Guest blog article written by Deanna Moncrief, Nutritionist, Founder & CEO of Benchmark Wellness

I will share the top 3 nutrition decisions you can make to feel better, age slower, and, well, that’s it.  Is there anything more important?  Here we go:

1. Avoid Red #40.  And Blue #1.  And Yellow #5.  There is much debate on whether these artificial colors commonly added to foods should be banned from the FDA’s Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list, but my reasoning is much simpler.  Besides the arguments for and against any cancer-causing or attention-deficiency effects in humans, foods to which artificial colors are added are typically lower in nutrition quality and high in sugar (although perfect for office pranks).  A notable exception is fresh oranges, which are commonly sprayed with a chemical called Citrus Red #2.  This colorant is known to cause cancer, but luckily it doesn’t penetrate orange peels into the pulp.  Lucky us (sarcasm added).

2. Eat no trans fats.  Trans… transportation?  No, for you organic chemistry geeks like me, trans fat is the common name for the trans – as opposed to cis – isomer of unsaturated fat (think Crisco).  This particular type of fat is known to increase “bad” cholesterol while lowering “good” cholesterol.  This combination of cholesterol changes leads to clogged arteries which lead to heart disease and stroke.  Two things surely to hamper your ability to live well and look great.

3. Eat 9-11 servings of vegetables and fruits daily.  Wow!  Nine to eleven?  Don’t hyperventilate; you might be surprised to learn how small a serving is (the fact that a majority of American adults are overweight is a testament to how few of us know what constitutes a serving size).  Close your fist.  Look at it.  Now imagine a nice bowl of cherries the size of your fist.  Or a crown of broccoli.  Or a big, juicy slice of watermelon.  A Frisbee-sized plate filled with lettuce, sliced beets, carrots, yellow bell peppers and tomatoes would contain 5-7 servings by itself, so eat a salad for lunch and you still have time to meet your quota by dinner time.

Feeling and looking great depends largely on what we eat, and eating well doesn’t have to be difficult or confusing, just deliberate.

Additional Resources

The Eat Well to Work Well upcoming workshop: 7/26 (11:30 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time)
The Wellness Track special offer: Join now for only $35!

Article by Anat Baniel, author of Move Into Life 

Normally, when we think about vitality, we think about people, about our own vitality and how we can augment it. However, when looking at our business, we can also gauge it in terms of its vitality. The Nine Essentials for Vitality are what the human brain requires to keep us energized, creative, healthy and full of life. Since people create business, the same principals apply the ‘brain’  of your business and can help your business move from surviving to thriving. 

