by Allan Bolton

Need a good reason to build a regular physical activity routine? Here are 51 great benefits on offer from regular activity. Print the list and circle the items that excite you most:

Physical

1.    Boosts your fitness
2.    Burns calories
3.    Enhances muscle and joint flexibility
4.    Enhances your endurance and stamina
5.    Helps you stay independent
6.    Improves balance
7.    Improves your posture
8.    Increases muscle strength
9.    Increases your lung capacity
10.    Lowers your resting heart rate
11.    Makes active holidays more enjoyable
12.    Makes it easier to do household chores
13.    Preserves lean muscle tissue
14.    Reduces lower back pain
15.    Reduces risk of varicose veins
16.    Tones your body
17.    Allows you to play with the kids

Mental

18.    Assists efforts to stop smoking
19.    Boosts the feeling of being in control of your lifestyle
20.    Boosts your creativity
21.    Gives you more energy to achieve the things you want
22.    Helps counteract depression
23.    Helps you relax
24.    Helps you wear the clothes you want to wear
25.    Improves your mood
26.    Improves your self esteem
27.    Increases enjoyment of recreational activities
28.    Keeps you alert
29.    Provides more ‘me time’!
30.    Reduces anxiety
31.    reduces stress
32.    Sets a good example for family and children

Metabolic

33.    Allows you to eat more and still maintain calorie balance
34.    Boosts fat burning
35.    Boosts your immune system
36.    Cuts the risk of type 2 diabetes
37.    Enhances glucose tolerance
38.    Helps alleviate menstrual symptoms
39.    Helps maintain weight
40.    Helps manage asthma
41.    Helps relieve constipation
42.    Improves circulation
43.    Improves sleeping patterns
44.    Increases good cholesterol
45.    Maintains your metabolism
46.    Reduces fatigue
47.    Reduces hypertension
48.    Reduces the need for some medications
49.    Reduces the risk of heart attack
50.    Reduces the risk of osteoporosis
51.    Strengthens your bones

By Allan Bolton B.H.M.S. (Hons) MAAESS AEP SP

Allan Bolton is an accredited exercise physiologist. He has worked in health, fitness and human performance over the past 28 years. Over this time Allan has featured in media including all major Australian newspapers, National commercial TV news, ABC radio and most commercial stations. He is a Scientific Advisor and Health and Fitness expert for Weight Watchers Australasia. Allan was the first person in the world with insulin dependent diabetes to complete an Ironman Triathlon. This mix of qualification and personal achievement make him a popular corporate keynote speaker and workshop presenter. For more go to Allan’s website at www.qualityhealth.com.au

by Dr. Adam Fraser

No matter whom you talk to, it appears that everyone is feeling the fallout of a turbo charged society. The world is getting faster and faster and does not seem to be slowing down. To find evidence of this all you have to do is look at how we greet each other. The most common question we get asked today is “How you doing, keeping busy?” Unfortunately the answer is always yes! It is reported that the average working mother has just 21 minutes to herself a day and the average employee spends 3 times longer on email than they do with friends and family. They have even brought out a new book called “The 1 Minute Bed Time Story”, where they have taken the classic bed time stories and condenced them to a 60 second sound bite.

The result of this fast paced society is that stress levels have risen 45% in the past 30 years. We are now starting to see a condition called presenteeism, which is defined as employees being at work but losing productivity due to illness or disengagement. Presenteeism reduces an individuals productivity by >30% and costs organisations between 3 & 10 times the cost of absenteeism. In addition chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease is exploding and for the first time in history it is predicted that the next generation will die earlier than their parents.

What is interesting is that it is not just the traditionally stressful jobs that are feeling the pain. All industries are cutting resources yet expecting bigger outcomes. This notion that everyone occupation carries with it a tremendous amount of stress was driven home to me recently. A special forces soldier that I have been working with called me in a frantic state asking for some advice on how to cope with a stressful situation. I was expecting to discuss strategies on how to deal with the loss of a fellow soldier or how to wind down after a particularly challenging assignment. I was surprised to find out that he had retired from the army 1 month earlier. What was the stressful situation? His wife had gone back to work and he was now looking after their three children. He said to me “This is the hardest thing I have ever done, I’m not coping, it never ends there is always something to do. I joined mothers group and that only made things worse, they gave me a hard time and my self esteem is at an all time low”. He actually went on to say “I am thinking about going back to Baghdad for some time out”. Whether you are a CEO, soldier or stay at home parent the pressure is mounting.

