Working together towards prosperous living

Flourishing Personally & Professionally in 2012

2012-01-04T20:11:00.001-08:00

What do we need to focus on in our own lives toflourish, in order to best serve humanity?

Do you want to feel full of energy, motivated, living a longand prosperous life, free from chronic health conditions and to be happy? Whatare the secrets? Is there a pill or a rare Amazonian fruit that can boost ourbeta-2-3-4-antioxidant-hydroxi-foxi-soxi levels to help us boost vitality?

Before we rush to the latest issue of Hello! or RalphMagazine for the verdict, lets consider a few varied and more qualifiedopinions.

Firstly in a lecture on mindfulness & happiness in 2010Dr. Craig Hassed from Melbourne’s Monash University, Department of General Practiceidentifies his 7 pillars of health as being education, stress management,spirituality, exercise, nutrition, connectedness and the environment.

In the book Prosperity Without Growth, Tim Jacksonidentifies a number of factors affecting subjective well-being (happiness) inorder of importance; {Partner/spouse and family relationships, health, a niceplace to live, money and financial situation, religion/spiritual life,community & friends, work fulfillment.

In his book the BlueZones, Dan Beuttner studied places around the world where people livelonger and more often become centurions than anywhere else and identifies awide spectrum of factors covering; food, physical activity, sleep, a realisticoptimistic mindset, a sense of purpose, financial stability, good closerelationships, strong community support and a sense of spirituality as beingimportant.

Many traditional cultures have identified different levels to wellbeing,for example the Maori culture in New Zealand has a philosophy of wellbeing knownas Hauora which incorporates fourinterconnecting dimensions: taha tinana, taha hinengaro,taha whanau, and taha wairua. This translates to physical, mental/emotional, social,and spiritual wellbeing. The World Health Organization recognizes this concept.

Recently, in a 2007 article in the Harvard Business Review, TonySchwartz and Catherine McCarthy discussed how professional people can enhanceenergy at work by focusing on four levels of energy; physical, emotional,mental and spiritual energy. Many coaches who incorporate 4 quadrant thinking models (e.g.HBDI, MBDI, DISC) will appreciate theparallels present in the last two examples.

What these different sourcesconfirm without doubt is that when wanting to really flourish it helps to respectthe importance of all the different inter-related factors and it is importantto open our minds to all of them if we are to live a fulfilling life and bestserve humanity.

What is really interesting is that a shift in one area oflife often has unexplainable positive effects in other areas. In one of a comprehensive group of studies ofthousands of people in over 150 different countries the Gallup organization proveda link between heart health and engagement at work. Personally, I remember how the stress of amarriage breakdown in 2010 caused me to experience asthma symptoms for thefirst time in my life! I also rememberinterviewing a young lady last year who started volunteering for those lessfortunate than her and through it became inspired to start a career as a TVpresenter. I can confirm the interconnected nature of wellbeing and vitalityholds true again and again with many coaching client.

If you want a great starting point completethis very simple four-step vitality assessment, which can act like aspringboard to making changes.

SPARK VITALITY MINI-ASSESSMENT
PHYSICAL VITALITY	1 2 3 4 5	How well are you taking care of yourself physically through food, exercise, and sleep to provide a foundation for day-to-day living?
SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL VITALITY	1 2 3 4 5	Are you maintaining an honest, open and assertive relationship with yourself and those closest to you?
MENTAL VITALITY	1 2 3 4 5	Are you prioritizing day-to-day activities and managing important events, finances and technology use?
SPIRITUAL VITALITY	1 2 3 4 5	Do you have a strong and clear sense of purpose in your life and live with gratitude and an appreciation of everything in the world

As a great coach, the next question that comes to mind is possibly- what can we change or improve to really flourish? I’ve decided that for two reasons it would bebest to provide a smorgasbord for readers to pick and choose asappropriate.

Firstly because our circumstances are all different and Iwant to respect your unique situation and intelligence to decide for yourselfwhat you need. Secondly, because I want to honor the core philosophy that a beautifulsymphony is born out of the harmony between all the different instruments oflife. Thelist of top tips below is just a small succulent selection from life’s largefruit bowl of options.

PHYSICAL VITALITY

1. SLEEP - Minimize medication and reduce alcohol use to fall to sleep or manage stress

2. POSTURE - Make sure your desk or workstation is set up with good ergonomics so you can maintain good posture.

3. MOVEMENT - Participate in regular repetitive physical activities to break distracted/stress related thought patterns

MENTAL VITALITY

1. SCHEDULE in hobbies, me time and family time in to your diary

2. Set BOUNDRIES with staff and colleagues about when they can contact you.

3. Reduce INTERUPTIONS by performing high concentration tasks away from phones and e-mail.

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL VITALITY

1. Take time out, to engage you in a regular (screen free) relaxing or repetitive ritual that fills your mind with one dominant sense. E.g. playing music, fishing, dancing, warm bath, gardening, yoga, tai chi, meditation, and painting.

2. WALKING MEETINGS – For difficult meetings & conversations try taking a walk. This changes the dynamics of the conversation and can lead to more effective discussions and better outcomes (Thanks to Erika Edmands).

SPIRITUAL VITALITY

1. Forgive somebody, show compassion or go and redeem yourself if you have done something you are not proud of.

2. Become deeply engaged in an activity that is altruistic or service orientated Immerse yourself in an expression of your personal belief system

Once you have decided where focus your vitality laser in2012, I am sure that as a great coach, you will get started by creating avision, setting goals, diarizing action plans, engaging the services of a coachor signing up to a suitable program. Before before you do please give thefollowing ideas the consideration they deserve.

· Be open to new insights & miracles

· Utilize your strengths and respect your weaknesses

· Use the power of community and work with a coach or partner

· Stay committed – a resolution is for a lifetime not just forthe new year

Click here, for access to the Spark Vitality Assessment. Its a more comprehensive energy assessment and is only available to the public for a short time.

WHO IS THE BRIGHT SPARK?

Hi, im Chris Eastham, a Port Melbourne based executivecoach with a passion for energy management and performance enhancement. I have a down to earth approach and aim tohave an engaging style. To find out moreabout me feel free to check out my website! www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Healthy relationships

2011-10-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

How can relationships affect weight loss? Surely weight loss is just about willpower. If you know me you will also know that im saying this a bit tongue and cheek because I firmly believe in the interconnectedness of wellbeing and how different aspects of our lives affect each other. In fact, as I write this now it reminds me of a personal experience I had with this. In 2010 when I was dealing with the stress involved with going through a marriage break up and seperation I suddenly started having asthma symptoms. Now my lungs have always been a bit dodgy and low performing when measured on a 'peak flow' asthma testing machine - but I had never experienced asthma symptoms of wheezyness or shortness of breath....until this time of emotional stress. But then after the seperation happened and in January as the stress reduced the symptoms did as well. Its not exactly a scientific study but it was a very clear example to me of how we have to think about wellness and weight management in the context of our lives as a whole.

This is the point the Gallup organization also trumpets in their 'wellness' book and online questionnaire. Their research in to thousands of people in over 150 countries has confirmed that 'while it might be easier to treat these critical areas of our lives as if they are independent, they're not!'.
It was chatting to a client this morning that reinforced this point again this morning. She was quite proud because she had noticed her weight had gone down on the scales for the first time in a couple of years. Good on her, I thought! But as we chatted she explained how her daughter has a broken leg and so is in a caste and is stuck at home at the moment. She was feeling down in the dumps because she could not go out with her friends on Saturday night so asked if they could go to McDonald together. Wanting to be a good mum, my client agreed and although she wasn't feeling hungry bought a cheeseburger because she was there. Fortunately for her, because she is feeling more confident than a couple of months ago she only ate half the cheese burger then felt full so through the rest away. This was a big win for her because a few months ago she would have forced it all down!

So its great to see her confidence growing, it really is what I live for! But the fact remains that if her daughter wasn't injured she wouldn't have been in that situation. Or if she wasn't wanting to be a good mum she wouldn't have gone to McDonald's. Until we really appreciate and embrace the idea that wellness and lifestyle change is not isolated from everything else going on in the world weight will just keep going up. So to reverse the tide remember to take a holistic approach. A great way to start is a holistic wellness check-in. The spark check-in is a great way to do this. Its also free and quick so why not give it a go now to see what your energy for wellness is like. Click here to give it a go!

Yours in good health

Chris Eastham

Exercise your right to feel good!

2011-09-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Exercise for health or weight loss does not need to be hard to be effective. How Much is Enough?If you do not currently exercise regularly, starting 30 – 60 mins a day of moderate intensity exercise can provide all the for general health and improved calorie consumption benefits you need

At Your Convenience.....You can complete all 30 – 60 minutes in 1 session or participate in 3 – 4 x 10-15min activities if it is more convenient

No Sweat Lifestyle Movement Opportunities
 Walk or cycle instead of using the car
 Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way
 Walk or cycle from your tram station or bus stop,
 get on and off one or two stops from work and walk the last bit Take the stairs instead of the lift Walk rather than rest on escalators or travelators
 Work in the garden
 Play with children in an active way
 Walk or play with pets
 Challenge family, friends or work colleagues to be active with you.

The Easiest Option
Walking is the one activity that is recommended as being beneficial for the treatment of almost all chronic diseases and lifestyle annoyances.

Top 10 Reasons to Walk
1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes
2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female
3. Walking is good for your brain
4. Walking is good for your bones
5. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression
6. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer
7. Walking improves fitness
8. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too!
9. Walking improves physical function
10. All you need is a pair of shoes!

So what are you waiting for?....go and get started!!Feeling low in energy? Click here to try out our energy boost diagnostic to see where you energy leaks are coming from!Chris Eastham BPhEd MAAESS AEP is a leading Port Melbourne based Energy Trainer and Coach and an accredited exercise physiologist.

