The older we get, the faster time passes. That's rather unsettling news, particularly if ill health is looking to rob you of any of it. If you're sitting back waiting for the magic pill, then current trends suggests things may not play out well for you. If, on the other hand, you're in the 40 - 60's bracket and you're re-prioritising your wellbeing, then you're well positioned. Taking action in this age bracket is critical. Get on the front foot now and hopefully the below quote will make you smile, not shudder: There are three types of people in the world: 1. Those who watch things happen2. Those who make things happen3. Those who wonder what the hell happened. When it comes to health and wellbeing, Wellteam provides programs for those who are prepared to make things happen. As more men take on our programs, we're seeing something interesting... ...men join for the challenge, they stay for the community. The camaraderie built by going through a series of wellbeing experiments is strong...and healthy. In the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddy Mercury (Rami Malek) said that Queen didn't play to the mainstream audience, they played "to those in the back of the room". That line really resonated with me because I think... ...Wellteam plays to the men in the back of the room. We're attracting diverse and interesting men, thinkers, learners, hard workers, those willing to challenge themselves, try something new, push the status quo, they're humble, they get outside their comfort zones, they push back against the pull of toxic masculinity and live their best lives wherever they are, with whatever they've got. They're good men. That's what we're growing...a movement of good men, open to improving our lives by challenging our own behaviours and habits. It's still early days for Wellteam, and while we've been quietly active since October 2020 we haven't technically launched yet. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/5cca74259d7e1b0d86cc0f922de476415b64bf43.jpeg"> <h2>Why size really matters </h2> While growth is strong and critical to enable Wellteam to expand services to members, it's more important for other reason entirely: <ul><li>46% of men will develop at least one chronic disease in their life (many of which are preventable).</li><li>72% of men won't seek help for mental health issues when they need it</li><li>50% of men reporting feeling lonely 'sometimes' or 'always'</li><li>32% of men report having no close friends</li></ul> This is why Wellteam exists and I suspect why we're growing fast. These stats are often invisible to all but the person experiencing them. We may not tell our closest friends or family, and... none of us are immune. While the health care system is busy patching up the unwell, Wellteam is focused on optimising lives, health and wellbeing. When we (and others) succeed, fewer people will need patching up early in their lives, we will free up the healthcare system by living lives in a "well-care" system. We will live healthier, happier, more fulfilling lives for longer. At present we're growing based on 100% referrals from members...no paid advertising, and that's important. Men 40 - 60+ have great bullshit filters. We've seen and heard all the ads before. We're immune to the crap. But we'll listen intently to others we trust and respect. This is the way we change what is a very real gender gap in wellbeing outcomes across the world. Men die earlier than women, generally in poorer health because they traditionally focus on financial security (the provider role) and put their health and wellbeing last. While those traditional roles are changing for younger people, there's plenty of men still trapped in between the conservative, post-war paradigm of our parents and the radical new world of our kids. Regardless of age, in the world right now, we need more focus on wellbeing, not money, not status objects. For men in particular, that's a big shift. A very necessary, big shift. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/55c7c6b301311a42dabbe565e6d11075b74ab17e.jpeg"> <h3>Never underestimate the impact you have on the lives of others.</h3> Wellteam members are leaders, whether they chose that or not. Taking on a challenge for a healthier life is having a broader impact than they might imagine. Every healthy photo they're in, every conversation about every wellbeing experiment, every comment, every like, every share, every email, is sending a message to others that prioritising health and wellbeing is the right thing to do...right now. On top of that, Wellteam'ers are setting a new standard for those around them. Seeing positive male role models focusing actively on their wellbeing is something that can have a profound effect on them for the rest of their lives. Health aficionados' tell us that the best age to implement wellbeing programs is in our kids. The reality is that most boys see their fathers as their primary role models. If dad's sitting on the couch, downing a dozen stubbies after work with a bag of Mc Chucks on his lap then his son's moving that way, like it or not. The buck stops with Dad to role model healthier options. Every life matters, and Wellteam members are making a positive impact. So this is a very personal and warm thank you to all our members and future members. Thank you. We're building...this, as always...is just the beginning.

corporate wellbeing

relationships

challenge

making time

program

Mind

optimisation

The world needs men to take a positive stand for their health and wellbeing. We need role-models. 

Why Wellteam membership is so important.

Your action matters now more than ever.

<h2>Remember a time when you did things because they were fun?</h2> As we 'grow up' we choose things for financial reasons and the things we do for fun become a lower priority. This image is of the Murray Bridge Pedal Prix, taken at 6am after 18 hours of racing in the Australian Human Powered Vehicle Super Series run by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: var(--color-text); background-color: var(--artdeco-reset-link-background-color-transparent);">Australian International Pedal Prix</a> Kids and adults pedal enclosed recumbent bikes or 'trikes' (lightweight racing machines with carbon fibre shells) for 24 hours in relay teams. Driving one of these high performance machines is awesome. It's exhausting and exciting weaving in and out of traffic and trying not to roll over (it happens a lot). It requires teamwork, skills, training, maintenance, planning, nutrition and builds camaraderie within and amongst teams. Take a look inside a high performance trike and the set up. <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i6dQ81i9XDk?showinfo=0"></iframe> This sport is very cool but there's something that's sad about it. It's not a professional sport, so some parents won't permit their kids to participate as they can't go onto a career in it. How freakin sad is that? What happened to building life skills and exploring new experiences while having fun? As we age, how many of us have lost our way, choosing financial security over living our best life. I catch myself instilling the capitalist mantra of 'get a good, high paying job and set yourself up for life' with my kids. But really, what do you remember in life? Is it experiences, or possessions that you gain the most satisfaction from? How much do the things you love cost? Pedal Prix is exciting, it's healthy, it's competitive, requires multiple skill sets and is raced as a team. If you get a chance to try it, do it. You will however have to prioritise it over something else. <h2>LIFE TIP: Find things in your life that you do for joy, not money and not because you have to.</h2> Do this simple exercise, write on a piece of paper all the things that bring you true joy (not the stuff you think you should enjoy, but the stuff that makes you go 'YEAH'). Write them down then circle the ones you do regularly. Most men over 40 struggle to identify five and likely only circle one or two. Do this exercise to take stock on whether you're living your best life. When you lie on your death bed (and you will), what will you recall with a smile? Your bank balance? All the days you worked late to satisfy your company? The sacrifices you made for your financial security? Get balance in your life. Get your smile back. Find what makes you happy again. Do more of that. NOTE: This is not a call out to resign or quit your job or even embrace the 'Quit Quietly' concept, it's just a reminder. You have one life, get some balance in it, find more YEAH moments in each and every day or week. Schedule them in as they are the most important things for living your best life. You've got this. Check out this video by the GTrikes team, just in case you prioritise some time for healthy fun. If you're interested we'd love to put together a Wellteam Racing Team...just for fun of course, we wouldn't try to win...too often! <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6G2eBogK6Zg?showinfo=0"></iframe>

purpose

attitude

exercise

goals

mortality

When was the last time you smiled and laughed uncontrollably? 

Schedule more 'living' into your life.

Do you have your priorities right?

