Feb 2014
| New Year, New Beginnings |
Welcome to 2014, and welcome to a brand
new year where we can clean the slate, start fresh, and start right. Right now, the money you have been raising throughout 2013 is being spent and used in the schools and orphanages which Project Third World sponsors in Kenya and India. Furthermore, we are currently in the process of adding another project to our list: Australia’s disadvantaged children. We hope to soon be able to help and facilitate the health and education of disadvantaged children in poorer communities in Australia, and we look forward to having the chance to send our volunteers on a regular basis to the location, along with our current locations in Kenya and India. Project Third World is continuing its fitness classes in Melbourne and will restart in Bendigo from March. Throughout the month of March, we will have many events, including the Tough Mudder Event, a Botanical Gardens Workout, and hopefully a trail-walk event in the western suburbs of Melbourne. We will also be hosting a Movie Night in March for both Melbourne and Bendigo which will show ‘Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom’, and ‘Monuments Men’ respectively. Our Melbourne event is being held by the courtesy of our affiliates ‘Camberwell Grammar’ and Bendigo event at the Bendigo Cinema. Our events are always open to the public and we hope that you come and support us with your friends and family, and gain a little out of the event too. Please visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/projectthirdworld or email us for more details on our upcoming events. Thanks to our sponsors at BendiWeb, our official website is now available for viewing at www.projectthirdworld.org where you can subscribe and follow us, as well as stay up-to-date and learn more about Project Third World.
Furthermore, we have started a new fundraising tally for 2014. In 2013, we raised over $3000, which we hope to supersede this year. We are continuously trying to expand and grow, and offer the world more events and more opportunities to be proactive in their health and education, whilst simultaneously helping to benefit others through health and education. None of this will be possible without your help and support, so we thank you for the support you have given us and we hope to see you at our upcoming events. Above all, the best way to help and support Project Third World is not simply to give your money to us, but to live healthy, to keep helping the world, and to keep learning. Thank you and we look forward to seeing all of you soon!
Feb 2014
-Project Third World
VOL. 1, NO. 3 |2013
4| Cover Story: Ray Zahab: from under-fit to overachiever; why it’s never too late to start making a difference 8| Volunteering in Cambodia with Project’s Abroad: See what it is like from a volunteers perspective. 9| Acne is one of the most dreaded conditions, especially with adolescents. Find out what it is, why it isn’t the-end-of-the-world and what you can do about it. 10| Editorial: The internet and technology has become an endless supply of information, but it might not be the best source for your health. Find out why.
12| Surfing is the sport of summer, sand and waves, but here’s why it should be a sport for everyone. 13| Sally Fitzgibbons has been a world #1 surfer at the incredibly young age of 23. Find out more about her and how she does it. 16| Food had become overly complicated and overly technical over the past decade, but here’s why it’s better to start from basics and keep things simple. 19| Try out this simple and easy-to-make healthy taco alternative, and a refreshing and rich smoothie to go with it
Sally Fitzgibbons has been ranked #1 in the world of surfing and she’s only 23! Read more about her on page 13 Feb 2014
Ray Zahab decided to become an endurance athlete and start his ultra-marathon campaigns in the late 1990’s. He wasn’t happy with the road his life was taking. By thirty, he was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and wasn’t very healthy at all. His brother was an endurance athlete and inspired Ray to go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and become a person that has run over 20,000km over the past decade. Ray took some time to share his story and how important both health and education is for an individual, but also the world.