Sustainable Performance Enhancement - The value of values

2011-08-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

In the last post we explored the different sources of energy we draw from as professionals - and as people. We considered the importance of energy from physical, emotional, mental sources right through to the underlying spirit of performance and those intangible but incredibly important aspects of life including values, commitment to a common purpose, community service & human connection.

Today we'll explore these underlying factors and specifically values. So what relevance does this have for business and performance in general?? Well, we will consider values in the context of values driven performance specifically with respect to sustainable performance.

I attended my first ever Ice hockey match last week. The wellness clinic where I have my office (Fluid Health, Port Melbourne) sponsors the Melbourne Ice so I went along as a guest. It was great to meet some of the guys and see how they play as its an exciting action packed sport. The Ice are an organization that are really achieving great things and their story needs to be told. They won the national championship last year and have consistently been in the top three for much of the past decade. Even more interesting is that the Ice is not even a profit making organization. Many of its competitors are and have paid employees, but the Ice is a not-for-profit community organization. As I was chatting to Andy Lamrock, the club president I asked what their secret to success was.

Did he talk about how much money they have and how big their kitty is? Did he talk about their new star signing? Not at all! What he talked about was how the Ice was a bit like a family with a purpose. A group with collective energy where everybody pulled together. He explained how the Ice mission statement doesnt even talk about beating other teams, or winning trophies but focuses more on ideas like providing elite ice hockey to the people of Melbourne, being a club of choice, fostering talent at all levels & conduct the club in a responsible, sustainable and transparent manner

If you go to the website page (click here) you will see how it proudly announces the importance of combining excellence, commitment and team work with a family spirit, marked by hospitality, honesty and integrity and the importance of developing each member of the Melbourne Ice family. Now, it was great to read this on the website AFTER I spoke to Andy, because I am sure that many groups and organizations 'display' similar ideals. But it was the examples that Andy used to explain HOW it actually happens in practice that was the real proof in the pudding for me. We will explore this more in later blogs, but for the mean time, best of luck to the Ice for the upcoming finals series starting next week. They are currently sitting first in the league so are in a strong position,

This takes me back to another chat I was very fotunate to be able to have with a really interesting guy, Mr Paul Peters while kitesurfing in Fiji a couple of weeks ago. As our little fishing boat sped along (sadly still with more fisherman and fisherwomen than actual fish in the boat!) Paul explained how he has found a way to combine his strengths in finance with his values of making a positive difference to the global community. Growing up in Canada with a father who was a church minister Paul really understood the power and importance of social values and working in a way that benefits the community. He later trained in finance and went to work in a multinational financial institution but then went on to set up a company that specialises in micro-finance and entrepreneurial support for people in some of the poorest countries of the world. It was fascinating listening to him as he explained how they combined financing and supporting a needy group an incredibly values driven and ethical way with an unwavering and rock-solid commitment to commercial business ideals. And how the most entrepreneurial and resourceful people he had ever met were people living in the slums of India and South East Asia. But most importantly it was the passion in his voice and clear sense of purpose and love about what he does that struck me. I could tell that he has found a way to combine his strengths with his values that will allow him to keep doing what he does for many years to come.

Finally Maverick! On the way through the airport in Fiji I picked up a book to read on the plane - and what a book! Maverick, By Ricardo Semler - The success story behind the world's most unusual workplace. Put simply Ricardo, explains how over the last 30yrs, with a commitment to creating a fulfilling and prosperous workplace that is profitable and an enjoyable place to work, his team have turned the brizilian marine equipment manufacturing business Semco from a $4million company with unhappy, unmotivated staff into a $35 million dollar organisation that is the #1 place to work in Brazil that is #1 or #2 in all industries it works in. How have they done it?

With a commitment to people and totally committed conscious choice to create a fulfilling and democratic workplace they have gone against all convention again and again so that now workers make decisions previously made by bosses, managerial staff set their own salaries and bonuses, everybody has access to the company books and shop-floor workers set their own productivity targets and schedules. This story highlights how many of the organizations we work in are really dictatorships and begs the question how democratic is our society if we spend 10hrs per day 5 days per week working within a dictatorship? We all know that dictatorships are outdated and inefficient nation building models because they dont provide the space for everyday people to flourish and use their inherent intelligence...so why do so many organizational dictatorships exist?

If we don't trust the people around us, especially the ones working with us, how can we possibly expect them to trust themselves?

If entrepreneurial drive and skill can be found in abundance in the slums of India and Indonesia and in the factories of Brazil, then surely it is in abundance all around us here in Melbourne, Victoria?

How much untapped talent and energy is within us and around us that we could access and use if we just start to focus on it and put some effort into evolving and leading change in the direction we want to go?

To take stock of your current energy levels and assess where you can make immediate improvements click here to complete the Spark Energy Diagnostic. Its free and is a great starting point for change!

Chris

Procrastination!!!!!!

2011-08-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to be very short. Writing regular blogs is an important communication tool for my business and just now I sat down and decided to spend the next hour and a half writing a blog entry, then paused and took a deep breath...and realised that I had more import and urgent tasks to attend to and that writing now was probably a bit of procrastination!

So Being totally straight up (Authentic, transparent and 100% focused) its time to do something else and re-blog outside of business hours.

If you or anybody else you know has issues with procrastination, my Spark programs provide great opportunities to gain self awareness and deeper understanding of procrastination. Click here to find out more.

Or if you want to check to identify some of the underlying causes behind procrastination click here to try my energy boost diagnostic

Talk to you again soon

Chris

Energy for professional growth

2011-08-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

After discussing my own realization around commitment in my last post and the importance of giving 100% I have to say that I have had a really effective and positive week. I have had a few very important work conversations that I had been putting off over the last few months. Having these conversations has got the issues out of my head where they were always previously rolling around in the background. This has given me more 'head-space' and so my mind is more focused on what is really important at the moment. ...its pretty cool from my point of view?!

Im not resting on my laurels. My clients and business partners constantly remind me of the importance of taking action which for me right now involves getting to know more professional people with performance, wellness or leadership problems that they want to address or big dreams that they want to achieve more quickly and effectively. It involves making lots of phone calls, organizing meetings with potential business partners and clients, and writing regular blog posts and keeping my finger on the pulse of this new online community that is developing.

Which leads me into my topic for this week. What am I actually committed to? What is driving me to transition my business completely into personal and professional development coaching? Where is this passion and inspiration coming from that keeps drawing me into the corporate market? Because I can tell you right now that this is a really strong drive.

At university I was desperate to be motivated and passionate about some type of work but had no idea what that was so went out partying to try to find it. When running my business in London I was part of the way there but still didn't know what I really wanted because I kept looking at other industries and other jobs. Its clearly not money that is driving me because I don't have very much of it! Money is important and I want to be making enough money for my business to grow, to be comfortable, to be able to raise a family and live a prosperous life - but have no financial ambitions beyond that.

I have always been interested in performance and well-being. Ever since childhood with a passion for sport where I loved anything, cricket, soccer, basketball, rugby, skiing, sailing, running, cycling etc. And I also appreciated musical performance from my own scratchy violin attempts and banging on the piano to my friend Paul Rhodes who was a real virtuoso violinist and Glenn Gilbert who could turn an electric guitar into a hammer of the gods and literally shake the walls with powerful sound. And I also appreciated academic performance - even though my grades went into a clear decline as I hit age 15 and started to discover girls I held great admiration for my friend Ben Simmons who could answer mathematical calculus riddles while half asleep with his head resting on the desk at the back of maths class because he had worked until 1am the night before after work. And for my other friends who were committed to school work and assignments and really gave it their all.

So I have always appreciated and been inspired by high performance, and over the last 15 yrs I have grown to understand how performance is underpinned by 'wellness' in many ways. What I mean is that if any one of us has the opportunity to really prosper and be well in all different areas of our life our unique strengths, talents and skills will naturally come out and we just seem to be able to 'get the most out of our lives'. Now that sounds all well and good in theory but what are the different areas that we draw energy from to prosper?

Its a topic of much debate and research but I find it easiest to break it down into 4 different categories or energy sources...and what would the 4 sources of energy be? Simply put Physical energy, mental energy, emotional energy & spiritual energy. Now some people might say Whoa back Chris! what is this airy fairy spiritual energy and is it really worth commenting on in a serious article for professionals? but please bare with me here and ill explain.

Physical energy for performance comes from the food we eat and the liquids we drink throughout the day, the physical activity we do from such basic movement as the amount of walking we do throughout the day up to participating in at least 3 - 4 different physical pursuits each week. It doesn't matter what you do, whether its walking or wake-boarding or working in the garden - if you spend 9hrs a day sitting on your tush in front of a computer anything helps!! Physical energy also includes sleep and if you are not getting 7-9 hrs sleep a night it can impact on your energy levels and ability to be alert to opportunities and to maintain a sense of inspiration over time. This was my original passion and is what many people class as 'wellness' but after years of working in health and fitness and getting sporadic results I started to question, is there more to it......

Mental energy is an interesting one. With the great leaps forward in consumer communication technology in the past 20-30 yrs many managers and professionals have become multitasking machines but also overloaded with emails, texts, skypes, beeps, alerts and 24/7 emails. With the playing field constantly evolving mental energy can be greatly influenced by our ability to reduce interruptions by switching off all communication devices when performing strategic tasks and having important meetings. Setting boundaries with colleagues and clients on when you are not working and scheduling in hobbies and regular personal time also has a huge impact on longevity. And conscious decisions to plan your days and and organize yourself to do difficult tasks pay huge dividends. Personally these are things I am always working on and refining and it provides head-space so I don get caught up in the 'tsunami of technology trends'. But Im a people person so refining these tasks alone don't drive me and excite me about work!

