Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

A quick interruption to Q & A Thursday, because it’s NSW Bike Week and I’ve only just realised. There are still a few events on this weekend. bq. NSW Bike Week is a state-wide NSW Government initiative that raises the profile of cycling as a healthy, easy, low cost and environmentally friendly alternative to driving for short trips in your local community. NSW Bike Week provides an opportunity for the local community to participate in organised bicycle events in …

Read more 27 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

h3. 1. Walktober October is Walktober, particularly down in Victoria. Walktober is a Victoria Health initiative designed to get you walking more. There’s all sorts of stuff planned: * walk to school days * The world’s greatest pram stroll * a Melbourne walk and tram treasure hunt For more information about the activities and also the benefits of walking, see the Walktober website. h3. 2. Walk to work day Friday 5th October is Walk to Work day, all over …

Read more 29 September, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest forms of physical activity. While you can treat it as exercise, walking is also a mode of transport. You can walk to the shops, to a friend’s house and you can even walk to work. If we all walked a bit more, it would do wonders for our health. Today is national Walk to Work Day. This is an annual event, aimed at getting people out of the car and into …

Read more 05 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegan, Lifestyle, Salads and Dinners

• Spinach with tomato & tofu: Lovely recipe from A Vegetarian in the Middle East teaming tofu with tomatoes and Indian spices. There are a few ingredients, mostly spices, but it’s a simple recipe. Thanks to A Life (Time) of Cooking for pointing it out to me. * Eating to fuel exercise: I liked this piece from the Well blog about eating pre and post exercise. It’s a basic run-down of the issues, with some good practical advice and …

Read more 31 July, 2009

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

One of the things that always drops off during winter is physical activity. It’s too cold in the morning to get out of bed, while it’s cold and dark in the evening, so it’s that bit harder to get out for a walk / run / bike ride. h3. Most people do less in winter On the weekend we do more sedentary activites, rather than being outside and active. We meet friends for a movie or coffee and cake. Whereas …

Read more 05 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

It’s been cold and wet in Sydney the last couple of days and while we need the rain, it’s definitely not the sort of weather most Sydney-siders like. So it’s a good time for the NSW Transport Minister to launch a winter health initiative – encouraging people to limit coughing and sneezing on public transport. Sounds simplistic, but most of the winter lurgies are spread by droplet infections – ie by tiny particles that are projected far and wide every …

Read more 20 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

The NSW government has recently launched an initiative called Live Life Well, which includes a new website containing, information, quizes and tools encouraging us all to be healthier. While, here in Australia, we’re living longer, many people are spending a lot of those extra years suffering from chronic diseases, on mulitiple medications and unable to fully enjoy and take part in all of life’s riches. The Live Life Well campaign is all about equipping you with the information and tools …

Read more 29 December, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

For many, the January holidays are drawing to a close (if they haven’t finished already) and it’s back to work. It can be amazing how quickly that holiday feeling evaporates, when confronted with your pile of work, voicemail messages and email inbox? As individuals, there is much we can do to keep healthy and reduce stress while at work. Even little changes can make a difference, for example trying to leave on time at least a couple of times per …

Read more 18 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle and Miscellanea

Quite startling news yesterday about a specific type of interval training that may encourage a higher degree of fat burning. A study conducted by the University of NSW and the Garvan Institute over 15 weeks, split 45 overweight women into two groups. One group cycled at a steady pace for 40 minutes, while the other group did a 20 minute regime including eight seconds of sprinting, followed by 12 seconds of cycling lightly. Neither group made any changes to their …

Read more 23 January, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle and Nutrition

With the incidence of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes on the rise in Australia, it’s increasingly vital to spread the message of how it can (usually) be regulated through diet and lifestyle changes. If you want to prevent complications, keep your blood sugar levels stable and continue living a long and healthy life, then diet and lifestyle are important. The latest GI newsletter contains a comprehensive list of the ten diet and lifestyle changes you need to make to reduce your …

Read more 02 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

There’s anecdotal evidence that Sydney-siders are cycling more. Whether it’s biking to work every day, or about town on the weekend, more and more people seem to be getting on their bikes. Which makes this Saturday’s chocolate and fine food cycle ride a cute, interesting and timely event. It’s organised by the Marrickville-South Sydney Bicycle Group and is a 20 kilometre cycle, over three hours, that winds its way around the cafes, patisseries and chocolate shops of the inner west. …

Read more 30 March, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

We all know water is important to our health, but why exactly is that? Over at The Diet Dish_, Cynthia Sass has been posting about water: why we drink it, which is better, bottled or tap and exactly how much water should we be drinking? Take a look – part 1 and part 2nutrition/2007/03/water-water-everywhere-part-2.html. Photo by Wassa under the terms of the Creative Commons License..

Read more 10 April, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

Plus from the SMH an examination of the marketing of bottled water. Here in Australia we drink 252 million litres of bottled water, at a total cost of $385 million and the market has grown by 42% since 2002. bq. Water, it seems, isn’t just a drink. It’s a health product, a status symbol and now – with the arrival of New York’s $US40 ($51) Bling h2O (“a couture water that makes an announcement like a Rolls-Royce Phantom”) – a …

Read more 10 April, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

I’ve been posting a lot about drinks recently: juices, ribena , water, so it seems apt to be linking to Chew On This talking about wine: Supersize me: when one glass of wine is almost three. Paula’s article covers what exactly is a standard drink and how many of them are you allowed? There’s a lot of confusion about this in the community, so it’s a useful summary.

Read more 19 April, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

I’ve been thinking a lot about work-life balance recently: what it is, how to achieve it and perhaps most significantly, how to maintain it in the long-term. Before going away, I was tired and felt I needed my holiday just a bit too much. I’d let work and commitments overwhelm the other parts of my life – the parts that keep me healthy, stress free and full of energy. Work life balance has become such a buzz-phrase. Journalists write about …

Read more 04 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

One of the resolutions I’ve made while thinking about work life integration, has been to meditate on a daily basis. Until now I have been, at best, a sporadic meditator. It was always something I thought I should do, something that would be good for me – thought patterns which are never beneficial to starting a new routine or lifestyle change. In one of those strange instances of reminders coming from all (and unexpected) angles, I was thinking about meditation, …

Read more 05 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

A new study shows where you live can influence your health. It’s not surprising news, but this three year study by the University of Melbourne has shown the more fast food outlets and the fewer walking tracks a suburb has, the more unhealthy its residents. Location affects the food residents eat, the amount of exercise they do and their weight. The report looked at 50 different areas and the food purchasing and exercise habits of about 5,000 residents. The study …

Read more 28 May, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Lifestyle

A follow up to the previous story – the City of Knox has responded to the Melbourne University research. The local council have joined forces with community and health services to try and make it easier for mums to walk more. bq. Wendy Smith, the Knox City Council’s coordinator of social planning and research, says the research highlighted the dependence of many Knox residents on their cars for short trips around the neighbourhood. As a result, the Council, working with …

Read more 28 May, 2007