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Ray didn’t start out like most world-class athletes who begin their sporting career from an early age. “We always feel sorry for ourselves even though there’s always someone worse off, and I didn’t have much motivation early in life. I barely got out of high school, I did not complete my college community courses and so I didn’t have a college or university degree either. Eventually I gave up and became fat and started smoking”. “I then followed into my brother’s footsteps who did long-distance events, and discovered that overall I had the same engine as my brother and I was able to do really long-distance events such as adventure-running, climbing and mountain-bike racing. Before my first running race, I had done 24hr mountain bike races, but not really any running. Even during the run it was more like ‘speed-hiking’, but I still found it really hard, and so I felt I had to really learn technique because cardio-vascularly, I was ok; but I needed to really learn how to run properly. The run was roughly 24hrs and a 100 mile running race. My nutrition when I started was all-over the place, but over the years, I have learnt what foods work really well for me. I’m not into eating certain diets or style-eating. I’ve had certain dietary restrictions due to illness but otherwise, I believe in a well-rounded diet. I tend to eat a lot of healthy fats such as olive-oil, coconut oil, avocado oil which work well for me, as well as complex carbohydrates such as beans, quinoa, and different grains and then a certain amount of protein too; but the emphasis for me is always clean, healthy and good fats and carbohydrates. My training style is very much ‘speed work’ and ‘temple work’ where I go for quality workouts rather than focus on the quantity, and
then on weekends I go for longer workouts and build my mileage. Injuries always happen, but you train in a way to help prevent you from injury; so you do everything you possibly can in training to prevent injury. After that, the thing to injure you is the terrain and territory more than lack of physical capabilities. It was a big jump where I went from being stagnant, to doing all these activities which my brother was introducing me to, and then I eventually ended up reading an article about ultra-running in a magazine which blew me away and it looked and sounded really cool. I wanted to learn more about these people doing the race and what the race was about, so I entered an event even though I hadn’t done more than a 10km running race; so it was a very new concept for me- long distance running. I entered the race with only a few months of training and on the concept that all I was going to do was learn about myself and give the very best I could and learn about the way these other runners were learning about themselves too. In coming into the event, I thought so many times that I was going to quit, but in the end I won this event. I couldn’t believe that I had won, because I had never won anything in my life, especially in terms of endurance or sports-based. I didn’t think I was in any way a great runner coming into the event, so it made me realise how much we underestimate ourselves. I spent the first thirty years of my life second-guessing myself and then at the age of 35 I end up winning an ultra-marathon race, which showed me that ultra-running was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” Ray went on from there to compete in many different ultra-running races across the globe in-
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cluding the Sahara Desert and the Gobi Desert. “The longest run I have done in total was the Sahara Desert run which was 7500km, and longest non-stop run was the Trans-Niger 333km run, taking 60hours. There’s a lot of strategy where you’re facing things like sandstorms and trying to work your way through and around them. Even changes in weather can stop and change an expedition. In 2012, I did a run across South America, and I was coming close to Buenos Aires, and was stopped by such heavy rains that washed away our side roads, so you never know what you’re going to come up against. It took me a year to prepare for these different long-distance running expeditions. Then you get expeditions to the South Pole where there’s barely any running, but you’re unaided and going uphill. We broke the world record, but still, it was very different and was really difficult. The ultra-running style keeps changing as the conditions keep changing too. I ran the length of the Atacama Desert in 2011 (1200km) across 20 days with searing heat, and extraordinary dry conditions and was continuously above 50 degrees Celsius. The offroad conditions are also very difficult too. Then you have the other extremes such as the Lake Baikal run in 2010 which was unsupported, where we carry and travel with
about 200 pounds of everything we need for the duration of the race. I’m from Canada and so we’re used to cold, but we still couldn’t believe the cold in Siberia, so you get every extreme where you also have to cover about 50-60km a day. Eating and drinking on these expeditions change depending on the conditions and the nature of the expeditions, but basically we try to eat whatever we can get our hands on and just take in as many calories as possible. The physical aspect is difficult, and you know that no matter what, it will be difficult. Once you’re in the race or the expedition and it is at that really difficult level, you just keep reminding yourself that you chose to be there and I question myself that nomatter how bad it gets, are you willing to keep going forward? If you’re not willing to move forward, then what are you going to do tomorrow to make sure you have a better day? If you are willing to keep going forward, then you empty everything out of your head and just say “let’s go!” You can never completely prepare yourself for every obstacle, no matter how much you plan, and you’ve never got it figured out completely and that aspect of not knowing is all part of the experience, which is why we always employ local logistics and utilize lo-