1. Movement with Attention: Our brains are organized through movement.  As we introduce new patterns of movement, combined with attention, our brains begin making thousands, millions and even billions of new connections.  Not only is this true physically of our brains and bodies, it is also true of the movement you generate in your business.  Encouraging movement in your business, and paying closer attention to the various elements of your business can bring the vitality of your business to a higher level.   
2. The Learning Switch: Learning occurs in the brain.  However, for the brain to do its job, the “learning switch” needs to be turned on.  It is important to cultivate a culture of learning within your business. By doing that you will get more vibrant, intelligent, and creative employees that can become a tremendous source for the success of your business.
3. Subtlety: Your brain thrives on subtlety, on gentler, less-forceful, more-refined input.  What we discover with this Essential is that subtlety generates new possibilities that can open up remarkable new possibilities. Learning how to listen for the subtleties in interactions with employees and business partners, learning to reduce the force in communications, can open up worlds of possibilities that weren’t there before.
4. Variation: By introducing variation into the way you think, you will discover new ideas and solutions that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.  Even if everything in your business is “good enough,” or is going along “pretty well,” or maybe even “couldn’t be better,’ we encourage you to be on the lookout for opportunities to introduce variation to energize your business and to usher in ever greater creativity. 
5. Slow: Slow gets the brain’s attention and gives it time to distinguish and perceive small changes and form new connections.  It is true that we live at the speed of light in this present age—there’s fast food, the fast track, fast turn-around, accelerated processing, instant printing, instant messaging, and the quick fix.  When you intentionally create time for Slow for yourself and your employees, you change the culture of your business and allow for greater intelligence to come forth on the part of everyone.
6. Enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is the amplifier by which you can turn up the volume, boosting the energy of everything you do, think, or feel.  Enthusiasm can take the seemingly small and turn it into something new and magnificent.  It is of utter importance for everyone in the business to develop their ‘enthusiasm muscle’. You’ll be amazed how becoming enthusiastic about ‘small’ stuff allows for the miraculous to occur.
7. Flexible Goals: Goal setting is important for getting what we want from life.  However, how we go about achieving our goals can become a real impediment by creating resistance to change.  Rigid and forceful approach to goals limits our vision and creativity and gets us to miss opportunities and solutions.  Holding your goals loosely gives you permission to adjust, invent and even exceed the initial goals.
8. Imagination and Dreams: Imagining and dreaming can change your life as well as your experience in your business.  You can invite your employees to write down their ideas, and dreams for the business. What they imagine for the business. Have them share it with each other and see the impossible becoming possible.
9. Awareness: Awareness is different than attention, which was part of Essential #1.  Attention is when we focus on something; it is possible to pay attention without being aware.  Awareness is the highest level of human functioning. Instill a culture in your business that values awareness of self, others, and that which is occurring in the business. You will help develop a culture that values the greater good. 

Your physical, mental, and emotional vitality is essential for your business vitality and success!

Thank you Anat!

Additional Resources

• Move Into Life, by Anat Baniel! The Nine Essential for Lifelong Vitality, you can learn more about the essentials and how to apply them in your life and to your business. 
• For more information on how to vitalize your self and your career log onto www.anatbanielmethod.com

We sit for too long! Way too long! And not only our bodies suffer but our brain and our overall mood and energy! So let us put a stop to this and get energy flowing and get re-invigorated.

Movement does wonders

I am not referring to the structured exercise and sports activities here (even though these do wonders as well), but to the few minutes of stretching, walking around, climbing a few flights of stairs, or whatever movement you can fit in in a few minutes to get re-energized and ready for the next task. Here are some basic ideas as a starter and I would also like to help you design your own breakthrough movement routine--so stay tuned for a follow-up blog article on the topic:

1. Adopt a stretching routine that you like or design your own. If you search for "stretching videos" on the web, you get about 14,000,000 results. So plenty of ideas out there. I included 3 of these results below to get you started.
2. Walk to the other side of the office, or office complex, or maybe around the block! Fresh air would be a highly desirable added benefit if at all possible.
3. Go up and down a few flights of stairs and do it intentionally as if you had a purpose. By the way, you "do" have a great purpose.
4. Go to the kitchen area, but this time go briskly and instead of food or coffee, get some water, and get back briskly!
5. Organize your desk and your files but again, do it with intention and with energy.
6. In addition, when on the phone, or in a web conference, stand up, move around, and stretch. Take advantage of the web in a different way!
7. Finally, find a companion who likes to do this with you a few times a day, so you can remind and encourage each other.

Most importantly, it would help to have a variety of these movement activities ready so you can spontaneously use the one that is most applicable to the situation at hand. Keep a list handy. Maybe post one closeby. Put a check mark every time you do one.

When making your list, have some activities that are short for times when all you have is a minute or two. Have others that are longer for these 5 or 10 minute stretches. Maybe one or two that are even longer for when you really need to get away from that chair!

Remember to not let more than 40 minutes go by without invoking movement! If you guess why 40 minutes, you will get a copy of my Accomplishing More With Less book!

So two questions for you: Why 40 minutes? And what is (or will be) your favorite movement exercise?

Additional Resources

• Free Flexibility Video: 5-Minute Stretch Routine
• Neck stretches for the office
• Easy Stretching Exercises