With any marathon or long-distance run, not only is physical preparation important, but it is also crucial to prepare mentally for the gruelling number of miles. Because running a marathon is not just about the body — the mind also matters quite a bit as well.

Training your mind for a marathon might sound a bit odd, but preparing mentally is really no different to preparing physically. Just as you would prepare your body, it’s equally important to prepare your mind for the inevitable mental challenges.

In fact, research suggests that elite marathoners use specific psychological strategies to help them perform for this unique event.

First off, let’s talk about the infamous wall, and what happens when you hit it. Because hitting the wall isn’t just a fallacy, it really does happen. And it’s probably going to happen to you if you’re brave enough to run a marathon. Hitting the wall is basically about running out of energy. Your legs feel like concrete, your breathing becomes laboured, your stride turns into a shuffle. Negative thoughts flood your mind, and the urge to quit becomes overwhelming.

Identifying imaginary — but realistic — scenarios before the race like “what happens when I hit the wall?” or “what if it rains?” are key to success on the actual day itself. To get the most out of this, runners should identify potential strategies to cope with these situations should they arise on race day.

In a study, 315 participants from three eastern seaboard marathons in the US were asked about their experiences of hitting the wall. The findings revealed that 43 per cent of participants ‘hit the wall’ during the marathon, with results showing that fatigue, unintentional slowing of pace, a desire to walk, and a shift in focus to survival were all key features of the wall. In another study, fifty-seven experienced recreational marathoners were asked about how they coped with hitting the wall. The participants used multiple techniques including physical coping strategies such as supplementation; emotional strategies like social support; and cognitive strategies like mental reframing.

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When Tina Turner sings, "What's love got to do with it?" the answer is, everything. Falling in love is associated with the release of oxytocin, the neuro-hormone that is the foundation for trust in all our relationships.

It’s now available as a convenient nasal spray to enhance your social appeal, but before you head off to your local chemist to try it out, it's important to examine why oxytocin matters at work.

Oxytocin builds stronger, more deeply connected relationships leading to behaviour that is more compassionate, co-operative, and generous. In other words it creates strong social networks of aligned individuals who are more willing to contribute, engage, and relate to each other. Trust boosts engagement and performance.

The neuroeconomics of trust

Dr. Paul Zak neuro-economist at Claremont Graduate University devised the Ofactor model to quantify the effect of oxytocin on interpersonal level of trust. Not surprisingly, he showed how employees within high-trust organisations report 70% less stress, 28% more energy, 26% more joy, 69% higher job retention, and 70% greater job satisfaction. In addition, those in the top quartile of trust are 19% more productive, 22% more innovative in problem solving, and took 33% fewer sick days. Trust is clearly good for business.

Trust reduces stress

Building trust helps alleviate stress and maintains access to the brain's executive suite, the prefrontal cortex, for greater logic, reasoning, and good judgment. Trust is built in small increments and can be broken in an instant by an unkind word or ‘off the cuff’ comment. Social pain is felt as keenly as physical pain because they share common neural pathways, and the emotional fallout can be long lasting.

Under conditions of high stress, levels of testosterone rise that counter-effect the positive bonding of oxytocin, and move us towards a state of greater mistrust which, in men, can manifest as increased aggressive behaviour.

Seeking to minimize fear and stress in the workplace, helps optimise the positive benefits of oxytocin linked to social reward.

Boosting oxytocin (& trust) at work

1. Create a place of safety

Creating a brain-safe environment starts with communicating clearly to diminish uncertainty, and demonstrating fairness in all dealings with others.

2. Show that you care

Listening more, encouraging discourse, and asking questions all help to build social connection and relatedness. The fastest way to build trust is to ask others for their help.

3.Empower others

Micromanagement saps oxytocin faster than the latest model Dyson vacuum cleaner. Giving people the autonomy to demonstrate they can do their work and do it well is trust building at its best.

4. Show your appreciation

Feeling rewarded by meeting a deadline, or being called out for doing a good job boosts oxytocin and dopamine release that elevates mood and increases the motivation to repeat that behaviour.

5. Go for a high five

Physical touch enhances oxytocin levels. So whether you go for a restrained handshake, reassuring tap on the shoulder or the full body contact hug, all enhance oxytocin and that level of trust. Forming meaningful relationships that connect us at the human level is what leads to greater business growth and success, and it all starts with trust.

According to a 2012 Healthier Work report in the ACT, Australian workers are leading increasingly inactive lifestyles. A growing number of employees are experiencing high stress levels, reduced productivity, frequent illness, low engagement, and poor job satisfaction. Australian workplaces are feeling the impact — and daily cost — of a largely unhealthy workforce.  To combat this issue, employers need to implement health and wellbeing education in the workplace to boost their team’s productivity levels.

Across every industry, leaders and employees alike understand that personal and professional factors are inseparably interlinked.

As much as people try to compartmentalise work life and home life, work–life balance is not a fictional concept. Ideally, work life and home life need to exist as a harmonious whole.

Teaching staff about good self-care, health, nutrition, and exercise routines empowers people to take charge of both their personal and professional lives. Health and wellbeing education is a strategic tool for equipping staff with new self-care skills and knowledge, while fostering a nurturing and supportive workplace culture.

It’s largely up to leaders to develop a shared sense of purpose in the workplace, passionately following through on that sense of purpose every day. Likewise, educating staff about key health issues and offering holistic solutions fosters a sense of purpose within them: a purpose that extends beyond just day-to-day tasks, and addresses the unique needs of individuals.

Health goals and career goals exist hand-in-hand, with health-conscious staff typically more engaged and productive at work. According to a 2016 study by Gallup, just 13% of employees globally are deeply engaged in their jobs, meaning very few workers are actively involved, enthusiastic, and committed to their job, colleagues, and workplace. The remaining 87% of employees are either not engaged or indifferent.

To close the gap between highly engaged and disengaged workers in Australia and globally, leaders need to leverage the benefits of health and wellbeing education. Time and time again, across almost any marketplace, we see that people-focused strategies and programs create change. By prioritising the health and wellbeing of your people, you can drive higher employee engagement and productivity in the long-term.

