Archive for the ‘Lifestyle’ Category

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Think Big in 2012: The Power of New Year’s Resolutions

January 1st, 2012 by Jane

Today, at the start of 2012, many of us will take on adopting healthier habits, but in the next breath, or by tomorrow, or the next week, we will have given up and gone back to our old ways.

A conversation I had with a friend last year nicely illustrates this point. We were discussing the year ahead and he said –

“This year is going to be better than last. This year I’m going to be fit and healthy. No more smoking!”

A moment later, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it up and took a puff.

Naturally, some of us have become cynical about new year’s resolutions. “They don’t work” and “Don’t waste your time with them” I hear my friends and family say.

But research findings indicate that we may have underestimated the power of new year’s resolutions. A longitudinal study by Norcross, Ratzin and Payne tracked over 200 people and the progress of their new year’s resolutions. They asked themselves the research question “How long would these people last in sticking to their new years resolutions?”

The results were impressive. Over 77% of participants had kept their main resolutions after 1 week, 55% after 1 month and 40% after 6 months.

This study also looked at the factors and strategies people used to stick to their new year’s resolutions and examined the effectiveness of each.

There appeared to be two main factors that predicted people’s success when it came to sticking to their goals. Firstly, people had to be ready to change and take action. Simply having a strong desire to change wasn’t enough. Secondly, they had to believe that they could. Having confidence in their ability to change their behaviour was key.

We can also look to people who have successfully overcome powerful addictions (e.g. alcoholism and smoking) for insights into how to break bad habits and develop healthier ones.

The researcher Glasgow and his team followed over 100 people who were trying to quit smoking. Those that managed to do so, used more positive self-talk than those that failed to quit.

For example, instead of saying positie statements such as “I’ll feel great and be able to breathe more easily”, they’d say “I’ll be a loser if I can’t quit the smokes”. Positive self talk appears to make a huge difference.

“Stimulus control” and “reinforcement management” are other psychobabble terms that are used to explain strategies that can help you to change your behaviour. According to behavioural psychologists, the surrounding environment shapes human behaviour.

In other words, if you have an endless supply of chocolates and lollies in your pantry, then most likely you’re going to eat them and may even develop a sugar addiction. Similarly, if your friends and family always offer you cake and chocolate and even praise you for eating these foods (i.e. reinforcement), then it’s highly likely you’re going to develop some bad habits.

The idea behind stimulus control is really quite simple. Look around and ask yourself “What is triggering me to eat chocolate?” (i.e. what’s the stimulus or trigger of the undesirable behaviour?) It may be the sight of the chocolate on your desk. So then what? Get rid of the chocolate. Throw it in the bin and don’t buy any more. Too easy.

But what about that big Aunt who always force feeds you her chocolates as a way of expressing her love, and gives you boxes of the stuff for Christmas? Well, according to behavioural psychology you need to manage the stimulus and reinforcer, which means Bye Bye Aunty. Stop seeing her.

But if you’re like me and you know you just couldn’t do that, this is where the power of impis come in.

Impis (short for implementation intentions) take the form of “If…then…” statements and allow you to make a desired behaviour automatic. For example, I could set myself the impi of –

If my aunt offers me chocolates, then I will politely say “No thanks”.

The beauty of impis is that they are pre-decisions. This means you have made the decision before the situation arises, so the next time you see your aunt you immediately know what you’ll say and do. “No thanks”.

Here’s the thing, I don’t smoke. I don’t drink alcohol. In fact, I’m pretty fit and healthy but I’m not going to pretend that my life is perfect because it isn’t.

Like most people, I want 2012 to be better than previous years. There’s room for improvement. I know that I spend more time than I would like on the internet. So I’m resolving to cut back on my internet use. No internet before 10:30am. Checking emails only twice a day.

In a nutshell, the research is clear – new year’s resolutions can and do work. Now is as good a time as any to establish some healthier habits for a happier year. So what are you setting out to create for the new year? Let me know by posting a comment below.

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Fail fast, grow rapidly: You’ll be better for it

November 8th, 2011 by Jane

Want to fast track your development, boost your intelligence and be happier in every area of your life? Then do one thing – make mistakes.

In fact, my advice is don’t just make mistakes. Aim for full-blown failure.

I realise this flies in the face of how most of us have come to view making mistakes and failure.

Most of us live by these equations –

Mistakes + Failure = Bad and Perfection = Good

Alina Tugend in her book “Better by Mistake” argues that we often get punished for making mistakes. As a result, many of us desperately try to cover up our mistakes and learn to avoid them at all costs.

