Date: 1st October, 2008

Topic: Travel Bug

From: Hanna Marton, Staff Writer

I'm writing this from an Internet cafe on Koh Phi Phi (which sounds a bit like "go pee pee") in Thailand's south, listening to Bob Marley being played in a nearby cocktail bar (which looks a lot like the bar in, er, Cocktail). And just three weeks ago I was in Lucern, Switzerland, which is, like, the opposite of Thailand.

I'm not telling you all this to brag - honest. I've travelled more in the last month than I have in my entire life. When you're almost 27 that's not something to brag about.. Most uni students go backpacking... but when I was doing my Bugger All (BA) degree in Adelaide, I spent my disposable income at clearance outlets and on Bacardi Breezers (um, no more than two a night, of course). Then I moved to Sydney to work in magazines and my meagre income became very indisposable. It went straight out of my pay packet and into exorbitant rent, food and petrol. What little was left went into dinners with new friends. Vital.

That's excuse #1 as to why I'm not well travelled. I realised excuse #2 this morning over a brekkie with my bloke (who's been to 42 countries - but who's counting). I was probably a bit scared when I was younger. I didn't have a clue how to go overseas: how to get a passport, how to book flights, how to get around in a country that doesn't even use the alphabet. It seemed impossible. And my Mum - bless her - wasn't keen on the idea either. She's probably lying awake right now worrying that I'll be ensconsed in a political coup or swept away by a tsunami. Not likely to happen.

So, inspired by said boyfriend and because my job requires travel (lucky me), I've been to Shanghai, Switzerland, Hong Kong and, of course, Thailand in the last month. Okay, Hong Kong was just for eight hours but I went into the city centre so it still counts. In Switzerland I got on and off endless trains, climbed a vertical mountain face and got lost mountain biking in the Alps. I navigated Shanghai's Old Town on my own. I planned this Thailand trip - while I relied on a travel agent and tour guide when I came here in 2006. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty confident about this travel thing now.

If you can be bitten by a travel bug, then coat me in pawpaw ointment and call a doctor, pronto.


Date: 11 April, 2008

Topic: Get yourself a mutt

From: Katherine Oliver, Digital Imaging

So, I have to say a special thank you to my puppy dog, Lucy, for getting my butt moving more since I got her. She's 1 year old, half poodle/half maltese, and to call her a ball of energy is the understatement of the millennium. She may only weigh 5kgs, but she reckons she's a Great Dane when she's out having a trot. Beware tough Rottweilers. But thanks to her I get up nice and early, and we go for a morning stroll together, usually for about 20 minutes.

As hard as it is to drag myself out of bed (and I will gladly admit to piking more than a few times... lazy me = cranky puppy), I do always feel better for doing it.

Living at the bottom of a massive hill is good as we have to walk up that to get up to the main street where we usually walk. The other option is down the hill and onto the bush track with the creek as scenery.

Getting out in the morning wakes me up faster, gets me going and sets me up for a healthier day. If I've walked in the morning I think more about what I'll eat during the day, not wanting to wreck my morning hike by caving and eating that mid afternoon snickers bar!

Anyway, my sell is, get yourself a mutt. They'll get you out of bed and running around heaps more. My only problem now is - I want another one!!

 

Date: 26 March, 2008

Topic: I could have lived your life instead

From: Lisa Balemi, Art Editor

About a month ago I spent a weekend with 16,000 women, all packed into the Sydney Acer Arena. It was challenging in many ways and I don't mean queuing for a toilet or competing to get a good seat. This was a weekend to challenge the world that we live in, whether it be in your own home, community, nationally and internationally.

Often we need to have a slap in the face to be reminded how fortunate we are to live in a wealthy country like Australia and I was due for a big slapping! Compared to other parts of the world the majority of us live like kings and queens.

Halfway through the weekend a need was brought to my attention that I felt moved towards and instantly I knew it was something I wanted to help with. For years we have seen and heard of helping the starving child so many of us sponsor young children from all around the world. This new need is to sponsor a human on this planet but it's not the children, it's their mother.

In Uganda an amount I can't even comprehend are HIV positive. Many are mothers with many children whose husbands have died of AIDS and his family has claimed everything for their own, including their homes.

As I sit and listen about this new program the words from Stacie Orrico's song come to my mind. "What would I do if it were me?... A new point of view, a walk in your shoes... Cause I could have lived your life instead!"

I can't imagine being in the position that these women are in. But if I can sponsor just one to keep her alive then we won't have to sponsor all her children when she passes away.

As I write this to you I have a form in front of me ready to send off to try and change one woman's life. To provide the medication she needs and the support to manage and educate her to take it safely and effectively. For when you light a fire in someone's heart we light a small flame in our own.

 

 

Date: 18 March, 2008

Topic: Problems in the bedroom

From: Emma Anderson, Chief Sub-editor

I don't do new years resolutions - who needs that feeling of failure that settles in around Jan 4th? But now March is here I am feeling the urge to make some positive changes in my life: training for that mini-triathlon I blithely signed up for last month, meditating more, scheduling in the part-time degree I keep talking about, eating two pieces of fruit a day, flossing more than once a fortnight... the list goes on.

But immediately morphing into a motivated, mindful, mango-eating fitness freak isn't just hard, it's impossible (I speak from experience). So this time, I'm starting sloooowly. Experts reckon if we introduce one change to our daily routine, and keep it up for around three months, that behaviour will then become automatic. Sounds good to me.

