think tanks

The news headlines today said eight more councils have been "drought declared".  Ironically it was raining at the time

Here are three ideas that roll into one, quite nicely.


1. I know of thousands of square metres of vacant public "art space" in Brisbane. - water tanks.

2.Not an original idea, it is from NYC, have a look at "think Tanks" here is the link think tanks new york. Heaps of famous artists in New York have been commissioned to illustrate the water tanks of the city to draw attention to the issue of water in New York and in the world.

3. I am really proud of the way Brisbane minded it's water in the last big drought. Everyone knew how much water their household used, having that brown lawn was a badge of honour. It was the talk around the dinner party table. I think the folks of Brisbane really proved that if we all pull together we can achieve something, even if it means personal sacrifices. Remember the four minute showers, level four water restrictions.

Let's do this, there are so many great little graphic design firms and artists in Brisbane. Let's show off our water awareness through some funky art and illustration and grafitti.

Fruit and veg thoughts

Our hunter gatherer brain
  There is something about a market filled with colorful produce that puts a spring everyone's step,  it makes me feel like there is nothing to worry about, that there is plenty.

Similarly, the many fruit and nut trees on the canal bank.  One of our fellow travelers said that you get your eye in.  And sure enough, I could easily start spotting the cherries and the walnuts.  Even hazel trees though nowhere near ready could be spotted.

I love it.

Coincidentally, I have just read yet another article about the high consumption of  fruit protecting us, this time, against chronic disease.

Heading Home

On the homeward run

Many squats later, we have learnt many things,

Apartment living in looks and feels very interesting.

Getting to the last plane now,  from summer to winter.

See you very soon

Habit of the Week.

Squats

This is an important exercise,  it works the large muscle groups of the lower body, strengthens muscle and bone, this improves balance.  Squatting properly may also save the back from injury, because it allows the correct muscles , the strongest muscles to do the lifting.

I have been doing squats while I have been away, and it has been photographed.

Can't wait to show you.

Pics of bikes

Our posh boat at the Bailly Caves

Exercise Elsewhere

We had heard that tai chi happens at the lake about 5.30am  (yikes 5.30?), and that the women meet up down at the lake, then go into the markets to buy the days food, fresh every day of course.  So off we went.  Nice to stretch our legs and be able to walk more calmly without the traffic.

Not so much a trickle.......

When we rounded the corner we walked into a river of people all moving, walking, cycling, running around the wide walking paths and road that circles the lake.  When I saw all the groups doing exercise together on the foreshore, I was moved to tears seeing so many content people all together.  As well, because  there was no traffic, there were no honking horns,  the brain could relax, a little,  without the concern of some random scooter or truck coming from any crazy angle.

There were many different large groups of ladies doing "tai chi". It was more like calisthenics really.  There was a loud speaker with a scratchy sounds track, counting out the beat and one very very old lady out in front.  Another group had red fans and were preparing to start,
Yet another were a group of men, with a couple gym stations and some heavy dumbells, shoulder press, bench press, push ups off the park bench.  After a while the ladies commenced tai chi proper.  This time there was a younger man who lead them through their moves, incredibly slowly.  They all followed, but all at different speeds!  Who cares, it wasn't for show. And they were al great and some were very old.

What is lesson for us?

No one was here under sufferance. It was a joyful atmosphere.  These people all work pretty hard physically during a typical day and still find the energy to exercise in the morning.

It was the coolest part of the day.
Uncle Ho (Ho chi Minh) was in favour of tai chi and practiced daily.  So culturally, politically and personally, exercise is held in high esteem.  This is in part due to good leadership and good role models.

Why is so tricky for us in the west?

Why do we have such a love/hate relationship with exercise?  Is is because physical work was/is regarded as low status?  We know exercise is doing us good, we always feel better for having done it.  Have we evolved to look for the easy way out, i.e. to be economical with our movements.

We, in the west, definitely have something to learn here.

At the lake first thing in the morning, Hanoi

Habit of the week. - Sleep well

So many aspects of good health rely upon having a good night's sleep.

• Energy levels
• Cognitive function
• Mood
• Growth
• Kidneys, lungs

You get the picture.

What can you do to sleep better?

Let go of stress, physical and emotional. Start darkening your environment. Ensure you are well hydrated all day, so you don't need a big catch up drink at night.  Can you think of any more?

Let me know by email or click comment and start a discussion

It's Switzerland and it is really hot

I know this sounds crazy. It's Switzerland and it is really hot.

We took a train from Zurich to Chur, Heidi country.  And everywhere there were folk swimming and boating and tanning, in the lake,  behind the snow capped mountains.

34 degrees!!!!!!

Sun setting on the distant mountain Village of Chur 

Habit of the week

Habit of the week - Practise memorizing

Does ones brain turn to congee when one is 'en vacance'

This week's habit is to try and memorize something.  The reason is "use it or lose it".  Our memories don't get a great workout these days with our "favourite" phone numbers stored  in our phone and the navman for directions and the internet for looking up facts. 
Striving to remember a poem or a quote will give the brain some practice.

La Biciclette

A rugged ride to the shops one morning with two companions - an imperative, we had to go shopping. The traffic was busy, mild, but scary for me - not joyful.  Always more to learn.  Met my first "cross" driver and two members of our party had falls.  We brought the groceries back home to the boat in the baskets on the front of the bicycle.  So Frenchy, so chic.  Saddle sore butt, I'll be fine.