Interestingly, when I look back on the periods of rapid development in my life it has never been due to someone telling me what a great job I’ve done or after receiving a really good grade.

My most important learnings have come from big fat failures and mistakes. The disappointment of failing on numerous occasions propelled me into action.

But I’m not a special case. There are many examples of famous people who have exceled in certain fields due to making a mistake or not being successful the first time round.

Take Michael Jordan as an example. He was cut from the high school basketball team for not being “skilled enough”. When reflecting back on that day (many years later) he stated –

“I went through the day numb. I sat through my classes. I had to wait until after school to go home. That’s when I hurried to my house and I closed the door of my room and I cried so hard. It was all I wanted – to play on that team.”

Here’s the really amazing thing though, he went onto state –

“It’s OK, though. It’s probably good that it happened.”

Jordan has a mindset that welcomes mistakes. He states -

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”.

The hurt of losing and making mistakes is often a gift in disguise. “Although winning is sweet, and it hurts to lose, or make mistakes, once we see that these are necessary gifts on the road to improvement and success, we will embrace such experiences rather than try to avoid them” says Chess master and Tai chi champion John Waitzkin.

Why is that we don’t always learn from our mistakes?

It comes down to three main reasons –

1) No feedback: If you have no debriefing on how you went or the feedback doesn’t follow the behaviour in a timely fashion then it’s highly likely that you won’t understand where you went wrong. When this occurs it can be hard to make change because you simply don’t know how to move forward in the right direction and improve.

2) Rigid Mental Models: Humans have mental models (mental categories) that have developed from their past experiences. We often view the world in relation to these mental categories and try to fit in new information into these pre-existing mental models. The problem with having such rigid thinking is that it can be difficult to adjust and learn from one’s mistakes.

3) Cognitive Dissonance: Sometimes we resist admitting that we made a mistake due to cognitive dissonance (discomfort) experienced as a result of having conflicting ideas, beliefs and/or opinions. According to the theory of cognitive dissonance humans try to reduce this dissonance by either changing their attitudes, beliefs or actions.

For example, I know that eating fried crispy chicken is bad for me (belief) but I order a bucket of the greasy stuff from KFC (behaviour). Naturally, I feel guilty and uncomfortable about doing this (“Fried chicken is bad” I think) but in an attempt to avoid experiencing these negative emotions, I reduce the dissonance by modifying my belief. For instance, I could say to myself “I work hard and deserve to treat myself with some tasty chicken”.

In doing so, I miss the opportunity to admit that I made a mistake by eating the bucket of chicken in the first place.

So how can we best learn from our mistakes?

Firstly, get a coach. A coach or an expert can give you feedback and show you where and how you can improve. I am lucky to have a team of supervisors for my PhD research who give me ideas and feedback on how I can improve my thinking, writing and research skills.

Secondly, many research scholars believe that rigid patterns of thinking can be overcome through cultivating mindfulness (moment to moment non judgemental awareness).

We mustn’t let the fear of making mistakes stop us from learning and being all we can possibly be. After all, it’s mistakes that make us smarter and expand us. Not correct answers.

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How Focusing on Results Limits Success

September 25th, 2011 by Jane

“Early education makes us mindless” states social psychologist Ellen Langer.

In her book “Mindfulness” Langer argues that from a young age we are taught to focus on goals rather than the process by which they are achieved.

With such an intense focus on achieving goals and high results you may have become locked in a certain way of thinking. “Mindless” is how Langer describes this state.

Instead of asking “How do I do this?” or “How can I do this?” you find yourself anxiously thinking “Can I do this?” and “What if I fail?”. The joy of learning ceases to exist.

It can be tough being a student in a highly competitive, results oriented school system. As Author and Educator Allison Zmuda states -

“In their efforts to do well in school, students have largely become low level bureaucrats who complete the requisite paperwork but suffer from the monotony of the experience”.

Sadly, this was the case for me. In high school I was a rote learning parrot. Bored out of my brain but extremely driven.

Did I care about whether I had a deep understanding of my subjects? No, not at all. All I wanted were gold stars, high percentages and the letter A on my work.

Then almost overnight everything changed.

I got 1 out of 20 on my first test at Law school.

That’s right. 1 out of 20. And boy, did that hurt.

High school had trained me to become a masterful rote learner, capable of churning out hundreds of abstract, sterile facts. But this skill no longer served me well in a system that required you to have a deep understanding of complex ideas.

