What is Platinum Knowledge | plætnəm ˈnɑlɪdʒ ?
Platinum Knowledge is a map to resources that will rev up your mind + body. You will find worthy information & products, some of which you may never have heard of, from blue light blocking glasses for sleep to training enhancers for optimised workouts.
We hope you find it useful.
Powerbreathe
Breathing, though often overlooked, is critical to your performance. But not just in the physical realm, it will also impact almost all areas of your life, from your breathlessness when taking the stairs to your ability to take good breaths when you’re delivering that all important pitch. To train your breathing mechanism with cardio is a tad traditional and time intensive.
Powerbreathe is a respiratory muscle trainer that provides resistance to your breathing. Simply train 30 breaths, twice a day for 30 days and observe increased recovery times, increased endurance, greater control over the breath, and... and ... and...
Acunpuncture Mat *
Lying on Nails?
The benefits of meditation are well known, well documented and universally understood; even amongst those who don’t practice. Perhaps not so widely known is the overdrive upgrade you can tap into during your relaxation sessions by lying on a bed of nails or more accurately (and more comfortably) a specialised acupressure mat. In no time you’ll be activating acupressure points and stimulating your meridian line energy flows.
Circulation boost? Check. Energy levels? Check. Deeper meditation? You decide.
LOW BLUE LIGHTS
Blue rays surround us. Artificial light emanating from technology around the house is detrimental to sleep; shutting down melatonin production (the ‘sleep hormone’). Melatonin is produced primarily when you are in darkness and helps you slip into a natural deep sleep. Ever wondered why you find it so difficult to drift off? The answer could lie in your technology driven routine. Using your phone, laptop, iPad or other device late in the evening can be more detrimental to your chances of falling asleep than you may have imagined.
Eyewear designed to reduce the amount of blue light entering your eyes when nature wouldn’t allow it (when its dark outside). Wear them in the evening in order to block out harmful blue rays to stimulate an earlier flow of melatonin. Your ‘body clock’ begins to sync with nature, helping you slip into a deep sleep. Only the blue component of light is prevented from reaching the eyes, meaning you can proceed with your normal evening routine whilst winding down.
If you’re a night shift worker; your life just got a whole lot better. Encourage your body to sleep in the day.
Science is starting to explore the link between blue light and obesity and cancer.
f.lux
Eliminate the blue light spectrum on your computer screen using this software.
armourbite
Everyone knows that there is a real risk of injury in contact sports. Pads, gum shields, helmets and other protective gear are essential but do you know what happens when you’re participating in non-contact sports such as golf, yoga, cycling or in the gym? Your teeth clamp and your jaw clenches; a process which restricts the airway and induces the secretion of cortisol.
A gum shield to open your airways, combat the effects of clenching and unlock your performance. Unlike a traditional style gum shield, this isn't bulky and fits comfortably on your lower teeth; in fact no one will know that you’re supercharging your workouts. This mouthpiece improves your airflow which increases endurance (because the rate of lactic acid build-up is slowed), increases your reaction time (due to greater oxygen saturation) and increases your strength. Perhaps the greatest benefit of all is that it reduces the build up of the stress hormone cortisol.
www.armourbite.com/products/non-contact-sports/armourbite-mouthpiece/
Trigger Point
The body adapts to your lifestyle. The more you sit in your office, churning through paperwork, the more the body accepts it; the body becomes ‘locked’ and considers the recurring pain, posture and position as ‘normal’. Your body is adapting to your standard posture and position, and is becoming increasingly rigid and tense with each passing day.
The same is true of sport. The frequent gym-goer places his or her body under all sorts of stress and tension, adopting awkward positions whilst lifting heavy weights, which over time become ‘normal’. The sports person repeats the same movements building tension and tiredness in some muscles whilst neglecting others. The same can be said of endless cardio or joint stressing aerobics.
How can all this tension and ‘ache’ be released from your body? How can your body learn to release its bad habits and adopt its strongest form and posture?
Trigger Point Therapy helps maintain a healthy, active body by easing tight muscles through self-massage, enabling your body to release stress and tension. The unique patented rollers and massage balls are clinically proven to help the body strengthen and relax, shrugging off the stresses of everyday life. These products enable you to massage almost any part of the body safely and effectively on your own to aid recovery.
Trigger Point Therapy targets the biomechanical challenges of your movement and actions in everyday life, from those involved in sport to those in the workplace and at home, in order to allow your body to move freely, without restriction.
Vivobarefoot
Shoes. A tradition we abide by without question. But how natural is it to wear shoes? Do you think your great, great ancestors wore raised heels promoting an unnatural gait? Never thought about shoes in this way? Ponder for a moment.
“Natural gait is biomechanically impossible for any shoe wearing person....” Dr. William A.Rossi in Podiatry Management (1999).
Shoes interrupt a natural mechanism that has developed over millions of years.
