Central Missouri ASTD had the pleasure of hosting Wellness Solutions founder Mary Shackelford for our January 2012 program titled "New Year Health and Wellness Jumpstart!" The following questions are a followup to that event.
Mary, your session for us at CMOASTD was about nutrition and wellness. As trainers we face these challenges both for ourselves, and for our learners.
1) Do you have any recommendations for ways to energize physically BEFORE training begins?
I think there are several things you can do. My favorite thing I do personally and recommend to others is to take some time, 3-5 minutes at least, and really ground yourself. This may be done sitting in a chair and feeling your feet planted on the ground and just breathing gently and just feeling your body and focusing on your breath. The other step I like to take is to take some time after this grounding to clearly set your intentions for the training. Be specific. Such as… The participants will connect with me and will be engaged in learning XYZ today. I will be relaxed and my words will come out just right. Everything will run smoothly and the training will be well received. I also like to visualize a smiling and interactive audience and visualize myself delivering my material with confidence.
The other important thing which is pretty basic, but so important… get good sleep the night before! Sleep is so key to helping us be our best and to have energy.
A healthy meal is also very important. Avoid simple sugars (donuts, bagels, pastries, white pasta, etc). Eat some whole foods such as vegetables, lean protein, nuts/seeds and whole grains. Hydration is also key. Make sure you drink plenty of water.
2) Do you have any recommendations for ways to recharge post training? Especially if we're in an all day event.
Breathing! After you are finished, take a few minutes again to just be still and breath and get back into your body and ground a little. I often need to expend a little energy… so a nice walk is also a good idea. Be sure that you catch up on drinking some water… often we do not drink enough when we are training or presenting and we are talking a lot, so hydrating will give us some energy. If we did not eat much during the training day, have a healthy snack or meal. If you are traveling, keep some nuts, fruit, carrot sticks, nut butter or something with you so that you can eat something good for you to recharge a bit.
Give yourself some time before jumping right back into another task. Even though we love to present and teach, it does often increase our stress a bit and we are often a little “keyed” up. So take some time to allow your body and mind to just relax a bit and come back to balance.
Do not ruminate on any “mis-takes” that we feel we had during the training. It is great to learn from these and improve our delivery or material, but it is not helpful to take them too personal or to “beat ourselves up” over it. Be sure to also notice the things that we did well and that we are proud of!
3) What can we do during the day to keep our learners physically and mentally energized?
There are many things that can be done. The obvious ones are to have material and a training session that are as interesting as possible is key! Aside from materials and delivery of the material here is what I recommend.
1. Having healthy food and beverages that can help reduce that sugar high and then dive that occurs. So having whole grain, vegetables, lean protein, herbal teas, water, nuts/seeds etc are great foods that will provide nourishment and energy, but help avoid that crash that comes when people eat donuts/bagels and the like.
2. Have some movement or stretching periodically. You can do simple things like having people stand to share, a group 2 minute stretch time where you lead them in some simple stretches. If you notice participants beginning to slump or get tired, that is the time to change it up and have them stand for a minute and move around. Maybe play some upbeat music as people are coming back from break to liven things up a little.
3. Increase the interactivity of the group as much as possible through exercises, question and response etc.
4. Incorporate some humor or laughter. That gets people to take in more oxygen and it will help wake them up a bit.
5. Encourage some fresh air when possible on breaks. It helps people feel reenergized to get outside and breath in fresh air.
4) What kinds of foods would you recommend we serve learners for snacks/lunch?
As stated above… whole foods as much as possible. Lunch and Dinner: Salads-make your own without heavy dressings, build your own sandwiches with whole grain bread choices, steamed veggies, raw veggie trays, lean meats without sauces or gravy, beans/legumes, whole grains such as rice, quinoa etc. Breakfast: whole fruit, yogurt, eggs, whole grain choices. Snacks: veggie trays, fruit, nuts/seeds, hummus or other healthy dips.
Beverages: water, herbal teas. You may feel the need to include some soda etc as people are used to this, but having some healthier choices available gives some option. You can limit the soda options or when it is available if you wish. You will have to know the audience to see how far you can go!
5) When we are traveling on the road (training), do you have any tips to minimize jet lag?
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration! One of the best ways to curb jet lag and fatigue is drinking plenty of water. Drink more than you normally would. Travel is hard on our system and we usually do not drink enough.
Eat as healthy as possible… whole foods. Avoid processed foods and high sugar foods.
Breathing and relaxing whenever we can to keep our stress level down.
