Month: November 2024

End of year vibes: Plan your party season and come out on top.

 

Every year the cycle repeats itself – too many parties, too many dinners and an overindulgence of party food. When the New Year comes around, we vow to diet and exercise to get rid of those dreaded festive kilos.

However, by simply moderating your food and alcohol intake and keeping up a regular exercise routine, you will be able to control your weight over the festive season. The trick is to monitor your behaviour so you enjoy both the party and the period after the party.

 

Helpful party tips: Follow these simple party tips to maintain your health goals.

  1. Set realistic goals: Moderate your food and alcohol intake, and maintain your current exercise regime. The achievable goals are the goals that allow you to keep on track with your wellbeing and health.
  2. Plan to party: Be on the ball. Decide the events/parties you will attend in advance and have a plan. For example, if you’re going to a party, eat something light before you go. That way you are less likely to overeat. Use a quiet night to re-energise your batteries which will help you survive the festive season.
  3. Choose (or bring) low-fat options: YES, they do exist. There are usually a number of low fat alternatives you can select such as seafood, poultry without skin, pork without crackling. Or, bring a healthy starter like a homemade light dip with veggie sticks. Looking after your health is all about making the healthiest choices available.
  4. Avoid high-fat options: Most party food is deep fried and high in fat. It can undo an entire year’s hard work of healthy eating and exercise. If you find yourself reaching for the deep fried foods, have your main meal at home before you go out, that way you are less likely to overeat.

 

Tips for after the party: Reduce the hangover effect.

A hangover can affect your energy levels, efficiency and daily performance. If you do happen to party a little too hard, here are some simple tips to help get you through the day.

  • Stay hydrated. Keep a water bottle handy and fill it up on a regular basis.
  • In some cases a sports drink may help if your hangover is severe and your electrolytes are depleted.
  • Whole fruit or a multi-vitamin supplement may aid in recovery.
  • Avoid bright lights (unless wearing sunglasses), loud noise and any critical decision making as memory and thought processes are impaired.
  • Lay low for the day, rest up and eat a good meal – such as a carbohydrate-rich meal – to start boosting your energy levels again.

 

Enjoy your time off from work and make the most of each day with your family and friends – this is what the holiday period is really about.

Approach executive health in a different way.

Traditional executive health programs, like broader wellness programs, are largely generic and offered in the periphery as a fringe benefit. While it’s nice to have these programs, the irony is that the executives that may need them the most, the ones who are most stressed and time poor or the ones who are least proactive with their health, are the least likely to seek them out.

Now neuroscience is changing the game. Executives need programs that are efficient and relevant. The power of neuroscience in executive health and performance is that it allows for highly personalised, precise and relevant interventions that executives can see benefit and meaning from. The other powerful advantage of having insight into personal brain chemistry is that it not only provides short term benefits, but it also (and perhaps more importantly) allows for predictive and preventive interventions which can help high performers better understand and mitigate the negative impacts of natural behaviours under periods of high stress.

In contrast, other generic ‘stress management’ programs require a lot of self-directed learning as well as trial and error to find what works for an individual under specific circumstances. That takes time and effort – something employees under high stress don’t have!

What if you could help executives understand why they behave how they do – even when those behaviours may be counter to their health or performance goals? This is one of the many ways in which neuroscience can provide more precise answers and add value to an executive health and performance initiative.

Besides the individual value for executives or high value talent, there are broader potential impacts. Do you offer ‘executive support for wellness’ but struggle to actually get your executive teams to actively participate? A ‘good for our people but not good enough for me’ type attitude can be very damaging toward attempts to build a culture of health. It also widens the gap between management and the broader population by feeding that ‘them and us’ mentality.

A program which genuinely provides management with positive personal value in regards to improving health, wellbeing and performance can make your executives some of your biggest champions for broader health promotion. Nothing helps build support like experiencing personal success. Not only are they more likely to inherently understand the benefits and support the programs, but they are more likely to be seen actively promoting or participating. That difference between supporting in principle and actually leading by example can have a huge impact on culture and the promotion of organisational values.

If you’ve struggled to engage executives in effective health promotion or to find something that can add more meaningful value in personal and professional development, then talk to us about our Neuroscience and Human Performance program.

Little Wins, Big Rewards program ticks all the boxes for wellness success.

One of the main mistakes people make when modifying their lifestyle is assuming the small changes don’t add up.

The underlying assumption is that your achievements need to be big to make a difference to your wellbeing. Because of this, we always talk ourselves into chasing a big habit! “If I want to lose at least 10 kilos, I need to start busting my butt and working out for 90 minutes a day!” Sound familiar?

If you look at your current habits, however, you’ll see a different picture. Nearly every habit you have today, good or bad, is the result of many small choices made over time. It is the repeated pattern of small behaviours that leads to significant results. Each day we make the choice to become one percent better or one percent worse, but so often the choices are small enough that we miss them.

 

Small changes add up to big wins!

50% of heart disease can be prevented with good nutrition and moving regularly. With the right help (you can’t just tell people what to do!), good nutrition and moving regularly isn’t hard to achieve. But the impact is HUGE!

A little change: five serves of fruit and vegetables a day = big results

  • 20% lower risk of heart disease and stroke
  • 35% reduced risk of lung cancer
  • 25% reduction in risk of premature death… to name a few.

 

That’s a small price to pay for big results. It’s also only a small habit to change/make for a big payback.

Are you ready to learn more about our Little Wins, Big Rewards program? You could start with an interactive workshop, interactive display, health promotion material or a full program – completely customised to suit the needs AND budget of your workforce.

Contact us today if you have any questions or you’re ready for some BIG changes at your workplace.