Tag Archives: health

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What Is Binocular Health?

Are you looking at your health as if through a set of binoculars?

Are you relying on one area of medicine to keep you healthy?

Achieving optimal health doesn’t occur when we focus on one thing.

It’s a bit like driving a car with the handbrake on as we’re unable to see the bigger picture. The blind spots that play a pivotal role in our long term health and well-being.

This is because health encompasses a myriad of facets including sleep, movement, nutrition, sunlight, connection, hydration, breath work etc.

It’s why it’s good to see a variety of health care practitioners who are trained across various modalities, along with seeking out different opinions.

The best part is that your body will begin to thrive when you make adjustments across all areas of your health – as opposed to just one.

Audra x

P.S: Needing help embracing more of a holistic take on your health whilst working 24/7? Check out the 21-Day Healthy Shift Worker Kickstart Program by Clicking Here.

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Are We Over-Complicating Our Health?

If there’s one thing that’s really hit home over the last 12-months it’s this.

Taken from an excerpt from the book ’Blue Zones – 9 Lessons for Living Longer, From The People Who Have Lived The Longest’ by Dan Buettner.

Without a shadow of a doubt, our lifestyles are the chief determinant in how long we live.

The daily, weekly, monthly and yearly accumulation of behaviours including what we eat, watch, read, whom we hang out with all the way to how much we move … all play an instrumental role in how healthy we are right now.

These things are pretty much common sense – yet astonishingly, have been completely missing from all public health care policies worldwide at a time when its been needed the most.

But let’s face it. There have been a truckload of inconsistencies over the last 11-months.

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HSW 55 – Are You “Getting By” On 5-6 Hours Of Sleep – Maybe Even Less?

Healthy Shift Worker Podcast Episode:

This week I reflect on a talk that I delivered at the Wellness Basecamp here in Brisbane last weekend titled “Are You Getting By On 5-6 Hours Of Sleep – Or Maybe Even Less?” because as shift workers we can definitely relate to running on minimal sleep due to our work hours and irregular roster patterns.

What is probably most concerning however, is that right now, according to the World Health Organisation or WHO, we’re currently living in the grips of a global sleep loss epidemic and with that comes negative consequences on our health.  In fact, as stated by the Victorian State Government here in Australia, shift workers get on average 2-3 hours less sleep than other workers which over-time is staggering.

In this episode, I discuss:

  • what happens when we’re sleep deprived
  • how much sleep do we really need
  • along with some actionable steps that you can implement into your own shift working lifestyle that’s going to help to maximize your sleep.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

How To Break Up With Your Phone 30 Day Challenge
Sleep Master Sleep Mask

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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How Watching Roger Federer made me Recommit to "Kaizen"

Now I don’t know about you but I’m a bit of a tennis fan. In fact I’d actually go so far as to call myself a bit of a tennis ‘nut’. And as I watch the 2010 Australian Open from the comfort on my lounge chair this week, I am in awe of the level of fitness, skills and focus that each of these athletes display.

So as I watched Roger Federer obliterate his opponent the other day – which if you didn’t already know, is the number 1 player in the world – his pursuit of excellence reminded me of a Japanese word called “Kaizen.”

The word Kaizen, is derived from the Japanese words ‘Kai’ and ‘Zen’ where ‘kai’ means change and ‘zen’ means good. Thus ‘Kaizen’ means to commit to “constant and never-ending improvement” … something Roger Federer would be familiar with as he strives to be the best tennis player in history.

Now even though you may not be striving to be ‘World Number 1’, if you commit to constant and never-ending improvements in your life, you will start to notice subtle improvements in your own level of health, wealth and happiness.

You see change is actually a good thing. It involves a level of discomfort because you are essentially stepping out of your comfort zone into unfamiliar territory. And as most people don’t like to feel ‘uncomfortable’ – many fail to move forward because they are unwilling to go through the pain that often goes with it.

They are uncomfortable in their rut, but the pain of the process of change outweighs the discomfort of where they are now.

Tony Robbins once said, “We only learn our limits by going beyond them…Kaizen is a principle designed to encourage you to make small incremental improvements daily…and in doing so, you will be forced to find a way to go beyond your current set of self-imposed limitations”.

So if you are sick of where you are right now, in both your personal and professional life – then you must begin to make small, but achievable changes and improvements in your life on a daily basis, in order for you to move forward.

You see, committing to the process of change is as vital as committing to the change itself.

So as I watched Roger Federer serve up another first class display of tennis today, I decided it was time to recommit to the daily practice of Kaizen, in every area of my life including:

1. My health and fitness.

2. My relationships with my family and friends.

3. And in my business, personal and professional development.

So come and join me in my commitment to “constant and never-ending improvement!”
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And remember that your health is the most valuable thing that you have. Your relationships with the people you love, and who love you will nourish your soul.
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And be relentless in your pursuit of Kaizen, so that you can enjoy a healthy, joyful and abundant 2010 and beyond!