Health and wellbeing education comes in many shapes and sizes, and can be tailored to the specific needs of your organisation and employees. Accessibility and scheduling are significant factors in this. For example, in busy corporate environments, hosting health seminars during lunch or immediately before / after hours means that staff can easily incorporate these seminars into their day.

3 steps for integrating health and wellbeing education into any workplace

1. Talk to your staff about their health concerns 

Communication is the catalyst for change. Before implementing any type of health and wellbeing education, talk to your staff individually and find out what their main health concerns are. Ask them what types of programs would benefit them most, whether it be a nutrition toolkit, a good sleep guide, a team workshop on mental health, or a seminar on stress management.

2. Deliver on your promises

To be a true changemaker, you need to deliver on your promises. After talking with your staff about their key health concerns, keep up the communication. Let your staff know that you have taken their concerns and suggestions on board, and are doing your best to address them in the health and wellness programs. Employees understand that planning and implementing new programs takes time, but it’s important to keep them up to date throughout the process. Be accountable for getting them off the ground yourself, and make your staff accountable for the programs themselves.

3. Drive lasting change

When introducing new programs, plenty of workplaces fall into the trap of short-lived success. The initial stages of health and wellbeing programs are often the most exciting, when new ideas are flowing, and people are eager to learn more. However, whether it’s improving diet, creating a new exercise routine or practicing mindfulness mediation, breaking old habits doesn’t happen overnight. Staff may be initially enthusiastic, and quickly lose interest, finding the program too hard or the expectations too high. Don’t give up. With patience, perseverance, encouragement and ease of accessibility, most employees will see the benefits of health and wellness programs. Equally, they will recognise the value that such programs add to a healthy and productive workplace culture.

Travelling for work, whether it’s domestic or international, can be incredibly exhausting and really take it out of you. You’re out of your normal routine and you tend to compensate for lost desk time by trying to make up for it with longer working days. Travelling makes it harder to eat well and exercise like you normally would, and as a result leads to a loss of energy, and your performance then suffers.

Executives and professionals have a love–hate relationship when it comes to travelling. There’s an unspoken expectation that you still have to be on your A-game even after all those hours spent on the plane.

The lack of normality, and not having easy access to what makes you feel energised is what sets a lot of travellers back, and this can result in burnout.

5 tips to stay in control of your energy & avoid burnout while travelling:

Model your days as if you are working in your home city

By mimicking what you would normally do at home, it takes less mental energy to work with your preferences rather than against them. For example, work to your personal pace and take regular breaks. Don’t push yourself too hard and listen to what your body is telling you

Schedule some down time

Business trips are often action packed with meetings, client dinners, and more, which can deplete your energy levels. Ensure you put some time aside for yourself to re-energise, whether it’s a walk around the city, some chill time in your room watching TV, or hitting the hotel gym

An ‘Out of Office’ is key

Don’t feel guilty or slack putting your ‘Out of Office’ on. You can’t be everywhere at once, so don’t try to be. Be present wherever you are, so use the ‘Out of Office’ to manage your emails coming through, and provide an alternative way for people to get help if they need it while you’re away. Trying to keep up with your travel schedule as well as your emails will deplete your energy and you’ll end up feeling stressed trying to keep up with everything

Don’t forget to move

Whether it’s dedicated time to exercise or incidental movement between client meetings or trips to the office, scheduling time to physically move your body will not only benefit your body, but your mind as well. When you travel for work, you are trying to cram as much in as possible, so make sure you fit in some exercise to ensure you’re at your productive best

Eat for nutrients

It’s easy to eat lots of heavy foods that aren’t nourishing while you’re travelling. Opt for the vegetables and protein when you can, and steer clear of high GI foods such as rice and pasta, which will fill you up but contain little nutritional value. Consuming foods that are healthy will result in you feeling better and in more control of your energy levels

Overwhelmed, exhausted, stuck in a rut, wading through mud, and emotionally burnt out? No spark, no mojo, just monotony?

Noticing more self-talk, saying things to yourself such as: “I can’t cope”, or “I’m too busy”, or “I’m so tired”, or “It’s not fair”, “I can’t make this work”, “Why am I doing this”?

You’re not alone — according to The Huffington Post 64% of people were stressed, and 8 in 10 Americans are stressed about their jobs. Australia is not far off!

The top five causes of stress in Australia are:

1. Personal finances – 49%;
2. Family issues – 45%;
3. Personal health – 44%;
4. Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle – 40%; and
5. Issues with the health of others close to us – 38%.

Most CEO’s I talk to, workshop with, or coach, are juggling issues with at least 4 out of 5 of these areas.

You’d think we’d have the perfect blend by now — with time saving digital access, flexible working opportunities, and more awareness about stress.

Think again.

In fact we have more stress, less time, more responsibility, and less support. Overall statistics show lower levels of personal wellbeing and workplace wellbeing, higher levels of stress, depression, and increased anxiety symptoms than ever before.

Most leaders fall into the same routine of trying to climb their way out of stress and exhaustion on holidays or the weekends, only to find themselves falling right back into the trap a few weeks later when back at work, or dreading the start of a new week and a new load of responsibilities with seemingly no way out.

As a business owner, leader in life or anyone in the corporate world knows — the best results come with a clear strategy and the courage to make a plan that’s relevant, realistic, and results driven.

1. What if there was a very simple way to change that pattern of highs and lows, peaks and troughs, and feeling over-worked once and for all?
2. What if you could learn to blend your business AND your personal vitality on a weekly (even daily) basis, without turning your life upside down?
3. More importantly, what if you could do this for yourself and lead your family or your teams by example for lasting results?

There is and you can.

How do you get back on track?

Here are my 7 steps from stressed to success you can action right now to get back in control, feel in balance, and create sustainable energy levels for work and home:

1. Plan a winning week in all areas of life:It’s time to recognise your week as a whole and not try to fit everything else around work. What worked for you before is probably not going to work for you now. Re-think your weekly game plan. What are your non-negotiables, the mandatory elements — build those in first and then add the other considerations. Friends, family, health/fitness, and time out all need to be factored in and lodged in your agenda like work appointments. I call these the 6 pillars of Ultimate Vitality.

