The Athlete's Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss

by Christopher Bergland

Make Exercise a Pleasurable Habit The Athlete's Way presents a practical, motivational fitness program by an ultra-endurance athlete that incorporates brain science, positive psychology and behaviorism to transform lives from the inside out. It is the antidote to the imbalances created by living a sedentary, inactive existence. Christopher Bergland, the son of a neurosurgeon, has created a program that uses neurobiology and behavioral models to help improve life through exercise.

The Athlete's Way program, focusing on cardio, strength, stretching, nutrition and sleep, uses neurobiology and behavioral models to enable you to think, train and behave like an athlete, making you more optimistic, resilient, and intense. You will want to get a glow on every day to increase your daily bliss quotient. Exercise will no longer be something to dread but something to enjoy and experience to the fullest.

The Athlete's Way teaches you how to make exercise a source of joy and something you will want to engage in daily. Sweat will become a symbol of your striving for a standard of excellence and a solid work ethic that is synonymous with peak performance. The stamina, tenacity, and drive fortified through athletics--and this program--can be applied to any dream, obstacle, or goal you aspire to achieve. Christopher Bergland is a Manhattan-based world-class endurance athlete. He holds a Guinness World Record for treadmill running (153.76 miles in 24 hours) and has won the longest nonstop triathlon in the world three times. He completed The Triple Ironman, a 7.2-mile swim, 336-mile bike, followed by a 78.6-mile run (done consecutively) in a record breaking time of 38 hours and 46 minutes. He directs the triathlon program at Chelsea Piers and has been sponsored by Kiehl's since 1996. He has been featured in dozens of TV, magazine, and newspaper articles including CNN, PBS, ABC, CBS, Fox, Men's Journal, ESPN magazine, and the L.A. Times. He currently manages a specialty sporting goods shop in New York City called "JackRabbit Sports." Inspiring Lessons from a World-class Endurance Athlete"I love to sweat. All told, I have run distance equal to four trips around the world on a treadmill and on the streets of Manhattan where I live. I have biked to the moon and back, dueling it out with a red, blinking pacer light on a LifeCycle control panel or logging countless laps in Central Park. I've even crossed the Atlantic a few times - in the pool - and I've swum in almost every ocean around the world competing in Ironman triathlons. When I am running, biking, or swimming, happiness pours out of me. I am not alone. Everyone who exercises regularly experiences this bliss. And it is available to you, too, anytime you break a sweat. The Athlete's Way is an individual process but ultimately a universal experience. We feel good when we sweat. I have learned how to find Nirvana on the treadmill, and I am going to teach you my secrets."
--Christopher Bergland

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

351 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2007

Reviews

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way more psychology that I can handle. I’m sure it’s useful information, but not much cup of tea.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Every athlete (esp every runner, every triathlete, and every endurance athlete) MUST read this! This fascinating book examines managing your training using cardio, stregnth, nutrition, sleep, neurobiology to help you train, think, and behave as an athlete. I've read tons of books on running and nutrition, but this gave me something new: this is a book about the high that exercise gives you, but also, how it shapes and improves your life. Highly recommended.

[Hideki Kino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negatives:
- Delves too much into neuroscientific theories of the "up brain" vs. the "down brain" and superfluidity.
- Too many quotes, at least over 100!
- Most of the book was really hard to read and I had to skip 75% of it.
- I don't agree with his view that you should give into your unhealthy cravings rather than abstaining from them.
- I wish he talked more about his personal experiences in endurance events than on his lengthy and boring scientific discussions.