Now we’re not suggesting that you go completely barefoot. We almost heard you say out loud ‘but what about stones and glass...’ Have no fear. There are different types of natural footwear, all designed to help you in all aspects of your life no matter how radical your daily routine. Wear them when you are training; the footwear allows your toes to separate thereby stabilizing your body, providing unrivalled balance and increased muscle stimulation to feet, ankles and lower legs. When your whole body is engaged from the ground up, you’re able to train at a higher level. Try them on a stroll. If you really want to, ditch the traditional shoe completely and fully embrace change.
Walking barefoot strengthens and stretches the muscles, tendons and ligaments in your feet, ankles and calves. This helps to prevent injuries such as knee strain and back problems.
VIBRAM FIVE FINGERS
They provide a healthy alternative to traditional footwear by freeing your feet, allowing you to stretch and spread your toes. The glove-like fit allows your feet to reclaim the physiological and sensory benefits associated with being barefoot, whilst saving you the trouble of having to walk around like Tarzan.
Five Finger footwear works muscles not used when you are wearing conventional shoes, thus strengthening and stretching your core, helping you to keep your posture upright and your balance spot on.
GRIPMASTER
Ever heard the expression that a team is only as good as its weakest link?
Grip is usually the weak link. Don't let it be.
Gain the edge for golf, tennis, basketball, handgun, yoga, fishing, football, gaming, martial arts, baseball, fitness, climbing, bowling, gym training ...
www.prohands.net/products/gripmaster.php
GUNNAR EYEWEAR
Your eyes are worked hard in this modern climate. They strain under harsh, high intensity, blue light and glare emitted from computer screens. This is hard to avoid; from the workplace to the home, you spend most of your time glued to your computer screen, smartphone, tablet or TV monitor. Unfortunately, the long-term effect a modern lifestyle has on the eyes is unknown. However, the short-term effects are certain. Constant viewing of digital screens creates visual stress, eye fatigue, dry eyes, irritation, and frequent headaches. Never before in the history of mankind have the eyes had to strain so hard.
In most work places, insufficient measures are provided to combat the effects of computer screens. A quick break every two hours or so is not enough. However, it is an inevitable fact of the modern age that people will spend most of their waking hours at computer screens. How can the eyes be helped?
Gunnar Optkis provide the solution to these worries. Their eyewear range uses advanced i-AMP lens technology and is finished with custom formulated lens filters, tints and coatings easing strains and stresses.
Filter geometry protects against environmental factors that cause vision problems and strain such as harsh fluorescent light, glare, and ambient air currents that cause your eyes to dry out.
Let your eyes enjoy working. Don't let them be your weak link.
VocalZone
Are you about to deliver an important presentation? Are you simply wanting to interact more effectively with others? Be prepared. Your communication is essential and your voice is your important channel of communication.
Introducing the resource: Zona Vocal Pastilles.
These pastilles relieve throat irritation or dryness and are great for when you have a cold. For speakers and singers alike, they relieve the sensation of your throat closing up. Users include: Sir Tom Jones, Jonnie Owen, Kelly Jones, Katherine Jenkins, Tim Dowland, Larry Hochman, Calvin Harris, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Madonna... you get the picture. Try them.
So good you won’t find them in the supermarkets.
EARTHING
Throughout history people have been connected to the earth by walking barefoot. Wild animals remain in continuous contact with the earth today. How often do you go barefoot? Have you ever thought about how insulated you are from the earth by shoes and flooring? Being insulated from the earth’s energy may contribute to ailments, fatigue and poor sleep.
The body isn't just chemical, it's electrical too.
To do Earthing for free go outside and stand on the grass. However the same benefits of standing on the earth can be achieved inside buildings by utilising the earth wire in a building’s electrical wiring to create a direct connection between you and the Earth.
The theory: you absorb electrons from the earth via Earthing which helps to neutralise free radicals that can harm your body’s cells.
Test it by using a voltmeter to measure your voltage when you're standing on the grass and then when you're standing on an insulated area indoors. You’ll notice that your voltage is zero when you’re in contact with the Earth and that it’s much higher when you’re not. Something must be going on.
Studies have shown resynchronized levels of cortisol hormone when sleeping on an Earthing sheet, more specifically a reduction in midnight cortisol levels making it easier to fall asleep. In addition participant comments suggested a reduction in pain and stress.*
Ghaly, M and Teplitz, D (2004), ‘The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain and stress.’, Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine, Vol.10, No.5, pp.767-76
BLEEP TEST
Transform the Bleep Test from a daunting test of your maximal aerobic capacity to an exercise tool. It consists of running between two points, twenty metres apart, at a progressively faster pace as you advance through the levels. It's as simple as that.
Try alternating between the 15m and 20m test to keep yourself on your toes.
www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/20mshuttle.htm
FAT GRIPZ
What if there was a way, when training with weights, to increase muscle activation, reduce the risk of injury and eliminate muscle imbalances?
