Limit(less) – Pushing the boundaries of muscle and mind

Can you remember the last time you put your limits to a test? Maybe it was during a physically challenging race in excruciating heat. Or maybe it was that time you had a stressful deadline to deliver a final document. Whatever it may have been, we have all been through moments in which we faced our limits and doubted our own success. Nevertheless, it is quite remarkable how good we are at dealing with extreme situations and pushing our boundaries beyond what we think is humanly possible.

Throughout the course of History, humans have shown a keen interest in testing and overcoming their limits in many different ways. Running ultra-long distances non-stop for several days, venturing into the dangers of the sea on a tiny sailboat, and floating in zero-gravity inside a tin-can in the void of space are just a few examples of how limits appear as irresistible temptations just waiting to be surpassed.

On Tuesday, October 31st at 21:00, in a partnership between Ar | Respire Connosco, Champalimaud Foundation and the Volvo Ocean Race, we will explore our understanding of what limits mean, both physically and mentally. We will be approaching this topic from two different scientific perspectives. Tiago Marques, a neuroscience PhD student at the Champalimaud Research with a passion for long-distance running and triathlons, will discuss how physical our limits really are and the role the mind plays in perceiving them. Nuno Loureiro, also a neuroscience PhD student with a background in space exploration, will address how extreme situations, like the ones astronauts and sailors face, can induce high levels of stress in crews and negatively impact their learning and performance.

Finally, we will hold a roundtable discussion with some of the best sailors in the world who have sailed around the earth several times while competing in the Volvo Ocean Race. They will share with us their unique experiences in living in one of the most extreme and dangerous environments on the planet and how they reached and overcame their own limits.

So join us October 31st 21:00 at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown Auditorium, in discussing how limitless we really are!

This event is a collaboration between Ar respire connosco and the Volvo Ocean Race.