Welcome to the January newsletter from the Pilbara
Health team.
Are you ready to put fitness first in 2010 and get your friends and family involved in your commitment to exercise? Nearly 200 employees are in training for this year’s NISSAN/BRW Corporate Triathlon in Perth, which just goes to show that the new year is the best time to kick-start your new fitness routine.
Getting started is two-thirds of the battle when it comes to exercising regularly – the remaining third is about sustaining it once you’ve started. People who workout on a regular basis will tell you, in all honesty, that it does get easier and it’s all about having a routine.
Signing up for a team event is one of the best motivators to help stay on track with training and is also guaranteed to be plenty of fun, so check out our list of fitness events for 2010 and select your challenge.
Happy New Year from the Pilbara Health team!
Leanne Harvey and
the Pilbara Health Team
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Move it! Move it!
Technology impacts hugely on the way we work and while computers have brought many benefits, excessive virtual communication may contribute to desk-bound behaviour.
When you want to discuss a task with a colleague nearby, do you send an email or do you walk across the room? Movement throughout the day is as important as finding 30 minutes of daily cardio exercise.
Regular computer users are advised to avoid spending more than five hours a day on keyboard duties and no longer than 50 minutes an hour without a postural/stretch break. Avoid eye strain by re-focusing your eyes on an object in the distance every 15-20 minutes.
Clinical optometrists often suggest the 20/20/20 rule; after 20 minutes of computer use, look at something six metres away for a least 20 seconds. It is also recommended that computer-users periodically take a 15 minute break after two hours of computer use to prevent eye problems and muscular skeletal disorders. |
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Triathletes in training
Record numbers of employees have jumped at the chance to sign-up for a post-festive challenge and participate in the NISSAN/BRW Corporate Triathlon National Series in Perth.
About 195 Rio Tinto challengers will form teams of three for the event at Langley Park, on Sunday, March 7, when thousands of calories will be shed as they take to the Swan River for a 400 metre swim followed by a 10 kilometre cycle along Mounts Bay Road and a 4 kilometre run along the foreshore.
Team organisers Melissa Cundy,Candis Culverwell, Ruth Jamieson and Amabel Stratford said record entries were received this year, but they also urged latecomers to step forward. Read More > |
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Fitness is a family affair
The New Year is an ideal time to make a commitment to change your lifestyle and involve your children in the decision by making fitness a family affair in 2010.
Figures from the Bureau of Statistics show that one in four children are overweight or obese, while cardiovascular disease is responsible for 34 per cent of Australian deaths.
Australia has one of the highest life expectancies and best health systems in the world and yet chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, are estimated to be responsible for 80 per cent of disease and injury.
Read More > |
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Power Foods
Food synergy or food combining is based on the belief eating whole foods that complement one other aids digestion and is nutritionally beneficial.
The scientific evidence to support the theory is out for debate, but there’s no doubt that certain food combinations can be delicious and gentle on the stomach.
Next time you make a salad, try combining tomatoes and avocado. Food synergy researchers claim the carotene found in tomatoes is better absorbed when eaten with the good fats found in avocado. |
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Call for junk food tax
With Taiwan leading the way to become the first national government to introduce a junk food tax, where does that leave Australia? The Henry review of the nation’s taxation system is now in the hands of the Federal Government and it includes a proposal to introduce a tax on junk food.
The Public Health Association of Australia is one of many watchdogs to have voiced support for the proposal. Its chief executive Michael Moore said pricing signals are a key element of any public health campaign and the war on junk food should begin with sugary soft drinks, “ that add little benefit to the diet, but play an important role in the increasing epidemic of obesity”.
His views are supported by research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare which show that a quarter of adults have untreated tooth decay. Support for the junk food tax gathered momentum late last year when a survey by Research Australia indicated two-thirds of Australians agree a health tax on junk foods should be imposed.
 Not surprisingly, the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s chief executive Kate Carnell has spoken out against the tax, saying the Council was not convinced taxes would be effective in dealing with Australia's obesity challenges.
The Government has said it will release its initial response to the taxation review in early 2010. |
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Share a healthy recipe
Pilbara Health launches share a healthy recipe this
month with a simple avocado and tomato salad – a perfect accompaniment to the summer barbeque - but what we’d really like are your favourite, fast and healthy recipes
to share with readers.
Send your recipes to the Pilbara Health team. |
Avocado and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon style mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
3 tbsp salad oil
3 medium tomatoes
1 large ripe avocado
Any soft leaf lettuce
In a small bowl, mix vinegar, mustard, salt, oregano, lemon juice, pepper and garlic. Using a whisk gradually stir in olive oil and salad oil until well blended. Refrigerate dressing until you serve the salad. Cut tomatoes in slices, cut avocado in half, remove pit. Peel and cut in slices. Lightly toss avocados, tomatoes and dressing. Serve over a bed of lettuce.
Serves: 8 |
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For more information please call your local safety advisor or contact the Pilbara Health Team at health@riotinto.com.
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