5 powerful ways to optimise your energy and productivity final may 13

2 | P a g e 5 P O W E R F U L W A Y S T O O P T I M I S E

Y O U R E N E R G Y A N D P R O D U C T I V I T Y

w w w . z e s t l i f e s t y l e . c o m © 2 0 1 2

CONTENTS

ZEST LIFESTYLE ...................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 4

SLEEP ........................................................................................................................................ 6

EAT .......................................................................................................................................... 10

FITNESS .................................................................................................................................. 14

RELAX / RECHARGE / RENEW ............................................................................................. 17

RESILIENCE ............................................................................................................................ 19

SCHEDULE A COMPLIMENTARY 60 MINUTE IGNITE YOUR ENERGY SESSION .......... 20

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................................................................................................ 23

NOTES ..................................................................................................................................... 25




ZEST LIFESTYLE

Zest Lifestyle offers bespoke coaching programmes to help high

performing individuals optimise their energy by giving them

practical advice on nutrition, sleep management, relaxation

techniques and effective fitness programmes.

r e v i t a l i s i n g t h e w a y y o u l i v e a n d w o r k

“Man, because he sacrifices health in order to make

money, he then sacrifices money to recuperate health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does

not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not

live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never

going to die, and then he dies having never really

lived.”

UNKNOWN

http://www.zestlifestyle.com




INTRODUCTION

Do any of these statements apply to you?

Business meetings often start with getting on a plane

You seem to live more in hotels than at home

You are constantly at the mercy of your mobile or laptop

You are still “at your desk” even when you’re on holiday

8 hours sleep a night is just a myth

Eating properly interferes with your busy schedule

Work takes priority over your fitness

Multitasking is a way of life

Do you know that…

How we sleep

What and when we eat

How we relax

How we exercise

How resilient we are

All have a major impact on both our professional and personal performance,

and these five key elements are critical to a healthy balanced life. Our career

or business may be flourishing, but are we looking after ourselves?




Many of us don’t understand the long term consequences of prolonged

periods of time living in the “fast lane”:

Sleeping too few hours

Feeling permanently exhausted

Putting on a few pounds on every year, and never being able to lose it

Skipping meals

Being at the mercy of restaurant or hotel food or sandwich bars

Drinking a few too many glasses of wine or spirits during the week

Relying on caffeine and sugar to keep energised

Doing very little or no exercise, or the wrong type exercise

Thinking that taking time out is for “wimps”

Eventually, we physically, mentally and emotionally:

Breakdown

Burn out

Get ill

Or even die prematurely

all caused by a lifestyle we never changed…

Energy is essential to our performance to enable us to function effectively on a

day to day and on a long term basis.




1 SLEEP

Sleep is fundamental to our health and energy, and affects our performance

dramatically if we don’t get enough.

Out of that figure1:

78% suffered with lack of concentration

64% were less productive at work

93% had problems with energy levels

We are biologically hardwired to be awake for

15 - 17 hours during the hours of daylight and

asleep for 7 - 9 hours during hours of darkness,

this is regulated by our circadian rhythm.

The circadian rhythm is a physical, mental and

behavioural process that approximately

follows a 24 hour cycle and is controlled by

external cues such as sunlight and temperature.

The hormone serotonin keeps us awake, regulates our appetite and mood

during daylight, and melatonin takes over in the evening and makes us drowsy

to induce sleep.

52%

48%

In a recent survey conducted on sleep

52% reported having problems




We are the only species on the planet that

continually disrupts this natural rhythm by using

artificial light, working night shifts or flying across

time zones.

Pre-electricity we were sleeping 7 – 10 hours per

night depending on the seasons, and now we

are getting on average 45 minutes less sleep a

night than we were 25 years ago.

If we don’t sleep we die! A research experiment

depriving rats of sleep resulted in them all dying

within 3 weeks2.

In 1977, Maureen Weston went without sleep for 18.7 days during a rocking

chair marathon. The temporary mental and physical consequences for her

were:

Incoherent speech

Distorted vision

Major lapses in memory and concentration

Hallucinations and paranoia

Sleep deprivation over a period of time can have a serious impact on our

health and wellbeing; not only compromising

our immune system but making us more

vulnerable to depression, diabetes, obesity,

coronary heart disease and some cancers.

If we get less than 4 hours sleep 5 nights in a

row, we become cognitively impaired –

affecting our attention, reaction and memory

recall (the equivalent of being legally drunk).

Tiredness affects our ability to communicate,

we crave more carbohydrate to boost our

flagging blood sugar levels, we become more emotionally sensitive and our

productivity decreases making us more inefficient.




