Olympic Champion Nicole Livingstone introduces presenters Paul Taylor and Dr Roy Sugarman, sets up the philosophy of the program, and introduces the participants (see biographies), examining their professions and their lifestyles. Paul and Roy then put the participants through a rigorous assessment process, comprising both a Biological Age test and a Functional Brain assessment. The results are delivered to the participants, with interviews on the implications, and Roy and Paul delve ‘under the hood’ of each person, in terms of their Body and Brain function.
We cross to Genesis Fitness, and gain insights to the latest training techniques by watching the PT Academy education team honing the skill of a hand-picked bunch of Genesis Fitness personal trainers, who discover how the body really works, and why many commonly prescribed exercises impair, rather than improve the body. Our personal trainers are then introduced to the concept of vibration training and Paul puts celebrity trainer Michael Ryan (whose clients include Hugh Jackman) and Body and Brain Overhaul participant Christian through a workout on the powerplate. Don’t miss Michael Ryan’s thoughts on this intense workout! Paul interviews Jason Webber, ex-Wallabies Performance Coach and Sports Science Manager at the Freemantle Football Club, on his opinions about training for performance. The participants then meet their new Personal Trainers and conduct their first session. At the end of the episode Paul sets each of the participants a ‘Peak Performance Challenge’ - a personalised goal that they will attempt to attain by the end of the series.
This episode takes an in-depth look at Paul’s ‘Performance Web’, which highlights the dynamic interplay between Brain and Body, across 6 key areas; nutrition, movement, recovery, thinking, stress management and happiness. Paul and Roy explain why each point of the web is important and how the structural integrity of the whole web is compromised if one or two areas are lacking. They look at the integrity of each individual’s web, teasing out practical ways that each individual can make small but powerful changes that will have a cumulative impact on wellness and personal performance. - Christian and Paul do a round in the boxing ring to discuss the importance of movement. - Jonny and Paul talk nutrition and go shopping for food for the brain. - Russell is introduced to Paul’s 90 minute ‘brain booster breaks’ to help with his recovery - and puts him through a workout on the powerplate in his office. - Corinne catches up with Roy to work on her thinking and strategies she is putting in place to better manage her worry and anxiety. Paul reveals his ‘magic pill’ to cure all disease. You’ll have to watch to find out where to get it! Then he puts the group through an intense workout, to illustrate the importance of intensity in exercise – even if it’s only a ten minute session. This week’s expert Associate Professor, David Cameron-Smith from School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University who joins Paul to talk about anti-oxidants and the impact exercise has on the brain.
Our participants and viewers are taken on a tour of the body and brain and Paul and Roy take a look at how both our bodies and brains age; examining the major theories of ageing and then taking a closer look at what happens to our cells and systems of the body, the impact of declining hormone levels and inflammation. Paul and Roy are concerned about participant, Russell’s health. So Paul puts him through an intense workout at Genesis Fitness and confronts him with a few home truths about his longevity. He tests his heart, via a graded exercise test, and then sends him to Dr Roy Sugarman’s office for a discussion about the balance between work and family. Paul and PTA master trainer, Ian O’Dwyer conduct an exercise session with four older adults, in their seventies and eighties, and invite our participants along to illustrate the importance of movement as we age. Corinne and Christian meet their business coaches and start work on improving the way they operate at work, while Jonny catches up with Roy to talk about what he’s learned so far, and what he plans to do once the ‘Overhaul’ is over. And to top of a jam packed week, Paul speaks with former AFL Player and Coaching legend Tommy Hafey about his secrets to healthy ageing. In week four of Body and Brain Overhaul the participants do a workout with a group of older adults in their 70's and 80's from the Council on the Ageing (COTA) 'Living Longer, Living Stronger' program. For more information on how to get involved in 'Living Longer, Living Stronger'
This week is all about ‘fueling’ the body and the brain to achieve peak performance. The group meet Paul at Maserati where he drives home the message that you need to fuel your body with top nutrition to be able to perform effectively at work, home and on the sporting field. Throughout the episode Paul provides his top product tips - covering everything from breakfast cereals and snacks, through to breads, spreads and supplements. This focus on food culminates in Paul flexing his muscles in the kitchen, to make his favourite breakfast and lunch dishes for the group. Paul reveals the true complexity of weight management; examing the sometimes surpising roles of stress, processed food, climate control, environmental toxins and prescription medications – and catches up with Professor Brian Oldfield from the Department of Physiology at Monash University to talk about appetite and it’s relationship with the brain. Our busy presenter checks in with two of the participant’s other ‘halves’ – Atisa (Jonny’s partner) and Bec (Christian’s wife) to get an insight into how things are going at home ….and Corinne and her trainer Janine do an intense workout with Paul to help build resilience, with revealing results for Corinne. Don’t miss it!
