Doping – How is it Affecting Sports?

“Science has learned recently that contempt and indignation are addictive mental states. I mean physically and chemically addictive. Literally! People who are self-righteous a lot are apparently doping themselves rhythmically with auto-secreted surges of dopamine, endorphins and enkephalins. Didn’t you ever ask yourself why indignation feels so good?”

~ David Brin

Introduction

Doping in sport is a widespread problem not just among elite athletes, but even more so in recreational sports. In scientific literature, major emphasis is placed on doping detection, whereas detrimental effects of doping agents on athletes’ health are seldom discussed. Human growth hormone also increases muscle mass, although the majority of that is an increase in extracellular fluid and not the functional muscle mass.

The term doping is widely used by organizations that regulate sporting competitions. The use of drugs to enhance performance is considered unethical, and therefore prohibited, by most international sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee.

History

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the term “doping” probably comes from the Dutch word “dop,” an alcoholic beverage made of grape skins that was used by Zulu warriors to make them stronger in battle.

Ancient Greek athletes used special diets and stimulating potions to improve performance, and 19th century endurance athletes indulged in strychnine, caffeine, cocaine and alcohol.

The American specialist in doping, Max M. Novich, wrote: “Trainers of the old school who supplied treatments which had cocaine as their base declared with assurance that a rider tired by a six-day race would get his second breath after absorbing these mixtures.”[8] John Hoberman, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, said six-day races were “de facto experiments investigating the physiology of stress as well as the substances that might alleviate exhaustion.”

Effects of doping in sports

It builds muscle but causes abnormal growth, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, hypertension, blood cancers and arthritis. Other adverse effects include joint pain, muscle weakness, visual disturbances, enlarged heart and diabetes.

Other side effects include:

  • Heart palpitations.Heart rhythm abnormalities.
  • Weight loss.
  • Tremors.
  • Mild high blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Hallucinations.
  • Stroke.
  • Heart attack and other circulatory problems.
  • Constipation.Skin rash or dermatitis.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Dizziness.
  • Drowsiness.
  • Dry mouth.
  • Headache.
  • Insomnia.

UFC ( Ultimate Fighting Championship ).

In December 2013, the UFC began a campaign to drug test their entire roster randomly all year-round. Random testing, however, became problematic for the promotion as it began to affect revenue, as fighters who had tested positive would need to be taken out of fights, which adversely affected fight cards, and therefore pay-per-view sales.

According to Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie.com, about 31% of UFC fighters subjected to random testing since the program first started have failed due to using performance-enhancing drugs. That is approximately five failed tests for every sixteen random screenings.

From July 2015, the UFC has advocated to all commissions that every fighter be tested in competition for every card. Lorenzo Feritta, who at the time was one of the presidents of the UFC, said, “We want 100 percent of the fighters tested the night they compete”. Also, in addition to the drug testing protocols in place for competitors on fight night, the UFC conducts additional testing for main event fighters or any fighters that are due to compete in championship matches.

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Stress management

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.
Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Identify the sources of stress in your life:
Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress. 
Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.
Unhealthy ways of coping with stress:
These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long  run:
• Smoking
• Drinking too much
• Overeating or undereating
• Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
• Using pills or drugs to relax
• Sleeping too much
• Procrastinating
• Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
• Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Learning healthier ways to manage stress:
If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.
Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.
Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.
●Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
●Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
●Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
●Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.
●Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.
●Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.
●Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
●Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
●Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.
●Focus on the positive. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.
●Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
●Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
●Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
●Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Learn the relaxation response:
You can control your stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Regularly practicing these techniques will build your physical and emotional resilience, heal your body, and boost your overall feelings of joy and equanimity.

