Puff, Pant, and Work Your Heart Out!

In case you didn't guess from the title of this post, it's about... (drum roll please)... EXERCISE!

(Oh, come on, stop groaning)

I've had a pretty intense two days exercise wise so far, and I've found a new, slightly longer training route for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

While I'm on holiday, and have a lot of free time up my sleeve, I've started planning out my days. Sometimes, I find that time slips away on me when I've got too much of it, and I waste it doing frivolous things. My timetable is flexible, for if something unexpected pops up and I have to reschedule, but I try to stick to it as best I can.

Yesterday I got back into regular exercise, and I hit the gym for an intense forty-five minute cardio workout, courtesy of Les Mills SH'BAM. I've wanted to try out a SH'BAM class for ages, but haven't had the time, so yesterday seemed like too good an opportunity to miss to try it.

For those who don't know, SH'BAM is a dance-based cardio workout, and it's the most fun I've ever had doing exercise. The warm-up, the cool-down, and everything in between is dance. We do everything from hip-hop, to contemporary, to jazz ballet, and it's one hell of a workout. 

Now, I confess, I'm not a good dancer, I don't have much of a sense of rhythm. The class yesterday was small (only about six or seven people, because it's school holidays), and I took a spot up the front so I could see the instructor. For the few few tracks I felt like an elephant in a ballet studio, trying to get into the swing of things. The instructor kept saying 'less aerobics, more dance!', and I found it hard to get 'dancing' when I was supposed to be exercising. By the third or fourth track, though, I was starting to get into it and enjoy the class. I still had trouble with some of the moves, but I was less worried about that. It's not often I really get to let my hair down, and yesterday was definitely one of those times where I just let loose.

I would recommend SH'BAM to anyone wanting a fun, cardio-based workout. Don't worry if you can't dance, just go with it and, as the instructor said yesterday, 'feel the beat!'

I got home from SH'BAM and had some lunch, before having a shower and a nap. When I woke up, do you think I decided to sit down a relax? Of course not! I got on my cycling gear and headed out on a new, longer training ride for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. 

My original ride was only just 4.0kms, and it was flat most of the way, with only one hill. This new route is 5.2kms, and has a mixture of flat and hills. Some of them are really subtle slopes too, which you don't realize you're riding up until you're half-way up and you have to change gears to keep going. I suspect I'll be dealing with a fair few of those when I do the Ride in October. Also, my new route goes in a circle  it starts and ends at my house, where I actually had to turn around with my old route and go back the way I came to get back home again.

My new training route; 5.2kms

There's footpath the whole way, which is good, although parts of it are in very poor repair. It's not really a problem for me on my bike, but runners and power-walkers had better beware. Someone I know recently tripped on uneven footpath and ended up with nasty cuts and bruises to their face. They had  horrible scab on their chin for weeks, and a scar is still visible on their nose where their glasses cut into it.

I went for another bike ride this morning, going the same route. I forgot to lower my gear from yesterday, and accidentally did the ride in third, rather than fourth, gear. This is interesting, as I found today's ride, along the same route in a lower gear, harder than yesterday. Perhaps simply because I'm more tired after my intense day yesterday.

As always, donations for my ride are much appreciated. Chip in here, and your contribution will immediately benefit Peter Mac. 

Well, I'm off to have some lunch, and then I'm off to try on costumes for my fairytale and fantasy themed birthday party coming up soon.

~ Australian Kiwi

My Early Training Route

My first training route for The Ride; Distance = 4.1km

I went for another bike ride today, training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer in October. I took the same route as I did on my first bike ride, but, today, I measured the distance and took note of my speed. 

The route is about 4.1km long, according to the odometer on my bike, so it's not a very long ride, but it's a start. I ride from my house to the closest local shopping centre and back again, and round trip between between ten and fifteen minutes. I'm starting to get into practice using my gears again, as I haven't really touched my gears for a long time. When October rolls around, I will need to be proficient at changing gears quickly and easily, and preferably without looking at the gears themselves. Of course, the gears on my road bike will be different to the gears I have on my mountain bike, which is the bike I'm currently riding. I don't have a road bike yet, but my parents are going to get me one for The Ride.

I tried to keep my speed at around 13-15km/ph. On the Port2Port, a 400k bike ride, riders tried to keep at around 15-20km/ph, so I'm guessing it will be similar on The Ride. Again, I'm just building up at the moment, but I managed to keep between 11-13km/ph on this ride, including up the hill. I think that's a good achievement. 