So what is the solution? Here are two concepts that will help you keep it together in a world that is spinning so fast.

1. Don’t wait for you holiday to relax. One of the most common mistakes people make is that they wait for a big break or holiday to deal with their stress. Many of us are in the mind set were we work like dogs, wear ourselves out, store all our stress up and then desperately hang on until a holiday rolls around. This is not conducive to engagement, performance or quality of life. Alternatively adopt the mind set of one where you are constantly looking for opportunities to rest and switch off during the day. It does not take a long time to shift your physiology from stressed to calm and relaxed. Having multiple pit stops during the day not only reduce your stress levels but also improves your performance.

Figure 1. Represents the pressure performance curve which illustrates the relationship between pressure and performance

Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between pressure and performance. When we start the day the pressure we put on ourselves leads to an increase in performance until we reach an optimal performance state. We can hold this state for a period of time however if we continue to have pressure applied on us our performance starts to decline. This decline manifests itself in a desire to find a distraction, reading the same document over and over again or simply watching the screen saver bounce around.

A smarter way to work is when we feel this reduction in performance we need to disengage, relax, rejuvenate, then re-engage and attack our work in +ive stress. Following this pattern allows us to ride the +ive part of this curve rather than slogging through the day in the –ive section of the curve.

The best activities to help you ease off are: deep relaxation where you just focus on your breathing, getting up and going for a walk, talking to a colleague about something not related to work. This break will reset your brain chemistry, rejuvenate your physiology and help you attack the next bout of work with far more effectiveness. At any point in your day when the pressure is taken off, use that opportunity for a quick stress reduction break.

I have used this technique with individuals who were under huge amounts of pressure or situations where they could not take large amounts of time out. I found it particularly useful when working with soldiers, employees at busy times of the year and even Guy Sebastian following his win in Australian Idol when faced with a schedule that was so full it was cruel.

One of the most important attributes that set high performers apart from poor performers is the ability to ease off and rest.

2. Be Present:

The concept of being present looks at being completely immersed in the present moment and dealing with what is in front of you, rather than projecting into the future and concerning yourself with future tasks. Some of the most successful performers I have worked with have an amazing ability to focus on what they have to do in the now and not get distracted by what they need to do down the track. In a personal communication with a sports psychologist who had tested Tiger Woods, he said “Tiger is the best golfer in the world because when he plays golf he is disconnected from the outcome”. In other words when Tiger plays golf he is just focused on the mechanics of golf, he doesn’t think about winning or losing. This type of mindset greatly increases your effectiveness and reduces your chance of making a mistake as you are completely immersed in the task at hand.

How the concept of being present relates to stress is that stress exists in the future. Most stress relates to worry about future events.  When you live in the present moment you greatly reduce your chance of getting stressed. This concept can be used in the office, so often during the day we are performing a task but thinking about all the other things we need later in the day. This lack of focus reduces the speed at which we can complete tasks, increases the chance of making mistakes and creates worry and stress.

By regularly easing off and relaxing during the day and staying in the present moment can substantially reduce your level of stress that you go home with. What is the result? A greater chance of happiness and achieving the elusive work life balance.

Dr Adam Fraser appears on ABC radio 702 and is a regular presenter on TV, most recently appearing on Channel 7’s Sunrise. In addition, Adam’s exercise training business “the energy factory” has trained celebrity clients such as “Guy Sebastian” and “Tammin Sursok”.

By Lucinda Lions

Even the most confident people feel an element of fear when they step outside their comfort zone. Think of someone successful. That person has felt fear too, but they faced thier fear and gave it a go anyway. You can use fear to build confidence too!

I  went to see a recent client, a barrister, in court and watched in awe as he eloquently and confidently addressed the judge and jury. To see him all self-assured, you’d think he was born a natural public speaker.

Not so. When he was a young adult and junior solicitor he suffered the usual gut wrenching nerves that many of us experience when we speak in front of people. But rather than letting his fear hold him back, he learnt the techniques of good public speaking, and then, despite feeling insecure and sick with nerves, he just did it, over and over and over again through public speaking engagements, debating opportunities and so on. This helped him build confidence.

He made mistakes along the way, but he also made something else: an absolute success of himself! No matter what the result, good or bad, each time he spoke publicly he faced his fear rather than allowing it to hold him back. And naturally over time, the fear lessened and confidence took its place.