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cal resources and people for our expeditions and runs, and still we come across obstacles.” Ray endures a lot over a long period, but he also knows and understands the importance of a bit of ‘time out’. “These runs are by no means one-a-month because some of these runs can go for a month on their own, and once you finish, you don’t exactly feel like running straight away again, so you take a bit of time-off before going into preparation for the next one.” Through all his wins and successful runs across the globe, Ray had time to reflect on his own past, and also look at his future, and the future of others. “I did a lot of other expeditions and runs where I realised that the things that I have learnt in the past couple of years, I wish I knew when I was 16. I have no regrets, but it would have been nice to start early and do these amazing things from an earlier time. That is why I decided to start my own organization called impossible2possible, where young people could go on their own expeditions and get the experience of running and learning about the planet, where it was 100% free for them.” The organization aims to educate, inspire and empower communities around the world through education, with the help of youth leaders. “The goal of each expedition is to take a relevant education pro-
gram, and combine it with a relevant expedition. For instance, we recently did an expedition to Utah, where the students knew they were going to be studying planetology and needed to train physically a few months beforehand. When they arrived, they communicated and video-conferenced with students from around the world and teach what they had been learning whilst they were there and able to show what they’re learning and create and share material and content about what they’re learning at the sites themselves with other students from around the world. Impossible2possible is a US Registered charity, and for me, education is really important, and I see our youth as being our most useful and important resource. Working with young people helps them learn more about themselves and also allows them the chance to teach others; and it doesn’t have to cost money. It should be free, like how we are doing.” Ray has certainly been at the number 1 podium several times since starting ultra-marathon running, and has achieved a lot for himself in that sense; but Ray does not feel
any of these great long-distance wins or breaking world records are his greatest achievements in life. “For me, the greatest achievement is having a family and being a father and having a daughter. Apart from that, I feel my other greatest achievement has been developing and starting impossible2possible which has multiple youth expeditions with little to no cost to these kids, where we’ve reached tens of thousands of students who have benefitted from
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these expeditions- and that has been really rewarding for me.” As a person in his middle years now, Ray never forgets how much every person is capable off, even at a young age. “Never underestimate yourself. We are all capable of doing extraordinary things in life; give different things a try until you find your passion, and once you’ve found it go for it!.”
Volunteering In Cambodia: Cambodia- a country with a magnificent and terrifying past, and a future that is being shaped by it’s youth. After the Khmer Rouge
genocide during the late 70’s, where an estimated 1-3 million Cambodians were slaughtered, the country and it’s social, economic and governmental structures have all but collapsed, and continue to be in the rebuilding stages. At University, I am studying to be a Elementary French teacher, and I wanted to volunteer where my talents could be put to their best possible use. After volunteering for two months in Fiji with Projects
Abroad in 2012, I knew I wanted to continue volunteering with this organization. I spoke with their Canadian office and was immediately fascinated by the prospect of spending my time in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where more than 30% of the population live below the poverty line (World Vision, 2013), 50% of the population are under the age of 14 years old (Projects Abroad Handbook, 2013) and French is a cultural currency. From May to August I worked my afternoons at a local Elementary school where a typical class had 40 -60 students spilling out of the desks, but I spent my mornings, my fondest memories of Cambodia, at an Orphanage and Foster Home for 27 children. In those months, I taught French and English vocabulary, grammar, and generally just wanted the children to engage in the languages as much as possible. Poverty has shaped these children into resilient, proud, students. They want to learn, and were always attentive in class. Being in Cambodia for several months permitted me to delve into
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-Heather Carroll
the paradox of poverty deeper than a casual tourist. Each day I learned more about how these children had nothing and everything simultaneously. To a western eye, all I could see at first was what was missing from their lives - proper nutrition, health care, basic amenities. These things are still missing.
