Overview | Tirohanga Whānui
Take the guesswork out of living a healthy lifestyle
This virtual programme, provided by Transformative Insights in partnership with Firstbeat, guides you step-by-step towards fine-tuning your lifestyle to enhance your health, well-being and performance.
~ Is improving your health, vitality, well-being and performance top of mind for you?
~ Are you wondering how your body is responding to and coping with the stresses in your life?
~ Do you want to discover personalised and evidence-based ways to boost recovery during the day and during sleep?
~ Would you like to make sure you are exercising correctly in order to get health benefits and improve your fitness?
~ Are you interested in science-backed data to tell you which routines are working for you and which ones you can improve?
~ Would you like advice and support from wellness specialists to make targeted and lasting lifestyle changes?
If your answer to one of more of these questions is “Yes” then participating in this programme is for you!
~ Is improving your health, vitality, well-being and performance top of mind for you?
~ Are you wondering how your body is responding to and coping with the stresses in your life?
~ Do you want to discover personalised and evidence-based ways to boost recovery during the day and during sleep?
~ Would you like to make sure you are exercising correctly in order to get health benefits and improve your fitness?
~ Are you interested in science-backed data to tell you which routines are working for you and which ones you can improve?
~ Would you like advice and support from wellness specialists to make targeted and lasting lifestyle changes?
If your answer to one of more of these questions is “Yes” then participating in this programme is for you!
Firstbeat LifeTM
Tap into the power of physiological data to inspire and guide positive lifestyle changes.
Regular Firstbeat LifeTM measurements helps you to connect the dots between your body's responses and daily lifestyle choices, keep you on track and visualise the progress you are making.
You get personalised and actionable insights into the restorative effect of sleep, the amount and quality of overall recovery, health effects of your physical activity, stress load, body resources, training effects and fitness level.
Take the guesswork out of living a healthy lifestyle and use science-backed data to motivate you!
Regular Firstbeat LifeTM measurements helps you to connect the dots between your body's responses and daily lifestyle choices, keep you on track and visualise the progress you are making.
You get personalised and actionable insights into the restorative effect of sleep, the amount and quality of overall recovery, health effects of your physical activity, stress load, body resources, training effects and fitness level.
Take the guesswork out of living a healthy lifestyle and use science-backed data to motivate you!
About us | Mō mātou
We are a team of wellness specialists and coaches passionate about helping New Zealanders tap into the power of lifestyle.
Our two senior specialists, Erik van den Top and Dr Kelly Dale, will be assigned to work with you throughout the pilot.
You can find out more about us here.
Our two senior specialists, Erik van den Top and Dr Kelly Dale, will be assigned to work with you throughout the pilot.
You can find out more about us here.
Features | Ngā Āhuatanga Matua
Everything you need to succeed. A virtual experience purpose-built for professionals & leaders wanting to live, lead and perform at their best.
You commit on average 1.5 hours a week | We support you all the way
Benefits | Ngā Hua
Over 90% of participants report a measurable boost in both their wellness and performance.
Almost everyone walks away feeling more confident about their ability to influence their health, well-being and performance.
Specific benefits are of course quite individual and depend on things like your starting point and the effort you put in. But here are some common achievements participants get to enjoy:
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Improved sleep quality
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Increased resilience / capacity to cope with stress
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Boost in energy and vitality
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Improved mental clarity
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Improved capacity to deal with uncertainty and life's demands
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More recovery time during the work-day
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Higher performance / productivity
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Enhanced interpersonal relating
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Increased physical activity and fitness
Your personal information is protected
Southern Cross will not disclose any information about you to Firstbeat as part of this pilot. Your Firstbeat LifeTM personal information and data is stored and processed securely on Firstbeat's systems in accordance with the
Firstbeat Privacy Policy.
When you sign up for the pilot you will be subject to terms and conditions, including the Firstbeat privacy policy, so Southern Cross encourages you to read these to understand how your information is handled.
Only you and our wellness specialists / coaches get to see your personal Firstbeat LifeTM results.
Employers only get to see aggregated, anonymised data for the pilot group as a whole and by department. These reports are only generated if at least seven participants have completed a measurement during the reporting period. These reports show key results and trends that emerge from the data, but these won't identify you. You can find an overview of what the company level reporting looks like here.
For now, data sharing between Firstbeat LifeTM and the Massey University study will not be set up. You can opt-in to this on the registration form, in case we look to establish this connection in the future.
Also, everything you discuss with one of our wellness experts / coaches in your one-to-one sessions is strictly confidential. All members of our team are registered and/or belong to an appropriate Professional Association. This assures you that our qualifications and skills have been assessed and that we practice according to a Code of Ethics.
