Everyone in this room would know that we need to be taking care of our physical and our mental health. We know that we need to exercise, eat well, sit less and move more. You might even know that if we aren't getting enough physical activity, like one in two Australians aren't, that we put ourselves at much greater risk of devastating things like heart disease, the number one killer in Australian women. Things like diabetes, depression, dementia, a variety of cancers and even an early death. You might know that the cost is not just physical, but mental and emotional, that we are less productive and less happy, we're more stressed, anxious and fatigued. And when we're feeling like this, it is so much harder to show up as our best selves, to be that parent, partner, friend, team member, leader that we are wanting to be.

We hold ourselves back from all the change and impact we want to make in the world. But we can know all of this and still not do it. Why? Because it's really hard. Because so many things can get in our way. We've got bills to pay, we've got businesses to run, families to take care of, friendships to maintain, meals to make, washing to put away. It's no wonder that things like exercise and self-care can go to the bottom of our never-ending to-do list. I'm speaking to a room full of people that give so much to everyone and everything else, which often means that you forget to give back to yourself. We feel guilty about not doing it, then overwhelmed by all the things that we're supposed to be doing. We might look around and see everyone else has got an effortless thing going on and feel bad about ourselves that we don't.

Some days we don't know how or where to start, and so we don't. We do nothing. But what if this could be different? What if, with some simple mindset shifts and some achievable action steps, we could overcome these obstacles and make those days where it feels impossible, possible? And what if we could use this to transform the way that we think, the way we work, the way we live, and the way that we feel? So every morning before school, growing up, you would have found me at my little ballet bar tucked away in the back of my parents' garage that didn't have a door, and I would be doing my pliés. And I could do this for hours.

Dancing brought me so much joy and energy, so much so that it led me to become a professional dancer, dancing around the world, doing the chorus line on cruise ships, and can-can on the cruise ships and casinos. And that is me there on a cruise ship, and yes, that is me with a cruise ship on my head. I had to get myself moving. Because I could no longer walk out the door whenever I wanted to, to go do an exercise class or because it was the last thing I feel like doing, I wasn't doing it. And so the next day I got to my kitchen bench and I thought, okay, you have to move. And I cannot believe how hard this was for me to do, but I put my hands on that kitchen bench like it was my ballet bar and I did a plié.

And then I did another and another. See if this sounds familiar to you. Well, today I'm not going to be able to get to that Pilates class that I always like to get to because I just don't have the time or I can't get out for a walk because I've got sick kids, so I can't do anything today, right? The whole exercise thing, not possible for me. If it's not going to be the certain amount of time, location, intensity, give me certain results, well, there's no point. It is such a common mindset and it's the all or nothing mindset. It comes from the fact that we have so many rules about what we think exercise and self-care has to look like. And if it doesn't look like that, then we don't do anything. And even this word exercise, I find, it can feel like for some of us this chore or a punishment for eating a certain way, another thing on our never-ending to-do list.

Maybe you've got bad memories of school sport or embarrassing times at the gym. I like to take out two letters so it becomes the word energize. I need to exercise today. I need to energize today. When you get actively moving, your heart is able to pump oxygen, which is energy, more efficiently to your muscles. Your muscles then pump that fresh blood and oxygen up to your brain, helping you think better, helping you feel better, releasing all sorts of brain and mood-enhancing chemicals. What we don't want is a negative association or all the rules we have around a word to get in this way of these incredible benefits. Turn that all or nothing into all or something. Something is so much better than nothing. I don't need dumbbells because I use them as my weights. So, do a little wine, not wine, little, I sometimes do this with wine, sorry.

I know we're not doing wine. We're doing beautiful ninja. Whoops, caught out there. And do some little moves here and it won't take you very long until you start to feel this. Do you know what? There's a study by Edith Cohen University that shows that little, few of these resistance little moves in your day, every day, is more effective than doing one resistance long session in your week. It also shows that if you are breaking up your day with active breaks, that is a more effective way to boost your energy and your mood than one session in your day. So I hope that you never look at these ninja balls the same way again. Another one I heard, a great one from a university student who said to me that when she's with her friends and one of them says the name of their ex, they all have to do five squats.