Fat Gripz is a training enhancement which increases the thickness of the bar or handle. The forearms and grip are often the weak link that can hold back strength development; the body doesn’t want to be out of proportion. Thick bar training is the solution but it is expensive. Used by the US Special Forces, in addition to sports teams in the NFL, MLB and NHL, these grips are transforming the typical approach to weights. Simply put the grips over the bar or handle like a clamp and train. It’s simple but then most good ideas are...
For the ego conscious be warned: you'll probably have to use lighter weights than you're accustomed to in order to unlock greater muscle activation via the Grip Enhancers.
another thing...
When in nature would you grip something so small (the bar of the weights or the handle of the machine) with so much force? And then do it again and again and again? Gain control, train efficiently.
INVERSION TABLE
Gravity takes its toll. Back pain is a widespread issue today, and one of the most common medical complaints. It is easy for people to forget to stand or sit straight and to succumb to gravity's pull. But the average person exacerbates the problem by hunching over at any given opportunity, whether they are at the desk, driving or slicing the vegetables. Help save the future you from being troubled with bad posture.
A device which eases you into an upside down position. It may sound extreme but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Just five to ten minutes of hanging almost upside down leaves you feeling free, energised and flexible. Recurring pain may be eased out and released by decompressing the spine. Work with gravity to help your posture; using the inversion table may help to realign and correct your posture.
Help to alleviate the pressure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_therapy
Power Pose
Hormones are powerful. Your hormones influence your reaction to the environment and therefore impact upon other people’s perception of you. The fact is you, right now, can influence your body’s balance of testosterone (power hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone). Have the drive. Have the confidence. Have the self-belief. Let your hormones shape your body language naturally.
Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist from Harvard, conducted a scientific experiment and found that adopting so-called 'Power Poses' (essentially poses that fill space) for just 120 seconds will alter your hormonal balance; favourably impacting how you feel, how you behave and how others see you. The poses increased testosterone and reduced cortisol for both men and women. Adopting a less space-filling pose reduced testosterone and increased cortisol levels. Do Power Poses whenever you want to increase your performance or at times when you need that bit of extra confidence.
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en
Intelligence Quotient - i3
IQ is important. It is a measure of one’s relative intelligence. Geniuses have high IQs. Given that intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” it is clear that intelligence is important. What if it could be increased? Throughout your career you would mesmerise others as you effortlessly develop and apply new skills.
IQ Mindware is a computer based software programme which guarantees a 10 – 20 point IQ improvement on a valid IQ test. Scientific studies demonstrate a 40% increase in fluid intelligence test performance and a 65% increase in working memory capacity.
If your current IQ is 100 and you gain approximately 20 points through Boost IQ, your post-training IQ will be around 120, moving you from the top 50% of the population to the top 9%.
Specific benefits include faster problem solving and a better memory.
Minimalism
In today’s consumer culture there is an incessant desire to buy and consume more and more. The possession of items is often connected with happiness and people feel the need to earn more in order to buy more. But the truth is that ‘possession’ and ‘joy’ are not necessarily correlated.
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus write about living a meaningful life with less ‘stuff’. They simplify life by stripping away the excess so that you can focus on what is truly important to you.
The Minimalists suggest how to achieve a minimalist lifestyle without adhering to a strict code or an arbitrary set of rules. They've documented their experiences, allowing you to learn from their failures and successes, by applying what they've learnt to your own situation, thereby assisting you in leading a more meaningful life.
Freedom
If you find yourself loading up that dreaded Internet yet again to check your emails and social media, only to find that the world is still spinning then you need a solution.
Imagine hours purely dedicated to work time where the boundaries between work time and your time cannot merge, making your time just that; purely your time to spend it on whatever you wish. How much more productive would you be? Imagine the freedom…
Block distracting websites with freedom software.
Turn the software on, tell it how long you’d like to be offline or which websites you'd like to block, and enjoy the feeling of knowing that you will be productive and focused on your work.
Sunrise
Alarm clocks. Nearly all of us use them. Is there an alternative to being woken by a loud, annoying noise? Have you noticed the negative impact caused by being abruptly awoken from a deep sleep cycle?
Sunrise is nature’s intended worldwide alarm clock, slowly and naturally waking all for a long day of productivity and energy. In the morning it’s either still dark or our curtains and blinds block out natural light.
Nature provides the best alarm clock possible. So why change things?
Starting half an hour before your set wake up time, the Sunrise Alarm gently fills your room with light, creating the same effect as a natural sunrise thus preparing your body for waking whilst you are still asleep. The light signals the release of wake up hormones. With a traditional alarm this process doesn’t happen and you’re woken up with a violent jolt. Waking up will no longer be a shock: the Sunrise Alarm is clinically proven to make waking up more pleasant.
http://www.lumie.com/collections/all
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- *added 2021
© 2013