In my heartbreak of receiving such a lousy mark, I remember asking myself –

“What is the point of going through another 5 years of study if it’s only for a piece of paper? Is there any point if I don’t enjoy myself and grow as a person?”

At that point I let go of my obsession with results. I became fascinated by the process of learning (eg. How does one learn information at a deep level?). For the first time in my life I started to enjoy learning. I mean really enjoy learning. Some subjects gave me such joy and changed my entire outlook on life.

10 years later, I am now doing my PhD. My uncle would call me a “professional student” but I don’t see it that way. I love learning.

I spend my days exploring original ideas that fascinate me. It’s common for me to stumble across an idea that makes me want to scream out with joy. I only wish it hadn’t taken me so long to arrive at this point.

When you shift your focus from results to the process, not only do you experience greater happiness and fulfilment, but you stop comparing yourself to others. I’m sure you’ve had the experience where you compared yourself to another person and subsequently, felt jealous.

Langer argues that often when we feel jealous of another’s accomplishments it’s because we focus on the end result (not the process the person has gone through).

When I first started my PhD I would compare myself to a 70 year old accomplished professor. I found myself thinking “He is so smart”, “Look at these articles he has written…I can’t write like this” and “His ideas are so deep…I’m so simple”.

Here I was embarking on the beginning of my research career comparing myself to a professor who had been developing and thinking about ideas for over 50 years!

This is indeed a trap that many postgraduate students fall into. Langer states –

“They begin their dissertations with inordinate anxiety because they have seen other peoples completed and polished work and mistakenly compare it to their own first tentative steps.

With their noses deep in file cards and half-baked hypotheses, they look in awe at Dr So-and-Sos published book as if it had been born without effort or false starts, directly from brain to printed page.

By investigating how someone got somewhere, we are more likely to see the achievement as hard won and our own chances as more plausible”.

In my experience, learning can be a tremendous source of fulfilment and joy. But to experience this takes valuing the process over the end result and not comparing yourself to others.

The paradox is that when you immerse yourself in the process, you will most likely get a better result and experience far more rewards along the way.

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How to have an Awesome Day – The 10 Essential Elements

September 9th, 2011 by Jane

We’ve all heard the cliched phrases “You have good days and you have bad days” and “Some days are better than others”. What is it about those “good days” that makes them better than others?

Are there any common elements that result in having a really good day at work, school or university?

Whether you get to the end of the day and say “What an awesomely productive day!” or “What a waste of a day” often comes down to a few factors that are within our personal control.

Based on empirical research, my own experience and some informal qualitative research conducted on Facebook, I have compiled a list of the core elements of an “awesome day”.


1. Have a good breakfast

A good breakfast sets you up for the day. Dietician and performance specialist Julie Meek discusses the importance of filling your body or tank full of the right petrol to get you through the day. She states –

“If you look at your day as a football game and divide it into quarters, you will be able to fuel your body with the right foods at the right time”.

So what constitutes a good breakfast? Julie Meek recommends high fibre cereals with low fat milk, fresh fruit, wholegrain toast with baked beans, spaghetti, tomato or egg, and yoghurt.

2. Have creative, focused work time

Reserve the hours when you are most alert and energised for the projects that require substantial energy and are most important to you.

I have the most energy first thing in the morning. By getting solid work done between 8:30am and 10:30am creates a positive tone for the rest of my day.

On the other hand, if I spend the first few hours of the day checking my email and on Facebook, I usually end up experiencing some low level frustration and annoyance for the rest of the day.

3. Shower first thing in the morning and suit up

Have you ever had the experience where you worked from home in your pyjamas or tracksuit pants for most of the day? Initially, it may have felt good, but by around 11am you may have felt a little uncomfortable and stressed. Your productivity may have also started to suffer.

When you don’t look and feel your best very rarely do you produce good quality work. Feeling clean and being in fresh neat clothes signals to your brain – it’s business time.

4. Exercise for 1 hour each day

Most of us don’t move as much as we need to during the day at work. Sadly, because we live such sedentary lives we may not know just how good post-exercise endorphin boosts can be.

Research shows that movement helps us to be more creative, learn more effectively and decreases our stress levels.

In the book, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen states –

“30 minutes of vigorous exercise at least 3 times a week can contribute to enhanced mood, increased brain mass, better circulation, more brain cells and improved cognition”.

5. Focus on one thing at a time

People who multitask can be up to 40% slower to finish a task. As Leo Babauta states –

“When we switch between creating and communicating through email, say, we lose a little bit of our creative time, a little bit of our creative attention, each time we switch. Our mind must switch between modes, and that takes time. As a result, our creative processes are slowed and hurt, just a little, each time we switch”.

