One of the world's leading employers, Google, is at the forefront of a new plan to slash absenteeism, injuries and compensation claims using the Alexander Technique.

Google, ranked number four on the 2009 Fortune magazine's top 100 best employers, first implemented the Alexander Technique for staff as part of a series of personal growth workshops. The internet giant is one of many companies searching for creative ways to solve the problem of absenteeism due to injury and ill heath.

The Alexander Technique is a centuries-old practice of body awareness. It provides users with an understanding of movement which enables them to correct their posture and body movement for better all-round health.

Paul Dundon of Direct Health Services said the average Australian worker takes 8.62 days off a year due to ill health, amounting to $26.6 billion in lost productivity for the Australian economy each year.

A growing number of companies are now focusing on preventative health for workers rather than the standard practice of using treatments and specialist referrals in the workplace. Other international employers trying to prevent workplace ill health include Victorinox, the makers of the Swiss Army Knife which employs almost 1,000 people in Switzerland.

A recent survey by Victorinox found that educating employees on body awareness through the Alexander Technique had a dramatic impact on absenteeism.

Prior to implementing their program a Victorinox representative described their situation as, 

‘...helpless. For certain tasks, pain outweighed motivation and employees could not work because of symptoms of wear and tear. We had to take action. We decided to choose the Alexander Technique'.

Between 2002 and 2007, absenteeism at Victorinox was reduced by more than 42 per cent due to an Alexander Technique program. One employee who regularly treated chronic shoulder pain with physiotherapy and injections said a ‘new understanding of shoulder anatomy and how it functions in the movement sequence' had dramatically reduced his body pain.

Commenting on the most valuable aspects they learned at the pilot Alexander Technique course, Google employees said:

 ‘Learning habits of caring for my back; realising that good posture is relaxed, not tense'.

‘...allowed me to refine my movements and realise that I wasn't developing worse habits, but simply becoming more aware of those bad habits'.

For more information on how to implement the Alexander technique with corporate clients, visit www.bodychance.com.au. Body Chance trains injury prevention experts in the Sydney CBD using methods based on the Alexander Technique.

For further information contact:Paul CookDirector0412 497 460

I have had a few in my life.
Each one beginning, at a low in my life or a point where I felt I was stalling. Lows and stalls are wonderful spring boards to success. Each one kick starting a goal, a strong motivation an action plan that then sparked the daily to do actions that has set me off onto a new positive path that has brought me not only to but beyond the goal I was seeking.

Some of these turning points only seem to be small ones, when I begin them. Some have been start stops, some are start and all go. J. 

My current start in the 12WBT feels so very right , so very perfectly timed for me, here at half way through my own body transformation journey and wanting to work with people who will stimulate me to reach my full physical fitness potential.

I blogged about my turning point from three years ago, in my Life Inspiration blog, 'Bloggers Muse'

I am now ready for the new body transformation in 2010 :-).
Will you be doing a body transformation too?
What was your turning point?

 

Three weeks into my Biggest Loser, interactive full body work out training for the Wii at the beginner level and I am ready to restart at a higher level and I am seeing fantastic results.
I know the differences this week are due to the new exercises, as everything else, my diet, my incidental exercise routine, have remained the same.

Results are showing. Drum roll........I made up for a fluids weight gain last week.......a near unbelievable 5 kilo weight loss this week (I ONLY aim for 640 gram, I am not after fast, I Am after lasting excess fat loss( and I increased my exercise level and duration today, :-) I am reporting this to say 'hang in there' when the scales are crazy and show gains when you know you put in the effort, they are not as accurate as consistent effort is in showing the results, the scales are only 'a tool', not your judge and jury.

Yesterday I was noticing more muscle in my upper arms, this I want, as it will help fill up the area where I am losing excess fat. The other day when drying myself after a shower I saw muscles I had not seen before in my lower legs and lol, I often ‘feel’ the muscles in my butt these days so I know I am working these. The muscle development I am getting is subtle but considering it is only 21 days since I began my biggest loser interactive training workouts, you would think I was on hgh, the change seems so dramatic for me.

The thing that excites me the most is that I can do ‘the plank’ exercise, and the quad stretches, those were beyond my ability a month ago.  

J. Do not pop my bubbleJ, by reminding me I am still a work very much in progress, lol, I want to bask in the glow of having discovered a pair of little bud muscles on my upper arms tonight, J  and it is all, ‘home grown’ lol.

 

When you see the words, best anti aging products, do you think about our thoughts and emotions? Positive thinking is positive healthy living and aging well, anti aging if you prefer. Me I am quite comfortable to age, in fact I am positively enjoying the experience and do not see it as something to prevent, just something to strive to do well.  Positive thinking can bring, good health. 

No matter what our belief structure, or chosen interpretation, or the name we choose to use to describe when we seek to think in positive ways,  we are generating healthy new cell growth within our body, destroying diseased cells, by strengthening our autoimmune system, when we think positively.

The Law of Attraction, Positive Mental Attitude or PMA for short, cockeyed optimism or Pollyanna behavior, is all about dwelling on what is beautiful. This positive attitude has been the corner stone of most major belief systems, throughout time. Why?  Because it is a formula for a healthy happy life.

You do not often catch me quoting the Bible, but these works from Paul in his letter to the Philippians known as Philippians, Chapter 4 Verse 8, epitomize the best of positive mental attitude/law of attraction/ thinking and has given me strength through my adult life. Whatever your belief, these are great words of wisdom to live by and attract wellness into your life.