But the children at the orphanage have a beautiful camaraderie, sense of family, security, love and contentment. Time also permitted me to watch the orphanage evolve - the Projects Abroad team helped paint the orphanage and give it a face-lift, while I watched as generosity poured in; donations allowing the orphanage to buy mattresses for the children, and a fishpond. The orphanage likes to grow its own food and is very invested in sustainable resources. Education, I believe, is a pillar of sustainable resources and is the greatest investment you can make in a child. I can’t wait for the day that those children step up and lead their country- Cambodia’s future is in great hands.
Acne: The Deep Discomfort
-Lauren Simionato: Medical editor
Acne is an incredibly common condition, effecting predominantly adolescents and young adults, with most people experiencing it at some point in their lifetime. Although it can seem like a given consequence of normal hormonal changes, it can significantly impact an individual’s self-esteem and social function.
to diet, there are no specific foods that cause acne, however those who eat excessive dairy, meat and sugars are more prone to developing acne.
large and produce more oils. The combination of oils, and dead skin cells (which are normally continually shed from the hair follicle) can block the pores, causing what is commonly referred to “blackheads” and pimples.
over the counter creams/lotions or gels and/or prescription medications (which can be prescribed by a doctor in more severe cases). It is also important to minimize the build up of oil in affected areas by washing the face twice daily, usually with a mild cleaner and water.
As mentioned, acne can have profound social and psychological effects, and is not always matched by the severity of acne an individual experiences. Issues can include low self esteem and body image, social Acne arises from oil glands at the base of hair folli- withdrawal and refusal to participate and engage at cles in the skin, and the spots that arise from them are school and work. We always advise that if you or often referred to as pimples or zits. Most commonly anyone you know is experiencing these issues to they occur on the face, neck, shoulders, chest and see their local doctor to discuss these problems back, but can occur anywhere on the body. and provide acne treatment solutions. They most commonly occur in adolescents due to the higher levels of sex hormones associated with puber- Most cases of acne can be controlled, with either ty. These hormones stimulate the oil glands to en-
Some people are more prone to acne than others. There is a genetic component as well as hormonal. Those who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome, stress and depression are more likely to have acne due to the hormonal disturbance associated with these conditions. The environment can also influence acne, humidity levels in the atmosphere, cosmetics and diet. Some moisturisers and foundation cosmetics can contribute to the blocking of pores, and it is suggested to avoid products containing lanolin, petrolatum, vegetable oils, butyl stearate, lauryl alcohol and oleic acid if this is an issue. With regards
Why acne “clears up” in adulthood is not clearly understood. But regardless, it is an important condition to treat and manage to avoid its social impacts and reduce the risk of persistent scarring. If you have any concerns regarding your acne we encourage that you see your local health care provider for further information and available treatment options. Reference: www.dermnetnz.org
Feb 2014
Health In The Technological World -Chirag Lodhia: Editorial As always, the New Year brings about time for ’resolution’. Recently published by the University of Scranton, 2014’s top resolutions included: lose weight, getting organized, be fit and healthy, travel the world, spend more time with family and friends, learn some-
thing exciting, fall in love and quit smoking; so really, nothing new from 2013 or previous years. For those of you looking to perhaps lose weight, I have good news for you. You may find help achieving such resolutions by adding Brindleberry into your diet. Brindleberry is one of the new super-foods that have proven to increase weight loss. For the science -heads out there, he fruit’s extracts contain a substance known as hydroxycitric acid, or, HCA which promotes energy, inhibits lipogenesis (the production of fat in the body), lowers the production of cholesterol and increases the bodies thermogenesis, thereby causing weight loss. You can buy Brindleberry in many health food stores and even some online pharmacies. Sounds pretty good? Well, you may also like to know that all of the above written on Brindleberry and its weight loss effects are completely false, inaccurate and unscientific-just rubbish. Now, that’s not to say Brindleberry can’t potentially help with weight-loss, it is just that no one has yet to prove that it actually