<h2>It's hard to believe that one day you will die.</h2> If you're a male in your 40's or 50's, you've already made a significant dent in your life bucket. Our analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Deaths in Australia web report 2021 data showed that in 2019: <ul><li>15% of all male adults died before their 60th birthday</li><li>29% died before their 70th birthday</li><li>53% were pushing up daisies before they turned 80</li></ul> That's not the average age of death, it's reality. We think we'll live forever. We plan to 'live it up' after we retire but in 2019 almost 1 in every 3 men were dead before they hit 70. Sobering? Do you ever question your purpose in life? It's worth considering how you'll be remembered. When people raise a glass in your name, what will they say? On the 1st April last year, I said goodbye to my mum at 74, after a brave fight. For me, she is a reminder of never quitting, never giving up while there's still life in your body. She was a warrior, she was stoic and she was a champion of those in need of love and support. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/d66b6b7021e5025bbb9f97b2aeb42a786f158545.png"> How will you be remembered and for how long? I hate to break it to you but in reality, you won't be remembered for very long. It's important to appreciate that what you have in life and even the memories of you after death, are not permanent. Not convinced? Stop and recall what you know of any relative of yours that died over 100 years ago. What do you remember? What was their job? Did they routinely work over-time? What were they known for? What was said at their funeral? Life is short and the recall of your heroic deeds in the office will likely be even shorter. If your sole purpose in life is your work, then perhaps you're in for a rude shock when you leave. I spoke with someone recently who had worked for a significant time in a big bank. They fought their way up to the lofty heights. They had a real passion for their employees, their team, the company. They put in the long hours, the big days. They were proud of their efforts and rightly so. But... ...within weeks of leaving, their history was erased. Someone new was changing the game they created. Their hard work forgotten. Their purpose, for most of their career evaporated. It turns out their legacy wasn't written in gold leaf but invisible ink. Is your current plan to focus hard on work and wait for retirement before you travel, explore hobbies, get fit and healthy again? Sadly, for many, it just doesn't play out that way. When we lose our purpose and our status we slip into a hole that can be hard to fight our way out of. For some those retirement years will be short, sad and lonely. <h2>Start 'living life' now. Look for purpose outside of work, whatever that is. If finding your purpose is hard, here's a suggestion: Get fit and healthy and you'll have more time to work it out. Make Wellteam's purpose, your purpose.</h2> Right now, the world needs leaders for a healthier way of living. By healthier, I'm not just talking exercise, I'm talking mental calm, clarity, kindness, friendships, relationships, better food. The world is crying out for people brave enough to put wellbeing first. Got kids or grandkids? Childhood obesity is at an all-time high. Depression is skyrocketing. Suicide rates are up and rising. Almost 50% of men will develop at least one chronic disease in their life. 50% of men in the US reported being lonely always or sometimes and 33% reported having no close friendships. No-one to turn to when they need it. There's real work to be done! Would you live better knowing those around you are happier and healthier because you made a decision to step up?&nbsp; Whether you like it or not, you're a role model in your workplace, your family and your community. Step up to the challenge now.<h3> </h3><h2>Ready?</h2><ol><li>Get your <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">baseline report</a>.</li><li>Join a <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/challenges" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Guided, Self-Guided or Custom Program</a></li><li>Log your daily healthy habits on your <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/auth/login" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wellteam Dashboard</a> and work your way up the global leaderboards.</li></ol> Participating in Wellteam’s Global Revolution is a great way to build healthier habits and also encourages others. Join a growing global team united to inspire others for a happier, healthier world. Go well. TroyWellteam Instigator

How will you be remembered after your death? Will it be your work, your spirit, attitude or nothing?

Live your life with purpose.

Raise a Glass to a Kind and Generous Man.

<h2>Are you prepared for when things turn to shit globally?&nbsp;</h2> Regularly I sit down with a good friend who's building a business trading a commodity on the futures exchange. It blows my mind from a risk perspective and is a subject well outside my area of expertise. The variables that impact the buying and selling of commodities like&nbsp;oil, gas, wheat, rice, cocoa, corn, uranium and celebrities are vast.&nbsp; Ultimately they're impacted by supply and demand pressures driven largely by geopolitical factors. We’re certainly experiencing a few of those with political uncertainty, rogue leaders, covid policies, population changes and worrying news of an impending global environmental catastrophe.&nbsp; Our ability assess risk and know the critical information on any one global subject is low. News sources are dodgy at best and we can't know who to rely on for accurate information. We’re in the midst of something unusual for most of us…a&nbsp;future that doesn’t look stable or predictable and we don't know who to trust.&nbsp; With that in mind, how can you retain a 'good life' when the mental models we’ve lived in are eroding, change is upon us and the future is uncertain?&nbsp; <h2>First things first.&nbsp;</h2> Human Beings (home sapiens) have roamed the earth for 200,000 years in our current biological state. We survived without the luxuries we have in life today.&nbsp; Remember, in 1984, the <a href="https://oneoftwelve.com/the-pintupi-nine/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pintupi Nine</a> (9 Australian Aboriginals), walked out of the Great Sandy Desert into ‘Australia’. They had no previous contact with white man or our version of ‘modern life’. They survived a hunter and gatherer lifestyle and for 40,000 years their ancestors survived in some of the harshest conditions on the planet with none of our modern luxuries (note the clothes in the image were provided after they entered a camp).&nbsp; <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/a6aadcff87f50f49ab7a25f83490d73d30fce48b.jpeg"> Trust me…you will survive - no question. Be confident in that. The question is... how do you thrive? <h2>Preparing your mind is the key.</h2><h2> </h2>…so let’s get to work on that now.&nbsp; Here’s five key mind and body hacks you can build into your daily routine to set yourself up to thrive in uncertain times.&nbsp; <h2>1. Embrace cold-water showers (cold start, finish or whole shower).&nbsp;</h2>This simple hack helps build mental toughness, wires the brain for dealing with stress, is affordable and can be done everywhere that running water exists. Done regularly it will build self-confidence so you can endure, overcome and ultimately enjoy something that was once unfathomable. It's also shown to improve immunity and overall health with a 30% reduction in absenteeism.&nbsp; <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/a034258b005fb4bae62622296d67a47847aeb440.png"> <h2>2. Start building physical strength and endurance.&nbsp;</h2>Similar to cold showers, strength training builds in us a feeling of self-confidence. Don’t build strength for body image, that’s not healthy and image-based action won’t help with survival! Build strength to be stronger, mentally and physically. Do push-ups, sit-ups, chair dips, lunges, chins ups, walk more stairs and move more in general. Building physical capability builds confidence and when things go to shit, having confidence helps.&nbsp; <h2>3. Quit Caffeine (tea or coffee) and&nbsp;drink only water for a week.&nbsp;</h2>These two may sound radical, but they're very valuable. What they will do is build your confidence for change. These will highlight for you, how you can absolutely reduce and eliminate habitual things that you think are critical in your life. By embracing small changes like these (and they are small), you’ll build your ‘change-muscle’. You’ll gain an understanding of how you’ve sucked yourself into thinking you can’t function without these things. There's also some other far reaching benefits of these two mind and body hacks but that's for another time. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/fb311f71fb7f1dbe49ab15bc63e93a138964cd8c.jpeg">&nbsp;<h2>4. Flip your psychology with the exceptional challenge.&nbsp;</h2>At Wellteam we love this challenge. For the next two weeks, when someone asks you how you are…answer that you’re ‘exceptional' (or similar, over-the-top positive answer). Just as the key to dragging yourself down is to surround yourself with people who are similarly down, lifting yourself up, requires influencing and lifting those around you. When you start a conversation in a very positive way, you change your psychology and that of the person you’re interacting with. When you’re confronting change, this is the key. Embrace it, look for the positive in it and show confidence to those around you…you’ll influence them too.&nbsp; <h2>5. Find a forward thinking, positive focused tribe.</h2>Enduring and thriving is not a solo sport. We are a social species, we thrive when we are with others, when we share ideas, concerns and fears. We are intrinsically conditions to support each other (something evolutionary psychologists refer to as reciprocity). We know that helping each other is good for us. The more 'us' you have around you the better, it's why finding a tribe is and always has been a key criteria for thriving. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/97a29f722ffe86e1b0a7592c1b8d95c8476f415c.jpeg"> These five things will do nothing to influence factors outside your control (most geopolitical factors). What they will do is prepare you to endure, respond, adapt and ultimately, thrive, when factors outside your control start to impact you directly. <h2>Wellteam's Ancient Man Challenge.</h2>To get yourself in mental and physical shape to survive geopolitical chaos or a zombie apocalypse, check out <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/challenges/available/224" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wellteam’s Ancient Man Challenge</a>. Six weeks of micro-challenges and the tools to help you embrace changes and embed new, healthy habits. Compete with others or your mates on global leaderboards and earn points toward a coveted Wellteam t-shirt.&nbsp; Ultimately, the key to thriving is to take action and be prepared mentally for change. Take care out there and go well. TroyWellteam Founder.

mindset

strong

Wellteam's founder Troy Flower shares five mind-hacks to prepare for change in turbulent times.

