The Pantry Challenge

Food wastage costs us about $30 billion each and so as a part of the Sustainable Living festival we did the Pantry Challenge in January.

We had so much leftover food from last year at Christmas time and November when we catered for a wedding. During this challenge we managed to use up most of the food. Some of it though we gave it away to those that were less fortunate via the Ascot Vale Little Pantry. We ate the croutons and other things and donated that Maggi two minute noodles that we don’t eat.

We used up some of that Couscous and it was yum.

During the last few days of the challenge we used the nuts and seeds that we had leftover to make nut bars. Normally nut bars costs about $3- $6, but if we make them at home its about $0.50 per bar. The linseed that we used from last years Fitness Expo was free, but the other nuts and things cost us about $15 altogether.

One day I had the leftover honey as a bit of added sugar. All the manuka honey that was in the pantry was also used up. We ate up all the Goji berries and noodles in the pantry. Also all the cans of beans was eaten then. At the RPM initial training I ate the last of the protein drinks.

Do the Pantry challenge if you can. You might just find something useful out of it and you might just save yourself a bit of money in the process

Healthy weight week

Healthy week weight falls in the third week of January.

“Just what is a healthy weight?”

For me a healthy weight is 51kgs. That would mean that I have a BMI around 19. For most people this is healthy. Now weight can fluctuate sometimes particularly for females. So I would suggest weighing yourself once a week and don’t beat yourself up if you have a crappy day. Its ok to have a crappy day

Its also about Smart eating and this we have learned to embrace. Its hard to do at first but then after a while, you get used to this. Here we learned to give up ice cream and drink water instead.

Giving up on Friday drinks is hard and is unsustainable for most people as we love the wind-down. Friday was one warm day so I didn’t beat myself up about doing a lot of exercises not even a run.

And then on Sunday, I had a sausage in a bun for Australia day. I wasn’t going to give up Australia day celebrations. But I went for a 26 run beforehand.

Activities to do whilst you are on your No Internet Challenge

This is about the 28 day No Internet challenge

Here are some things that you can do to occupy your mind whilst on the 28-day challenge.

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1. Read a physical book- maybe you have that book that you might want to finish
2. Crosstitch- you could finish that crosstitch that you always wanted to finish
3. Gardening-its good for the mind and soul. It can be done on the weekend with all the family involved.
4. Grow an indoorplant- Indoor plants are good for the mind and body
5. Baking- you can bake bread, cakes anything really
6. Help around the house- that can be anything like vacuuming or doing dishes
7. Watch TV together as a family- you could schedule some time together and watch your favourite shows on Netflix or Prime at home
8. Crafting other things-now’s a good time to finish that project that you have been wanting to finish
9. Play board games together as a family. Why don’t you schedule a night in to play board games? It could be a weeknight when all the schoolwork is done and the chores are finished
10. Go out for a meal as a family. This is a good idea as you can bond together as a family over a meal outside. And everyone can enjoy that special treat.
11. Go walking- if you have a dog you could ask your teenager to walk them after school. On the weekends you can go together as a family.
12. Go on a family bike ride somewhere. It could be in your local park or somewhere new
13. Go on a daytrip with the family somewhere. This is a good idea to recharge those batteries and have a bit of fun whilst at it

Why Urinary Incontinence should be talked about more in the media

Most people don’t know that it is a common disorder. About 1 in 3 women in Australia experience Urinary Incontinence and don’t talk about it with their doctor. People are scared to see their GP about this experience as it is stigmatised a lot. When we peed in our pants, people look at us funny. Also some people confront us about it.

It’s not normal but it does happen, and we do need to talk about it. Yes, it’s embarrassing but the more awareness and understanding the better it is for us all.

It’s mainly in older people but more and more younger women get it as well. We lead stressful and very busy lives. It’s not just in those that are pregnant or who have children. Its everyone.

So what is Urinary Incontinence?

It is defined as an involuntary loss of urine of some sort. It can happen when we do a lot of exercise, sneeze, cough etc. The Royal Women’s hospital says that it happens for 1 in 2 women. The reality is that most people cannot get to the toilet in time. The most common one is stress incontinence. But there might be other underlying conditions as well.

But it’s not really talked about much in the mainstream media. There needs to be more awareness around this so that people can get help sooner rather than later. And also, its so that the rest of society can be more accepting of those with bladder problems both young and old.

You don’t have to put up with it. See your GP today if you have it.

