It’s Time To Wake Up

For many of us, the new year starts off with a blank slate and our best intentions to, once again, incorporate useful and effective strategies to create a more refined version of ourselves.

Moreover, the goals we set are designed as a springboard into a year filled with positive energy - even if companies like Netflix didn’t understand the homework and have done their best to kill the good vibes. 

So, why has the calendar turned to March and your New Year’s workout routines are less fulfilling than a virtual rose ceremony on The Bachelor?

The reasons can be numerous but the most common causes can basically be summed as, “it’s dark and stormy, and I don’t want to do this alone.”

To be fair, this reasoning could also be applied to the plot of countless mystery novels but, for our purposes, we can use it to explain why Spring is the ideal season to break out and end your hibernation.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Our desire to exercise is connected to the seasons and research has found adverse weather conditions can curtail the decision to exercise. In fact, research data has shown a large proportion of American adults delayed exercise in both the summer and winter when faced with adverse weather conditions, making such occurrences a barrier to physical exercise.[i]

With that in mind, it’s understandable if waking up in the dark mist of a January morning leaves you feeling less like Paddington and more like the bear in The Revenant.

This is where Spring comes in. Researchers often refer to a phenomenon called the Fresh Start Effect, which can be triggered by, among other things, a change in seasons. This effect creates a new starting point that enables us to begin anew and pursue our goals and aspirations with more consistency.[ii]

Remember being a kid and you had a bad day at school and your parents told you things will be better in the morning? This is basically the adult version of that.

We often feel beholden to socially constructed starting points for self-improvement while overlooking the simple truth that each new day offers an opportunity to begin anew. So, if you want to start fresh at 3:39pm on a random Tuesday in April, go right ahead.

Just please, don’t fall into the habit of repeatedly saying you’ll start tomorrow.

 Let’s Get Together

 If you don’t feel like emerging from hibernation yourself, invite some friends along.

We get it, you tried this in January and, unsurprisingly, a 6:30am Sunday jog was buried somewhere between attending staff meetings and doing taxes on most people’s to-do lists. But like we said, improved weather can bring out the better, more ambitious side of everyone.

Thankfully, when it comes to working out with a group, the benefits are numerous and they aren’t limited to the obvious increase in enjoyment and a correlated decrease in boredom.

Group exercise provides comprehensive benefits across meaningful measures related to quality of life.  More specifically, studies have demonstrated participants engaged in group exercise experienced noteworthy enhancements in their mental (12.6%), physical (24.8%), and emotional (26%) well-being. Additionally, they reported a substantial decrease in perceived stress levels by 26.2%. By contrast, individuals who participated in fitness activities alone, on average, worked out for twice as long but their significant changes were limited to the category of mental quality of life (11%).[iii]

While the benefits of group exercise are well established for the general population, research also supports group-based programs for those with a shared culture. For example, a systematic review in the Journal Of Science And Medicine In Sport found group-based programs that include nutrition, exercise and/or sport components are effective in producing short to intermediate term health outcomes among Indigenous adults.[iv]

Studies like these point to an increased sense of belonging and likelihood of success when workouts are encouraged with communities, offering tangible evidence for the creation of meaningful health initiatives within specific populations.

If this all sounds well and good but you’re worried about keeping pace with your more fitness forward friends, fear not, the Kohler Effect has you covered.

Look, it’s common to lament that life isn’t always like the movies but, when it comes to exercise, there may actually be nothing better than good weather and just getting the band back together.  

Formulate A Plan

For a moment, imagine being able to (legally) watch all your favourite shows in one place without the hassle of dealing with so many streaming services; this is the mindset that went into creating our Optimi Formulation.  

Think of it as your HBO, Disney +, Apple TV, DAZN, and Crave all-in-one - but we can’t simply devote all our attention to the most recent wanderings of Joel and Ellie on The Last Of Us.

With airborne illnesses seemingly moving from a seasonal speed bump to a year- round nuisance, this ideal blend of Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Reishi and Turkey Tail delivers a potent dose of functional benefits for your whole body and mind. Created with mushrooms rich in nutrients, it supports stress reduction and brain function while also providing necessary immune support.

Let’s take a quick look at its cast of characters.

In addition to its known stress-reducing properties, a 2019 study reviewing relevant scientific literature found Reishi mushrooms offered protective antioxidant properties, ultimately concluding Reishi have significant immune-modulating effects while presenting as a potential therapeutic agent for immune related diseases.[v]

Not ones to be left out, by offering tangible benefits related to heart health and cognition,  Cordyceps and Lions Mane also play a significant role in maintaining all-around immunity.

Finally, recent research and new extraction methods highlighted the significant hypolidemic and anti-fatigue activity of Chaga mushrooms[vi], while studies focused on the mycelium of Turkey Tail determined potency in terms of triggering immune cell activation.[vii]

Just as sunshine and exercise become more consistent, so too should the desire to provide both ourselves and our bodies with the platform necessary to grow our new routines.

And like friendship, the Optimi Formulation isn’t just one thing, it’s everything.

(ed. note - this article was written by Jared Stevens)
 

[i]         Wagner, A. L., Keusch, F., Yan, T., & Clark, P. J. (2016, July 16). The impact of weather on summer and winter exercise behaviors. Journal of Sport and Health Science. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254616300576

[ii]        Dai, Hengchen, et al. “The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior.” PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1037/e513702014-058. 

[iii]        Yorks, Dayna M., Frothingham, Christopher A. and Schuenke, Mark D.. "Effects of Group Fitness   

          Classes on Stress and Quality of Life of Medical Students" Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, vol.  

          117, no. 11, 2017, pp. e17-e25. https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2017.140

 [iv]       Pressick, E. L., Gray, M. A., Cole, R. L., & Burkett, B. J. (2015, November 20). A systematic review on research into the effectiveness of group-based sport and exercise programs designed for Indigenous Adults. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(15)00226-1/fulltext

[v] Wachtel-Galor S, Yuen J, Buswell JA, Benzie IFF. Chapter 9 Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi): A Medicinal Mushroom. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2011. 

[vi] Lu Y, Jia Y, Xue Z, Li N, Liu J, Chen H. Recent Developments in Inonotus obliquus (Chaga mushroom) Polysaccharides: Isolation, Structural Characteristics, Biological Activities and Application. Polymers (Basel). 2021 Apr 29;13(9):1441. doi: 10.3390/polym13091441. PMID: 33947037; PMCID: PMC8124789.

[vii] Benson, K.F., Stamets, P., Davis, R. et al. The mycelium of the Trametes versicolor (Turkey tail) mushroom and its fermented substrate each show potent and complementary immune activating properties in vitro. BMC Complement Altern Med 19, 342 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2681-7