Are you prepared for when things in your life take a turn for the worst?

Five mind-hacks for thriving amidst geopolitical meltdowns.

<h1>When was the last time you learned a new skill?&nbsp;</h1> <h3>I’m teaching my daughter to drive a car right now…more aptly put…I’m giving myself an education in self-control, stress-management and patience…while my daughter sits excitedly next to me holding the steering wheel.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>It’s one wild ride…certainly the first few were!</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Anyone who’s put themselves through this process understands the seriousness of the activity. A mistake can cost lives, while not making mistakes inhibits learning and growth. It’s a balancing act.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Driving a car is a skill, the process of operating the steering system, switches, foot pedals, lights and even simple things like operating the radio while you’re driving, they’re all skill based.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Driving correctly on a road, that’s another set of skills. Appreciating road position, responding to signage, changing road conditions in changing weather with unpredictable drivers, animals and here in Australia…crazy kangaroos.</h3> <h2>The key to success is micro-habit compounding.&nbsp;</h2> <h3>Start by building the right skills in the right order. Get to know the feel of the accelerator and brake in a carpark, learn to move the car around using the steering wheel, well before hitting the freeway.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Build each micro-skill until it’s intuitive (habitual), then progress.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>When it comes to your wellbeing, it’s similar, except with a big difference...</h3><h3> </h3><h3>...you’re already driving!&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>When I was 40 I was gifted a ‘Learn to Rally Drive’ course. Instructors took me around a dirt track and coached me in how to handle a performance rally car on a dirt course.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>I thought I was pretty shit-hot behind the wheel, after all, I’d raced motorbikes and go-karts when I was a kid, worked as an international tour guide and driver, driving trucks, buses and Unimog’s on some of the worst, most unpredictable roads in the world.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Wrong! It took about 14 laps for me to get out of a simple road-driving habit.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>When it comes to driving an all-wheel drive rally car on a dirt road, you have to build the driving process differently. You don’t steer into a corner, you shift the weight forward by touching the brake, holding the wheel straight while the car's rear slides around, then accelerate. You brake in a corner to adjust the direction, while accelerating!&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Wellbeing, as it happens for most of us more ‘mature’ types, is something we have to re-build.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>There’s many habits that find their way into our lives over many years that prevent us from living with greater wellbeing. The classic is the ‘get up early and exercise’ story.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Exercising first thing in the day is a powerful way to start your day…but most people struggle to start as they’re often too tired to get up and seek to maximise their sleep.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>In order to get up early, consistently, the process actually starts a week before.&nbsp;</h3> <h2>A micro-habit compounding process to get up early to exercise.&nbsp;</h2> <h3>1. Schedule a regular bedtime and be consistent for the week prior</h3><h3> </h3><h3>2. Switch your devices off one hour before bed each night and use the ‘do not disturb’ feature so they won’t interrupt your sleep</h3><h3> </h3><h3>3. Spend 3 - 7 minutes outside in nature, in daylight in the mornings as soon as you wake</h3><h3> </h3><h3>4. Finish with caffeine no later that midday the day before</h3><h3> </h3><h3>5. Commit to get up the next morning and go outside earlier than usual</h3><h3> </h3><h3>6. Set your alarm at the time you want to get up and remove the snooze option</h3><h3> </h3><h3>7. Put your alarm in a place with the exercise gear you will wear in the morning</h3><h3> </h3><h3>8. Get up and put your gear on when the alarm goes off</h3><h3> </h3><h3>9. While you’re up, then get out in nature with your gear on</h3><h3> </h3><h3>10. Do some exercise while you’re outside</h3> <h3>The steps aren’t difficult, but…if you remove one, it makes the outcome harder to achieve habitually.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>This is the reason many try but fail at exercise classes. Despite their intention, they're doomed before they get to the class.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3> <h2>Why does no-one teach you this stuff?</h2><h3> </h3><h3>Simple. Because it’s all free. No profit to be made.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Wellteam has 80+ individual mind and body hacks that we assemble into sequential programs that cover: mind, body, movement, purpose, relationships and nutrition.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Follow an ordered process of small steps daily. Build up your process and ‘stack’ habits together.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Just like learning to drive a rally car as an adult, sometimes we have to unlearn before we progress to the next level.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Micro-habit compounding, combined with mind and body hacks, can enable busy people to build new systems, driving greater wellbeing, fast.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Do the right things for you, in the right order, at the right time.</h3><h3> </h3> <h2>Need a hand with that?&nbsp;</h2> <h3>Use the <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wellteam Scorecard tool</a> to get your online Optimisation Scorecard Report.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Click the Custom Program button and NEO, our AI Wellbeing Robot will build a full custom program…just for you…using micro-habit compounding.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>You can even start today with a 14 day free trial.&nbsp;</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Step 1. <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Prioritise 8 minutes now and complete the scorecard tool</a></h3> <h3>Have an exceptional day and...</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Go well.</h3><h3> </h3><h3>Troy.</h3>

Micro-habit Compounding

sports performance

How do you get to optimal wellbeing when starting is hard? Take small steps, in the right order.

Get to optimal wellbeing faster with sequential mind and body hacks.

What is Micro-Habit Compounding?