It takes time to develop the art of ninja style focus. Initially, you may need the help of a few extra tools such as internet blocker programs (e.g. Self Control and Freedom) but with time and practice, you will become less reliant on them.

6. Create a compelling, clutter free workspace

Being surrounded by clutter can send a message to your brain that you’re not in control. In fact, if you’re feeling even just a little bit stressed, clutter can exacerbate your stress levels tenfold!

If your work environment overwhelms you and doesn’t draw you to it, then you have a problem – you’re not going to want to work there. Chances are you’re not going to want to work at all.

So clean up your act. De-junk your life. In other words, get organised. As the authors of “Paper Flow” state–

“Having a well organised office provides you with a solid foundation and gives you the confidence to pursue your dreams…As each opportunity comes along, you can decide with a clear head what you want to do. You are free to take on new opportunities and you know when you’ve got enough on your plate”.

7. Do a variety of activities – writing, reading, de-cluttering

We’re all familiar with the saying “Variety is the spice of life”. Well, there is now scientific evidence to back this statement up. According to research, variety in our thoughts and behaviours appears to be very rewarding and stimulating and humans tend to “habituate more slowly to pleasurable stimuli that vary” (Chancellor & Lyubomirsky, 2010).

Even if you need to focus your energies on a particular piece of work, you can break it up by taking 10 to 20 minutes de-cluttering, skimming an article or making phone calls throughout the day. By mixing up your activities, it may also help you to go back to the project with a new perspective.

8. Take regular breaks

You are not a machine. Your body is not designed to work non stop being fuelled by sugar and caffeine. Taking regular breaks is essential.

Often when I work with students I show them a picture of Cathy Freeman and ask them “What does a sprinter do?” They respond with “They run…really fast”. “Then what do they do?” I ask, to which they usually say “They rest”. The students understand the idea that athletes use work-rest ratios to perform at their peak. Without that rest, they wouldn’t run as fast as they do.

Studying and working is no different. If you want to learn and/or work effectively you need to treat yourself like a word class athlete training for the Olympics – work intensely for a period of time (e.g. 30-45 minutes) and then rest and recover. Tony Schwartz from the energy project states -

Give yourself 100% to the race. There will be an end point where you can stop and recover”.

9. Stock up on healthy snacks

To avoid feeling low in energy, make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks available. Fresh fruit, nuts, chopped vegetables, rice crackers with cheese, fruit bread and a tub of low fat yoghurt require very little (if any) preparation and will give you the energy you need to keep going throughout the day.

Avoid highly processed junk foods because they will slow you down, make you feel sluggish and maybe even depressed in the long run. Research by Dr Felice Jacka suggests that people who eat junk food are more likely to be depressed. Whilst it is early days for this research and we cannot say whether depressed people are more likely to eat junk food or if junk food makes people depressed, it is worth considering that what we put in our mouths effects the way we feel as well as our ability to think and work effectively.

10. Focus your mind

In our fast paced, busy lives very rarely do we take time to stop and reflect or simply sit still. Taking 5-10 minutes first thing in the day to sit quietly and focus on your breath or the sounds around you can help you to quieten and focus your mind for the day. As Dr Ian Gawler says –

“The more we learn to give our full attention to whatever or whoever we are engaged with, the better everything flows”.

Final thoughts

Of course, the above list isn’t comprehensive. Other elements may include laughter (as a friend said “At least one opportunity a day to laugh about something – even if it’s just a chuckle to myself”), a good sleep the night before or power nap and a decent cup of coffee.

To begin, perhaps choose one or two of these awesome day elements to test out and see what kind of difference they make. You’ll be surprised that even minor changes such as eating more healthy snacks throughout the day can have a significant positive impact on your day.

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Developing Razor Sharp Focus with Zen Habits Blogger, Leo Babauta

July 22nd, 2011 by Jane

If you’ve just logged into Facebook or your email for the 10th time today or find yourself thinking in Facebook statuses throughout the day, it may be time to read Leo Babauta’s eBook “Focus: A simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction”.

This free eBook contains dozens of practical suggestions to help you enjoy life more, enhance your creativity and get things done.

If there ever was an equivalent of steroids for focus, this book is it – it’s a great tool to help anyone develop razor sharp focus and churn out quality work.

After reading this book, I made a number of changes that dramatically sharpened my focus. I have summarised a number of the strategies in the mind map below.