So lets consider people. We are not machines and have emotions which play a vital role in energy levels. The irony is that when emotions are annoying us and we think they are stupid and a waste of time we are also being emotional! If we have pride in our work and work in 'high stress, high performance' environments emotional management is essential! You only have to watch the tennis legend Roger Federer in an interview to see how calm and centered he is. Some people are slaves to their emotional state but emotions are a physiological response and can be actively managed! We can fuel positive emotions by expressing genuine appreciation of others - or by simply smiling. We can defuse negative emotions by deep abdominal breathing (which stimulates the Vagus nerve and generates a parasympathetic neural response - for those wanting to understand the link). We can manage high stress events and intense emotions by being physically active or using our imagination to 'put ourselves in other peoples shoes and understand their perspective or by meditating or by simply talking with different people about it (friends, family, trusted coach or mentors) - This was very important for me when going through my marriage break-up (even through us blokes aren't supposed to talk about this sort of stuff) and allowed me to keep my business and coaching practice going. So emotions also are important (even for blokes - although guys and girls do have different management strategies). But I know many people who are very calm and confident but who don't have that buzz about them so there must be something more!

It seems to me that emotions are a personal thing. At a physiological level,a neurological and endocrinological response within a persons body. For many years as a personal trainer I was frustrated because I wasn't sure how to help clients manage their emotions to maintain health and well-being, then after training in emotional awareness and training techniques I was able to address this and as a coaching it has been great to see how clients (and I) have been able to do things they (and I) never thought possible in their personal lives and at work by being able to appreciate and manage emotional responses. It was very rewarding and continues to be very successful!....But....

Having great emotional awareness and managing emotional responses still doesn't explain where the drive comes from. What is a sense of purpose?

What I am talking about is the spirit of performance! That aspect of performance that is people orientated and non-physical. We cant hold purpose or commitment or fulfillment or engagement. But they are very real all the same and drive us to do the seemingly impossible or to maintain a laser like focus through a storm of change. We don't live in isolation, so the spirit of performance isn't personal. Our spiritual energy is affected by our family spirit, our local community spirit, the spirit of the organization we work in, our country, the world as a whole and the environment around us. You only have to notice how people's mood changes from season to season to appreciate this. In the last 15 yrs I have worked in many different organizations in 4 different countries myself and over the last 5 years I have spoken to many people about the spirit of their organization and in the community. Its become increasingly apparent how important it is for a person to have a sense of purpose about their lives and also be be involved with groups that respect peoples need to have a sense of purpose control. We might live in a democratic country but most people spend 8-12 hrs or more at work every day and I would question how many organizations are democratic. We might talk about equality but is our society becoming more inclusive or are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer at the moment? its important stuff, because research shows how people live longest and are happiest in inclusive societies. At an individual and organizational level performance is intimately linked to a strong sense of spirit and purpose.

So when I wipe away all the superficial stuff - which is important stuff, but superficial, at this stage of my life and career I guess this is what drives me. A passion for wellness, equality, sustainability and democracy and how these core values intertwine to within individuals and groups to allow us to prosper, smile, laugh, have fun and get the most out of life! I've gotta say, its a hell of a journey. I never saw myself as a political activist, but when I get to the core of what drives me I guess I am.

If you want to assess your own energy levels click here to try my Energy Diagnostic

I tell you what though, it took along time to write this...I think ill keep blogs a bit shorter from now on!

Inspiring Action - Taking the plunge!

2011-08-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was tossing and turning about whether I should be talking this candidly...? won't I lose face? Will clients and potential business partners still consider me 'an expert' or more importantly somebody they want to do business with, or turn to and trust when looking to make important business or personal decisions.

After a decade of working in the personal and professional development industries I recognized these thoughts as just that..thoughts. Not reality, just the perspective I happened to have at that time, 'limiting beliefs' some would say. And by being able to recognize them I know I can then choose to disregard them or even just change focus so they disappear off into the background. But this was a big decision for me so they didn't go away so easily so I decided to just be comfortable with them sitting there in the background. So what was my dilemma and what has it got to do with inspired action?

To review the scene, the theme for this current series of blogs covers questions like, why do we need inspiration?...how can we become inspired?...how does it help us? The reason for this theme is that like many people I have noticed how over the past 10 yrs work, technology and lifestyle changes has caused life to become more stressful and as a society our well being and prosperity - our enjoyment of life - is being affected...drastically! If we are on a raft racing down a river and getting thrown around dangerously in rapids that constantly tower above us and batter against the raft leaving some people worn out and others just frazzled. Many of us disagree with these trends and want to make changes or work and live in ways that allow us to feel better, be more productive and be happier! But to do so successfully requires that we go, in many ways, against the flow of the river. This requires a change of direction or a burst of energy to get out of the rapids - this can require a leap of faith.

So what was my dilemma? Well I have been working as an executive coach and running my Spark program for about 4 yrs now so have developed into a really effective program that has worked well and provided great value for many people. But from a commercial point of view the main income source for my business has been a corporate health contract. So whilst Spark has got great results with both individuals and teams in areas of professional, organizational and personal development, it is not operating as a sustainable commercial entity. Anyway, 9 months ago I made the decision to focus completely on growing Spark as a self-sustaining business. After 9 yrs in the fitness industry, then 2 years as a corporate health contractor this felt like a major decision. My inspiration was crystal clear - I was desperate to grow my business in a direction that aligned my strengths as a coach and entrepreneur with my values around performance, productivity and prospering. I had been desperate to do this for years and had always been good at helping people but had stumbled time and time again when it came to charging for my service at professional levels. And so for years, my dream had been just that...a pie in the sky dream. But this time I took action to make it a reality.

So I started working with a business coach and this provided a great source of inspiration and support and I spent the next 6 months updating my products and preparing all my marketing materials, online web-stuff & strategy. I know know from experience how to be inspired, overcome challenges and achieve goals. I have overcome alcohol dependance, dropped 25kg, set up a business in the UK and sold it 7 yrs later and started a business in Australia with just $5'000 and a scooter. But in the back of my mind I still found myself looking for get-out strategies so I decided I needed to explore and understand inspiration better so I started to talk to people.

I spoke to some friends of mine, Jim & Lou who had just left their corporate jobs in Sydney to move to Byron Bay for a sea-change and to start their own business - wow, that is an inspired move I thought! I spoke to James & Jimmy at Fluid health where my office is, who turned their dream into Myotherapy business in Port Melbourne on the smell of an oily rag and a credit card and who have in 2 yrs grown a strong local community with loyal customers, happy staff, partnerships with sporting organisations such as Tri-alliance and Melbourne Ice Hockey.

I interviewed many different inspirational people who have achieved inspirational goals. Jonni and Elvira have both managed to survive and thrive with chronic life threatening health conditions. Kathy turned a professional disaster into an opportunity to start an industry leading business that has had a far reaching impact in the community. And the list goes on...

I started an acting course and an african drumming course in which inspiration and giving your all for the performance is fundamental.

And I continued to read books. I read about a pioneering heart surgeon who explained with solid science how important love and community spirit is for protecting against heart disease and chronic health conditions (Dr Dean Ornish - Love and Survival) . I read about an entrepreneur (Ricardo Semlar) in brazil who, in the last 30 yrs has turned a $4million struggling business (Semco) into a $35 million+ enterprise that is the industry leader and the No.1 organisation to work for in Brazil - and its all based on wanting his workers to prosper and feel fulfilled in their jobs & a steadfast dedication to democracy at work....Inspirational!

And all these experienced helped me, and I was moving forward and beginning to generate leads into Spark but not fast enough. Then 3 months ago (April) the marketing stuff was all looking good and I realized that it was time to transition again and really focus my attention on sales. You see as a researched inspiration and faith, I realized that I hadnt fully and completely taken that leap of faith. I was 80% there, but rather than commit to jumping out of the raft and swimming for the side of the river with all my might I was still looking for a life support to cling onto.

Where does 80% come from? Well I knew my budgets and with the contracting work slowing down the only way for me to generate income moving forward was through Spark. I had a 3-4 month buffer but with business bill and a personal mortgage to pay the money had to start coming in soon. BUT I hadn't fully committed because I was still looking for contracting work. It sounds like a subtle problem...but I knew in my heart that I was looking because I was not fully committing! I knew that for Spark to prosper, I needed to really give it my all.

Mic Jagger from the Rolling Stones once sang 'we can't always get what we want, but we get what we need'. And the world has funny ways of making this happen. This is how it has happened for me. Firstly I was in a meeting three weeks ago with an opportunity to make $5'000, but it a way that I felt would undermine Spark and I literally lost control of my brain. It was a good opportunity with a wonderful potential business partner. But I just froze, I couldn't understand it at the time but it was like my unconscious mind was holding me back. Secondly after a weeks holiday in Fiji I arrived back to discover an accounting error I had made resulting in me having a lot less money in the bank than I thought. With the mortgage looming and projected income alot less than projected expenses.....scary! Then on Tuesday my laptop was stolen. I didnt lose any data but it would $1000 to replace it.

I had been in these types of situations before and went through a range of thoughts and emotions. Pissed off, gutted, annoyed, depressed....I could save money here, make money there or I could just get a short term job....But with each set back I also felt more inspired and energised! I know in my heart that non of these options are what I REALLY want. What I really want in my heart is to stay inspired and committed to what I believe in. To just plunge 100%, and do what ever it takes to make Spark sustainable whilst honoring the vision and values I believe in.

