In January 2015 taking a 3 month sabbatical changed my life. It finally dawned on me I was burnt out. Years of planes, trains and automobiles combined with bad diet, inconsistent exercise, social pressures and demands of corporate life had taken their toll.
Don’t get me wrong I had genuinely loved every minute of my career but looking back I wish I had a better understanding of the effects on my health and wellness. At the time mental and physical illness coupled with stress just wasn’t discussed or accepted anywhere near the way it is thankfully today. If anything it was considered a sign of weakness which when you stop and think about that for a minute is just mind boggling.
That January after 20 years of hard graft I knew I needed a break and requested a sabbatical, probably the first Senior Executive to make such a request. I am so glad I took that step despite the anxiety doing so. The 3 months I spent away from the day to day pressures of everyday working commitments gave me a fresh perspective on the importance of maintaining a health lifestyle. Overnight I was able to make better nutritional choices and had the time to tailor a more structured exercise programme.
Fast forward to today I have gained a completely new perspective relative to the importance of health and wellness balancing my life and body every day with essential supplements to support and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Like everything in my life I like to lead by example and feel I am a good example of the benefits 15kg lighter, free of inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure and most importantly omega 6:3 balanced.
Trust me corporates and smaller businesses thinking that free fruit, a ping pong table and fancy incentive programmes are all that’s needed to provide employee wellness need to think again. Companies need to do more and NOW is the time to differentiate and start science based testing your teams to support their health and wellness.
Enhance employee performance and create a tailored health and wellness programme working with Sevargi Lifestyle. Contact me now to discuss in more detail, iangraves@sevargi.com