2. Choose healthy fresh food — all the time. Fresh is best. Make conscious choices for food that will recharge rather than empty calories. Don’t skip meals and go for the fresh ingredients on the menu when dining out for work.
3. Focus on fresh air as your exercise mission rather than gym workouts and classes that you know you won’t make with your ever-changing schedule. Take walk-and-talks for updates with your team, even if it’s round the office. Most of all: MOVE. Get out of your chair regularly and stand up. It’s never too late to get to be the healthiest version of yourself no matter what your title, position, or age. In fact it’s essential for clarity, decision-making, and sustainable success.

4. Out with the old: stories, that is. Give yourself permission to write a new set of wellbeing and weekly schedule goals — what worked for you in your 20’s is probably not going to work now. Re-organise your health and fitness choices and use of time based on your current life and responsibilities. Get smart and be proactive.

5. Make exercise a part of your day — every day. No further explanation required. Just do it.
6. Get rid of digital devices from the bedroom — turn your sleep routine into a place of peace, calm, and real rejuvenation.
7. The last but most important piece of advice I have for you is the 1% rule.

If you want to bring your business and your personal vitality to life, take each element that has been eluding you — health, personal finance, family, or friends and add 14.4 minutes in your day dedicated to that. After 100 days you’ll be 100% better off. You can’t argue with the stats.

On a final note, give yourself permission to re-set, to re-evaluate, and consider a new approach.

If high levels of stress continue for a long period of time or are interfering with you enjoying a healthy life, consider seeking professional help.

The right support can make the world of difference. Choose advice from people who are truly experienced and understand the nature of striving in business and in life.

You don’t need to sacrifice one thing for another — you can integrate healthy, wealthy, and wise as one simply by following the 7 steps above.

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days. While people understand it’s supposed be good for you, far fewer know what it really means or entails. The first woman to gain tenure in the psychology department at Harvard University, Dr Ellen Langer, has been described as the ‘mother of mindfulness’ having studied the concept for four decades.

Full of humorous anecdotes and metaphors, Ellen spoke to The CEO Magazine ahead of her appearances in Sydney and Melbourne later this month, where she will be speaking on the topic of mindfulness. Ellen helpfully cleared up some common misconceptions about mindfulness and presented a compelling case for paying more attention in daily life.

“Mindfulness is a very simple process of actively noticing new things,” says Ellen. “When you do that, it puts you in the present and makes you sensitive to context and perspective. It’s the essence of engagement.”

It’s hard not to heed this message when it comes from Ellen. She is engaging, multi-talented, and a highly intelligent woman — and is walking, talking proof that being interested makes you interesting.

Mindfulness is not the same as meditation

Ellen suggests many people are living mindlessly due to a mistaken belief that mindfulness is a practice which is difficult to master and hard to find time to accommodate. She thinks this belief is probably fuelled by widespread confusion about how mindfulness and meditation are linked.

“Mindfulness is different from meditation. Meditation is simply a tool to lead to post-meditative mindfulness. It’s a good tool, but it’s just a tool. Meditation requires active practise. Mindfulness, as we’ve studied it, is not a practice, it’s just a way of being,” Ellen explains. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that not only is mindfulness good for you emotionally and physically, but it’s also fun! It’s energy begetting, not consuming.”

How you’re wasting your time without noticing

More harmful than not properly understanding the concept of mindfulness, however, is failing to recognise mindlessness, says Ellen. This can lead to stress, negativity, poor performance, and serious health concerns. Ellen argues the benefits of being mindful are so great, and paying attention requires such minimal effort, that people who live mindlessly really are wasting their time.

“If you set out in this world recognising that you don’t know — people think they know, but they don’t, because everything is changing —you naturally pay attention,” says Ellen, who compares being in a state of mindfulness to experiencing new places and meeting new people while on a holiday. “It’s easy. It’s the way we are when we’re at play.”

Ellen’s trick for recognising when you’re not noticing enough is to keep a check on how much you think you know. “Every time you think you know something for sure, that’s when you’re being mindless,” she says. “Because everything looks different from a different perspective.”

Mindful thinking reduces stress and increases health and productivity

Business leaders are at an increased risk of mindlessly falling into a stressful — and therefore, unhealthy — existence. Ellen says this need not be the case. As well as distinguishing herself in her career as a psychologist, Ellen is also an accomplished author and artist, plays a lot of tennis, gives presentations and interviews all over the world, and is a self-confessed ‘foodie’. “I do all this stress free,” she says.

“I don’t think that if you have a fast-paced life you will be prone to health problems, but if that fast pace comes along with high stress, it’s the stress that will cause health problems. It’s actually fun being very active,” Ellen explains.

“The mistake for a lot of people in business is that they apply a different set of rules for themselves. People mistakenly think work has to be stressful and they tolerate things they would never tolerate at home. If you’re more mindful, you’re going to prosper,” says Ellen. “Stress is a function, not of events, but of the view you take of events. The more mindful you are, the less stress you’re going to feel.”

Exercising control in decision-making

Recognising the choices we have and paying intentional attention is a fundamental aspect of Ellen’s research, which focuses on how our minds and health are connected. She believes that calculated decision-making is an illusion, pointing out that — as people in management positions know all too well — there is no limit to the information we can consider when making a decision. Ellen argues that a deep understanding of this theory leads people to the position where they understand it is unproductive to worry about making the right decision and that, rather, they should place emphasis on making their decisions right.

Ellen is excited to present the findings of some of her research in Australia. She says it is “astounding” to see how much control we are able exert over our health and wellbeing — not to mention our lives and businesses — when we choose to be more mindful.

At the end of the day, why would anyone choose to be mindless?

Hear Dr Ellen Langer speak at the next Game Changers event

Presented by Sunsuper, Game Changers is a series of talks from strategic visionaries who have taken business thinking to a new level.

Dr Ellen Langer will be the next speaker, presenting her research and posing the question: ‘Mindfulness; is it the new competitive advantage?’

As a reader of The CEO Magazine, you can register for your chance to attend one of these exclusive events here.