The training route has one quite large hill, which is quite good for helping me learn to use my gears again. It's nice, not having to strain as hard to get uphill as I have in the past when I haven't used my gears. As this route gets too easy, I'll look for a longer route, although I don't want to bite off more than I can chew yet, I'll build up slowly.

As always, if you want to donate to my Ride, you can do so here.

~ Australian Kiwi

Regrets

It happens to all of us once in a while, we wake up one morning and regret crashes down on our shoulders. Regret, because we let ourselves be talked into something we'd already said we didn't want to do, and now we're trapped.

I had one of those mornings just recently, after placement finished. I woke up on Good Friday morning, (well, Good Friday afternoon, really, because I slept in and didn't get up until midday) and regret wrapped its noose around my neck. Why had I gone back to childcare, when I already knew I didn't enjoy working with certain age groups? Why hadn't I stuck with my original plans and done a creative writing course this year, and looked at doing either a BA or Bachelor of Communication next year? Why?

The answer, I believe, is because I'm desperate to please the people I love. While no one forced me to study childcare, a person I care very deeply about made it quite clear to me that they didn't think I should be studying creative writing. This hurt me deeply, as this person has always said they want me to do what makes me happy, and I felt I already knew that, while I enjoyed the theory of childcare, working with children didn't make me happy. Don't get me wrong, I love children, and I enjoy working one-on-one with young children, but supervising a large group of 15-20 children day-in, day-out... not my cup of tea.

I have to be honest and say that I regret listening to this person, and I regret changing my mind and doing what they wanted me to do. 

I love studying children's development, which is a major part of my theoretical studies, but the practice of looking after them is draining, tiring, and thankless. People say its a rewarding job, looking after little ones, but I was sick and tired of all but one of them by the end of my placement. There was no reward, just drudgery. Not that I would have hurt the children, or done anything to compromise their safety, but I don't want to work in an environment I don't like, and where I'm not giving 100%.

OK, so, that's my little rant. I wish I'd gone down a different path and left childcare in the past. There's no point dropping out now, however, as I won't get into any other courses until midyear at the earliest. So, I'll finish my cert, but I don't think I'll go on and do my diploma of children's services midyear. 

~ Australian Kiwi

Twenty Years Living

Yesterday (09/03/2013) I said farewell to my pre-adult years and the joys of teen-hood, and celebrated my twentieth birthday.

I raked in a good haul, receiving from my sister the book Ransom by David Malouf, and a beautiful Birthday Girl champagne flute from my parents. My aunt gave me money towards a pair of bike shorts for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, and my friend over in Sweden sent me two Swedish shot glasses to add to my collection.

I was lucky enough to get birthday brunch and birthday dinner, as my sister had to work last night, and couldn't be at the dinner. We went for brunch at Theobrama Chocolate Lounge in Melbourne Central, and, while everyone else helped themselves to second breakfast and chocolate drinks, I went all out for the chocolate. I had a dark chocolate frappe with whipped cream, and a croissant drizzled in molten chocolate, with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream on the side.

In fact, I had a lot of chocolate yesterday but, it was my birthday, so, why not?

Birthday dinner with my parents and my aunt was a lovely affair. We had before dinner nibbles alfresco style, as it was cooler outside than in. We had a mixture of sweet and savory nibbles, with chips, bagettes, breadsticks and dips, along with licorice bullets, dark chocolate and party mix, gracing the table. Dinner, cooked by my wonderful mother, consisted of a main dish of chicken in a rich mushroom sauce, with two sides: homemade semi-dried tomatoes, and fresh asparagus in a seeded mustard dressing. Then, for desert, there was, of course, birthday cake, but also homemade chocolate truffles and peppermint cremes.

Facebook proved the place to be for birthday wishes, with my family and friends all over the world stopping by my wall to write a birthday message. I received wishes from Australia, New Zealand, and even Sweden!

So, twenty, what does it even mean?

It was my first birthday back in Melbourne, and I'm taking the fact that it went so well as a good omen for the rest of my year. A lot of good things have happened to me around this time, and I had a look at my astrological yearly forecast I had done at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival last year. According to the forecast, at about this time, things swill start to fall into place for me, and difficult tasks do not seen as daunting as they usually would. The interesting thing is, I start placement on Tuesday next week, and have a lot of work to get through. Normally, the thought of interacting with children and having to take observations, organize activities etc. would terrify me, but I've been no more flustered by this than I would be by a feather floating past my ear. Actually I'm really looking forward to placement, and I'm seeking it, not as a difficult task, but as a fantastic experience in my industry.