can. Brindleberry is indeed a real plant and yes, lipogenesis in a very simplistic definition is the process of making fatty acids in the body and yes, if you put the word ‘brindleberry’ into google you will find a pleather of articles, blogs and websites all claiming what I have written in the previous paragraph. Furthermore, if you have a reasonable background in academia, you will probably be able to find one or two research papers claiming the effects of Brindleberry. Regardless, there is no scientific or academic, documented research on Brindleberry that is accepted by international scientist, scholars or academics as valid, accurate, truthful, scientific or applicable or accepted which provides evidence for reasonable weight loss due to Brindleberry, nor is there any true evidence of it actually causing weight loss directly. Sounds very technical? Well, it often is, because the human body is not a simple machine. It does
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after all take some of the best and brightest four to six years of training at medical school just to learn a percentage of how the human body functions. So why is it that there is so many websites and pages on the internet claiming the effects of Brindleberry, and why are pharmaceutical companies actually making it as a product for weight loss if it doesn’t have any true effects? And why are there suddenly so many experts on the human body? The health industry is no different to any other industry which has been exploited and corrupted by commercial, individual and profitable motives which preys on the desperation and hope of people who long for a slimmer waist-line or a heavier bicep and shockingly even targets those struggling to manage conditions with ease such as blood pressure, which is why, when sourcing fact from fiction in the health world today, it can be very diffi-
For the everyday person that doesn’t want to go through the extensive years of learning, the governments of the world have made it much easier for you. Here in Australia, you can go to The Better Health Channel who are a government body which provides very simple, easy to understand information on the internet regarding health and wellbeing, which receives its information from a wide range of Australian Health foundations. Similarly, the United Kingdom’s NHS website can provide basic information about health. Looking for information about fitness and exercise? Why not try looking at information provided by ‘The Australian Institute of Sport’ which again, is a Government-based board that is designed to provide reliable information on topics from weight-loss to getting involved in sport.
cult to know who to trust now. Having said that, there are many institutes, government bodies and scientific and academic organizations who have devoted their time and effort to ensuring that justified and truthful information regarding health is given to the public, as well as many health practitioners and allied health practitioners. These bodies contain medical practitioners, scientists and specialists in their field, who each have several years in university, and even decades thereafter devoted to learning the truth about health and the human body, and Whilst these sources are certainly a genuinely want to help others, ra- great source of information, it is ther than their own bank account. always important to look at differ-
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ent sources of equal credibility, and furthermore; don’t be shy to talk to your local doctor, pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurse, dietician or any other health practitioner, and even get a second opinion if you are feeling uncertain. Sometimes, it can be expensive to visit these people, but the cost of not going can sometimes be much greater. Project Third World does the utmost to maintain the same level of professionalism and justice in what we teach and show. Good luck to everyone setting out to achieve their resolutions. Project Third World will always be here to help you in any way we can regarding your health and fitness.
Surfs Up! It isn’t the easiest sport to access, but might be one of the best. -Jay Himat: Sports and Fitness Editor Surfs up! You grab your surfboard, chuck on your wetsuit and you’re running down to the local beach in 28 degree heat. Few minutes later you’re shredding the best waves in world & thank god they’re so close to home. Sound familiar? No? Yeah me too. Australia is renowned as one of the world's premier surfing destinations. Hard to swallow right? An available natural resource for free & most of us decide to purchase a blow up pool & a filter to help us bake in the sun in the comfort of our backyards.
