A series where I curate the latest news in health and wellness from around the web into actionable insights, so you can become a powerful wellness architect, and help your team perform at their best and thrive.
Over the past week this newsletter has been growing steadily. Not only am I excited, I’m scared shitless.
Okay, that’s a bit extreme.
I’m nervous - but in a good way.
I’m trying to imagine myself as an athlete, framing their nervous energy as excitement before their big event.
But this guy is no athlete in the traditional sense. He’s a word athlete.
Now that just sounds sad.
In reality, I’m grateful for every one of my readers. This year I’ve really committed myself to the writing process. I’m focused on applying the lessons I’ve learned from consistently living a healthy lifestyle over the years, to this newsletter.
Practically all of the health advice I share here, I’m using to shape the habits of this new, creative venture of mine. It’s an interesting translation to say the least. But, it’s working for me.
And, the case could be made that really anything we learn could be applied to any situation, in some way or another.
How we do anything is how we do everything, as the saying goes.
Now, to move the spotlight back onto you because after all, this newsletter is about supporting you.
How to navigate this report
Information: Your wellness news update. Covers a wide-array of health and wellness topics, respecting the Deep Health Model.
Comprehension: A quick glance at topics I’ve been contemplating this week.
Transformation: Where the magic happens. Your call to action, with suggested steps to leverage these new findings to better influence the health of yourself, and those around you.
Information: Your curated wellness archive update
Workplace Wellness
It starts and ends with employees (Article)
Focusing on wellness at work (Article)
Sleep Health
Afternoon naps can boost your mental agility - Here's why (Article)
How to sleep: Refined carbs may be the cause of your sleep loss - what to avoid (Article)
Physical Well-being / Fitness / Nutrition
Don't sweat it! U of G study supports moderate/frequent exercise over high intensity interval (Article)
5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits and Vegetables Into Their Diets (Article)
TG-HDL ratio: the blood-fat number to know (Article)
“…these two measures correspond to two of the strongest lifestyle habits — the effects of both aerobic exercise and a healthy diet. Both TG and HDL influence the balance of cholesterol and the health of arteries, including those in the brain and heart and the rest of the body.”
Social-Relational Well-being / Diversity and Inclusion / Culture
Three Steps To Overcoming Bias: Why Diversity Training Doesn’t Always Work (Article)
'World's largest Indigenous restaurant' part of Caldwell First Nation big plans (Article)
The goal is “traditionally inspired” Indigenous food. There will be venison, elk, bison, duck, quail and rabbit, along with vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free dishes.
“The misconception is we were just carnivores,” said Alexander. “But if the hunt wasn’t there or not available a lot of our survival came off the land.”
Mental-Emotional Well-being / Mindfulness / Creativity
Guy Winch, Ph.D.: Emotional first aid and how to treat psychological injuries (Podcast)
Refocused resolve: Don't despair if pandemic intrudes on goals for new year (Article)
Transcendent shows (Article)
The Happiness Project: Finding Joy in Tough Times (Article)
It seems money does buy happiness after all (Article)
“The conclusion, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is that while the connection is stronger for life satisfaction than it is for experienced well-being, it doesn’t disappear for the latter after $75,000 or $90,000.”
Environmental Well-being / Nature
Can we really feel the benefits of nature through a screen? (Article)
A walk on the wild side becomes more than just exercise (Article)
“…being in wilderness areas can influence behaviors and contribute to psychological well-being, and supporting research shows various benefits to heart and lung health, skin care and cognitive functioning, among others, from exposure to trees.”
Comprehension: The Key 3
Things I’ve been contemplating this week
Think of the image of two miners, separately digging towards a reserve of diamonds, both having come so far. Yet one throws in the towel when they were just as close as the other - they just didn't know it.Research shows that a major contributing factor to us achieving our goals or not, is our level of consistency.Nothin' sexy about it.Consistency.Now, that's consistency with the habits and principles that matter the most, in the context of YOUR life and YOUR goals.
If you’re trying to (insert goal here), and are struggling to see results, ask yourself:
“Will I get there if I stay consistent with my current habits?”
Yes = Great, keep it going. You. Will. Get. There.No = Commit to making a small, positive change today.Unsure = Seek guidance and support of a coach.In any response, the answer is some form of action.Do the basics. Do them well. Do them often.
I heard a self-inquiry question that Dr. John Berardi, the co-founder of Precision Nutrition would ask himself when he coached a client."What's the one task I can coach this person to do that will be met with the least psychological resistance, and yield the greatest physiological return?"I thought it was brilliant.But that's because my inner nerd liked how much there was to unpack in that statement.From the client perspective, it just came down to the level of ability, willingness to commit, and the potential reward."Can I realistically do this thing?""Do I look forward to doing it""Will I feel great when and after I do it?""Does it move me closer to my goals"The thing with building momentum is that it takes magnitude and direction. But to get a great mass of energy requires that it starts to build from something smaller in the first place.Small doesn't mean ineffective or irrelevant. It's totally subjective. It's not an absolute in that, "you must make a teeny, tiny change, because you can't handle more."No, it's about relativity, and finding the minimum effective dose that will get the snowball rollin' in your own yard.
Ask yourself,
“What’s a small, healthy behaviour that I can (and will) commit to today, that will inch me closer to my goals?”
After a long day of work last week I needed to get some food. You’d think as a wellness coach, I’d have my wild-caught salmon marinating in the fridge, with my organic produce all ready to go.
Well, that wasn’t the case.
What ended up happening was because I didn’t plan in advance and have my fridge stocked, I went for the Golden Arches.
That’s right. I had McDonald’s. And it happens more than I care to admit.
This got me thinking.
How many times do we tell people that what they need is to eat healthier, but in reality what they need is to approach the situation from a different angle.
In my case, it’s better planning skills. I needed to have healthy options on hand, before something went wrong - like getting too busy. My limiting factor was planning - not knowing what was healthy or not.
Honest coaching - hell, even some honest self-reflection - can help us uncover what our true limiting factors are. Now, to plan for the week ahead.
Transformation: Your Call to Action
What to do today
Your intuition is powerful. Leverage this self-discovery question to guide yourself towards making “one percent healthier” choices today.
What’s a small, healthy behaviour that I can (and will) commit to today, that will inch me closer towards my goal(s)?
What to do this week
Talk to a coach (or you can journal) to uncover a few of your perceived limiting factors to living a healthier life. Ask yourself if it’s really about the food, or if it’s something else. It could be the people you hang out with (helpers or hinderers), planning and prepping, or simply not knowing what you need to do. In any case, write it down and make that limiting factor known. Once you can see it, it can probably be conquered.
Try out this 28 Day Mindfulness Practice. Works great to print off and put on the fridge, so you can track your mindfulness skills you are improving. Remember, everything is a skill! If you can do it, you can improve it.
What I’ve been listening to
Please let me know if you enjoyed this issue, and if you followed through on any of the call to actions.
Feel free to share this content in your social media, with your family and friends, in your company wellness newsletter, or, just use it to take some small, healthy action today!
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