Saturday 31 December 2016

A Healthy Breakfast idea - Cinnamon and Cacao Granola.

Our friend Jo brought this delicious dish to Christmas morning breakfast.  She says it is fast and very easy.  We think  we will add this to our bircher muesli. So here is the recipe.


Cinnamon and Cacao Granola

150g Coconut flakes
80g pepitas - pumpkin seeds
80g sesame seeds roughly chopped
125g pecans
80ml rice malt syrup, or honey - we're using honey
60ml melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs cacao powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 125C/255F
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl
Combine (use your hands) to coat evenly
Line two trays with baking paper
Bake for 30 minutes turning once
Remove from oven and add goji berries or other dried fruit, as desired
Store in an airtight container.

Saturday 3 December 2016

Mobilize and Stretch, Habit of the Week, HOW

Each week we try one thing.  One small practice to implement. It is like homework.  And the more you practise the easier it gets.

This week's habit is to mobilise and stretch your joints.  This is a beneficial, especially if you sit for prolonged periods, commuting, or computing, driving, studying, sewing or doing that cryptic crossword.

As we grow tired and stiffen up, pain may overtake us. One way to alleviate the pain of stiffness, in say, neck, shoulders, or back is to do small semi circular movements of the shoulders, and ribs. These movements bring extra blood flow to the area and can help stimulate joint fluid.  And ah! we feel better.

An example may include shrugging the shoulders, or hands on the shoulders and draw circles with our elbows.  Lengthen the back of our necks and gently turn our head from side to side.
And, of course, stretching.
Three big stretches stand out, i.e. most bang for your buck.  
One of the most valuable stretch is the calf muscle stretch.
Secondly, the hamstring stretch
Thirdly, the deep hip stretch.

We talked about these in class, we do them every week.  They keep hips, knees and backs healthy and in the case of the calf muscle help to restore chronically tight muscles, and thus help our feet and knees.

Habit of the week, Stretching and mobilising,  Big impact, little effort.




Sunday 23 October 2016

A Good Night Routine

A good night's sleep is not my strong suit.  There are plenty of reasons for me to do better. Not enough that sleep colours everyday with a veil of low energy and cynicism,  but there are volumes written about the connection between good sleep, health and wellness and even weight loss.. During sleep we process mental and emotional stuff.  We dream.  And if we needed any more persuasion, good sleep assists memory and learning.

We are back from holidays and our household is putting Sleep on "project" status.

Here is the plan
    No screens for an hour before bed, that includes TV.
    I am leaving the phone and tablet in another room, not the bedroom.
    If I wake up in the night, a quick "pit stop" and then back to bed, without thinking too deeply about the world

I went to an excellent "soul discovery"  workshop  with a view to learning some better meditation techniques. It was fun and honest and surprising.  Highly recommended.

So how is your sleep?  Do you wake up middle of the night like me, or do you having trouble  drifting off?

Saturday 22 October 2016

A Great Posture Cue from Rhonda

Attend to your neck tube

Imagine that some part of your neck can be represented by a tube.  You may choose your windpipe, or your oesophagus or your spinal cord.  Picture it as a piece of tubing.  Imagine holding a piece of tubing at the top and let it drape downwards. Relax and lengthen your neck.

Now picture the tube stretching forward.  This represents the "head forward" posture. Alternatively, put a kink or bend in your imaginary tube.  This represents the posture when we tilt our chin upwards to lift our head..  No you don't.  Try not to shorten the back of your neck.

This week's habit, lengthen your own neck (tube).  It is a handy cue to better posture, therefore less neck pain.  So it keeps you looking younger, slimmer  and and smarter.

Thanks to Rhonda Ohlson, Feldenkrais Practitioner.
Im loving Rhonda's "Free you Body, Free your Voice" class

Monday 10 October 2016

A Spada Surprise in Verona

Just a few doors from our place in Verona was a giant set of stairs the Scalone. These stairs led up to San Pietro, high up above the city.  This offered a "Florence -like" view across the river into the city. I was grateful for this walk, it was a no brainer, no maps or organization required, and if the magnificent view were not enough, then the coffee afterwards was the reward. One morning, I met a guy who was dressed in martial arts gear.  He looked pretty fit, and he had a stick.  He was practising Spada, a form of martial art.  He was from Brazil, but we could speak in Italiano.
I explained the training that I had done with Golden Canes, and how older people can use the cane for defense.  I explained how we are trained to survey our environment so as to prevent trouble, and how our tactics buy us a precious few seconds to get away
He was interested, but he was much more focused on attack.

