Your Brain On Iron - How Lifting Can Improve Your Mental Health

Do we have our entire model of mental health treatment upside down?

I'm trying to get a better understanding of how my mind works and how to better incorporate my HRD2KILL philosophy into my day to day mental health protocol. With this comes not only daily rituals and practice but loads of reading and listening to people that are far smarter than I'll ever be.

With that being said I wanted to use today's blog post to evaluate some new research that has been brought to light about the amazing effects that not just exercise but lifting heavy, inanimate objects can have on our mental health.

Are We Doing It Wrong?

So, it's no secret. I've been dealing with my own mental health related issues of late and it's been a long, hard slog but things are looking up. When I finally accepted that something probably wasn't right and decided to get some help, the support I found was tier 1. I quickly found out that I'm not alone and there's nothing to feel ashamed about. I found peace with the concept that this is an injury and like all injuries, can be healed.

I partook in the Veteran Transition Network program, found a great psychologist or as I like call them, mind mechanics (courtesy of Jocko Willink) and started to do the work of getting my mind healed up from some of the psychological injuries I incurred over my tour 8 years ago. One thing I noticed quickly is that there are a lot of us out there suffering and barely getting by.

One thing I noticed is that there are a lot of us out there suffering, barely getting by.

Although I can't quantifiably determine the level of suffering per individual since pain is relative, one thing I can anecdotally determine is someone's physical activity levels and how it correlates to the level of despair they're in.

Let me elaborate a bit.

From the friends, acquaintances, colleagues and clients I encounter one thing I'm starting to piece together is that those that seem to be in the bigger funk tend to be the ones that are less physically active. It's a downward spiral of shit that I think contributes to it:

1. You feel down;

2. Feeling down reduces motivation to train;

3. You feel less energized and guilty for not training and it reinforces step #1.

This is the downward spiral of shit that feeds itself and continues to amplify a shitty situation. I know, I've been there many times. For anyone dealing with mental health issues, this is not a spiral you want to enter.

So what's our current model of treatment?

Step 1 is we reach out for help;

Step 2 is we find a psych;

Step 3 is sometimes medication and doing the work laid our for us.

The issue I see here is that this only addresses a portion of what isn't working, our minds, and is symptomatic of our medical system in Canada. We treat symptoms rather than the system, in this case our entire body.

The famous latin saying, "Anima sana, in corpore sano" is something that has always resonated with me; it means, "a healthy soul in a healthy body.

Anima sana, in corpore sano - A healthy soul in a healthy body.

So why is it that our ancient ancestors possessed this fundamental understanding of ourselves but our modern iteration of our species has seemed to have forgotten it?

I can't answer that question directly but what I can do is showcase some of the current research that is making the case for movement and training as medicine.

What Are The Science Nerds Saying?

It seems like the consensus is becoming overwhelmingly clear:

In order to treat a broken mind, you need to build a powerful body.

Let's dig in...

1. A new study from the University of Vermont Medical Center published in the journal of Global Advances in Health and Medicine has made the bold claim that exercise should be prescribed to patients with mental health issues before psychiatric drugs. The researchers went even a step further and suggested that mental health facilities should be equipped with gyms.

The one hundred in-patients that took part in the study were prescribed 60 minutes of structured exercise, 4 times per week. Additionally, each participant would take part in a 60 minute nutrition lesson after each fitness session. The results were incredible. Of the patients that finished the 60 minute exercise session, 95 percent reported feeling better, while 63 percent reported feeling happy or very happy instead of sad, very sad or neutral.

Of the patients that completed the 60 minute exercise session, 95 percent reported feeling better...

2. A recent Harvard University study showed, through a meta-analysis of nearly 8000 men and women a significant link between hours of weekly exercise and risk of depression. What was observed, after controlling for genetic predisposition to depression was that those that spent at least 3 hours a week doing any type of physical activity, intensity not being a factor, decreased their chances of becoming depressed. It was also noted that a patient's risk factor fell another 17 percent with each additional 30 minutes of daily activity.

Holy SHIT!

Now, it should be noted that this study was showing how to prevent depression not treat it. The study's lead author, Dr. Smoller, stated that

"physical activity of many kinds seems to have beneficial effects"

for mental health. However, another study did show how lifting weights may help to ease or prevent depression.

3. New research out of the University of Limerick has found that resistance training consistently reduced the symptoms of depression, whether someone was depressed at the start of the study or not. Of particular note was that it really didn't matter how much weight lifting one did to illicit a positive change in depressive symptoms. Lifting everyday or twice a week had the same positive impact.

