Try This Fun Way to Keep Motivated While Exercising
| 18 May 2010
When we exercise by ourselves there is often the tendency or temptation to cut a few corners or not train with the intensity that will give me the best results for effort.
Today rather than going for a run early in the morning I took my son with me to exercise at the local athletics track late this afternoon. There were 8 younger, more athletic and more talented athletes there finishing the final stages of their training. Not wanting to make a fool of myself amongst these athletes and coaches I decided to use their presence to my advantage.
With others watching on I found myself running with a good technique and I managed to maintain a running pace and intensity that gave me a real high and a sense of achievement.
As I drove back home from the athletics track I turned on the car radio. One woman was sharing her hilarious and far more innovative way to use the people around her to keep her motivated during her exercise...
Every morning she would run along the main road wearing a shirt that read, “Honk, if I stop running.” Now that’s motivation.
Government Health campaign Isn't Interested In Getting Results
| 18 May 2010
I spoke to some health department representatives recently regarding the Australian Government’s Measure Up Campaign designed to reduce soaring obesity levels. My initial impressions were positive. I was pleased that they were encouraging people to measure their waistline as opposed to the common mistake of using the scales to monitor your progress.
My call initially was to find out how I could support promoting such a campaign but after closer inspection I was concerned about some of the their recommendations to lose weight. Most notably was the advice to include 30 minutes of walking a day as exercise. I mentioned this to the health department representatives. I shared with them how many studies are showing that walking did not have any significant benefit to weight loss. Sadly the response was not one of curiosity but was a typical case of stonewalling that Government bureaucrats have for long been criticized.
What It Really Feels Like To Run a Marathon
| 18 May 2010
Running a marathon without stopping has been one of my goals for the last 20 years. Whenever I participated in goal setting workshops or when I sat down thinking of all the things that I would love to do in my life, running a marathon was always written down. But it was always assigned to the “some day” category.
A combination of turning 40 and seeing an unflattering photograph of myself prompted me to transfer this goal from some day to Aug 23, 2009. Training for a marathon also served as an experiment. I wanted to see whether training for a marathon could fit in with my normal work and family commitments.
What I found was that the training required for a half marathon was able to easily fit into my lifestyle without compromising other areas. However, the training time required for the full marathon distance did begin to interfere with a few family activities. In saying that, it was not the actual time training that impacted things. The major challenge was that a substantial amount of time was required to recuperate from some of the longer and more demanding training sessions. For example when I had to go on a three hour training run I often needed to have an extra hour or two of sleep to recover. This recovery time often cut into family time.What It Really Feels Like To Run a Marathon
| 18 May 2010
Running a marathon without stopping has been one of my goals for the last 20 years. Whenever I participated in goal setting workshops or when I sat down thinking of all the things that I would love to do in my life, running a marathon was always written down. But it was always assigned to the “some day” category.
A combination of turning 40 and seeing an unflattering photograph of myself prompted me to transfer this goal from some day to Aug 23, 2009. Training for a marathon also served as an experiment. I wanted to see whether training for a marathon could fit in with my normal work and family commitments.
What I found was that the training required for a half marathon was able to easily fit into my lifestyle without compromising other areas. However, the training time required for the full marathon distance did begin to interfere with a few family activities. In saying that, it was not the actual time training that impacted things. The major challenge was that a substantial amount of time was required to recuperate from some of the longer and more demanding training sessions. For example when I had to go on a three hour training run I often needed to have an extra hour or two of sleep to recover. This recovery time often cut into family time.Why Stress Claims For Australian Workers Have Doubled
| 28 April 2010
A recent study done by health insurer, Medibank Private shows that stress claims by Australian workers have doubled in recent years. Workplace stress is now costing the Australian economy an estimated $15 billion a year. Many employers and employees would be concerned as to what could be causing this trend but a recent Lifeline Australia Newspoll gives an indication of the likely culprit.Why Walking for Exercise is a Waste of Time and Energy
| 28 April 2010
When your time is limited as is generally the case with most working families today, you want to ensure that your time spent on exercising is going to give you the best reward for effort. Unfortunately, large numbers of people consider their walks as exercise but more research is showing why walking as a form of exercise is a waste of time.
A research team from the University of Virginia studied a group of 27 obese middle-aged women for 16 weeks.
They divided the women into three groups
1) No-exercise group- who maintained their normal level of physical inactivity
2) Low intensity group- who did walking x5/week
3) High intensity group- who did walking x2/week and did high intensity exercise x3/week
The time that they exercised was adjusted so that they all burnt the same amount of calories during each exercise session (440 kcal per session). Using CT scans they measured any changes in the amount of abdominal fat at the start and the end of the 16-week exercise period.
The results were quite emphatic.
Why You Are Kidding Yourself If You Think Smoking Helps You to Relax
| 28 April 2010
With a lot of legislation starting to restrict smoking in or around the workplace, smokers are beginning to feel ostracized around the workplace. Many claim that smoking helps them relax at work bringing rise to greater productivity. But if you analyze what goes on during a typical cigarette break you will soon discover that it is not the cigarette that makes smokers feel more relaxed…What to do When You Are Feeling Ostracized at Work
| 28 April 2010
“I just don’t feel that I belong there,” said Adam, a computer analyst with a large financial group. “At lunch and after work they all go off in their cliques. The only times they ever speak to me is when they want something from me.”
When I asked Adam’s workmates about what they thought of him, they replied, “He’s okay I guess. He seems to like keeping to himself though.” It is most often the case that the other work colleagues aren’t on some deliberate campaign to upset or alienate you.
For me, one of the most important ingredients to a successful career is the skill to enjoy your work. Yes, that’s right, I believe that enjoying work is a skill that can be learnt as opposed a natural gift or inherent part of the character. This gives hope to those like Adam, who find their workplace as a place to feel ostracized.
The important thing to those who feel ostracized at work is to understand that it is YOU who is feeling ostracized. YOU are the source of your emotions. YOU have the capacity to control your emotions. The common denominator is that the ostracized feel that their emotional wellbeing is being determined by others. They accept no responsibility for their own emotional state.
I used to always blame others for my stress levels. I used to get that upset at drivers breaking the road rules that I would often arrive at work with a headache. One of my mentors, Dr. John Hinwood use to get me to point my finger at the other drivers and blame them. He then would say, “How many fingers are pointing to the real cause.”
I would look down at my hand and notice that one finger was pointing away whereas three fingers were pointing back at me the real cause...me.
This doesn’t mean that you start blaming yourself for feeling this way. There is a big difference between acknowledging yourself as the cause and blaming yourself. Laying blame is just a form of abuse whereas if you acknowledge that you are the cause, then you also must be the solution. It places you in a position where you can take action to change things.
What action can you take to change things if you are feeling ostracized?
Stop playing the victim. Start being social and begin interacting with workmates.
Unsure of what to talk about?
Try their favourite subject...THEM. Find out about their likes and passions and then you can begin to uncover shared interests. Then you’ll have plenty of topics that you enjoy talking about.
Workforce Sustainability – The Untapped Source of Improved Productivity in Your Business
| 28 April 2010
Sustainability seems to be a real buzz word at the moment. Businesses are seeing the benefits of wiser, more energy-efficient use of our resources combined with recycling and other greener initiatives. But business is yet to really apply this sustainability concept to its most valuable resource...its workforce.
To me, workforce sustainability is about teaching people to juggle. We all need to juggle work, family commitments and keeping ourselves healthy. When we can juggle these things effectively you can work at your desired intensity without it compromising your quality of health and home life. That’s true workforce sustainability.
I am often confronted by business owners and managers who roll their eyes at the expectation of businesses having to teach their employees how to be healthy and have a healthy work life balance.
I absolutely agree with the bosses. An employee’s health and work life balance is their own responsibility. But the problem is that your work, your home life and your health all affect each other. If business waits for employees to discover a healthy, balanced and sustainable lifestyle for themselves it can severely limit business growth through sluggish productivity, work stress and poor customer experience.
But how much does poor health and a poor work life balance cost business?The Controlled Crying Approach to Parenting
| 28 April 2010
Many years ago, before my initiation into the real world of parenting I would often ask parents whom I’d admired about the subject. The advice that stuck with me the most was from a mother of six children. She said, “The role of a parent is to teach your children so that they are able to live without you.” A recent Australian study confirmed that you can safely and effectively adopt this approach to your baby’s sleeping patterns.
A six year Australian study presented to the World Health Congress of Internal Medicine in March found that letting a baby cry itself to sleep (controlled crying) was a safe and effective way to reduce sleeping problems in babies. It was also helped to resolve sleeping problems and lower the rates of depression amongst mothers.
Arthritis is Not Caused by Old Age
| 02 March 2010
Arthritic aches and pains are a major issue in our ageing workforce. According to Professor Paul Hodges from University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences body aches, pains and injuries are the second most expensive cause of lost productivity at work and health care expenditure in Australia. Only cardiovascular disease costs our society more.
With arthritis making up a significant proportion of our injuries and pains, the big concern is that so many people are being left with the impression by well-meaning health professionals that arthritis is an inevitable part of ageing. Although arthritic pains may become more common as you age does that mean that arthritis is caused by old age?
Surely if arthritis was caused by old age then all of your body would be worn out to the same degree because it is the same age. But in reality you will find that arthritic change is more advanced in some parts of your body compared to others completely dismissing the myth that old age causes arthritis.
With arthritic aches and pains interfering with the productivity of our ageing workforce and the quality of our lives it is important to understand what actually causes arthritis?
The New First Aid Protocol That Reduces Pain and Inflammation
| 02 March 2010
Whenever you injure yourself, you are taught to follow the traditional first aid protocol of R.I.C.E. For those who haven’t heard of it, R.I.C.E. stands for: Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
Considering that musculoskeletal injuries are the second most expensive cause of lost productivity at work in Australia (cardiovascular disease is no. 1) there is now a more advanced way to help injured workers relieve pain and get back to work as soon as possible. This M.I.C.E. protocol is a more effective and holistic approach to reducing pain and inflammation because it addresses the physical AND chemical aspects of pain and inflammation simultaneously.
Glucosamine Sulphate Helps Reduce Arthritis …
| 02 March 2010
Glucosamine is a naturally occurring amino sugar that is needed for the production of certain chemicals involved in reducing inflammation. It is a natural building block of joint cartilage. It is found naturally in chitin from prawns and other crustaceans. There have been 20 trials supporting its effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of osteoarthritis but it really came to prominence following the publication of a groundbreaking study in 2001.
The study put rest to the debate. It showed emphatically that glucosamine sulphate not only helps the symptoms of osteoarthritis but also was shown to stop the progression of this painful condition.
The study,published in the prestigious Lancet journal showed that taking 1500 mg of glucosamine sulphate per day over a three years significantly slowed the of progression of osteoarthritis. The team of researchers headed by Professor Reginster found that people that took the glucosamine sulphate maintained the same joint space in their knees and reported a reduction in their symptoms when compared to the placebo. The control group who received the placebo showed had an average 0.31mm loss of joint space in their knees and exhibited a continual worsening of symptoms.
This created quite a stir in the natural health industry. Before long health practitioners, pharmacies and health food stores were being bombarded with all sorts of glucosamine products. I have always been skeptical of new fads and trends in the natural health arena so a few years ago I decided to investigate the glucosamine phenomenon in detail.