And it happened the other night in a nightclub and yes, they all did the five squats. So you might not be going to nightclubs, but there's probably something in your day that you can use as a cue to attach some kind of movement to. But if you do do squats in a nightclub, make sure you send me some photos. I would love to see that. So now is your moment to come up with that one thing. It might be even something to do with your work and something you do with the products. If you could turn to the person next to you or the people around you and just come up with that one little thing that you could do, make it so easy that none of your excuses could get in the way of doing it. And then we're going to see if anyone wants to share and we've got some books to give away for those who does. So take a little moment now, just turn to that person next to you, that one little thing that you could attach some movement to, something that you are already doing. What is it? Don't worry if it's super small, the tiniest little things.

What's over there? Oh my gosh, her son swears a lot and so when he swears, he has to do 10 squats. Yes, brilliant. Maybe you could you do something as well at that time? Thank you so much, that's absolutely brilliant. We've got one more. Yes, jumping up there. Beautiful, beautiful. Kids say, you're going to be doing a lot of squats and push-ups every time your child says they're hungry. That's brilliant and I would love you to share those with me later as well and make sure that you connect with me.

So we've got the cue, so the I'm hungry, the swearing, the flick the switch on the kettle and then we've got the routine, the behaviour. So this is how you start building a habit and the third thing you need in this is a reward, some kind of positive association with the behaviour. So your brain starts to activate the reward pathways. So your brain goes, ah, that's a great behaviour, that gives me a little hit of dopamine, I'm going to do that again. So these rewards can be really simple, we don't want them to be complicated and one of the best rewards that I've found is what I like to call the woohoo go you. It's a moment that you take and have a physical action in your body that sends that signal to your brain that you have celebrated, that you have done something for yourself. So think of it like maybe a fist pump, if you've got a reflection, give yourself a high five in the reflection, a little happy dance, some little thing that you would go, yeah, if I got really great news or had, you know, saw a child kick a ball through the soccer net thing, you can tell I've got girls, that's what you would do.

This celebratory piece is a really, really important factor in the habit piece, huge amount of research around it. So that personal people you were just talking to, I'm going to ask you all now to stand on up, take a little break from your chair, stand on up, a good little moment as well if you've got sort of bags and stuff around just to push them away because we're going to need some space a bit later, turn to that person and you're going to show them what your woohoo go you is going to be like and if you feel a little bit out of your comfort zone, oh, no one does, no one here feels out of their comfort zone, what's your little woohoo go you? It can have sound, it cannot have sound, it doesn't matter, I love it, beautiful. Okay, now we're all going to turn to me and on the count of three, we're going to do our woohoo go you together, are you ready? Remember that you're celebrating yourself, you're celebrating that you have taken care of yourself, are you ready?

One, two, three. Woo, beautiful. Bring it down, last one, bring it in together, open up, bring it in, yes, open and in, one more of those, beautiful, have a little look, punch it out there, watch that person in front of you, yes, punch high, you've got this. Beautiful, hands behind your head, little gentle twist, yep, now I hope if you're in the parent's room, you are doing these moves as well, anything you can do, remember something is so much better than nothing, two more of those, and one, great, arms out in front of you, you're going to row back, feel your upper back muscles activating, yes, beautiful, bring it on up, two more of those, and one, thank you everybody, well done.

Next situation, you have got a lot on your to-do list, but you're feeling like you don't know what you need to be doing next, you might feel your heart start to race, your body's natural stress response is kicking in, and what we need to do in these moments is activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts that fight or flight response, and we can do this in the way that the military and first responders do in high pressure situations, and that's through active breathing, using a breathing technique, and this is one that is so good, you've probably heard of it, tactical breathing or box breathing, and we're going to do that together now, you can just stay in your chairs for this one, feel free to close your eyes, keep them open, whatever works for you, what do you reckon I'm doing here, stress away, okay, the idea is, you breathe for the count of four, hold that breath before, breathe out before, hold that breath before, we're going to do it together, breathe in, hold that breath before, breathe out, hold that breath out, a moment to stop, breathe in, hold that breath in, breathe out, hold that breath out, two more, soften your jaw