<h2>Devices of doom or tech saviours?</h2> Devices and screens provide an effective mechanism to distract us from life as we hurtle rapidly towards death. Dramatic opening sentence but sadly realistic and a multiple billion dollar industry hell-bent on driving it and stealing time and lives. Todays tech companies compete seriously for way to capture our attention for longer...something they are expert at and they're just warming up as artificial intelligence and augmented reality hit mainstream. Companies that capture the most time, win the most revenue or value and reward the richest people on the planet for investing in them. This scenario is creating a 'brain drain race', where companies win, and ultimately, users lose. As we get sucked into the vortex of the online world, we're spending more time, wasting it more accurately, for the sole purpose of being distracted...from the day-to-day boredom of living. The companies gaining the greatest profits are typically distracting more people from living life fully. <h2>What place for wellbeing?</h2> So how does a wellbeing company today combat the impact of technology, while using it at the same time. That's the challenge the team at Wellteam have been grappling with since 2020. Ultimately when it comes to wellbeing, the options to improve personal wellbeing seem endless...if you have the time. There's over 80,000 self improvement books published in the US alone. That's a lot of researching. When it comes to specialist practitioners, the options are vast too; sleep specialists, positive psychologists, exercise physiologists, general practitioners, personal trainers, relationship counsellors, life coaches, meditation guru's, mindfulness experts, nutritionalists, dieticians, hypnotherapists, chakra guides, mung-bean peelers and everyone's favourite...your neighbour who just lost 5 kilograms on the anchovy and marmalade diet. Now any one of these people could help one or maybe more components of your life...but they're bound to "stay in their lane" (a term often used when a practitioner wants to protect their patch). If you want to seriously lose weight, you should go see a sleep therapist first, then an exercise physiologist, then a dietitian and in between see your doctor who may need to write a referral letter first...but only if you've got an established medical condition...which is hard to determine in the 7 minute consult you have with them. While the industry of health and wellbeing is segregated into 'lane ways or specialisations'...humans are not. We are whole, not separated into systems based on university degrees. We're all different, experiencing different things at different times. Our needs change with the seasons and when it comes to health and wellbeing the team at Wellteam believe there's a natural order to get things done. <h2>Where technology can add value.</h2> Technology is great at gathering and filtering information. We should harness it to identify areas of need and then help sort through solutions. Those 80,000 self help books have probably 800 words in each worth reading and the rest is padding to justify the cost of the book. So which 800 words in which book do you start with? That's what the team at Wellteam have done. They've built a tool (Wellteam Scorecard) to enable individuals to explore their current experience across a breadth of wellbeing topics. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/d4b311138b3eacc64ba169c52f237a7c9ec275ad.png"> The Wellteam Scorecard balances current states and associated actions and uses an internationally renowned Life Satisfaction Survey for global comparison. It produces a personal report so the user can visually see their performance across 6 core themes and 23 individual wellbeing modules. Data from the Wellteam Scorecard tool is then mapped across a database of over 80 separate mind and body hacks (short, practical activities or exercises - about 800 words each). A complex algorithm (named NEO, as a 'nod' to The Matrix) then uses both sets of data to build a program for the individual and assembles it in the precise order to enable a compounding effect to occur. Wellteam call their process Micro-Habit CompoundingTM. All that comes together instantly to ensure an individual has a personalised program of activities giving them the best chance of optimising their wellbeing. <h2>But...a program is one thing, taking action is another.</h2> Technology can help there too. There's often little benefit perceived daily from small, healthy habits. It's the longer term impact that can have serious benefits and improve or prolong lives. A concept they refer to as Lead (short term actions) and Lag (longer term outcomes) Indicators Because each small daily habit has a compounding effect, it's important to incentivise daily action and provide short-term, immediate feedback. To incentive short term habits Wellteam built the Wellteam Global Challlenge. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/bc6d10f4ef0b5607dbf91d6b1be2b788eca2ba44.png"> This global competition enables members to record daily actions via the website. As they record actions they earn points toward Wellteam Merchandise and other prizes and compete across the globe, in their workplaces or with a group of friends or family members. On top of that that tech can bring together communities of people from across the globe with a special interest in using mind and body hacks to optimise their lives. Again, this is a place where Wellteam see the role of technology to enable that engagement. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/bf88d9ae8428ff9b0fba2750d8e9d4fc700be545.png"> Ultimately technology is a great tool for narrowing down options, personalising programs, sequencing them to maximise gains and providing an engaging mechanism to maintain behaviours and grow communities. Technology can sit above 'lane-way' ego's and enable instant, timely, personalised solutions that can accelerate people into improved wellbeing across the breadth of wellbeing topics...when they need it. This has to be the way of the future where tech enables wellbeing, rather than distracts us from it. That's the revolution Wellteam are driving. Check out Wellteam, the smartest, fastest, most efficient way to achieve optimal wellbeing. Do the scorecard tool, get your report and start a custom program with a 14 day free trial.

doctors

What role should technology play in optimising wellbeing? In short...it should make is personal. 

How to use technology to reach more personalised wellbeing solutions. 

Devices of doom or tech saviours?

When you start a new business like&nbsp;Wellteam&nbsp;you have to make a lot of sacrifices, it's tough. It requires stepping away from a regular paycheck, any immediate income, it requires drawing down into savings or chewing back into your homeloan, selling stuff to free up cash so you can keep your vision alive. If you do it in your 20's you're a hero, but if you do it when you have a partner and kids...you're selfish, foolish, driven by ego. Now I've been criticised personally for doing what some in society see as 'the wrong thing by my family'. But what those people don't get is the buy in from my family. Should success in life be solely based on how much money you can deliver to your partner and kids? Should your success be in raising spoilt kids, who want for nothing in life? I guess that's your call.&nbsp; Sonia and I started Wellteam because we've experienced how life can be cut short, really early. We lost Sonia's parents in their 60's, one due to cancer, the other due to an unrelenting darkness. It was completely devastating...and still is. We felt powerless in both cases. We lost my mother two years ago from COPD brought on by smoking and when I was younger my father stepped very very close to the dark light after a failed business venture. In my 20's I returned to my family home one weekend to find a loaded gun in our garage. Dad only spoke about his pain, frustration, isolation and sadness almost 30 years later...after we started Wellteam.&nbsp; <h2>Life is tough, whatever your story. We all have them.</h2> It seems every corner I turn now there's a negative new story about a 40-60 year old man who's done something wrong. We tear them down, like they're villains. Maybe some are, but maybe some are just worn down, lost, frustrated, tired, exhausted and stuck. Stuck. Maybe it's just hard to know what role to play in society today. Maybe we've ticked all the status boxes; car, house, job title, partner, kids, passport stamps, income and realised that there's still something fundamental that's missing. We're still not happy, not necessarily unhappy either but can't put our finger on what's missing. We're stuck between being raised as a 'historical man' by grandparents, parents, partners, doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, partners, kids and society and now... ...now we're expected to be a 'neutral gendered person' with no bias, masculine drive or traditional 'male' tendencies. We should all pay for the sins of a minority of questionable individuals...who happen to also be men. We have to completely rewire ourselves at an age when the pressures mount to be great providers for our families. To be tough, strong, resilient...and yet soft, gentle and vulnerable. Wellteam is out to provide a space in the middle, a place of trust, with camaraderie and men out to reboot themselves with more energy, drive and purpose. Good men. Men who know that the best way to look after their families is by living their own life healthier and happier. To, as they say on the plane, 'fit their own oxygen mask first'. Living healthier is not a choice of the modern man...it is an imperative. We must regain or perhaps reinvent what it is to feel in control. Men must seek out ways to explore what's possible without the 'toxic masculinity' that pervades so many traditional male 'packs'. We are Wellteam. We're starting a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=healthrevolution&amp;highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7027111016006111232" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(15, 248, 7);">#healthrevolution</a>. It's happening already. Here's what some of our members have to say...and we're just warming up. In fact, we haven't even publicly launched Wellteam yet. <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ye51m68Vvpc?showinfo=0"></iframe> Get on board now, join Wellteam. <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(15, 248, 7);">Get started today</a>. It's all up to you now. It's your life. I'm here for you. TroyWellteam Founder, husband, father, son, brother, friend.

Starting a business is hard, starting a revolution is next level! Here's the why behind Wellteam.

Why Troy and Sonia sacrifice so much for Wellteam. 

The joy, pain and sacrifice of starting Wellteam

CAUTION: This article contains an unpopular argument that some bandwagon politicians may find disturbing. <h1>In 2020, Australian death statistics show that men died 6 years younger than women <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/age-at-death" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">(AIHW 2022)</a>.</h1> <h2>That's funerals, coffins, undertakers, crying families, kids, partners, parents, grandparents, colleagues, friends.</h2> Popular conversation today is underpinned by a message of equality...but death rates are a glaring disparity between men and women that never gets a mention, If modern culture is so great for men, if men have this incredibly charmed life...why do they get 7.5% less? That's a discount that no-one wants. For men under 65, heart disease and suicide remain the biggest killers. Two things that can be largely prevented. I've spent a large portion of my life dancing across a mix of healthcare, tourism, pharmaceuticals, charity, corporate stress, small business, global giants, farming, modern ageing. I've seen struggle street and the ego show at the top... Men die early at all levels of society...period. <h1>The problem is not men.</h1> <h2>The problem is the pressure on men to live up to societal expectations and 200,000 years of genetic conditioning.</h2> If we can't figure out how to change the: what it takes to be a man 'male narrative', then we're screwed. More men will die in greater numbers, faster than before... ...and unless the status pressure on individuals and families shifts towards health and wellbeing...women and children will step into the same breach too. History and DNA are not simply taps that can turned off on request...they take time...and affirmative action. If we're serious about equality in life, start with the problems, not behaviours. If we seek to put all men in the same bucket, then toxic, moronic, influential, motivational, counter-culture heroes like Andrew Tate will fill the void. Sadly, while we're all out tearing down Will Smith for screwing up publicly, Tate is driving his own narrative, one that's far more deadly, purposeful and profitable. Let's push for a new culture, a culture that supports a healthier, kinder, fitter, calmer, clearer, stronger, more confident, less stressed man...woman and child. Let's be patient, let's use kindness and compassion that we so espouse as the virtues we seek in men...men brought up on a diet of toughness and independence. Let's seriously change the game. The Wellteam Global Challenge is at your service. We're calling on leaders, companies, organisations, politicians, CEO's, people and culture leaders and all those out there who give a shit about men dying too early. Take care out there and go well. TroyWellteam Founder. P.S. Commit to personal change and <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">do Wellteam's Scorecard Tool today</a> - it's FREE, you'll get a personal online instant report and join a custom program with a 14 day FREE trial. Don't just talk about change - live it.

