It is not your business accolades, or your longevity in your career or the degrees you have worked diligently on that are going to help you forge your career…. they may help but unless you are in a state of optimum health your productivity will suffer. Before I go on here… have a look around at the women you admire and maybe mentors to you… I am not talking about thin women… I am talking about that women who are colleagues or in senior management who have the ZING you have been wondering about. What she does to maintain her sharpness, clear eyes, articulated thoughts, and vitality? Is it exercise… maybe… is it mediation… maybe…. but one thing is for sure it will have something to do with her nutrition. We can exercise some days, we can mediate some days, but we usually eat three to five times a day. What does this mean…. YOU have up to five times a day to help yourself move into a place of creating change! Good nutrition stems from unprocessed, low glycaemic , highly anti oxidant, and essential fatty acids rich foods. This may be the competitive advantage in the decision making for your next career move.
Unprocessed, low glycaemic , highly anti oxidant, and essential fatty acids rich foods sounds technical but it is not… is a simple as choosing a variety of colours in your seasonal fruits and vegetables to ensure quality antioxidants. It is in the colour of the fruit and vegetable where we find its antioxidants. Choose foods that are not inside a package or have touched a production line… like walnuts, seeds, sultanas avoiding even ‘healthfoods‘protein bars. Low gylcaemic means looking for foods that are going to keep you satisfied for longer… a bowel of oats with linseeds and blueberries sprinkled on the top will keep you satisfied through to your lunch break. Not to mention simple sugars, high glycaemic foods are ageing…. yes … sugar is ageing and inflammatory!
Before becoming a nutritionist , I had the very good fortune to work at a senior level for an international computer company. It was face paced, energetic, and testing… it is not being discriminating to say if you were not on the ball, you were not going to remain a long term employee of this company. This is true of most companies these days. Your productivity is their profitability. Business is always looking for better returns on investments in its assets, yet one of the best has been lying right under its nose ignored for a long time – the health of its work force! We are seeing more company’s integrating corporate wellness policies… good on them!
I would be interested in your comments and feedback on how your nutrition affects your productivity… and I am happy to write another blog with more specific foods and nutrients for women advancing as leaders.
About the author | Michele Chevalley Hedge is a naturopathic nutritionist based in Sydney. At A Healthy View, Michele specialises in women’s health and runs Women’s Nourishment Cleanse Retreats several times of the year Gaia Retreat in Byron Bay. See www.ahealthyview.com.au for further information.