Event details

Sydney

Time and date: 8–10am, Tuesday 23 August 2016

Place: The Ivy, 1/330 George Street, Sydney

Melbourne

Time and date: 8–10am, Thursday 25 August 2016

Place: ZINC at Federation Square, Corner Swanston & Flinders streets, Melbourne

Are you stressed?

CEOs and leaders, it’s time to ask yourself: am I feeling stressed and overworked? Am I equipped with the right mental strategies to bounce back from stressful situations? Am I taking care of my mental and emotional needs?

In today’s fast-paced, tech-focused business world, it can be difficult to switch off from external stimuli. For CEOS and leaders, being constantly plugged into work mode via always-on technology can significantly increase mental and emotional stress.

Too often, CEOs and leaders are so preoccupied with demanding roles and responsibilities at work, that down time and relaxation slip through the cracks. Yet, in the words of productivity and work–life trainer, Joe Robinson: “Few ambitious achievers understand one of the biggest secrets of productivity — the refuelling principle. You get more done quicker when you step back and recharge the brain and body. Studies show that performance increases after breaks of all durations.”

How can you recharge?

CEOs and leaders need to prioritise their own mental and emotional self-care. One deep relaxation strategy is Float Therapy — a highly restorative experience that leaves you in a state of serenity and calm, both physically and mentally. In fact, just 1 hour of Floating is the equivalent of 4 hours of sleep, helping fatigued leaders catch up on much-needed rest and recuperation.

Float Therapy is a blissful sensation of weightlessness — a gravity-free experience similar to floating in space. In a tank of shallow, warm, densely salty water, your entire body is supported, meaning you can lie back and “let go” of mental and physical stress. For CEOs and leaders, it provides a rare opportunity for total time out.

Float Therapy takes place in a sensory deprivation environment. Some centres provide Float pods or capsules. Others, like Saltuary, provide a dedicated Float room, complete with a shower, change room, dim lighting, and gentle music. Float rooms help you to sink into the experience in a comfortable and large space. The rooms at Saltuary all contain dimly lit, starry lights to lull you into a deep sense of peace, to the ultimate rest.

Why Float Therapy?

Float Therapy is rapidly becoming the go-to de-stress experience in the business world. Due to its unique combination of mental and physical restoration, Float has been popular in the sports community for many years. Sports Psychologists at the Australian Institute of Sport found that Float measurably reduces blood pressure and heart rate, lowering levels of stress-related chemicals in the body.

For CEOs and leaders, Floating is a simple, unique and very powerful therapy that resets both the body and the mind. Through the gravity-free sensation of floating, your body balances and heals internally, as all senses are restored. Floating is widely known to soothe anxiety, jet lag, stress, and fatigue, which commonly affect CEOs and leaders across all sectors.

Floating is also known to enhance concentration and creativity. Many people report sudden flashes of insight and inspiration when floating — particularly after several sessions. This is because your mind and body become more familiar with the sensation, meaning you can let external stimuli slip away more quickly and easily, accessing parts of your brain that usually only sit quietly in the background.

Deep relaxation techniques such as Float Therapy and meditation are hugely beneficial for CEOs and leaders. If you’re feeling mentally and emotionally drained, stressed, unmotivated and unproductive, Floating can provide a much-needed mental break to boost your daily performance and nurture a sense of balance and calm.

Other benefits of floating:

• Akin to 4 hours of good quality sleep on your body — reduces fatigue
• Rehydrates skin, leaving it feeling silky smooth
• Boosts circulation, bringing fresh nutrients to all parts of your body
• Soothes old injures and aches, especially backache

Travel fitness is part of your business strategy. Full stop.

My motto is you need to run your body like your business. Your wellbeing is just as important as your financial bottom line.

Whether you’re spending a week on the road in a variety of locations, away at a conference, or travelling interstate on business, there are always ways you can integrate fitness into your travel schedule.

This means building your wellbeing time into your daily agenda like you would any other meeting, and making sure it’s not location-dependent. It’s a mindset and a lifestyle not a chore. As a CEO or leader in life we need to regularly review strategies for work and life — the same goes for your personal health and wellbeing. What worked for you in your 20’s is probably not going to cut it now.

Use this moment to reset your perspective on what exercise can seamlessly integrate into your weekly routine and responsibilities. It may mean you need a new game plan.

5 steps to stay fit on the road

1.Take your gym with you

It’s actually easier than you may think to take your gym with you, by using body weight exercises and packing some basic lightweight items and a pair of running shoes. Stock up your mental hard drive with exercises you can do anywhere and download your favourite videos and fitness apps to your iPad so you have an additional library to keep you on track.

2. Back to basics

Create space in the mornings before you start your meetings by getting some fresh air: explore where you are on foot or by bike — simply swap your heels or dress shoes for trainers and get to know your new surroundings. Exploring the city before everything opens is the perfect way to get your bearings and clear your thoughts for the day ahead.

3. The 1% RULE never fails

When time is not on your side, there are still a number of short yet powerful workouts you can do with no gym required. I like to call these express sessions. 15 minutes is 1% of your day, so if you fit your wellbeing into your agenda for 15 minutes every day for 100 days you will be 100% better off.

4. Listen to your body

If you are tired, then listen to your body: rest, relax and eat healthily to recharge and rejuvenate. Don’t raid the mini bar for sugary snacks and drinks — instead watch what you fuel your body with. Pay attention to ensuring you have plenty of fresh food at all meals, and get your PA or Executive Assistant to plan ahead and ensure meeting catering is healthy, fresh, and supporting the wellbeing culture.

5. Get Creative:

Stop the old stories. You don’t need a gym or an hour — just make a plan based on the week ahead and the locations. For example:

• 15 Minute Express Session: Quick walk or jog followed by a super set of 25 pushups, 25 crunches, 25 triceps dips and 25 prisoner squats. Finish with three yoga poses to stretch.
• Skip your way fit: A skipping rope will roll up and fit in your shoe. Skip as a warm-up and cool down at different tempos, then add your core work and body weight exercises in between. You’ll be surprised how effective skipping is for agility and cardio condition.
• Use the on-site gym or pool: Research where you are staying and find out what facilities they have, onsite. Pack your swim goggles and squeeze in a few laps between work activities.
• Pack suspension straps: Take your gym with you with some suspension straps. I always take these on longer trips and it ensures I can train on the spot for just 15 minutes a day, or longer combined with cardio.
• Use nature as your gym: Embrace your surroundings. Fresh air is essential for mental agility as well as physical wellbeing.