When you sign up for the pilot you will be subject to terms and conditions, including the Firstbeat privacy policy, so Southern Cross encourages you to read these to understand how your information is handled.
Only you and our wellness specialists / coaches get to see your personal Firstbeat LifeTM results.
Employers only get to see aggregated, anonymised data for the pilot group as a whole and by department. These reports are only generated if at least seven participants have completed a measurement during the reporting period. These reports show key results and trends that emerge from the data, but these won't identify you. You can find an overview of what the company level reporting looks like here.
For now, data sharing between Firstbeat LifeTM and the Massey University study will not be set up. You can opt-in to this on the registration form, in case we look to establish this connection in the future.
Also, everything you discuss with one of our wellness experts / coaches in your one-to-one sessions is strictly confidential. All members of our team are registered and/or belong to an appropriate Professional Association. This assures you that our qualifications and skills have been assessed and that we practice according to a Code of Ethics.
Testimonials | Ngā Kupu Tautoko
Trusted & Life-changing
A life-changing programme
Your programme and guidance is life-changing, and I am very grateful for the time, effort and energy you have put into helping me embed sustainable changes that are having such a big impact on my day-to-day life.
Eye opening insights
I’m so grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in this programme – without seeing my initial assessment report and identifying so clearly how poor my sleep quality was, I would never have done anything about it. As a result, I’ve taken some steps and the improvement of my sleep has been life changing. I highly recommend this programme – the insights into your lifestyle alone will be eye opening. And if you choose to make some changes, I think you’ll see amazing results!
More able to deal with the unexpected
The most valuable takeaway from the programme has been how closely the data measurements corresponded to my sense of how I was experiencing the stresses and challenges that come along in any given day. That has given me a very valuable early warning system of when to be more flexible and how to adjust lifestyle priorities when external factors disrupt my plans and goals. I am now more able to deal with the unexpected and stay within my own lifestyle guidelines at the same time.
Data drive focus
I really enjoyed the programme, especially the practical side of it. A real attraction for me was the data driven focus. The programme gave insightful results – it gave me validation of my well-balanced lifestyle, but it also showed me that my sleep recovery could be improved.
More positive about my ability to improve my lifestyle
I feel that the programme has significantly helped me to make positive changes in my life, including sleep, exercise, diet, and habits, as well as changing my definition of success/failure. Overall, I feel much more positive about my ability to improve my lifestyle, and I feel like I can actually achieve the outcomes I want to see.
Significant sleep quality improvement!
This programme has really changed my way of looking at how the body is an entire system. I really have underestimated the impact of sleep on the body. The assessment at the start startled me into making some serious changes but it was the continual guidance which has kept me on the road. I have since improved my sleep quality significantly and my husband and I both worked through our diets and the results have been noticeable. I cannot recommend this course enough.
Small changes - big impact
I have been so surprised by how much enjoyed the programme - I took away so much more than I ever expected. I had in my mind what I wanted to achieve from the study and thought I knew the areas that I wanted to work-on. However there were many areas that were shown from my measurements I didn’t even realise I needed to work on. I found it so interesting to see how making small changes can impact your lifestyle. I would definitely recommend this programme to anyone
Registrations close 17 September 2021
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Frequently Asked Questions | Ngā pātai auau
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Who is providing this programme?
The programme is provided by The Power of Lifestyle Academy (a Transformative Insights organisation) in partnership with Firstbeat.
The Academy was founded by Erik van den Top who is a leading Functional Wellness Specialist and Professional Coach.
The programme is informed by up-to-date research and based on similar programmes run by Firstbeat and other Firstbeat Partners around the world.
Over 300,000 employees have improved their well-being with Firstbeat powered initiatives, at organisations such as BMW, SAP, KPMG, Canon, EY, Unilever and Heineken and by a growing number of leading organisations in New Zealand.
You can find out more about us and the wellness specialists you will be working with here. -
What (time) commitment is required from me?
You need to set aside around 1.5 hours each week for things like keeping the measurement journal, engaging with the online resources, attending one-hour seminars, connecting with one of us for a one-to-one session and to get together with your accountability team.
Other than the seminars, you decide the when and where and therefore most participants find it relatively easy to fit participation in their work and life schedule.
Naturally, on top of that, you will need to commit time and effort to fine-tuning your lifestyle and adopting new routines / practices.
Less is more however, and for most participants focussing on just the "vital few" lifestyle choices is enough to achieve a big improvement. -
Who can participate?
If you have been invited by your employer, you can participate!
This includes employees who work remotely as the programme is 100% virtual.
The only exception: a Firstbeat Life measurement is not recommended if you have a pacemaker, a heart transplant, a heart condition, chronic atrial fibrillation / atrial flutter or uncontrolled thyroid dysfunction as these conditions can affect the results.