What I found was a phenomenal amount of pseudoscience and hype that has resulted in millions of people feeling duped and dispirited. The problem wasn’t glucosamine sulphate. The science is quite clear that glucosamine sulphate works. The problem was only one brand of glucosamine sulphate has been proven to work. In fact all other brands have been shown to be ineffective.
Success Doesn’t Come From Self-Discipline
| 12 February 2010
I was recently emailed a copy of a segment from Brian Tracy’s book The Power of Discipline. As the title of his book suggests, he believes that the most important success principle is self-discipline. He went on to define self discipline by quoting Thomas Huxley, who said, “Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” I am a big fan of Brian Tracy and was fortunate enough to meet him at a National Speakers Association get together in Brisbane a few months ago. I normally agree with most of his points but on this occasion I don’t.
New study suggest aerobic exercise is useless for those with “unfitness” genes
| 05 February 2010
A controversial new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology is raising eyebrows amongst the scientific community and triggering a typical sensationalized reaction from the media. The study, lead by James Timmons, evaluated the fitness improvements in around 600 volunteers who were cycling at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes a day.
The researchers found that some participants improved their fitness levels by 10% whereas the fitness levels of about 20% of them barely changed. The researcher then examined this 20% and found a group of genes that affect oxygen uptake that they believe could be responsible for the lack of results from exercise. They suggest that these “unfitness genes” could be stopping 20% of the population from burning fat off during aerobic exercise.The breathing Exercise That Gives You More Energy
| 29 January 2010
Just like a fire being deprived of oxygen causes the fire to burn out, when you are running low in oxygen you begin to feel tired and burnt out. You often feel tired when your blood oxygen levels lower slightly as a result of shallow breathing. When you take a breath you may be incorrectly expanding the top part of your chest. This results in inflating predominantly the top smaller section of your lungs so your lungs don't fully inflate during a shallow breath.
This may be okay while you are relatively sedentary. As you begin to do things that require more energy throughout your day, you may be so used to this more inefficient shallow breathing that you continue to take short shallow breaths.
When you collapse into your chair or your bed and you let out this tired sigh, it is your body innately trying to get more oxygen by taking a deeper breath. If you are regularly feeling tired, it may mean that you need to train yourself to breathe deeper.
There are many effective courses like The Buteyko Method that you can attend that will help to train you to breathe deeper to alleviate the feelings of tiredness. The challenge is that most of the time when you are tired, you are probably flat out with work or family commitments and don't have the time to spare. You're not only tired and have "run out of gas", you've also run out of time.
Fortunately when you are tired and pressed for time there is something that you can do at work that can help alleviate the tiredness and help train you to breathe deeper...
Solutions to the three most common sleeping problems
| 13 January 2010
So what can be done to improve your energy levels throughout the day so you have enough energy for work, home and most importantly you have some energy left over for you?
Before trying to dissect someone's lifestyle and come up with some complicated formula I found that 90% of health and energy issues could be fixed by simply doing the basics. And there is no more basic cause for fatigue than addressing the quality of your sleep. You would be amazed by the number of people complaining of fatigue simply because they aren't getting enough high quality sleep.
I know that most health experts and academics recommend that you get a minimum of eight hours sleep each night. To me the experts are dreaming if they think that any man or woman with children and a full time job and other commitments are going to consistently get eight hours of sleep each night. What you need to do first is to improve the quality of your sleep.
The three most common sleeping problems I hear of are:
· 1) Having trouble getting to sleep due to their mind racing.
· 2) Having trouble getting to sleep due trouble winding down.
· 3) Having trouble getting back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
So what are some solutions to a better sleep?
Creating a Healthier Work Environment and Unique Customer Experiences
| 07 January 2010
For many years businesses have long considered employee health and wellbeing to be the responsibility of the individual. Although people are responsible for their own health, corporations have only recently come to terms with the impact health has on the company's bottom line. They are realizing that their company's health is influenced by their employees' health.
Smart companies are now starting workplace wellness programs to help workers stay healthy and productive in an effort to lower health-care costs and employee absenteeism. A recent survey of hundreds of U.S. companies found that 41 percent had already launched a health-related strategy... and the results are paying off.
Statistics on bigger companies indicate that the savings can be almost $5 for every dollar spent on making workers healthier. And while larger businesses can afford more formalized health and wellness programs in the workplace, even smaller companies are can get in on the act.
Whether you are an employer or manager of a hundreds of employees or just a few there are plenty of low cost and time effective ideas that can improve the health, morale and productivity within your business but this would have to be my favourite way of creating a healthier work environment. What started out as a way to create a healthier work environment eventually became a unique selling point in our business.
Creating The Perfect Work day Where Stress is Virtually Impossible
| 04 January 2010
"Now that would have to have been the most perfect day," I said cheerfully to myself as I was pedalling home on my bike. I don't know if you have another voice inside your head but the voice inside of my head startled me that much that I nearly fell of my bike.
"Did you say PERFECT when yesterday you said that you were going to create a perfect day?" squealed my inner voice in delight.
"Yeah I suppose I did say perfect, "I acknowledged with a grin of self satisfaction while not even being slightly self conscious of having a conversation with myself.
"And you created it," cheered my alter ego who seems to represent the more exuberant side of me. I began laughing as I spent the rest of my journey home fully engaged in a conversation with my other half recalling the process I went through on the previous day to create this perfect day.
"But it's impossible to have a perfect day," shouted out my resident sceptic, Barry as I was sharing this story at one of my Decimating Stress Workshops. Others at the workshop were quick to nod their heads in agreement.
"It depends upon your rules for perfection," I stated with a cheeky smirk on my face.
A confused hush came over the group. I think that they were more confused about why I was so seemingly happy that the entire group was disputing my claim.
A Natural Way to Relieve Stress in the Workplace That You Can Do Tomorrow
| 28 December 2009
I was driving into the car park of the local shopping centre. The news bulletin was on the radio.
"Researchers have found that exercise causes the release of a chemical that helps us better control our sugar levels."
I wasn't really surprised by the result. There are still probably so many benefits of exercise that are yet to be discovered.
"Hopefully this will encourage more people to get off their backsides," I thought to myself as I found a parking spot.
But the end of that news bulletin nearly caused me to bump into the parked car in front of me. "Based on the results of this study, the researchers have now obtained a two million dollar research grant to develop a drug that mimics the affect of exercise."
Why do we waste so much time, effort and money trying to find a way to outdo and outsmart Mother Nature? Despite all the marvelous technological and medical achievements that have helped make our lives more comfortable it is easy for us to be seduced into thinking that technology has the answer to everything.
Some more progressive scientists at the University of Washington have reaffirmed rather than looking for some pill or potion to makes us relaxed, it is better to look to nature for a solution. Well actually we should be looking at nature.How to Motivate Others Without the Hype or Expense
| 22 December 2009
How much more enjoyable would your work be if everyone was really motivated? How much more productive and profitable would it be for the company and its workers if everyone was motivated to do their best? Companies spend lots of time and expense recruiting outside speakers and consultants to motivate their workforce. Learn about a low-key and more low cost approach that ensures long-term motivation.
I've been to a lot of the hyped up motivation seminars. I've walked barefoot over burning coals and broken glass. I've heard many great speakers and inspiring and uplifting stories and some others that are just too 'Pollyanna' for my liking. The trouble with motivational speakers is that the feeling of motivation generally subsides after about two weeks.
For longer lasting motivation many business consultants recommend that you should develop a company mission statement. Sure, they sound very grand and noble but do they actually do anything? I know that they are intended to motivate or inspire workers but the problem is that company mission statements only represent what's important to the boss or a small group. If you want to motivate or inspire your fellow workers without the hype you just need to find out what is important each individual at work.
Jamie was a secretary in her early thirties for a health care company yet she had a strained look of stress etched upon her face that despite her immaculate dress sense and style, still added another 10 years to her appearance. As she went about her work you could tell that she was operating on autopilot.
Like many people that I have observed in various workplaces, Jamie was just going through the motions. She wasn't motivated at all by her employers mission statement or by any aspect of her work (except her paycheck). As a result she often earned the ire of her boss for not completing many of her required tasks.
During a lull in business, I approached her. "How do you think you are going in this job? Do you feel you are doing your best?"
"Why should I try to do my best?" insisted Jamie. "At the end of every day, my boss just stands there complaining about something I've done or tells me that I am too slow." She went on to share a long list of incidents of being berated by her boss.
In fact, I knew her boss and had found him to be a very genuine and caring man. In fact, he had asked me for some help in working out why his business had become rather lacklustre and he had troubles with his staff. He had been following a lot of the recommendations of his business management consultant but he wasn't getting the results that he desired. After talking to his secretary, I was getting a pretty strong indication about what could be holding the business back.
How Progressive Companies Can Instil Greater Work-Life Balance Within Their Organisation
| 21 December 2009
It just seems that companies have got the whole work life balance out of sync. For some reason you have designed it so that your career obligations (and time required at work) peak during the most important time of your young families life. Then when your children are grown up and have left the house you are then encouraged to reduce your workload and retire.
Do you want to have a top executive or vice presented that is stressed to his eyeballs, unhealthy with a separated spouse and children that never knew them? You can't expect sound judgement and decision making from someone in this position.
How much will their errors in judgement cost your business?
Do you want to be footing the bill for the exponential growth in cost of healthcare for your stressed out and overwhelmed workers.
Well a fundamental shift in how you employ and assign roles and responsibilities in your organization will be required.
Here is how a progressive company could instil the a healthy work life balance in their organization:
Fast Track Your Young Movers And Shakers.
Identify the talented workers in their twenties. Give the more demanding, time consuming and higher paid positions to the younger generation while they have the energy of youth to handle it. Let these younger executives be the ones who have to travel interstate and overseas for meetings and presentations and stay back late to complete deadlines.Have more senior and experienced staff to mentor them.
Provide Options For Your Young Parents To Reduce Their Time At Work
Encourage young parents from their mid to late thirties to reduce their hours so that they can have more of a life at home and have the time to develop a strong family unit and a healthy lifestyle. Provide training in wellness lifestyle programs to improve vitality and energy in your employees and reduce healthcare costs.
Provide Options For More Senior Staff To Expand Their Roles
When children have moved out of home to start their career or to go to college the parents have a lot more time on their hands. Take advantage of their experience by putting them in roles of high responsibility and strategic planning. Before expanding their roles and time requirements at work, ensure that they are following a wellness program that can support their health through these increased work demands.
With generation Yers, work life balance is of increasing importance in selection of jobs. An appropriate work life balance within any organization would improve productivity, attract talented employees, lower healthcare costs and save money on training from improved staff retention.
Have we Got This Whole Work- Life Balance Concept Out of Sync?
| 18 December 2009
On Saturday morning I took my children with me to visit a friend of mine who was turning 40 only to find that he wasn't home. He was at his son's athletics carnival. Since I hadn't seen him for a couple of months we decided to catch up with him there.
But who I met at the carnival wasn't the person I knew. He was red-faced, bloated and frazzled. The extra 15 pounds that he had put on over the last couple of months seemed to make him look 15 years older.
I have seen many patients come to me looking like this before and my health training had taught me the potential alarming consequences. To see these disturbing signs in my friend caused me to break short on my birthday greetings.
"Happy Birth... What's up? You look like a heart attack waiting to happen."