Attitude: Formation & Change

We all have our own opinions about people, situations, issues or life. These opinions are formed over time with experience and are an example of attitude. An attitude is basically a state of mind or a set of views regarding some topic. It is accompanied with a tendency to act in a particular way with regard to attitude object. Attitude are not a behaviour in itself but rather it represents the tendency to behave in a certain way.
Attitudes have an evaluative feature i.e. they are either positive or negative. Attitudes are formed through interaction and changes throughout our lives through experiences. Some attitudes however, remain fairly constant. Such attitudes get incorporated in our lives as a part of our belief system and moral values. Beliefs and values differ for every individual. For some they may change over time while for others they may never change.
In general, attitudes are learned. This learning can take place through association, observation, exposure, culture etc. In early age group, attitudes are learnt by being rewarded or punished. For example, praising(rewarding) a child every time he does his share of chores will lead to a positive attitude formation towards doing chores. Most of the attitudes are formed by modelling or observation. During pre teen years or even teenage in that matter, important attitudes about life and related matters are formed by observation of living environments. Social norms also shape our attitudes. Social norms are exclusive to their cultures and become a part of our social cognition.
Family and school environment especially during the early years play a significant role in shaping the attitude of an individual. Most of the attitudes are formed through direct personal experiences which bring about a drastic change in our opinions towards people and our own life. Over the years, media has become an important source and factor for attitude formation. It provides an exposure to vast amount of information, both positive and negative. Internet is also a very powerful factor for attitude formation.
Change in the attitude depends on it’s existing nature. Nature of attitude includes it’s positivity or negativity, simplicity or complexity and centrality. Generally speaking, positive attitudes are easier to change. Extreme attitudes and central attitudes are rather difficult to change. Attitude may change in the same direction as the existing one, or it may change in the opposite direction. It has been observed that attitude changes when message comes from a highly credible source. A message in the information that is presented to change the attitude. Whether the message contains a rational or emotional appeal also makes a difference. People who have a more open and flexible personality change more easily then those who are less open. People with low self esteem and low confidence also tend to change their attitudes more easily than those with high self esteem and confidence. People with strong prejudices do not easily change their attitudes. More intelligent people change their attitude less easily but sometimes they change it more willingly than others.

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ATTITUDE v/s EGO…The real life stories…!!!

Attitude is a huge thing and small part of Attitude is EGO, Example if Attitude is a Continent then Ego is just a small country in it Attitude can be divided into two parts first Right attitude and Second is Wrong attitude people get confuse between ego and attitude because ego is the part of wrong attitude but the best part is that you can be a good attitude person without having an ego. Likewise, Every Indian is an Asian, but every Asian will be an Indian is not compulsory similarly,

“every Egoistic person will for sure have Attitude, but person who has Attitude doesn’t have Ego”.

Your attitude matters in your life – Journey of life Continues

Hence even you should be a person who has attitude you shouldn’t be a person who is egoistic or who has a bad attitude (wrong attitude) Now let’s talk about definition, Attitude shows what we think about other things How we feel and how we respond in any situation whereas Ego always allow us to think about our self-esteem and self-importance for example, person who has a Good Attitude will say No matter what happens I will win whereas an Egoistic person will say, that no matter what happens no one can beat me Good attitude person will live life as if he is the king of the world. Whereas bad attitude person lives a life as if everyone is their slave and everyone should always obey them.

 

Now let’s talk about today’s Book summary which is related to this Topic Author Ryan has accomplished huge successes in a very young age he was only 19 years when he became the youngest executive in the Talent Management Agency who later did signing of big rock bands, and also did consulting for many books which was sold in millions at the age of 21 he was the marketing director of an amazing Company AMERICAN PAREL. At the age of 25 he was also the best selling author everything was so perfect, but suddenly one day time changed and everything changed in his life he lost everything, he started failing in his life, he made a tattoo in his hand, he tattooed the most important reason of his failure in his hand so that he never forget that and should never repeat that same mistake in his life and can avoid such failure again.

200+ Ego Quotes, Sayings, Images to Inspire You in Love and Life ...

The tattoo which he made in his hand was “EGO IS THE ENEMY” because his ego was the main and the most important reason for his failure and that reason he never wanted to forget Ryan defines Ego as an unhealthy belief which make us obsessed about self-importance. Ryan says that ego is “something which converts our Confidence to Arrogance Ego is that dangerous thing which ruins or destroys our long term goals by just giving us short term satisfaction, and by making us feel; superior from others for just for short time and such ego is not at all right”. Author says that every person in their lives always stays in one stage out of three first stage is ASPIRING, second is SUCCEEDING and third is FAILING:

  1. Either person is aspiring, means working on something in order to achieve something in his life wanted to become something in his life.
  2. Either person has already achieved in his life, means he already faced success.
  3. Either person is failing in his life, he is not able to achieve anything huge in his life.

Now the biggest obstacle which stands firm in front of us during all three stages to defeat us is nothing but our OWN EGO. Now let’s see how EGO Comes between all three stages to destroy our goals:

1.Aspiring, Rohit has seen a video related to body building he loved that video, hence he decided that he will for sure become a bodybuilder no matter what happens after deciding. On first day he started posting workout pictures on social media pages by NO PAIN NO GAIN #WORKINGONMYDREAMS with this he started showing off more than his actions, he do less and show more after few days his entire motivation goes down, and he return to his normal life. Well this happens to many people and the reason for this is EGO Our Ego always makes us think what others are thinking about us therefore instead of taking maximum action for our goal completion. We started doing easy things to impress others such has we started talking more, we start uploading pictures on social media pages which in reality nor impress others not even allow us to complete our goals because in show off and talking same resources are required which is needed to complete our actual goals, which is our time, mental physical health /energy and our will power and mostly we use all these and finish it just by showing off and talking. Hence it will be best if you avoid wasting your energy on talking and in thinking about it all day, start using that same energy in taking action and in completing your goals.

