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.
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…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...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.
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?
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.
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 ...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.