We mess with our body clocks at our peril; for example, most manmade

disasters have been caused by over exhausted workers; the Exxon Valdez oil

spill, the Challenger shuttle explosion, and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl

nuclear disasters are examples of human error caused by major fatigue.

Continually pushing ourselves to stay awake will lead to poor performance

and potentially burn out.

Benefits of sleep

It allows the brain to recover, regenerate, restructure, process and

consolidate information.

Recovery and renewal of muscles, tissue and cells

Cleaning up of free radicals (molecules responsible for aging and tissue

damage)

Regulation of hormone levels, blood pressure and metabolism

There are 5 stages to sleep:

90 MINUTE

CYCLE

1

2

3 4

5




We go through 4 – 6 of these cycles during one night of sleep. If we wake up

feeling groggy, it’s probably because we’ve woken up during stage 3 or 4,

ensuring we get 7 – 9 hours sleep means we should wake up in stage 5 feeling

refreshed.

Why are we willing to jeopardise our sleep in

order to cram more into our days and become

what we think is more productive?

Poor sleep routines really are counterintuitive,

making us more inefficient long term and

potentially damaging our health.




2 EAT

What and when we eat affects our energy and of course ultimately our

performance.

Here are statistics from a recent survey:

• Over 50% regularly skipped lunch breaks3

• Only 35% make an effort to eat healthily which means 65% don’t!4

• 75% were unhappy with their weight, and on average wanted to be

19lbs or 8.5kg lighter5

We are caught in a vicious circle of trying to survive working long hours and

refuelling only when the tanks are empty; and then reaching for the easiest

and most convenient foods, which quite often will not be the healthiest to fill

ourselves up with and boost our energy. Or, perhaps working life is an endless

stream of client entertainment where the waistline begins to suffer from

constant overeating and too much alcohol.

We are what we eat

Food provides the body with raw materials in

the form of proteins, fats, carbohydrates,

vitamins and minerals enabling it to function;

stimulating growth, repair and renewal, and

providing fuel for energy.

DON'T

65%

DO 35%

Only 35% of us

make an effort to eat healthily




Poor nutrition, like sleep, can compromise our immune system and make us

more vulnerable to high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, obesity,

coronary heart disease and some cancers.

Our risk of developing diabetes increases by 4% for every pound of additional

weight we gain.

Visceral fat (the fat surrounding the organs) is another hidden danger. We

don’t have to be overweight to have it, we could be termed as “TOFI” – Thin

on the Outside and Fat on the Inside. A lifestyle of inactivity and stress plus a

diet loaded with refined sugars, fats and carbohydrates potentially increases

our levels of visceral fat.

A lot of us battle with our blood sugar levels as we go through extremes of

sugar highs and lows during the day caused by missing meals and eating the

wrong types of food.

Mismanaged blood sugar levels

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6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM




We need to think about how to fuel our bodies more

efficiently and healthily to sustain our energy levels and

boost our performance.

Regular eating of the right types of food keeps our blood

sugar levels on an even keel. Sugar in the form of glucose

is the primary source of fuel for the brain, and when our

sugar levels drop, so does our performance, we become

lethargic, easily distracted, less efficient and irritable.

Managed blood sugar levels

Some of us survive the day either on a diet of unhealthy, sugary snacks or

literally starve until the evening, adopting a “sumo wrestler” style diet just

eating one large meal a day and then going to bed on a full stomach not

allowing our food to digest properly.

Research has proved that people who regularly skip breakfast are heavier and

have more unhealthy habits than those who eat breakfast – 40% consume

more sweets, 55% more soft drinks, 45% less vegetables and 30% less fruit than

breakfast eaters. Also men who skip breakfast are 21% more at risk of

developing diabetes6.

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6:00 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM




So many of us are confused as to what is

healthy and what isn’t when it comes to mass

produced foods. Nutritional labelling is often

misleading and most of the time we have to

really read between the lines to understand

what the product actually contains and how good or bad it is for us. It is really

important to know what we are putting in our body.

Sugar is being branded as the new cocaine, because of

its addictive qualities. We crave the white powder,

disguising our secret addiction as a “need for energy” or

“a treat or reward”.

FACT: sugar makes us fat; it is the main cause of the

current obesity crisis.

Our bodies are made up of 80% water, so water is essential for our metabolism.

75% of us are dehydrated because we don’t drink enough water; mild

dehydration can slow our metabolism by 3%.

