Most people that are athletes understand the need to win.  Having played competitive sports for a number of years since early childhood, I am a direct enemy of the current wave of participation trophies.  I want to know that I competed against the best and either won or lost as a way to measure my efforts.  Not just showed up.

And I believe that our daily productivity should be viewed in this manner.  The best life you can live, is a life where you treasure each day.  To ask yourself before you go to sleep at night, how was my day ?  Did I waste time being distracted or did I really make an impact.

If we take time to view each day in our life as a performance, then it is easier to contemplate if there are any aspects of our day that hindered our performance or ability to make an impact.

Enter Sugar:

The consumption of processed sugar in the average North American diet has perhaps reached levels like never before.  Recent studies suggest the average American consumes 17 teaspoons (71.14 grams) every day (about 57 pounds of added sugar consumed each year).

We know that this is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

The reason why sugar is such a danger, is because no one considers the daily effect.  Knowing that the intake of sugar can have long term causation presents a false notion that today it is ok to consume.  So a coffee with multiple sugars and donuts during my work break seems the logical self reward for the middle of the day ?

The Cycle:

But the issue is that processed sugar has an immediate effect on the body causing blood sugar to rise 10 to 15 minutes after consumption and reach its peak within an hour.  This immediately signals your pancreas to produce a large amount of insulin to get the sugar out of your blood and into your cells.  This spike in blood sugar levels can make you feel lethargic and immediately reach for another dose of refined carbs which can lead to a vicious cycle.  This is known as the coffee with dessert effect.  

This effect can continue into the late evening and can even begin to affect your sleep cycle.  Even if you don't fully wake up, the sugar in your system can pull you out of a deep sleep, making you feel exhausted the next day.

While exercise, sleep, and proper diet are also factors, the reduction of sugar is perhaps the quickest way for an individual to increase productivity on a daily basis.