The moral of the story is: Fear it. Do it.

When we’re faced with a fearful task most of us think: “I’ll do that when I’m more confident and experienced”. But we only build confidence and experience when we actually do it.

If our barrister waited for the day when he was confident about public speaking without actually doing anything, he’d probably be working in a different job today, still waiting, and probably riddled with “What ifs?”.

Fear restricts us from reaching our full potential, and sadly, it has put many soloists out of business. The next time you are faced with a fearful task, build confidence by repeating the following Positive Words and Affirmations (also known as a POW-A script).

Read it. Repeat it. Believe it. Achieve it.

Positive Words

• I am going to overcome my fear.
• Every time I do something that I fear, I will grow in confidence.
• Now is the time for me to do it.
• I will equip myself with the skills to do this properly. I will learn, read and research.
• I will seek input and feedback from knowledgeable people.
• I will practice and prepare.
• I will do my very best.
• If I make mistakes, I will only get better as a result of making them.
• I am a success every time I face my fear, no matter what the result.
• Fear will no longer hold me back in life. I will grow, and so will my business!

Affirmations

• I am a success
• I am brave
• I am skilled
• I am prepared and ready for all opportunities

Face the fear in all areas of your life and you will build confidence and give yourself a chance to really soar.

What do you fear the most? Has fear ever held you back? Have you overcome any fears, and if so, how?

For more from Lucinda Lions, head to www.flyingsolo.com.au, Australia’s online community for solo and micro business owners.

By Maya Anderson

Not all vision loss and eye problems are out of your control. You can look after your eye health, naturally.

Many people are unaware that environmental and lifestyle factors can affect our eye health, believing that ageing and eye strain is what affects our vision. However National Professional Services Manager from the Optometrists Association Australia Shirley Loh said while there is often no cure for restoring eye health to what it once was, looking after your eyes is essential.

“The two most important things are: a checkup with an optometrist or ophthalmologist every two years, or sooner if you have specific eye problems, and don’t smoke,” Ms Loh said. The link between smoking and age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to total blindness, is just as strong as the link between smoking and lung cancer.

With a proper diet, sufficient vitamin intake and the right supplements, it can be possible to help prevent some eye conditions and a degree of macular degeneration.

Perth Diet Clinic dietitian Peggy Stacy said that vitamins and minerals that can help prevent macular degeneration include zinc, vitamin C, E and B6, some carotenoids, vitamin E, magnesium and folate. “The bottom line is, if you eat a well balanced and varied diet, there should be no problem,” Ms Stacy said. “That means eating fish frequently, having lots of dark green leafy vegetables and a wide range of fruit and vegetables.”

Omega 3 fatty acid can help prevent vision loss and also helps with dry eye by increasing tear stability. It is found in oily fish, flaxseed and walnuts. “One can take tablets but the intake of fresh or tinned salmon, tuna and sardines are excellent and remove the need for supplements,” Ms Stacy said.

Wearing sunglasses all year round is essential. Ideally you should wear sunglasses with a protection rating that meets the Australian Standard AS/NZS 1067:2003 and have an Eye Protection Factor rating of 10, the highest EPF rating in Australia.

“UV radiation damage accumulates over one’s lifetime and can cause cataracts, macular degeneration and cancers in and around the eyes,” Ms Loh said. “Squinting and UV light also causes wrinkles. People who work outdoors often get pingueculae or pterygium – unsightly yellowy pink growths on the white part of the eyes.”

Short-term problems from not wearing sunglasses can include a gritty feeling in the eyes, watering, excessive blinking, puffiness and sunburn. Sunglasses should have a wrap-around style that blocks out sideways glare and dryness resulting from wind.

While Ms Loh said that straining your eyes at a computer screen all day cannot cause permanent damage, the practice can still cause daily troubles. “If the eyes are undercorrected or undiagnosed coordination problems exist, sore eyes, headaches and decreased productivity can result,” Ms Loh said. “Also, people who use computers often forget to blink as they are concentrating so much. Eyedrops like Refresh, Genteal, Blink and Theratears can be kept by the computer for use when the eyes feel dry.” Make sure you take five to 10 minute breaks from your computer every hour.

Ms Loh said performing eye exercises does little for most people. “Eye exercises can only help if there is a coordination problem to be fixed,” Ms Loh said.

