Remove the Guesswork: Health, Fitness and Wellbeing for Busy Professionals

Has your motivation or enthusiasm for change dissipated? Here are 3 things that you can do.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

What to do when your motivation for change disappears

The minimal effective dose

Lassoing habits

Key Takeaways:

The minimal effective dose is the smallest thing that you can do that pushes your health in a positive direction.

A succession of small changes means it’s sustainable and helps you to achieve consistency.

Action Steps:

Start NOW. Do something that gets you back towards your goal.

Pair the minimal effective dose with the “start now” strategy.

Lasso habits.

Leanne said:

“What I find really facilitates change is when you get your mental game into things. When you start to feel better, you’ll be more incentivised to do other things.”

“If you don’t have that strong motivation factor, I find that quite often things will go by the wayside.”

As always, if you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

Links to episodes mentioned:

Survival In The Highlands: An Epic Adventure With Leanne Spencer

Taking Part In The World’s Toughest Ski Race: The Arctic Circle Race

Natural Navigation: The Beautiful Art And Science Of Being Able To Shape Your Journey With Tristan Gooley

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

How can we create more space when our world has shrunk quite considerably in this time of the pandemic? Listen in as I share my thoughts on how we can expand our world within our heads and our capabilities.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

Hobbies and projects

Understanding what wellbeing really means to you

Interacting and engaging more with the world around you

Key Takeaways:

There are things you can do to improve your mental wellbeing. Hobbies and projects are wonderful ways to get out of your own head and take up more space in a smaller world.

Now is a really good opportunity to do some introspection and understand your values around wellbeing.

The more we tune in to nature and interact with the natural world, our own personal worlds will open up and we can really start engaging with life at different levels.

Action Steps:

Expand what you can do by taking up a new hobby or starting a new project.

Take some time to reflect on what wellbeing means to you.

Get back to the basics and tune in more to nature.

Leanne said:

“I don’t think we really know what we’re missing and what impact the stuff that we can’t do is having on us. I just don’t think you can see what the storm is like and the damage it might be causing when you’re in the eye of the storm.”

“I could probably go quite a while with not optimal nutrition, and I could probably stop meditating, and I wouldn’t wither over the course of two or three months. But one thing that would really get me very quickly is a lack of autonomy.”

As always, if you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

What kind of goals should we have in 2021 with the pandemic still looming over us? Listen in as I share my thoughts on goal setting and the idea of never missing twice.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

Goal setting

The idea of never missing twice

What creates consistency

Key Takeaways:

An example of an appropriate goal is one around health. That is to avoid COVID-19.

If you have a daily goal, if you do skip a day, never skip it twice.

Having a strong motivating factor is important to being consistent. Being committed to the outcome or to the “why” of the goal in place is what makes things happen.

Action Steps:

Make sure to never miss anything twice. See if you can put that to practice with whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve with consistency.

Find your strong motivating factor. If there isn’t one, rethink your goal. Is it something that you really want to achieve?

Set your non-negotiables.

Leanne said:

“I think it’s important to have a few objectives and perhaps to have some goals, but to be fairly flexible around them, and not to have too many, and not for them to be too big.”

“Have a strong motivating factor… Be really plugged in to why you are doing something. And then achieve consistency with it, which is about having small realistic goals that you are very, very connected to.”

Share this episode with anyone who wants to hear it. As always, if you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

Are you ready to wrap up the year 2020? Listen in as I share how we’re wrapping up the year and talk about the value of making plans as we look forward to 2021.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

Optimism

What 2020 has been like for us

How we’re spending December to wrap up the year

The benefits of making plans

Key Takeaways:

The 3 big benefits of making plans:

It helps us to feel more optimistic.

It opens up our world view.

Future retrospection

Optimism is good for both our mental and physical health. Studies have shown that people who are generally optimistic have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Future retrospection is making a plan for the future and then reverse-engineering how you’re going to get to it.

Action Steps:

Be optimistic in any situation.