Bev Sanders, the founder of Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women based in California, says that surfing helps her clients learn patience and attain peace of mind while in the water. “You cannot help but focus on surfing and exclude thoughts about anything else in your life that might be causing stress or anxiety”. Surfing simply relaxes the mind, similar to many
Okay, so before you head down to ‘Surf Dive N Ski’ to purchase your surfboard you probably want to other sports. learn a little more about the incred- Strength: When in water, constant ible sport of surfing. moving of the body is required. Aiming to catch that next wave or surfing the best wave the ocean I’ll begin with the main benefits of has to offer, strength is required at surfing: all times. If you don’t already have strength and stamina for the Mental benefits: When the mind the you will no doubt be able to has to concentrate so heavily on sport, develop these attributes by giving one particular activity, it can easily it a go, and forget all the issues in your life. you can. practicing as much as Think of when you’re so engrossed in your workout or tennis match & all the problems you had before Surfing involves different types of were gone. paddling and standing on the board. Arm paddling strengthens your arms and back muscles as Feb 2014
you lie near the board's nose and use the arms. Kick paddling is when you lie near the end of the board and paddle with the legs. Combination paddling causes you to go faster by working the arms and legs. Balance: Once you’ve caught that wave you have waited so long for you have to concentrate heavily on your balance. The simple action of standing on the surfboard improves core and leg strength and your balance. Of course, a lot of the time you will be in the water, rather than standing on the surfboard itself, which brings about the benefits of swimming. A small study completed by the School of Medicine and Pharmacology suggests that swimming has stronger benefits for improving body weight, body fat distribution in the body, along with other benefits such as improve insulin levels-that may help diabetics. So what are you waiting for? Its fun, free & something that you do not do too often. So get of your couch, deflate that blow up pool and head down to a surf beach in Melbourne!
Sally Fitzgibbons has been a runner up to the World Title three times, academic achiever and all-rounded model for the younger generation by the age of 23. We asked her how she does it and what’s involved in being so successful so young. Feb 2014
I'm 23 years old and live in a small coastal town of News South Wales Australia called Gerroa. It's about 2 hours south of Sydney. I have been on the World Tour since I was 17. As a Junior I won two World titles and I was the youngest female to win a Pro Junior event when I was 14. My highest ranking has been #1 and I have been World Runner-up three time. In 2013 I finished World #3. Surfing has been my only career and I am still striving to be World Champion. “Was sports and exercise/physical activity always part of your life growing up?” I played all sorts of sports growing up including Soccer, Touch Football, Basketball, Hockey, Track 800m and 1500m, Cross Country running and of course surfing. I had three older brothers and we competed at everything which is where I got my competitive edge. How did you get into surfing? What made you want to peruse the career? My Dad and brothers surfed so it was natural living on the beach that I surfed as well. Dad use to push me onto waves in the river mouth when I was about six. My older brother Simon started doing surfing competitions and I just wanted to be like him. If you stopped surfing or didn't choose surfing as a career, what would you have gone for instead? I love sport so much I probably would have been some sort of exercise coach or a physiotherapist for a big team. Surfing isn't one of those sports which you can do anywhere; did you live near a beach growing up? What would you recommend to people who want to surf but don’t live near a beach? What is the easiest way to get involved in the sport/practice regularly? Gerroa has several great surfing spots within a few minutes walk from our house so that made it easy to practice. For beginners I always recommend having a holiday on a beach where they give surf lessons that way you don't have to buy any equipment. You do need to have some fitness as the
ocean can drain your energy really quickly. Swimming and running for a few week before you go will help you a lot. Surfing is seen as a summer sport but you do it all year around. Do you surf out in the winter? What’s the waters like? Do you enjoy it? I do surf all year round and recently came back from a trip to Nova Scotia where the water temp was about 5 degrees Celsius and there was snow on the ground. Even with thick rubber suits and a heated vest your face felt like it was going to fall off. I love new challenges and finding out what I am capable of. What kind of dangers should people be aware off before they get out onto a surfboard? Have you run into any life-threatening scenarios or hurt yourself in training or tournaments? Always surf with a friend or a patrolled beach if you are not experienced. I regularly (as do most surfers) rescue people that are in trouble. Injuries happen regularly and I currently have a broken finger and
last year broke my wrist on the reef in Fiji. So it pays to be careful and as I mentioned surf with a friend that can help when these problems happen. How much training do you go through and what kinds of training do you do? I won't go into specifics but I train seven days a week. I surf 2-3 times a day depending on the waves and start the day with a cardio session followed by weights and other gym work
You travel a lot for your career, how do you train/stay fit as a traveller? You have to be very flexible when you are on the road a lot so I make use of the environment around me. If the hotel has a gym that's great if not I find some hills and stairs and a playground and work out a circuit Food is also a major part of your development as an athlete; what is your diet like day-to-day? Everyone who trains hard loves a good feed. Personally I really like soup, my Mum's chicken soup is my favourite. I'll probably eat three meals a day with some snacks after training. How old were you when you entered your first surfing competition? I was 11 when I entered my first contest and really it was just because my brother entered and I just wanted to do it also.
