Today’s bonus episode of Agile Business Athlete is a little different. This is an episode of The Agenda that I appeared on recently where I discussed my background, what companies need to think about, and the importance of wellbeing within companies.

Around 10 years ago I was a super stressed executive struggling with my mental and physical health. As an account director for various marketing companies, I loved the prestige and salary that came along with it, but I felt inauthentic. I felt like Sisyphus rolling the boulder over and over.

It seemed like a quick decision to suddenly leave my job and pursue something more in line with my values, but it was 10 years in the making. Over time, I created the Agile Business Athlete approach, applying athletic preparation and recovery principles to business. Predict, prepare, perform, recover are at the core of this approach.

Many leaders expect themselves to perform at Wimbledon levels all year round, but it simply isn’t sustainable. You need to make time to recover mentally and physically. You have to give yourself permission to recover and work slivers of it into your day. Even the most time-pressed executives can build in moments of recovery.

How can whole organizations support this wellbeing? It’s about creating a culture of wellbeing. Leaders need to show and lead by example. The pandemic has had a huge effect on mental health, and businesses need to understand and recognize the ebb and flow of work and life.

Making small changes over time will make a huge difference. Making incremental shifts on different behaviours is key to embedding wellbeing. The time is now to make these changes. The world has drastically changed in a short amount of time and it’s imperative that companies catch up.

The post Bonus Episode: Creating a Culture of Wellbeing S1 E11 appeared first on Leanne Spencer.

In this episode, we’re joined by Leanne’s nutritionist, Alexandra Rock. Alexandra learned about the importance of nutrition from a young age and has always been interested in the role food plays in health. Now, she helps people eat in a way that fuels their bodies and promotes optimal health.

What food means to Alexandra.

How Alexandra’s approach to food has changed over time.

What happens when you eat the standard American diet.

Alexandra’s position on a plant-based diet.

The two types of fibre and the best sources.

The relationship between food and your mood.

Where a large amount of serotonin is produced.

How our bodies are like an orchestra.

Foods that contain building blocks for serotonin.

How nutritional needs change throughout the life cycle.

Why Alexandra looks to our ancestors for nutritional guidance.

The nutrients you should be supplementing.

The calculation to help you figure out how much protein you need.

The types of tests that can reveal which nutrients you may be lacking.

Alexandra believes food should bring joy and fuel the soul as well as the body.

From a young age, Alexandra witnessed the power of nutrition. Her father was a doctor who worked in disaster and war zones. He had a heart attack due to his poor diet, so he ended up changing his diet entirely.

Plants contain all three important macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) as well as fibre, which we need for optimal function.

If your body doesn’t have the right fuel and nutrients, it can influence your brain and your mood. Stable blood sugar levels and micronutrients are crucial for healthy brain function.

Chicken, turkey, dairy products, and nuts and seeds contain tryptophan, which is a building block for serotonin. Serotonin is important for sleep, so eating tryptophan-rich foods can help promote a healthy sleep cycle.

The best sources of protein include beans, lentils, tofu, and fish. There’s a theory that our ancestors developed larger brains thanks to the protein available from the sea.

Micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, are very important to overall function. Vitamin D and B vitamins, in particular, are very important to mood.

Leaky gut is a condition in which the gut wall becomes permeable. When the gut wall becomes compromised, it can result in allergies and autoimmune conditions.

Alexandra’s nutrition tips:

1. Choose foods that fuel you in both body and mind.
2. Eat a highly plant-based diet with healthy sources of protein.
3. Consume foods that contain building blocks for serotonin.
4. Find out which nutrients you may be lacking and supplement accordingly.

Alexandra said:

“I saw the power of what you eat to either make you sick or to make you well, and that’s been really formative in the way I eat and the way I brought my children up to eat.”

“I really believe that a lot of people will present to their GP with fatigue and depression, for example, and that the GP may then prescribe antidepressants or that kind of medication and overlook the fact that food may be a big factor in the symptoms that are presenting.”

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The post Food fuels the soul as well as the body with Nutritional Therapist Alexandra Rock S1 E10 appeared first on Leanne Spencer.