Tired, puffy eyes? “Sleep can do wonders for the appearance of your eyes,” Ms Loh advised. “To relax tired eyes, or eyes that keep twitching, gel-filled eyemasks are cooling and can reduce swelling around eyes.” People with puffy eyes as a result of allergies can try non-allergenic pillows, air filters and flushing their eyes with eye lubricants. If you have a cold or flu, avoid rubbing your eyes or wearing contact lenses.

Ensure you see an optometrist if your sight starts to change, especially in later age. “As we get older, individuals should be aware of any unusual visual phenomena; an increase in frequency or number of floating spots, flashes of light, or wonkiness of things that should be straight,” Ms Loh said.

Healthy Eyes

• Don’t smoke.
• Wear sunglasses with an EPF of 10.
• Take five to ten minute breaks from computer screens each hour.
• Use eye drops for dry eyes and to increase tear stability.
• Eat plenty of foods rich in omega 3s, zinc, magnesium and carotenoids.
• Take vitamin C, E and B6.
• Get eight hours sleep each night.
• Avoid too much alcohol and smoky environments.

Maya Anderson is a full-time freelance journalist who specialises in health, fitness, nutrition and wellbeing issues. To contact Maya, email maya.anderson@hotmail.com

By Gary Bertwistle

One of the many things I love about what I do is that I have the opportunity to meet different people and hear their stories. I was once told that everyone has a story. No matter what you do in life, your position with family, the community, religion or business, everyone has a story. I’ve been fascinated by the stories that I’ve heard from taxi drivers, truck drivers, cleaners, the elderly, children, a CEO or strangers. Every now and then you hear a great line or a great story that sparks off your own imagination and creativity. Grammy award winning singer songwriter Fiona Apple talked about song writing on the television series Iconoclasts. Fiona said that she’s always looking and listening for a story. She said quite often somebody will say something and it will just be an expression, a line or a meaning and that starts her thought process. She said that may create a rhyme for a second line and before you know it you’ve got a chorus and then it’s not long before you have a full song.

This happened to me recently when I had a meeting with a property developer. His wife had contacted me after he had bought my second book Who Stole My Mojo? and wanted some of my time to talk about how he could bring Mojo in to his work life. Although this is not what I normally do I was quite interested to see where this guy was at particularly because his wife thought it would be valuable for us to talk. So over an espresso we talked about his business which was developing properties worth tens of millions of dollars. A lot of his developments had been in the rural sector and he was a particularly interesting country guy with an amazing talent for doing Donald Trump style negotiations. Negotiating was his thing. He loved it.

However as he talked you could tell by his body language and the words that he used that he’d simply lost his Mojo. He loved doing a deal and that brought a certain fire to the belly but more and more he was finding that even when negotiating, he didn’t have this fire in the belly and felt as though he’d lost his Mojo. Thankfully he’d loved my book and wanted to know more.

I asked him when he felt as though he had this fire going on, he felt like his Mojo was working and he had his best ideas.

Here’s what he said:
‘Quite often I find myself going through the motions in front of bank managers, consultants and contractors in dull boardrooms where I just think to myself, why am I here?  It’s at these times when I normally jump in the truck and head to the country. Whenever I get out in the paddocks and start working the stock on my bike it just feels right. I have my best ideas when I’m out amongst the stock. There’s something about having to move 100 head of cattle into the pens, and if one gets loose nothing else matters except getting that one problem child back in the paddock. I’ve got to drive 15kms on dirt roads to get to the property and as soon as I hit the dirt everything just changes. I feel as though I can leave the city rat race behind and my thinking, feelings and ideas become so much clearer.’

I loved that statement – when I hit the dirt. Now for you it might not be going to the country and hitting the dirt on your property. But your sanctuary could be as simple as jumping in the water and swimming laps at the pool. For others it could be being at the beach or a Sunday morning in the sun, a good book and a great cup of coffee.  For some it’s just wrestling on the carpet with the kids or it could be putting on the running shoes and knocking out 10 or 15kms. For my mum I know its doing stitch work or patchwork in the lounge room in silence.  What you need to think about is how you hit the dirt and more importantly, how you can include it into your weekly routine?  It’s that quiet time when you regroup, relax, stimulate your spirit and get reinvigorated. It does not have to happen every day but when you feel like you’ve lost your creative spark, you’ve lost your Mojo and its time to regroup.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to replicate someone else’s way of finding that creative spirit. It’s your own way and each of us has that way tucked inside us somewhere. It may even take you a couple of goes to decide what works best for you but the important this is that you know to look for it. So if you want the zip back in your imagination, creativity and innovative mind and you truly want to think differently, hit the dirt.

