mins once you are active and the day has begun
  • when you get back in bed to settle for a sleep.

It is perfect when combined with other people (especially smaller groups) just before a meeting/lesson/meal.  It may even be used by a family group or a group of friends or work/school/college friends - perhaps in conjunction with an agreed 'positive statement/affirmation'.

Whilst it helps to reduce stress; with the 'the more advanced breathing progression' it is most beneficial in promoting a feeling of wellbeing and positivity; and in activating your parasympathetic nervous system (your feel good system). Once activated this may lead to positive stimulation that facilitates exceptional mental and physical performance, or, if you are relaxing, it will lower your heart rate, lower your brain frequency and promote better rest and natural sleep patterns. When a calm and positive state is maintained for longer and longer periods (with monitoring and practice) then it leads to 'flow' and extends the 'optimal arousal zone'.

Quick Coherence only takes 1 - 2 minutes (it is best done with your eyes closed):

Welcome - By following this short process you will feel calm, positive and energised. The process will work even better when you smile during the process and continue smiling after it has finished - let us begin - you may keep your eyes open or close them - do whatever helps you focus . . .

  • Focus your attention on your heart just to the left of centre in your chest. If it helps, place the fingers of your right hand over the heart so you can physically feel your heart beat - then relax.
  • As you breathe in, visualise the air going into your heart. As you visualise breathing in, count to between 4 and 7 and with each count visualise your heart expanding your belly. Continue doing this until you find your own natural timing. Once you have established your natural breathing in cycle move to step 3.
  • As you breath out and feel your belly go down, visualise either:
    • a special place that makes you feel good; or
    • visualise what you are doing that makes you feel so good;
    • and /or visualise a person or group of people that makes your love come out.
    • as you become more familiar with this, and as it becomes easier to do - focus on giving appreciation or gratitude to someone and allow your love to come out.
  • More advanced breathing progression - once you have become familiar with all of the above - then as you continue with the heart felt focus - PROLONG the breathing out stage, so it is between 3 and 5 seconds longer than your breathing in stage. Then continue this staggered breathing cycle for between 1 and 3 mins. This will physiologically activate your parasympathetic nervous system and stimulate creative and happy hormones.

Adopt quick coherence as a pattern of positive performance:

The quick coherence practice, including the more advanced breathing progression, may also be used in the build up to a high performance related activity - especially as a precursor for being in the flow zone. This is perfect for activities such as climbing or skill related performance or even high intense muscular activities such as arm wrestling, powerlifting, strongman event and surprisingly combat sports - because the more you can perceive stress as a positive opportunity, the greater you will maximise your optimal flow zone perform to your maximum potential. When stress is perceived as being negative, it increases anxiety, increases muscle tension, reduces reaction times and speed and reduces power. Negative stress leads to a quicker loss of energy and reduces mental clarity and sharpness.

Smile and be positive.

Group / team coherence:

Imagine the benefits to a team if you all acknowledged gratitude for one another prior to starting a more physical warm up or at the end of a warm just before you went out to compete. This would minimise stress and allow you to perform at even higher levels of intensity for much longer.  

When Phil Jackson began coaching the Chicago Bulls - and later the Los Angeles Lakers - he says he used the Zen philosophy of mindfulness to help build both teams.

sports-team-quick-coherence

Coherence practice is used by the NHS in Derbyshire:

Quick coherence may be used to overcome feelings of anxiety, stress and help calm you or someone else down when they are feeling their behaviour is becoming more challenging to others.

(https://my.dchs.nhs.uk/Portals/0/Health%20Psychology%20The%20Quick%20Coherence%20Technique_1.pdf)

More scientific research on this is available at - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4179616/

Monitoring and measuring coherence can be done using new technology and with the correct insights.

Elimination is the lowest level of consciousness and calibrates <20:

The strategy for getting yourself or someone else out of this stage is provided below:

The VFP strategy for achieving higher/more positive 'natural patterns / cycles of being' is to re-tune your mental and emotional energy fields, so they do the 'right things' on an automatic basis (using your autonomic nervous system), rather than a cognitive basis (having to think and feel if what you are doing is working).

This approach is more significant when dealing with those at the lowest levels of consciousness. Such individuals 

  • You must have natural cycles of imbalance in your life. These should be positive in maximising you as a physical being. Look at every situation as an opportunity!
  • You should maximise the functioning and capabilities of your physical body/mind.
  • You should maximise your individual creativity and find purpose in all that you do.
  • You should be your best and give yourself for the benefit of all.