As you elevate your personal journey as a healthy CEO — remember it’s about balance and consistency. Focus on what you can add to your life rather than what you have to give up — integrating ultimate vitality in business and in life.

Achieving a state of wellness where the mind, body, and spirit are in complete harmony is a somewhat elusive dream for many. Life is becoming faster-paced, iPhones are permanently attached to our palms, and we are more often than not eating our meals mindlessly while on the go or in front of the TV. Finding the time, or indeed the motivation, to truly nurture ourselves both inside and out can seem like a pretty big task. We might commit to taking a yoga class once a week, to plugging into a ten-minute meditation app every now and then, or to cooking a healthy dinner each weeknight; however, it’s not always easy to stay on the bandwagon. We slip up and then we give up because it all seems too hard.

The Golden Door is here to help. Located in the picturesque Hunter Valley — a couple of hours drive north of Sydney — the live-in-style health retreat is all about kick-starting a healthy, holistic lifestyle.

The reasons for checking in are varied and many. Some people are looking to boot a bad habit, while others are hoping to achieve a greater sense of inner peace. I’m making the trip to test out the Corporate Wellness Program — a three-, five-, or seven-night stay to encourage change and establish new, healthy habits for a better life at work and at home. It can be tailored to individuals or groups of up to sixteen people, and is ideal for leaders needing to recharge.

After winding my way through the idyllic countryside — sprawling hills, rows of vineyards, and native vegetation — I arrive at the Golden Door’s wrought-iron gates and wait for my car to be let in. As I slowly drive up the steep mountain’s edge towards the reception centre, beige gravel crunching under my tyres, I think about how I am going to feel when I leave, after fully submitting to what the program has on offer. I’ll be eating well and not too much, exercising regularly, and re-training my brain for new habits — that’s got to have a noticeable impact, right?

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The vast floor-to-ceiling windows rising from a daybed piled high with cushions frame the gently sloping valley below Ooralba Estate, which is filled with a thick, pure-white mist. It’s a magical sight, made all the more beautiful thanks to the bright-blue winter sky above Kangaroo Valley and the rising sun’s rays piercing through a thicket of gumtrees. Once the sun has risen, the mist dissipates and the valley below is revealed — fertile folds of land spliced by fences and winding country roads.

A tall, muscular man with an armful of bright pink and blue yoga mats strolls across the estate’s hilltop towards the house’s sprawling veranda. There’s a purposeful, athletic spring in his step, and I know what he’s here for, so I reluctantly climb out of the windowed daybed, take a final sip of lemon myrtle tea, and slip on my running shoes.

Our group of ten, away for the weekend on a corporate retreat, are gradually coming together in the heart of the house — an enormous open-plan kitchen with an island bench the size of a Sydney bedsit.

The equally enormous dining table is an ever-changing showcase of Ooralba Estate’s countless natural bounty and the many talents of the estate’s concierge and chef Monique. Monique’s condiments, jams, and chutneys are renowned in the Valley, and there’s no wondering why. The lemon curd butter, jalapeno jam, pickled vegetables, chilli sauce, and raspberry jam are standouts, but pretty much whatever is in season is turned into something for guests to spread across the homebaked bagels.

The eggs are straight from the estate’s plump ‘ladies’ (aka hens); the honey from the beehives in the paddocks; and the Black Angus and Murray Grey cattle raised on the land provide some of the region’s finest beef and pork. The muesli packed with the property’s pecans and macadamias, and muffins, cookies, friands and scones are all whipped up by Monique’s deft hands.

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Rolling out of pit lane, a pitching sensation begins to come from the front end. It’s a strange feeling as the front suspension usually absorbs small undulations, smothering them so you wouldn’t notice.

It’s even stranger when you realise that this surface is supposed to be perfect — this is a racetrack after all. But then, the purity of the messages cannot be ignored.

Every twitch, every jostle is transmitted to the seat of your pants — that is the true test of a supercar.

Just about everyone can build something to go fast these days. Even hot hatches are running to 100km/h in under four seconds straight out of the factory. But creating a machine that is ferociously quick and chats with you about everything that’s happening underneath? Well, that’s something that eludes most manufacturers.

Call it the Italian heritage, but Lamborghini is a rare breed. It makes supercars that immerse and overwhelm four of the five senses (if you’re tasting cars, the men in white coats are on their way soon), and the Lamborghini Huracán is the prime example of an inanimate embodiment of a zoetic being.

Following tradition, this latest Lambo is named after a fighting bull from the late 1800s, which was legendary for its immense power. The Huracán definitely has that (with 571hp from its 5.2-litre V10) but there’s a rawness that also channels Lamborghinis of old. And the latest version to launch here, the LP 580-2, is aimed squarely at those who enjoy their driving.

Unlike the original Huracán, the LP 610-4, (which, as the ‘4’ suggests, is four-wheel-drive), the LP 580-2 is two-wheel-drive. But turning it into the LP 580-2 was more than a matter of just removing the front driveshafts.

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Exotic greenery sprouts from people’s plates. They dip dumplings in sauce, slurp milky-looking soup, and line up for ladlefuls of rice congee. A waiter approaches to offer me coffee and an omelette, which I gratefully accept. I’ll try any food once — but not for breakfast.

I’m at a hotel that overlooks Sun Moon Lake, known simply as The Lalu. Once, only senior government officials and emperors were allowed here; in the 50s, it was President Chiang Kai-shek’s summer home. Now The Lalu is open to whoever can afford the spacious Zen-inspired rooms.

The lake is a misty, mystical vision of blurred blues and purples. The fog moves constantly, discreetly. You look up to see the cascading ridge of a mountain range become unshrouded; glance back and it is gone, swallowed by soft white.

