MIND OVER MATTER WITH ERICA GAVEL
Central Governor Theory
Whether you’re a recreational athlete, active for life, or happen to be involved with high performance, most people have heard the phrase, “mind over matter”. As some may question whether or not this is actually true, work by Tucker et al, (2006) and Noakes, (2008) can support this statement from both a physiological and performance perspective. This concept “mind over matter”, is known as the “central governor theory”. The central governor theory is a proposed mechanismwhich takes input information about energetic needs, current physiological states, and various motivational drives to regulate physical exertion and save the body from catastrophic failure (Noakes et al, 2005). The central governor model proposes that the subconscious brain regulates power output to prevent the body from disrupting homeostasis (Weir et al, 2006). During exercise, once the subconscious informs the conscious brain of an increasing neural effort, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) goes up and the body slows down. Variables that signal the subconscious brain of potential harm include environmental temperature, distance and difficulty of the course, and an increase in core temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate. Furthermore, dehydration and blood lactate accumulation can also cause an increase of RPE. The marathon race provides evidence of this. Before the start of the race, athletes race ‘in anticipation’ by setting a variable pace at the start dependent in part of the environment and expected difficulty of the course. Furthermore, as the race continues athletes may experience a dip then increase of motor output (running speed) (Noakes, 2008). The purpose of pacing is to allow completion of the task in the most efficient way possible (St. Clair Gibson et al, 2004). Given that the central governor theory proposes that exercise is regulated by the brain, the perception of ones’ state can and may dictate the type of performance they might have. Although strategies to “over-ride” the central governor are under review, an array of modalities have been shown to “trick” the brain and improve athletic performance, these include motivational self-talk (Inzlicht and Marcora, 2016), a carbohydrate mouth rinse (Carter et al, 2004), and a menthol mouth rinse (Stevens and Best, 2017). As for mouth rinses’, the mechanism is similar to
motivational self-talk, it has been suggested that oral receptors within the mouth directly stimulate reward centres in the brain. Especially under HARD circumstances, one can expect an increase in motor output and improvement of performance (Chambers et al, 2009). All in all….Especially during endurance exercise, your mind is going to quit before your body does!!! Push harder and keep going. References: Carter, J.M., Jeukendrup, A.E., & Jones, D.A. (2004a). The effect of carbohydrate mouth rinse on 1-h cycle time trial performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exer- cise, 36(12), 2107–2111. Chambers, E.S.; Bridge, M.W.; Jones, D.A. Carbohydrate sensing in the human mouth: Effects on exercise performance and brain activity. J. Physiol. 2009, 587, 1779–1794. Inzlicht, M., & Marcora, S. M. (2016). The Central Governor Model of Exercise Regulation Teaches Us Precious Little about the Nature of Mental Fatigue and Self-Control Failure. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(967), 313–6. http://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2016.00656 Noakes, T. D. (2008c). Testing for maxi- mum oxygen consumption has pro- duced a brainless model of human exercise performance. Br. J. Sports Med. 42, 551–555. Noakes, T. D., St Clair Gibson, A., and Lambert, E. V. (2005). From catastrophe to complexity: a novel model of integrative central neural regulation of effort and fatigue during exercise in humans: summary and conclusions. Br. J. Sports Med. 39, 120–124. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2003.010330 St Clair Gibson A, Noakes TD. Evidence for complex system integration and dynamic neural regulation of skeletal muscle recruitment during exercise in humans. Br J Sports Med 2004;38:797–806. Stevens,C.J.,&Best,R. (2016).Menthol:AFreshErgogenicAid forAthleticPerformance.SportsMedicine,47(6),1035–1042. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0652-4
Tucker R, Marle T, Lambert EV, et al. The rate of heat storage mediates an anticipatory reduction in exercise intensity during cycling at a fixed rating of perceived exertion. J Physiol 2006; physiological 574 (Pt 3): 905-15
Weir, J. P., Beck,T. W., Cramer, J.T., & Housh,T. J. (2006). Is fatigue all in your head? A critical review of the central governor model. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(7), 573–86– discussion 586. http://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.023028
CRAVEN EWS
WE’RE EXPECTING! Congratulations to Curtis and Katie Kulchar who are expecting their little one on December 11th, 2018! BRUCE IS CYCLING IN THE WHISTLER GRANFONDO! On Saturday, September 8th, Bruce will be riding this 122km GranFondo! It starts in Stanley Park, Vancouver and goes to Whistler Village in Whistler. To see how his training is going, watch his most recent videos in his YouTube series here: http:// bit.ly/Bruce_Whistler_GranFondo
LOOK WHO IS JOINING US! We will be working alongside Saskatoon Medical Imaging/The Ultrasound Centre to offer Diagnostic Ultrasound Examinations in our facility starting this fall. SASK Sports Imaging will be Saskatchewan’s Premiere Musculoskeletal Imaging Centre.
WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO BE WORKING ALONGSIDE DR. WAILL KHALIL.
Dr. Waill Khalil is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehab. After completing his specialty training at the University of Saskatchewan he completed a 1 year fellowship with the University of Alberta with Health Pointe Medical Centre in Pain, Spine and Sport Medicine. He now specializes in ultrasound guided interventional pain with focus on treating complex musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Khalil has an active license with college of physicians of Saskatchewan and Alberta (CPSS & CPSA). He also holds American Board Certification in Independent Medical Examinations (CIME).
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