The first week of the challenge

This is a part of the 28 day No Internet Challenge

This week is really all about setting boundaries and settling into it. Your teenager will feel some FOMO and will want to argue with you about going on social media. But don’t give into them and don’t let other family members do so either. This is where your agreement comes into play.

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Your teen will not want to do their chores and homework at first. You will need to push them and remember that a family member needs to supervise them with homework. They need to make sure that the teen completes all their homework to the best that they can. The teen can use their laptop for homework if need be. After the session the laptop needs to be taken away and put away by the person supervising them.

Most teenagers have mobile phones as a way to communicate with parents. One way to stop them from using the NET is to get them an old phone. If you can’t you can disable WI-FI and mobile data using parental controls.

You can set a timetable at the start of the week with your teen to help them get through this week. Don’t forget to factor in things like after school activities, school, homework, dinner and the regular chores. You should keep weekends for doing chores, Saturday sport and things with the family.

Your this week’s activities with the family could be going on a bike ride or a walk together. Or cooking up a big storm on Sunday for the week. This is the time that you should bond together as a family. You could do a Friday night board game session where everyone picks the games they want to play.

Remember this week is crucial to succeeding in the challenge.

100 days of Happiness Challenge

In the winter months we did this thing called 100 days of Happiness challenge. Each day we would find something that keeps us happy.

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Most of the time we were off the net and taking a break from blogging. We also did a course on Happiness as in the world today there is a lot of sadness due to the pandemic and the war on Ukraine. So we needed a much deserved break from blogging.

But we still kept up to date with Instagram. Each day we would find something that keeps us happy at home and post about it on Instagram. And this is a good challenge to start along with the 28 days of No Internet challenge. If you are doing that challenge, you’ll need to find a camera which has no NET but has note taking abilities unless you can remember all.

We posted a lot about various things that kept us happy each day. Like for example if someone gave us something. It was hard to find things to keep us happy some days during lockdown but that is ok.

Do give the 100 days of Happiness challenge a go! You can post anything that keeps you happy each day on Instagram

The letter you should write to your kids

This is for the 28 day No Internet challenge.

You do need to write a letter and have it signed. Both parents need to be involved in the challenge for it to work. If you are divorced you could talk it over on the phone.

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The letter needs to be signed by both parents and teenagers and needs to be put in a place where all the family members can see it. It needs to be done before the challenge starts. This is the important first step of the challenge

The letter is an agreement on what things the internet can be used for and what it can’t. One of the things that it can’t be used for is social media.

It goes like this:

“Dear daughter/son,

We are putting you on a 28 day No internet challenge because you have been on the NET too much and have neglected family chores and schoolwork. Your behaviour affects us as a family and your grades at school are not good. We feel like as though you are not a part of the family.

As such you won’t be allowed to use your laptop and the NET unless it is for schoolwork and we will supervise you. After your homework session you will need to give it back to us.

We think that now is a good time for you to learn some responsibilities and bond better with us.

We are not the enemy,

Signed: Your parents

Signed: Your son/daughter”

They do have to sign the agreement and it needs to go on somewhere where everyone can see it, whether it would be the noticeboard or the fridge. You can also vary it depending on your reasoning.

28 days of No Internet challenge

This challenge is written for teenagers who love to spend too much time on the Internet and not enough time in the real world.

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We spent 28 days without Internet. We only spent it on work related activities such as promoting the No Internet challenge. With your teenagers they are only allowed to use it for school related activities like homework. With a parent or an older family members supervision that is. And then after the homework session the laptop will have to be taken away.

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This is because teens spend way too much time on the Internet. So much so that they forget what real life is like on the outside. We forget how to treat people and that is with kindness. During the past two years we have been in and out of lockdown so we forget some of our social skills. And some of us have been scared to go back out into the real world.

Also spending too much time on the NET is bad for our eyesight.

This challenge is all about bonding with other people. For teenagers and parents its about spending time together and learning to respect one another.

With mobile phones these days they come with Internet function. We can still watch TV in the living area and that’s what we did. So what we did was to disable it when not in use. We hid the laptop away somewhere in the house.

During that month we did a lot of tidying up, gardening and other chores that needed doing and that we have neglected to do. We also read lots of books and did crafts. We went for walks. When we spent too much time on the NET we procrastinated a lot. Also we argued a lot with others and did not sleep so well. We also forget how to interact with people. In real life we interact with people by non verbal and verbal cues. Online we interact with emojis so we can’t see how people really feel. As parents we need to teach them real skills about interacting in the real world.

