Category: HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Alcohol – It’s More Fun Living Without It!

by Carmel Reid, BEng DMS CertEd MCMI, Somerset UK

When I was a young child, I was occasionally offered the opportunity to sip some wine. It didn’t taste nice to me.

At some point, in my late teens/early 20s, I started to drink. I don’t know why I overrode my body’s natural dislike of the alcohol, I can only assume it was in order to be like my friends, who also drank. Unfortunately, I would often drink too much and end up being sick in the most embarrassing places. Continue reading “Alcohol – It’s More Fun Living Without It!” →

Hiding Behind my Beer Can!

by Mick S, Tradesman, age 42, Australia

Let’s start by asking first, what is alcohol? …To side track just for a moment, let’s use our kids drinking water with cordial added to it as an example. Many of us have told our kids less cordial more water. (And more than once!) This waters down the sugar intake thus leaving us to deal with a lesser grade of sugar infused craziness and definitely no red cordial please. Is this making sense!

So we then move on to alcohol, which as many of us would know, is basically fermented sugar. But did you also know that the body actually treats this type of sugar as a poison to the point where we get sick if we have too much (that would be the hangover) or even really sick if we have way too much… (and that would be the vomiting). Not to mention the fact that alcohol is usually flavoured – requiring more sugar, to which we then add a mixer, which is even more sugar. So the end result is a drink made from sugar to which we then add a HUGE amount of additional sugar  – and we’re worried about the kids’ crazy behaviour! …Are we really this crazy? Continue reading “Hiding Behind my Beer Can!” →

Discovering The ‘Non-Diet’ Way Of Weight Loss

by JJ, Teacher, Australia

Back in my late 20’s, and after some very serious dieting, I experienced quite a few episodes of excruciating abdominal pain and raging fevers, so my doctor sent me off for medical investigations. These confirmed I had been having attacks of diverticulitis, but I was really taken aback when my doctor said he had also been checking to see if I had cancer. Continue reading “Discovering The ‘Non-Diet’ Way Of Weight Loss” →

Choices, I’ve Made A Few… Shockers!

At age 28 my life was out of control. I had a job, girlfriend, home, car, etc and everything appeared to be fine (I sure thought it was) – but for me to get through the day I needed my cans of coke, chocolate, cigarettes and my pot. And that was just the days through the week – come time for the weekend and I needed all that, plus ecstasy and speed. My life was a blur, and whilst I was holding down my job as a bricklayer, I was completely thrashing myself. I took so much pride in being the fastest brickie in the gang, but not so much care in what I was building. I was always a neat worker but I just wanted to get the job done so I could get home and get out of it: I was even contemplating a career change as I had had enough. At the time I thought it was my job that I was sick of, but I look back now and it was my life that was turning me off. Continue reading “Choices, I’ve Made A Few… Shockers!” →

As I Get Older I Get ‘Weller’, Not Sicker

As we get older, there seems to be a common way of thinking – that we will deteriorate.

I remember the stage in our lives when my husband found himself standing at the village community centre bar discussing his ailments with a neighbour and comparing what tablets they were on. They were like the two old men in the Muppets.

Why do our bodies get sicker as we get older? Why do we assume it’s normal? Continue reading “As I Get Older I Get ‘Weller’, Not Sicker” →

Rediscovering Our Body’s Lovely Flow

by Kate Greenaway BAppSc (Physiotherapy), Australia

Recently I had a fascinating experience that highlighted to me the difference between moving and exercising in a gentle flowing way, or pounding and pushing the body. I was packing my car after a lovely time exercising in the local pool – two middle-aged men were running down a steep cement driveway near me – they were literally pounding and jarring their bodies. They were red and puffy in their faces and they looked miserable. I was feeling really fluid and content in my body from the gentle moving and swimming that I had just done, and then to feel what these men were doing to their bodies almost made me wince as they slammed their bodies with each step. From my work in physiotherapy over the last 28 years I know this sort of activity to be extremely damaging to the joints of the legs and spine, and to the deep soft tissue that supports them. Continue reading “Rediscovering Our Body’s Lovely Flow” →