Peak Performance & Resilience - Dr Dorian Dugmore

Dorian is one of the most sought after speakers on his subject of Wellness and speaks all over the World for businesses and organisations that are keen to understand the impact of Corporate Wellness on their performance.
He has spoken at numerous events around the globe and provides his audiences with thought provoking tools and techniques which they can apply to both their work and home lives to enhance wellness.

1. Peak Performance & Building Resilience
Dr Dorian Dugmore

2. GOAL
“Sustained high performance in the face of ever
increasing pressure & rapid change”

3. School of
Health
Sciences
Brain
Fitness

4. The human brain
•Only 2% body weight
•Uses 20% energy
•73% is water
•86 billion nerve cells
4

5. The brain shrinks as we age
5

6. The connections decrease as we age
6

7. The connections decrease as we age
7

8. At age 75, it takes
more than twice
as long to process
information than
when we were 20
The brain changes functionally with age, with
significant declines in processing speed
8

9. Why does brain fitness matter?
9
Source: sharpbrains.com

10. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
10

11. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
11

12. Effect of chronic stress on the brain
12
•Brain cell
degeneration
•Impairs connectivity
& neurotransmission
•Impairs memory
•Reduced emotional
control

14. The Hot Head Heart
1300 Men – average age 62yrs – heart disease free.
Those with highest anger scores…
“THREE TIMES THE NUMBER
OF HEART ATTACKS” (1986 – Harvard)
1600 heart attack victims interviewed to
check anger levels right before the event.
Result – anger more than doubles the
likelihood of heart attack.
(Harvard Medical School – Guide to Health)

15. Feeling Angry…
Latest research from Nagoya University in
Japan asked participants to write down
their angry reactions on paper and then
throw them away.
This method eliminated
angry feelings almost entirely.

16. Effect of stress level on performance
16

17. Sympathetic
High Heart Rate / Challenge
Stress Resilience
Low Heart Rate / Relaxation
Parasympathetic
Negative Emotion
Positive Emotion
LOW PERFORMANCE
cortisol DHEA
Frustrated
Angry
Anxious
Defensive
Dynamic
Passionate
Confident
Joyful
Connected
Loss of interest
Cynical
Exhausted
Defeated
Burned out
Cool under pressure
In control
Relaxed
Peaceful

18. •Loss of mental clarity and more prone to
distractions and mistakes
•Feeling separate, edgy and shut off from others
•Diminishing capacity to relax and sleep
•Eroding self confidence
•Spending more energy than you are able to recoup
•Feeling tired becomes your new operational norm
•Struggle to motivate yourself and others
•Increased anxiety, insecurity and feeling a loss of
control
Warning
Signs

19. The endorphins associated with happiness encourage
an increase in neuro-transmitters and neuro-
connections within the brain.
HAPPINESS CHEMISTRY

20. On the other hand: stops stimulating peptides and neuro-
transmission. Also takes away receptor sites as the brain adapts
to the cocaine. Result – addiction, damage, dysphoria
COCAINE

21. Telomere Effect-Living younger, healthier, longer
Dr Elizabeth Blackburn –Nobel Prize Winner

22. VOLUME - TIME - CONTROL

26. 40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Minutes
Heart Rate (BPM) Husband During Argument with his Wife
Wife said something
that got under his skin
Heart rate remains elevated
after argument ends

27. Heart Rhythms are affected by how you feel

28. Hippocampus
Amygdala
Pituitary
Hormonal
Centres
Emotional
Centres
Autonomic
Centres
Thinking Centres
Key Brain Circuits

29. Personal Resilience
Resilience is about your mental
toughness. Your ability to think and get
the results you need.
This helps you to look after yourself,
have great relationships and allows
you to cope with whatever life throws
at you.
Resilience is building the capacity to
avoid failure

30. ROPES Resilience Model
R -Regulation
O -Optimism
P -Purpose
E -Energy
S -Stamina
Thackeray/Sunderland-Wright
(2016)

31. Freeze-Frame:
The Steps
1. Recognise the stressful feeling. Press the pause button.
2. Shift your focus to the area around your heart, breath
rhythmically through the heart. In for 5 seconds, out for 5
seconds.
3. Re-experience a positive feeling and hold it.
4. Ask what would be a more efficient and effective response to
the situation.
5. Write down the first thoughts, words or ideas that occur to you
on your worksheet under “intuitive perspective”

32. Managing chronic stress
32
Do a weekly brain dump

33. Managing chronic stress
Schedule time for yourself
33

36. Corporate Challenge
90% of all people climbing
the corporate ladder are
“out of shape”
Jeffrey J Fox, How to Become CEO, 1998

37. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
37

38. EXERCISE
The benefits of fitness cannot simply be saved for later.
As we age, regular appropriate exercise becomes even
more important for our health and wellbeing

39. Exercise Testing (cardio-respiratory)
39
O
2 (time)
Ve
HR
CO
2 VT (70-80%)
MT (50-60%)
MAX VO
2PEAK VO
2

40. Exercise the body regularly
40
•moderate intensity activity (5 x 30 min/wk)
•strength training (2 x 30 min/wk)
•Include balance/core training

41. 1 – Pre-
contemplation
2 –
Contemplation
3 –
Preparation
4 – Action
5 –
Maintenance
6 –
Termination
Stages of Change -
Prochaska & DiClemente (1992)
IMPORTANCE
10
Steven Rollnick (2003)
Readiness to Change
CONFIDENCE
0 10
0

42. Corporate Health Behavioural Profiling
The following topics are suggested:
Exercise, Stress, Emotions & Happiness, Work Life
Balance, Sleep, Relaxation/Winding Down, Diet,
Smoking, Alcohol, Hydration, Heart Disease &
Lifestyle Risk Factors, Lifestyle & Ageing

44. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
44

45. Stay hydrated
45
1.5-2L fluid /day
•(~ 1/3 from food)
•8 × 8 rule
Dehydration lead to:
•Impaired physical
performance
•slower responses
•mental confusion

46. Maintain a balanced diet that includes
“brain foods”
46
Wild Salmon
ChocolateCaffeine
Green Tea
Blueberries

47. ALCOHOL
Even small amounts of alcohol can leave you feeling
and performing below par. Greater or more regular
consumption can have serious long term implications.

48. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
48

49. SLEEP
Sleep is one of the most basic human functions but a
third of us struggle to get enough. Some simple
changes can make a big difference.

50. Sleep cycles repeat every 1.5h
50

51. The power of the nap
10 – 20min
(Power nap)
•Easy to wake
•Boosts alertness
30 – 60 min
•Grogginess
•Best to avoid
90 min
•Full sleep cycle
•Boosts memory
51

52. Don’t let things that you can’t control affect
your sleep

53. SENSE Model
Stress
Exercise
NutritionSleep
Experience
53

54. The brain changes with experience …
use it or lose it
54

55. Learn something new & keep your brain active
55

56. The brain changes if it is exercised
56

57. Take home messages
57
Reduce chronic stress
Exercise regularly
Eat a balanced diet &
stay hydrated
Practice good
sleep hygiene
Exercise the brain
S
E
N
S
E

58. LAUGHTER AND HAPPINESS
Laughter is an instant vacation and happiness is the sum
of all of these.

59. LAUGHTER AND HAPPINESS
•A smile and laughter equals an instant vacation
•Begin your day with 3 gratitude’s
•Write one gratitude down, committing pen to paper
•Make one connection with someone you care about
•Practice 3 random acts of kindness
•Share success, it’s a pathway to happiness