“Eating a healthy balanced diet is a lifestyle choice that

yields high returns in performance” The Corporate

Athlete by Jack Groppel and Bob Andelman




3 FITNESS

• Most of us spend 95% of our working hours sitting, humans are designed

to walk 4 - 5 miles a day, not sit slumped at a desk

• Your brain is 7% more active when you stand

• Only 20% of us do enough exercise to be healthy7

Not enough exercise, like too little sleep, affects us mentally, physically and

emotionally. It affects our strength, power, balance, appearance, thought

processes and resilience.

The less we move, the more sedentary we

become and the more we avoid doing any

kind of exercise. We’re then expending fewer

calories, increasing our body fat, becoming less

flexible, losing muscle strength, reducing our

stamina and possibly experiencing

musculoskeletal problems.

Punishing workloads or demanding schedules give us a great alibi to let us off

the hook when it comes to a workout, a session at the gym or a fitness class.

We should actually welcome exercise into our lives, as the advantages far

outweigh the disadvantages.

DON'T

80%

DO 20%

Only 20% of us do enough exercise

to be healthy




What stops us from exercising is that we don’t have a strategy to make a

commitment and then make it work. We must learn to “WANT” to do it, rather

than “NEED” to.

In order to sustain a regular fitness regime, we

must do something that we enjoy, that makes

us feel good and motivated to do it. For

example there is no point in running if we hate

running, just because everyone else does it or it

is perceived as the easiest way to get fit. We

will end up resenting every second of the

workout, and it won’t be sustainable.

Benefits of exercise:

Puts the brain into “optimal learning mode”

Increased focus and attention

Builds muscle and burns fat faster

Improved metabolism

Improved energy

Improved mood

Improved sleep quality

Improved sex life

A greater tolerance to manage physical, mental and emotional stress

Combats health conditions and diseases

Builds and maintains healthy joints, muscles and bones

Controls weight

Boosts immune system

Increased self-confidence, self-esteem and self-image




It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have8:

up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke

up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes

up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer

up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer

a 30% lower risk of early death

up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis

up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture

a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)

up to a 30% lower risk of depression

up to a 30% lower risk of dementia

What type of exercise?

To get a good balance of exercise and ensure

our bodies function and work more efficiently,

our fitness activities need to be split into three

different categories:

1. Aerobic – to improve cardio vascular

capability.

2. Strength – to condition and strengthen

muscles.

3. Stretching – to improve flexibility and

reduce injury to muscles and joints.

The most important thing to remember is that

we need to make sure that we build in regular periods of exercise during the

week or it is a case of “use it or lose it”.




4 RELAX / RECHARGE / RENEW

Technology was supposed to give us

more leisure time, instead we’re working

and living in a 24/7 environment where

we are always “switched on”. We are at

the mercy of our iPhones or Blackberries

responding to the “ping” of the latest

email, text or update like one of Pavlov’s

dogs.

We’ve developed a culture where it’s

frowned upon to take the full

complement of annual leave. A lot of us are surviving on only 2 weeks holiday

per year, continually working late, putting in “face time”, working some or all

of the weekend and even keeping in touch with the office or dealing with

email on holiday. According to a recent survey in the UK9 only 49% of us take

our full entitlement of annual leave.

Our brains, like muscles, get fatigued and need time to recover; so it is

important that we take time out to relax, recharge and renew. We don’t

realise that fatigue is creeping up on us over a period of a few months, then

due to a weakened immune system we keep getting colds or get ill when we

do eventually take time out to relax.

Regular periods of recovery are essential to our

energy and productivity allowing us to create

space for contemplation, increasing our creative

capability, giving us clarity and focus, and

enabling us to make better decisions.

Our body moves through 90 minute cycles when

we’re awake as well as when we sleep, these are

called ultradian rhythms.




On a daily basis we need to build in regular periods of “time out”, even just 5 -

10 minutes every 60 – 90 minutes will give the brain a chance to recalibrate

and rebalance.

Allowing ourselves time to recharge our batteries is nothing to feel guilty about,

it is vital to our survival and will leave us feeling more refreshed and

reenergised when we return and, of course, a lot more productive.




5 RESILIENCE

Resilience is all about bouncing back and

being able to cope with circumstances

beyond our control.

Let’s face it, at some point we’re all exposed to

the harsh realities of life when bad things

happen and life throws us a curved ball; we

suddenly find ourselves in a situation where we

have no power, someone else is in control or we have to let things run their

natural course. We have to have the ability to cope or we end up collapsing

into the depths of despair and then struggle with our energy, productivity and

performance.

It’s okay to have that emotional moment, resilience isn’t about supressing our

emotions and being mentally and physically tough; it’s all about:

Being able to bounce back quickly from a situation.

