Banish Burnout: Meet Holistic Practitioner & Director Of Zestivo – Elizabeth Whelan

Peak Performance is something we strive to achieve every day but how do we combat burning out when we hit that Peak? At times it can feel like an uphill battle with oneself. We spoke to Elizabeth Whelan, holistic practitioner and founder of Zestivo, ahead of our Peak Performance (whilst avoiding burnout) taking place on Thursday, February 15^th at The Westbury Hotel Dublin. We discussed all things burnouts, beauty, and mindfulness.

As January is the month of new beginnings and resolutions, what are your best pieces of advice for maintaining and achieving the goals we have set ourselves for the rest of the year?

January is viewed as the month of new beginnings and my first tip to assist you achieving those New Year goals is to allocate to yourself an accountability friend. This can be a mentor, life coach, friend, work colleague or someone you trust. Agree a time and place to meet and talk to them about your personal and work-based goals. Outline to them your goals and the actions you plan to take to meet these. Be clear with them about the rewards or consequences of not succeeding and ensure they support your plan. Set up regular check-in times for feedback on progress by using the phone, skype calls or WhatsApp messages. Motivate yourself by using a diary or spreadsheet to create a weekly layout that will incorporate steps that will help you integrate positive choices into your daily agenda. Give yourself 5 goals every week. Provide yourself with personal and work projects and at the end of each day document your accomplishments to track your progress. Be sure your accountability friend is fully appraised of your progress. At the end of the week highlight things you can improve on and what actions can be taken to work towards these improvements. These small but important steps will go a long way in you achieving your goals.

What are your best practices to carry out when you hit Peak Performance, and feel a burnout coming on?

The onset of burnout needs to be avoided at all costs and here are some tips to avoid this:

1. Stop and breath, take time to be mindful, noticing the changes happening and address any stressful feelings.
2. Getting some fresh air, walking, exercising and daylight can stimulate serotonin in the brain, this is the happy hormone which will reduce stress chemicals in the body.
3. Focus on doing what makes you feel good.
4. Taking time to meditate or sleep to reboot yourself and aid in you returning to a more positive momentum.
5. Eat life energy foods to charge the body’s cells, preventing cellular deterioration and inflammation which can lead to burnout.
6. Think positive thoughts, remembering the incredible leverage that your thoughts hold.

“What you think about you become, what you feel you attract and what you imagine you create”.

In recent times, a huge emphasis has been put on the correlation between mindfulness and food choices? Is this a trend becoming more prevalent?

You are what you eat, it is as simple as that! Individuals are beginning to realize that becoming mindful of how we fuel our body is essential for healthy bodies and healthy minds which ultimately gives us a happy life. Food is our main source of energy so it essential to make good food choices, to nurture our bodies cells, muscles, bones, tissues, and tendons. In Chinese medicine, they say our gut is our second brain so to perform at peak levels we need to have good healthy guts.

What are your best beauty tips for us to maintain a radiant complexion in these winter months?

Here are some beauty tips from Zestivo to attain that radiance during winter:

1.  Drink more water to hydrate the skin: Hydrating the skin is one of those natural beauty tips that’s true all year long, but especially during winter weather. Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water at room temperature throughout the day will ensure the skin remains healthy and hydrated
2. Concentrate on your breathing. The skin is our second lung so breathing into the abdomen and chest will pump fresh blood through the body, not only oxygenate the body’s organs but it will also oxygenate the skin cells.
3. Take a health supplement: Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fatty acids are essential for the health of the skin in the winter months. One of the most powerful sources of this is “Chlorella”
4. A supplement that will ensure the skin is looking young, radiant, nourished, and moisturized.
5. Exfoliation is a must. During winter weather the skin can be dehydrated, flaky, rough and dry. Exfoliating scrubs help to remove dead skin cells, revealing soft, glowing skin and ensure deeper penetration of hydrating and moisturizer products.
6. Use a Hydration Serum: One of the most powerful ways to hydrate the skin in winter is by using a hydration serum. The serums travel deeper into the skin layers, the skin becomes smoother, brighter plumper and soft.
7. Moisturizing is also essential: One of the main products to keep the skin healthy and strong during the winter months is a moisturizer that keeps your cells hydrated and protected from the elements
8. Exercise is crucial to any beauty routine. Exercise will maintain movement in the body, eliminate toxins and increase blood flow which increases cellular energy.
9. Pamper yourself. Having a pampering facial treatment is a superb way of maintaining the perfect skin during the harsh winter.

You have an infamous Sunday care routine, what are the key steps you take on a Sunday evening to prepare for a busy week ahead.

Sunday routines are helpful in organizing yourself for the coming week. Here are some useful hints:

1. Reflecting on the week passed, by referring to your weekly planner. The achievements, learnings, and lessons.
2. Outlining the week ahead day by day and following through on any goals that were not achieved during the previous week.
3. Document an exercise plan for the week
4. Give myself a new challenge to complete during the week
5. Set out a daily food and meal planner for the week ahead.
6. Plan my personal and professional dress wear for all of the week’s occasions

If you put these into your mindfulness routine you can’t go wrong!

Many people are beginning to practice Mindfulness, what are your best tips for beginners? And why do people find it so challenging?

The best tips for beginners is to be open to the concept of mindfulness. Take it slowly at the start, do not be over ambitious and complete some small tasks such as practicing mindful meditation quietening your mind while observing the breath. Do not get frustrated. Several times a day be mindful of your body, your thoughts and your reactions to stressful situations.

Practice the 3 R’s

1. Start a new Routine
2. Make it a Ritual
3. And you will see Results.

The reason people can find the practice of mindfulness challenging is we all live busy lives and we are reluctant to slow down and change. Mindfulness is still viewed by some as a gimmick but people do not appreciate the many health benefits that flow from its practice. People are more open to physical exercise than a mental exercise.

Zestivo says “Make the rest of your life the best of your life”

Hear Elizabeth and fellow panelists, Endocrinologist, Dr. Mary Ryan and CORU registered Dietitian, Paula Mee talk about how to be your happiest, whilst also your most productive and professionally successful yet, at our Peak Performance (Whilst Avoiding Burnout) Event on Thursday, February 15th.

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