During those 28 days we noticed that our moods and sleep was much better and the communication with others was much better too. We could sleep for about 7-8 hours soundly at night. We did lose a few followers on Instagram but its ok. Followers are not everything.

Do get your teenagers to do the challenge if you find that they are on the Internet way too much and too often. Trust me you both will benefit from this even though it would be a rocky start for the first 12 days as teenagers will find it hard to accept. After that it will be ok. You just have to find things to occupy them.

If you need more ideas on what to do, do follow me on Instagram.

Our mental health March

Mental Health March was quite challenging due to China’s strict lockdowns where residents are not allowed to go outdoors to exercise. They must stay indoors and have food and things delivered to them. The delivery is so bad in China. Also, people could not let their dogs out, they have to pee inside.

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Sorry writing for the blog took a while as I am trying to do some training around Mental Health at home as many struggles with the lockdowns during these past few years. So please bear with me

Glad I don’t live there but can feel the effects of the lockdown here in Australia as the economy is getting worse. All the businesses that are non-essential had to shut and everything halted there. People didn’t mind at first and then later on they took to social media to vent.

But everything here in Melbourne can happen due to our strong vaccination coverage. We had the Flower and Garden Show and then a few running races here. We have had about 7000-13000 covid cases a day. Still, there are a few restrictions such as masks on in schools and being fully vaccinated to go everywhere. I don’t mind as I have had my third jab and can help more people with their mental health at home.

We are looking to set up an office for Nuna somewhere in the city to help with the mental health crisis that is going on with the pandemic. If you know of any places do let me know.

Also there were floods as more rain fell for Sydney and Qld. So of course there was more stress around them.

Week 2 of the MBS program

This week I had my period and it was really heavy. Here I really could not sleep very well. This problem stresses me out a lot as I always make a mess out of it. But I don’t let it get the better of me. I mainly had a rest and did not do the lectures this time.

Also the Queensland and NSW floods stressed everyone out a bit. They are worried about their loved ones as communications are cut. All we can do is just wait it out patiently.

Also Hong Kong and China’s COVID cases has risen meaning that everyone has gone back into lockdown. I thought we were so over lockdowns now. But it seems that China and Hong Kong want zero COVID cases which is not doable.

The Ukraine crisis has also put a toll on my mental health. There are no pleasant events here.

But when I went for my runs this week I felt happy just to notice these sensations. I felt happy to be running for the Queensland and NSW floods and raising awareness about them to people.

Our Mental Health February

We still have no luck here on the mental health front. First Hong Kong’s and Western Australia’s Covid cases have increased. Western Australia has tighter restrictions to curb the spread. Hong Kong is in a crisis situation at the moment and its residents are in lockdown. HK’s hospitals are overwhelmed with people needing to isolate there. In Australia, we can isolate ourselves in our homes, not in the hospitals.

We need to learn to live with the virus and get vaccinated if we can. It is the only way out of this Coronavirus mess. And it is the way in which Hong Kong can deal with the surge in case numbers.

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Ours in Victoria have decreased and we have passed the peak. About 60% of our people have had the booster shot. Hence the lower numbers. But once people returned to the offices then cases increased again.

Secondly, the situation in Ukraine is quite bad. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine.

We started the Happiness for 100-day challenge just to get things moving and not think about the floods and other unhappy things that are going on in the world right now.

Note if you need any mental health support online you can sign up for Nuna for $60 for one year.

MBSR program Week 1

“Mindfulness is about observing thoughts in a detached moment. It is about being there in the moment. Our thoughts come from past experience.” Tracy Kiss Coaching

I signed up for this program as I’m always feeling anxious during the COVID period as I am sure that you are too. Last year we had many lockdowns and lockdowns are a challenge for mental health. I also signed up to train in mental health techniques and coping.

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We need to take control of our thoughts and actions.

The things that make me stressed are not doing things perfectly. I eat my food quickly and sometimes I don’t always enjoy it. Impatient people make me stressed. I live with someone that is impatient all the time. He eats his food too quickly and he is often stressed out. Tried the mindful eating with the tomato salad and it was all good. Here on in I have been practicing mindful eating and being aware of the textures and flavors of the food.

Tracy Kiss also gave me a meditation exercise which I find useful. I find it useful to go slow in the morning and then pick up in the afternoon. Not like someone who is all go, go and go. These sort of people stress me out. Do they do the same for you too?