When you do this you will find love will allowed to flow from you and you will attract it!

You can’t tune into Love when you have negative forces influencing you - 'love is felt through tuning in to the truth'.

Love is not felt when someone is holding you back and not caring for you as best they can.

You cannot hold other people responsible for their imperfections in respect of your relationship. You need to break negative cycles with people - this does not mean you have to stop being with them, or loving or caring for them; but it does mean you must take responsibility yourself for following more positive natural cycles. If you are not capable of allowing love to come out of yourself for your TRUE SPIRITUAL BEING then your imperfect physical being will dominate your life. You must learn to let love come out by turning negative thoughts and emotions into opportunities to help yourself and others.

You must stop feeling sorry for yourself and you must stop using others as an excuse.

You are not an 'imprisoned physical being' - you may feel like one, and may be treated like one - but you have the opportunity to change this.

When your mind thinks with moving pictures rather than thinks with words (self-talk), then the results/benefits are significantly better.

Mental imagery is a more intuitive process than an intellectual one. It allows you to influence and take control of your unconscious and subconscious; whereas self-talk and worded affirmations focus your influence within your conscious mind.

For most people the language of imagery is commonly experienced during REM sleep at night or whilst daydreaming. However, becoming aware of images whilst waking simply requires us to give it more focus than we currently do. Most people self-talk rather than self image!

Scientific research confirms the benefits of imagery for improving health:

Doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals that control the mind through the body; eg. tranquilizers, antidepressants and anaesthetics. In much the same way, we can use the mind to control the body - and imagery is far more effective at doing this than self talk. There are at least two major scientific journals devoted to imagery research; one from Marquette University (The Journal of Mental Imagery) and one from Yale University (Imagination, Cognition and Personality).

Mental imagery may be used as a process for reacting to experiences (negative or positive), however, it is more powerful when used as a way of 'creating new experiences'. After successive repetitions/cycles (21 days being a natural cycle time that changes behaviour) then the physical body attunes with the mind to make the mental imagery reality - THIS IS A PROVEN BENEFIT!

Within the VFP Digital Tuning Chart we have created audio links that explains how to use imagery to help create your own good health (this is an ongoing development).

 

HRV (Heart Rate Variability):

In terms of 'measuring SPIRITUAL BEING REALISATION' or 'SPIRITUAL COHERENCE' - it may be measured on a physical basis by HRV (Heart Rate Variability). However, what you have to realise is that SPIRITUAL COHERENCE extends beyond your physical being and HRV is therefore limited in its potential to measure the higher levels of consciousness. It would be reasonable to estimate that below the level of 200 HRV is low and not smooth. Peak HRV will start and continue at a level of approx 250. Above this level HRV will peak but it will not indicate your level of consciousness - this can be better estimated using the VFP Digital Tuning Chart.

The similarity between SPIRITUAL COHERENCE and HRV, is that HRV maintains 'high activity, smooth sine wave cycles' regardless of the heart rate or brain wave frequency (excitatory or inhibitory) - and SPIRITUAL COHERENCE maintains 'natural/balanced cycles of smooth waves - that can be excitatory or inhibitory' - so they are very similar to measure!

When SPIRITUAL COHERENCE occurs, on a physical basis, the heart and brain waves become more synchronised / tuned in to one another on an autonomic basis. The important aspect to measure is not whether the heart or brain frequencies are high or low - but that the 'HRV is high and smooth', thus showing a willingness and readiness for either positive/excitatory or negative/inhibitory states. Good coherence indicates a wide range of optimal flow zone frequencies (an ability to perceive stress as a positive challenge, rather than something negative to overcome).

Coherence and a good HRV are indicators of:

  • Positive relationships.
  • Creative initiatives between positive people.
  • Problem solving and group decision making.
  • Bonding and mutual support.

Quick coherence practice is only part of the VFP Tuning Protocol; By following the VFP retuning protocol you will reduce and prevent the negative effects of stress, fatigue and exhaustion, sleep disruption, anxiety and burnout - you will feel calm, positive and energised.

VFP uses the Inner Balance App in conjunction with the Bluetooth sensor from Heart Math to measure HRV. By recording your HRV before any interventions/therapy sessions, during the sessions and after the sessions we can better evaluate the impact of our VFP Protocol.