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How old were you when you entered your first world tour? What did it feel like and how did you finish? I qualified for the World Tour when I was 17. I was still juggling school work at the time and was really proud that I was able to be Dux of the school (come first) even though I was travelling so much... it was a lot of work!! How do you improve on yourself after each tournament? Do you just do what you’re already doing but do more or do you change things up a lot after each tournament? Haha, I can't give those secrets away! There is a lot of work and video analysis that goes into improving your surfing and then lots of surfing. How old were you when you won your first world tour? I had competed on the tour for a couple of years and was making finals but coming second a lot and then in 2011 at Bells Beach on the 50th anniversary of the most famous event I got my first win. I was so happy and exhausted from surfing in the cold and so many heats in the one day that I just cried with happiness. Once you’ve won, how do you improve given that there’s no one
above you to try and beat? There is always someone wanting to be better than you that's the beauty of competition. Most of the time I am just trying to improve my own surfing it doesn't really matter who is in the water with me. What’s your favourite beach in the world to surf at? Hard question but I do like The Maldives, Mexico and Fiji You’ve done a fair amount of fundraising and charity work over the years; which ones have you been involved in and why did you find the causes so important?
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I have a few children's charities that I like to work with. I think at my age working for the benefit of kids is rewarding. Also I have just started working with a group called Nev House which is working on providing housing for homeless people. The beauty of the project is that it builds the houses out of recycled plastic and timber. So it is solving two problems at the same time.
Summer is here for the Southern Hemisphere so we thought we’d give you a few tips on how to spend less time in the kitchen and more time out in the sun with these simple and easy recipes, and why the new year might be a good time to restart your diet from scratch.
Feb 2014
Let’s Go Back To Basics -Sonia Kaurah: Nutrition and diet editor In today’s modern world, it is almost unperceivable to think that only hundreds of years ago the human race survived as hunter gatherers, that we hunted our prey and gathered fruits and vegetables for food. This was a way of life where food was a necessity for survival, its sole purpose was to fuel our bodies; nowadays the predominant purpose of food for the majority of us is pleasure. When was the last time you ate because you were actually scared for your survival? Or you were that hungry your stomach hurt, rather than the fact that dinner time was approaching and there was a convenient fast food outlet around the corner? The feeling of hunger signals to us that our bodies need fuel to support our basic bodily functions and we have neglected the fact that our body’s nutritional needs haven’t changed from the time of the hunter gatherer. The only thing that has changed is the availability and convenience of food. We have become so accustomed to the ease of fast food that we complain about taking 30 minutes out of our days to prepare a healthy nutritious meal for ourselves in order to feed our mind and body that drives us through the day.
ment spends approximately 2 billion dollars a year in healthcare just to fund individuals who have weight related con-
ditions, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic ailments purely from poor nutritional choices.
Good nutrition is an essential ingredient to health at every stage of our life’s journey; from within the womb to childhood, through to adulthood and into our senior years. Our body utilises the food we consume to fuel the myriad of internal and external activities we perform every second of every day, in addition to defending us against diseases. How successfully our body performs these tasks depends largely on our food choices. Good nutrition involves a well bal-
Australia is currently facing an obesity epidemic with studies suggesting a prevalence rate of 63% of the Australian population are either overweight or obese and this figure continues to rise. The Australian governFeb 2014
anced diet comprising of a range of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and meats, combined with regular physical exercise and adequate water intake.