If life is so great for men, why do they die six years younger than women? What can you do about it?

It's time to change the game for Men's Health.

UNFAIR. MEN GET A 7.5% DISCOUNT.

The biohacking market globally is forecasting 19% - 23.5% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) over the next 5-10 years. That's huge. What's driving that growth? If you're not familiar with the term, biohacking is when individuals take a greater interest in their own biology and use targeted methods to improve their personal health and wellbeing. What's the difference to normal health and wellbeing you might ask? Personalisation and optimisation. The model of modern medicineTraditional medicine typically uses a very broad brush to help a very broad range of people target what is usually a very specific symptom...not cause. To enter the kingdom of modern medicine, one typically requires a diagnosis of a specific disease state or condition, ie you must be 'unwell' and proven to be so. Take type 2 diabetes as an example. The disease itself is generally diagnosed after ongoing and undetected issues with insulin resistance (the body's inability to lower blood sugar levels despite elevated insulin levels). When the body loses sensitivity to insulin, and sugars are consumed, blood sugars rise and stay high. Over time, symptoms develop and a blood test confirms it. At this point, modern medicine rides its white horse into the room. Treatment options are generally either artificially replace insulin, artificially increase insulin production (or secretion) or try to artificially reduce the body's resistance to insulin. Remember, the primary measure of type 2 diabetes is the symptom (elevated blood glucose), not the cause of the prolonged reduction is insulin sensitivity. Type 2 diabetes is however reversible and preventable... but not by using medication...but by lifestyle modification. You see, the cause of type-2 diabetes is a reduction in insulin sensitivity. What causes a body to be less sensitive to insulin? Prolonged lack of exercise, weight gain (particular around the belly) and generally poor diet choices. Interestingly, you don't need to be overweight to have insulin resistance. There's an increasing number of people with insulin resistance who are not overweight...not yet. So treatment for type 2 diabetes is focused on treating the primary symptom of type 2 diabetes...not the cause. Modern Medicine, has an "evidence-based treatments" fortress protecting it. Producing evidence to satisfy 'modern medicine' is expensive. The extensive research required typically targets interventions that help most people, with a specific measure/condition, most of the time. With 46% of the population likely to develop at least one chronic disease, it's also a very, very profitable model...with very high barriers to entry. Enter biohacking. Biohacking on the other hand assumes that as an individual, you can consciously take back control of the factors that might influence your health in the first place. Not only to prevent disease, but to take you close to optimal health. Biohacking typically targets the 'cause' of future disease, not the symptoms. It requires people to become more curious and invested in their own health. In short, you're working out how to optimise your biology to live better. While the medical model separates the human into separate body systems or organs, biohacking tends to focus on treatments that work across systems. That's because biohackers are not focused on individual diseases, or disease in individual organs, but how to get the greatest benefit across systems from specific activities/intervention. The healthy skeptic wonders why more money isn't invested in prevention strategies and optimisation strategies like biohacking? Well preventing disease has historically, not been lucrative. You do it once...that's all you can charge. Symptom treatment on the other hand is highly lucrative and has an ongoing revenue stream...which is a great strategy...if you're selling treatment for symptoms. The biohacking industry, while it's been around for a while now, is really ramping up. Why? Because many of us are now waking up and realising something we've always known... ...prevention is better than cure. More than that, prevention is so much better than symptom management. Just ask users taking the new 'wonder-weightloss' drugs at the moment. Wouldn't energy, vitality, ability to run and play with your kids be better than an injection of drugs, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, obesity, lethargy, low self-esteem, risk of heart attack and early death? While at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellteam-me/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: var(--accent-color);">Wellteam.me</a>, we don't use the term 'biohacking'...it's what we do. The Wellteam Global Challenge is in essence a global biohacking competition. Wellteam itself is a global community (club) that aims to support, educate, guide and give people a safe and effective way to explore biohacking. Soon we'll be introducing specific biological tests to help members determine and measure progress...using science, pathology and biology to validate that what you're doing is working. Of course, biohacking isn't for everyone...the choice is yours...swallow the pill made for the masses...or hack your way to a sharper, clearer, calmer, stronger, fitter mind and body. I chose biohacking years ago...I am now back in control of my mind and body.

biohacking

Why is the global biohacking market going 'gang-busters' at the moment?

The rise of personalised mind and body strategies for optimal wellbeing.

BIOHACKING VERSUS MODERN MEDICINE

It's just over 24 hours since my return from an epic adventure in Nepal. Along with me, Wellteam members from across the globe embarked on an incredible expedition, mountain biking up over the 5416 metre Thorong La Pass, high in the Himalayas in Nepal. Crossing one of the world's highest mountain passes was exhausting both mentally and physically. Reaching the top was a surprisingly emotional experience that felt like a transition for me. Perhaps it represented a type of closure for the first 50 years of my life. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/b61010cc3dd14ce05810391a5c2daa6d16059c83.jpeg" width="340" height="238.79481589147287" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" data-align="right"> Upon returning back, I've felt the need to reflect upon the journey and some of my life lessons to date. When I was a young man someone handed me a photocopied A4 sheet from a Santa Fe Newspaper titled 'Solutions to Everything' by Michael Ventura. It's simplicity stuck in my mind all these years and I often recall some of the passages. In response to this trip, coupled together with my years of curiosity, study and focus on health, wellbeing and the plight of modern men, here’s my "Solutions to everything". (In the order with which they came out of my mind). <h1 class="ql-align-center">SOLUTIONS TO EVERYTHING</h1>BY TROY FLOWER<ol><li>Reduce focus on money/wealth. Money is simply a tool to facilitate transactions between the things you have and the things you need/want. It has no value in and of itself. Focus instead on the goal or objective you are trying to achieve and it will unlock more opportunities and solutions. </li><li>Reduce your desire for possessions and ownership - for none of them are permanent. Ownership is a false ideal built to inflate the market value for something and enable the fallacy of wealth creation. Ask anyone who’s dead if that’s true. </li><li>Increase your sense of gratitude for what you have - this is the absolute key to being truly happy. </li><li>Treat the health of your mind and body as your highest priority. Without either, nothing else matters. </li><li>Embrace death. Know it will come. Have no fear of it. Accept it may happen at any time. Doing so will sharpen your desire to live better today.</li><li>Build and cultivate relationships with people aligned to your values. Emotional connections and shared <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/ddf3e9b0d7f944890817aa273fa8ac8f4e9d80d3.jpeg" width="267" height="200.25" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" data-align="right">experiences are the greatest value exchange in life.</li><li>Know that every person has something to offer, but not every person knows what that is, or how to unlock it.</li><li>Question why you spend time on things. Don’t do anything big that consumes energy without an honest interrogation of why.</li><li>Understand that life is about energy. Life is not about time or money. Energy is circular, it is always transferred from one source to another. You don't create energy, you transfer it. It is give and take. </li><li>Be loyal to those you care about. Relationships are the fuel you need when things get tough. </li><li>Appreciate that while science can help us understand things… many things can’t be explained by science. Basing knowledge on science is like assuming that all language can be captured within the English alphabet. </li><li>Commit to meaningful 'epic' shit. Do big things that require courage, unlock energy and ensure that our <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/41e4c5e74ce4ded5b7de392ec868886b7e10e395.jpeg" width="270" height="202.5" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;" data-align="right">actions engage us fully. Without purposeful, meaningful action… what else is there?</li><li>Eat simple food. Drink simple drinks. Don’t make it hard for your body systems. Simple is what your body needs. Complex is what others needs to ensure higher profit.</li><li>The happiest people are not those who have the most, but those who want the least. Be grateful and take a regular stock-take of what you already have/are.</li><li>Start that thing today. Do what you can, where you are, with what you've got. </li><li>Recognise that the earth and universe has a time and space expanse that makes everything we do irrelevant. It was here billions of years before us and will be here billions of years after us. Nothing we do is permanent…ever. Live your life courageously. </li><li>Appreciate that ‘societal rules’ are driven, governed and reinforced by self-interested people.</li><li>Understand that everyone is right and wrong. It is our perspective that governs our position and our perspective is neither right nor wrong. </li><li>Be inquisitive around the concept of ‘soul’ and ‘mind’ even though they are impossible to prove or disprove. Not being able to prove or disprove something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We can’t prove/disprove love as an example, but we think we know when we experience it. You don’t need to be religious to explore the idea of ‘soul’ or ‘mind’… just be curious.</li><li>Have rituals. No matter what they are. Rituals are a safe, reliable place to connect back to something that has value and meaning to us. Rituals ground us and remind us of things that are important.<img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/dd1fc3120a66cde60ecf8668d3cf4b16c0019580.jpeg" width="326" height="238.64202960322382" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" data-align="right"></li><li>Cultivate a calm mind. A state of calm is a rare, accessible and desirable state. Calm gives us access to the input from our senses. Our senses bring meaning into our lives. Without sight, sound, smell, taste, feeling, there is no value/joy. To enjoy our life… we must calm our minds. </li><li>Embrace challenges. Every challenge is a test, an opportunity to learn and grow. As with games, the longer you play, the harder the challenge. Without challenges, the game ceases to be interesting. </li><li>Get outside your comfort zone. Comfort is a modern-day killer. Discomfort triggers our senses to be on higher alert, we become more aware of our surroundings, adding more richness to our lives, and opening us up to more opportunities.</li><li><img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/e7734fff4ab8eca78ca1d38cf8471f510af1b672.jpeg" width="212" height="282.66066576086956" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" data-align="right">Be kind to everyone and everything. You never know what others are experiencing. Helping others with no expectation of reward is ironically, one of life's great rewards. </li><li>Appreciate that every living thing is significant in the life of another. All living things consume energy, produce energy and become energy for something, somewhere, sometime. Our stomach (technically outside our body) is like a galaxy to one hundred trillion living organisms (our micro-biome). Primarily bacteria, they breakdown what we eat. Without them… we’d be dead. </li><li>Forgive people. Anger, hurt, disappointment and frustration are emotions that eat away at us, not them. They close opportunities, trap us in the past. Forgive people and move on. You only have one life. </li><li>Don't take life too seriously. There is no rule book. There are no winners or losers. There are only those who enjoy and appreciate what they have and those who don't... that's all. </li></ol> "One day of life lived fully... beats a lifetime of envy and regret." Troy, Welteam Founder.