So here I am for all to see. Feeling exposed...but at the same time energised and inspired like never before. Part of me felt that by writing this blog and making it public that Spark is not yet a commercially sustainable product I would lose credibility in the eyes of my clients and prospective clients. But I know know its nothing to do with them. Its the 80% credibility I have felt for myself that holding me back. To be an entrpreneur 80% doesnt cut it, it's all or nothing. I reckon its similar for many transitions - from manager to leader, weightloss, achieving work/life balance. We can have a big budget, create inspiring visions, understand our values and design brilliant plans but the secret ingredient is not physical or financial or written down on paper. The source of our inspiration is our inner spirit. It defies logic and lifts us forward in a leap of faith. It requires total commitment to gaining awareness and improving ourselves...then taking action!

As I sit here at the keyboard I really feel alive. I don't know whats in-store for the future but i am excited about it, that's for sure!

If you want some inspiration to kick-start your own lifestyle change or develop your career listen to the Spark 5 Step Audiobook FREE by clicking here

To keep up to date with everything that is happening at Spark click here

Inspiring Actions

2011-07-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

How do we become inspired? Whether to take action toward a big lifestyle change?…or to have an important conversation that you have been putting off for a long time? Or to take an important step in business involving a leap of faith?

Last week I had the honor of interviewing an inspirational young lady named Elvira Alic who has inspired me to take action and commit to writing this blog every week as a regular source of ideas and motivation. So this month I will be exploring the who, why, what and how on the topic of ‘inspiring action’.

This week starts with WHO which leads me back to Elvira. At the sprightly age of 24 she is a beautiful and radiant young lady with a stunning smile and positive, no nonsense attitude to life that is infectious. She is into her second year as a television personality and presenter on channel 31 and is the marketing manager for an important not-for-profit organization – Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Association or Australia. She has also recently signed up as an actor in a Play at Melbourne university. She certainly is a high achiever

But Elvira also has to deal with some big big physical limitations. She has SMA and has already outlived her life expectancy (which she is very proud of)! She is wheelchair bound, and also has very limited use of her arms. She has had to learn to thrive in ways that most people (including me) can’t even comprehend and in many ways this short article does not do her efforts justice, so its not surprise that as we chatted over a hot chocolate after the interview, she was a great deal more mature and insightful than the average 24 yr old.

But she had not always been this way, she explained earlier during our interview. 4 yrs earlier she was overweight, unmotivated, feeling lost and did not leave the house very much. So what, I asked, had inspired her into action?. And the answer was….helping others.

A friend had convinced her to do some voluntary work helping other people with physical disabilities and once she was in that environment she realized that there were other people with problems that needed help. This had got her out of the cycle of worrying in her own issues and was the shift in perspective she needed to start living her life. From there she went from strength to strength.

So if you want to make a big change in your work, career or lifestyle but have been putting it off, procrastinating, getting distracted or stuck thinking about all the problems, issues or things getting in your way STOP! Take some time to consider how the people around you will benefit if you just do it! Think about your family, friends or the one or two people closest to you who have faith in you. Because a leap of faith is not logical. There is no way of knowing if you will succeed…otherwise it wouldn’t be called a leap of faith, it would be a logical next step.

In my Spark program we have a number of different ways to discover how your actions can influence and in return inspire you, including a number of interviews with some truly inspirational people like Elvira.

To discover more ways to become inspired, make most of our unbelievable winter offer! Click here to gain access to our 5 chapter audiobook and discover lots more secrets behind inspiring actions.

URGENT-Are you interested in joining me in Supporting Elvira at the 6th annual SMA Charity Gala dinner on 27th August? Tickets are $120 and MUST BE PURCHASED BY 1st AUG. If you are interested call be direct ph 0420 532 522 NOW

Looking for Energy in a can?

2011-07-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

We all want to feel full of energy, be motivated for home life and work, live a long and prosperous life, avoid chronic health conditions and to be happy. But what are the secrets? Is there a pill we need to take or a rare amazonian fruit that can boost our beta-2-antioxidant-creatine levels to help us boost vitality?

Before we rush to the latest issue of Cleo or Mens health for the verdict. Lets consider a few varied and qualified opinions.

In the book Prosperity Without Growth, Tim Jackson identifies a number of factors affecting subjective well-being (happiness)in order of importance; {Partner/spouse and family relationships, health, a nice place to live, money and financial situation, religon/spiritual life, community & friends, work fulfillment.

In a lecture on mindfulness & happiness Dr Craig Hassed from Monash University department of general practice identifies his 7 pillards of health as being education, stress management, spirituality, exercise, nutrition, connectedness and the environment.

In a comprehensive study of thousands of people in over 150 different countries the Gallup organisation identified 5 different catagories that influence energy levels and wellbeing; Career, social life, financial stability, physical wellbeing & community.

And in his study of the Blue Zones. Places around the world where people more routinely live longer and more often in to the hundreds than elsewhere Dan Beuttner identifies food, physical activity, sleep, a realistic optimistic mindset, a sense of purpose, financial stability, good close relationships, strong community support and a sense of spirituality as being the important influencing factors.

What these intrepid researchers confirm without doubt is that when wanting to improve Energy levels, feel more alive and motivated for work and family we need to respect the importance of all the different areas of our life. Over the next few blogs we'll look into what has been happening in society over the past few years that might be undermining these foundation pillars and then what we can do to address the issues.

If you are lacking in energy or feeling stuck. If you're overwhelmed or rundown Spark may what you are looking for. To have more energy, feel more alive and rediscover your spark visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Right to be proud & confident

2011-07-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

I was organizing to interview a young woman last week who is 25 and is a successful marketing manager and television presenter. She is also confined to a wheel chair and has no ability to move her body apart from hands, partial movement of her arms and her head.

As I discussed the idea of an interview, I explained what my Spark program was and I described it as a 'small program', and that is only just taking off so there isn't much too it yet.

She cut me off point blank over the phone and just said straight - 'I don't believe there's ever any need to talk yourself down. Be proud of what you have, what ever it is'.

I was humbled and felt a bit embarrassed, then I got over myself and just took her advice on board! I said to her in a confident voice 'Brilliant, that is why I want to interview you!' She has definitely learn't to come up with her solutions and overcome perceived obstacles in her life, and she reminded me that anything is possible if you give yourself permission to let it happen!!

This further reinforced that our perception of the world, our thoughts and how we feel is largely dependent on our mood at that point in time. If you have been talking yourself down about something or getting wound up about something else, remember that you CAN be proud and confident and indeed have the RIGHT to experience these states no matter what you age, race, social background, or physical situation.

Warm regards

Chris Eastham

For exciting new solutions for big dreams and goals visit our site:
www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Check out our new site

2011-07-15T21:32:00.001-07:00

www.sparkexecutive.com.au

We're back in action

2011-07-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

After a years break from blogging, its time to get back on the horse and keep great ideas for prosperous living fresh in peoples minds.

“ACTIVELY LEARNING”

2009-06-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

For the whole of human history, physical activity occurred unconsciously and incidentally for most people. Traditionally, at a society wide level, people have not had to actively think about ‘adding exercise into their lives’ until the last 30 or 40 years. As a society wide situation, this is a new phenomenon!

Oh sure, there have always been people that wanted to be athletes or have thought about the benefits of being physically active. The roman poet Juvenal coined the famous phrase healthy mind, healthy body over 2000 years ago, the Greeks had the Olympic games, the Romans also had Roman Army training, and various royals throughout the 18th and 19th centuries have had fitness trainers and associated health assistants.
But not everybody wants to join the army or be a Greek athlete, and the vast majority of people who have inhabited the earth over the past few thousand years have grown up being active as part of their daily lives, having to work on the land, walk to the shops, hand wash their clothing and materials, cut their own firewood, physically move files around the office or stack shelves and so on and so forth.
For many centuries obesity was not a major problem in western society. But in the past 100 years the world has changed dramatically. Firstly, with the industrial revolution, automated mass manufacture has drastically changed the way many people work and move. The rise of the motor car and the changes in urban design to accommodate this has changed the way people travel and move.
More recently with the technological revolution, the development of the computer has drastically changed the way people interact and move around at work, globalisation of the working environment and growth of the ‘working family’ also means that many more people now work full time in paid employment, again drastically changing many different social dynamics.

Old office vs New office
Obesity has been on the rise! Not because of discriminatory accusations like ‘fat people are lazy!’ or because of ‘genetic dispositions’. Obesity is on the rise because western society has changed dramatically over the past 50 years!
For his song ‘Burn to Shine’, the folk singer Ben Harper wrote the lyrics:
Funny things you learn from your mama,
like the way to throw your head back when your swallowing pills
Funny things you learn from your papa
like when you’re talking you just can’t keep your hands still
But that was now and this is then, It never lasts for long
How I miss the good old days; but I’m so glad they’re gone

If you do want to change your change your lifestyle, want to add more physical activity into your week and are trying to figure out why you may have had trouble trying in the past, I think its important to firstly realise that some of the things you learnt to do at a younger age, that may have served you well then, might now be out of date. The world is changing. Thomas Edison once said famously ‘its not the strongest of the species that survives, but the one most able to adapt to new environments’.

You may have learnt certain beliefs or behaviours regarding exercise from your parents or as a child at school or for one of many different reasons. There was probably a good reason for learning them at the time, although you may not remember it now. But its important to realise that what ever the reason was, it is now in the past. It is gone and all that is left is a learnt pattern of behaviour. And if you learnt one behaviour, its entirely possible that you can learn new behaviours too...we’ll explore more that a bit later on.

