The Three Questions About Wellbeing Agency Staff Want Answers To
Tonic Health media co-founder, Dr Norman Swan (pictured below), has been holding Q&A breakfast sessions at media agencies in Melbourne and Sydney to field anonymous questions from agency staff about health and wellbeing. Here’s adland’s most pressing health and well-being concerns according to the good doctor…
Touring Australia’s media agencies you notice one thing, the staff are young, bright, motivated and pretty engaged with their wellbeing. No question was off limits in our sessions, so anyone wanting a window into your colleagues’ mindsets should read on.
Sex and drugs featured strongly, with a few questions being asked on behalf of “a friend”, but issues around food and nutrition were most frequent. If I’d done this last year then gluten free diets would have been top of the list, but that fad seems to be dying a natural death. Instead:
- Is a vegan diet healthy?
This is a really good question.
Australia is said to be the third fastest growing vegan market in the world. Right now, the biggest body of evidence points to the traditional vegetarian diet (where dairy and eggs are consumed) showing significant health benefits. Low meat diets are associated with about a four-year increase in life expectancy and lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. So it’s a reasonably safe assumption that if you’re being sensible on a vegan diet and ensuring a good intake of essential nutrients, you’ll gain a similar benefit.
However, people practising vegetarian or vegan diets are probably healthier due to other lifestyle factors like being a non-smoker and getting regular exercise. You can’t expect just one aspect of your lifestyle to do the heavy lifting for your overall health and wellbeing. It’s a package of diet, exercise and healthful habits.
- Does the 5:2 diet work?
If you’re still looking to diet alone on order to lose weight, you’re doomed to medium and long-term failure. Almost any diet will help lose weight, from the most outlandish to the most sensible. If your aim is to look good on the beach this summer, or fit into a specific suit or dress for an upcoming event, then choose whatever diet suits you best. But use common sense when evaluating if a diet is safe.
The 5:2 diet, where you have two days a week with a very low calorie intake, is probably closest to the diet humans evolved to eat. Evidence from animal studies and a growing body of human research suggests that it works for weight loss and significantly improves metabolic health. It seems that stressing your body in this way, is good for it.
When dieting, consider a few things.
If you go on a diet with a deadline or event in mind, don’t be disappointed when your weight bounces back afterwards. Many people end their diets too soon, or take up diets that are unsustainable.
The current trend for singling out macronutrients like protein, fat and carbs, goes against scientific evidence. Studies show that your dietary pattern is what really matters, i.e. food content, cuisine style, cooking method, and how you eat.
Focus on slow cooking, eating more at lunch than in the evening, lowering your red meat intake and eating lots of fish, legumes and colourful vegetables. Also try to replace saturated fats with olive oil or plant sterols. Adhering to all these factors is associated with a six-year jump in life expectancy, but not necessarily abs and skinny thighs.
It all depends on what you’re looking for.
- What can you do about a hangover?
The lifestyle in agencies probably means you do most of your drinking at the weekend, consuming enough to get a bit drunk. Bluntly, this is binge drinking, and it may lower your inhibitions towards other substances like cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy.
One of the tricky parts of alcohol and other drugs is that they imitate the normal chemicals in your brain. But unlike natural chemicals, these ‘dirty’ chemicals depress your brain function in other areas. So when Monday arrives, often your brain is left with lingering depressant effects. In short, you might feel sad, sluggish and irritable. Sometimes this can last until Tuesday. So in fact your hangover can last for days.
Rehydrating can help the acute next day effects but a good treatment is to be more tactical at the start of the night.
When you get to the bar, try to make your first beverage a long soft drink and attempt to nurse it for a while. It will re-hydrate you after a busy day, and might offset the ‘dried out’ feeling that accompanies a hangover. More importantly, a soft drink will slow you down a little and hopefully stop you from drinking quite as much alcohol.
There comes a point in the night when you’re drunk enough to have a good time. Most of the time, we overshoot this happy medium. Getting too drunk can lead to other substances that compound your hangover. These choices make you feel good in the short term, but can leave you struggling for days to come.
My advice is to be kinder to your future self.
Latest News
History Has Arrived: It’s The Cairns Crocodiles Inaugural Shortlist
Pen the acceptance speech and ready your best thongs and muumuu, because the Cairns Crocodiles shortlist has arrived.
IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement
Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a market integration with Roblox, a global immersive platform for connection and communication. Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their Immersive Ads within […]
Fast And Furious: Top Gear Australia Launch Thrilled Motorheads, Car Entusiasts And Guests
B&T is still no closer to knowing who the new Stig is, except that she is a woman and a ridiculously fast.
TV Ratings (02/05/2024): Seven’s The 1% Club Wins The Night
The 1% club did not live up to its name when it comes to TV ratings last night.
TRA Welcomes Raft Of New Hires; Bolstering Expertise Across Markets
Insights and research agency TRA announces slew of new hires. Still no news on the return of marble wash denim, however.
CX Lavender Hires Boston Consulting Group’s Kim Verbrugghe as Chief Strategy Officer
CX Lavender announces new strategy hire and channels 'acoustic folk act at local RSL' for the publicity pic.
Opinion: Community standards, will they be the death of us?
This columnist is talking community standards. Sadly not those people who put dogs in trolleys in supermarkets.
Tegel gets heads bobbing with new free-range chicken platform
Sure, there's a lot of moral considerations when buying a chook. Yet, not as baffling as buying eggs or canned tuna.
Study: 66% of Aussie men believe masculinity is under attack
Two-thirds of Aussie blokes say masculinity's under attack. That said, sales of Solo lemon drink appear robust.
‘Equal Writes’: Canyon reveals new campaign and refreshed brand for women and non-binary writers
As this brand redesign again proves, nothing beats black on white. Well, white on black in this instance.
Icon Agency bolsters consumer and integrated offer with major hires
Icon Agency unveils new recruits. As press photo confirms office moustache competition now a lay-down misère.
Clemenger launches agricultural graduate program
Has Farmer Wants A Wife triggered an interest in dagging & hay balers? This grads program may resonate.
Levi’s Appoint UM As Global Media Agency For $217m Account
Levi's are the jeans for rockstars, models & the cool kids. Although that's not stopped dads from ruining their image.
QMS Nabs Sean Rigby From oOh!media
Things set to get spicy at the next Outdoor Media Association dinner and dance as a rival gets poached.
Bumble Reveals New Brand Identity To Usher In New Era Of Dating
It's ironic that all the dating apps market themselves as having no weirdos, freaks or mummy's boys like their rivals.
Stay In The House From Up! Airbnb Introduces Icons
Airbnb is now letting people stay in "iconic" places that sadly doesn't include the house from Silence Of The Lambs.
Changing The Conversation: The Role Of Media In Ending Violence Against Women
Governments are finally waking up to the DV crisis. Here, B&T chats with Jasmin Bedir on the role media can play.
“If You Want To Listen To Something Else, Go For It”: Fifi Box On Blocking Out The Noise & Focussing On What Works
No one is at the coal face of Melbourne radio like Fifi Box. Here, she chats with B&T without coughing up a lung.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Ferrari Signs Landmark New Title Sponsor
B&T continuing our series on sports sponsorships. And, yet again, there's little good news for the ten pin bowlers.
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Not since Wonka opened the factory has there been such a hot ticket in town. Here's how to make the most of Cairns.
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Quip boss calls out her highlights of the Cannes agenda. We're assuming B&T staff b-boy demonstration was an oversight.
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?
Future & Taika Waititi Feature In Striking New Global Belvedere Campaign
Not only does drinking vodka make you cool like these dudes, it also has great weight loss properties for the bone idle.
The Fall Of Bonza: A Case Study In How To, And Not To, React In A Crisis
Does the collapse of yet another budget airline hark back to a gentler time of 17 hours spent on a Greyhound bus?
Opinion: Agencies, Be Unique – Stop Using The Word “Unique!”
Trinity P3's Ellie Angell says agencies are overusing the word unique. You could add omnichannel & holisitic to that.
Ex Marketing & Advertising Exec Releases Melanoma Memoir
Ex-adlander Anne Gately has penned a tome to skin cancer. Which is a handy reminder to check your moles, people.
Mamamia Appoint Danni Wright As New Head Of Strategy
Danni Wright takes up Mamamia's strategy reins with a feng shui expert called over positioning of office chaise lounge.
From The Bureau: Championing Competency & Cross-Industry Collaboration
The IAB's Jonas Jaanimagi calls for more specialisation in adtech. Meaning you'll understand it less than you already do.