meditation

energy

After a 21 day expedition in the high himalayas, here are the solutions to everything. Enjoy.

What 21 days in Nepal taught me about life.

SOLUTIONS TO EVERYTHING.

Click. Another door closes. When we end a year something happens in our mind. We experience a type of closure. A belief that we can do no more.&nbsp;As a society we attach so much of our lives to a calendar system that tracks 365 sunrises and sunsets.&nbsp;&nbsp;What did you do this year?&nbsp;What will you do next year?&nbsp;Imagine life without a calendar. How would you measure your life? What would you be thinking right now about how long you have to live?&nbsp;My guess is that a huge amount of stress in our lives is based around our calendar.&nbsp;If you've passed or soon passing 50 calendar years of life what does that mean? What is the significance of 50 years since you were born?&nbsp;Go back to pre-calendar days and consider what that would have meant versus today?&nbsp;I certainly have in my head, a fixation on years like a performance scorecard. I should have achieved this or that.&nbsp;At 51 I can predict to have only another 20 "years" of illness free life ahead of me... I can access my superannuation at age 65 and then have 5 years with which to enjoy it before illness and age starts to rob me of my functions.&nbsp;A calendar causes us to look ahead or behind, to catalogue things in accordance with time... something that, in reality, is immaterial and meaningless.&nbsp;What other species in the world places any importance on calendars or clocks?&nbsp;What we should be doing is living life more for now, for a calendar doesn't record life, it doesn't predict life, it doesn't even track life. It's a catalogue system like the dewey decimal system in a library.&nbsp;Think about how much of your life is constructed around a calendar.&nbsp;Your expectations and that of those around you, fears, worries, wishes, more often than not attach to a date, a time, a pre-determined point in the future.&nbsp;Click.&nbsp;Another year ends and a another year opens...&nbsp;Pointlessly.&nbsp;Today, take that pressure off.&nbsp;Don't think about what you'll do this year... think about what you are doing today. When the sun comes up tomorrow... do the same.&nbsp;Break time into seasons. Think about the beauty and opportunity in the seasons... for they are real. They mark changes in nature that impact us.&nbsp;Longer days, shorter days, warmer days, cooler days, windy days, snow, rain, sun, darkness, light.&nbsp;Days where we can do more outside, more inside, wear warmer clothes, cooler clothes, swim happily in oceans and streams or brace as we dip into a freezing cold, invigorating pond.&nbsp;So my friend. Thanks for being a part of my universe, for joining me and us on this journey to live our best lives.&nbsp;When the clock chimes tonight and the calendar ticks over... nothing will change. I will be here... for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Take care and above all else... be kind.&nbsp;Troy&nbsp;Wellteam Founder

So much of our life is attached to a calendar reference... a pointless reference. 

Think about life detached from time.

CLICK. THE POINTLESSNESS OF TIME.