"Mate, I can't talk now. I'm up to my eyeballs with the kid’s sports and rehearsals and my work is piling up so much I'll have to spend half of tomorrow at work to catch up. Thanks for catching up. I'll get in touch when things calm down."
Why is it that so many people in their thirties and forties are so stretched to the limit that their bodies and minds are stretched close to breaking point? It just seems that we have got the whole work life balance out of sync. For some reason we have designed it so that your career obligations (and time required at work) peak during the most important time of your young families life. Then when your children are grown up and have left the house you are then encouraged to reduce your workload and retire. It's time for a new approach to a healthy Work Life Balance...
The Long-Term Effect of Sleep Deprivation
| 17 December 2009
In this world of continually wanting to do more and more in less time, rest is still regarded as a luxury or an interruption to the long list of daily to-dos. If you are not burning the midnight oil trying to beat a deadline many other things can conspire against you in your quest for some elusive slumber. Snoring partners, restless children and your own mind that won't switch off generally ensure that you will join the masses of the sleep deprived.
Most of us are aware that we are less productive, less attentive and more stressed when we are tired. But when does sleep deprivation become really dangerous? Is there any long-term impact of sleep deprivation?
Should You Exercise When You Have A Cold Or Flu?
| 16 December 2009
You have just started on a fitness kick and you wake up one morning with what seems to be a really bad cold. You are coughing and sneezing, and it is hard to breathe. Should you work out? And if you do, should you push yourself as hard as ever or take it easy? Will exercise have no effect, or make you feel better or worse? It is a question, surprisingly enough, that stumps many health professionals but more seriously it often derails attempts of those trying to get into the habit of regularly exercising.
It turns out that two little-known studies that were published a decade ago in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise addressed this question. Results from the studies were so much in favor of exercise that the researchers themselves were surprised.
Why getting sick when you are on holidays may be a sign that you're getting healthier
| 14 December 2009
I use to end up coming home from holidays more exhausted than when I left. I used to get frustrated that my wife would just laze around doing nothing at our holiday destination. “We can just lay around when we are at home, so why do that on holidays,” I said as I tried to cram every day of my holidays with various activities. But one Easter my wife, Angela took me to her family’s beach shack in a sleepy seaside village. The first few days I nearly went out of my mind with boredom and I was at a loss to understand why this tiny country hideaway held such a special place in Angela’s heart.
On the fourth day I finally succumbed to the pedestrian pace of this quiet coastal nook. I went for long aimless walks along its pebbly shores looking at nothing in particular. During the afternoon I began to feel tired so defying my feelings of guilt that I should be productive in some way, I indulged myself in a 2-hour afternoon nap. I have to admit, I didn’t feel very refreshed upon waking so an early night to bed soon followed.
The following day, I woke to a continued feeling of fatigue despite a 10-hour sleep. As the day went on, bouts of sneezing became more frequent as my sinuses became more congested. Great. I was coming down with a cold.
Should You Exercise When You Have A Cold Or Flu?
| 11 December 2009
You have just started on a fitness kick and you wake up one morning with what seems to be a really bad cold. You are coughing and sneezing, and it is hard to breathe.
Should you work out?
And if you do, should you push yourself as hard as ever or take it easy? Will exercise have no effect, or make you feel better or worse?
It is a question, surprisingly enough, that stumps many health professionals but more seriously it often derails attempts of those trying to get into the habit of regularly exercising.
It turns out that two little-known studies that were published a decade ago in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise addressed this question.Results from the studies were so much in favor of exercise that the researchers themselves were surprised.
Why diet products and sugar-free products can make you fat and stressed
| 10 December 2009
Sitting done at one of the beachside cafes I can´t resist looking at what other people eat. At the table next to me the waiter came out and politely asked what drinks they would like. "I´ll have a Coke. No you better make it a Diet Coke. I´ve got to start watching what I eat and drink, " she confessed to her friend and the waiter.
"Yeah, you better make mine a Diet one as well," added her friend with a touch of guilt.
Many of us are opting for various diet products and artificial sweeteners because we think that they are a healthier alternative for a snack or treat. It definitely is beneficial to reduce the amount of processed sugar in your diet; however concern is mounting over the side effects from these artificial sweeteners. They may be doing you more harm than good.
Smoking Doesn't Help You To Relax
| 09 December 2009
With a lot of legislation starting to restrict smoking in or around the workplace, smokers are beginning to feel ostracized around the workplace. Many claim that smoking helps them relax at work bringing rise to greater productivity. But if you analyze what goes on during a typical cigarette break you will soon discover that it is not the cigarette that makes smokers feel more relaxed…Improving Your Coordination and Brain Function
| 26 November 2009
There are indications that major nervous system development and organisation occurs during your first five years of life and that any impairment during this period will dramatically affect this development and lead to reduced coordination.
In the early months of life your movement is unilateral or ‘same sided’. That is, the arm and leg on the same side of the body extend and flex together to create movement, so that when your right arm moves forward so does your right leg. At about six months of age you develop a cross crawl pattern where the opposite arm and leg flex and extend together. So that when your right arm moves forward your left leg does. This cross crawl pattern is correct coordination and you will use this for the rest of your life unless it becomes impaired.
It is estimated that 25% of the population have a cross crawl problem.
As well as cross crawling, at about three years of age you develop cortical hemispheric dominance. That is, one side of the body becomes the dominant, controlling side. This dominance usually begins with your left or right hand preference, followed by eye, foot and ear dominance. This dominance is unique to humans and is fully developed by five to eight years of age. This dominance is part of correct development of the nervous system and should not be interfered with.
There can be a tendency for adults to over-encourage children to crawl, walk and self-feed too early. This can cause poor development of the nervous system which is so necessary for the later development of motor coordination. All children develop at different rates and need to be allowed to progress through developmental stages without interference.
One school of thought suggests that children who crawl the longest suffer the least coordination problems, and children who crawl for only a short period experience more problems. Child-walkers may reduce the crawling time of many children and thus cross crawling may not be properly developed.
Adults may also have impaired coordination. You may have progressed through your developmental stages into adulthood and not be aware that your coordination tends toward same sided coordination. You may feel as though you walk, run and perform other activities correctly, however, when given directions such as being told to turn left you may turn right and when asked to lie on your back you may lie on your front. Doing exercises such as star jumps and breastroke swimming confuse your nervous system and reduce your coordination capabilities, to such an extent that you can become same sided in your coordination. This then impairs your activities whether it be at home, in the office or playing sport.
But how can having same-sided coordination impair performance in the office? As we know the right hand side of the brain predominantly controls creativity and the left hand side of the body whilst the left hemisphere of the brain controls logic and the right hand side of the body. If we have same-sided cordination, it can indicate that we are using one side of the brain at a time. In the office you may be able to think logically or creatively but you may have trouble thinking logically and creatively at the same time.
Coordination exercises can not only improve your coordination. They can help encourage your brain to think logically and creatively at the same time.
How to Test If You Have a Coordination Problem and How to Correct It
Correction and maintenance of correct coordination is simply by exercises which encourage cross crawl patterns. Here are three different exercises for a couple of minutes, twice a day to improve your coordination and brain function.
1. Marching on the spot raising one arm and the opposite knee simultaneously. (Try hitting your knee with the opposite hand)
2.Punching the air while raising the opposite knee.
3.Lying on your back, raise your arm and opposite leg simultaneously.(Keep your head still and have your eyes follow your raising arm)
Pay Attention To How You Eat…It’s As Important As What You Eat
| 26 November 2009
Many of our meals today are eaten on the run as we try to multi-task in the belief that we are getting more out of our day. Many benefits of the nutritious meals that we eat on the go are wasted because of one fact that busy people tend to ignore...
… We are not what we eat. We are what we absorb from what we eat.
Before you start to slam-dunk a tuna and salad sandwich down your throat while running around like a chicken with its head cut off, please consider this:
Is Technology Twittering Away Your Time and Work Life Balance?
| 26 November 2009
I have to admit, I am not the most technologically savvy of people in the world but at the same time I am not scared of using new technology. A lot of technological advances like mobile phones, I phones and Blackberries can greatly improve our productivity and work life balance but some applications in this time-poor society like texting, emailing and twittering seem to be adding to our workloads and dampening our productivity.
I recently referred to a local business organisation regarding a certain project. When the intended contact person wasn’t there I tried to arrange a suitable time to call back or at least, a time when they could return my call.
“It would be better if you emailed her about your proposal and then she will get back to you in due course,” insisted the secretary. I began to realise that many people and businesses prefer email contact rather than having an actual conversation with a person. Many say that it is more time-efficient and helps with business focus and productivity but does it really improve productivity?
I can certainly see how email is good for quick documentation of any agreements and is great for communicating to many people at a time. What I do have an issue with is when we communicate by default behind the cloak of technology when an actual conversation with someone could moves things forward more effectively. Technology gives us efficiency but does it really provide in effectiveness in creating outcomes? For example, in the situation I previously mentioned if the secretary took my number and said that the person will call me sometime tomorrow or later on in the day. I would have given her specific times when I would be free to take the call. Then a two minute conversation would have confirmed whether that organisation was interested in my project or not.
Physical Affection At Home Help Lower Stress Levels at Work
| 21 November 2009
Many businesses place great emphasis on trying to deal with workplace stress. The challenge is that many employees and bosses sometimes have trouble in leaving their outside problems at the door when they arrive at work. It is often these outside stresses and frustrations that end up creating stress at work. It is also true that things you do outside of work can also help you better manage work stress.We have always joked how uptight bossed are in desperate need of a good roll in the hay but now Swiss research is proving that physical intimacy at home can drastically reduce your stress levels at work...
The Key to Effective Decision Making In Business and In Life
| 21 November 2009
For most of her pregnancy my wife, Angela felt glowing and radiant. When I met her after work one day she was not her assured self. In fact she was a bit upset. She had just got some blood test results back from her doctor and there was some concerning news.
"They have picked the presence of a certain bacteria which, if passed on to the baby during the birth process can be fatal for our baby," she explained. There is something about hearing the word 'fatal' in the same sentence as "our baby" that hits you hard in the stomach.
"What do they say to do?" I asked.
"They say that both myself and the baby have to be on IV antibiotics for the following three days and we probably won't be able to have a natural birth," she explained getting more and more upset.
We could have just accepted the doctor's decision as final but both of us had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right about this situation.
"Let's not make a decision when we're feeling upset." I suggested." Let's calm down, collect some facts and then make a decision. Okay?" Angela nodded her head in approval and sighed with relief that this decision didn't have to be made immediately.
Letting Angela rest, I went for a walk to clear my head. With a calm head on my shoulders I returned to my office and made a few phone calls, sent a few emails and spent a couple of hours online researching the topic. What we discovered was that there was a simple test that could be conducted immediately after the birth that could determine if the baby was infected with the bacteria. So rather than pumping drugs into my wife and newborn baby as a precaution it made better sense for us to first test to see if it was needed. We felt happy with this approach.
When we suggested this to the specialist he agreed that this would be a satisfactory way to address these concerns although it departed from the routine hospital protocol. As it turned out, all tests conducted on our newborn son Daniel came back completely clear so no medication was required.
You may be wondering what my wife's pregnancy has to do with making business decisions?
