Extreme Sports And Risk

Those who practice life-threatening extreme sports do it to have an experience that is life-changing, to feel alive and have an almost transcendental sensorial clarity.

Extreme sports have the potential to induce powerful and meaningful non-ordinary states of consciousness. They have been shown to be affirmative of life and the potential for transformation.

• They are fast-paced, action-packed and perfect for those who want to take risks and test their bodies to the extreme.
• Many clubs offer free trials, and cheap hire of equipment.
• Adventure sports are fun but often very physically demanding.
• There are clubs and groups around the world with professional coaches to help you reach your maximum potential in whichever sport you choose.
• Most adventure sports offer more accessible variations for children or the disabled. 

“The activity itself enables experiences that are beyond the everyday. People talk about their senses being alive, about being able to see things much more clearly. It gives them a glimpse of what it means to be human as in the capacities they have that we don’t tap into in everyday life.”

 - Eric Brymer, psychologist, on the effects of extreme-sports

Many extreme athletes are careful and thoughtful planners, and avoid thrill-seekers when possible.

Most research that links extreme-sports to thrill-seeking, hedonism, and a taste for risk, was done using young subjects, who tend to be impulsive and poor decision-makers regardless.

• When a person is in a state of flow, all five potent neurochemicals massively amplify the immune system.
• While on flow, stress-causing hormones are flushed out of body, and the autoimmune and nervous systems go haywire.
• A Gallup poll found that most American workers are disengaged and spends less than 5% of their day in flow.

Flow is an optimal state of consciousness, when you feel and perform your best. It’s the moment of total absorption.

Time speeds up or slows down like a freeze-frame effect. Mental and physical ability go through the roof, and the brain takes in more information per second, processing it more deeply.

Sports psychologists have a list of why people love sports:

• Sports carry self-esteem benefits.
• Commercial reasons (money bets etc.).
• Peer pressure of being part of their group.
• Sports are exciting.
• Sports is an aesthetically pleasing activity.
• A venue for emotional expression.
• Sports is an escape from real-world problems.
• Sports provide a sense of connectedness and belonging.

• Talent-Luck Theory: Sports appeals to a lot of people due to its ability to balance skill with randomness.
• Mirror Neurons: Many fans are able to feel what the player is feeling, and experience the excitement first-hand in his mind, with no barrier between the self and the outside world.

 A change in one life area that brings about positive effects in other area. Exercise it’s not just vanity. What you do in the gym makes you a better, higher-performing person outside of it. When you develop physical fitness, you’re developing life fitness, too.

A high-protein diet is essential for us to help our body grow and repair. We have been told to eat approximately 55 gm of protein daily for males, and 45 gm for females, based on average weights.

Not eating enough of protein can also have side effects like hair loss.

The protein supplement market had a valuation of USD 12.4 billion in 2016.

The way protein is packed in everything from candy bars to ‘high protein’ versions of staple products, it is becoming clear that it is an ongoing health fad. Many experts believe that products with ‘inflated protein’ are a waste of money.

Even if you have a clear goal of what perfection means, obsessively pursuing it is a sign of insecurity.

And insecurity, when not addressed directly, doesn’t go away because a concrete objective has been achieved, it manifests itself into self-criticism or a new overvalued goal.

Instead of forgiving and viewing mistakes as a learning opportunity, you criticize and put pressure on yourself for not predicting a less than perfect outcome. You feel inadequate, and these feelings preoccupy your mind, often to the point of losing productivity.

There are four different aspects to sensation-seeking:

• Thrill-and adventure-seeking, which has to do with a high adrenaline experience.
• Experience-seeking. People who like unusual experiences.
• Disinhibition. People who might like to scream on a rollercoaster and give in to their emotions.
• Resistance to boredom.

Generally, people that go out to amusement parks want to be challenged and taken to the edge of danger, but ultimately still want to be safe.

Several things have to be considered to design a roller coaster ride: The cultural trends in society, novel technologies, and what people talk about. The wooden rollercoaster is popular in America, but not that much in the UK.

If the ride is too short, people won't be thrilled. If it is too long, every inch will cost tens of thousands of pounds.

• Joyous exploration: I view challenging situations as an opportunity to grow and learn.
• Deprivation sensitivity: I like to try to solve problems that puzzle me.
• Stress tolerance: The smallest doubt can stop me from seeking out new experiences.
• Social curiosity: Social curiosity: I like to learn about the habits of others. I like finding out why people behave the way they do.
• Thrill-seeking: The anxiety of doing something new makes me feel excited and alive. Risk-taking is exciting to me.

1. The Fascinated – they score high on all dimensions of curiosity, particularly joyous exploration.
2. Problem Solvers – score high on deprivation sensitivity, and are midrange for other dimensions.
3. Empathizers – score high on social curiosity, midrange on other dimensions and much lower on stress tolerance and thrill-seeking.
4. Avoiders – score low on all dimensions, particularly stress tolerance.