What a surprising encounter.
Now I've got the cane, ha, I sure showed him a thing or two.

Wednesday 5 October 2016

When is the best time.?

A New York Times article discusses the optimal time for exercise for weight loss.  The short answer is immediately upon waking, before breakfast.  

However, there's more.  There always is. Weight loss is only one reason for exercise.  You might exercise:-

  •  To clear your head
  •  To change your outlook- cheer yourself up 
  •  To strenthen muscles in order to have more fun
  •  To strengthen oarticular muscles for an activity, say sport, improve your swing
  • Bone density increase
  • Reduce the risk of falls
  • Improve your memory and cognitive function.  More about this later.
  • To keep well, Prevent disease
  • To ease your pain or symptoms
  • To slow the ageing process
  • To become more flexible - mentally and physically. "Yes you can"
  • To sleep better
  • To have fun
So you can see from this hastily put-together list that there are many reasons for undertaking exercise.  Sure, an early exercise session might be the best for weight loss. However, it is not the only reason to exercise, and we must all read helpful articles very carefully. 

Wednesday 21 September 2016

NYT Article

Air pollution linked to diabetes marker
New York Times Article

Il Concerto all'Arena Rocks


Enjoying the atmosphere the Arena
Ieri sera siamo andati all'Arena per vedere Zucchero. Era molto divertente e molto affollato. Siamo arrivati in anticipio, poiché ottenere un posto bello.
Il concerto era meraviglioso.  Durava per più di 2 ore 40 miniti.. e zucchero brillava.  Lui ha cantato per quasi tutto.  La gente l'amava. Loro sanno ogni  canzone.
Poi alle 12 meno un quarto siamo tornati a casa nostra, nelle strade di Verona, con tutti gli altri. Una buona passeggiata.
Anna

 We went to a Rock concert in the Arena in Verona.  It's a 2,000 year old venue.  We were sitting on hard marble seats, we had to bring a cushion to sit upon. However that was okay, when we realised we are sitting inthe very seats that the Romans sat in for their entertainment. Probably didn't use amplifiers and laser lights  back then. 
Apart from that, nothing hss changed really.

Friday 16 September 2016

Here are my reflections from Venice Biennale, a few years back

Beautiful Venice, La Serenissima is in big trouble right now.  Acqua Alta


Venice Biennale-Architecture 2  - Australia

So we're peering into the architectural drawings, the footprints, the photos, the models and the tiny, tiny font to read the information from each country's interpretation of From The Edge. Brilliant stuff, Europe is concerned with housing millions of refugees, there are some brilliant, intelligent solutions , short medium and long term.  This is earnest stuff.

Then we walked into the new Australian Pavillion, it's a dark, plain even severe building.  I read somewhere that the architects wanted the art to speak, more than the building. It was a hot day. So what's in the building.......  the Australian Pavillion has a swimming pool.  Nothing to read, no drawings, no photos no tiny, tiny font to read. I flopped into one of the cool deck chairs on pool deck and listened to the voices. recognized the voices. We've been away a while so that was nice. I chuckled to myself thinking how lightweight Australia was..

I watched the reflections of the water.  Then the voice of Anna Funder talked about how important the pool was to all Australians finding a cool spot on a hot day,such fun for kids.  It means summer and freedom to kids. Yeah
Tim Flannery talked about what a waste a pool was, effectively, poisoning water with chlorine, just so we could swim in it.  Yeah.
Hetti Perkins talked about her dad, Charlie and the freedom rides in NSW in the late '60s. She said how pools outwest didnt allow indigenous people in.  Now the pools outwest, not only welcome all children, but the pool access has resulted in fewer ear infections, - This means better attention in schools, actually better hearing in schools, so children learn better.
They had a cute sign "AQUA PROFUNDA" up on the back wall.  Tbis was a nod to the Fitzroy pool, where there was a big Italian migrant population. The pool manager was so sick of fishing people out of the deep end that he put up sign in "Italian" aqua profunda, (spelt incorrectly in Italian hehe)

Public pools ARE big for Australians a serious cultural icon, a slice of our former lives, and really delicious on a hot day.