How To Attract Miracles Into Your Personal and Business Life
| 21 November 2009
It was one of those days that occasionally happens when I am sure that I had a sign stapled to my back saying, ‘If you want a safe place to release your emotions, please come and see me now.’ I don’t know if it is because I had experienced a near nervous breakdown that people feel that I can relate to their emotional upheavals more than the average health professional.
Whatever the reason, June was the third person this morning who felt the urge to release the stress and angst that had been building up in their lives. However for June it was becoming a regular pattern to come in and tell me about everything that had been going wrong in her life. While June was composing herself I said, “Watch out for the miracle that will happen to you later this week.”
Get Injured Workers Back To Work Quicker By Avoiding This Mistake
| 21 November 2009
If you had any doubt about how much pain can suck the energy right out of you, you only needed to look at Graham. At the age of 39, he was bent over in agony and shuffling along like an old man. Even his face was wrinkled from the continual wincing in pain. I helped him to lie face down on the table so I could examine his inflamed lower back. As I felt his inflamed lower back I exclaimed "Oh no!" in exasperation. I had realised that he had committed one of the cardinal sins that often prolongs pain and recovery.Does your metabolism slow down as you age?
| 21 November 2009
Expanding waistlines are making a serious dent in business bottom lines in terms of time lost due to increased levels of illness and injury. As many executives move into their 40s and beyond, they attribute their bulging waistlines to be an inevitable part of ageing.But is age responsible for our declining energy and expanding waistlines or is it just a convenient excuse that hides a decline in our lifestyle habits?
Here is what the research says...You may want to reconsider what causes the flu
| 06 November 2009
I was recently reading Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews which is the official review journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. It was an article about the effects of exercise on the incidence of respiratory tract infections that caught my attention. It wasn’t that they concluded that mild to moderate exercise seemed to improve immunity against infections that surprised me. It was a particular study (1) that should have us all question how governments, businesses and individuals are responding to the flu. This is particularly relevant considering the recent hysteria surrounding the swine flu....
Feeling overloaded at work? Learn how to say ‘no’ by saying ‘yes’
| 03 November 2009
Having an enjoyable workplace and client base is a key to a well-run business, but for the sake of having a healthy work-life balance it is also important that the workload is evenly shared by the team. It is often the honest, reliable team member that everyone likes who often ends up being the one whose life is thrown out of balance by work overload.
Although the blame is regularly laid at the feet of over-demanding bosses, the workers who take on the extra duties are equally at fault.
Despite knowing that it is impossible to please others all the time, our desire to be liked and accepted by our peers is so great that many of us burn ourselves out trying to help others.
‘I have to admit I’m my own worst enemy,’ admitted Ruth, an overworked financial analyst for a top mutual fund. ‘When someone asks for help, I just don’t know how to say no and now I am taking on more than I can handle.’
It’s a scenario that is played out in virtually every small or large corporation and household in the country. Wanting to help others is an admirable trait but it inevitably leads to the ‘helper’ suffering from burnout and resentment.
So what do you do if a workmate or friend comes to you asking for help and you are fully engaged in important work of your own?
How to stop workplace bullying ... And it has nothing to do with the bully
| 02 November 2009
In my younger years of running a business I was very driven and passionate about my work. Some would say that I was rather intense. Now when I required something from another team member urgently my demeanour was rather direct. Although it was not my intention, I found out later from others that my directness and tone was sometimes being perceived as aggressive or intimidating. It wasn’t that they communicated that to me. They were too scared to let me know their feelings in person.
One day, when I was feeling frustrated about the lack of progress of one particular project I voiced my frustrations to my secretary, Heather. At our team meeting the following day, Heather brought up something changed the way I dealt with fellow staff members forever.
How your diet may be causing a lot of your aches and pains
| 01 November 2009
Robert came into my office in intense pain. “I had just been doing a bit of painting the day before and I woke up this morning and could hardly move. My back is killing me.”
“Have you had this before,” I asked.
“Oh, yes,” he replied in a rather matter-of-fact manner. “I seem to have a very sensitive body. This seems to happen every couple of months. Nothing much has to happen to trigger it. If it’s not my back, next time it could be my shoulder or knee.”
Apart from the obvious physical signs I found in his examination, his medical history gave me an indication as to why his body was so sensitive to recurrent aches and pains… He had a history of asthma.
Now many of you may ask why is a history of asthma an indication of why his body is so sensitive to aches and pains.
It is because like aches and pains, asthma is an inflammatory condition. If you have more than inflammatory condition it could mean that you have a pro-inflammatory diet … a diet that encourages inflammation.
Here is a list of other inflammatory conditions that could indicate that you have a pro- inflammatory diet:
Antioxidant supplementation can delay recovery from muscle damage
| 01 November 2009
After the initial euphoria of finishing my first marathon my fatigued legs began to let me know what they thought of being put through such an ordeal. Walking more like one of the characters from the Muppets, I gingerly made my way to a nearby public pool where I spent the next hour wading in water to help my aching muscles recover. Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health and is a vital component to an energetic and productive lifestyle. But exercise can also cause some harm your body. It can cause muscle damage, fatigue and inflammation. In fact, if not properly managed, exercise can become a form of stress.
Research shows that the more exercise you do, the better your body becomes at minimizing any harmful effects from exercise. Every health professional, elite athlete and weekend warrior has their ideas on what can help your body cope with these rigours of exercise. One commonly prescribed suggestion was to supplement your diet with antioxidants. The thinking was since antioxidants in your blood are a key component to repairing damage in your body, then surely if you flood your body with even more antioxidants, then it should assist in this repairing process.
Researchers at the University of Porto in Portugal1 decided to see if antioxidant supplementation can assist in the recovery of aching muscles. They researched 20 athletes (14 men and 6 women) from the national kayaking and canoeing teams. These elite athletes were engaged in a controlled competitive period of training for the European Championships.
Work stress, anxiety and depression aren’t caused by a lack of Prozac
| 30 October 2009
Many businesses and workers are being put under even greater strain as they try to cope with the ever-increasing rate of worker absenteeism or poor work performance due to “work-related stress”. In addition, the effects of stress, anxiety and depression in the home are stretching many families and relationships beyond breaking point. But are we dealing with stress, depression and anxiety the right way? Or are we just covering up the symptoms of stress with a chemical straight jacket while ignoring the cause.
If you think about it, does it make sense that you or I are stressed because of a lack of Prozac in my bloodstream? Then why do we continually get prescribed pills to deal with stress?
I have been confused why the mental health experts and support groups are at pains to convince us that anxiety and depression are diseases. They say that anxiety and depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain giving us an inability to feel happy.
Many doctors continue to blindly hand out these so-called happy pills despite a major recent study that demonstrates that anti-depressant medications have no significant effect...
Why exercising in moderation is bad for your health
| 13 October 2009
A refreshing cooling breeze and some late afternoon cloud cover over Mooloolaba beach provided an ideal climate and location for exercise. Judging by the numbers of people on the beach in their exercise gear, I wasn’t alone in thinking it was the perfect time for exercise.
As I began my run I soon realized that over 95% of people who thought they were exercising on the beach were not actually exercising. Technically they were moving (they were walking) but to me exercising is when you engage in physical activity with enough intensity and for long enough so that it improves your physical fitness.
When your time is limited as is generally the case with most working families today, you want to ensure that your time spent on exercising is going to give you the best reward for effort. Unfortunately, new research is showing that by following the current exercise recommendations you will miss out on many of the health benefits that you can get from exercise.
The study published in the October 2008 edition of The Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine1 by Dr. Paul Williams is highlighting the accumulating evidence that important health benefits accrue at greater exercise doses and greater exercise intensities than currently recommended.
How your family relationships can lead to a successful career
| 06 October 2009
Many people have had their theories about what attributes are required to have a successful and rewarding career. Some say you need to have a high IQ. Others say that great communication and leadership skills are the keys while others think that coming from a wealthy family gives you a significant advantage in the business world. However a study that followed 268 Harvard students over a 70 year showed that the most significant factor to positively influence your career actually had little to do with what you did at work...
The strongest predictor for an effective and rewarding career was found to be having and maintaining close relationships, especially with your family.
These factors were found to dramatically improve your chance of future career success:
Pigs can fly and now they kill ... the return of the fear mongers
| 05 October 2009
Ask any marketing executive why companies rush to have their products associated with gorgeous models and sexy movie stars and they would probably reply, “Sex sells.” If you look at the recent machinations behind the recent Swine Flu outbreak the advertising executives new mantra may become “Fear sells even better.”
Within two days following news of the outbreak, Biota, the Australian company that developed the anti-viral drug, Relenza, has seen its share value rise around 80%. Rather than accurately presenting the facts, the media hysteria behind the Swine Flu is more like a promotion for the first two instalments of The Attack of the Killer Flu trilogy. The original episode was SARS which was followed by the Bird Flu.
One of the original sequels that capitalised on the emotion of fear was the movie, Jaws. In fact, many of the underwater scenes were filmed at a place called Dangerous Reef, near my home town of Port Lincoln. I remember as a youngster, seeing the actual manikin and shark cage they used in the film. Both the manikin and the shark cage were half the normal size in order to make the 12 foot white pointer sharks look as though they were twice the size. Media outlets are using similar tricks to sensationalize and magnify feelings of fear throughout the community.
This climate of fear may well result in improved ratings, improved share prices of drug companies, as well as improved newspaper and magazine sales but it also helps the spread of such conditions. If you want to experience an emotion that helps to drastically lower your immunity, try living in fear.
Work Life Balance: the key to a sustainable business and a sustainable life
| 05 October 2009
As requested by the school principal, I left a pile of work life balance surveys with the school receptionist. Glancing briefly at the surveys she returned gaze above the rim of her glasses. “So is work life balance really attainable?” she asked with more than a hint of cynicism in her voice.
“I suppose it depends what your definition of work life balance is. Do you think work life balance is attainable?” I asked.
“No I don’t believe in work life balance,” she declared defiantly.
“So you don’t believe that your present work, financial situation, family and social relationships or your level of health is sustainable?” I replied. She fidgeted uncomfortably in an awkward silence.
“You see, your work life balance is simply a measure of how sustainable your current lifestyle and business practices are.”
A healthy work life balance is a lifestyle where your habits and actions result in the sustainable growth and development of your health, wealth, business/career, family relationships, social relationships and fulfilment and enjoyment of your life. When your habits and actions at work or at home do not have a work life balance then something in your life will give and breakdown.
What part of your health has the biggest impact on your quality of life?
| 01 October 2009
We all hear debates about the relevance and plausibility of a healthy work life balance. What we are really calling out for is how we can improve our quality of life both at work and at home. But to address this we first need to understand what actually has the greatest impact on our quality of life.
In 2002 the South Australian Department of Health surveyed 3012 South Australians to measure their health status and to ascertain what particular areas of health most affect your quality of life. The surveyed measured participants’:
- Physical capacity to perform all activities in life
- Physical capacity to perform work or other daily activities
- Amount of bodily pain they experience
- General health
- Amount of energy that they have
- Amount of interference to social activities due to emotional or physical problems
- Problems with work or other activities due to emotional problems
- Mental health
Their findings showed energy levels and fatigue significantly had the single greatest adverse impact on quality of life in comparison to the seven other surveyed factors. In fact, energy and fatigue created a 15 % greater adverse impact on the quality of life than the average of all other aspects of life.