I also managed to tick something off on my bucket list recently! I have just started lessons with my very first ESL student. We met last Wednesday, and got on like a house on fire. We'll meet weekly for as long as she likes, which could be a month, or we could be seeing each other for years!

So, I look at twenty as the beginning of something good, something powerful and special. After all, you only live once.

~ Australian Kiwi

Training: Day One

No stalling, no waiting, no 'let's do it later', I started training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer today!

My dad decided to train with me, even though he's not going to ride. He is coming, however, as part of the support crew for The Ride. Both of us were support crew for the WHK Team on the Port-2-Port last year, so he's a seasoned professional when it comes to cycling support.

I haven't found out about the bike paths close to home yet, as I've been quite busy with other preparation, so dad and I hit the gym this afternoon and did half-an-hour each on an exercise bike.

I know that riding on an exercise bike is very different to riding on a push bike, but it's cardio training, which is a good start. I think I had a bit of an easy workout today, so I'll push myself harder when I go back tomorrow. I did a manual workout, which is fine if you just want some cardio on a bike, but I'm training for a road bike event, so I needed intervals, which I didn't think about until later. I rode at level five, when I probably should have been riding anywhere between eight and ten, and after my half hour, I certainly felt like I could have done more. I'll be interested to see how my legs feel tomorrow, as they're not too tired at the moment, nor do they feel particularly rubbery, which is a sure sign that I didn't push myself hard enough.

Training Stats

Date: 24/02/13

Time taken: 30mins

Workout type: Manual

Distance: 14.05km

Level: 5

Goal: To be able to cycle 30kms without stopping. 

~ Australian Kiwi

P.S. Your donations will keep me riding, and help Peter Mac continue their life-saving research and treatment of cancer. Click here to help out.

Riding today for a cancer free tomorrow

Lately, everyone I know seems to be going on an adventure.

My friend over at Crazy Catastrophes is in Sweden (yeah, I know!), and my sister over here is studying and working out hard for her Certs III & IV in Fitness. My dad's busier than ever with his new job, and loving every minute of it, and another friend turned 21 this year.

Ok, so, maybe everyone is a bit of an exaggeration, but enough people I love are off doing amazing things and having an amazing time, that I've started to feel a bit dull and boring. I mean, I have started my Cert III in Children's Services, and I am enjoying it immensely, but it's not really an exciting adventure like travelling to Sweden or turning 21 would be.

But I am dull and boring no more.

Today, I signed up to take part in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is a 200km bike ride over two days, from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and back again. I will be riding in a group of hundreds of riders, all doing their bit for a cancer free future.

To say I'm pumped, excited, nervous and proud of myself would be an understatement.

Me, my bike, and my Ride to Conquer Cancer t-shirt

So, what will I need to do for the ride?

First of all, a lot of training. I'm only an occasional rider, so I'll need to build myself up to the point where I can ride the 200km required of me. The best part about that is I'll be able to get help from my trainer at the gym, and The Ride staff organize volunteer-led training rides all around Melbourne for all different levels of fitness and experience. The ride's not until October, so I have around eight months to prepare for the task ahead of me. Hopefully, not a day will go to waste.

The second thing I'll need to do is buy a road bike. Most people don't know the difference between a mountain bike and a road bike, but, when you're riding long distance on the road, having the right type of bike is crucial. A road bike has a much lighter frame than a mountain bike, with thinner tube tyres. It's designed to be no heavier than it absolutely has to be to carry a person, so minimize wind drag and extra weight on a long distance ride. A mountain bike is like the bike I'm pictured with above, with a sturdy frame and heavy grip tyres. It needs to be tough to handle the kind of terrain mountain bikers like to tackle. 

I'll be getting my new bike second hand, as a brand new road bike could cost anywhere between $1200 - $1600 depending on the make, and I don't have that kind of money to throw around. There will also be the added cost of buying proper cycling eyewear and cycling shorts; The Ride provides cycling jumpers, so that's one thing I don't need to worry about.

The third thing I have to do is fund raise. The Ride to Conquer Cancer raises money for cancer research and treatment at Peter Mac Hospital, and all riders are required to raise a minimum of $2500 if they want to ride. This is where you can help me go on my adventure, by heading over to my personal fundraising page and making a tax deductible donation.

The amount doesn't matter, just getting behind me and supporting me on my ride means a lot to me. Not only will you be helping me achieve my target fundraising goal, your money goes directly into the bank accounts of Peter Mac. That's right, there's no waiting time, your donations go directly to the Hospital the moment you make them, and are put to use right away.