<h1>What age do you think you will die? </h1> Think about it quickly. Note the number that jumps into your head. ---------------- We all subconsciously have a belief around how long we will live... but... ...please don't get complacent and think you will live a long life. In today's world, we seem to think that a long life is desirable... ... so let me share the story of my dear Nanna. <h2>My Nanna (Joyce Flower)</h2> At 51 years of age my Nanna developed a bleed in her brain (cerebral haemorrhage or stroke). She was given months to live. She was put into an induced coma for 6 months before being returned home to die. She survived to the age of 72. She survived for 21 years, confined to a bed or chair, with limited capacity to move and reduced capacity to communicate. At the time of her death she was the longest residing patient in the Bendigo Home and Hospital for the Aged (maybe still holds the unenviable record). The impact of that stroke forever changed the lives, choices and opportunities of my parents and her husband (my Grandpop). They received no award or recognition for their commitment to her support. The sacrifices they made to be there for her were extraordinary and very admirable. <img src="https://dl2vy1zx2qtgi.cloudfront.net/public_image/96b80f03098379874fce04f00e525fc6450fb1b7.jpeg" width="159" height="212" style="display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em;" data-align="right"> From the age of 6 onwards I visited her regularly. Every special occasion was marked with a visit to the Home and Hospital for the Aged... visits that filled me with sadness, trepidation and hope. Those visits left a permanent mark on me. I had the opportunity to see first hand how life can play out and it's wide-reaching effects. I'm sure that experience ignited in me a drive to chose to live my life fully... healthy. Today, I see an increasing number of people making choices that will permanently impact their chance to live a fulfilling life. It's something that drives me to help them course-correct before it's too late. <h2>Small choices... big consequences</h2> Small conscious choices can have big, serious consequences. Trivial, daily, unhealthy choices become unhealthy habits... and then chronic disease. They creep up. They trap you. Many, if not most of those habits, serve others (tech giants, food giants, pharmaceutical giants) but they do not serve you. Those small choices have deliberately low barriers and no immediate negative consequences. They're often easier, more convenient, more comfortable than healthy options. They have built-in instant gratification, they trigger dopamine in the brain... just as they are designed to do. Quick grab, convenient 'foods' feed our evolutionary survival systems, hard-wired to consume high calorie foods to endure fast or famine... ...neither of which we will be forced to endure today. We've become slaves to modern marketing machines that guide and manipulate our choices. Our 'freedom to choose' fails to consider that our perception of 'freedom' itself is influenced by the repeated messages we consume. Our weight increases, our mind's race, our bodies feel slow and sluggish as our mental and physical health deteriorates... yet we don't worry, because there are new drugs today that can change all that... ...except that they rarely do. They mask or manage symptoms while the underlying cause remains untreated... after all, it's more profitable that way. Our behaviours remain the same. Nothing shifts, except the exchange of money and control. From you.... to them. <h2>Muppets</h2> Do you remember The Muppets? They were very cute puppets full of character that featured in children's programs. Muppets were controlled. An operator had a hand up their arse to make them move and talk. Well, living a long life as a muppet to global profit making machines is unlikely to serve your best interests. Muppets are largely extinct now... replaced by easier to control digital talking heads and bodies. Don't be a Muppet... <h2>Take back control</h2> Take back control of your mind and body by choosing habits that boost your healthspan. Focus on what you can do today to live healthier. Take action, by building positive habits and your lifespan will look after itself. Focus on living better now, for today and tomorrow. Accept that the payoff will be looking back from the future and being proud of your action. <h3 class="ql-align-center">Don't get sucked into thinking that drug companies will keep you alive... </h3><h3 class="ql-align-center"> </h3><h3 class="ql-align-center">...because they may... it's just that, like my beautiful Nanna, your quality of life might be so low that death could feel like a blessing. </h3> Please, don't put your health and wellbeing in the hands of others... it is your responsibility. Take back control of your mind and body. Live your life well. TroyWellteam Founder As a side note: Buyer Beware: My nan was regular consumer of both Bex and Vincent Powders. They were popular at the time and promoted heavily. Bex was manufactured by German pharmaceutical company Bayer. By the early 1960's there were known serious side effects of one of their ingredients. In 1967 <a href="https://www.australianpharmacist.com.au/cup-of-tea-bex-good-lie-down/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">"the dangers...had become clear" </a>but it was not until 1977 (20 years later) that they were banned in Australia... but <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/from-the-archives-1979-banned-powders-still-on-sale-in-sydney-20190829-p52lx5.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">still available months later through some outlets including pharmacies</a>. <h2>Time for action?</h2> Want a fast, efficient, natural, sequential path to better mental and physical health? Join our Wellteam global community. If you haven't done so yet, commit to our next 6-week Launch Challenge. You'll experience 30 science-backed, non-drug, biohacks that can make a positive difference... fast. 1️⃣ Press <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey/25" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERE</a> to get a free baseline report using the <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wellteam Scorecard Tool</a>. 2️⃣ Then <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/challenges/available" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">register for Launch.</a> 3️⃣ Take back control. 💪 I wish you a healthier, calmer, more active, more fulfilling life. Take care out there and go well. Troy Wellteam Founder R.I.P. My beautifully Nanna Flower. You deserved a much better life.

Healthspan

machine

Extending your life might seem like a good thing... but what if you live longer in poor health?

Living longer isn't the answer. 

HEALTHSPAN VS LIFESPAN

<h1>Unless you live in a blanket box at the end of your parents bed, you’ll be feeling the impact of changes around you.&nbsp;</h1> Whether it’s climate shifts, finance model shifts, global sharemarket disruptions, global power imbalances, destabilised, populist politics, de-centralisation of workforces or just the cost of daily life… things are changing.&nbsp; I can’t explain why, I can’t predict where it’s heading or any timeframe for reestablished equilibrium… if ever. I’ll bet you can’t either. Even the worlds best economists can only reliably predict the past.&nbsp; Change can be scary, likely impacting most of us today with so many variables changing at once.&nbsp; Rather than distracting ourselves by doom scrolling on phones or binge-watching the box… it’s time to re-wire our minds and bodies for the task ahead.&nbsp; Rather than basking in luxury or seeking the easy, comfortable life, it's time to re-orient our mental models.&nbsp; <h2>It’s time to join the expedition.&nbsp;</h2> Think back upon early explorers across the world. Did they know what they were heading into? Do they know what to expect? No. Did they encounter hardships? Did they have no choice but to struggle through? Was it easy, smooth sailing?&nbsp; Were they tough, resilient, adaptable?&nbsp; Did they train and prepare for what they might encounter? You bet they did.&nbsp; What do the next 10 years look like for you? Will it be smooth sailing or is there a storm brewing? I hope for you there's one hell of an adventure ahead... a true expedition of the ages. Something that will ignite your senses and tap into 200,000 years of evolutionary biology, the same biology that links you with all those early explorers. Navigate the next 10 years in great mental and physical shape and you'll be a legend too. <h1>Here's how to prepare... come what may:&nbsp;</h1> <h2>Prepare your mind to accept, not resist change. </h2> When changes is coming, don't expend valuable energy, time and other resources defending your position. If change is coming and the outcome is inevitable, then yield quickly and re-establish a new position early. Resources spent defending the undependable are wasted. Look for signals early that change is coming and be adaptable.&nbsp; <h2>Live below your means. </h2> So many people today use borrowed money to live beyond their means. While this might give you access to more things than you can currently afford, it can place you in significantly increased financial stress when chaos reigns. Adjust early, adjust now, downscale your house, buy the cheapest car your ego can afford, go back to eating basic foods, not luxury items.&nbsp; <h2>Challenge your social needs versus your basic needs. </h2> Social needs are things that satisfy your status in your community. If you’re hanging out with the Mercedes Benz crowd you’ll be buying more expensive wine and eating more expensive cheese. Rebel against this social conformist behaviour and tread your own path or change the crowd you hang with. Transition from the Moet mob to the 5am run club… or Wellteam.&nbsp; <h2>Get uncomfortable to build resilience. </h2> You don’t build resilience by being comfortable. It’s like a muscle. You have to train it. Ironically, the more frequently you train for discomfort, the less discomfort you will experience and the more resilient you will become. Start with cold showers, intermittent fasting, push ups, sit ups, getting up first thing every morning, get outside and do 30 minutes of activity… especially when it’s cold and wet or hot and humid.&nbsp; <h2>Practice life outside your comfort zone. </h2> There’s a thing called Challenge Stress. It works like this: if you deliberately expose yourself to a stressful experience and know it won’t kill you and know you can stop… then it will build mental resilience if you do it. It works well because you can choose it and by choosing it you accept and embrace the discomfort. Enrol in an event or activity that pushes you mentally and physically. Sign on for an open mic night at a pub, an art competition, a 5km run like Park Run, a swim, a race, an event that you may fail at.&nbsp; <h2>Prepare your body to function more efficiently. </h2> Your body is amazing, truly amazing. Your ancestors survived through extreme heat, cold, injuries, famine, plagues and more. Today… we’re soft. We rarely feel hungry, rarely experience symptoms of anything without reaching for drugs. We rely on alcohol to make us happy or relaxed, drugs to calm us down or perk us up. Go natural. Get back to nature, try a 24-36hr water only fast, swim in the middle of winter, turn the air conditioner off in your house, your car, let your bodies natural thermostat work for you, drop caffeine for a week, alcohol, wheat, milk, processed foods. Re-engage with 200,000 years of evolutionary engineering. <h2>Learn and know your limits. </h2> As with all of the above. When we push ourselves we stretch our psychological limits so they closer match our physiological limits. When we do this we build self-confidence. We don’t worry if we miss lunch, if there’s no hot water, if we’re at the beach on a cold day, if we have to run to catch a train, if there’s no milk, bread, cake, coffee, we build mind and body strength.&nbsp; Start training now. Start building your mental and physical resilience.&nbsp; Today, we use a small portion of our available functions. We’ve grown soft, comfortable but your mind and body are incredibly capable. When you're fitter, calmer, have greater clarity over your needs and your purpose, feel stronger in body and mind and surround yourself with others on that quest… then, and only then… are you prepared for the expedition of the next 10 years.&nbsp; There’s a storm coming. You know it. You can feel it too, I know.&nbsp; It’s going to be amazing… because we’ll be prepared.&nbsp; Do the training now.&nbsp; Are you a true modern explorer? Embrace the chaos.&nbsp; NOTE:Wellteam is your perfect training partner and community. Explore over 80 biohacks that tap into your evolutionary biology, they will push you outside your comfort zone, get you back in touch with your capability, build your confidence, get you fitter, calmer, clearer and stronger. You'll be surrounded by others on a quest to thrive amidst the chaos. This is Wellteam. <h2>READY TO BEGIN? </h2> Get your baseline scores and report using the <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/survey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wellteam Scorecard Tool</a> then use our AI tool to build a <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/challenges/available" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Custom Challenge Program</a> of micro-challenges built based on your report. When you're ready, join the flagship <a href="https://www.wellteam.me/challenges/available" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Launch Challenge</a>, build camaraderie with others on weekly zooms. Don't just weather the storm... dance to it. ACTION BEATS INTENTION. &nbsp;