Fatigue is a condition that very few of us seek professional help about it because a lack of energy, by itself, is not fatal. Meanwhile the impact fatigue has on our quality of life goes on unabated. Poor productivity, poor communication, errors of judgment and skill have the capacity to drain profits and bring companies to their knees. Add to that the impact that fatigue has on moods and relationships and you can see that the fabric of families is continually under strain from the scourge of poor energy levels.
What we fail to understand is that the lifestyle factors that cause the vast majority of cases of fatigue, if continued, can go on and contribute to the development of the most common life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Unfortunately, when we do try to address our lack of energy by ourselves, we tend not to address the direct causes of the fatigue such as managing emotional stress, trying to fit too much in, lack of exercise, lack of rest and various other aspects of the modern, on-the-go lifestyle. Instead we opt for the over-consumption and abuse and reliance of certain foods and drinks that give us a short-term energy boost.
Fast food outlets and supermarket aisles are literally bursting with processed, caffeinated, sugar-laden fast foods and drinks that are high in fat which at best should be consumed as an occasional treat. The soaring obesity and diabetes epidemic in the Western world highlights the sheer magnitude of the abuse and dependence that we have placed on these fatty and sugary fast foods… and now we can see the real cost of it as a society.
So what can you do to regain some energy and vitality so you can improve your quality of life?
But more importantly how can you do this without greatly disrupting your current business and family roles and responsibilities?
There is a way…
Having personally been through my own burnout, I’m not going to ask you to put your life and business on hold to get your health back in shape. I was able to regain my youthful energy and exuberance while managing to run two businesses, keeping up with my investing activities and helping bring three beautiful children into the world. I’ve put together a manual on how you can keep up with your responsibilities at work and at home without running yourself into the ground...
It’s called From Burnout to Balance in 4 Weeks: The Business Health Program to Boost Morale and Performance.
I have road tested these strategies personally and I have spent the last ten years road testing them with my patients. Through this process I have been able to save you lots of time by eliminating the complex, the arduous and the time-consuming lifestyle changes that many out-of-touch health professionals recommend. Most of you don’t have the time or resources to become triathlete, Dalai Lama versions of Donald Trump in order to improve your health, productivity and stress management in the workplace.
Many different aspects of your lives can affect your health, stress and productivity levels so typical approaches that recommend wholesale changes to certain areas like diet, positive thinking or exercise are too radical and time-consuming to be effective in a busy modern world. On the other hand this approach uses the benefit of synergy by recommending small changes to the 14 key lifestyle areas over a 28-day period that have the greatest influence to your health, morale and productivity.
They are:
- Emotional/Stress Management
- Rest & Relaxation
- Goal Setting and Planning
- Exercise
- Injury Prevention & Pain Management
- Handling Colds & Flus
- Nutrition
- Supplementation
- Pressure Points & Kinesiology
- Sex
- Home & Family Relationships
- Work Environment
- Time Management
- Work Life Balance
It is easy to fit these minor “lifestyle tweaks” into a busy life that, when combined, make an amazing difference to your health and productivity levels.
Let’s face it, you don’t have a lot of spare time on your hands but if you are willing to change the way you do a few things I can help you turn your chronic exhaustion into chronic energy. You may even end up having a bit of spare time up your sleeve.
Imagine the difference to your business if all the employees were able to experience a greater energy, enjoyment and stress relief. Think of the reduced levels of sick leave and improved productivity levels that would result. Not only will the health of you and your work colleagues profit but your company will profit too.
To order your copy of From Burnout to Balance in Four Weeks click here.
The mid-life crisis is really a work-life crisis
| 01 October 2009
On Saturday morning I took my children with me to visit a friend of mine who was turning 40 only to find that he wasn’t home. He was at his son’s athletics carnival. Since I hadn’t seen him for a couple of months we decided to catch up with him there.
But who I met at the carnival there wasn’t the person I knew. He was red-faced, bloated and frazzled. The extra 15 pounds that he had put on over the last couple of months seemed to make him look 15 years older.
I have seen many patients come to me looking like this before and my health training had taught me the potential alarming consequences. To see these disturbing signs in my friend caused me to break short on my birthday greetings.
“Happy Birth… . What’s up? You look like a heart attack waiting to happen.”
“Mate, I can’t talk now. I’m up to my eyeballs with the kids’ sports and rehearsals and my work is piling up so much I’ll have to spend half of tomorrow at work to catch up. Thanks for catching up. I’ll get in touch when things calm down.”
Why is it that so many people in there thirties and forties are so stretched to the limit that their bodies and minds are stretched close to breaking point? It just seems that we have got the whole work life balance out of sync. For some reason we have designed it so that your career obligations (and time required at work) peak during the most important time of your young families life. Then when your children are grown up and have left the house you are then encouraged to reduce your workload and retire. It is why I believe the mid-life crisis is more of a work-life crisis.
Just let go and trust your instincts
| 17 September 2009
"Are you sure you want to do this mate?" I asked my 5 year old son Daniel as I removed his bikes training wheels."
"Yep" he replied without a moment’s hesitation.
"Did you want to wear any padding? We've got wrist pads, knee pads and elbow pads"
"Just the wrist and knee pads, thanks Daddy."
I strapped the protective pads on him as he put on his helmet.
"Let's go mate”, “I said as I wheeled him out of the garage. As we went down the embankment of our driveway I found myself clinging to Daniel's shirt.
"Let go, Daddy. Let go,"Daniel said calmly.
I let go and to my amazement Daniel went down the embankment and rode his bike up the street for about thirty metres letting out a "Woo Hoo!" in delight. After dropping his bike and falling on his feet while trying to negotiate a turn Daniel called out to me.
"Are you alright champ?" I asked.
“Yeah. Dad, can you take this?" he replied, ripping off his knee pads and wrist pads. "These are hurting me. I can't ride properly with these on"
He proceeded to jump back onto his bike and ride around for the next twenty minutes.
As I watched him I realized that I learn so much from watching my children. Today I learnt to be more like a child. I learnt that like Daniel’s wrist and knee pads we can become so preoccupied trying not to get hurt or not to make a mistake that it can interfere with what we want to do. How many times in your life have you be frozen in fear? Afraid to take action because you were afraid of making a mistake.
The solution? ...
How you can get through you working day with limited sleep
| 16 September 2009
Just how many of you actually regularly get the eight hours of sleep that they recommend?
And who are they? When did they recommend this? All I can say is that they probably weren't in full time employment and they definitely did not have young kids.
Take my last day for example ...
Goal setting with work life balance and purpose
| 08 September 2009
When you have been stressed, tired and overworked for so long, it is easy to rationalize that you have lost the ability to become inspired and you give up on the possibility of having any semblance of work life balance. It is also easy to start to give up doing the things that you used to like to do that put some spark back into your life just to prevent disappointment in case you don´t achieve your work and life goals. However, giving up on striving for things that bring you happiness in your life is a sure-fire way to diminish your spark.
People with ambition and purpose in their life have so much more energy because their purpose gives them a big enough reason to keep them motivated during times when they feel down. You have all heard stories of amazing acts of strength by ordinary people that have happened in emergency situations. This is because; in that emergency situation they created a big enough reason for their brain to instantly unlock energy reserves previously unavailable to them.
When you have some ambition or reason to get up each morning you brain will instantly unlock extra energy reserves that were previously unavailable to the uninspired you. The bigger the reason, the more energy will be available to you.
How do you tell if your health kick is effective?
| 01 September 2009
So many people begin improving their lifestyle in a bid to lose weight. They monitor their progress by the bathroom scales....That is a BIG mistake.
During the initial stages of my health kick my weight actually increased and that is a good sign.
Why?
Because it is showing that I am beginning to build muscle again and this will cause my metabolism to increase.
I can recall a patient called Rebecca who went from a size 18 to a size 16 dress size in a couple of weeks as the result of improving her nutrition, exercise and especially in her case through improving her water intake. She was ecstatic. That is until she went to a Weight Watchers class and she discovered that she had put on an extra two pounds.
Her response was to get angry, then frustrated and then she threw her hands up in the air saying, "I give up. Nothing seems to work for me."
Everything was working perfectly for her. It was just that she made the mistake of judging her progress by criteria that doesn't mean much at all. Let me clear, your weight is not an accurate indicator of your health.
What is a more reliable indicator of your progress?
The key to kicking unhealthy habits
| 17 August 2009
Con, a young property developer and his beautiful partner Simone recently came in for a routine check up. “Is there any areas of your lifestyle that you need help with?” I asked.
Con immediately turned to his partner. She strongly glared back at him. “Well?" Simone beckoned “Are you going to ask him or do I have to?” For a moment, there was a brief and awkward silence but Simone was determined to bring the issue up.
“Con needs help with giving up smoking,” she continued.
I looked at the somewhat reluctant-looking Con.
“I see that Simone wants you to quit smoking but the real question is: Do you want to give up smoking?” I asked.
“Well yeah,” he replied tentatively.
“Con, your mouth said yes but your body language suggested that you’re not yet convinced,” I pointed out.
“Look I used to enjoy a cigarette after my meal and when I have a drink but I know that it is not good for you and I should stop,” confessed Con as he finally began to open up.
“But do you want to stop smoking now?” I asked as I began looking at him intently for any body language signs that weren’t congruent with his words.
The key to happiness in the workplace: a Lesson from the happiest person In the world
| 11 August 2009
Happiness can be a real deal clincher. With very little often separating competing bids and tenders, the deciding factor often comes down to how pleasurable it has been in dealing with the people involved. But are people naturally happy or is it a skill that can be learnt? I learnt the answer from who I regard as the "happiest person in the world" and the answer might have you reassess how and who you hire.
A couple of years ago I was fortunate to help out at a health centre where I was reunited with a former work colleague of mine. Berni worked with me for three years before she moved to Queensland's Gold Coast with her husband. In all my years of working with Berni, she always had a smile on her face and a happy outgoing disposition. I have known Berni for over 15 years now and I can't ever recall a frown or a phrase uttered in a negative tone coming from Berni. She wasn't one of those fake, Pollyanna types who weren't connected with reality. Berni was genuinely caring and loving in her character and she was always happy. Berni would win my vote for the happiest person in the world and now I know why she is so happy.
“Shift Lag” … Minimizing the effect of nightshifts
| 06 August 2009
Doctors, nurses, paramedics, police, firemen, truck drivers, pilots, miners, bakers, computer programmers, waiters, gas station attendants, journalists, and cleaners…the list is endless. Our everyday life that we take for granted is underpinned by the tireless efforts of a whole nocturnal society of workers who work the graveyard or nightshift. Having to spend the majority of your waking life under the cover of darkness not only takes its toll mentally and emotionally but also places a heavy physical toll on your body.
Research shows that people working the nightshift have an increased risk of sleep disorders, heart and digestive problems1, 2. In addition studies have shown that shift work leads to poorer concentration, impaired judgment dramatically lowering the efficiency and dramatically increasing the risk of accidents and injuries3.
Let’s face it, there isn’t a way to completely eliminate the energy-sapping effects of nightshifts (shift-lag) but there are many options to help you cope better and minimize your risk of accidents or injuries. The key is to try to keep the order of your routine similar to someone working during the day. The only difference is that your routine starts at a different time of day. Try some of these approaches to minimize your "shift lag"...