Venice Biennale-Architecture 2 - Australia

So we're peering into the architectural drawings, the footprints, the photos, the models and the tiny, tiny font to read the information from each country's interpretation of From The Edge. Brilliant stuff, Europe is concerned with housing millions of refugees, there are some brilliant, intelligent solutions , short medium and long term.  This is earnest stuff.

Then we walked into the new Australian Pavillion, it's a dark, plain even severe building.  I read somewhere that the architects wanted the art to speak, more than the building. It was a hot day. So what's in the building.......  the Australian Pavillion has a swimming pool.  Nothing to read, no drawings, no photos no tiny, tiny font to read. I flopped into one of the cool deck chairs on pool deck and listened to the voices. recognized the voices. We've been away a while so that was nice. I chuckled to myself thinking how lightweight Australia was..

I watched the reflections of the water.  Then the voice of Anna Funder talked about how important the pool was to all Australians finding a cool spot on a hot day,such fun for kids.  It means summer and freedom to kids. Yeah
Tim Flannery talked about what a waste a pool was, effectively, poisoning water with chlorine, just so we could swim in it.  Yeah.
Hetti Perkins talked about her dad, Charlie and the freedom rides in NSW in the late '60s. She said how pools outwest didnt allow indigenous people in.  Now the pools outwest, not only welcome all children, but the pool access has resulted in fewer ear infections, - This means better attention in schools, actually better hearing in schools, so children learn better.
They had a cute sign "AQUA PROFUNDA" up on the back wall.  Tbis was a nod to the Fitzroy pool, where there was a big Italian migrant population. The pool manager was so sick of fishing people out of the deep end that he put up sign in "Italian" aqua profunda, (spelt incorrectly in Italian hehe)

Public pools ARE big for Australians a serious cultural icon, a slice of our former lives, and really delicious on a hot day.

Thursday 15 September 2016

Venice Biennale-Architecture

From the Edge - Ideas Aplenty

The theme of the Biennale is FROM THE EDGE.  Countries have more or less permanent exhibition buildings, where they interpreted this theme. Scandanavian countries banded together to a certain extent. The brand new Australian building is remarkable.  It was funded entirely by private money, no government went into this building. There is also a grand paladio-styled USA pavillion, France, Czech Republic, slovenia, Hungary, Netherlands, Egypt and a consortium of designers and architects housed in the Biennale building itself.
Look closely

The Israel  Pavillion
I was drawn to this display under the Israel Pavillion because I thought it looked like the bamboo entrance at the Woodford folk festival, shown below.
Woodford Folk Festival 
However, this material is made by bacteria then extruded and made into poles. This means, unlike cement or wood, it is cheap, renewable and so sustainable. Good thinking from a country with few natural resources. I'm excited.


Wednesday 14 September 2016

Straighten up to lift the head. Habit of the Week.HOW

I confess I've been nodding off on the trains and curled forward in my posture. However, I've noticed that it's not possible to put my head above my shoulders unless I straighten my spine first.

This weeks habit is straighten the body in order to lift the head.

Venice Biennale-Architecture

Another way

1st day of school, Verona

Lucky, aren't we.  We are able to stay in this one place for a while, so there is time to plan, shop for groceries, do the washing..
We are staying in Verona itself. We are organizing our own outings/adventures, which takes some time to research.  In addition, we don't want to rent a car, we would rather travel by public transport or walk. We enjoy the challenge. We are having some close encounters with the locals and we are seeing the place from many different perspectives.  We are still tourists,  of course, still outsiders.
The start of the school year.  "Buon Inizio"*
So today, for instance, we were up for the early bus to head out of town on the intercity train. We saw hundreds of school buses with thousands of high school students, obviously coming from far and wide. And, by contrast,  yesterday we walked around town about 8.00am and we encountered all the 'littlies' going to school for the first day with their parents.  Really cute. Especially the little preschooler in his dust jacket/smock anyhow, all the kids were all carrying a shoe box with their name. These are their gym shoes which they leave at school from now on. So Italian mothers never have to say where are your joggers on sports days.  Interesting to see how others do things differently.


*"Buon inizio" is the greeting on the first day of school.  Means "good start"
.

Monday 12 September 2016

Feeding the hunger in our head

New York Times

Our brain requires fuel.  When we have been studying or completing our tax return or trying to negotiate with Telstra, we normally feel hungry afterwards. And, We eat.