This week Paul Taylor and Dr Roy Sugarman step it up a notch with a military-style ‘Stress and Resilience Day’ to illustrate the impact stress can have on the body and the brain and how overcoming tough challenges helps to build resilience in daily life. Without any prior knowledge, our four participants are driven to an abandoned flour mill and told they will be climbing up and abseiling down the side of the fifty floor building. They are then delivered to a paintball venue where, in a battle field senario, they have to work together to rescue a hostage from a group of balaclava-clad agressors. Each member of the group is fitted with a heart-rate monitor to show how their bodies react to intense stress - and lets just say there are bruises, sweat and tears! Don’t miss it. Then, from the battle field to Jonathan’s battle to get a good night’s sleep. A month ago, Dr Roy Sugarman measured the heart-rate variability of each of the participants to give them a breathing rate to help calm them down in stressful situations. He worked specificially with Jonny who has struggled for years with his sleeping patterns. We find out how Jonny’s faring now with the help of Dr Roy Sugarman and the Brain Resource ‘MyCalmBeat’. Paul meets with champion Ironman and triathlete, Chris Legh, a man who knows all too well what can happen when you put too much stress on your body. A near-fatal collapse at the 1997 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii (as currently featured in the national Gatorade advertisements) had huge health implications for Chris. Paul chats with him about the importance of training and recovery. Our busy presenter has also been catching up with the partners of the participants to see if they’re noticing changes at home. This week Jill (Russell’s wife) and Matt (Corinne’s husband) reveal some interesting insights into what’s going on behind closed doors! And after a full-on week for all, Paul and Roy organise a special
Paul Taylor and Dr Roy Sugarman have framed their Body and Brain Overhaul training programs around their ‘Performance Web’. The web highlights six key areas we should all be trying to balance to achieve ‘peak performance’ they are: nutrition, movement, recovery, thinking, stress management and harvesting happiness. With only one week to go before the final results Paul and Roy set the group a challenge, outside of their comfort-zones, to get them thinking about the importance of happiness. They ask Corinne to run a special training session, with the participants and their partners, doing something that makes her very happy - salsa dancing! Paul takes a look at the science of happiness and how being a positive person or a negative person is all about repetition, and how the networks in the brain can be changed with dedicated training. He also talks about reward pathways in the brain and how, and why, modern diet and drug use can lead to addiction. Paul confronts Jonathan, by playing him some footage of an interview conducted with him at the start of the overhaul process, which leads to a revealing discussion around the impact past recreational drug use and more recent prescription medication abuse had on his life. Jonny speaks movingly about how the Body and Brain Overhaul process has helped him find new ways to feel good about himself and his life. Dr Roy Sugarman meets with Russell, Corinne and Christian for a final check-in on how they are thinking and feeling as we head on towards the final results day. Plus, the group do a final session in the gym with their Genesis Fitness trainers in the lead up to their new BioAge test next week. Paul’s elite athlete interview in Episode Seven is an inspirational chat with Paralympian Michael Milton, gold medal winning skier and cyclist.
Paul, Roy and Ian with the Genesis trainers have worked hard for 8 weeks, and all participants have done well. BUT: the proof is in the data. Paul takes the participants through the BioAge measures again, and Roy gets them to redo their web based brain assessments. The results will show whether an integrated approach to bodybrain vitality has indeed built resilience. The BioAge must show that each has clawed back years of their lives, especially for Jon and Russell, who had the biggest gaps between their chronological age and their BioAge. Paul takes all four though the Beep Test, including Jon who had to sit out the baseball diamond testing in episode one because of his achilles tendon, now fully healed. Paul reveals their individual BioAges and therefoe whether all their hard work has been worth it. Roy takes them to a soccer field in Melbourne, where he acts as goalkeeper. All four have to now apply themselves to the penalty spot, and try to get past Roy, a mean goalie in his prime ( a long time ago). When each succeeds finally, Roy calls them to the goalmouth to get their brain health results, and see what percentage improvement they might have managed: will their brains have changed? Will Christian and Jon have undone the damage various brain insults have caused? Will Russel show the world any change in his non-conscious emotion? Will Corinne conquer the disabling anticipatory anxiety? Roy lets them know, and later on the field and in the BodyBrainOverhaul office, they speak of their life changing experiences, during Body and Brain Overhaul. We hope you have enjoyed the series, and if you want to see Body and Brain Overaul again, write to us and tell us what you think!! Warm regards from the BABO team.