Create Focus Rituals/Habits: Babauta defines a ritual as a set of actions you repeat habitually.

He argues that rituals can help us to get into a focused mindset and suggests a number of rituals for the morning, before you begin your work, to help you refocus on your work and for the end of the day. For instance, my morning ritual involves having a shower, eating a bowl of healthy muesli with fresh fruit and 10 minutes of meditation. Nowadays, I resist the urge to check my email and Facebook in the morning.

Managing Email: A lecturer once told me “You’ll get 10% more done in the day if you don’t check your email first thing in the morning”.

She was partly right. A more accurate assessment would have been 30%!

I’ve noticed that when I check my email first thing in the morning I feel slightly out of control for rest of the day. In reactive, agitated mode. Far from proactive, productive and peaceful.

Babauta states –

“Have a disconnect time each day. It’s like setting office hours if you’re a professor – you set the times that work best for you, and you can even let people know about these times”.

Set your office “disconnection” hours and be strict with them (8am – 10am is what works best for me). It’s highly likely that you’ll get the majority of work done for the day during these distraction free hours.

Take Time to Reflect and Review: Babauta recommends that we create a simplified list of the top three things we need to do in the day and then complete task number 1 before checking email, Facebook, etc.

Sometimes it’s really tempting to want to check your email before completing the first task. But Babauta states -

“If you feel the urge to check your email or switch to another task, stop yourself. Breathe deeply. Re-focus yourself. Get back to the task at hand”.


Help for Addicts: Don’t kid yourself, Facebook and email is highly addictive. Behavioural psychologist B.F Skinner’s experiments with rats in the skinner boxes illustrated just how addictive unpredictable rewards can be. The reality is Facebook is designed to be addictive. It’s full of unpredictable rewards.

So let’s face it, some of us need help when it comes to controlling the number of times we log into these sites. That’s where blocker programs come in – they either lock you out of the Internet entirely or certain sites that you specify.

When it comes to writing on the computer, some of us are easily distracted. Writing programs, such as Write Room and Typewriter, clear away all distractions and take up the whole screen on your computer. Some programs even make the sound of a typewriter as you write (but a word of warning, this gets kind of annoying after awhile!).

It’s important to note that these applications won’t miraculously solve your problem of getting easily distracted. They are just tools. They will help you sharpen your focus but only if you’re committed and disciplined enough to use them in the first place.

Take a Digital Detox: We need time away from the Internet, television, video games, etc. Time when we disconnect from these digital devices and immerse ourselves in other creative pursuits that will help us to grow. It’s also important for us to take time to reflect on our lives (when was the last time you sat back and thought, “Am I really doing what I want to be doing with my life?”)

Babauta suggests –

“Go on a mini cleanse. Start with something that’s not so scary: perhaps a day, or even half a day. Do this once a week. Later, as you get used to this, try a 2-3 day cleanse and maybe even work your way up to a week.”

Managing Your Space: Remove 95% of all the posters and bits of paper stuck to your office wall (all I have is a Gantt chart and colourful picture of a Hindu goddess). A clear wall means you have less stuff to be distracted by.

You may also want to consider investing in a pair of comfortable headphones. Headphones serve two functions – firstly, they block out the noise made by others so you have more attentional resources available. Secondly, they signal to others that you’re deep in thought and don’t want to be disturbed.

How to Work: Work in focused bursts for 50 minutes (no distractions) and then take a 20-minute break. In your break get away from technological devices. Go for a walk, do some stretches, etc.

When you work it can also help to get away from your computer and work with just a notepad and pen. Again, it’s most likely that you’ll feel the urge to want to go online when you do this for the first time. If this is the case, take a deep breath and refocus.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading “Focus: A simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction”. It was easy to read and written in a clear and focused way. Babauta provides a lot of valuable information and strategies that can easily be incorporated into one’s life.

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5 ways to eliminate junk food and boost your vegetable intake

July 14th, 2011 by Jane

In high school, I was the queen of junk food consumption. According to my worldview, burgers and hot chips formed the foundations of the food pyramid, followed by pasta and pizza (I’m Italian) and at the very top were fruit and vegetables!

I have no idea how I managed to get through the school day with a diet that was so high in fat, sugar and salt and extremely low in fruit and vegetables.

Thankfully, my diet has dramatically changed since high school. A few years ago, I boycotted all fast food. I went cold turkey on the lot – McDonalds, Red Rooster, Hungry Jacks, Chicken Treat, KFC…..

