Cultivating a Mindset for Improving Every Aspect of your Life [Interview Transcript]
Guest: Jurie Rossouw
Presenter: Wayne Bucklar
Guest Bio: Jurie Rossouw specialises in the field of resilience which he uses as a platform to promote goal-orientation and enhance self-esteem. Jurie’s interest is the integration of various fields, including nutrition, neuroscience, psychology, physical fitness, and personal resilience, distilling insights into simple and practical techniques. He is the author of Think Lean Method – an integrated review of research on optimal nutrition, brain health and wellbeing.
Segment overview: Author of the ‘Think Lean Method‘ Jurie Rossouw joins us today to discuss his recently published book. It provides an evidence-based view of Mental Fitness and Personal Resilience through nutrition, neuroscience and neuropsychotherapy concepts. It includes an endorsed nutritional plan that supports brain function and mental clarity.
Transcription
Health Professional Radio
Wayne Bucklar: You’re listening to Health Professional Radio with Wayne Bucklar. Today my guest is Jurie Rossouw and we’re having a talk about a book that he has written. Now Jurie welcome to Health Professional Radio. I know you’ve written a book that’s used in the health industry, can you tell us more about yourself and what service do you provide?
Jurie Rossouw: Yes, certainly. So professionally, I work in the field of resilience which I mainly do in that business context. So what this really means is that I help businesses and its people to bounce back from disruptions. So a lot of this have to do with personal resilience, which is my main passion and I think that resilience is really particularly relevant for hospital staff and patients. So we’ve just published a book called “Think Lean Method” which is an evidence based guide to a healthy lifestyle with a particular focus on developing resilience and healthy thinking patterns. So in the book, I bring together different fields into one holistic plan so this includes nutrition, neuroscience and psychology. So for this I focused only on what’s been scientifically proven to build an unbiased view of what a healthy lifestyle is. And I’ve consulted with a nutritionist and psychologist for expert input to verify the ideas and to bold and to endorse in that sense. So the book is called “Think Lean Method” and it’s not just about having a lean body but more importantly having a lean mindset where I use simplify life, set clear goals, and efficiently work towards them.
W: It’s a pleasure to have you on Health Professional Radio with us. What was the passion that drove you to write the book?
J: So I’ve had a lot of issues with my own personal health and also I’ve had a bit of sugar addiction. And I eventually decided that I need to improve my own lifestyle and I couldn’t find one resource that covered both the body and the mind so I ended up doing a lot of research on my own to find the path to health and I spent about 10 years just trying different approaches on myself. It was only later on that it became very clear to me that first of all, resilience is one of the key inhibitors that is lifted up out of most books. And so having realized this and seeing the difference that resilience made for me, I decided to write the book that, really, that I wish was around back when I started and that’s really what pushed me to “Think Lean Method.”
W: Now resilience is one of those interesting concepts. How does this relate to health professionals in the health industry?
W: So about half of my clients are psychologists and counselors. I wrote the book specifically to share ideas in healthy living with our clients and this includes topics around resilience. So what I’ve heard from psychologists and how the book talks about the effects on the brain and it make it a bit more tangible for the patient. So this, for example so everyone knows that they should exercise to be physical fit, but when you also explain that the exercise up regulates brain-derive neurotrophic factor which is a chemical that helps the brain to grow and adapt and it helps to protect the brain against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, then it adds a new dimension that they can anchor to. So what I did with the book was to turn write it in a accessible way which breaks down into a simple plan, but still have a go into detail on recent studies so it reads much like a textbook in that sense. But overall the feedback has been that it’s a useful resource on practical ideas for healthy living. And as a resilience aspect is particularly valuable for hospitals staff and also for patients who are moving on from the hospital admission for example.
W: And so for people who have had a physical health issue, you think the mental health issue has an impact on their recovery?
W: I feel the resilience side of it is particularly important and ideally people that are both resilience before this type of things happen to them but if they have only realize once they’re in the situation that this is the time they need to be resilient. And then providing them with those tools especially around building support networks and involving others in their lives, that I think it really plays a big part in this transitioning them back to their normal lives. Getting back into a healthy lifestyle and bouncing back faster than it would otherwise. And I think sometimes especially a hospital patients who are released they might not really go back to a healthy lifestyle for quite a while because everything is kind of disrupted it so it’s helping them making that transition faster and making it easier.
W: So what’s the current issue that you’re focusing on now Jurie?
W: So the main method’s about that I want to focus on is mental fitness. So mental fitness is about a person having a healthy brain, being personally resilient and having clear goals to that they’re working towards. So just as we work on our own physical fitness, so should we also work on our own mental fitness. In a way a healthy lifestyle is like running a mental marathon because it takes a lot of psychological stamina to stay on track. So if we talk about dieting in particular, this is where we often see people falling back to an unhealthy lifestyle because the mecca of physical changes without having been prepared mentally. So that’s really the most important thing that I’m communicating through “Think Lean Method.” It’s about helping people to build mental fitness in a practical way and for example to be through realization techniques, building support networks, to better sleep, hygiene, exercise, good nutrition, and so on. And Ideally I’d like people to be just as passionate about mental fitness as it tends to be about physical fitness.
W: That’s an interesting approach and the idea of mental fitness that two words I haven’t kind of put together in my head previously. And the book is called “Think Lean Method,” it sounds like an intriguing read. What’s the biggest misconception that you find amongst your clients and customers about your passion that drives you and keeps you awake at night?
W: So one of the big things for me that always gets me is that people think that a healthy lifestyle is an all or nothing deal. You know that they can never eat their favorite foods anymore or something along those lines. And the reality is that following a healthy lifestyle only 80% of the time, for example can still be very positive for overall health. So in the book I set up guidelines for clients to find a level that’s realistic and that’s achievable, and sustainable, and being sustainable is just so important and that’s why I don’t believe in depriving people of things that they enjoy the most. But instead showing how to make it easier for people to achieve moderation and to improve discipline through better brain health and mental fitness. But it’s fantastic to hear the stories of people who are starting to get this concept and they’ll finally manage to lose weight, build the healthy lifestyle and specifically because it help them with the mental aspect of healthy living too. And it’s really inspiring to hear.
W: Jurie, that’s an intriguing concept and yes, I bet it is inspiring to hear. Now Jurie has joined us today to talk about his book “Think Lean Method.” Jurie where can people get the book?
W: So it’s recent release, it is now available on Amazon.com and or available on my website thinkleanmethod.com directly for Australian customers and you know it’s really the best place to get it.
W: And for people who want to get in touch with you, I guess www.thinkleanmethod.com is the best place?
W: Absolutely, that’s place to go or of course there’s always Facebook and all those kind of places for anyone so inclined.
W: (laugh) Yes. We’re all very accessible these days one way or another.
W: (laugh)Yes, exactly.
W: You’ve been listening to Wayne Bucklar on Health Professional Radio. I’ve been in conversation with Jurie Rossouw who has written a book “Think Lean Method” that’s sounds like an intriguing approach to both mind and the body. If you’re interested in having a read of this interview, a transcript is available on our website at www.hpr.fm and there’s an archive there on SoundCloud and on YouTube. This is Wayne Bucklar for Health Professional Radio.