Lifting everyday or twice a week had the same positive impact

All that matters is showing up and completing the workouts. Increased strength gains did not correlate with decreased depression, the researchers found.

Tying This Up With A Nice Bow

What can a trainer like myself glean from all of this new research?

GO FIND YOUR BARBELL!

If we're truly going to take on mental health wellness as a country, we need to start by addressing how we treat it. The empirical evidence is there - exercise which includes picking up a heavy piece of iron will get our country's veterans and everyone else struggling with PTSD and depression out of the pain cave.

My role, which I take very seriously, is to get our sheepdog community moving better and motivated again to get back to the gym and get their lives back. Here's the conversation I want to start with Veterans' Affairs Canada.

If the goal is to reintegrate and rehabilitate our veterans after an operational stress injury, can it be established that we address the whole individual rather than just their minds?

You may see where I'm going with this...

Every soldier released from the Canadian Armed Forces that is suffering from depression or operational stress injury should have fitness and nutrition services provided in order for them to fully recover.

The how and the when is a discussion for another day but the why is self evident. Let's get away from the mentality that we can treat humans on a symptom by symptom basis and really get into how our mind, body and soul all contribute to our well being.

I'll sign off with this last thought.

Human beings are designed to move and move long, gruelling distances and accomplish incredible feats of endurance and strength yet we live in a world of convenience and leisure. We've dissociated ourselves from our primal roots and rarely go out and explore nature and use our bodies strenuously. As a consequence, our minds become overstimulated with bullshit and our bodies become under-stimulated meat bags. The result is millions of Canadians suffering from depression and anxiety and a male suicide rate that is abhorrent. Rather than cramming down pills and just talking about our problems, we need to push against a weight, literally.

To quote my favourite Canadian clinical psychologist as to the reason why lifting can improve your life,

“The purpose of life is finding the largest burden that you can bear and bearing it.” - Jordan Peterson

And with that I say, go forth and lift for your life!

Train Hard, Fight Easy.

---

Dave is a retired infantry officer and Afghanistan war veteran. He's the creator of the HRD2KILL training program that was built on the principles that got him from not being able to get out of bed to competing in the Crossfit Open, Spartan Races and the Montreal Gaelic Athletics Association. You can find more mobility based exercises in his new book, "The Nimble Warrior", now available on Apple Books and Amazon or tune into his new HRD2KILL Podcast

Feeling Down? Go Lift!

There is no better medicine for what ails you than lifting heavy objects. Find out one essential lift you should be doing to keep away the Grim Reaper.

Lifting is built into our DNA - how else do you push an angry gorilla off your chest or lift and carry the deer you just killed, out of the woods?

These were part and parcel of the 99 problems of Paleolithic man - inactivity ain't one. Man had to deal with ample physical demands, daily, and our bodies became well adapted to it. Let’s fast forward a few hundred-thousand years to our present epoch.

The Curse of Modernity

We’re more likely to sit than do anything else during a regular day. Most Canadians sit an average of 10 hours a day! Your Paleolithic genes are not well adapted to the stooped over, rounded back screen gazing we‘re all guilty of. This will lead to dysfunction and injury if left unchecked.

Luckily, this trend can be reversed.

Lifting provides us with a wealth of benefits: increased mood, lower blood pressure, increased bone and muscle mass, attractive biceps and a 20% decrease in all cause mortality!

That's right, a recent study showed that of a cohort of elderly men and women, those who regularly lifted were 46% less likely to die over a 15 year period. That's HUGE.

I get it though. Most of you reading this are not 65+ so how does this correlate?

Regularly lift and reduce your chance of dying by 46%

Make Some New Habits

Imagine you're 65 and the doc says,

"Start lifting weights today or you'll probably die sooner than later."

Even with the threat of death, there's a good chance you won't implement a lifting program simply because you've never done it before. So the moral of this story is START LIFTING NOW!

If the only thing that's stopping you from lifting is paralysis through analysis...let me put that to rest. I want you to start with one simple exercise that you can watch and follow along in my video below.

This exercise - The Two Handed Kettlebell Deadlift is one of the best strength builders out there. Simple, functional and effective.

If you don't have kettlebells, that's ok. Start with anything lying around the house: bag of sand, a cinder block, a toddler - it doesn't matter.

Do 3 sets of 10 and rest 1-2 minutes between sets. That's a killer workout in under 10 minutes.

Looking for a bit more?

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1. Primal Lifting

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Shed some belly fat, increase energy levels and learn to live in your optimal state.

