11 May 2012.

A coalition of leading health agencies, the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) is calling on the Victorian Government to kick junk food brand promotion out of children‟s sports in light of the latest incursion by McDonald‟s into junior football yesterday – the Mac Pack.

Executive Manager of the OPC, Jane Martin said that the programs such as Mac Pack are an underhanded way of marketing junk food to children at a time when there is a lot of concern about childhood obesity and it‟s high on the government‟s agenda.

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The events take place in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.

To find out more, visit http://www.mswalk.org.au/ or call the MS Events team on 1300 733 690.

9 May 2012.

Senator POLLEY (Tasmania—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (19:24): Last week, I was very pleased to see the announcement that 19 editors of Vogue magazines around the world had made a pact to project the image of healthy models. They agreed to ‘not knowingly work with models under the age of 16
or who appear to have an eating disorder’. Sara Ziff, an advocate for people working in the fashion industry, has said:

The use of under-aged models is linked to financial exploitation, eating disorders, interrupted schooling, and contributes to models’ overall lack of empowerment in the workplace. … We simply believe that 14 is too young to be working in this very grownup industry.

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8 May 2012.

Strong Economy and Fair Australia

The four years of surpluses I announce tonight are a powerful endorsement of the strength of our economy, resilience of our people, and success of our policies.

In an uncertain and fast‑changing world, we walk tall — as a nation confidently living within its means.

This Budget delivers a surplus this coming year, on time, as promised, and surpluses each year after that, strengthening over time.

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3 May 2012.

The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is urging parents and coaches of junior soccer to understand what makes the best choice for half-time drinks and snacks during junior sport. “Plain water to drink and fruit to snack on are the best choices at half-time for junior sports such soccer, football, hockey and netball,” said Dr Ingrid van der Mei, Tasmanian Branch President of PHAA.

“For sports where continuous activity lasts under an hour, the focus should be on encouraging children to keep well hydrated by drinking water regularly. Not drinking enough leaves children dehydrated, reducing concentration, skill level and ultimately performance.

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4 May 2012.

As an Ambassador of the Go Red for Women Campaign,  ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher today invited Canberra women to join her in making a difference in women’s heart health by signing up for this year’s Healthy Heart Challenge.

“The Healthy Heart Challenge asks women to choose a small, realistic goal for 10 weeks, including being active every day, improving their nutrition, or quitting smoking, as a practical way for women to improve their heart health behaviours,” the Chief Minister said.

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24 April 2012.

The Premier, Lara Giddings, today congratulated Graeme Lynch on his appointment as the new chair of the Premier’s Physical Activity Council (PPAC).

The Council’s core responsibility is to promote physical activity in the broader Tasmanian community.

“Physical activity is perhaps the most important and effective preventative health measure,” Ms Giddings said.

“By encouraging people to stay active and healthy, we can help reduce chronic illness and disease and ease the burden on our health system.

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Where do you currently work and what is your role?

I am the Managing Director and owner of Smart Connection Training, a specialist RTO for the sport, recreation and fitness sector.

How did you get to where you are now in your career?

I started in 1979 as a pool lifeguard and then had jobs were I managed fitness centres, golf courses, cemeteries, crematoria, parks, arts facilities, theatres, play schemes, ice rinks, sports and leisure centres and more. In 1997 I moved to Australia and set up my own business specialising in providing advice and supporting organisations, focussing on encouraging more people be more active in more places. In the past 7 years the focus has been on training people in the sector so that they can either enter our great industry or climb the career ladder.

What do you see as the future trends in the industry and why?

I think we need to change our thinking and look at the fitness industry as being aligned to the health sector more. We need to stop trying to attract just the 5% of the community who normally join fitness centres and target the other 95%. In the UK when I left in 1997 every single local government Council had a GP referral scheme … in this country we have various industry sectors arguing about who is qualified or not qualified to help the community. Let’s work together to make a difference to people’s lives before it’s too late!

What advice do you have for someone starting out in the industry?

Use your first job as a way to identify a mentor around you that is passionate, experienced and inspires you to make a difference. Make friends with them. Then you will see that this industry offers both jobs and careers and look at how you can make yours the latter.

Ideally, what will you be doing in 5 years time?

I would love to have more time to establish a task force. A ‘who’s who’ of all the key players in our industry that will lobby and mentor peak bodies in fitness, leisure, education, community services and most importantly government, to change the health of our community. At the same time I would love to have more time to travel the world and start relaxing after working in this industry for 38 years!!

Thank you Martin for taking the time to answer our questions!

What is cardiovascular disease?

Humans are genetically predisposed to move and be active. However, with an increase in inactivity and sedentary lifestyle, the likelihood of lifestyle diseases is dramatically increasing.

Cardiovascular disease covers all diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels. There are many forms and causes of these diseases with the main underlying problem being atherosclerosis. In this condition, there is an abnormal build-up of fat, cholesterol and other substances (known as plaque) in the inner lining of arteries. Atherosclerosis is most serious when it affects the blood supply to the heart (causing angina or a heart attack) or to the brain (which can lead to a stroke).

The major risk factors of cardiovascular disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, insufficient physical activity, overweight and obesity, poor nutrition and diabetes.

Regular moderate exercise is important for those with reduced cardiovascular function as it will aid in the healing process and helps stabilise and restore physical performance. However, it is important for the individual to consult their doctor prior to commencing any exercise program. Any physical activity must be adapted to suit the individual’s level of health and physical condition and must be monitored closely throughout.

Heart disease is a complex condition and has many associated health risks such as diabetes or obesity. For patients with heart disease, it is important to set specific heart rate zones and perform supervised fitness tests to determine important heart rate data.

Exercise and cardiac rehabilitation programs

Endurance training has an important preventative and rehabilitive effect on the cardiovascular system. The benefit being improvement of cardiovascular performance, lower myocardial oxygen consumption and blood pressure plus reduced LDL blood cholesterol.

Light to moderate endurance training with at 60—75% of maximum heart rate for around 30 minutes will help boost regeneration and well being, activate the metabolism and improve the cardiovascular system. However, in some cardiac rehabilitation patients, endurance training may not be appropriate and interval training may be a more beneficial way to stabilise or improve heart function. For example: A brisk walk at 70-75% of maximum heart rate for 3 minutes followed by a slow walk at 60-65% of maximum heart rate. Repeated 5 times.

Appropriate strength training can also assist in the rehabilitation of a patient with cardiovascular disease. Research suggests that healthy skeletal muscles contribute to the regulation of the entire body. It is usually recommended to design weight training around the behaviour of the individual’s blood pressure as this measurement is relative to intensity, duration of the contraction and size of the working muscles.

Make the most of the last of the season’s delicious eggplants with this healthy lentil and roasted eggplant soup. It’s perfect to keep the chill at bay on those cool autumn nights. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, a good source of iron and fibre, and great for freezing. 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook – too easy!

Ingredients:

• 4 eggplants, large
• 25 ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic, cloves, crushed
• 3 roma tomatoes, cut into large dices
• 1/4 bunch basil, leaves only, washed
• 1/4 bunch coriander, leaves only, washed
• 500 g lentils, washed and rinsed
• 1 potato, large, peeled and cut into small dices
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 litres water
• pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon spice mix (prepare using 1 cardamom pod, 1 clove, 1 star anise, ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds)

Method:

1. Prepare the spice mix. Lightly toast spices in a hot dry fry pan until they crackle and become fragrant. (Be careful not to burn them). Grind mixture in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
2. Prick the skin of the eggplants, and roast in the oven at 180°c until soft.
3. Remove the flesh from the eggplants and roughly chop.
4. In a heavy based pan, sweat (cook gently) the onions and garlic in olive oil.
5. Add the spice mix, tomato, eggplant, and half of the coriander and basil.
6. Sweat for a few minutes to release the flavours.
7. Add the lentils and potatoes cover with water.
8. Bring to a simmer, and remove any scum, which rises to the surface.
9. Simmer until lentils and potatoes are tender (approx 20 – 30 minutes). Add more water if required.
10. Finish by seasoning, and stirring through the lemon juice, and remaining herbs.
11. To serve, garnish with some fresh coriander and lemon juice.

With thanks to Better Health Channel for allowing us to share this recipe.