Take a break in December. Take a step back, breathe, pause, and enjoy your Christmas.

Make plans for the year ahead.

Leanne said:

“I always tend to be optimistic about any situation, and I think that does bestow certain benefits. It’s the state that I prefer to be in when looking at any situation.”

“I never chase numbers for this game. I’m not looking to get 10,000 downloads a month. I’m looking to create impact and get some sort of loyal following.”

We’ll be back on the 2nd of January 2021! As always, if you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

How can you improve your mental health and overall wellbeing? Listen in as I share about this thing called heartfulness and why it’s good for you.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

Heartfulness

The two sides of heartfulness

Examples of heartfulness

Key Takeaways:

Heartfulness is twofold. One side of it is connecting or reconnecting with yourself by reconnecting with a certain hobby or passion that you used to enjoy and making some time for it. The other side of it is taking you out of self and doing something for something bigger than you.

Dopamine and oxytocin are very important neurotransmitters for mental wellbeing. If you can help generate dopamine through an activity that you find rewarding, that can make you feel great. And it triggers a certain part of the brain that makes you want to repeat those behaviours.

You get doses of oxytocin when you’re helping others and connecting. It’s not necessarily a physical connection. It can be emotional or intellectual.

What do you love that you’re not doing at the moment? What lights you up? Go and pursue that.

Action Steps:

Make time for a hobby or passion that you used to enjoy and something that really lights you up.

Consider volunteering your time for a charity.

More so now than ever, think about what kind of heartfulness is in your life. Think about who you can help, who else you can serve.

Leanne said:

“When we hit our target, every month, we donate money to a charity. And that’s an essential part of our purpose. It’s not just a revenue-generating business. Far from it. Our purpose is to create happy, healthy, and resilient teams. When we do hit [our] target, then we make sure we give back.”

“What do you love that you’re not doing at the moment? What lights you up? What radiates heat and energy within the body? It could be something you used to love, or it could be something you’ve always wanted to try or get into, and go and pursue that.”

If you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

Now that the majority of people are working from home, how does the idea of the digital commute come into play?

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

How the absence of a commute has affected people’s daily life and wellbeing

The idea of the digital commute

What my digital commute looks like

Key Takeaways:

A lot of people used the time they spent on a commute to decompress or to gear up and gear down for work.

Beyond just getting to and from work, the time that people spent commuting was an opportunity for them to get their head together as well as decompress.

The digital commute is people creating time for themselves to have the “commute” that they used to have by simulating their journey to work and use it as an opportunity to get some headspace and think and plan ahead.

Action Steps:

Do your own version of the digital commute.

Do things that fit the DOSE principle: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins.

Reverse the digital commute at the end of the day and do something to decompress, so when you walk back into the house, you feel like you’ve had a bit of distance between work and finishing.

Leanne said:

“Whatever you do, make sure it fits with this principle of DOSE… which is dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins. Something like human touch, human contact, produces lots of DOSE.”

“Don’t wait for [your employer] to mention the digital commute. This is something you can carve out of your own time or just have the autonomy to carve out of the day.”

If you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

What are the types of stress that we are dealing with, and what can we do about it? Listen in as I share my thoughts on this seemingly perennial topic of stress.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

The types of stress

When stress becomes problematic

How the body deals with stress

Eustress vs distress

The effect of stress on the body and what we can do about it

Key Takeaways:

The interesting thing about stress is that the body doesn’t actually recognise the difference between types of stress. Whether it’s mental, emotional, or physical stress, it’s all the same for the body

Human beings are very resilient. We can withstand quite significant amounts of stress at any one time. Where stress becomes problematic is when it is persistent and prolonged.

When we are in a stressed state, we are sympathetically driven. But that could be a positive (eustress) or a negative (distress).

The parasympathetic side of things is the state we should be in when we are sleeping or when we are eating.

Ideally, we oscillate between these two nervous system states -- the sympathetic state and the parasympathetic state -- throughout the day.