Getting as much sleep/rest as we can before we leave, during our trip and when we return. Do not sacrifice your sleep for getting more done! It will hurt you in the long run.
Avoid alcohol which dehydrates us and impacts our sleep.
Begin to prepare before you leave if possible. If you know you are going to a different time zone, begin to adjust your bedtime a little for the 2-3 nights before you go, so that when you are there, you will be closer to the new time zone in your sleep routine. For instance if you are traveling east, go to bed a half hour earlier a couple nights before you leave and if possible the night before you leave go to bed at the time you would want to go to bed in the new time zone.
6) Do you have any recommendations for ways we can eat healthy on the road? Sometimes fast food seems like the only option... especially in airports or in small towns.
It is a challenge for sure. My motto is choose the healthiest thing available to you at the time. So if you are at fast food, try a salad instead of a cheese burger. It may not be the perfect salad.. .but it is still better than the cheese burger. If you are eating in a restaurant ask for a side of steamed veggies and eat them first, then eat the main course. You will at least be giving yourself some nutrients and will likely eat less.
Try not to get caught up in the “special” occasion mentality of traveling. The truth is, if you travel a lot, it is not a special occasion! We often let ourselves justify eating way too much or very heavy foods in the name of special occasions. That is okay if it truly is a rare, special occasion!
As much as you can, pack some healthy items for yourself. You can take nuts, seeds, fruit, carrot/celery sticks, etc easily without refrigeration. I often pack food for the first day because I know I can eat a sandwich that I packed on the plane or a salad that I have made. I often take nut butters with me with some healthier crackers or rice cakes.
Another favorite is to hard boil a couple eggs and have them with me for the plane. If you are staying in a hotel with a small refrigerator you can often find a grocery and pick up a few key things to have on hand such as hummus and veggies, avocados, fruit etc. Be mindful and choose the healthiest thing you can at the time and then let it go!
7) For those of us that live a busy lifestyle, are there any small changes can we make that will make a big difference in our health and energy levels?
Yes! Eating and cooking healthy actually takes less time than many people think. First of all designate a time to do some meal planning and grocery shopping each week. You have to make it part of your routine.
Eating whole foods is the best way to gain energy and to change our health. Steam veggies and grill or bake a lean meat or fish with some herbs and spices and you have a perfectly healthy meal in less than 30 minutes! Eating healthy is not about fancy recipes and hours in the kitchen. It is about choosing whole foods and preparing them in the easiest manner.
One tip that my husband and I do is when I go to the store I buy items for a salad. When I come home we cut up the salad items (carrots, cucumber, radishes, etc) and place them in individual containers and refrigerate them. Then each night we pull out the containers and the washed lettuce and make a salad bar. Everything is already done (in about 30 minutes of prep on the day we shop), but it makes dinner a snap! If we have left over grilled chicken or fish often we just put that on top for a complete meal in 10 minutes!
Cook once and eat at least twice. So cook extra and then reuse the next day in a new recipe or as leftovers. We always grill several extra chicken breasts, fish fillets or steaks and then use them throughout the week. I steam extra veggies and eat them the next day at lunch or dinner (and breakfast too!)
Make your lunch the night before… then you will not run out of time in the morning.
Find one or two quick, healthy “go to” meals that you always have the ingredients for and that your family likes. That will take the pressure off busy nights.
8) Is there anything else you'd like to share with our members related to health and wellness?
Take your health seriously. Realize that the food you put in your mouth impacts you at a cellular level and absolutely impacts your energy and how healthy you are. We may not be able to control our height, body type, genetics but we do have absolute control over what we put in our body! We are what we eat. Also remember that we are whole beings and have a mindbodyspirit connection. If we are miserable in areas of our life, eating healthy is not necessarily going to make us healthy. So pay attention to all areas of your life and strive to find happiness, fulfillment, connection and love.
Mary Shackelford’s mission is to ignite passion for health and wellbeing in all those she comes in contact. She is a respected, warm and insightful expert in the field of wellness and stress management. She is a holistic registered nurse with more than twenty years experience. In addition to her academic training, she is also a Holistic Health Coach, a certified Passion Test facilitator as well as being certified in Holistic Stress Management. As a result of several life changing events, Mary began to focus on wellness and the connection of mindbodyspirit to health. She has taken her personal interest in wellbeing and made it her life’s work. She fulfills one of her top passions in life by cultivating and facilitating health, wellbeing and passion in others. Using her formal education, continuous learning and life experiences she provides a wealth of information and tools to empower her audience to find a sense of wellbeing. She is the founder of Mary Shackelford Wellness Solutions.