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Train Hard, Fight Easy

---

Dave is a retired infantry officer and Afghanistan war veteran. He's the creator of the HRD2KILL training program that was built on the principles that got him from not being able to get out of bed to competing in the Crossfit Open, Spartan Races and the Montreal Gaelic Athletics Association. You can find more mobility based exercises in his new book, "The Nimble Warrior", now available on Apple Books and Amazon or tune into his new HRD2KILL Podcast

Running High

Hands up if you think this is about the euphoric feeling you get after you finish a good run?

Well, you're not entirely wrong.

I've recently started experimenting on myself with different cannabis products and running performance and I wanted to make you aware of my findings.

Since this is an n=1 sample size, there is clearly NO statistical significance to my research however, like all good research, it will definitely lead to some questions and new hypotheses and theories. Let me indulge you in what I've discovered so far.

This is not an excuse to get "stoned"

Here's the backstory. I started using different cannabis products to help with pain management for my back and knee. I've never been a smoker and am a total lightweight when it comes to cannabis consumption. I wasn't one of the cool kids smoking weed at lunch in high school or smoking anything for that matter.

My impression of "weed" wasn't very good either. I saw it as a drug that led to laziness and laughing at dumb shit. That impression was created in high school when the guys I knew that smoked all had the typical, "stoner" lifestyle of baggy clothes, laissez-faire attitude and nine out of ten times, no athletic prowess.

I wrote it off as, 'not for me' - I'll stick to good 'ol beers and gin as my drug of choice.

Well, times have changed and so have attitudes. In under ten years, we've gone from getting severely reprimanded in the Army for having THC in your system to one of the most open/progressive marijuana policies for its consumption, on the planet.

I'm a curious monkey so I decided to give it a try, seriously, after I got back from Afghanistan.

Holy Shit - I got high AF. But, man did my back feel good.

Fast forward a few years and good 'ol JT (our Prime Minister) comes through and legalizes marijuana in Canada and the floodgates open up. Now, my scientific curiosity is piqued and I want to try EVERYTHING.

I've smoked, vaped, eaten a wide variety of new products. For the purpose of this study that I'm conducting, I'm only using one product - MedReleaf's Avidekel softgel.

Intro to Organic Chemistry

A quick chemistry lesson before we start...

THC is the acronym for tetrahydrocannabinol. This is the psychoactive molecule that is produced when you break down the precursor molecule tetrahydrocannibinolic acid (THCA).

Molecular differences of THC vs CBD

CBD is the acronym for cannabidiol one of many active cannabinoid molecules found in marijuana. This molecule does not have the psychoactive properties of THC but still attaches to our cannabinoid receptors that can help with pain management.

Next, once you have THC in your blood, it is then processed by the liver into the 11-hydroxy THC metabolite. The more you have of this metabolite the "higher" you will feel. In the case of smoking or vaping cannabis, you will have less of this metabolite due to many factors such as oxidation, passage of THC past the blood brain barrier and premature breakdown of the THC molecule before it can reach the liver for metabolism.

Metabolic process of THC to 11 hydroxy THC

However, when you eat cannabis products, THC is absorbed in much higher quantities and the liver must metabolize it into 11-hydroxy THC which is a much slower process and results in a much longer "high". Additionally, this process takes longer to initiate as well, so you need a few hours for the effects to take hold.

My Experimental Process

Here are my experimental parameters:

1. Only use Avidekel softgels for study;

2. Consume softgel 2-3hrs before run;

3. Measure run times against previous metrics;

4. Gather qualitative data on (mood, feelings, perceptions);

5. Gather data over a 30 day window.

My first assay was recorded and I've made a video of it that you can watch here. Some key takeaways:

• If you've never had any experience with THC or CBD try some BEFORE you go for a run and get used to how your body feels

• Keep your dose consistent, in my case my softgel has 1.95mg of THC and 19.35mg of CBD.

• Have a benchmark to compare to and try your best to control your variables as best as possible ie (time of day, rest, distance)

I'd love to hear your comments, questions and queries. This is brand new stuff and not much exists in the literature about THC/CBD use in athletics.

Questions to ponder:

• Is THC/CBD a performance enhancing drug?

• Which athletic activities could benefit/harm performance?

Post your comments here or on the HRD2KILL Facebook group.

As always,

Train Hard, Fight Easy

---

Dave is a retired infantry officer and Afghanistan war veteran. He's the creator of the HRD2KILL training program that was built on the principles that got him from not being able to get out of bed to competing in the Crossfit Open, Spartan Races and the Montreal Gaelic Athletics Association. You can find more mobility based exercises in his new book, "The Nimble Warrior", now available on Apple Books and Amazon or tune into his new HRD2KILL Podcast