The human body is constructed in such a way as to be perpetually adaptive towards whatever's required of it; the mind, likewise, is designed to be just as, if not more, adaptive than the body.
New findings in the fields of neurological science are continuously revealing the myriad of ways that our brains are not only built for adaptability but function as the manager of our physiological dynamism as well.
Enter adaptogens.
Plants, mushrooms, and other naturally-occurring compounds that increase the state of resistance in stress or decrease the sensitivity to stressors and promote critical levels of homeostasis amongst numerous bodily systems.
What we begin to see is a formula - a winning combination at play between concepts and ingredients, between the inherent functions we're capable of and the prospect that carries us forward; the neuroplasticity combined with the adaptogenic effectuations, the conscious awareness supplemented with the cognitive enhancement, the physiological responsivity added to subliminal goal-construction.
This theory posits that all of our systems can optimize better if they optimize together; that curating neurochemical improvements will lead to optimized physiological responsivity which effectuates subconscious benefits, as new standards are set, new expectations created, and new limits defined, before the cycle then repeats itself.
***
Join the wave - participate in our study
Endorf, partnered with Borealisme, is currently recruiting participants to take part in a study regarding the Aggregate-Adaptogenic-Momentum Theory. Contact us via socials or our contact section if you'd be interested.
Qualified candidates can expect to hear back early 2023.
***
There seems to be a way to exponentiate the effects that we're all pursuing in the endless race towards optimizing our physical and mental games.
Until now, everything was fragmented - caffeine supplement here, mood booster there, cognitive enhancer entirely elsewhere. The answer, as we continuously find, lies in the unification of things as opposed to he continued segregation of them.
Think of it this way: if we can nurture the brain to function as effectively as possible, it can then instigate the best physical responsivity in our body; this creates a new standard for performance and opens up new potential for the mind to grasp; the cycle then repeats, all under the umbrella of elevating our performative capability.
An example, featuring Tyrosine.
Tyrosine is a nonessential amino acid that the body naturally produces from another powerful amino acid called phenylalanine. It's a naturally occurring compound in many foods including fish, poultry and, most prolifically, dairy.
Studies have indicated that tyrosine increases the levels of certain neurotransmitters like dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine - neurotransmitters that are pivotal towards performance during stressful situations.
This is why tyrosine has earned a reputation as a performance-enhancer, as it effectuates the kind of responses that are conducive towards increased sportive or cognitive capability.
Per the leading studies:
"TYR does seem to effectively enhance cognitive performance, particularly in short-term stressful and/or cognitively demanding situations. We conclude that TYR is an effective enhancer of cognition" (1).
"The amino acid tyrosine, a catecholamine precursor, is known to improve cognitive performance in young adults, especially during high environmental demands" (2).
"The buffering effects of tyrosine on cognition may be explained by tyrosine's ability to neutralize depleted brain catecholamine levels. There is evidence that tyrosine may benefit healthy individuals exposed to demanding situational conditions." (3).
By increasing the levels of dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine in stressful situations, Tyrosine instigates an ideal neurochemical response to stress, provoking the body into a peak state of performance (vision, breathing, blood flow, energy distribution - they're all said to be optimized).
Take an athlete who wants to elevate their game but has a tendency to perform poorly at critical and stressful situations in front of crowds - this athlete tends to stumble and not push through the walls of their perceived capability.
If that athlete were to put in the conscious efforts on the mental side - if they boost their confidence, improve their self-awareness, clarify their ambitions, and then provide their body and mind with the ideal kinds of fuels, supports, and reinforcements (from neurochemical to physiological), they would create a homeostatic balance that is not only achieving a new wellness equilibrium but also creating a self-sustaining cycle of improvement among all perceivable categories of performance.
Responding to a stressful situation, the neurochemical benefits of Tyrosine would afford this athlete with the right kinds of physical responsivity that would then become the new norm atop which they can continue to construct further improvements. Now that their body has better adapted to handling certain kinds of stress, they can explore new elements of their capability; they can pursue new prospects, set new standards and redefine their limits accordingly.
The point to be made is that self-optimization, while it need not always be so comprehensive, seems to work best when it's done holistically or viewed as an aggregate whole, as the momentum of changes in one area (say, neurochemical) instigates changes in other areas (say, hand/foot-eye coordination or visual tracking) which then instigate further changes in deeper areas yet (say, confidence and motivation, goal development) which cycles itself into a feedback loop unlike any other.
The hardware (neuroplasticity), the software (subconscious motivations), the foundation and structure (the physical responsivity) all benefit best when they're elevated together, symbiotically.
This theory, simple but powerful, seems less a theory and more of an observable truth day to day.
Endorf, partnered with Borealisme, is committed to showcasing this theory.
Stay tuned.
References
(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424423/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6084775/
(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25797188/