A bike ride around the lake’s blossomed perimeter wheels us past couples posing for wedding photos (taken weeks before the big day) and packs of chattering women wearing face masks and fleecy-lined jumpers. Couples canoodle on tandem bikes, and teenagers whiz by the tanoak trees. Everyone seems happy.

Only at Sun Moon Lake can you eat President Fish (very soft; very expensive) and learn about Taiwan’s aboriginal tribes at the Formosa Indigenous Cultural Village — a curious mix of re-enacted tribal life, cherry blossoms, and amusement park rides. Before the Han Chinese began emigrating here in the seventeenth century, Taiwan was home to Austronesians, who are now just 2.3 per cent of the population.

An infamous black tea called No.18 is grown here and trucked to teahouses around Taiwan. In November, there are lakeside operas and in September, a race — the only day swimming in the lake is allowed. Any day, any month, you will find a throng of tourists clamouring for a photo in front of a stone with ‘Sun Moon Lake’ carved on it.

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Tucked to one side of InterContinental Singapore’s lobby and reception area is a colourful cocoon of a concierge area that captures the exotic spirit of the multi-million dollar hotel development. Here, in a light-flooded space, the essence of Peranakan lifestyle is captured in the precious pieces on display.

For those unfamiliar with Peranakans (pronounced per-rah-nah-kahns, and meaning ‘locally born’ in Malay), they are people descended from marriages between Chinese or Indian men and local Malay or Indonesian women from around the Malay Archipelago. These ethnic meetings create an undeniably rich cultural tapestry, but add some Portuguese, Dutch, and Indonesian influences to the mix, and you have an incredibly interesting culture and people whose art and cooking in particular offer a fascinating portal into times gone by.

The concierge area is set up like a Peranakan’s living room, with a carefully curated collection of pieces, each one representing a particular element of their culture, while also conveying the essence of the downtown Singaporean locale where this culture has long thrived.

There are food containers bearing traditional prints of phoenixes and peonies, a fan-shaped wooden abacus, intricately carved candleholders, a basin stand typically found in bedrooms of houses with communal bathroom facilities, and so much more. Centre stage there’s an arresting artwork bursting with vibrant colours that ties it all together — a modern montage of local characters engaging in daily life, and some of the activities that once took place on and around the site where the hotel now stands.

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Fragile yet unashamedly tactile, Shazia Imran’s mixed media artworks shimmy their way off the canvas and embed themselves in your subconscious, causing you to revisit them — their glittering fabrics and intricately sewn threads — time and time again. Explorations of landscape, memory, and the subconscious mind, Shazia’s artworks are as much about investigating the world we live in as they are about portraying it.

“My inspiration and influence comes from everything I see, feel, and experience around me,” she explains. Born in Pakistan and having travelled extensively, it’s fair to say that Shazia Imran has seen, felt, and experienced a great deal; something that is evident in the multiple layers and meanings of her pieces.

Despite studying a bachelor of design at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, and receiving a master of design in digital media from the University of Western Sydney, Shazia largely describes herself as self-taught. “I have a sound education in fields of digital and multimedia,” she says, “but my art evolves and changes over time and through experimentation.”

Like many famed artists who have preceded her, the phases and developments of Shazia’s style are marked.

Her watercolours portray familiar urban settings in muted, lonely colours; they are affecting and provocative. Her bronze sculptures shine a mirror on our own vulnerabilities; naked and exposed, their subjects somehow reveal to us that we are all human. And her charcoals are raw and gravelly; they capture moments in time, preserving them for all eternity.

But it’s the mixed-media style that has currently captured her imagination and — it seems — the hearts of art aficionados worldwide. So far, her pieces have been exhibited at the 2015 Florence Biennale, the 2015 and 2016 New York Art Expo, and will this month be on display at the Asia Contemporary Show in Hong Kong; they also hang in private collections in the US, the UK, and Australia.

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We all know that Champagne has long been associated with rappers and that actors and models have flirted with clear spirits (think Bill Murray with Crystal Head vodka and Jennifer Hawkins now spruiking a tequila). Did you know that Beyonce’s husband, Jay Z, has his own Cognac called D’usse (pronounced ‘dewsay’)? Yes, this age-old French digestif is hip once more.

Cognac is an often-overlooked category in spirits compared to gin and whisky, but a revival is imminent and Australia more than any other country has a thirst for this noble liquid that is revered globally.

And it’s not just in Australia. There has been a worldwide resurgence that in 2015 saw sales of Cognac surpass Champagne with 170 million bottles compared to 150 million. That’s an ocean of the stuff. The jump in sales has seen Australia take the most prestigious bottlings of XO jump from a paltry 2,000 cases in 2010 to a staggering 27,000 cases in 2015. We can thank high-end restaurants, nightclubs, and an open-minded set of consumers happy to experiment with a taste of something different from a single malt or rare vodka.

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In the last 10 years, Australia has seen a surge in the popularity of work-based health and wellbeing programs. Why? Because at the same time, we are faced with a steady rise in absenteeism and high sick leave across the workforce.

To manage absenteeism and high levels of sick leave in Australia, we need to build a healthy, motivated and engaged workforce. In organisations with high rates of sick leave, employees are far less likely to be engaged.

Although the reasons for absenteeism and sick leave are often genuine, a 2013 report by Direct Health Solutions found that 83% of employers believe 10–25 % of sick leave is non-genuine. In addition, Australia’s rate of sick leave is almost one-third higher than the UK.

CEOs and leaders understandably resent staff ‘chucking a sickie’ — yet when there is a genuine reason, many leaders don’t provide their staff with the empathy, understanding and support that they need. To create a healthy workplace culture — and therefore reduce absenteeism — CEOs firstly need to build trusting relationships with their employees, ensuring that individuals feel listened to, valued and looked after. Not only will this benefit team morale, but it’s likely to lessen the chance of workers taking that 10–25% of ‘non-genuine’ sick leave.

Integrated wellness programs can help employees maintain healthier lifestyles so that they feel more motivated day-to-day and don't miss work.

By introducing integrated health programs into the workplace, CEOs can build a culture that focuses on balanced health and wellbeing, and healthy lifestyle habits.