Gary speaks to audiences around the world about unlocking their thinking, imagination and ideas in the areas of performance, problem solving, innovation, marketing, strategy, creativity and learning. He is the author of The keys to Creativity and Who Stole my Mojo.

By Glenn Capelli

Country music has always been an interesting area. Consider the following real song titles from the country & Western genre:

•    How Can I Miss You, If You Wont Go Away?
•    She Got The Ring and I Got the Finger and
•    You’re The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly (a duet!)

However, there is also some wisdom to be found in a Country & Western Greatest Hits CD. Consider The Kenny Rogers 1978 hit written by Don Schlitz – The Gambler.

You got to know when to hold ‘em
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away and
Know when to run

Sound advice.

In the best selling Leadership book Good To Great author Jim Collins says leadership needs to get the right people in the right seats on the bus. You can extend this and suggest that thinking is about using the right strategies in the right situations. Know when to fold ‘em, know when to hold ‘em…

Psychologist and researcher Robert Sternberg has a view of Intelligence where he says successfully intelligent people:

1.    Know their own strengths
2.    Know their weaknesses
3.    Don’t allow ego to block the fact that they have weaknesses
4.    Learn to teamwork with people who have other strengths

I also think successfully intelligent people know how and when to utilise different thinking strategies.

1.    Know when to be Analytical
2.    Know when to be Creative
3.    Know when to be Practical

And do all of this with a good baseline of Emotional Smarts as well.

I often think the best answer to most questions is ‘It depends’. Good thinkers are able to consider the context of what is going on and what approach will work best given the context.

Good thinkers also sometimes realise that there may not be one single answer or response to a complex issue but that the best answer or response requires a mix of partial answers and responses. A little bit of this mixed with a little bit of that and a dash of something else thrown in for good measure.

Don Schlitz wrote many C&W hits including On The Other Hand recorded by Randy Travis. This song reminds us that most situations have a variety of ways at looking at them: more good advice from Country & Western wisdom.

Happy trails to you…

Glenn Capelli is the author of Thinking Caps book and radio pieces as well as being a top Keynote Speaker. www.glenncapelli.com. You can contact Glenn at glenn@glenncapelli.com

By Rob Wilkins

I was asked the other day by one of my participants what they could do to refresh their minds?  I had to ask whether they were talking about new knowledge or simply exercising the mind.  They then went on to talk about how, when they are working or studying, they sometimes feel fatigued.  I asked them whether it was physical or mental. They felt it was mental or thinking fatigue.

It raises a point which I think most people need to be mindful of and have a presence of thought about.  We tend to look at ourselves in a series of isolated moments.  That is we want our reflection to be linear – a series of events.  In truth, most of what we do is linked.  An example might be; I was really tired last night.  I had to skip breakfast in the morning because I was running late. It was a tough day at work with back to back meetings.  Then the train was crowded.  Then the traffic was dense. By the time I ate dinner it was eight o’clock.  I crashed into bed not long after!

In isolation this series of events looks like a typical day for a lot of us.  But if we reflect on ourselves holistically we would realise that everything we do is part of a symbiont system.  That is we rely on many stimulants, interactions and energy sources around us and cannot function correctly if we do not have them.  If we reflected on what it is that gives us energy, makes us happy, keeps us calm or helps us perform then we will start to make time for those things that refresh us.

When looking to refresh our minds I have a list of 8 things that work for me (perhaps for you too!) and you will see that the physical as well as the mental are included.  This is because our minds need some basics: time, rest, stimulation and oxygen.  Of course your brain requires the oxygen and your mind benefits from it.  Try this list and feel free to write back and suggest other mind refreshers for the Recharge Lounge audience!

Music

Much has been written about Music and it’s cathartic benefits.  All I know is that it makes me happy and a general disposition of happiness energises me.

Recreation

No doubt about it, a nice walk or a bike ride gets the blood pumping, oxygenates the blood and releases the natural chemical base that seems to refresh us.  Always look to walk and breathe.  Even 15 minutes will provide benefit.

Physical exercise

Enough said.  Think of your mind, body and spirit.  As I said, look at yourself holistically. (I need more of this!)