In my experience, a healthy diet has made all the difference to my ability to think clearly and get things done. Nowadays, I eat the recommended amount of fruit (2 serves) and vegetables (5 serves) every day. But this didn’t happen overnight…it took years to get to this point.

The thing is if healthy eating habits are never modelled for you and you’re never taught in a compelling way why you should eat more fruit and vegetables, why would you say no to a piece of fried chicken and chips that costs only $3.95?

If you’re used to feeling sluggish and depressed, it’s really hard to imagine that you could feel more vibrant and alive and have razer sharp thinking by eating more beans, carrots and apples. As students many of us just want a quick, delicious and cheap fix.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to take you years to kick the junk food habit, eat healthier and start feeling great. You can fast track the process by learning from the experience of others.

For what it’s worth, here’s my experience and advice.

Go cold turkey

A professor in nutrition said “If you eat well 80% of the time, then it’s OK to have a burger and fries every now and then”. This is a great idea in theory. The problem for me was junk food wasn’t just the occasional indulgence. I was addicted to the stuff. It was what I ate 80% of the time!

I needed a radical intervention.

I read that it takes 3 months for the brain to rewire and recover from junk food addiction. It’s for this reason that I went cold turkey and refused to go to fast food outlets.

To break such an unhealthy habit, you need to get serious about what you’re putting in your mouth. Just like an alcoholic at AA decides to never touch a alcoholic drink again, you need to commit to keeping your hands off junk food for at least 3 months until your neural circuits rewire.

Cooking 101 – Let go of your “cooking baggage”

Deciding to cut out junk food and eat healthier is the first step. But then you may be presented with a new challenge – what do you eat/cook now?

Learning to cook healthy meals is like riding a bike. You can’t get good at it by reading a book or watching Master Chef. The only way is to learn by doing. And this can be really daunting for those of us with “cooking baggage”.

I’ll admit, I had “cooking baggage”. In my first high school cooking class I managed to break a bowl, burn my muffins and was scolded by the teacher. Hence, I developed a fear of kitchens and associated utensils.

I decided to overcome this irrational fear by participating in Indian and Japanese cooking courses. By observing other confident people cook good food and get some hands on experience in a non-threatening environment, I started to believe that I could improve my cooking and it didn’t have to be a stressful experience.

Keep your meals fresh and exciting

You can sometimes get yourself into a cooking rut where you find yourself cooking the same meals over and over again. If you eat too much of anything (e.g. sushi), I can almost guarantee that it won’t be long before that food begins to taste bland.

On my weekends I like to plan out my meals for the following week. I do this by taking out a few good healthy cookbooks, some post it notes, a blank sheet of paper and pens.

I spend 30 minutes to an hour going through the books placing post it notes on the recipes I want to try. On a blank sheet of paper I plan out my lunches and dinners for the next 7 days and a list of ingredients I need to buy (I have separate shopping lists for the farmers market and supermarket). I then scan each day to make sure I’m getting an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables.

If you don’t have many good cookbooks at home, try this process at a public library or log onto websites such as taste.com.au and jaimeoliver.com for meal ideas. For something a little more creative and fun, check out They Draw and Cook.

Slow down and smell the garlic in the pan

There was a time when I had the attitude “I’m too busy to waste my time cooking. I should be working instead of slaving in the kitchen!” so I would buy my lunch and dinner nearly every day.

Sure, I gained a bit more time to work on projects, but I felt terrible and I’m not sure how productive I actually was with my foggy brain.

Making the decision to slow down and spend time cooking my meals was probably one of the best things I ever did. At least I know what’s going into each dish, I feel good about saving on unnecessary packaging (e.g. plastic throwaway containers) and my brain is much sharper too.

So even though I now spend more time in the kitchen and less time doing work, I’m almost certain that I get more done in my working hours because I have better attention and feel more alert.

Get clear on what “a serve” looks like

For years I thought that consuming 5 serves of vegetables a day was mission impossible. After all, what did a serve look like? Was it a whole broccoli? Or a medium sized potato? Did it change if I cooked the vegetable?

The latest edition of The Healthy Food Guide (July 2011) contains an article called ”Ever wondered what a serve of veges actually is?” (pages 28-29). As a general rule one serve of vegetables is approximately 75g in weight. To get a better idea of what a serve of vegetables actually looks like, see below for some examples.

1 serve of vegetables is equivalent to….