Its important to realise that you are not alone – many people are attempting to change their lifestyles across the whole of western society, including many incredibly intelligent, high achieving and resourceful people! It is also important to realise that you are not lazy and you do not ‘deserve to be obese’. Instead I would like to simply suggest that you have not yet found....
Some people who have been stuck with old unwanted habits or behaviours for a long time start to believe that they have no control over their emotions or actions. Certain behaviours become so habitual that they believe their mind is like a bouncer who has put them on the black list. As a result they have no control, and are prevented them from getting what they want.
Fortunately a researcher by the name of Dr Libit, did an experiment based around free will & free want. His research is famous and looks at the relationship between our thoughts and our resulting actions. In short he proved that when we think about taking an action, after 0.3 of a second there is a desire to move but it is the mind that decides in the final 0.2 of a second whether or not it will.
This moment in time is what he refers to as VETO POWER. The desire to move does not determine that you have to move – your mind decides whether to listen and act. What he showed scientifically was that everybody has the Free Will to ultimately choose their own destiny. We have no power over the thoughts that enter our mind (the initial short term messages our brain sends out) but we do have veto power about what we do or don’t act on.
YOU HAVE VETO POWER TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR ACTIONS!

Dr Jeffrey Schwartz is another scientist, a neuropsychiatric specialist who has done extensive research into how the mind influences the brain. His research is also very interesting and was into having awareness about awareness. For most of us we don’t stop to think how we are thinking but it is this very action that will enhance our ability to engage in new ways of thinking, which will allow us to attempt new behaviours and as a result change our lifestyles.

The act of wilfully reframing a situation or ‘imagining an alternative outcome’ completely changes the way our brain responds to external stimulus. His research follows on from Libit to show that if we want to change habits and change the way we think, by using the power of our imagination in the right way, we can decrease our connection to the negative emotion we feel around a situation and increase our cognition or connection with our preferred alternative action. He showed that when you repeatedly think of a situation in the same way, you strengthen the neurological pathways favouring that pattern of thought. This is kind of like wearing a new path through long grass. Each time you walk through the path it becomes more accessable, and easier to come back to next time.

WHAT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOU GET MORE OF

But conversely, he showed that when you learn to think about an old situation in a new way, you utilise entirely different neural pathways in a different part of your brain (the cerebral cortex as opposed to the emotional ‘limbic’ centre. Because the cerebral cortex is partially separate from the limbic system, using this style of thinking actually decreases the amount of emotional stimulation. Its is possible to pay attention to an old situation in a new way to separate from the old emotional attachment.

WHAT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO DETERMINES WHAT YOU MISS!!
To find oout how to make sustainable lifestyle change or enhance performance as an executive visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

RESEARCH PROVES LONG TERM LIFESTYLE IMPROVEMENT CAN CHANGE YOUR GENETICS

2009-01-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

(AND WHY SHORT TERM DIETS DO NOT WORK!!)

In the Herald Sun, January 16, 2009, there was an article written, based on new research about genetics, diets and weight management. As it was a news story, the article had a one sided spin and was designed to shock. So i’ve taken the report and rewritten it in a more balanced way to highlight some very important points! Read on to find out more.....
The Article started: Melbourne scientists have proved for the first time that damage done by unhealthy eating is "remembered" in genetic controls - epigenetics - and turns off good genes needed to prevent diabetes, heart disease and other complications, the Herald Sun reports.

Lead researcher Assoc Prof Assam El-Osta, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute team, proved that a single sugar hit, such as eating a chocolate bar, damaged the controls regulating the genes for two weeks.

This sounds shocking, and the article continued: The scientists said this meant that eating a chocolate would not only go straight to your hips, but also sit on your DNA. "It is this idea that you are what you eat, and perhaps that is a reflection of what your parents ate, and perhaps what your grandparents ate," he said.

Prof El-Osta warned that regular poor eating meant the damage would last for months or years, and the real problems caused by an unhealthy diet were deferred until later life.

Now this doom and gloom reporting carried on for a few hundred words when they should have mentioned that Prof El-Osta also said

"We think there is [ALSO] good epigenetic memory as well for individuals who have a good diet, not only for themselves but potentially for future generations”.

"If you have had five years [or a family history] of unhealthy control, where health enducing genes are switched off and ‘health damaging’ genes switched on, changing that for a couple of months to a good diet may not have a tremendous impact. "But going back to a good diet would have some effect 10 years later.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction!

A poor diet could lead to very serious changes that are remembered for many months, or even years BUT conversely a good diet will also lead to some SERIOUSLY GOOD changes that will also be remembered for years. A person with a family history of weight problems and poor eating has the power to reprogram their DNA to break the cycle.

The discovery explains why artery damage persists in diabetics even after they have long periods of therapy....AND it also explains that even people with a family history of problems has the power to overcome their genetic disposition....whether it is ‘good or bad’!

This is evidenced by Ann Mennan. Having experienced the problems of obesity, Ann Mennan, 44, and her son Tom, 18, are working to break the genetic cycle. Last year Ms Mennan was Weight Watchers Slimmer of the Year when she dropped from a morbidly obese 105kg to 71kg, while Tom shed 20kg after seeing his grandmother suffer diabetes, heart disease and then a stroke.

"It's really hard to tell if it is nature versus nurture," she said. "My mother had diabetes, her mother had diabetes and I ended up being diagnosed with diabetes much younger than they did, so I think there is a genetic predisposition.

"To hear that I can, by eating well, actually physiologically improve myself so I keep improving over time is really good to hear."

The Herald Sun article lead with the line ‘FAT parents are condemning their children to obesity and disease. Fat people reprogram controls over their DNA and pass on fatness and disease not only to their children, but to future generations’.

But this article is not providing a fair representation of the research. The idea of ‘condemming’ assumes that children would be unable to also reprogram their DNA. The truth is actually that they can.

What the research does prove is that: Dieting doesn't work because what you ate two months or two years ago is going to be reflected now through your DNA."

BUT that making a sustained long term lifestyle change has the power to change your genetic programming and overcome the habits of your parents and even your even your grandparents!

Ultimately, short term crash diets will never work!

But you’re in control of your DNA, and can even change your genetics!

The findings were reported in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
To make sustainable lifestyle change visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Spinning DNA plasticity into a story

2009-01-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

An article in todays Herald Sun wrote:
Fatness can be genetic, say scientists (January 16, 2009)

FAT parents are condemning their children to obesity and disease.
Fat people reprogram controls over their DNA and pass on fatness and disease not only to their children, but to future generations.

Melbourne scientists have proved for the first time that damage done by unhealthy eating is "remembered" in genetic controls - epigenetics - and turns off good genes needed to prevent diabetes, heart disease and other complications, the Herald Sun reports.

Lead researcher Assoc Prof Assam El-Osta, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute team, said this meant that eating a chocolate would not only go straight to your hips, but also sit on your DNA. "It is this idea that you are what you eat, and perhaps that is a reflection of what your parents ate, and perhaps what your grandparents ate," he said.

HOLD YOUR HORSES!!! yes we all know that these articles are written to shock readers and create a drama so more people will buy papers....but arnt they missing the point? That DNA are actually mouldable and changable IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

Scientists have recently discovered that our brains have the quality of neuro-plasticity (meaning that we can learn new habits and develop new brain funtions and skills even if parts of the brain is damaged). Is it not possible that DNA are actually mouldable and change in response to a persons habit throughout their lifetime? So, yes this does mean that a person will pass on their habits through their DNA to future generations BUT that this will include the good (a very subjective word) ones as well as the bad (again very subjective) AND that the next generation will have the ability to also mould their DNA in a different and new direction or back in the direction from whence it came.

Geno-plasticity

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24919825-421,00.html

And so, later on in the article Prof explains

Prof El-Osta said: "This is not all doom and gloom . . . we think there is good epigenetic memory as well for individuals who have a good diet, not only for themselves but potentially for future generations.

"If you have had five years of bad control, where good genes are switched off and bad genes switched on, changing that for a couple of months to a good diet may not have a tremendous impact.

"But going back to a good diet would have some effect 10 years later. Dieting doesn't work because what you ate two months or two years ago is going to be reflected now."

SO IN CONCLUSION
The title of the article was "you can blame you mum and dad if you're fat", when in reality it could and should have been - "scientist proves that short term dieting doesn't work"

Chris
For sustainable ideas and options about lifestyle change and wellbeing visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Meditation may protect your brain

2008-11-30T19:50:00.000-08:00

Many forms of exercise incorporate the qualities of meditation. Focusing on your breathing as you lift weights is meditation in action. As is feeling the cool breeze against your body or the sand under your feet as you run along the beach. Well with this in mind it turns out that meditation may even affect your brain.

For thousands of years, Buddhist meditators have claimed that the simple act of sitting down and following their breath while letting go of intrusive thoughts can free one from the entanglements of neurotic suffering.

Now, scientists are using cutting-edge scanning technology to watch the meditating mind at work. They are finding that regular meditation has a measurable effect on a variety of brain structures related to attention — an example of what is known as neuroplasticity, where the brain physically changes in response to an intentional exercise.

To read more about this fascinating article follow the link:
http://zephyr.cariblogger.com/2008/11/24/meditation-may-protect-your-brain/
For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Surviving & Thriving @ Christmas (Chris's latest article - this one for the MJCC newsletter

2008-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

These days Christmas can appear to be more about stress, lack of sleep and over-indulgence! So here are some great ideas to help you get the most out of Christmas.

Be an A list picky partier – Everybody knows the smart A list Hollywood celebrities only attend a few of the parties on offer to them. Give it a try yourself! You’ll get alot more sleep and might enjoy the parties you do attend more.

Bring back the Christmas calm – With end of year deadlines and mad mobs of shoppers at Myers - Christmas can create chaos for some. If that’s you...give these a go:

1. Feel tense? Just STOP, think of something that makes you smile and take 5 slow deep breaths.

2. Get out of the office and go for a walk. Move and let your mind wander for 10 - 15 mins. People often get their best ideas this way.

