Playing video games can make you a better athlete.

This won't cause riots in the streets but I'm sure it will make a few people screw their face in skepticism. It is common knowledge these days that video games improve hand eye coordination and  can stimulates new neuron connections but this is not what this post is about. New and exciting research has discovered an amazing phenomena of the human brain. Mirror Neurons.

What are Mirror Neurons? 

Mirror Neurons are located in the frontal lobe. These neurons fire when we perform a certain action, like pick up a book, kick a soccer ball, swing a bat, and so on. These were also known as motor command neurons. Recent studies have found that about 20% of these special neurons fire when we observer others perform a task. So when I see Carl shoot a basketball with correct form, a group of my own motor command neurons fire as if I had shot the ball. This has major implications, most of which I will not dive into for fear of upsetting my dear southern baptist schoolmates ;). 

These mirror neurons are essentially adopting actions from a virtual simulation. Now this would not have been a big deal to athletes who played video games a few years back. However, with the rise of graphics and reality of video games, this will become exponentially more relevant. Just look at the latest baseball game or soccer game, its more colorful and more clear then actual life. It is hard for one to fathom where video games will be in 10 years, giving that the world economy doesn't collapse. 

So if you have a current generation video console and a recent sports game of your choosing, rest assured. Look at their form, their foot work, their position, because your brain is practicing. As the great Psychologist Malcolm Gladwell has discovered, to become an expert at any task requites 10,000 hours of practice. Go game, you have a few hours to go. 

Check out the TED video on Mirror Nuerons here, Mirror Neurons by Ramachandran TED

Game Longer, Feel More Rested, and Maybe Even Lucid Dream.

When I get my hands on a game that I've been waiting a long time for I end up destroying my sleeping pattern, miss a few days of school or work, and physically feel like shit yet I'm glued to the pixels for hours on end.

The reason for this is our bodies have internal clocks and we normally go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time everyday. When we got our hands on a game we love, we stay up much later then normal, get up later, and throw our internal clock off.

How can one hack their internal clock and get more gaming in? Polyphasic sleep cycles.

Polyphasic sleep cycles are scientifically tested alternate sleep patterns. The average person sleeps about 7-9 hours a day, descending/ascending through the four levels of sleep and residing in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) for about 30 minutes, then repeats this 90 minute cycle 3 more times. What researchers have found is that the important part of the sleep cycle is the precious REM sleep period. This is where we dream, our body does the most recovering, and our brains are most active. Polyphasic sleep patterns attempt to hack the sleep pattern and take us directly to that sweet, sweet REM sleep.

How does this work? Timed naps and sleeping periods.

Everyday Man 1- Sleep for 5 hours, with one 20-30 minute nap between 8-12 hours after waking. (Most college and some high school students do this without knowing it.)

Everyday Man II- Sleep for 3 hours while taking three 20-30 minute nap every 4-5 hours. (This is ideal for people trying Polyphasic for the first time, due to the intensive flexibility one needs to perform Uber Man.

Uber Man - This is only to be attempted by Demi Gods and Vegans. No mortal man could possible accomplish this. One takes a 20 minute nap every 4 hours for a grand total of 2 hours of sleep a day.
Personally I have attempted the Everyday Man II during the school year and I only made it nine days. I plan on trying again this Summer. Please feel free to leave me any success stories or more preferably crash and burn failure stories like mine.

Scientist have also discovered that when people start  Polyphasic sleep, they tend to lucid dream more often, more on exactly what lucid dreaming is will come.

Tips and Tricks

1) Don't sleep more then 20 minutes if possible, science has found that to be the ideal nap time.
2) It takes about two weeks for your body to adjust so clear your schedule.
3) DO NOT SKIP NAPS, you will pay for this with zombie like grogginess.
4) Don't let others nay say you out of it. People reject that which they don't understand, and I'm sure you have a few stupid friends who will attempt to do this to you.
5) The longest studies on this have been up to 6 months, so if you venture further, write a book about it.
6) Try to stay away from Caffeine the first two weeks.
7) Game, Game, Game.

How Caffeine and Grapefruit can burn fat for you while you game.

It's 3am and you've been silently knifing oblivious enemies online for the last four hours. Strewn around your room is your secret weapon, empty Mountain Dew cans and Monster energy drinks.

We consume soft drinks, energy drinks, coffee, and some foods for one common stimulant, Caffeine. However the carbonation and sugar in soft drinks increase tooth decay. The added ingredients in most energy drinks are hazards to your health, and the majority of the food is over processed and synthetic. So what should the caffeine junky do to quench his addiction?

My best experience thus far has been with the 5 hour energy drink. (I have no financial stake in 5 hour) Take small to moderate sips throughout the day when needed instead of the all in one gulp that will leave you jittery and spastic.


Caffeine increases metabolism thus increasing fat loss. Pair your caffeine intake with 4-8oz of grape fruit to get a two fold benefit. 1) You will increase the duration of the caffeine's stimulant effect. 2) You will increase the rate of the fat burning process.

So the next time you see that a**hole who is leading the team in kill death spread, remember where your 5 hour and grapefruit juice is, and go knife him from across the map.