Individual diets vary significantly and research has suggested that the reasoning behind what, where and how we eat are based on several biological and social motives. An example of a biological motive is individual taste preferences where some are more inclined to prefer savoury to sweet. Humans are eternally habitual people therefore habits can also influence eating patterns. We crave routine, and thus for some having cereal every morning is comfortingly familiar and a less mentally taxing way to ease into the day. Ethnic heritage or tradition is a powerful motive; some religions adhere to strict guidelines in regards to food practices. Alternatively if an individual has grown up with a certain dish or cuisine they become accustomed and prefer not to deviate. Positive and negative associations to food also play a role in our choices; some foods provide an emotional comfort for some, while weight and body image have made a huge impact on food choices over the last 20 years. However, the two biggest motives for food choices today are social interactions and availability, convenience and economy. It is astounding how a pre-packaged salad will cost a person $10 while a burger, fries and coke will only cost $5 with the added convenience of it being handed to you while sitting in your car.
In today’s society we can pay someone to do almost anything for us, be that picking up our laundry, getting pizza delivered, taking a taxi to work, or paying someone to tell us what we should and shouldn’t eat; and more often than not we can do all this with just a few clicks on a Smartphone. However, in spite of this what we can’t do is pay someone to feed us exactly what our body needs. We are the only ones who have the power to control what goes into our bodies,
its optimum, not deprived of any essential nutrients supporting a functional and dynamic immune system to fend off diseases. Every day, we are faced with an abundance of food and nutrition choices that affect our diets; whether that is maintaining a healthy diet while having dinner with friends at a restaurant, navigating the shelves at your local grocery store, or having a snack before hitting the gym. Making smart and nutritious food choices is a necessity in everyday
and for the majority of us, how we choose to exert this power is based on our strongest influence as human beings, our thoughts and desires.
life as the ramifications of poor stone of preventative medicine; it’s better to pop a grape than pop nutrition are universal and undoubtedly affects our health in the a pill! long term. So I say let’s get back to basics, The human body wasn’t built to I’m not asking you to go out and live on foods like McDonald’s, it hunt a chicken or plough the earth was built for foods that are grown to grow your own carrots, but let’s and sustained from the earth. Fast start feeding our bodies what they food provides little to no health really crave, food grown and susbenefit and are empty calories as tained by the earth. they are devoid of any nutritional value. Hundreds of years ago there
Although we make many food choices based on our biological or social drive we often forget that our food choices should be made based on our individual nutritional needs. To be ‘healthy’ means having a body that is working at
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wasn’t a choice of different foods; the problem in today’s advanced society is that there are endless amounts of food and restaurant options and we have become spoilt for choice and taste. Gaining nutrition knowledge and making smart choices about the food we eat will help us achieve optimum health over our lifetime, and is the key to avoiding obesity, illness, and many of today’s most prevalent chronic diseases. Food is a curative medicine and the corner-
Healthy yet tasty treats to take on-the-go! -Neena Narsey: Food and Cooking Editor Healthy Taco Wrap:
Coco-Berry Smoothie:
For mince: 1 -2 tsp of macadamia oil 500 gm of quorn mince Mexican spices 1-2 Salt to taste In a fry pan, add oil and once slightly heated, add mince till defrosted. Add mexican powder and salt to taste. Filling: 1 carrot 1 green apple Julien carrots and apple. Set aside Salsa: 1/2 large avocado diced 1 tomato diced 1/2 red onion diced 1/2 lemon juice Salt Chilli powder Mix all diced ingredients together, squeeze in lemon and add salt and chilli powder to desired taste. For shell: Large Cos lettuce leaves Ă—5 Assemble with cos lettuce as base, followed by mince, then carrot and apple, then top with salsa. Wrap up and enjoy!
- 2 tabs raw cocao nibs - 1.5 scoops of good quality vanilla protein powder (optional) - 3/4 cups of frozen raspberries - 1 small banana - 1 tab of hemp seeds - 300g water Add all into a blender and blend. Enjoy !
Feb 2014
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