Or, if you want to join The Ride to Conquer Cancer, click here to register online.

I'm riding today for a cancer free tomorrow, what about you?

~ Australian Kiwi

"If your kids can't behave, don't fly until they can" - Why I have a problem with this attitude

Ah, here we go again.

Some poor passengers on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Christchurch were disturbed by the cries of a two-year-old boy before take-off.

Oh, those poor, poor passengers and their sensitive ears, how ever did they cope?

The good news for them was that they didn't have to. The woman, and her two sons - aged five and two respectively - , were asked the leave the flight by an air hostess because 'the pilot could not take off with unsettled passengers'.

Yes, that's right, a woman who had paid for her ticket, and paid for the tickets of her children, was asked to leave a flight because her child was annoying the passengers.

Air New Zealand later said this wasn't true, and claimed that the woman was asked to leave the flight because the two-year-old refused to be properly restrained. Now, that is a more sensible argument, as it is a Civil Aviation requirement that all passengers wear a seat belt for take off and landing. However, if it is true, why did Air New Zealand wait until after the woman and her children had been forced to disembark before explaining this to them?

Sounds like a case of damage control to me.

The woman and her two sons were supposed to catch another flight to Christchurch an hour later but, by the time their baggage was unloaded from the first flight, they were too late to board the second flight. In fact, the woman's youngest son wasn't allowed to fly at all! Her husband had to abandon his own plans for the weekend and drive up from Hamilton to Auckland to pick up his son, that's nearly an hour and a half trip each way. The woman and her oldest child got to Christchurch, but the article didn't say if the youngest had remained in Hamilton with his mother's partner, or if he had eventually made it to Christchurch with his mother and brother.

Now, the quote in this title came from a comment published underneath the article on The Daily Life online. User pOiter's full comment is below.

I'm afraid I have endured one too many flights with crying/screaming babies and toddlers. If your kids can't behave, don't fly until they can.

pOiter is obviously not a parent with young children, or a particularly understanding or compassionate person. In fact, their comment smacks of arrogance, insensitivity and egocentricity. You don't like babies crying, therefore they and, by default, their parents, should be housebound until they learn to communicate?

Sorry bucko, it doesn't work like that.

For babies and very young children who have not yet learned to communicate their needs using language, crying is the only way they can tell their caregiver they need something. Whether it be a nappy change, some food, a sleep, comfort, or just to tell their carer that they're scared or unhappy. Whatever pOiter and others like him/her may believe, children do not cry on flights to annoy other passengers. They cry because they need to communicate.

Also, a crying child is not a misbehaving child. This is often a contentious topic among those who don't have children themselves, as there is a deep-seated, but misguided, belief that 'good' children and quiet children. It's the old 'children should be seen, not heard' argument that was popular in our grandparents' day.

This is not true. As I mentioned above, children cry to communicate. The cry of a young child would be the equivalent of an older child saying 'Mummy, can I have something to eat now?' or 'Daddy, I'm scared, can I have a cuddle?'

A further point, while pOiter doesn't explicitly state that he/she has a 'right' to travel in peace and quiet, this is a statement often made by people with similar, narrow-minded opinions. Not only are these people rude and judgmental, they are also ignorant of what actually constitutes a 'right'.

A 'right' is defined as 'that which is due to anyone by just claim, legal guarantees, moral principals etc., often protected by a constitution or a Bill of Rights'.

Considering pOiter's comment appeared in an Australian newspaper (The Daily Life is owned by Fairfax Media), I'm going to guess that he/she is Australian. Australia has a constitution, in which our rights are protected, and nowhere in that document is 'the right to travel in peace and quiet' listed. This so-called 'right' exists only in the minds of ignorants like pOiter.

As I mentioned above, babies and young children cry, it's what they do. You can't stop them, and you can't stop their parents from travelling with them, or taking them out places. Imagine a world where children were housebound until they could communicate with language, where they were not allowed to go and play in the park, go to a cafe, or ride on a train or airplane because of their level of development.

What a terrible world that would be.

The attitude of pOiter, and many others, shows that children are not valued in Australia, and, as a future early childhood educator, this saddens me greatly. Why don't we value our children? Why are they thought of as nothing but annoyances? Why are we so selfish to think that think we should be able to prevent parents travelling or going out with their young children, just because they cry?

Well, why?

I have some advice for pOiter and his/her friends in the anti-childhood camp: buy some earplugs and get over yourselves.

~ Australian Kiwi

If you are interested in reading the article I have used for this post, you can find it here. It certainly makes for interesting reading, as do the comments below.