3. Don’t feel guilty about eating lots over the Christmas break. Instead try looking forward to it, and when the day comes slow down and enjoy it! Funny thing is that if you eat more slowly you feel fuller faster!

By Christopher Eastham
Health coach, exercise physiologist & corporate wellness consultant
The Open Door Wellness Company
www.theopendoor.com.au
ph 0420 532 522

First with the head, then with the heart!

2008-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

‘First with the head, then with the heart’. This is the mantra offered by the heavyweight champion of south Africa to PK, the young boy in Bryce Courtney’ bestselling book The Power of One, who then went on to greatness. But how does this apply to me? You ask.
Maybe you want to lose weight, exercise more, eat less, enjoy life more, drink less or change your lifestyle in some way. An action is only the physical result of a corresponding thought. If people were simply machines designed to perform predefined tasks then maybe we could simply change the action and that would be the end of that.
But we are not and in fact these days even machines and new cars have computer chip brains. Little computers built into them to control their function. So to change the action we have to also go to the source of the action and change the thoughts that cause the action!

It’s not a new idea. In the 17th century the renowned philosopher Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) coined the famous phrase: 'I think therefore I am'. And over 1500 years earlier the roman poet Juvenal uttered the words:

‘Healthy mind, healthy body’
Yes people have been talking about the relationship between thoughts and actions for quite some time. But how does this relate to weight loss, or lifestyle change? Well if you want to start a new exercise regime or change eating habits (actions) then it makes sense to assume that you will also have to change the way you think about things!
WHY reasons dig you deeper into habitual holes
Habits only become a problem when we want to change them. Have you ever noticed that with an old habit, you will have 100 different reasons or justifications for sticking with it? Now, I’m a simple man and so I need to simplify things as much as possible. Sometimes I like to think that we have two modes of operation and the first is reason mode (or WHY mode..as in why am I doing this or thinking that…). ‘Why mode’ allows us to dig ourselves deeper into our habit. For example I like basketball and I could give you 100 reasons why basketball is a fun game to play! This is a really useful mindset if we have a habit we want to continue with like eating carrots or driving on the correct side of the road or being hospitable to our house guests, the problem with this mindset occurs only when we want to change a habit. If we have spent years justifying our actions and building up a list of reasons (or excuses) for doing it…they will all effectively act as barriers to change. So how do we get around the barriers?

HOW options can dig you out of the habitual hole
Well if you have a barrier in front of you and you keep staring at it...all you will see is the barrier….not how to get around it. To get around it, you might like to step back so you get a different perspective, or move the side so you can see past it. Ask yourself, what habit do you want to change? When you notice yourself thinking about this habit, are you thinking about reasons, barriers and excuses? If you want to get a different result you have to start thinking differently about the situation. You need new options!!

Maybe you have spent years justifying why things have not been working, or ignoring things or talking about why the barriers are in your way….Well its good to know that whenever the time is right and whenever you choose to you can stop concentrating on the barriers and to start thinking about new options, thinking about how you will plan your lifestyle change and good your life will be in a years time when you are doing more of the things you want. Its about discovering new OPTIONS!
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948) was no weight loss guru but his approach to change resulted in the one of the biggest changes in the modern world. One of his best ideas is so simple it’s almost magical.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

If you want to be healthy, or slim, or to be exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet, it makes sense to start thinking like that successful version of yourself.
Maybe you could try this idea…Imagine yourself in two years time, living the life you desire. Maybe you are playing a sport, jogging or walking in nature, or involved in some activity you enjoy doing. If a problem arose would you immediately worry about it and get emotional? Or would you think about a solution. If you were going to motivate yourself to do a new activity would you stare in the mirror and put yourself down or would you tell yourself something encouraging? Your thoughts can dig you deeper into a hole or dig you out. So it’s good to know that ultimately it is you that is in control of the spade.

This is really important stuff! I know some people will scoff and question the relevance of Gandhi and dead Roman philosophers to weight loss, and that’s ok. But I have seen too many people join up at gyms and start on diet plans only to quit 4 weeks later on the 1st of February. So often we spend our time thinking about a result we want like losing weight and forget to think about the action required to get there and the thoughts and the best mindset to start & complete the action. I also personally know how good it is when you can live the healthy lifestyle you are aiming for. I love living the lifestyle of my choosing....it’s great! In fact it’s so good that I want other people to experience it too.

Our goals are all different. For some it’s all about achieving high performance and being in good shape so you can work hard and play hard, for others it’s more about getting a better work-life harmony. What-ever your goals and whatever you want to be eating, drinking and doing differently in a year’s time. Thinking about the way you are thinking, and learning how to control your mindset are powerful tools to have at your disposal. It’s good to think about problems briefly, because this balances up all the positive thoughts. But unless you want to, there’s no need to spend too much time worrying about or analyzing where you are at the moment If you want to make some sort of change. Thinking like that all the time will just dig you deeper into your existing habits. Worry & guilt create more worry & guilt.

Maybe, just to humor yourself for the rest of the day you could start thinking as if you were already comfortably on the road to achieving your desired goals. Go on, give it a try…I dare you! It’s just like riding a bike…you should be careful at the beginning and might come off the first couple of time if you try to go too fast…but take is slowly and after a few goes your balance and control improve…then before long you have another fun way to get to where you want to go faster!

So now we know we want to think more effectively, and why it will help…how do we start? There are many ways to tap into your inner resourcefulness. Personally I find mindset coaching works really well for clients and myself. But now you understand the idea, there are many alternatives you can explore...who knows… maybe you’ve already started.

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Improving performance and quality of life through sustainable sources of energy

2008-09-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Many Personal Trainers and lifestyle change programs achieve their success by building hype involving animated displays of motivation. Clients are encouraged and motivated by the trainer who is full of energy. Their energy is infectious or it 'rubs off' on us.

Now this is great in some situations but the limitation is that the energy comes from the program or from the trainer. Like a 5.7l V8 Holden that constantly requires filling up with petrol. You use the energy up throughout the week and are not able to maintain it, so have to keep returning, week after week, to fill up at the source.

Sustainability is a really big topic at the moment, its everywhere in the news - And for good reason! Imagine if your aim was not to become just motivated but to inspire the creation of your own sustainable energy source.

And therein lies the difference between motivation & inspiration...

* Motivation - The energy comes from a non-renewable source which is unsustainable

* Inspiration - The energy comes from your own renewable source and is sustainable.

Motivation and the ability to generate hype are very useful tools, and you only have to go to see your favourite band live to experience the benefits and euphoria first hand. But just imagine for a minute how it might feel to have the opportunity to discover what drives you and genuinely inspires you.

Motivation and hype can be like a clock on the wall that is no longer with you when you leave the room, hype can be superficial because like motivation it is a product of somebody else's energy. True inspiration goes much deeper; it is internally driven and is like a wristwatch that is always with you.

Inspiration taps you into your own natural sources of energy & power. Like a pair of jumper leads to connect you on all levels with your internal solar panels and windmills so you can generate your own energy in a sustainable way 24/7. You will definitely still fill up with motivating activities when you want to - but you do them because you want to, not because you need to.

Improve performance and gain a new source of power

Jumpstart your lifestyle and achieve sustainability

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Is your lifestyle firing on all cylinders, or is it backfiring?

2008-08-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well I have never believed that getting the lifestyle that you want should be hard work. I prefer to think of lifestyle change like a fastinating journey whereby you have the oppoerunity to go on a holiday or take a road trip.

But its important to realise that when you are learning how do drive a new high performance lifestyle, or if you are learning to drive on the other side of the road....you have to learn to drive the vehicle!

You see, once you have reached your destination you can have a tourist mentality but if you decide to go on a lifestyle change road-trip you have to be the driver!so my question to you is:

Whose driving your lifestyle change?
Do you have your eyes in the road in front or are you too busy staring at the dashboard, or worrying about what is in the rear-view mirror?
Are you in control, or are you just getting taken for a ride?

Using Helium Balloons to Start Change

2008-08-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

I sometimes like to think of thoughts as sand bags and Helium balloons. Have you ever heard the expression ‘feeling 10 feet tall’. Some of our thoughts are like helium balloons. They are positive & optimistic and literally lift us up off the ground! They fill us with confidence and other positive emotions that allow us to try new experiences, meet new people, learn new skills and develop as a person.

To provide balance, other thoughts are like sand bags. They are tied to our legs and help us to keep our feet on the ground. We all think negative thoughts and they are normal and important part of life. When our thinking is in balance we can stand up tall and think with what I like to call ‘realistic optimism’. This balance of thinking can assist us to be positive and optimistic but also maintain a sensible approach to our day to day activities. At the extremes of the thinking styles are the people that are ‘led balloons’, and the person with their ‘head in the clouds’. The lead balloon is so tied down with sand bags that they cant be moved by themselves or anybody else. The person with their ‘head in the clouds’ is so oblivious to important day to day issues and the goings on in the world that they just fly around willy-nilly at the mercy of the wind, not dealing with day to day problems that are building up.

It is important to main a balance between positive and negative thoughts, and this balance point is called realistic optimism. When it comes to health and fitness it’s important to be aware of your thoughts as negative thoughts lower self confidence and can jeopardise your physical activity and healthy eating plans. Examples can include doubting yourself, anticipating disastrous consequences, criticising yourself.

Getting off the ground

When people are faced with a habit, behaviour or situation that they want to change there needs to be a shift in the balance of balloons and sand bags. Human beings have an equal ability for suffering and for change. There is an equal ability to either maintain the status quo (with a focus on the present) or to change behaviour to adapt to new needs and requirements or desires. But if we want to change an existing behaviour we need to give ourselves help by getting rid of some sandbags!