Positives:
- Emphasizes the importance of sleep.
- Provides the composition of sweat (p. 264), which I found useful:
Sodium 1,200 mg
Chloride 1,000 mg
Potassium 300 mg
Calcium 160 mg
Magnesium 36 mg
Sulphate 25 mg
Phosphate 15 mg
Zinc 1.2 mg
Iron 1.2 mg
- Provides the Top 5 Neurochemicals released during Exercise (p. 106)
Endocannabinoid: The bliss molecule. Euphoric, content, mellow.
Dopamine: The reward molecule. The jackpot feeling.
Epinephrine (Adrenaline): The energy molecule. Optimistic, confident, purposeful, secure.
Endorphin: The painkiller molecule. Your body's natural morphine.
- Provides the Three Main Reasons That Caffeine is Addictive (p. 263)
Caffeine blocks adenosine reception so you feel alert.
It injects adrenaline into the system to give you a boost.
It manipulates dopamine production to make you feel good.
- Advises people to stay away from High Fructose Corn Syrup. I am a strong believer in this.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an appealingly eccentric fitness book. And it's not often the words eccentric and fitness go together. It's a mashup of personal memoir, motivational speeches, a crazyquilt of quotes, and a solid behavior modification plan geared towards fitness. I can't imagine how this book would appeal to its ostensible audience -- why anyone who doesn't already enjoy exercise would pick up a book by an ultra-endurance athlete trying to convert them to the love, I can't really imagine. But as someone who knows and craves the bliss, I could appreciate Bergland's enthusiasm, especially when he admits to overdoing it. There were tons of interesting ideas and tips -- from how to activate the vestibular-ocular reflex, to using scent as a behavioral trigger, and the distinctions between cerebellar vs cerebral processing. If you love exercise, and want to tweak your routines, check it out. If you exercise but would like to love it more, this book is definitely worth a read.

[David Emerson Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher's bottom line is a bedrock element for stayin' alive- MOTION to SWEAT.
There is no doubt in my mind that finding bliss via endured sweat is vastly superior to any episodic bliss from drugs.
His ultra-feats do not interest me. For one, I'm much older.
For another: His "awful after" experiences from a 24-hour treadmill record are wake-up calls for too much of a good thing. We need modest bodily inflammation [from sweaty motions] to trigger growth. Yet, we know all to well what a cytokine storm can do if inflammation becomes excessive. Be well, get moving and sweat - just not for 24 straight hours.

Koach Dave
KABOOMER author

[Sarah Phelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this more for the explanation of neuropharmacology and the ideas behind flow, and being a mindful athlete, but I came away with a lot of great information about creating habits for overall health. Bergland's writing is pleasantly personal; he comes across as a really helpful friend, saying, "This is what you need to do..."

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It's a real inspiration to anyone wanting to get into serious training. I would love to know this guy in person so I can pick his brain.

[Rubina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ultimate ultra-marathoner...explanation of the psychological and mental aspects of running are interesting. Good tips on training and focusing.

[Adam Petty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really helped me learn to clear my mind and fully lock in on sports, etc. I love how he drew from both personal experience and modern neuroscience.

[Sharudin Jamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much that I read it four times.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is serving as my summer inspiration to get off my butt and exercise. Bergland gives a plan for how to start and stay active every day, complete with reflection which suits me. For those needing extra inspiration, Bergland describes the specific ways your body responds to physical activity, including brain chemistry and muscle fiber types. Being a Biology teacher I must admit that I skipped those parts - I know why exercise is good, just need the push into doing it regularly. Recommend for anyone feeling like they sit too much.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a little while to get going. Besides talking about the author's background, first seventy pages don't have a lot meat to them. The next part of the book I found fascinating; it talks about what happens chemically throughout the body when it's exercising. It was a nice and meaty section. If I had just read this section and nothing else, I feel like I would've gotten the same out of the book.

[Lynne]

Bergland's neuroscience-informed analysis of training and motivation is a refreshing complement to other training-related books. I also appreciated his frankness, sincerity, and honesty in telling his story, although I don't share his perspective on the spirituality aspects of his approach. I got what I wanted from this book -- neuroscience and behavioral ideas to improve my training and make it easier for me to be consistent, and get out of bed and just do it.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad book. It's just that it is so long and a little indulgent. Some great tips and I liked the idea of superfluidity. I'll probably flick through it again, but not read it from cover to cover again.

[Pat (AZ Realtor) 480-840-7166]

I know I liked this book, but it's been awhile. I have to reread it.