shoulders, soften through your belly, one more to go, breathe out, hold that breath out, the next thing you're going to do now is some beautiful yoga, guess what, you're going to do it in your chair, hands on your knees, and you're going to arch your back on up like you're a cat, you can let out a nice meow if you want to, and then you're going to come on forward for the cow, and you can let out a moo if you want to there, we go cat and cow, cat and cow, beautiful, two more of those, beautiful massage for your lower back, take one arm up, stretch out the side of your body which your lower back loves, and then the other one there, take both arms up for a nice big breath in, hold that breath for a moment, and then breathing on, yes, feels good to walk, beautiful, okay, I think I might have to give away some books or something to the most enthusiastic walker, we're going to walk it out here, okay, what I want you to imagine is the ground is getting hot, so it's a hot ground, so you're going to walk it out, jump it out if you want to, it doesn't matter, remember hearing this from this girl that I knew, and she said to me, she'd been

undergoing breast cancer treatment, and she'd just gone into remission, and she said, I just have been talking to all my medical professionals, and asking them what I should be doing moving forward, and they've been saying to me, in her words, exercise, exercise, exercise, it's the key to recovery and prevention, but she said to me, you know, I know I have to do it, and I'm still not doing it, I get to the end of my day, work, kids, it just hasn't happened, so I said to her, okay, tonight, when you go to your bathroom, and you pick up your toothbrush, I want you to take your legs out wide, and do some squats, as you are brushing your teeth, do this for two minutes or less, it doesn't matter how long, and she just looked at me and said, oh, that is not going to do anything, but okay, fine, she said, I'm desperate, I'll do it, and so I heard from her a couple of weeks later, and she said, I've been doing my tooth brushing two minute moves, and I'm feeling really good, and then I heard from her a few months later, and she said, you wouldn't believe it, I've joined the gym, I'm going every day, I'm completely addicted.

What she needed was that first step to start her on her journey, which, by the way, looks very different for everybody. I'll never forget the moment that I realised just how powerful a small step could be. I was there with my toddler, Stella, and my little baby Ruby, and Stella said, let's have a dance, mum, and I'd been feeling so bad for those few months that I just had been saying, no, I just, I can't do it, it's too hard, making up some excuse, and this time I said, yeah, let's do it, and I'll never forget that I had my little Stella on one hip, and my baby Ruby on the other, and we started dancing, and I just remember looking at them in the eyes, and it was like it was that first time that I had really seen them for what felt like so long.

I felt this joy and this energy, and I knew what to do if I needed to get it back again. I'd found myself again. It's like this steam train that's stationary at the station. You look at it, and you think, the effort to get that thing moving is enormous, but little bit by little bit by little bit, it builds momentum, gets going, and then it's on its way. So now it is time to send you on your way, and I cannot think of a better way to do this, to celebrate this and all that you do, to feel the joy, the energy, the connection that you all have with each other, than to have a dance. Will you do it with me? Yes? Let's do it. I think we've got some books and some cards left, so we'll give away some books and cards to some dancers. We're going to hit that music.

Now, if anyone would like to come up on the stage with me, now is your chance. If you can come up on the stage, you have permission to come up on stage. Woo! Okay, let's go. Let's pump up that music. Hello! All right, we're going to come down here low. Nice and low. Oh, we've got backup dancers. I'm so happy about it. Come on, backup dancers. All right, hands on hips. Hip thump. Hup, hup, thump those hips. Woo! Look at these beautiful people behind me and all out in front of me. The smiles, the joy, the connection. Okay, what do you reckon, everyone? This one? Let's see it. Yes, hands up! Hup, hup. Does anyone up here with me have a move they want to show me?

What's the move? Oh, we're turning. Woo! Turn the other way. All right, we're all going to take our hands out here. I want you to imagine inside in front of you there is a big pot and you're going to stir up all the ingredients you need for an amazing rest of this year and beyond. What's in there? What do you need? Some confidence, some joy, some energy. Stir it on up. Woo! Other way, everyone. Round it goes. How about we start up a little lower? You ready? Let's go. Pull it up. Other side. Yes, we're going to high-five. I want you to look around this room and send high-fives out to the room. Catch someone's eye. Tell them you've got this.

High-five them. Eight more high-fives. Yes, I love that. Thank you. Beautiful. High-five it out. All right. Last few dance moves, everyone. What have we got? Woo! What about this freestyle? Up and down. Up again. The prerogative to have a little fun. Hands up. This way. High-five all day. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much for dancing with me. Thank you for giving me a chance to drive these cars around you.