Thinking for Change (with a focus on the outcome).

Thinking for change, or Realistic Optimism is a strength that enables individuals to become more open to change to adapt to new situations or needs. Alternatively thinking for justification, or analysing and providing reasons for why we do things serves at some level to maintain the status quo and tends to prevent change. Your mind has learnt to balance the helium balloons with the sandbags to keep you living with balance. So if you want to change your lifestyle and get your balloon off the ground, it is important to get rid of a couple of the sandbags & to increase the number of balloons.

Sometimes, our sandbag thoughts can be tied quite tightly to our legs, so it can take a bit of practice to learn how to untie the knots but in the Spark program there are many different tools and techniques for removing sandbags and cutting ropes! The following activity provides an opportunity to transform your Sandbag thoughts into more productive Helium Balloon thoughts.

COMING VERY SOON!!

2008-08-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Chris Eastham from The Open Door (www.theopendoor.com.au) will be starting to put mini seminars from the Spark! lifestyle change performance program onto You Tube next week!

Thats right, you will be able to access the latest and greatest information for free. This will also give you a chance to get to know Chris a bit better and discover why Spark is helping so many people get such great LONG TERM results.

So WATCH THIS SPACE!

Here’s some Pick and Mix ideas fresh from The Open Door ideas garden!

2008-08-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Nutrition

• Build up to eat natural unprocessed foods 80% of the time

• Aim to filling only the centre of the plate

• ½ vegetables, ¼ meat, ¼ Low GI grains (wholegrain rice/quinoa/couscous)

• Make healthy eating convenient, keep healthy snacks close at hand.

• Where possible, keep treats away from easily accessable places. i.e. out of sight, out of the office and out of the kitchen cupboards

Relaxation

• Sleep 7 – 9 hrs per night

• Enjoy a relaxation activity 15 mins every day

Exercise

• Walk for 30 minutes every day

• Participate in 2 – 3 activities most weeks

Progress

• Push your limits! Try something new every year

• Smile!

Paying attention

2008-07-23T23:06:00.001-07:00

An wonderfully inspiring teacher and friend, Kathy McKenzie taught me once that ‘what you pay attention to you get more of’.

If are constantly thinking about why we like avoiding healthy activities and about reasons for preferring other pursuits which might not be supporting good heathl….then we’re very likely to listen to ourselves.

CHANGING THE MINDSET

With the mass media and marketing bombarding us with negative messages designed to pull down and weaken our state of mind, its no surprise that an unsuspecting person might have an unhelpful mindset or lack of confidence in their own strength of character and resilience. So it is good to know that a strong mindset and resilient character and counteract and challenge the messages we receive from advertisements, from some unscrupulous sales people and from the mass media. And as a result a positive and resilient mindset can keep us feeling ‘realistically optimistic’.

Kathy also taught me that ‘what you pay attention to determines what you miss’.

So if you spend a lot more time thinking about what you enjoy about health and wellness – you will start to forget all the things that use to put you off it! If you can learn to practice and pay attention to the thoughts you know improve your resourcefulness and confidence and self belief in a realistic and balanced way – you will be too busy to be affected by the ‘sneaky – sniper’ marketing campaigns of unscrupulous marketing organisations.

So to maintain any sort of lifestyle change, it can be really useful to :

Firstly – Gain awareness. Get an understanding of your belief and confidence in you own health and wellbeing

Secondly – Practice activities that increase self belief develop your confidence and improve creativity and resourcefulness. This is the core to gaining more belief around your ability to improve your health and wellbeing.

REALISTIC OPTIMISM

In his book Lifes is so good, when George Benson was asked whether he believed the glass was half full or half empty he replied….its neither Richard, the glass is ok, just as it is!

Its important to point out here that a realistically optimistic mentality or ‘winning mentality’ is a very personal thing. Some people like to jump up and down excitedly and become quite animated, others like to reinforce positive affirmations…..and you can do that if you like those sorts of things…or if that does not suit your personality you don’t have to do that at all. Remember you can do what ever you choose.

So if you prefer, you can simply ‘relax’ and with a confident knowing smile and a relaxed and easy manner agree that you believe in your own ability. You have to right to bring out the best in yourself. Nobody can take that away from you.

All the best athletes talk about the importance of training belief and consistently working on maintaining their confidence. Economists are constantly referring to the importance of confidence in the economy. Any good magician will tell you that the key to success of any show is all in the mind!! And with your health and wellbeing you only have to convince yourself. But sometimes people forget that it is their thoughts that determine confidence.

If you imagine that you are enjoying the benefits of an activity…then you are allowing the possibility of enjoyment to happen but if you tell yourself that it will be a horrible experience right from the start, you are limiting your options very quickly!

‘imagination is more powerful than knowledge’ Albert Einstein

There are many many different ways to change the way you think about health and wellbeing. The follow activities represent but a drop in the ocean…..

When legendary blues musician BB King wrote the lyrics ‘I did what I did before Love came to town’. He explained in a show that I watched that long before all the fame and the money and the devoted fans he had - his love of music, his belief in what he was doing the hard work and long hours of practice.

Be kind to your mind, and your mind will be kind to you!

Believe in yourself and yourself will believe it too!

Have you ever heard of the 21 day rule?

Although its very easy to change our thoughts and mindset, it takes the body a few weeks to adapt to the new stimulus – there is a transition period where your body has to grow new neurons in your brain, change receptor function in the periphery and adapt to the complexities of differing hormone levels throughout your body. This transition period is currently believed by some that if you perform a new habit repeatedly for 21 days, it will become permanent!

Personally I just use this rule as a reminder that the body can take some time to catch up to the mind. So if your new habits and healthy activities seem strange at first, it’s a good thing! It means you are learning something new – so stick with it!

Fortunately, we can learn to use new mobile phones or computer programs, or we can learn to play musical instruments any time we want, or we can learn to drive a new car with different controls, or maybe we can even learn other new skills like George Dawson, author of ‘life is so good’, who learned to read at the age of 98!

We can do these things because as humans we are able learn to change the way we act, and we are able learn to change the way we think.

Change is happening everywhere. Global warming is changing the weather patterns, on top of this the seasons have always changed from year to year. Every day the billions of cells in our body grow and develop and change slightly, and every 365 days we have a completely new set of cells. Our relationships with friends, colleagues and family are also constantly changing and evolving. They conversations you have with you parents or your siblings now are quite different from the conversations you had with them 5 or 10 or 15 years ago.

Change is not only possible, Its inevitable - Milton Erickson

making contact

2008-07-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

to get hold of chris visit www.theopendoor.com.au

Following on from Priority....with Self Talk

2008-07-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

SELF TALK

So you now have an understanding about whether health is a priority. But that alone is not always enough. Some people have a crazy idea that they can start exercising more or eating better even though they hate exercise and dislike healthy foods!

This is a plan that revolves around ‘willpower’ alone and can often cause pain, and guilt and agony. Like the title song for the American sitcom ‘married with children describes - your thoughts and your actions have a similar relationship to love and marriage – you cant have one without the other!

When legendary blues musician BB King wrote the lyrics ‘I did what I did before Love came to town’. He explained in a show that I watched that long before all the fame and the money and the devoted fans he had - his love of music, his vision for the future, his belief in what he was doing and the resulting hours of practice.

Healthy mind, Healthy Body!

In "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink (GREAT BOOK), he describes a research project they conducted where they served a wine they described as "two-buck Chuck" with two different descriptions. One was described the wine as a California red; the other had the SAME wine was described as North Dakota red.

The people at the meal served the "California red" not only reported the wine as better, but the entire meal as well; the "North Dakota red" found the eaters with less enthusiasm for the meal. The capper is that both groups were served the SAME food too!

The point is that if want to, you can convince yourself of anything! If you have spent years believing that exercise is not enjoyable and that you don’t like healthy food, then your body will respond physically to these beliefs.

If you tall yourself something to be true – then in your mind it is!

If you want to change your lifestyle…the activities you do and the foods you eat, you also have to change the way you think about them. In medicine its called the placebo effect, in business its called marketing & in sports its called having a winning mentality.

External peace is impossible without inner peace. It is noble to work as external solutions, but they cannot be successfully implemented so long as people have hatred and anger in their minds. This is where profound change has to begin. Individually we have to work to change basic perspectives on which our feelings depend. We can only do so through training, by engaging in practice with the aim of gradually reorienting the way we perceive ourselves and others.

How to practice the way to a meaningful life – His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama

It’s the same with healthy lifestyle change. Your thoughts determine your actions, and if you think that it is possible enjoy an activity or pay attention to the benefits….then there is more chance that you will return to it again and again

A Placebo Effect for Pricey Placebos in Placating Pain

BOSTON, March 4 -- Irrational and extraordinary as it may seem, expensive placebos offer greater pain relief than cheap ones, found researchers here.

Put another way, placebos that cost pennies may be no therapeutic bargain in a patient's eyes compared with placebos that cost dollars -- even though they are the very same placebo.

One implication is that extra-clinical factors – such as price or brand name -- may alter the perceived efficacy of a real medication, according to Dan Ariely, Ph.D., of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and colleagues.

The finding emerged from a randomized, blinded study, in which 82 healthy paid volunteers were given what they were told was a new opioid and asked to rate its effect on painful electric shocks, Dr. Ariely and colleagues reported in a research letter in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

If an athlete loses their confidence their performance suffers (winning mentality), if a company does not talk positively about their services or products then their customers will not want to buy them (Marketing) and if a patient believes a medicine will work – then their belief alone can effect their recovery (Placebo effect).

Of course if you don’t like the taste of broccoli it will take time to teach your body to reaction more favourably to it, or to ‘learn a new behaviour’. But if you genuinely believe in your ability to learn, and you want to learn, you can teach yourself to enjoy new activities and new types of foods.