Crosswords and Sudoku are your friends

I am big on both of these.  There is a big fad currently on brain training.  Even the electronic gaming industry has bought into it.  The problem with games is you obtain mastery quickly and the brain tends to not be exercised after mastery. The key is to know whether what you are doing TRANSFERS into our overall cognitive abilities and mental faculties, as measured independently from the game itself, and enables you to have a better improved memory, concentration, decision-making, planning skills etc.  You need to be mindful that you have growth and a changed state. There is a growing body of evidence (See Guy McKann’s book) to suggest that crosswords and Sudoku contribute towards your cognitive abilities.

Interact and examine your state of change

Meet new people and always take the time to interact with the people you know, love and respect.  The stimulation offered by other opinions and knowing or being mindful of their effects on your opinions and thoughts is a powerful disposition to have.  It allows you to be flexible and adaptive and coninuously refreshes the mind!

Read and keep reading

I think this sums it up; reading a good story can help you forget some of the problems in your own life:

“I can’t get around much anymore,” said the 100-year-old woman who lived in the nursing home. “When I go somewhere, I have to go in a wheelchair now. But when I read, I can go anywhere, anytime I want. And no one has to help me!”  There are too many benefits!  Just remember to choose wisely in terms of what you read.  I find fiction refreshes me.

Sleep

7 Hours is what I need.  Again, what does that symbiont system of yours require?  What are the things tomorrow that are dependant on your sleep today?  Always remember, your mind requires that sleep to feel refreshed.

Be Mindful

Mindfulness is a natural state of living and recognising life moment by moment.  As I write this I am reminded of Ellen Langer’s description of mindfulness:

”Mindfulness is a state in which one is open to creating categories, open to new information, and being aware of more than one perspective.”

Be good to yourself.

Rob Wilkins is a Learning and Development professional with over 20 years experience in Corporate Learning and Development, Management and Executive Development, Learning Technologies and Organisational Performance Improvement. Currently completing his Masters in Knowledge Management and Business Information, Rob is considered a specialist in eLearning and Personal Learning Environments with a strong Knowledge Management influence guiding his research and professional development. Email: dawilkos@tpg.com.au : or more of his insights on a daily basis: Blog: http://roalp.blogspot.com

Andrew May interviews Carl Honore, author of In Praise of Slowness - how a world wide movement is challenging the cult of speed and founder of www.slowplanet.com.

Listen to the interview

MP3 File

What is the Slow Movement?

It is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.

When was this Slow idea born?

People have been defending the value of slowness for at least 200 years - think of the Romantics, or the Transcendentalists or even the hippies. But the idea of a “Slow Movement” which seeks to blend fast and slow to help people work, live and play better in the modern world is more recent. Born in Italy in the early 1990s the ****Slow Food movement helped recapture the word ‘slow’ as something positive. But they concentrate on food. More recently “Slow” has become a universal label to explain the benefits of doing everything at the right speed: sex, work, education, exercise, etc.

Why do we need a Slow Movement now?

It seems to me that we are moving towards an historical turning point. For at least 150 years everything has been getting faster – and for the most part speed was doing us more good than harm in that time. But in recent years we’ve entered the phase of diminishing returns. Today we are addicted to speed, to cramming more and more into every minute. Every moment of the day feels like a race against the clock, a dash to a finish line that we never seem to reach. This roadrunner culture is taking a toll on everything from our health, diet and work to our communities, relationships and the environment. That is why the Slow Movement is taking off.

Have we reached the point of trying to accelerate the unacceleratable?

Definitely. You can even do courses in Speed Yoga or Speed Meditation these days. All this technology connects us in ways that can be wonderful but it also tempts us into trying to hurry up relationships too. So on Facebook or MySpace you find people claiming to have 4,356 friends! The very idea of friendship is devalued. And maybe we’re also losing the ability to make friends: in Britain, a major survey found that between 1986 and 2006 the number of teenagers who say they have no best friend in whom to confide rose from under one in eight to nearly one in five. Or consider the phenomenon of Speed Dating, where singles gather at events where they get three minutes (sometimes less) each with 30 members of the opposite sex and have to choose who might be a suitable romantic partner. Actually, I read recently that in the latest version of Speed Dating the participants no longer even meet face to face (that’s too slow, you see). Instead, they get three minutes to appraise each other via email or instant messaging. A magazine in Britain even published an article recently on how to bring about an orgasm in 30 seconds! So even in the bedroom it’s “On your marks, get set, go!” Our speedaholism is out of control, and we all know it.

What are the tell-tale symptoms of living too fast?