 

2.Succeeding, at age 18 Howard Hughes took the biggest decision. He gave money to his relatives and bought 100 percent shares of his family business and became owner of that company. It was an Oil drill bit company this was the very bold decision because he wasn’t much aware about the business but still it proved to be the most brilliant move of his, Hughes shifted that company from 1 million dollar to 1 billion dollar he became very successful. His overconfidence or can say his Ego destroyed his success his ego made his career the most embarrassing the most dishonest and waste career in the history. The first huge Success of Hughes made him believe the he is very talented and he can be successful in any business, hence he get into Aviation field, film making and in stock market, and in every field he faced a huge loss in fact a biographer has shown Hughes end life in his book like he was sitting in his favorite chair naked, without taking care of his health, without bathing he was fighting with lawyers with investigators, investors by hiding his every wrong doings. So, that he doesn’t lose his everything Hughes Ego was the reason for his embarrassing end even after getting success he failed miserably most of the time when people get success, then their ego shift them from humble and learning person to overconfident person about their capabilities therefore they failed to maintain their success and hence they lose everything in their lives.

 

3.Failing, after many scandals and 300 million loss, company gave two options to American Apparel Founder Dove Chaney, first option to resign as a CEO from the company and to work as Creative Consultant and for that he will get a good pay or salary, and second to resign and completely leave the company at that Time Dove rejected both options and chose the third and the worst option which was to FIGHT. He filed a case against his company, he sue his company, instead of searching a better CEO for a company. He made that company to reach to bankruptcy his ego didn’t allow him to think better for his company instead he destroyed his company as well as himself because after that case his life was so devastated that he used to sleep on his friend couch because he was bankrupt, had no money. Ego is something which never allow us to understand our own shortcomings and faults just like an alcoholic who feels the whole world is doing wrong with him. He himself does the worst for himself, without realising that he is the biggest enemy of himself. Similarly, when we fail to achieve something, at that time instead of taking responsibility our ego starts making excuses starts blaming world and others our ego blames and make excuses so that our respect doesn’t decrease hence we do everything but never realize our mistakes and shortcomings because of which we fail to overcome it and fail to get success and achievements in our lives.

Leadership Without Ego: How to Get Your Ego Out of the Way?

The Power of ATTITUDE💪 – Lion & Eagle

There are only two animals on the planet that the creator identified himself with the first one is the eagle and the second animal is the lion and when we study these two animals because if he is the leader of the universe and we want to be a leader on earth we need to better find out the nature of these animals and also the up attitude of those animals.

If we discover that both of them are the kings of their domain the Eagle is the king of the bird Kingdom and the lion is the king of the animal kingdom but let’s talk a little bit about the lion, the lion has the spirit of leadership and this word spirit here is referring to attitude everybody’s attitude a leader has attitude that makes him or her different from followers now the lion is the king of the jungle but the lion to is a great source of encouragement to all of us. I want you to write down this down remember this as long as you reside favorite the lion isn’t the tallest animal within the jungle number two the lion is not the largest animal in the jungle number three the lion is not the heaviest animal in the jungle number four the alliant is not the smartest animal or the foremost intelligent animal within the jungle and yet when he shows up all of them run away.

Your attitude matters in your life – Journey of life Continues
It really brings home the purpose a military of sheep led by a lion will always defeat a military of lions led by a sheep and therefore the answers thereto dilemma is that this because leadership can transform cowards into violent warriors the proper quite leadership can transform a timid into bold people that are fellows leadership is that powerful leadership can walk into a camp of depressed people on in 20 minutes. They are turned on into unbelievable powerful armies because leadership determines everything the lion is that the king of the jungle due to one-word attitude.

Attitude is Everything (@attitudetweets) | Twitter
Lion features a different attitude that creates every animal scared of him now we do not want to steer by fear but it does take respect for you to become a leader once I use the word fear within the jungle we’re talking about respect the elephant respects the lion the hyenas respect the lion they the giraffes they respect the life what makes these massive animals respect such a small cap the attitude is the difference for example, a lion will see an elephant and the thing that counts with mine one word lunch I could eat this thing and he acts the way he thinks now here’s another amazing mystery the elephant is larger, bigger, stronger, more powerful, heavier and more intelligent and yet when the elephant sees the lion one word involves mind eater attitude may be a product of belief you can’t have an attitude beyond your belief so your attitude comes from your belief system the lion is that the king due to what he believes about himself.