First up, one of my worst habits: snooze button addiction. I am not a morning person; never have been. But my sleepiness and inability to function properly before 10am is not helped by the fact that as soon as my alarm goes off, I roll over and hit snooze... then hit it again. Some days, I can get up to an hour's worth of snooze-hitting, at which point it becomes a race against time to get to work by 9am and with my top on the right way round. Looking down and finding I've shaved only one leg is not unheard of - and on one memorable occasion I got as far as the train station before I realised I still had a damp towel slung over one arm. Not good.

So last week, the getting-up-when-alarm-goes-off challenge began. Monday morning, 6.30: I launch myself straight out of bed. Easy, I think - all it takes is two seconds of steely determination and Bob's my uncle - I am jubilant. After a shower and putting the laundry on, I decide to reward my new improved self with a quick lie-down. Doh. Half an hour later I wake up again and am running late.

I learn my lesson - from Tuesday onwards I get up and stay up. I have enough time to meditate for 20 minutes, call friends overseas and groom myself sufficiently to make sure I arrive at the office looking less like Robert Smith from The Cure and more like the dapper professional I'd like to think I am.

Things go a bit pear-shaped this Monday, thanks to an exhausting weekend. But now I'm back in the early-riser saddle - and I'm loving it. I can't imagine it ever coming naturally to me, but time will tell. And time, handily, is something I now have more of... 

 

Date: 21 February, 2008

Topic: A freckle that's more than a freckle

From: Hanna Marton, Staff Writer

It's been a big month. Big like bubble skirts were big last year (and, I'm concerned, this year). I went on the first-holiday-with-the-new-bloke, turned 26, and had what I like to dramatically call my "cancer scare".

I had this freckle, see, appear on my back at some point in the last two years. Not sure when, as I'm not in the habit of inspecting my own back - as lovely as it is. I mentioned it to the afore-mentioned boyfriend, Ryan; he suggested I get it checked out. Nay, urged incessantly. Bless.

I nonchalantly agreed, and, oh, two weeks later skipped into a GP's office, expecting him to pat my head, congratulate me on being so conscientious and send me on my merry way. It's just a freckle. I've got loads of 'em. Instead, the ironically named Dr Brown took one look at my mole - yes, mole - and announced he was cutting it out.

"Can you come back tomorrow?" "Er, okay." Just 24 hours later I was face down, listening to the faint sound of a scalpel etch away at my numbed flesh. Then, the stitches. I could feel each prick of the needle as Brownie sewed me up. I walked back to work after the 15-minute "routine procedure" shaky and anxious. It wasn't pleasant.

What's surprising is the number of friends who admitted they'd had moles cut out as well. It made me feel better about my own sun-related stuff-ups (solarium use included), but that doesn't make going under the knife okay. Yeah, it's only a few stitches, but I'm a wuss who doesn't like any kind of medical tinkering - let alone the idea of getting cancer. Needless to say I'm on the Banana Boat bandwagon… er, boat…

xx Hanna 

Date: 21 January, 2008

Topic: My fave fruits - persimmon and feijoa!

From: Alice Ellis, Sub-Editor

I love that my job requires me to read everything in our mag - it's really made me look at every aspect of my health. And since I've just married, I'm also thinking about my husband Jack's health.

Like everyone, Jack and I have such packed schedules that it's hard to shop for a mix of fresh vegies and fruit for antioxidants and vitamins. But we've recently figured out how to do it. Every weekend, we take our checker-print granny trolley to the local food market and see how much fruit and veg we can get for $30 - the trolley always overflows.

The market offers every edible plant in season. It's similar to the markets we've been to in Cambodia and Vietnam, minus the deep-fried tarantulas and live chickens.

The produce is not only heaps cheaper than in supermarkets and greengrocers, it's also fresher. We suss out who's selling the greenest spinach, the biggest mangoes, the perkiest parsley and the brightest red cherries. Sometimes sellers throw in a bunch of lemongrass or coriander for free. We make a point of always getting something one of us has never tried - this is how I discovered my two favourite fruits, persimmon and feijoa.

We base our week's meals around whatever we bring home, so we've really upped our consumption of vegies and fruit. And the shopping trip is one of our favourite parts of the week!

Cheers,

Alice

Date: 11 November, 2007

Topic: Welcome to Women's Health Online!

From: Felicity Percival, Editor

I'm feeling excited, exhilarated and inspired. Why? Because I'm proud to be part of a ground-breaking new website that will make your great life even better.

Welcome to Women's Health Online, the website that's all about you and your wellbeing. Women's Health is for real women with real challenges. We'll never talk down to you, and we won't give you fluffy features that don't contribute anything to you life. Our stories will always be well researched and relevant.

That's why on the site this month we've sussed out fifteen foods that fight fat, five ways to be planet-friendly with plastic and the four steps that stand between you and a perfect fake tan.

Most importantly the website is about you. We want to learn more about you and give you the tools and tips you need to reach your goals. That's where things like the Personal Workout Builder and BMI Calculator come in.

On every single page of this site you'll find inspiring ideas, information and tips that you'll be able to use in your life straight away. And if you find something you don't like - tell us! Grill our experts or send an email with your comments direct to the WH office. Any feedback you have will help us make this site even more useful and relevant.

So, make yourself at home. Have a look around and feel free to be inspired, get excited and enjoy!

Cheers,
Felicity