CWG Nutrition News 

Thriving in 2021

Novembers virtual workshop was something a little different, focused on the health and wellbeing of business owners in 2021 which I ran with a good friend and colleague of mine Jacinta McNena a prominent business coach in Melbourne.  

The first half of the workshops navigated how to set up for success with some great evidence based positive coaching and positive psychology tools which Jacinta walked through and shared with the group of business women.  Jacinta referenced some of the experts in this field namely Martin Seligman in his book Flourish and the PERMA model of wellbeing.

In the second half of the workshop I focused in on the clinical nutrition tips to tackle the mind and body aspects of business success and healthy living.  I focused in on the specific foods that support a positive mind set and reduce stress and anxiety.  Together we covered both the mind and body aspects of personal success.  Here is a summary of the key points.

Mind

Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology developed the PERMA model of wellbeing.  These 5 elements can help people work towards personal fulfilment, happiness, and meaning. 

P – Positive Emotion

Is the ability to remain optimistic and view past, present, and future from a constructive perspective to  help in relationships and work, and inspire others to be more creative and take more chances. 

Pleasure is connected to satisfying bodily needs for survival, such as thirst, hunger, and sleep. Whereas enjoyment comes from intellectual stimulation and creativity.  This is crucial to help people enjoy their daily tasks and persevere with challenges they will face.

E – Engagement

Activities that engage, flood the body with positive neurotransmitters and hormones that elevate well-being. This engagement helps us remain present, as well as synthesize the activities where we find calm, focus, and joy.

We all need activities that absorbs us into the current moment, creating a 'flow' of blissful immersion. This type of ‘flow’ stretches our intelligence, skills, and emotional capabilities.

R – Relationships

Relationships and social connections are crucial to meaningful lives. We thrive on connections that promote love, intimacy, and a strong emotional and physical interaction with other humans. Positive relationships with one’s parents, siblings, peers, coworkers, and friends is a key ingredient to overall joy. Strong relationships also provide support in difficult times that require resilience. Our pain centers become activated when we are at risk of isolation. 

M – Meaning

Having an answer as to “why are we on this earth?” is a key ingredient that can drive us towards fulfillment. Understanding the impact of your work and why you chose to “show up at the office” may help you enjoy the tasks and become more satisfied with what you do. Whether you work in an office or not, think of what you spend most of your time doing. 

A – Accomplishments

Having goals and ambition in life can help us to achieve things that can give us a sense of accomplishment. You should make realistic goals that can be met and just putting in the effort to achieving those goals can already give you a sense of satisfaction when you finally achieve those goals a sense of pride and fulfillment will be reached. Having accomplishments in life is important to push ourselves to thrive and flourish.

Body

Mood Foods - Poor nutrition has been linked to many pain conditions including osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorders and fibromyalgia . Diet induced inflammation has the potential to sensitise the nervous system and contribute to chronic pain.  

There are multiple nutritional strategies that have the potential to reduce pain via actions on the nervous, immune and/or endocrine (hormonal) systems. 

5 key areas showing promise in the emerging scientific literature are: