Our pictures speak volumes ………. #City2Surf2015 #ParaQuadNSW #I/OMerino

Our pictures speak a thousand words…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Support these winners : Click here 

Emily and Cobie are raising awareness and funds for ParaQuadNSW – supporting people with spinal cord injuries in their communities.

Special thanks to our team; Nicola, Noni, Mandy, Julie and Tim, Martha, Gary, Gemma and Leanne.

Special support along the route from Rosie and Sophie, Elvis, The Village People, The Australian Army Rock Band, The Fire and Rescue Band, NSW Police Rock Band (Wow -Belinda Adams has a voice!).

Everybody, all the enthusiasm and en route entertainment made the day fabulous!

We are pushing #City2Surf – to raise awareness and funds for community support……

I collected our team bibs for City2Surf2015 and started to get excited, less than 48 hours!!

We had our last training session on Wednesday which went well except very breezy which meant Emily and Cobie both felt cold. We had a group discussion about layering up for Sunday. I can assure you all now that there will be no shedding of clothes when these two race! Keeping warm is an issue as a wheelchair user.

 

Emily is fortunate to own I/O Merino garments, light weight layers that help conquer the cold. The altitude full length tights are the ultimate underwear. These thermals are lightweight making them perfect for layering and the mid rise fit with an elasticated waist band ensures that they will never slip down. The altitude lightweight long sleeve top is perfect for wearing on its own or when exercising as the fabric is breathable allowing moisture to be wicked away from the skin helping to keep Emily from feeling clammy. I mention this because Emily wouldn’t leave home without these imperative layers under her sports wear.

 

 

The team will be in royal blue ParaQuadNSW jerseys. We are starting in the Gold Charity wave at 8.20am. If you see us  – cheer!!

As members of ParaQuadNSW both Emily and Cobie have been awarded funds to continue their studies, a integral link to rehabilitating after a traumatic spinal cord injury.

 

 

Both Emily and Cobie will be pushing to Bondi using their Freewheel attachment. It allows them the confidence to tackle terrain without worrying that their front casters will eject them if they catch a divot on the course.

 

 

Our last training session was slightly soured as our coach was noticeably absent due to a grooming appointment.  Unfortunately Beastie can not compete on the day so we will have to manage without her barking instructions and infectious enthusiasm.

 

 

If you would like to sponsor Emily on this epic challenge to raise awareness and funds for ParaQuadNSW, an organisation that supports people with spinal cord injuries in their community,  please click here for details. Thank you x

ParaQuad.org.au   Click here

I/O Merino underwear layers    Click here

Freewheel from Able Rehabilitation Equipment   Click here 

See you there! Sunday 9th August 2015

ParaQuad Cover Girls are Going for Gold in the City2Surf

Emily and Cobie spent a third Sunday rolling around Centennial Park being followed by their hairy coach!  Beastie keeps the pace up while rehydrating at every opportunity, she manages to juggle being social while barking orders – all good leadership skills!

We made good time and allowed ourselves a coffee stop to talk tactics. Basically we aim to walk, roll the 14 km course on Sunday 9th August from Sydney city center to Bondi surf hence City2Surf while raising funds and awareness for ParaQuadNSW.

The team is supportive of Emily and Cobie but these two girls want to push themselves along the route. Cobie completed the race in 2013 so wants to beat her original time. Emily is in her inaugural race so will celebrate finishing as her goal.

Both girls want to raise awareness of ParaQuadNSW – an organisation that supports people with spinal cord injury in the community. As ParaQuadNSW members each has through application received funding to study at University.

If we can maintain a 5km per hour average speed we will complete the course in under 3 hours but heartbreak Hill may push that expectation? Watch this space for updates!

If you would like to sponsor Emily please click here

Raising funds and awareness for the differently-abled helps carers too! #City2Surf

I signed the form that Emily assertively presented to me and realized I was; chief supporter, responsible carer, sandwich maker and jelly bean monitor for her City2Surf team on Sunday, August 9th, 2015.

From Hyde Park the course is 14 km through to the finish line at Bondi. I have not been involved in previous races but you can’t live in Sydney without knowing about the City2Surf Heartbreak Hill. Discard any visions of weeping lovers as they are dumped along the wayside or broken-hearted couples clutching their heaving chests as they wave tearful, red-eyed farewells. No, Heartbreak Hill threatens the thigh and calf muscles of all the participants as it has a false summit. What appears to be the hill-top is actually only a corner on a continuing rise. The undulations that follow through residential streets keeps everyone literally on their toes!

As the ink dried on my signature I rushed to Google the race site. I had to deep breathe through my alarm as I read…… Elite Wheelchair Athletes: This Start Group is for elite wheelchair athletes only. Athletes must be in a racing chair to compete in this Start Group and who will aim to complete the course sub 38mins.

38mins!  SUB 38mins!

Let’s go back to the beginning – Emily wants to raise awareness and funds for ParaQuad. An organisation that supports people with spinal cord injury in the community. As a ParaQuad member Emily could apply and was granted a scholarship which she put towards her University fees. Returning to University was an important milestone within Emily’s recovery goals.

ParaQuad supports life choices after spinal injuries. It also supports carers because if it aids Emily, it aids me as her full-time carer. With increased  resources and support Emily is empowered with more independence heading towards a positive future with opportunities.

On our first training session we averaged 5 km an hour so we should finish the City2Surf course  in 3 hours. Add in a sandwich and jelly bean pit stop and maybe a finish time of 3.5 hours would be more realistic. Does that help put the elite wheelchair athletes into perspective!

Emily and her mate Cobie are determined to push their way through and enjoy the success that comes with a challenge. If you would like to support them and their carers by donating to ParaQuad please see their everyday heroes site here

 Thank you from Emily, me and our track coach – The Big Black Beastie!

 

 

 

Hot Chilli for Emily!

As Emily has to stick to 1200 calories or 5000 kilojoules a day I aim to make them tasty!

Vegetables are our staple ingredient as delicious and healthy. Emily was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe for vegetable chilli so with a few minor adaptations I  cooked up a hot chilli dinner!

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes approx 500g
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• Salt and pepper
• Olive Oil
• 2 Red Onions
• 2 Red Peppers
• Squeeze Garlic paste
• Squeeze Chilli paste
• Bunch of Fresh Coriander
• 1 400g Tin of Chickpeas
• 1 400g Tin of Kidney Beans
• 2 x 400g Tins of Tomatoes

Method:

2 medium sweet potatoes – peeled, cut into chunks, drizzled with olive oil, with a pinch of cayenne, cumin and cinnamon and roasted at 200C for 40 mins. Set aside.

I red onion – peeled and chopped roughly

2 red peppers – halved, de-seeded and chopped into cubes

Heat a large pan over a medium heat, add olive oil. Add onion, peppers squeeze garlic paste and squeeze chilli paste to your taste and cook for 5 mins.

Add to the large pan one teaspoon of Cayenne, one teaspoon cumin, one teaspoon cinnamon and the finely chopped coriander stalks. Cook for a further 5-10 mins.

Drain 1 tin of chickpeas and 1 tin of kidney beans. Tip them into the onion and pepper mix  with 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes. Stir well and simmer to thicken and reduce.

Finally bring it all together – stir the roasted sweet potatoes through the bean mix and add all the fresh coriander leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.

We ate ours with guacamole, sour cream and tortilla chips. There are some healthier nacho and whole grain rice chip options in the gluten-free aisle of the supermarket. Yum!

 

 

 

Healthy eating takes me to a raw place!

I admit I could be a carbohydrate addict. I could quite happily live on fresh breads, home-made pasta, buttered potatoes and sticky rice but especially soft bagels, warm cakes and chewy cookies. I have been weaned off excessive carb consumption by nutritional education and my tight jeans!

I have always told my children “everything in moderation” so have to take my own advise when considering carbohydrates especially with Emily’s calorie allowance post SCI. I also told the children they “would get scurvy without fruit and vegetables!”  They were the only kids in pre-school who quoted that line!

So this week when Emily suggested a raw cake I had to give it a go.

Carrot cake with cashew cream frosting: Adapted from The Rawsome Vegan Life  

Cake:

2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour
2 cup dates  – soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups chopped pecans
2 or 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Not the most appetizing of cakes at this stage……dates and flour blended….”Keep calm and carry on”  ….

To make the cake: Shred the carrots, set aside. Blend the soaked dates into a puree, add the flour. Stir in the carrots, coconut, cinnamon, chopped pecans and maple syrup.

Looks more promising….

Cashew frosting:

2 cups cashews –  soaked in water overnight
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
Water, as needed

To make the frosting: blend all ingredients with a high-speed blender until smooth, adding as little water as possible. Set aside.

The cashew frosting is truly delicious!

Assembly: Press half the cake mix into the bottom of an adjustable spring-form pan. Then spread on 1/3 of the frosting on top. Put it in the freezer until the layer of frosting is hard. Then press on the rest of the cake mix and 1/3 frosting on top. Back into the freezer. Take it out of the pan when solid and use the remaining frosting to cover, use pecans to garnish.

 I felt healthy making it and even healthier eating it!

It’s important to get out……because there’s no place like home.

“There’s no place like home” repeats Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, tapping her little sparkly red shoes . Here I am in Oz and I’m so aware that home is where I want to be. When it’s raining on a cold Sunday afternoon home is where the hearth is warm and the kettle boils ready for tea. When your feet ache from shopping all day home beckons with the opportunity to rest up on a long sofa. After a wonderful evening with friends my bed invites me to languish cozily under the covers.

We are all homing pigeons, each of us stack up memories that revolve around our homes and families. We can be ourselves in the privacy of our own homes. Our kitchens reflect our tastes, our decor reflects our personalities  and our lifestyle is reflected in all our interior choices. Homes are unique, intimate and wholly our own space. We can hide from the world, we can rejuvenate, we can rest and recuperate, we can prepare ourselves and gird ourselves for our next challenge .

I enjoy new experiences but love the sound of my key in my own front door and the welcome of familiarity and homely aromas. The known view from the windows and the contents of  my cupboards consolidate and reinforce the connection between house, contents and the dweller – me! There really is no place like home. It is hardly questionable that when we are ill or tired we seek our home and loved ones including our pets, childhood meals and cultural comfort foods.

The wizard of Oz is a film where Dorothy had the ability to go home apparently all along – I feel like Dorothy some days – I want to go home, to relax in my family’s company, cook and banter. I often think it would be convenient to tap my heels to travel but life isn’t Hollywood or a fictional book. Maybe my life is more like Paul Young’s song lyric – ‘Wherever I lay my hat that’s my home’?

The challenge, particularly for wheelchair users and carers, is to be versatile, adaptable and keep engaged socially. Social interaction boosts my confidence, boosts my self-esteem and recharges my energy levels. I feel that getting out of the house energizes me, being involved, taking part in activities and joining in is the best therapy. To be occupied and participate within friendship groups or within my community is rewarding, fulfilling and worthwhile.

I enjoy being home but I make an effort to accept invitations, make social arrangements and engage in my local and the wider community because the interaction sustains me and my psyche. I take care of myself by ensuring I get out of the house, then it’s especially good when, like Dorothy, I return home!

Beastie – wherever she lays her head it’s comfortable!

What’s for dinner? Nothing in the larder? Eggs…….

Take…….

25g butter and melt in a pan, stir constantly with wooden spoon.

Stir in 30ml of flour and cook for a minute.

Add 150mls of milk and stir until sauce thickens and is smooth.

Stir in 100g grated cheddar cheese,  pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. I stirred in 30g grated Parmesan cheese too!

When sauce cool add 4 egg yolks.

Whisk 4 egg whites until stiff then fold into cooled sauce with a figure of eight pattern with a metal spoon. Spoon the lightly stirred mixture into a prepared souffle dish and bake for 32 minutes at 190 C/ 375 F or Gas Mark 5.

Serve with salad.

Done – Yum!

Good food and exercise …research aims to establish and implement programs to aid SCI health.

We all know that good food is important …..lots of green vegetables, salads and fresh fruit.  I met an aged tortoise that reminded me of that fact recently at Singapore Zoo but there is another important factor to human longevity – exercise!

“Exercise” You say?

The importance of exercise and the best ways to implement activity are being addressed in a UK Department of Health Study. A lead researcher at the University of Bath, Tom Nightingale, explained: “One of the best ways to reduce the risk of chronic diseases is to become more physically active, but for wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries achieving this can be more complex. We want to understand more about the impact of regular moderate intensity-exercise for these people and to devise new programmes that can help promote physically active.”

There are around 3 million wheelchair users in the USA and approx 5 million wheelchair users in the European Union with probably over 12 million wheelchair users worldwide and as a result of inactivity lifestyle diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease are more likely to occur in this vulnerable group and at an earlier age. Promoting exercise with resulting better health in this large group would have a beneficial impact; physically, mentally and economically.

There is a tendency to reduce exercise if it causes pain or if exercise just gets too arduous; finding the time, having a carer to assist or just having local accessible activities. I want to address this issue with Emily, using exercise to break the unhealthy relationship between disability and weight gain.

Emily and I have found that exercise has to be a scheduled in our day. We aim to enjoy our yoga, stretch or swimming session because we have ample time allocated. The equipment we use is readily available in all good sports shops.

Emily and I have adapted particular sports to accommodate her abilities. It takes trial and error but we have enjoyed the process and we both benefit from our efforts.

We keep our program simple and our aims are similar whether swimming or enjoying  a yoga session;

• Full range of motion in all joints, start head and move to toe.
• We stretch the whole body, addressing the body as a complete entity.
• Deep breathing, inhale and on the exhale extending a stretch
• Strengthening without tiring her overused muscles
• Make use of parks with accessible pathways to exercise outdoors
• Maintain a variety of activities; ice skate, hand cycle, bowling, sail-ability
• SCIA Walk On Program
• Keep it fun

Reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease is a priority, diet and exercise are pivotal to achieving that. I welcome the UK research as it is seeking to gain statistical evidence to devise programs that help inactive people participate in exercise.  

Basically diet and exercise are a duo that have to be constantly considered in our every day schedules. As a carer I benefit as much as Emily from healthy eating and lots of exercise. 

 

Helpful hints to get in Shape whether a wheelchair user or carer.

Taking care of ourselves is imperative and when healthy choices are incorporated into our everyday routines then well-being blooms.

Emily attends therapy sessions at Walk On in Lidcombe, aquatic-physiotherapy whenever possible and scheduled time in her standing frame amongst other exercises. These activities constitute an important aspect of her health and fitness routine. As her carer I must prioritize my health with similar vigor as being unfit would compromise my ability to give care. Essentially we all need to be robust with added vigor to meet the challenges of our active everyday roles.

My family and I take our health seriously, we share an interest in nutrition and all have our own fitness objectives. We acknowledge the need to work together to get into shape, we need to support and nurture each-others goals. While I run and throw the ball to Beastie, Emily pushes herself around the park’s concrete path, we incorporate every-ones activity in a park outing.

We also incorporate every-ones favourites into our healthy eating plan. I make family meals nutritious so that we all benefit from healthy choices. Running a unified household is easier than splintering into individual meal plans. Like a Musketeer I say – “If it’s good for one , it’s good for all.”

Take a moment to review your health and fitness goals:

• Know your body mass index (BMI) – see here for calculator
• Commence a workout – walk, jog, cycle, swim or join a gym. Exercise does not have to cost –  it just has to happen within your day.
• Use your environment  – walk up stairs and repeat, squats can be performed anywhere and baked bean tins are good starter weights for bicep curls!
• Have a health check with your doctor.
• Timing is everything – rest, exercise and schedule your health into your diary.
• Never overeat – the power is always with you. I have an alert on my phone that reminds me not to snack at 4pm.
• Take up a challenge – get fit and strong. Make your mind up to do it. Carers need to be healthy to fulfill their role.
• Raise your bar – have a serious one on one workout, it can be with a professional or a friend, it just has to happen regularly.

I felt compelled to read about successful fitness regimes and so persevered to find more helpful pointers to motivate the family and myself.

1. Always warm up, always cool down.
2. Make exercise convenient otherwise it won’t last.
3. Invest in the best equipment for your sport.
4. Do what you love or what is most satisfying for you.
5. Know your limits – don’t get dizzy or unwell, the key is preventing injury.
6. Hydrate – just drink water.
7. Get a professional to help tailor a sustainable training program.
8. Motivation – is needed for the long run. You must want to look and feel awesome!

I get up at 6am on four mornings a week not because I love the dawn chorus but because I have arrangements to meet fellow cyclists. We ride local routes prior to our daily chores, school runs, bus schedules and morning commutes to work. The set arrangements negate any need for telephone calls, text messages (except for weather cancellations), no need to email as everyone knows the start time and place. I just have to turn up to participate.

It is not the ease of the arrangement that gets me out of bed, it is the commitment to my friends. Without their companionship I would not wake myself and cycle alone. Psychology of Sport and Exercise Journal states that you are less likely to drop out of a gym class when you have company. Pick buddies with similar fitness goals. Befriend like-minded people. The joy of my early morning rides is not all in the exercise, it is in the social camaraderie.