Walking Barefoot Over Hot Coals: a lesson in emotional management
| 04 August 2009
The beat of African jungle drums were blaring from the set of giant loudspeakers. You could feel the pulse of the music reverberating against my whole body causing my own pulse to rise in anticipation. I was apart of a group of about 1000 keen and not-so-keen participants who were being lead outside in to the early Hawaiian evening. A large full moon, showing itself above the shadow of the palm trees just seemed to add to the primal nature of what we were about to put ourselves through. We were about to face a 50 feet fire walk and my senses were alive to the extreme.
The group were corralled to a large grassy area at the front of the hotel. Expecting to see the faint glow of hot coals, we were introduced to a large bonfire spitting 12 foot high flames into the clear evening sky. It was as if it was trying deliberately trying to display its strength and power in an effort to scare us into backing out. I have to admit, it was a bit intimidating at first but no-one wanted to be the first to back out. “Welcome to the fire walk experience,” announced the lead instructor. “In just over one hour you will be walking over 50 feet over red hot coals from this fire.”
After the initial hoots of enthusiasm and bravado, we returned to the conference hall where it was down to the serious business of learning the proper technique to walk safely over hot coals...
Two vital words for reducing stress in your life
| 01 August 2009
Have you ever experienced the joy of watching a child crawl or walk for the first time? How did it feel? Can you remember the look of sheer delight on their faces?
Although it was about eight years ago, It seems like yesterday when I first saw Aleisha (our first child) learn to crawl for the first time. My wife, Angela brought Aleisha with her to visit me while I was coordinating the health support program for about 500 budding entrepreneurs at a 5 day "Billionaire In Training" workshop at the Hyatt Regency in Coolum, Queensland.
I can still recall that I had a short lunch break and met them at my hotel room. Angela came in at put Aleisha down on the floor. Aleisha saw me and her face exploded with delight. She took off crawling at high speed straight towards me. Tears welled in my eyes as Aleisha came crawling over to me emanating this half giggling, half puffing sound. For the next half an hour we spent on the practice putting green at the resort golf course as I rolled golf balls around watching Aleisha chase them.
Why am I mentioning this? It's to remind us of two words vital for reducing stress in our lives…
Rubbing yourself the right way: the pressure points to rub that can help you manage stress
| 30 July 2009
“You’ve been burning the candle at both ends, haven’t you?” I asked after performing a muscle test as I put my hand on a pressure point.
“I had a few big nights with work Christmas parties. How do you know?” Graham queried, thinking that he was pretty good about keeping his problems to himself.
“The muscle tests I did indicate that you’re exhausted,” I replied. “The pressure point for the adrenal gland was active indicating that you are worn out. Have you heard of adrenaline, your get up and go chemical?”
“Yep.”
“Well, adrenaline is produced by your adrenal gland. Your adrenal gland also helps with the production of your own natural anti-inflammatory hormones and other chemicals that help with your immunity. The problem is that because you have been so stressed is that your adrenal gland has been so busy making adrenaline that it is worn out. As a result you can’t produce the required amount of your anti inflammatory and immune boosting chemicals.
When you are like this you have a reduced capacity to handle different stresses. It is like you are walking around covered with petrol. One spark and up you’ll go. ”
“What can I do?” Graham asked.
“Rest,” I replied.
Like most overworked and overstressed people do, Graham scoffed immediately at the suggestion.
If you rest for a while when you are feeling stressed, it is easy for you to get back to normal. But if you don’t rest and you continue to burn the candle at both ends you run the risk of your body telling you to rest. And my 18 years of clinical experience has shown me that the most common way that your body tells you to slow down is by giving you a big injury or a big illness.
Most people under stress acknowledge that they need to rest but circumstances at work or at home can often lead us to believe that the opportunity to really rest is just not practical for the immediate future. So in these situations is there anything is there anything else that you can do to help you manage the stress a bit better?
Reducing workplace stress and conflict and boosting profits at the same time
| 30 July 2009
I recently had troubles with my computer so I arranged for a local computer technical support company to come out and fix the problem.
“We’ll see you at 11.00 tomorrow,” the company confirmed. “How long should I allow for this?” I asked so I could most effectively plan around this inconvenience.
“Problems like these can take anywhere from a half an hour to two hours to fix,” they replied. I looked at my diary for tomorrow and made a few phone calls to reschedule things. I was pleased with the outcome and had a productive day ahead of me despite the computer glitch.
When 11 am arrived and the technical support person hadn’t arrived, I reminded myself to be patient and reassured myself that they would be here soon. By the time 11.20 came around I called the company to find out where their representative was.
“Oh, he must be caught up at a previous job,” said his work colleague.” I’ll call him to find out where he is and I’ll get back to you immediately.”
15 minutes went by and I still hadn’t heard from the company so I called again.
“Uh, sorry. I was just going to call you,” he said with embarrassment.” Yeah right, “I thought to myself. “They don’t really care about all the important things that I am still to do.”
“I have just heard back from him and he said that he can be at your place by 12.30,” the company representative said.
“OK,” I said with begrudging annoyance. My computer was needed for many of my afternoon tasks so I then had to reschedule my afternoon yet again.
When the computer guy arrived, he said “Sorry I’m late,” as he then indulged me in some story outlining all the reasons why he was late. In essence he was trying to put the responsibility for his lateness onto someone else. I didn’t buy it.
The computer guy did a good enough job on the computer at a reasonable price but it also cost me 90 minutes of unproductive time. It could also cost the company a chance of doing future business with me.
So many companies make the mistake of trying to make the claim of "great customer service" as their unique point of difference yet they don’t even deliver the basic service of doing what they say. Simply keeping your word with your customers when you have an appointment or deliver will help alleviate a lot of the stress and antagonism from customers and will certainly help to retain customers.
In these more challenging economic times the old adage, "Time is money," is more relevant than ever. When you are reliable in keeping your word, you are saving your customers time and money and they will support your business because of that. Keeping your word develops one of the most valuable business commodities: integrity.
Many of you may be in business where circumstances and events that are outside of your control can interfere with your capacity to honour commitments that you have made. You can still develop great integrity and prevent a lot of consumer stress by following these two guidelines:
The no stress way to resolving conflict in the workplace
| 29 July 2009
I was recently visiting a friend when the phone rang. A brief but terse conversation ensued before John abruptly finished the phone call with “I’ll see you in court.”
“What was that about?” I asked, noticing that John was quite unsettled.
“We had some cupboards installed for $8000. We were issued with a quote for $8000 and we paid it. He says that we owe him $850 for delivery and installation. That was their collection agency threatening to take us to court.”
“What did it say on your quote?”
Showing me the quote, John points to the area marked delivery fees. “See, there it says “Delivery fee - As requested”. We thought that meant that they will deliver it to us as we requested. If we knew that there was and extra $850 charge for delivery and installation, we would have chosen a different company. We are not going to let ourselves be ripped off by a crook.”
“What is the company’s opinion?” I asked.
“They say that their quote was given according to guidelines outlined by their industry body and that we need to pay up or they’ll take us to court,” John replied.
“So really this conflict comes down to confusion to the meaning of what “as requested” means in the original quote?”
“Yes.”
“So you are going to get a lawyer and spend a day in court over a simple misunderstanding?” I asked.
“It is a matter of principle.”
“Is it worth the time, the expense, the stress and the lost nights sleep to try to prove that you’re right?”
There was a pregnant pause as John contemplated the real impact of this argument in his recent quality of life. “What do you propose?” he asked.
“You know how I use to work at many Judo tournaments over the years? Well, there was this one smaller competitor who could consistently flip his larger opponents with relative ease. I asked him how he managed to do it.
He said that the key is not to push against them. You don’t get anywhere like that. You must align yourself with their force. You need to pull when they push so you are both going in the same direction. When you are both going in the same direction the contest is virtually over.
It is a very similar concept to resolving potential conflict. Whether it is with a customer or with a colleague, a conflict can only continue for as long as you push against the other person’s opinion. Once you align yourself with the other person’s point of view that you can resolve the conflict.”
“So how do we put it into practice in this instance?” asked John.
Whether it is with a work colleague or with a customer, there is a 4 step process to resolving most conflicts...
How to have as much energy as a five year-old
| 28 July 2009
When you are busy running a couple of businesses and you also are married with three energetic children under eight years of age it is easy for us to become dependent on caffeine or just collapse on the sofa when you get home. Being a health expert over the last 17 years I am continually amazed by the onerous and out-dated health recommendations decreed by out of touch but well-meaning health professionals.
Let’s list just a few...
To maintain our health, energy and vitality we are meant to:
- Sleep for a minimum of eight hours every day (they obviously don't have kids!)
- Have nine serves of fresh, organic, vine-ripened fruits and vegetables every day. (Do french fries count as potato?)
- Do thirty minutes of exercise every day
- Put some time aside for relaxation and reflection every day. (If only there was the time)
- You have to drink at least eight glasses of water a day (eight must be physicians favourite number)
- Some people say you need to eliminate all fats from your diet. Others say no you must get rid of sugars and carbs. Aren't you meant to have high carbs and low protein? Or is it high protein and low carbs? High fat or fat free? Seriously, apart from sex and money, nutrition and diets must be the most lied about subject in the world!
- Now you can't use your mobile phone (it causes cancer), you can't drink out of plastic bottles (cancer as well), you can't spend too much time in the sun (you guessed it...cancer again)
With such an endless list of to-do's, maintaining your health and vitality can be exhausting and not to mention confusing. As a health professional, I choose only to listen from experts in the health field that practice what they preach. If they are stronger, fitter, healthier than me I will readily get advice from them.
For this reason I chose to pick the brain of one of the most energetic people I know... my son Daniel. I remember when Daniel was five years old, Daniel and I spent the weekend in Brisbane staying with his grandparents where we had a 'Daniel Day'. The rules of this day were simple...we do whatever Daniel wants to do.
How a poor nights sleep is costing business billions
| 27 July 2009
During lunchtime conversation with her work colleagues Melanie appeared distracted and distant. She tried to feign her interest with the occasional nod of her head. Her head was clouded with fog when she realized that the conversation around her had stopped.
“So what do you think, Mel?”
Summoning all her powers of concentration, Mel suddenly jolted with fright at the realization of her three friends looking at her intently.
“Are you alright?” they asked.
“I’m sorry guys. I’m just exhausted. I had a terrible nights sleep and it’s been a struggle to keep my eyes open all day."
It’s an all too familiar scenario in the workplaces and homes today. With the increasing trend in Western life to cram more and more into each day, we are craving for more energy and more balance in our lives whilst, at the same time, also maintaining our productivity. However the major epidemic is that the majority of us simply do not have the time or the energy to do the things that we really want to do.
Today’s time-strapped lifestyle has turned most of our lives into a day-to-day struggle for survival before we crawl into bed exhausted at the end of the day. Fatigue is not only creating strains at home but the workplace is definitely feeling the pinch.
According to a recent study by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), fatigue is costing the workplace in the United States $136 billion dollars in health-related lost productivity. 39 % of the 29 000 US workers interviewed said that they had experienced “low levels of energy, poor sleep or a feeling of fatigue”.
Put life into your work and put work into your life
| 23 July 2009
We’ve all heard different work-life balance experts and commentators regurgitate the same old clichéd advice, “You should work to live and not live to work.” But when you think about it, it would have to be one of the more ridiculous statements bandied about the public arena.