“Finally, brothers and sisters,  whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.”

 

The health benefits of positive thinking

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

§  Increased life span

§  Lower rates of depression

§  Lower levels of distress

§  Greater resistance to the common cold

§  Better psychological and physical well-being

§  Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease

§  Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. It's also thought that positive and optimistic people live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and have reduced rates of smoking and alcohol consumption.

Our thinking and emotions are only one part of the holistic approach to healthy aging which is a term I personally prefer to the words, ‘anti aging’.

 

The 7 secrets of long term weight management

• Keep a diary, tracking what you eat and drink and how much exercise you do is the key to understanding your 'energy equation'.
  I tend to keep a running tally of calories, 'in my head', if I am successful managing my weight. If I find I am slipping, I quickly revert to writing everything down to make sure I am not underestimating or not counting anything.
  
• Eat breakfast A good breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and helps curb your mid-morning hunger pangs, making it the most important meal of the day. Many trainers recommend that breakfast should be 400 to 600 calories. I eat, muesli, skim milk, low fat unsweetened yogurt, fruit and a few almonds on top. It is delicious ad the serve size I have is 400 calories and that and my  skim milk coffee and fruit mid morning snack is 600 calories consumed in the morning.
  
  
• Be active daily Exercising for up to an hour a day is the ultimate way to manage your weight and feel revitalized. 
  
  
• Weigh and measure Weighing in once a week and taking your body measurements monthly will provide you with motivational evidence of your weight loss.  I focus on the monthly weight, not the weekly fluctuations.
  
  
• Limit takeaway Takeaway and fast food can still be enjoyed as part of your weight-loss program, but in a controlled, healthy way. I use very little pre packaged, pre made food, they are hidden sources of corn syrup and hydrogenated fats which I try to avoid.
  
  
• Be consistent Being good in the week and bad at weekends is a common eating strategy, however research shows that consistency is key.
  
  
• Jump on rebounds Regains are a normal part of weight management, but the secret is to jump on them immediately and go back to basics.
  
  

Well I have 'done it', 
I have the Wii console, starter kit with Wii plus and the Biggest Loser program that goes with it.  It's a huge expense on a carer allowance, one I hope I will not regret and hope no unexpected costs come up soon.

If I exercise more and better as a result of getting it, and I get fitter, then all the cost will be worth it. $565. all up. 

I can't wait to get started and I will be able to exerciser in one room and watch my husband through the door way in another room. With Reg turning 70 next year and having dementia, I know my being able to go out away from him to exercise will become harder and harder so this could be an even better purchase for me than having paid for a year's biggest loser program as motivation or a year's away from home gym membership that I find hard to get out to use. 

I already ate healthy and I really only use exercise based challenge forums not weight based forums as my weight is pretty stabilized regardless  of what I do.
 
I know fitness challenges is where I need to focus and I need to think and focus on being fit and healthy and allow the weight to  take care of itself. 

I'm sure I've done the right thing, :-), and as we travel in a caravan 6 months of the year, I will be able to use the Wii all year round.

Now to learn, how to use it. :-)

Northern Victoria where we are currently staying at our summer retreat has just come out of a heat wave where the temperatures reached the mid 40’s Celsius again. I found it so much easier to manage in the heat than I did a few years back when I was 25 kilo heavier. The heat hardly bothered me at all, I just wore one of my new, sun frocks and drank a lot of water and did my exercise in the evenings when it was cooler, taking things quietly through the heat of the day.  

Not only was it easier to manage, but I welcomed the heat because for me, the high temperature, coupled with our air conditioner not working  were the best appetite suppressants  and I found myself not even thinking about food, eating very lightly and losing weight easier than at any time in recent months

The cool change arrived this morning and I pulled on a pair of jeans that had been a little tight last week, they zipped up easierJ.   I also paid our monthly electricity bill of only $47. for the month. J  Those are advantages I like,J, for having not run an air conditioner during the heatwave.  But then, I know I am ‘not average’, lol, J, most  ‘sane’, people like the comfort of climate controlled, homes during weather extremes.

 

If you are one of those people who struggles with emotional eating, here is a new (free) "mini course" that you may find very helpful.    It is a short course that consists of 8 emails spaced out over a one-month period. Each email contains a short audio call as well as a written summary so that you can quickly process the ideas.  Peertrainer emotional eating program  

Setting yourself, goals, making action plans, daily to do lists and planning rewards for goal achievements, small rewards for small goals and a special goals like hawaii vacations (insert any goal that will excite and motivate YOU),for achievement of extra special goals.

I do not believe weight management is about will power, it is about observing and correcting behavior patterns and habits that no longer work for us through understanding the inner needs that have nurtured these habits in the past. This is where some life coaching can be of assistance if you are finding emotional eating difficult to control.  

Overcoming emotional eating is about making advance plans for how we will be prepared to meet our needs in a more constructive way. Then we need to focus on the goal we want, create an action plan you can BELIEVE you can do. Then have a reward in sight that is big enough, exciting enough, to encourage you to be consistent and go the distance.

 Best wishes for you weight mastery, in 2010.

The illustrated copyright fridge magnet, above, by Kathy Shell, is available from fridgemagnetart.com, see side bar link.