You can play a part in giving your employees the tools they need to keep in optimal health, in turn boosting team productivity and business growth. Here’s a useful toolkit for CEOs and leaders in any industry.

4 steps to boost health & wellbeing:

1. Promote healthy lifestyle practices

CEOs and leaders can reduce the risk or incidence of worker illness by addressing individual lifestyle behaviours and practices. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as through educational workshops or seminars, exercise classes, the right polices (that are truly implemented and practiced) and an overall supportive environment. Some examples include organising talks about health and nutrition; free gym or dance classes; and discounted consultations with a Naturopath, Dietician, Chiropractor etc.

2. Identify organisational (not just employee!) factors

It’s not enough to place the onus solely on your staff — you also need to address how organisational factors and the internal structure of the workplace may contribute to poor health. While many workplaces may have a policy about workplace health, sometimes they aren’t regularly or actively implemented. Do you encourage your team to take regular breaks? Are staff showing up to work sick and spreading infection? Is the workplace ergonomically sound? By neglecting internal causes of workplace stress, you might nullify the benefits of employee-focused health programs.

3. Foster positive behavioural changes

You can work to improve team job satisfaction and productivity by shaping more positive worker attitudes and perceptions and management practices. These factors have been shown to have a dramatic impact on employee health outcomes. You can affect change by being a positive role model for staff; encouraging open communication about both personal and professional issues; and organising team-building exercises around health and wellbeing, such as lunchtime walks to the park, or after-work rock-climbing.

4. Be a positive role model

Self-aware and emotionally intelligent leaders can empower staff to make better health and lifestyle choices. When you are present, authentic and empathetic, you become an effective coach for your team, directly impacting staff motivation, commitment and desire to improve. This is the case both for professional work goals, and personal health goals. For example, CEOs and leaders who model healthy eating at work and discuss the benefits of a balanced diet with staff will encourage others to eat well at work and in life.

CEOs and leaders need to address employee engagement on the ground, implementing health programs that treat staff as unique individuals with specific needs. In doing so, CEOs can drive productivity through a happier, healthier workforce.

Identify at least one thing in our toolkit that you could act on in your workplace to make a difference. By fostering this small change, you can actively seek to influence and change employee and workplace culture across the board.

Rolling out of pit lane, a pitching sensation begins to come from the front end. It’s a strange feeling as the front suspension usually absorbs small undulations, smothering them so you wouldn’t notice.

It’s even stranger when you realise that this surface is supposed to be perfect — this is a racetrack after all. But then, the purity of the messages cannot be ignored.

Every twitch, every jostle is transmitted to the seat of your pants — that is the true test of a supercar.

Just about everyone can build something to go fast these days. Even hot hatches are running to 100km/h in under four seconds straight out of the factory. But creating a machine that is ferociously quick and chats with you about everything that’s happening underneath? Well, that’s something that eludes most manufacturers.

Call it the Italian heritage, but Lamborghini is a rare breed. It makes supercars that immerse and overwhelm four of the five senses (if you’re tasting cars, the men in white coats are on their way soon), and the Lamborghini Huracán is the prime example of an inanimate embodiment of a zoetic being.

Following tradition, this latest Lambo is named after a fighting bull from the late 1800s, which was legendary for its immense power. The Huracán definitely has that (with 571hp from its 5.2-litre V10) but there’s a rawness that also channels Lamborghinis of old. And the latest version to launch here, the LP 580-2, is aimed squarely at those who enjoy their driving.

Unlike the original Huracán, the LP 610-4, (which, as the ‘4’ suggests, is four-wheel-drive), the LP 580-2 is two-wheel-drive. But turning it into the LP 580-2 was more than a matter of just removing the front driveshafts.

You can download the full article below...

When learning the art of public speaking the best piece of advice I was ever given was: “They're not listening, and they don't care.” In other words, help your listener by connecting with them at an emotional level. This is how the world's most powerful orators Influence others.

As humans we are hard wired to connect. Matt Lieberman, social cognitive neuroscientist and author of the book Social describes human connection as the fourth element for survival.

When we communicate using language, each participant's brain is on the lookout to ensure the interaction is within a safe environment. Knowing what can trigger the brain into thinking ‘This looks dangerous, get me out of here!’ Or ‘This sounds potentially rewarding, I'm keen to stay and find out if it is,’ matters. Being related to at an emotional level helps others to make the decision to trust, believe and 'get' what you are saying. That's why using connection to influence is an essential skillset in every leader's toolbox.

Connecting in the Digital Era 

The digital era has expanded our ability to connect, changed the language we use, and increased the speed of transmission, making communication both harder and easier.

Online, it’s not only what you say, but how you say it that matters, because the cues traditionally used in a face-to-face communication to determine the meaning of the message i.e. tonality, facial and verbal expression are not available.

Using correct grammar, keeping messages short and using words that are commonly shared helps to prevent misinterpretation or misunderstanding.

In face-to-face interactions humans are highly skilled in determining whether there is congruence between what you say and your body language.

If congruence is missing, the listener is five times more likely to believe the non-verbal message.

Building connection face-to-face

The three essential facets for building connection include time, attention and trust.

Time to connect

While the most enduring relationships form over time, that first impression is created in just a fifth of a second. Once formed, you make assumptions about that person, regardless of whether they are true or false. Being mindful of your collective biases assists you to stay open to changing your mind.

Take turns to speak

While appearing to be just common courtesy, research has shown how primates engage in turn-taking sequences to boost cooperation and interaction.

The 'C' factor, or collective intelligence of a group, has been shown to correlate with the degree of social sensitivity of group members.

Listen up

Listening helps you to pick up those nuances of the other person's mindset, emotional state and viewpoint. This allows you to adjust your tonality, and language to keep them in a 'towards' state of safety as you say your piece.

It shows you are paying attention.

Grab them at ‘Hello’

Being interested in the other person, using a welcoming voice and being enthusiastic in your delivery sets the tone or mood of the conversation.

Smile

Brains can pick a phoney a mile off. A smile starts with the eyes. It's the first step to creating trust that can be extended by stimulating oxytocin release through physical contact with a handshake, or reassuring pat on the arm depending on what is culturally and socially appropriate.