Tough times breed tough people. Easy times breed soft people. With chaos looming, get training now. 

When the world is going to shit, what can you do to thrive amidst the chaos. 

CHAOS IS COMING. HERE'S HOW TO PREPARE.

Sometimes you just have to let go. Insights by Troy Flower - Wellteam Founder and CEO. For most of my life I've been a highly driven person, but this year has been tough.&nbsp; I'd write goals every year on January 1st. I'd pursue them with full force and a belief that they must be achieved for me to be successful.&nbsp; House, promotion, money, car, business, kids, holidays, relationships, mountain bike championships, running times.&nbsp; Here's the thing though. Most of those things can be changed in a heartbeat. None of them are permanent and the only meaning and value they have is what I attach to them.&nbsp; They are adjustable, infinitely adjustable.&nbsp; This year's been tough. I got hit by a car in February while riding my bike. The accident left me with damaged knees, a broken wrist and far too much inactivity for my liking.&nbsp; I was lucky really. It could have been much worse.&nbsp; As for my trip back to Nepal, annual running and mountain bike racing objectives... they've had to drop away, perhaps permanently from a running perspective.&nbsp; While we can hold on tightly to these aspirations/goals/objectives we have to let them go when winds are not in our favour.&nbsp; I've taken to calling my goals "waypoints". I really like the analogy of a waypoint from a sailing perspective.&nbsp; A waypoint is something you sail past, it's not a permanent state or destination. It's just a guide as to where you're going.&nbsp; You can sail close to a waypoint, it could be a port, harbour or village and sometimes it's a lighthouse.&nbsp; Waypoints are guides that give you a sense of direction and purpose, but they are not the end-point. They are flexible.&nbsp; If the winds are not in your favour, you simply adjust your sails and move on to the next waypoint.&nbsp; If a waypoint is missed on the first pass, you can always loop back when the winds are more favourable.&nbsp; Nothing in life is permanent and we're in a constant state of change, adaptation and readjustment.&nbsp; My year so far has taught me to adjust my sails, read the winds and rather than expend my energy fighting into a headwind, beating myself up for lack of progress, I'm just taking the breeze over my shoulder.&nbsp; Life is amazing.&nbsp; It should always be a challenge, just not a fight.&nbsp; If the winds are not in your favour, adjust your course, hoist up the mainsail and move on to another waypoint. Use the prevailing conditions to your advantage.&nbsp; Nothing in life is permanent. The winds will change, conditions will change. There will be storms, calm seas and beautiful harbours to spend some time in.&nbsp; You have only one life. Life it fully.&nbsp;

How tightly should you hold onto your goals? Try a different approach. Go with waypoints instead. 

A pragmatic approach to achieving what you want in life.

DITCH YOUR GOALS. USE WAYPOINTS INSTEAD

<h1>How to be a modern man</h1> We live in challenging times for gender identity. When I grew up there was a clear code for how men should behave. Separate social rules for men and women. There was a strong narrative around being a man. The term "Go on, be a man" didn't carry a question mark. Gender roles in life were clear. It was simple but not easy. It didn't cater for different interpretations of being a man, or for those who were questioning their identity as a man. It had no place for softness, weakness, vulnerability. Today, we live in times of greater choice, greater freedom, a definite relaxing on the virtues of manhood. Perhaps for many however a feeling of confusion, uncertainty, disbelief, disconnect and discontent. Change is hard and especially so when it challenges such ingrained, trained beliefs from our earliest years. Well, rather than dwell on it, as a 52 year old, white, middle class, male, I thought I'd put down my reflections on what I think it important in being a man in modern life. <h3>My top tips for being a modern man. </h3>(Please add your tips in the comments down the bottom). 1. Graciously accept changing social norms while remaining true to who you are, your values and standards, for you, not others. You can open the door for someone out of respect, it's their choice to appreciate it. 2. Train your mind. Flip the focus from physical strength to mental fitness. A modern man spends a lot of time working their brain, absorbing and interpreting information. Mental fitness is critical to thrive in modern life. 4. Honour your ancestors sacrifices by not being a slave to the system. Don't get sucked into marketing. Play your own game, not someone else's. Do your research, make choices for YOUR mind and body that are in your best interest. Make conscious choices for a healthier, happier life. 8. Lend a hand. Our male ancestors were providers and protectors of families, mates and communities. Give back to others, help, support, defend those in need. 6. Show kindness and compassion. In a selfish world, this is the only way to have peace in our lives. 2. Challenge yourself. You are worth far more than the easy path has to offer. You are capable of amazing things, push yourself, explore the limits of your capability. 3. Stop a while. Breathe. Look around. Smell. Taste. Feel. Hear. A rich life is one where your senses fully engage with your surroundings. Reconnect your senses, all of them. Experience life through all five senses and you'll have much greater richness in everything you do. 9. Connect with nature. For 300,000+ years your ancestors were born into nature, grew up in nature, matured in, studied, reproduced in, lived, thrived and died in nature. Get outdoors. Embrace the natural elements. Wind down your windows, breathe it in, smell it, feel it, taste it. Look after it. 11. Move more. A modern man recognises that his body works better when it moves, just as our ancestors did. Move in as many ways as you can. Free up your joints, your muscles, your limbs, your organs, move more. 21. Don't expect order. Life changes quickly, it doesn't care for your structured plan, your sequenced events, your perfect pattern of things. Embrace chaos, uncertainty, irregularity. Train your mind and body, it will cope with whatever life throws at it, just as your ancestors have done. 13. Embrace. Adapt. Let go. Move on. Don't dwell on the past for you can't change it anymore than your ancestors could. 14 Love someone or something. Don't hold back, don't be scared, don't push people away through fear of being hurt. Have courage. Throw yourself into love, boots and all. It doesn't need to be romantic love, it just needs to be that unconditional care and concern for someone else. Chose the right person and what you give, you will receive. You may get it wrong and be with the wrong person. If so, move on quickly. If not, dig in. Embrace it. Let go of fear. Cherish it, for it, like everything in life, will not last forever. Love for today. Be strong, be true to yourself, build confidence in self and others. Live with kindness and compassion for all living things. While the world may feel uncertain right now, the only thing we can do is be our best. Some days that's easy and some days that's hard. We will succeed and fail in equal measure and it's the contrast between the two that gives life meaning. We should strive for success but be mindful and deliberate about our understanding of what success is. For me success changed over the years. From an early quest for adventure when I was younger, to money and status, family, security in my 30's and 40's to more social change and meaning now. Who knows what the next decade will bring for me and for you. I wish you only the very best. Remember that whatever is behind you does not define who you are and who you will be. Aim to be the best version of yourself and life a meaningful life. Go well. TroyWellteam Founder.

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Modern life is tough, confusing and ever-changing. Here's my tips to how to be a modern man. 

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