  • 1 cup of roughly chopped raw broccoli, capsicum, carrot, eggplant, mushrooms, spinach or pumpkin.
  • Half a cup of cooked vegetables (any of the above).
  • Half a cup roughly chopped potato (normal or sweet).
  • Half a cup of beans (borlotti, kidney, cannellini, etc) or lentils (brown or red).
  • 1 medium carrot, 1 lebanese cucumber, 1 medium onion, 7 cherry tomatos, a quarter of a small avocado and 1 medium zucchini

    • What about fruit? Well, 1 serve of fruit is roughly 150g in weight.

    According to the “Go for 2 & 5 campaign”, 1 serve of fruit looks like…

  • 1 medium sized piece of fruit (e.g. apple)
  • 2 smaller pieces of fruit (e.g. apricots)
  • 1 cup of chopped fruit
  • 1.5 tablespoon of dried fruit (e.g. sultanas and apricots)

    • Cutting out junk food wasn’t easy at first, but it became a lot easier as I started to feel the positive benefits of healthy eating and I became more confident in my ability to cook healthy meals. If you’re committed to taking better care of yourself, then my final bit of advice would be – Keep at it.

    Somedays you will feel like you’re on a roll, eating really well for most of the day, but come the evening you may find yourself eating a bag of chips. If that happens, don’t stress. That was a minor blip. Tomorrow is another day and an opportunity to eat foods that will make you feel more alive and add more years to your life.

    If you have any ideas or strategies that have helped you to eat healthier, I would love to hear them.

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    How to get out of bed ninja style

    July 8th, 2011 by Jane

    It’s 6:30am. Your alarm goes off. You know it’s time to get up but your brain and body tell you ‘NOOooo’.

    The rational part of your mind says “I should really get up now” whilst the other says “But I’m so warm and cosy! Just 5 more minutes in bed can’t hurt”. So the battle between these thoughts begins. Before you know it 5 minutes in bed turns into 30 minutes.

    Most of us are familiar with this scenario. But what if getting out of bed early on a cold morning wasn’t such a struggle?

    Below are some ideas on how you can develop the art of getting out of bed ninja style so you get the most out of your day and feel more in control.

    1. Aim for a smooth transition out of bed

    It’s the first minute or so when we get out of bed that we fear the most and is arguably the most painful.

    The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. Minutes of painful cold air can be reduced to mere seconds with the right equipment and tools nearby. I personally recommend the following –

    Slippers/socks next to the bed:     A wise woman once gave a friend a pair of socks as a present. As he unwrapped the gift she said –

    “If your feet feel good, the rest of your body feels good”.

    She went on to argue the benefits of good cotton socks. I was sold.

    Avoid cold feet at all costs. Invest in a pair of good quality warm socks and/or slippers. It will be money well spent.

    A robe: A warm, soft robe will also help to soften the blow of the cold air as you prepare yourself for the day.

    A wheat pack: For a bit of luxury and to help you warm up in the morning try a wheat pack. These are easy and cheap to make (check out How to make a microwave heat bag). They also work a treat if placed on your lap when working at your desk or eating breakfast.

    My dad (a very resourceful man) recently made a wheat pack out of a pair of old non stretch denim jeans and 1.5kg of wheat. I call dad’s creation “The Eternal Wheat Pack”. You heat it in the microwave for 4 minutes and no joke, it provides hours of warmth!

    If you go for early morning walks and can’t stand cold fingers, try making some mini wheat packs - microwavable mitten warmers. Must ask dad to make me some of these!

    2. Have something in your environment that pulls you out of bed

    Would the smell of fresh coffee get you out of bed? Or perhaps an irritating alarm clock that you can’t quite reach? Set up things in your environment that will propel (or force) you out of bed.

    3. Practice saying positive affirmations

    When we first wake up most of us automatically think “I don’t want to get out of bed!” but you can train yourself to override these thoughts with positive affirmations.

    Positive affirmations are statements that become filters for us and if repeated enough times can guide our behaviour.

    At Runaddicts.net blogger Johnny Palmer suggests that early morning runners say to themselves affirmations such as “I love knowing that while I am up and about exercising early in the morning, I am beating 99% of the world to the best possible start to the day” and “Being an early riser and sweating my butt off before I even start my day is how I roll”.

    You may want to just say “I enjoy getting up early and making the most of my day”. It works best when we phrase our affirmations in the first person, present tense and as if already done. It also helps to repeat them first thing in the morning when we are a bit sleepy and before we go to bed so they become part of our unconscious mind.

    4. Get excited about something

    When I’m really excited about my work I leap out of bed. I can even find myself waking up at 3am thinking, “Is it still that early? Hurry up and get to a suitable hour so I can get into the day!” The fact it’s cold and dark outside doesn’t even enter my mind.