While mindfulness has gained acceptance as an excellent strategy to help one be present and achieve more with less the question of how leaders can use the principles of mindfulness to help their employees become more productive is often left unanswered.

How can CEOs realise a commercial return on investment through applying mindfulness techniques organisation-wide?

What can we learn from market-leading organsiations like Google, Ford, Apple and Telstra who are already operationalising mindfulness techniques?

Google's approach to implementing Mindfulness

1.     They Run Formal Mindfulness Programs

Of the many ground-breaking innovations that have come from Google, one of them is a mindfulness program called Search Inside Yourself (SIY). SIY was first developed for internal staff and is now being taught to other companies in Australia by Jo Wagstaff, Mindful Leadership specialist, and her fellow SIY Teacher Craig David.

Taught in groups as small as 50 and as large as 350, the two-day program is a mindfulness-based Emotional Intelligence program.

Wagstaff explains that the Google way teaches “mindfulness as a way of cultivating Emotional Intelligence with the aim of optimising outstanding leadership, stellar performance and increased wellbeing.

“These days, leadership is all about influence, and your ability to influence is driven by your behaviours and your behaviours are driven by how you think, feel and make meaning. It all begins with self-awareness,” he says.

2.     They Conduct Mindful Meetings

Recruitment business pac executive’s ‘2015 Workplace Productivity Survey’ found that only 39% of workers believe the meetings they attend are productive and necessary. They don’t start on time, are run without agendas and outcomes, can be boring, and people often talk more than necessary out of habit.

Wagstaff explains that applying mindfulness techniques to meetings helps: “One of the executive directors at a leading investment bank we work with has just introduced five minutes of silence at the beginning of his executive team meetings.”

“The team spends five minutes sitting in silence, and really arriving in the room, letting go of whatever their minds were busy with before they entered the room, and making sure they each set an intention for what they are turning up to this meeting for. Whether that’s to simply listen, make a specific decision on something, or discuss and come to a resolution on an issue.”

3.     They Have spaces dedicated to Mindfulness

One initiative that has become popular is creating space dedicated to staff who wish to take time out during the day to meditate as needed.

“It’s only just starting in Australia. It’s much bigger in the US than it is here.” Wagstaff explains.

While Mindfulness rooms are a good start, they can often go unused. Some staff say that they feel guilty about taking time out.

Wagstaff believes these rooms need to be integrated by introducing practice groups run by an experienced mindfulness facilitator to encourage a regular mindfulness habit. “In my experience, unless people come together in small groups, those rooms are often not being used,” he says.

4.     They encourage Mindful Listening

Harvard research published in 2010 by Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert found that people spend 47% of their time thinking about something other than what they are doing.

One of the greatest impacts of this is our ability to engage, and to really listen to clients and colleagues. “I may be talking to you and yet 47% of the time I’m not listening to anything you’re saying. My mind is off wandering,” Wagstaff explains.

“Learning to be still, to be fully present, is a real skill and a real art. We are training people to be attentive and to really listen to each other. It’s such an important leadership skill in today’s environment.”

Wagstaff suggests giving people three minutes to talk without interruption during which you really listen to them.

“The reality is that human beings are bad listeners in general. When you ask me to shut up for three minutes, it’s a new experience. People often say: ‘I’m not used to being listened to.’ And there is no greater gift that we can give to each other than deeply listening.”

Surveys of attendees from the SIY program report greater ability to reduce stress (89%), enhanced clarity of mind (91%), improved ability to remain calm (91%), and an increased ability to connect with others (85%).

What can you do to introduce mindfulness into your environment?

It’s no surprise that highly driven CEOs complain of feeling stressed and stuck in a rut mentally due to their job. Yet as positivity scholar Barbara Fredrickson states, a growing body of research shows positivity has a knock-on effect that can help you flourish in all areas of life.

If that’s the case, why is it seemingly so difficult to turn the effects of mental stress upside down and have a positive mindset? You may be the one standing in your own way.

More often than not, the biggest barrier to success is ourselves. Our old mindset and stories or assumptions holding us back from future harmony in business, leadership and in life.

Years of feeling you need to prove, strive, perform and deliver — of coming into work first and leaving last, of having long meetings to show your value, of wining and dining as it’s the way it’s always been done. Of coming home late and being too tired to spend quality time with your family  ‘because you need to work this hard to provide a future’. Of not asking for help or bringing in a new style of leadership, because ‘it won’t work, we’ve tried before’.

If you’re fed up with negotiating with yourself more than others, chances are old stories are holding you back from operating with clarity and conviction. Here are my 3 vital steps for CEOs to go from chaos to calm and get your mindset mojo back:

1. Facts and Stats: Think like a CEO in all areas of life;

What is really the issue? Do you have the information you need to make an informed decision? Is what you are thinking REALLY true? In the words of Byron Katie, do the work. Keep stripping back the stressful situation to the bare basics of facts and stats. Take out the emotional stories, be sincere but be clear.

2. Plan Like A Visionary; stop getting caught up in the small stuff and think big.

What is the real roadblock or is it an opportunity? Where is the room for growth — emotional, personal and financial — for you and the business? What’s the market saying and how can you listen without fear of failure?

Allow creativity and vision back into your thinking even in smaller strategic areas just to test the waters. You may be surprised by the results.

3. Act Like a Buddha.

There really is nothing that requires an immediate answer within a nanosecond, unless you are about to push eject in a fighter jet or jump out of a burning building. Which for some is the feeling you have in a high-pressure board meeting.

Great leaders act with grace, humility and intelligence even in the most challenging of situations.

Create a clear moment each day where you write out what’s on your roadblock list then apply actions and tasks that are practical and stick to the facts and stats. Don’t bury that piece of paper but keep it front and centre so you can work through it and cross elements off your list.

Even 60 seconds is all it takes to re-set your sails and be present. Exhale. Pause for a moment. Draw on your years of experience, knowledge and depth. Remember that it’s not our beliefs but our behaviours that shape outcome and ultimate vitality in business and in life