When you feel tired all the time and like you’re just going through the motions, getting through the many things on your To-Do list but not engaging with them deeply or enjoying them very much. You don’t remember things as vividly when you rush through them. You feel like you’re racing through your life instead of actually living it. Illnesses are often the body’s way of saying “Enough already, slow down!”

By Andrew May

Goal-setting is a positive, powerful practice when it ignites enthusiasm and provides you with clear direction. So, how do you avoid the New Year’s curse and move from writing goals on the back of a VB coaster in the early hours of New Year’s Day to actually making them happen in a logical, structured process?

Follow the 7 tips to ensure you succeed.

1. ask yourself the right questions

* Give some thought to what you really want and why you want to achieve it.

* How much does achieving this goal really mean to you?

* What are the benefits of achieving this goal? List them.

* Who else would achieving this goal affect or impact?

* Are you really prepared to do what it takes to achieve this goal?

2. involve significant others

Don’t keep your goals to yourself. Enlist the support of your partner, significant others, family, friends, colleagues etc. This keeps you accountable and also sets up your own little support group to keep you on track.

3. get anchored

Write your goals down on a sheet of paper, simplify them into point format and then put them in a place you will regularly see them. This might be in your diary, in the office, in the car, maybe even in the bathroom.

4. small bytes

George Miller, a leading psychologist, proposed that we can only deal with seven bits of information at any one time. Any more information and our minds start to wander.

So to be effective, you need to group things into memorable, manageable chunks. When you create your New Year’s Master Plan, keep your goals down to a manageable number and group similar areas.

5. set an annual goal-setting plan

After you have written down your specific goals, the next step is to work out a specific plan. Identify the key steps you need to take towards accomplishing each goal and assign specific dates for this.

Daily: Think about your major goals and what you can do today to help you move towards them.

Weekly: Invest valuable time at the start of every week mapping out how you are going to spend your time and where you are going to focus effort and energy in order to achieve your goals.

Monthly and quarterly: Make a list of all the major goals you want to complete every month or quarter. Divide this into different parts of your business and life. Then break these down into smaller components and work out what you need to do each week to get the job done.

Yearly planning: Conduct a review of your business and your life before New Year’s. I find December is often a good time to do this.

First of all, make a list of all of the great things you have accomplished the previous year in all aspects of your life. Next, make a list of the areas you’d like to improve or the goals that you didn’t achieve in the different areas of your life. Why do you think you didn’t hit these targets? What do you need to do differently moving forward to make this happen?

The yearly plan should be the umbrella for the quarterly plan, which will then feed the monthly, weekly and daily action items.

6. project the future – RAS

Review your goals at least every seven days, preferably most days. Don’t leave it for another 365 days. This helps activate the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS is an inbuilt goal-setting device that tracks us towards our targets and filters the types of information we let into our internal system.

Regularly visualise what it is going to be like once you have successfully achieved your goals. How are you going to feel? We really do become what we visualise, so make sure you forward-project the right thoughts and paint a successful storyboard.

7. be realistic and reward yourself along the way

It is important to reward yourself along the way as you tick off your action plan. Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking to the process.

Human beings make mistakes so don’t beat yourself up if you lose focus. Don’t be a perfectionist – don’t expect yourself to be super-human. This is one of the simplest ways we can sabotage ourselves. Expect high standards of yourself, but if you don’t achieve all that you want to, at least you’ll know that you’ve worked towards achieving your goals with determination and integrity.
Following this structured process you are much more likely to achieve your goals. And when you’ve done it…you’ve just set yourself up for a happy, healthy and productive year ahead.

Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.

by M.J Ryan

The ins and outs of better breathing

Try this relaxation exercise from breathing guru Andrew Weil, MD, best-selling author and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona. The payoff? “Blessed relief” from constant thinking, Weil says.

• Sit with your back straight.
• Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your front teeth.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Inhale quietly through your nose with your mouth closed to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, this time whooshing to a count of eight.
• Inhale again and repeat the exercise three times for a total of four breaths.

TIP: If you have trouble holding your breath, speed up but stick to the four-seven-eight count. Practice twice a day, but don’t do more than four breaths at a time for the first month; later you can work up to eight breaths. You may feel a little light-headed, Weil says, but it will pass.

M.J. Ryan is a life coach and the author of many self-help books, including This Year I Will … and is a member of Health magazine’s Health Expert Network.

This article was sources from http://living.health.com