007 Fighting fatigue and engaging men

FIGHTING FATIGUE AND ENGAGING MEN

How do we best engage men in health behaviour change?

What are some simple habits we can practice to fight fatigue?

Why is mental health such an issue in FIFO and what can we do about it?

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Fit for Work Podcast. In this episode I interview story-teller John Toomey who shares with us some fascinating insights around engaging men and fighting fatigue and mental health, especially in the FIFO industry.

He also shares with us some techniques, interesting to say the least, for enhancing gut health including a saltwater flush, Saturday purge and Kombutcha tea. If you’re curious to learn how he gets men in the workplace to engage in these strange health behaviours then tune in for the full episode.

TIPS TO FIGHT FATIGUE
Fatigue management is more the individuals responsibility than the workplaces. Ways we can boost energy include:

1. Keeping hydrated: chronic dehydration leads to compromised blood flow which inhibits oxygen and glucose ‘fuel’ to the brain. This leads to symptoms like yawning, craving sugar and sleepiness. Drinking more water is easy, accessible and the benefits are immediate.
2. Correct pH balance: acidity which is caused by a diet rich in processed food, stress and alcohol can inhibits oxygen carrying capacity of the body and therefore energy
3. Great gut health: a new paradigm of human health regarding the ‘microbiome’ was shared at the Global Wellness Summit in Mexico City. We have 100 Trillion cells in our body and only 10 trillion cells are you. This is known as our genome. The other 90% of cells in your body are bacteria. This is known as the microbiome. When the microbiome is thriving the genome can’t get sick. Poor microbiome leads to extreme fatigue and increased mental illness.  Practical tips John mentions are his Salt water flush, Saturday Purge and Kombutcha tea. Learn more about the microbiome here.
4. Limit Inflammation: omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids we get only from our food. The ratio of omega 6:omega 3 should be 2:1 but its averaging 40:1. This naturally increases inflammation in the body. To correct this imbalance John encourages us to ditch the margarine and processed vegetable oils.

A controversial side-note: John shares the belief expressed by the documentaries featured on Catalyst (well worth the watch) that cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease, inflammation does. John asserts that “Needing to lower cholesterol via cutting out foods with cholesterol or via cholesterol-lowering drugs is the biggest falsehood in modern medicine”. He advises us to ask our GP for a calcium score test before entertaining statins which are cholesterol lowering drugs. If you’re someone who’s concerned about high cholesterol or are currently taking statins, can I encourage you to watch these Catalyst videos which you can access here.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
Problems:
FIFO (fly in fly out) workers suffer higher rates of mental illness and suicide than the Australian average according to the WA Government whitepaper ‘Impact of FIFO work practices on Mental Health’. Some of the reasons for this are long shifts, weeks away from family and friends, difficult working conditions and climates, feelings of isolation and depression.

The Golden Handcuffs: High salaries often for unskilled work results in a particular lifestyle which isn’t sustainable outside of working in the FIFO world. So even if workers want to leave the job they can’t. Therefore, the money is associated with the isolation.

Solutions:
Financial literacy and coaching around the isolation and encouraging workers to take personal responsibility for the decision to work in the industry.

Focus on the bigger picture: Why are you here? Is your job and that big pay packet attached to something that MATTERS to you? Also companies need to be clear and communicate the GOOD their company does in the world so staff can connect with that.

Practise encouragement and practice kindness: The number identifiable risk factor for mental health in the workplace is incivility ‘not being civil to one another’ according to Peter Cotton.
Lets aim to go beyond the golden rule of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and instead embrace the
Platinum Rule “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them”. This means first understanding what others want before offering solutions.

JOHNS FAVOURITE QUOTES

“Where you are is exactly where you once decided you wanted to be. And theres no sense second guessing the wisdom behind that decision because if felt right at the time” – Harry Palmer

“A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are for” – unknown

RESOURCES

The New Paradigm on Health. http://aweat.com.au/consciousness/a-new-paradigm-in-health/
The Catalyst Videos about cholesterol http://aweat.com.au/wellness/excellent-videos/
The Avatar Course www.theavatarcoursepacific.com
The Book Living Deliberately – Free Download  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14364
Johns LinkedIn Profile: https://au.linkedin.com/in/globalwellnessmain
Johns Newsletters: http://aweat.com.au/newsletters/

Articles on The Global Wellness Summit
Pre Summit https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-wellness-summit-pre-sessions-john-toomey
Day 1 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-wellness-summit-2016-day-1-john-toomey
Day 2 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-wellness-summit-2016-day-2-john-toomey
Day 3 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-wellness-summit-day-3-john-toomey

Life Alignment Mini Course email John for more information and to receive the PDF.
Psychologist Peter Cotton – Prevention of psychological harm in the workplace
Video – ‘Impact of FIFO work practices on Mental Health’ WA Government White paper

I’m so happy to be bringing you this thought leadership and I trust you got a lot of value out of todays storytelling episode with John.

Until next time, continue being part of the solution in taking your workplace from good to great…

Continue the conversation at www.fitforworkaustralia.com.au, say hi on LinkedIn or flick us a personal note at sally@fitforworkaustralia.com.au.

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