A colleague of mine, Mr John Twoomey from Lifebalance Australasia put me on to the following paragraph by WN Murrey. It tells a story of commitment very nicely.

"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all facts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from that decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would come his way."

W.N. Murray of the 1951 Scottish Himalayan Expedition

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

A Formula for Lifestyle Change

2008-07-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

The experiences of some of my clients has inspired me to come up with another formula that has proven to be quite successful at providing a framework for continued change. The formula is nothing new.

I don’t pretend that I have discovered some missing piece in the puzzle of life or have stumbled across any holy grail of health. In fact its quite the opposite. I believe that this is something that we all intrinsically know. I have simply put it into a simple and digestible form to help people who might have got a bit sidetracked. Anyway, Easthams Formula says that:

Easthams Commitment Formula

Ongoing commitment = Prioity x Self Talk x Planning

PRIORITY

If you are not as healthy or fit as you ideally want to be, it is a wonderful thing to be able to imagine just how your health might be better or different in the future…..but when you stop and think of your life as a whole. Is health improvement your primary goal for the end of the year, or is your career more important? Is achieving a healthy weight one of the most important things on your mind or would you prefer to expend you energy looking after your friends and family and loved ones.

Health is only one aspect of our lives and in the 21^st century there are plenty of other aspects of life that different people prefer or need to be interested in. So its important to get an understanding of whether health is truly a priority.

Over the next couple of weeks ill discuss the rest of the formula and introduce some ideas to assess yourself and develop powerful lifestyle change strategies.

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

2008-07-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

W.N. Murray of the 1951 Scottish Himalayan Expedition

Why you have to have a positive vision & think about the positive reasons for doing exercise

In "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink (GREAT BOOK), he describes a research project they conducted where they served a wine they described as "two-buck Chuck" with two different descriptions. One was described the wine as a California red; the other had the SAME
wine was described as North Dakota red.

The people at the meal served the "California red" not only reported the wine as better, but the entire meal as well; the "North Dakota red" found the eaters with less enthusiasm for the meal. The capper is that both groups were served the SAME food too!

A Placebo Effect for Pricey Placebos in Placating Pain

BOSTON, March 4 -- Irrational and extraordinary as it may seem, expensive placebos offer greater pain relief than cheap ones, found researchers here.

Put another way, placebos that cost pennies may be no therapeutic bargain in a patient's eyes compared with placebos that cost dollars -- even though they are the very same placebo.

One implication is that extra-clinical factors – such as price or brand name -- may alter the perceived efficacy of a real medication, according to Dan Ariely, Ph.D., of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and colleagues.

The finding emerged from a randomized, blinded study, in which 82 healthy paid volunteers were given what they were told was a new opioid and asked to rate its effect on painful electric shocks, Dr. Ariely and colleagues reported in a research letter in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Carefully consider the placebo effect when explaining medications to patients and do not emphasize elements such as price discounts or brand names. In fact, the volunteers were all given the same placebo, but some were told its price was $2.50 a pill and others were told the cost was discounted to 10 cents a pill, the researchers reported.

Those who got the perceived expensive pill had significantly greater pain reduction (P=0.02) than those who thought they were getting the cheaper version, Dr. Ariely and colleagues found.

2008-07-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

It is interesting how, Dan Beuttners book - The Blue Zones combines the power of scientific investigation with the wisdom of ancient traditions.

The research is has been carried out scientifically. But they have essentially just been looking at what people have already been doing and have modeled it.

Rather than showing how science can overcome tradition, this book seems to show how science can work in harmony with tradition and wisdom.

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Dan Beuttners Top Ten longevity Tips

2008-06-30T02:27:00.001-07:00

Make low-intensity physical activity part of one's daily routine,
Build good relationships with friends and family,
Eat a diet lighter on meat and excess calories and heavier on plants,
Find a purpose for and sense of meaning in your life.
Maintain a healthy lncome
Attend some type of spiritual activity
Eat seafood twice a week
Dont take medication to fall to sleep
Sleep 7 - 8hrs a night
Maintain a positive & 'realistically optimistic' mindset

Ive just started reading his book. Should be interesting

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au

Which Cognitive Enhancers Really Work: Brain Training, Drugs, Vitamins, Meditation or Exercise?

2008-06-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/06/which-cognitive-enhancers-really-work.php

Although wisdom may come with age, our brains don't get any faster. Many areas of cognitive function decline over time: attention wavers, processing speed decreases, memory starts to crumble.

All kinds of methods for fighting back against this brain-wide slow-down have been suggested. There is training with computer programs, popping pills, taking nutritional supplements, meditating or even getting some more exercise.

Some want to ward off the scourge of a rapidly ageing population: dementia. Others are looking for competitive advantage against younger, faster brains.

So: what to choose? These methods, along with many others, are often presented as though they're all roughly equivalent, but this isn't true. The scientific evidence currently available is much stronger for some of these options than others.

This post examines what the research currently tells us about each method for cognitive enhancement and delivers a verdict on each.

1. Brain training
Computer programs that promise to improve cognitive function have become all the rage in recent years, mostly on the back of the success of Nintendo's 'Brain Age' game. Many other companies have now jumped on the bandwagon and the market for brain fitness software
reached $225 million in the US in 2007 according to a report from SharpBrains.

But what about the science behind the hype?
Certainly cognitive training has been shown to be effective in a few randomised controlled trials, but the evidence is still quite limited. The first large study in older adults without dementia failed to find an improvement in daily functioning from the training,
but it did slow decline. Also, this study's method has been criticised.

Other studies have found benefits for specific groups such as children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. Whether advantages gained by these groups might be effective for others is a matter for debate.

The real challenge for brain training is showing that practising one type of mental skill transfers over into other real-life benefits. Doing puzzles like Sudoku or completing crosswords probably only improves your performance on those specific tasks.

One new study, though, does suggest that training working memory can increase fluid intelligence - what we use to solve problems which don't rely on things we already know. The study, recently published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that
gains in fluid intelligence were proportional to the amount of working memory training completed.

Unfortunately this is still early-stage exploratory research and many are not convinced that the actual products available on the market are beneficial. Sandra Aamodt, the editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience and Sam Wang, a Princeton University molecular biologist explain in the New York Times:

"In the United States, consumers are expected to spend $80 million this year on brain exercise products, up from $2 million in 2005. Advertising for these products often emphasizes the claim that they are designed by scientists or based on scientific research. To be charitable, we might call them inspired by science -- not to be confused with actually proven by science."

It's telling that the best-selling brain training software - Nintendo's 'Brain Age' - has the lowest level of clinical validation according to a market report from Sharp Brains.

Verdict: Evidence for the benefits of cognitive training for everyday functioning is still very limited. Brain training software currently available is mostly 'inspired by science' rather than based on it. Treat marketers' claims with extreme scepticism. Side-effects are probably limited to repetitive strain injury and a depleted wallet.

2. Drugs
Until recently the main chemical cognitive enhancer most people used was caffeine. But there are a whole batch of new drugs that could challenge caffeine's dominance as the safe stimulant of choice. Of these, two well-known for their 'off-label' use are Modafinil (also known as Provigil) and Ritalin..........

Verdict: Amongst the chemical cognitive enhancers Modafinil is currently fashionable for grown-ups. But is it really that much better than caffeine? This study and this study suggest that in warding off sleep Modafinil is no more effective than caffeine - and caffeine is legal and readily available. Probably better to stick to tea or coffee.

3. Nutritional supplements
There are all kinds of claims for the abilities of nutritional supplements to enhance cognition. For example, vitamin B6 has been found to enhance memory (but far from conclusively) and there are many other claims being made by marketers for vitamins E, B12, folate, neurosteroids and so on.

However, in reviewing the research the Academy of Medical Sciences points out that most of the studies are few, far between and small in scope.

Verdict: Unproven, but probably not dangerous as long as you're not exceeding the recommended daily allowances. On the downside supplements can be costly.

4. Meditation...........

Verdict: Meditation still has to be considered unproven as a cognitive enhancer but it probably won't do you any harm, plus it's free.

5. Exercise
Whether you're old or young, fit or even suffering from a neurodegenerative disorder, aerobic exercise has been found to be beneficial for cognitive health. Randomised controlled trials, along with reviews of many of these trials (such as this one in Neuromolecular Medicine), have shown that exercise improves cognitive function across the board. It has also been found to be particularly good at enhancing executive control processes (e.g. planning and working memory).

Exercise is also thought to encourage the growth of new brain cells. In the past scientists always thought that neurogenesis - growing new brain cells - was impossible in humans. New studies, though, have shown that we can grow new brain cells.

Research reviewed in Neuromolecular Medicine suggests physical exercise can promote neurogenesis in the hippocampus - an area of the brain thought to be important in memory and learning.

Verdict: The evidence for exercise boosting cognitive function is head-and-shoulders above that for brain training, drugs, nutritional supplements and meditation. Scientifically, on the current evidence, exercise is the best way to enhance your cognitive function. And as for its side-effects: yes there is the chance of an injury but exercise can also reduce weight, lower the chance of dementia, improve mood and lead to a longer life-span. Damn those side-effects!

The results are in (for now)
Even though exercise is the current winner for enhancing cognition, this might change in the future. Maybe better drugs for enhancing brain function will be developed - possibly en route to improved treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's. Or maybe studies on nutritional supplements, brain training software or particular forms of meditation may provide firmer evidence.

On current evidence exercise is clearly the best method for increasing useful everyday cognitive functioning. And in the future we may even have exercise regimes that are specifically targeted at enhancing cognitive function.

For sustainable ways to improve wellbeing and enhance energy visit www.sparkexecutive.com.au