The measurement device is safe to wear during pregnancy and intensive work or sport.
Programmes continue to run during COVID-19 as they are provided virtually. Your measurement device is brand new and, during raised Alert Levels, is couriered straight to your home address. -
I find it difficult to make habit change stick. How will this programme help?
Making lifestyle changes and making them stick tends to be quite a challenge for us all. The programme leverages the latest research from behavioural change science to create optimal conditions for generating lasting change.
Some specifics:
~ Seeing the link between your lifestyle and your body's functioning (or lack thereof) is a huge motivator (and can be a powerful wake-up call)
~ You will learn about and have an opportunity to apply a variety of strategies to get lifestyle / habit change going and for making them stick
~ Seasoned wellness experts and coaches will be guiding you through making the right changes and holding you accountable (in a supportive way)
~ You won't be doing this on your own! You will work together with a small number of other participants in "Accountability Partnership Teams". Research shows that effective accountability partnerships raise your likelihood of success to 95%!
~ Optional but encouraged, you can share your lifestyle change commitments (and whether you are sticking to them) with your fellow participants and coach via an online habit tracker
~ Follow-up measurements will give you objective data about your progress and knowing a follow-up measurements is around the corner, tends to spur us on to stick to our commitments. -
Can my employer see my personal data?
No! Employers don't have access to individual employee’s personal data. This includes Firstbeat Life measurement results.
Employers only get to see aggregated, anonymised data for a company-wide and department-level overview. These reports are only generated if at least seven employees have completed a measurement during the report period.
You can find an overview of what the company level reporting looks like here.
Your personal / measurement data is stored on the Firstbeat web service in accordance with the Firstbeat Privacy Policy.
Also, everything you discuss with one of our wellness experts / coaches in your one-to-one sessions is strictly confidential. All members of our team abide by the strict code of practice of their registering / accrediting body. -
What is involved in wearing the Firstbeat device?
The measurement device, called the Bodyguard, is very light (24 grams), non-invasive and easy to wear under your clothing. You'll hardly notice it's there!
You wear it for 24-hours a day for up to 5 days, except when you are showering, swimming etc (the device is not waterproof). The device attaches to your body with self-adhesive electrodes, which you replace every day. All very straight forward and no-one will notice you are wearing it (unless of course you want to show off how invested you are in improving your lifestyle).
Have a look at this video to see how it works in more detail. -
How regularly should I do a Firstbeat Life measurement?
The straightforward answer: As often as you like throughout the programme (and afterwards if you continue the subscription). How often you measure is up to you but the more you measure the more you will understand your own well-being and how it is changing.
Our recommendation: At a minimum, you need to complete a baseline measurement at the start of the programme and a follow-up measurement at the end of the programme.
In addition, it can be really powerful to do a few additional ones during the programme. For example a few weeks after you have made some initial lifestyle changes to see if they are starting to have an impact. Or if you are experimenting with a few different recovery practices and want to see which one is most effective, etc.
These additional measurement can be short(er), even just a day or a few days. -
Can I keep using the device and app after the programme?
Absolutely! The device is issued to you personally and yours to keep.
The measurement service is provided on a subscription basis you receive a four-month subscription as part of the programme. When the programme is finished you can, but don't have to, continue the subscription for a monthly fee of $35 (which may be subsidised by your employer or is otherwise paid by you personally).
The subscription also includes access to member only resources. -
How does Firstbeat Life’s data differ from wearable devices?
The main differences are that 1) Firstbeat Life records heart rate variability with clinical-grade ECG, and 2) visually overlays your daily activities with this data.
Most wearable devices are based on monitoring pulse rate variation with optical technologies on the wrist. Without activity overlay, translating the data becomes challenging and most people find it difficult to then make positive change.
Firstbeat Life’s method provides highly accurate, meaningful, and actionable insights from your physiology during work, rest, exercise and sleep.
You can find out more about heart rate variability and the science behind Firstbeat here
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What about my Fitbit - can I sync it to run alongside Firstbeat?
Fitbit and Firstbeat do not provide a mechanism to sync data. It could be interesting though to compare the data and you can do this manually.
When you do a comparison, one thing you will notice is a difference in the step-count. Step counting methods are different between Firstbeat LifeTM and wrist-based devices.
You can read more on this in this Firstbeat article. -
Does the Firstbeat LifeTM app provide notifications and reminders?
The app has a very intuitive user interface which guides you through starting measurements and prompts you to complete other aspects of the measurement, such as the fitness walk and the wellbeing questionnaire.
Once you have completed 6 measurement days (across multiple measurements), the app's health notification feature is enabled. When your results are showing repeated signs of excessive load or your data is indicating physiological irregularities, you will receive a notification prompting you to take action.
You can also set measurement reminders.