Contrast the afternoon excursion

Later that same Day,
We moored along a quiet road with a lovely shaded area and we scampered up the limestone cliffs -  sounds heroic doesn't it? Alas no, there were a couple of sets of stairs, some stony outcrops traversing scree paths.  We only went as far as the grottos in the cliff face proper. Wow what a view , a great panorama opened up with a postcard-perfect ville and it's steeple for compositional bliss. We took happy snaps of Chris sitting on the park bench, by the canal perfectly relaxed while Rosey cut his hair.
We returned to terra-firma, onto the bicycles and we retraced our steps of a few days earlier and rode back all the way to the prettiest lock and it's jardin.  Sooooo easy on the bike - a pure joy to be riding a bicycle on the walking path.

The Lesson

Two rides on the same day, same bicycles , one ride full of fear, panic, obligation, the other?
We rode three or four times further, but with a joyful heart.



 So it seemed easier.  Makes you think......

Help with cystitis

Here are a few thoughts to help deal with this truly menacing problem. I had an informative chat with a colleague .  Here are the main points.

1.  Prevention.
Try cranberry medicine from the chemist.  It acts like a natural antiseptic on the urinary tract.
Of course keep the hygiene habits going.
Drink lots of water.

2.  Treatment.
Before you start taking any antibiotics,  it is very important to have the urine specimen tested for the correct culture or "bug".  Otherwise days are wasted if it is incorrect.  You must wait three days for another test.

3.  Ageing. The surprising Increase in the incidence in cases of cystitis  in older women is due to the thinning and weakening  of the tissues lining the pelvic floor.  It may be necessary to take a specific hormone tablet that takes care of this area.  Good news is there is such a medicine.

I know you cannot do much about Ageing but we can take some steps towards prevent cystitis.

A Strange City very first impressions

Arriving to a delicious, welcome  wall of heat after a cold night on a plane feels just like we are on holidays in Asia.  And what a relief to be met by our own taxi and immediately on our way....ahh

Traffic.  "we're not in Kansas anymore Toto"

The jaw dropping chaos, the honking horns make my head spin. There is no need of "lanes" and the "correct side of the road:- in this case right, is a mere concept, a philosophical idea.  Glad I am not driving.  In fact, I may never drive again. The roads are full of scooters. We learned later that the government encourages motor bikes:- laws permit two adults, and one child under six.  And to discourage car? How about a 200% tax on car registration.  So a Toyota Camry would cost $85,000 US. 

Golden Canes Interview on Local ABC radio

Here is the link to the interview that ABC local radio conducted with our Golden Canes instructor, martial arts expert Philippe Hoareau conducts his Golden Canes

 <http://www.goldencanes.com.au/content/020514-cane-fights-blog.mp3>

Meanwhile, at Nundah Activity Centre,  there are still Golden Cane vacancies in the new Pal program on Friday's, as well as the usual Saturday morning class.

It is a great program, giving people strength, confidence and the power to take care of themselves, safely.

Highly recommended.

HOW - Notice our Breathing

This week's Habit of the Week (HOW)  is to notice your breathing.  Our breathing is most efficient when we are straight,  sitting or standing, head up and shoulders down the back.

Take a lovely deep breath right now with your hand on the lower ribs above the hips.  It is so easy to breathe deeply, the muscles expand the ribs creating low pressure inside the lungs and the air rushes in.
Now try to take the same breath with a slumped posture, bury your head in your chest, curve forward through your shoulders, when you try the breath it is soooo difficult because you are forced to use the very top of the lungs and those ribs don't move so easily.

This week I have noticed an ad on TV where someone is taking a deep breath, standing on pool deck and you can see the flaring of the ribs and diaphragm working beautifully -  but I digress

Here is the kicker, when we are tired, we slump, right? Slumping causes us to breathe more shallowly and shallow breathing makes you tired.  Want some more energy?  Straighten up and breathe.

This week, notice how many different ways we have of breathing, the "stretching" breath, the laughing breath, the sprinting puffing breath.  Have you seen someone sleeping and watched their breath change?  How many types of breath do you have?

Habit of the Week - HOW

Our bodies adapt to the load we give them.  Make no demands upon yourself, physically, like say, stay in bed all day, and pretty soon all you will be able to do is.....stay in bed all day.  Your muscles weaken even your bone density can decrease.  Yikes.  This actually happened to the early astronauts, who were, of course, fit young strong men, their bone density went down because in space, the pull of tendon, muscle and ligament is reduced and less force goes through the bones.  Let me paraphrase:- in space no one can ........measure your bone density!  ha

What does this mean for us?

The less we do, the less we are able to do.   I am reminded of the adage:-      
       "We don't grow old and slow down, we slow down and grow old"

Importantly, the reverse is also true, when our bodies adapt to the load we give them, it means that if we require a little more of ourselves we can become stronger.  So at any age, we can expect to be stronger next year, than we are this year.

When we follow Habit of the Week - HOW whatever that maybe, we make small changes to our posture, etc and our body adapts to the new posture.  As we try to implement that new change every day, our postural muscles gradually become stronger. And if we try more often,  as many times a day as you can remember, the adaptation happens sooner.

So follow the HOW and try to do it regularly, during the week, and expect to see some positive changes, like easier breathing, better digestion, fewer aches and pains.

pollution exposure in the city

Here is a surprise.  A great TV series "Trust me I'm a Doctor" from the BBC.
They checked on the pollution exposure of a family who lived in Lancaster.  It turns out that there is more pollution exposure when you are sitting in traffic, than when you walk down that same street.