Adopting a positive mental attitude

Recognising when we’re exposed to stressful situations, and how we

can react in a more positive way.

Asking ourselves what is within our control

Asking ourselves what we can learn from the situation

Choosing to refocus and rethink

Resilience is a behaviour we learn with experience, by:

Being an optimist

Being confident

Learning how to adapt

Cultivating purpose in our life

Getting enough sleep, eating properly, keeping fit and taking regular periods

of time to recover, recharge and renew are major factors in helping us

become more resilient.




“Responsibility is about accepting

that for anything to change, first of

all WE must change”

Do you feel like you need help?

What is the NEXT step?




PUT SOME ZEST BACK IN YOUR LIFE

APPLY FOR A 20 MINUTE CATALYST CALL

Speak to Rachel and put your lifestyle under the lens and discuss your health

and wellbeing challenges. We will look at:

Your current energy levels

Your stress levels

How well you sleep

Your diet

Your current exercise regime if you have one

The time you spend switching off

Your ability to be focused and productive

FIND OUT HOW I CAN HELP YOU

Do you know what? If you’re sleeping better, eating healthier, exercising,

switching off and learning to focus more effectively it makes a huge difference

to your energy and productivity. Sometimes it just needs someone to show you

how.

Complete the form below so that I know more about you, where you are right

now and where you want to be. This call is about working out the best way for

you to optimise your energy and be more productive in all areas of your life. If I

can help you, I’ll let you know the best way for us to work together.

TO APPLY FOR YOUR SESSION

CLICK HERE

Or go to www.zestlifestyle.com/home/catalyst/

email [email protected] or call +44 (0)118 973 5179

http://www.zestlifestyle.com/home/catalyst/

http://www.zestlifestyle.com/home/catalyst/

mailto:[email protected]




ZEST LIFESTYLE WORKS WITH BOTH WITH BUSY INDIVIDUALS AND

ORGANISATIONS

If you’re interested in finding out more about our programmes, please

call 0118 973 5179 or email [email protected] or schedule your

60 minute complimentary IGNITE YOUR ENERGY session.

www.zestlifestyle.com





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Rachel McGuinness and I’m The

Chief Resilience Officer.

I work with high performing individuals who

want to understand more about how to

optimise their energy and become the best

they can be both personally and professionally.

The reason I set up Zest Lifestyle was to inspire people to get healthier, more

energised and more focused by drawing from my own experiences in the

corporate world.

From burnt out to fired up

In 2000, working as an executive in the telecoms industry, I was:

Working ridiculously long hours – I was working harder NOT smarter

Regularly travelling abroad for work and eating and drinking my way

through Europe

Unfit – exercise never appeared on my “radar screen”

Overweight – I lived on ready meals, drank too much alcohol and

smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day

Stressed and exhausted – I rarely took time out to switch off and re-

energise




MY STORY

One morning, while on a business trip to Barcelona, I

caught a glimpse of myself in my hotel room mirror

and had a serious “wake up call”; I looked pale,

exhausted, unfit and overweight. I decided I had to

do something drastic, or else I was really heading for

serious burn out. It was definitely time to swap my

self-destructive lifestyle for a much healthier one,

and I did.

If I can do it, so can you…

Since 2004, I’ve been showing clients how to maximise

their energy. I help them take an honest look at how

they live their life and explain how it affects their

health, wellbeing, focus and productivity. Working

directly with me I show them that making small

positive changes to their lifestyle can have a profound

influence on their professional and personal life.

I am a qualified NLP Master Practitioner,

Hypnotherapist, Nutritional Advisor, Stress

Management Consultant and Personal Trainer.

Me in 1999

http://www.zestlifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rachel_McGuinness_1999.jpg




r e v i t a l i s i n g t h e w a y y o u l i v e a n d w o r k

www.zestlifestyle.com

+44 (0)118 973 5179 or [email protected]

http://www.zestlifestyle.com/

http://www.zestlifestyle.com/





NOTES

1 The Great British Sleep Survey 2011 in conjunction with The Mental Health Foundation

2 University of Chicago – sleep research 1960’s

3 Good Housekeeping survey on workplace stress summer 2011

4 Aviva Health of the Workplace Report Summer 2011

5 Good Housekeeping survey on workplace stress summer 2011

6 Research from various US universities and organisations – Cornell University,

Dairy Research Institute, Harvard University, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and The Sussex Innovation Centre 7 Aviva Health of the Workplace Report Summer 2011

8 NHS

9 All Party Parliamentary Group report – Giving Britain a Break 2011

5 powerful ways to optimise your energy and productivity final may 13

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