Do these supposed work-life balance experts that parrot this idealistic mantra belief that the occupation that you choose should be a sidelight in your life? Is your work really some evil dastardly villain that steals all your time and the possibility of any joy or fulfillment outside its walls?
How your sex life can boost your energy
| 23 July 2009
It is the end of an exhausting day. You and your partner lay side by side in bed, your chest is heaving and groans and sighs begin to echo throughout your bedroom. The breathing becomes more rhythmical and the noises peak to a crescendo….of snoring.
It’s an all too common scenario these days. Couples worn out from demanding days are collapsing into bed with exhaustion when they could be enjoying a rollicking good time together in bed.
“What? Sex? You’ve got to be kidding.” I can hear many of you say. “At the end of the day I don’t have the energy for sex. I need sleep.”
Well let me get straight to the point …
If you are too tired for sex and you are sacrificing your sex life for a few extra minutes of sleep each night, it’s no wonder you are always tired!
Managing stress can be child’s play
| 22 July 2009
I love simple and practical solutions. In the health arena, there is a great and deliberate tendency by many to overcomplicate health issues. Yes it confuses the consumers encouraging them to accept the marketing hype as gospel. At the same time it gives many snake oil remedies an aura of being scientific.
When it comes to resolving stress, the solutions never seem simple. Most therapists suggest that you have to go back in detail and resolve all the issues from your childhood that are giving you stress now. Since my own near nervous breakdown 10 years ago I have researched all sorts of methods to reduce your stress levels.
I have walked barefoot over burning coals and broken glass. I have struggled to keep myself awake through many a boring lecture. I have devoured countless CDs, books and web pages in my pursuit of simple effective tools for reducing stress. But I have to admit, it is a bit like panning for gold. You have to sift through a lot of dirt to find a gem. And also you can strike it lucky at times when you least expect it. And I just did find a stress- reducing gem when I least expected it.
It was while I was reading a story to my son before he went to bed.
It was from a children's book called The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside. The story is about a young girl who begins worrying about things and eventually carried them around with her wherever she went.
The girl meets an old lady who wanted to help her. She encouraged the young girl to open her bag of worries but young girl was terribly frightened to because she was afraid of what might happen.
Here comes the great advice...
Does cracking your joints give you arthritis?
| 20 July 2009
Graham had been working solidly on his computer for hours and the tension building in his neck, shoulders and arms told him that it was time to have a break. He interlocks his fingers and stretches them forward causing his knuckles to ‘pop’ like bubble-wrap. He then tilted his head to one side. Grabbing the back of his head with one hand and pushing up on his chin with the heel of his other hand, he pushes somewhat violently until he hears a ‘crack’ of relief emanating from his neck. Right in the middle of his contortions one of his colleagues walks into his office.
“Ooh, that’s gross. You know you’ll get arthritis if you keep doing that to yourself,” she declared.
“Who cares?” replied Graham indignantly, “It feels so much better.”
With my background as a chiropractor, I have often been called upon to solve arguments between family, friends and work colleagues on this particular question:
“Does ‘cracking’ of the joints give you arthritis?”
But firstly, you may be wondering what actually causes the ‘cracking’ noise of the joints?
Are your friends a health risk? Are you a health risk to your friends?
| 15 July 2009
A few years back I caught up with a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen for about six months. When we met at a local cafe he gave me his traditional enthusiastic welcome. Then he stepped back for a moment and scanned me up and down and then patted me on the stomach, which was pressing the fabric of my shirt with a lot more force than it had in the past.
“What’s this? This isn’t like you. Come on and get back into it,” he said with his typically Australian frankness. “You’re in the health industry. You need to practice what you preach.”
I remember trying to mumble some lame justification but I new he was right. I had let myself go. It was the kick up the pants I needed. It was nice to have a former professional athlete as a friend who was willing to stand up for my health.
That night I went home, took off my shirt and had a good hard look at myself in the mirror.
Improve your work-life balance by improving your work-wife balance
| 13 July 2009
“When is this darn pain going to go away,” pleaded Lisa.
“According to the test results, the treatment seems to be going to plan. Let’s look at what lifestyle factors could be slowing your progress.” The furrowed brow and look of fatigue and despair on Lisa’s face gave me some clues as to what may be really going on.
Lisa seemed to know that I knew (or I was going to find out really soon). Before I began to ask her about her stress situation Lisa looked up trying to blink away the tears that were welling in her bloodshot eyes.
"What’s been going on at home?" I asked.
The floodgates of emotions opened up as she painted the bleak picture that many a stay-at-home Mom has been going through.
"I’m stuck at home with three young children and I hardly ever to get to see my husband. He’s working 14 hours a day 6-7 days a week. When he is home I get angry with him because he’s too worn out to help out with anything. But I’m worn out too. What about me? When do I get a chance to do something for me?"
When can you use heat packs and heat creams?
| 09 July 2009
“Let me be very clear about this. Do not ever use heat packs or heat cream as a treatment for injuries,” I declared.
As I anticipated a murmur of confusion, raised eyebrows and exchanges of glances bubbled throughout the hall. I had been invited by one of the clubs trainers to speak to a hundred of the best Australian Rules footballers in the district on injury management and prevention. To this day I am still surprised how so many people still use heat to treat injuries rather than using ice.
“For treatment of injuries you must you ice to reduce the inflammation. Heat increases inflammation. You don’t see any of the professional footy players that injure themselves with a heat pack strapped to them. They use ice.”
One of the senior players got up defiantly. “I have used heat creams before and they have helped me.”
“That is because you feel the heat instead of the pain. The heat masks the pain but can increase the underlying inflammation.”
“Do you suggest that we throw the heat creams out or is there anything that heat creams can be used for?”
Australia is the new heavyweight champion of the world
| 03 July 2009
After a long reign, the United States has finally lost its crown as the world's most obese country.
According to a recently released report the title of the fattest country in the world belongs to a nation renowned for sunshine and the bronzed athletic life guards. That's right, my home country of Australia is now ranked number one as the world's most obese nation.
The report, entitled Australia's Fat Bomb showed that 26% of adult Australians are now classified as obese. The United States maintains second position with a 25% obesity rate.
When this report came out I heard many Australians blaming the influence of American culture on our youth. The study highlights a different culprit...middle aged Australians. A staggering 70% of Australian men between the age of 45 and 64 are obese. Australian middle aged women didn't fare much better showing a 60% obesity rate.
In my opinion one of the major factors responsible for this obesity epidemic is the Aussie optimism. Aussies typically shrug off many worries by adopting a positive outlook."She'll be right mate," they would say. But positive thinking without positive action will give you positively nothing. Hopefully this news will jolt some Aussies into action.
If you think you need to take all the pills that the pharmaceutical industry say you should ... then you're already on drugs
| 02 July 2009
If You Think You Need to Take All the Pills That the Pharmaceutical Industry Say You Should...Then You're Already on Drugs
I am happy to say that I am not the pharmaceutical industry's biggest fan. Sure there are some times when medicines are helpful but the vast majority of medical conditions can be cured by you. Your body can produce most of the chemicals required to heal yourself provided you support it with an appropriate lifestyle changes such as exercise, nutrition, and developing new strategies of managing stress.
Rather than expressing anger and frustration at the pharmaceutical industry I like American talk show host, Bill Maher's approach...humor. You just have to check out this video of Bill talking about the pharmaceutical industry....It's hilarious, while making you think at the same time. Watch this segment from Bill Maher's show ...Workplace health and safety doesn't end at work
| 01 July 2009
I was recently talking to a representative from a major builder's union and I asked him, "What do you think is the major role of the union movement in today’s changing business environment."
“It to help support worker's conditions and in my industry in particular our main focus is to help workplace health and safety." he replied.
"Why is workplace health and safety so important to your members?" I asked.
“Most of our members have families to support and mortgages to pay off. If something happens to their health it affects the livelihood of their whole family."
I thought that it was great that the building industry was becoming more aware of the importance of their health and safety but something still didn't add up to me.
Corporate wellness programs
| 01 July 2009
Corporate wellness programs … Do they really improve employees health or are they just an attempt to be seen to be doing the right thing by their workers?
I was recently chatting to a human resource manager for a large power company. We were talking about the wellness program that was being incorporated into his firm.
“We are starting yearly health check ups for our staff,” he stated.
“Tell me, what do they test for in these physicals?” I asked.
“The routine blood pressure and blood tests. They test your sugar and cholesterol levels,” he replied. “We also are providing free flu shots and subsidizing gym memberships.”
Don’t get me wrong. It is important to get these tests done but screening for disease is hardly a wellness program.
Unfortunately programs like this promote wellness by name only. Wellness is not disease detection or providing some incentives to exercise. Nor is it providing a jab that, at best, offers questionable protection to the flu. Wellness is about being well. Wellness programs should be teaching people how to be well. Some programs involve a health professional teaching what people should do to be healthy such as stress less, eat better and exercise more.
Unfortunately, my experience has shown that outlining this conventional health program is simply not doable to the average working professional. The challenge is that most recommended health programs are hard to fit into an already busy life.
Why motherhood is the toughest job in the world
| 01 July 2009
Sometime it is better for us to laugh rather than get all worked up about a topic.
If any people out there were of the delusion that motherhood was not the toughest job in the world, then have a look at this very clever song on you tube. You may have seen it before. She has taken all a Mum says in 24 hours and condensed it into a song.
Mothers should stop putting their family first
| 01 July 2009
Why is it that most mothers only give themselves permission to relax on Mother's day? They appear happier and less stressed on this day and have a lot more energy.
Does it really take breakfast in bed, some flowers and some arts and crafts made by the kids to make mothers happy and relaxed? (I can hear many mothers crying out, "That would make a great start!") Children and partners around the world would love to have a more energetic and relaxed mother in the house. Is this idea that a mother has to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family actually the definition of what really being a mother is all about? Or is it a remnant of parental peer group pressure from yesteryear that has no place in today's world.
Over the years I have counselled many a burnt out and exhausted mother. They may be a working Mum or a stay at home Mum. One mum that springs to mind is Carmel who raised three children and helped out in the family business. Although in her early forties, Carmel looked 10 -15 years older. Every time Carmel came to my practice her body was aching everywhere and she was just plain exhausted.
"Carmel, all these injuries will heal if you give your body the opportunity to rest. You need to stop putting your family and your job first and start putting yourself first, “I pleaded.
"If I don't look after my kids, who is going to look after them. It's easy for you to say 'put yourself first'. You don't know what it feels like to when your child cries out for you whenever you try to leave them with someone else."
Look I have three young children and like most parents I would gladly give up my life to save my family from life threatening danger. What I am saying is that mothers don't have to give up their life to raise their family. And my observation is that many mothers are unnecessarily putting their health in grave danger by ignoring their own needs and wants for the sake of the family.
Are you that kind of "Martyr Mother"?
Antioxidant supplementation can delay recovery from muscle damage
| 01 July 2009
After the initial euphoria of finishing my first marathon my fatigued legs began to let me know what they thought of being put through such an ordeal. Walking more like one of the characters from the Muppets, I gingerly made my way to a nearby public pool where I spent the next hour wading in water to help my aching muscles recover. Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health and is a vital component to an energetic and productive lifestyle. But exercise can also cause some harm your body. It can cause muscle damage, fatigue and inflammation. In fact, if not properly managed, exercise can become a form of stress.