Some researchers at Birmingham University, Alabama reasoned that a bout of exercise might push blood sugar and lactates around the body, both of which are brain fuel.

They constructed an elegant experiment.  Here is the link to the NYT's article.:-New york Times, how to stop the brain from craving food.

Turns out that those students who sat quietly after a mentally arduous task, consumed 100 calories more pizza than their normal baseline consumption, and those who did 15 minutes of interval training after the mentally arduous task consumed 25 calories fewer than their own baseline amount.  And a whopping 200 calories less when you take into account the calories they burned doing their exercise.

Sounds like a win-win to me

Friday 2 September 2016

Public Transport- I love it

We have been in Lorelei country in fact, within a few hundred - metres of the "mermaid/siren" herself, the little minx.  Actually she's a great rocky outcrop on the bank of the  river Rhine.  She is so famous that they built a statue , it is in the middle of the river. Our friends Chris and Rosie and Don learnt the poem, "Die Lorelei " when they studied German at school and I learnt the song in English when I was at school. Here's the version I learnt.

"I know not why but my gladness has utterly passed away
And my spirit is filled with sadness
With the lilt of on old-time lae.
The air is dewy and darkly
And calmly floweth the Rhine.
The crest of the hill is sparkling
In the glow of the evening sunshine."

Now hands up whoever is not singing.

Did anyone else learn this?
Go ahead and comment.



check out these grapes

Views down the Rhine valley

Our place in St Goar, viewed from the opposite

Sunday 28 August 2016

Time to ditch those stereotypes part 2




the Welsh countryside,  Snowdonia 
We are in Wales. It is late summer, a Bank Holiday weekend and everyone is out and about.  We thought we would go for a walk around Mt Snowdon.  Wrong.  Turns out everyone in the United Kingdom also had the same idea, and were hiking the mountains in huge numbers.   So that there were cars parked legally and illegally  for miles. Wow everyone, all ages,  were walking, or canoeing or climbing or sailing, amazing. 
Alas we should have  picked a quieter time.  But what a buzz.  The scenery was magnificent, at every turn. A beautiful drive, but no walking for us.


Time to ditch those stereotypes

New York.

There was almost no litter in New York.  The streets were clean, stations, everywhere. There were lots of tourists, every third person had a map in their hand. As well, there were a lot of out-of-towners.  That is folks from other states who were visiting  New York.
Certainly there was a buzz about.  Lots of women in shorts and sun dresses.it was warmish, 30 degrees. It was holiday season and children were just about to head back to school.

Everyone was kind to us, and people always helped us, if we were lost. Traffic was incredibly heavy and often hopelessly backed up, do we were glad we decided not to drive.  Everyone takes the subway.  And it is complex,  like the London Underground,  so people are pretty fit.  All the subways have steps.

Our hosts worked very hard.   They were very busy.
We hardly saw them. However they could order out for anything. Want your washing done? Sure,  just phone the Laundry, who come to the apartment  (up the four flights of stairs) take the laundry and return it two days later, washed, dried and folded. Want a quick meal, just phone, it's delivered in a flash. Be prepared to tip.




Water tanks in New york.  They are everywhere. They assist with water pressure.  This building is near the highline, photographed from the Whitney Gallery.  Some ta ks have been painted by major artists.  They are called think tanks. See my blog 
Inside the new building located at ground zero


Monday 22 August 2016

Incidental Exercise - on holiday

Soho - New York

We are lucky to be staying in New york.  We are walking everywhere and,  of course, taking the subway.   Our accommodation is on the fourth floor.  Or should I say the forrworth florwor.  We're getting fitter with every outing.

As well, getting lost brings extra mileage. We meandered an extra kilometre just crossing Central Park from the Natural history museum.  It's all so beautiful and interesting that we don't seem to notice how far we've walked

Sunday 10 January 2016

Back in the Saddle Again

A quick heads up.

I will be leading the classes at Carina, from now on.

Sandgate class commences next week.

Meanwhile, the Aspley and the Nundah classes resume on 25th January.

The holiday exercise program B.W.S.

Balance - try to practise for a few seconds every day

Walking - Go for a walk everyday

Squats -  Squats three times a week.

This simple regime should keep you in good shape to rejoin the classes after the Christmas holidays.