Golf Industry Central Summer 2017 | Page 19

GMA Conference Wrap PRESENTATIONS: DAY 2 The program’s second day brought attention to our mental and physical health and how to overcome adversity in life. days you can rewire your brain to start scanning the world for the positive with the long-term benefit of this approach being lower levels of depression and anxiety. DISCOVERING RESILIENCE - TEACHING AUSTRALIANS TO BE MENTALLY HEALTHY With a bright and early start of 8am on the Wednesday morning, Hugh van Cuylenburg, Founding Director of The Resilience Project, introduced the delegates to the GEM concept: • Gratitude - ability to focus on what you have, not what you don’t have. • Empathy – acts of kindness – release of exotoxin
 • Mindfulness – ability to be in the present moment and the way we prevent anxiety In short, the GEM concept is designed to help you to get up in life after inevitably falling down from time to time. When practicing GEM, you will bounce back quicker after falling down the spectrum, and in being more resilient you are less likely to suffer anxiety. Furthermore, van Cuylenburg explained how positive risk taking and learning how to deal with adversity would increase resilience. He presented an easy guide of how to practise gratitude: • What was the best thing that happened to me today? • Who and I most grateful for today and why? • What am I looking forward to most about tomorrow? He also explained in closing how after 21 BOOST PERFORMANCE & PRODUCTIVITY - LEARN HOW TO BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH HEALTH & NUTRITION Nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan emphasized the link between mental and physical health in the next presentation, explaining how joy is a vital part of any lifestyle change, including dieting. McMillan offered some healthy tips to a better diet, including avoiding too many quick carbs, eating more plant based food and switching up your diet in order to promote a healthy gut balance. Educating the audience in nutritious food and the importance in physical activity, she explained how there’s no magic pill – you have to the do the hard work yourself. Golf Industry Central I Summer 2017 19