Research shows that the more exercise you do, the better your body becomes at minimizing any harmful effects from exercise. Every health professional, elite athlete and weekend warrior has their ideas on what can help your body cope with these rigours of exercise. One commonly prescribed suggestion was to supplement your diet with antioxidants. The thinking was since antioxidants in your blood are a key component to repairing damage in your body, then surely if you flood your body with even more antioxidants, then it should assist in this repairing process.
Researchers at the University of Porto in Portugal1 decided to see if antioxidant supplementation can assist in the recovery of aching muscles. They researched 20 athletes (14 men and 6 women) from the national kayaking and canoeing teams. These elite athletes were engaged in a controlled competitive period of training for the European Championships.
Burn fat three to four times faster while exercising less
| 01 July 2009
I know that it sounds like a claim from a late night infomercial but I guarantee that I have no pills, shakes, potions or machines to sell you. What I do have is the latest research results that highlight the ineffectiveness of many forms of exercise.
In an effort to improve the health of their workplace many corporate health programs have started incentives to encourage exercise amongst their workers. Such efforts have included issuing their workers with pedometers and encouraging walking to work as well as encouraging participation in low intensity exercise. These efforts certainly increase workers participation in exercise but the problem is that it doesn’t mean that their exercise program will be getting any results.
The problem is that many employees in a corporate health programs opt for low intensity activities like walking thinking that exercising in moderation counts for valid exercise. But recent research is highlighting that encouraging low intensity exercise won’t stop expanding waistlines from hurting company bottom lines. It adds to the mounting evidence that shows that the intensity of your exercise is the key to a corporate exercise program that gives health- promoting results.
A research team from the University of Virginia studied a group of 27 obese middle-aged women for 16 weeks.
How to negotiate for more flexible working hours
| 01 July 2009
“There are some days when I’m just not in the mood for work,” explained Jacinta, a 28 year old accountant for a transport company. “I just need some time out for myself .If my work hours were more flexible, I would probably be more productive because a lot of time at home I really feel like working and I don’t have a lot of the other distractions.”
There is a growing demand amongst workers to have greater flexibility in their working arrangements to facilitate a better work life balance. In fact, some people aren’t even interested in having a work life balance. They would be happy enough just having a life outside of their work.
I regularly hear gripes from frustrated workers about the lack of flexibility in the workplace in regard to working hours. In many cases, the frustration has been building towards an animosity and resentment towards the management
“Our boss wouldn’t let us. He’s too “old school”,” complained Jacinta.
“What did he say when you asked him?” I asked.
Jacinta looked down with a sheepish smile.” Well I haven’t actually asked him.”
In my experience, I don’t see archaic attitudes by ogre bosses to be the main obstruction to flexible work arrangements. To me, the largest common denominator is a lack of communication from the workers wanting greater flexibility.
How your stress management skills affect your earning potential
| 01 July 2009
As I came back from the business meeting, my wife noticed the glazed and drained look upon my face. “How did the business meeting go?” she asked with a knowingly grin upon her face for she had seen that look on me before.
“No wonder the guys business is struggling.” I replied.
“Why is that?”
“What was meant to be a meeting on how to boost his business, ended up with him going on about how his wife has left him and how his business partner has left him. When I offered some suggestions and strategies to improve them, he would just come up with reasons why it wouldn’t work. It was as if he just wanted to complain and wasn’t open to any help.”
I’m sure you all know people like that or have had to endure such draining meetings like I did. The way they choose to manage stress may make them feel better but it is often at the expense of those around them.
But recent research is showing that such stress management methods are not only draining for other people but are also draining on their wallet. A study of the lives of 268 Harvard Sophomores for 70 years found that the way that you coped with stress had a definite impact on your income potential.
Is your boss making you sick?
| 01 July 2009
With business owners and heads of corporate departments looking at ways of tightening their budgets to cope with the global financial crisis, a new corporate challenge is starting to emerge. That new challenge is how to contain the potential increasing cost of health challenges due to the increasing levels of stress in the corporate world.
So how can corporate departments and business owners address the impending health issues during a time when most businesses are considering cutting back on various corporate training or corporate health programs?
You may be surprised that the answer lies outside the realm of most corporate training or stress management programs. If you manage a small or large team in the corporate arena you can significantly improve your team’s health and wellbeing without getting them to change anything. New research suggests that you can boost the health of your team by simply being a good leader.
A study published in the August 2008 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests that good leadership has positive effects on employee health and well-being, including decreased sick leave and disability.
All you corporate managers and business owners may be wondering what constitutes good leadership?
One risk factor for Deep Vein Thrombosis that they don’t tell you about but they should
| 01 July 2009
With the increasing number of people being required to take regular long haul flights as part of their business there has been an increased awareness if the dangers of the potentially fatal condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Deep vein thrombosis occurs when blood clots form in the veins as a result of stagnation of the blood from long periods of inactivity.
Most of the emphasis for prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis has been focusing on staying as active as you can while on a long haul flight. About five years ago, while reading an article from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology I came across some information that made sense but it also confused me.
Preventing driver fatigue
| 01 July 2009
It was the end of an enjoyable but exhausting Sunday family outing. After maintaining my concentration weaving the car throughout hidden country hills and valleys like a rally driver I welcomed the flat roads and traffic lights and relative order of the city streets. I pulled up at the red light and then a voice startled me...
“Paul! Go!” called out my wife.
“Huh? What?” I replied.
My heart pounded in sudden panic. “Oh my God. Did I just fall asleep? And with my wife and kids in the car!”
I had just experienced a frightening and dangerous form of driver fatigue that is called a “microsleep”. It was terrifying to experience it when I was stopped at traffic lights. I could only imagine the horror to experience it while travelling at 100 kilometres an hour on the open road.
Driver fatigue is like all other forms of fatigue with one major difference: fatigue on the road can kill.
Every day you can see the appalling carnage on the roads on the evening news. Fatigue is believed to make a primary contribution to up to 30% of automobile crashes1, whether it is due to the driver falling asleep or from fatigue-induced inattention, failing to anticipate or impaired reaction times. If your work requires long-distance driving or if you are just planning a driving vacation, here are some tips to help ensure that you not only survive during the long drive but you also thrive.
Reducing workplace stress and conflict and boosting profits at the same time
| 01 July 2009
I recently had troubles with my computer so I arranged for a local computer technical support company to come out and fix the problem.
“We’ll see you at 11.00 tomorrow,” the company confirmed. “How long should I allow for this?” I asked so I could most effectively plan around this inconvenience.
“Problems like these can take anywhere from a half an hour to two hours to fix,” they replied. I looked at my diary for tomorrow and made a few phone calls to reschedule things. I was pleased with the outcome and had a productive day ahead of me despite the computer glitch.
When 11 am arrived and the technical support person hadn’t arrived, I reminded myself to be patient and reassured myself that they would be here soon. By the time 11.20 came around I called the company to find out where their representative was.
“Oh, he must be caught up at a previous job,” said his work colleague.” I’ll call him to find out where he is and I’ll get back to you immediately.”
15 minutes went by and I still hadn’t heard from the company so I called again.
“Uh, sorry. I was just going to call you,” he said with embarrassment.” Yeah right, “I thought to myself. “They don’t really care about all the important things that I am still to do.”
“I have just heard back from him and he said that he can be at your place by 12.30,” the company representative said.
“OK,” I said with begrudging annoyance. My computer was needed for many of my afternoon tasks so I then had to reschedule my afternoon yet again.
When the computer guy arrived, he said “Sorry I’m late,” as he then indulged me in some story outlining all the reasons why he was late. In essence he was trying to put the responsibility for his lateness onto someone else. I didn’t buy it.
The computer guy did a good enough job on the computer at a reasonable price but it also cost me 90 minutes of unproductive time. It could also cost the company a chance of doing future business with me.
So many companies make the mistake of trying to make the claim of "great customer service" as their unique point of difference yet they don’t even deliver the basic service of doing what they say. Simply keeping your word with your customers when you have an appointment or deliver will help alleviate a lot of the stress and antagonism from customers and will certainly help to retain customers.
In these more challenging economic times the old adage, "Time is money," is more relevant than ever. When you are reliable in keeping your word, you are saving your customers time and money and they will support your business because of that. Keeping your word develops one of the most valuable business commodities: integrity.
Adult Onset ADD - the new silent culprit claiming many burnt out Workers
| 01 July 2009
As most people were leaving for home, two people were hunched over in earnest conversation in a corner office. Therese had her head in her hands sobbing hysterically. Her work colleague helplessly draped her arm over her friend, occasionally rubbing her back in the hope that it would make a difference but Therese was at her wits end.
"I've had enough," confessed Therese as she sat up, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I can't handle this pressure and this pace anymore. I can't continue like this. I have no time for me to do what I want."
"Well what exactly do you want?" asked her friend.
"Oh, I don't know what I want, but I know that it's not this," Therese exclaimed.
This phrase, so eloquently captured in the title of Julie Jansen's best selling book also sums up a growing trend among workers that often culminates in burnout. A recent survey of 7600 American workers by Career Builders found that 78 % reported feeling burnt out.
Most people think that burnout is only a condition for the over ambitious, type A personalities who go at such a tremendous pace that their body and mind just can't keep up. I also think that there is a different type of burnout that is quickly becoming a lot more common. Feeling burnout can also occur when you don't have any ambition. I call it Adult Onset ADD or Ambition Deficit Disorder.
The no stress way to resolving conflict in the workplace
| 01 July 2009
I was recently visiting a friend when the phone rang. A brief but terse conversation ensued before John abruptly finished the phone call with “I’ll see you in court.”
“What was that about?” I asked, noticing that John was quite unsettled.
“We had some cupboards installed for $8000. We were issued with a quote for $8000 and we paid it. He says that we owe him $850 for delivery and installation. That was their collection agency threatening to take us to court.”
“What did it say on your quote?”
Showing me the quote, John points to the area marked delivery fees. “See, there it says “Delivery fee - As requested”. We thought that meant that they will deliver it to us as we requested. If we knew that there was and extra $850 charge for delivery and installation, we would have chosen a different company. We are not going to let ourselves be ripped off by a crook.”
“What is the company’s opinion?” I asked.
“They say that their quote was given according to guidelines outlined by their industry body and that we need to pay up or they’ll take us to court,” John replied.
“So really this conflict comes down to confusion to the meaning of what “as requested” means in the original quote?”
“Yes.”
“So you are going to get a lawyer and spend a day in court over a simple misunderstanding?” I asked.
“It is a matter of principle.”
“Is it worth the time, the expense, the stress and the lost nights sleep to try to prove that you’re right?”
There was a pregnant pause as John contemplated the real impact of this argument in his recent quality of life. “What do you propose?” he asked.
“You know how I use to work at many Judo tournaments over the years? Well, there was this one smaller competitor who could consistently flip his larger opponents with relative ease. I asked him how he managed to do it.
He said that the key is not to push against them. You don’t get anywhere like that. You must align yourself with their force. You need to pull when they push so you are both going in the same direction. When you are both going in the same direction the contest is virtually over.
It is a very similar concept to resolving potential conflict. Whether it is with a customer or with a colleague, a conflict can only continue for as long as you push against the other person’s opinion. Once you align yourself with the other person’s point of view that you can resolve the conflict.”
“So how do we put it into practice in this instance?” asked John.
Whether it is with a work colleague or with a customer, there is a 4 step process to resolving most conflicts...