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Malcolm Dunn:
Hi, it’s Malcolm Dunn here. I’m the Dean of the Global Leadership Wellness Academy – LeadWell Global.
As you are aware, we take a holistic perspective of leadership and leaders and a key part of that is how can they operate at best performance, especially in the stressful times that we are facing. So we have Mogetstri Pather today with us. She’s our head of nutrition and health.
What do we want to really talk about is if I’m stressed out, if I’m tired from not sleeping, I’m taking too much sugar, I’m taking caffeine to get me through the day. What’s the alternative? What’s another way that I can present my best self and be energetic? The fuel and energy that I need to do some really challenging things.
Mogetstri Pather:
Well, the most important part of all of that as a lot of people aren’t aware of is sleep because if you don’t have a solid and he doesn’t have to be a long sleep, like it doesn’t have to be eight hours, six and a half to seven hours is all you need. So in order to fall asleep properly, it’s important to not eat too close to bedtime. So at least two hours before going to bed and choosing that evening meal is important as well. So, have a combination of your carbohydrates or whether it’s Brown rice, sweet potato with a good protein and a vegetables or a nice salad with olive oil dressing. So that just sets your blood sugar, regulates your blood sugar so you’re not actually waking up throughout the night, restless and tired as well In the morning.
Malcolm Dunn:
And this whole thing like in the morning, just a cup of coffee is kind of good enough to get me going. And I’ve heard this single fasting, is that a, is that true or not true?
Mogetstri Pather:
So if you your aim is to lose a little bit of weight, then yeah, definitely intermittent fasting. If you are inflamed, if you’re in pain I would say I would suggest that,
Malcolm Dunn:
Okay. I think yes, I’d like to lose some weight, but in the moment I just want to really be able to perform all day and yeah, and what I’m finding in the mornings when I go and I can revert, but by lunchtime you don’t need to have my, my sugar craving and get attracted by all those things that I just don’t think it’s a sensible style and the way that I eat and that bad habits are, how does one know what to do and how does one form new good habits?
Mogetstri Pather:
It’s really so important to start your day properly. So if you’re going to have an action packed day where you are meeting, you’re busy, you’re active, you’re on your feet, then definitely having a good breakfast to start, is important. So with a breakfast it’s crucial that there is some protein component in there as well. So, whether it’s eggs or a protein shake, something that has a bit of a substance. See, it’s been a spike your blood sugar levels up and then you’re gonna fall flat. That’s when you crave the caffeine to actually keep you going. So having only a macros in decent quantities, their carbohydrates, your healthy fats protein. So you’ll find that you’ll actually get through lunchtime energized and feeling quite good.
Malcolm Dunn:
So what we tried to do in the whole program is to build at the high sense of consciousness of who I am. I’m in printing people. How are they influencing me as part of that? So just yet to take it to slightly more serious note, tamping, reading this kind of gut brain axis. Can you tell me about it? It’s quite, seems quite complex. Is it? The, the dummy’s way of understanding what’s really happening there. Could you,
Mogetstri Pather:
There’s so much more research coming out with the microbiome. And as of now, we don’t fully comprehend how important our gut microbes are really are. And not just important to our guts, but important to our brain, our every organ because of the Vegas nerve connection. So the Vegas nerve runs from the brain to the gut directly, but it has its little tentacles in every single organ in the body. So it affects not just your brain, but it affects your lungs, your heart, your immune system. It’s profound. And so we actually a host for all that bacteria because it’s not just gut bacteria, it’s bacteria in our, in our mouth. It’s in our skin, on our skin. It’s everywhere. It’s prolific. So there’s just, it’s, and and it all comes from eating healthy food.
Malcolm Dunn:
So pay attention to that and how it can impact your moods and with you feeling sharp, your brain and everything.
Mogetstri Pather:
Exactly. Because the bacteria talk to ourselves and so we feel inflamed or we haven’t had enough sleep. We can get brain fog and just not think clearly. So it’s, it’s all, it’s all important and balance. It’s not just about having good bacteria or good microbes have a bad microbes. They all symbiotics so they all work in as a family they support one another.
Malcolm Dunn:
So speaking of families, cause I think all of us had this perspective. We’re on our own, the robe journey and I’ve got to do that and I’ve got a diet I’ve got to exercise and it’s just proven. It’s much more attainable if you’re doing it as a, as a family or as a with some colleagues or friends. So can you do that? Can you have a dart that fits the whole family or are people individually unique that they need their own?
Mogetstri Pather:
Again, that actually boils down to your gut bacteria. So if you are and that’s where we do the gut testing. Okay. So just see what’s going on and what sort of microbes are in your gut that are higher than the other ones. So maybe you’ll try and balance it. So it’s all about placing that balance. Because if you are imbalanced, then you could be having inflammatory markers that pass the gut barrier and go into the bloodstream, which will impact your heart or your lungs. Or any other components. So if you really want to know what’s at the core of everything then microbiome testing is fantastic
Malcolm Dunn:
And I hear from that then their design a diet specifically for you. And so that because you’re not decision, again react to fats the same as somebody else would and said really gets you to be optimal. It’s nice that they’ve got that ability to target.
Mogetstri Pather:
And it’s also not just testing your microbiome. We do genetic testing, DNA testing. So nutrigenomics as well. If someone has had problems and they just can’t get to the core of it, then we’ll go deeper and see what’s really going on.
Malcolm Dunn:
So it’s a great thing because I think a lot of the leaders I meet, they’re really sacrificed themselves in the noble cause and let’s just pepper a chocolate or something. I’m glad for the energy, but it’s just, it’s not a sustainable thing.
Mogetstri Pather:
No, the thing is with sugar, it really, you feel fantastic for one half an hour and then you just, it will drop your level sounds so low. So that spike is when your body’s really been challenged.
Malcolm Dunn:
What would allow people to do because they know it’s good for other than have to have a failure, a heart attack or an obesity crisis.
Mogetstri Pather:
I get that a lot with my clients and especially those, they are more compliant after they’ve been given what their baseline is. So if they do a DNA test and if you explain to them, well these are the vitamins that you really need because vitamins and minerals, act as co-factors by DNA and they enable us to break down toxins and to just function better and feed the mitochondria, divide, divide foods as well. So when they see that this is exactly what’s going on in their body, then they definitely, it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change.
Malcolm Dunn:
So thank you again Mogestri for that really is interesting that the need that we have to really pay attention to ourselves. If we want to perform, we tend to sacrifice ourselves often for the noble cause. But really that’s a short term approach. So if we want to be able to reflect, think influence other people, give them their space, looking after us selves in a holistic perspective from the fuel, the food, but also the energy, the exercise, and that balance. The equanimity of it is really critical. So if you’d like to look at how you can be a better leader so that you can practice better leadership, please come along to our website, www.leadwellglobal.com