    But when I hate the work I’m doing, it’s a different story. Instead of being like a ninja getting out of bed, I’m more like a sumo wrestler. Slow and heavy.

    Before you go to sleep, try to think of something that you’re looking forward to doing the next day. You may want to write this down.

    If nothing comes to mind, it may be time to shake things up a bit, step out of your comfort zone and introduce something new into your life. Whenever I start to lose my excitement and enthusiasm for life, I sign myself up to a course (dance, cooking, meditation, etc) or set myself some kind of challenge (to cook a new healthy meal each night, write my next book by the end of the month, etc). New experiences can provide you with insights and introduce you to mind expanding ideas and people.

    5. Jump out of bed

    We can spend a lot of time in bed thinking “Do I get up now…or give myself another 5 minutes….I really should get up…” and on and on this goes. Stop doing this (it’s pointless).

    Software developer David Cheong suggests –

    “One trick I’ve found to be very effective in being an early riser and to stop myself from rationalising is to simply jump out of bed instantly. Once I am outside the comforts of the warm and cosy bed, I’m more likely to actually wake up and stay up.”

    In Summary

    The more you practice getting up ninja style the easier it will get. Why? Because it has positively reinforcing effects. When you get up earlier than you usually would, you’re more likely to take action on the areas that are important to you. Subsequently, it doesn’t take long before you start to see results and feel great about yourself and your life.

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    Brain Training in the Age of Digital Distractions

    July 4th, 2011 by Jane

    Scientific research indicates that the highest number of heart attacks occur on a Monday morning.

    This should come as no surprise to those of us who suffer from Mondayitis – the general feeling of distress experienced upon returning to the workplace on a Monday.

    Having worked for myself and been a student for most of my life, I never experienced Mondayitis or the stress of working fulltime until I started my PhD.

    From observing other academics and PhD students (particularly students in the final stages of their projects), it became clear that stress was the norm. It seemed as if there was something seriously wrong if you weren’t stressed out. In my initial relaxed state I couldn’t help but think that perhaps I was off track, a sloppy researcher and not working hard enough.

    So what happened? In less than a month of starting my PhD I became stressed, overwhelmed and incredibly busy.

    But this weekend I had a reality check.

    I was lucky enough to attend a workshop called “The Mind that Changes Everything” run by cancer survivor and educator Dr Ian Gawler.

    Dr Gawler pointed out how many of us in Western culture feel busier, more stressed and overloaded than ever before and the subsequent negative impacts of carrying around this chronic stress (e.g. depleted immune function, cold and flu symptoms).

    His message was simple yet powerful – we can train our minds (like any muscle) to live happier and healthier lives.

    According to Dr Gawler our state of mind is of critical importance to our health and wellbeing. After all, it is our mind that decides what we eat, who we choose to spend our time with and whether we exercise or not.

    He stated-

    “In a relaxed state of mind you have an enhanced ability to take charge of your life…in training our mind you can get to a point that your state of mind isn’t determined by your external circumstances”

    So how do we do this?

    Mindfulness training seems to be the key.

    Mindfulness is most commonly defined as the state of being attentive to and aware of what is taking place in the present moment, both internally and externally, without judgement. It can be practiced in one of two ways – 1) as a way of being (by doing nothing, having a calm still mind and being able to let go) and 2) with the help of a technique.

    Since we live in the age of digital distractions it can be very difficult (if not impossible) for many of us to just “do nothing” and still our monkey minds. The fact of the matter is that most of us need the help of a technique to quieten our minds.

    The “Accountants meditation” is an ideal exercise to help the apprentice meditator improve their concentration and relax. As Dr Gawler explained, it involves the following simple steps –

    1. Take a breath in and then breathe out. As you breathe out, say the number 1 in your head.

    2. Take another breath in and this time as you breathe out say the number 2 in your head.

    3. Continue to do this until you reach the number 10. Once you get to 10, return to the number 1. Repeat this process for 10 to 20 minutes (one to two times a day).

    4. If your mind is distracted at any point during the exercise (e.g. you find yourself thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner) then return to the number 1 and start the process again.

    I once had a boyfriend who was a little up tight so I suggested he give meditation a shot. We meditated a few times together before he said “This doesn’t work. It’s stupid”.

    Interestingly, Dr Gawler stressed that just like any activity it takes time and practice to get good at meditation. He made the point that you wouldn’t expect someone who had never played golf before to become really good at the sport in just a few days, so why expect the same of meditation?

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