When you become stressed, the body goes into defence mode or perceives itself to be threatened even though that may not be the case.

Action Steps:

If you get an occasional burst of stress, get out there and burn that energy. Here are some of the things you can do:

HIIT

Tabata workout

Interval sprints

Punches

Plyometrics

Bring your nervous system down again and help it accelerate the switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic by finishing up with some breathwork, some meditation, or with a cold shower.

Leanne said:

“There is rarely a moment that passes when we aren’t subjected to some form of stress.”

“Stress is stress. And the interesting thing about it is the body doesn’t actually recognise the difference between these different types of stress.”

If you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

Links to things mentioned in the show:

Sign up for our free webinar on 6th November, Lead with Wellbeing

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

What is Oxytocin, and what does it do for you? Have a listen as I share some ways that you can generate it.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

What is oxytocin

What oxytocin does

What you can do to generate oxytocin in the body

Heartfulness

Key Takeaways:

Oxytocin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter. It plays a role in female reproductive functions as well as in different aspects of human behaviour.

Oxytocin is quickly produced in the body with human contact. Studies have shown that we get oxytocin as well as relaxation benefits when we have a massage.

Hugging also generates lots of oxytocin. Studies have also shown that when you hug a stranger for longer than 20 seconds, both of you will get a release of oxytocin.

Cuddling with your pet dog also results in a huge release of oxytocin in the body.

Action Steps:

Get oxytocin by doing the following:

Getting a massage.

Hugging people.

Cuddling with your dog.

Active listening.

Focused meditation.

Sharing your feelings with someone.

Practicing heartfulness.

Leanne said:

“[Heartfulness] is about doing something for somebody else, for something that’s bigger than you, or a cause that’s bigger than you.”

“[Heartfulness is also] about doing something that is all about you. So it may be reconnecting with a hobby, a passion, or a purpose that you’ve just found.”

If you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

Links to things mentioned in the show:

Sign up for our free webinar on 6th November, Lead with Wellbeing

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer

How can we bring people together at this time of the pandemic? In this episode, I talk about the future of offsites.

Visit https://www.bodyshotperformance.com/topic/podcasts/ for the complete show notes of every podcast episode.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

What companies should be aware of when it comes to bringing people together

What you should be thinking about in terms of an individual’s wellbeing

The scar tissue concept

Key Takeaways:

The future of offsites will be outdoors.

Airflow is absolutely crucial. It’s a really important aspect of getting fresh air into the lungs and keeping away from airborne pathogens.

Almost all of us were shut up in our homes during the actual lockdown period. What we did see is a reconnection with nature.

Reconnection with nature is an important aspect of wellbeing.

When we get access to natural light, it does a lot of things for us. It can be energising, and you get a dose of serotonin.

It is very difficult but not impossible to bond and connect remotely. But nothing quite substitutes that face to face.

Action Steps:

Get outside and reconnect with nature.

Get exposed to natural light.

Learn new skills.

Leanne said:

“I think there’s going to be a huge shift in the way that we’re going to bring people together… In short, it’s going to be much harder to get teams of people together.”

“As we get a bit older, we tend to stay with what we know. And it can be really nice to step away from the world that you know and learn something new. Great for self-esteem. Great for confidence. Great as well for team building.”

If you want to register your interest in some of the ideas that I’m putting together with Bodyshot Performance, send an email to [email protected].

If you’re interested in finding out what your health IQ is, take the Health IQ test to find out, and get a free 39-page report built around our six signals, which are sleep, mental health, energy, body composition, digestion, and fitness.

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard on this episode and it’s added value to you, share the episode with someone you think could benefit from it. And don’t forget to leave a rating or a review and subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts.

Links to things mentioned in the show:

Sign up for our free webinar on 6th November, Lead with Wellbeing

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

More from Leanne Spencer:

Bodyshot Performance

Bodyshot Performance Limited Facebook page

Remove the Guesswork BOOK by Leanne SpencerRise and Shine BOOK by Leanne Spencer