By Lisa Marshall
It was night time on Friday, and we were walking the trail from Kambora to Davidson, the moon bright above us, and the quiet of the bush surrounding us. In my head several little voices were talking and the pain in my feet and the nausea in my tummy were all competing to get my attention. But then my team mate broke in to song and I was happily distracted, enjoying the tune and knowing that each step I took was getting us closer to the 100km finish line. This is the power of the TEAM. Without Millie's happy tunes, Kel's A to Z games, Shona's quirky stories and the unconditional support of Di and Roz as our support crew, I have no doubt I would never have reached that finish line. This is one of the hardest journeys I have ever taken. But I look back now and think that it was all worth it. The suffering, the elation, the discomfort, the joy, are all juxtaposing feelings - when in your life are you privileged to experience such a cocktail of emotions and feelings - and all within 24 hours! Perhaps only second to childbirth! The best part is that through the support of all the Wild Women and our family and friends, we can change the lives of those less fortunate than us, who experience hardships much greater than that, on a daily basis. I loved being part of the Wild Women On Top teams for Trailwalker 2010 - at the start line, the excitement and energy was palpable. Every purple shirt I saw made me feel proud to be a part of such an amazing group of women. Every SMS we received spurred us on, and we have been overwhelmed by the love and support received from all the Wild Women - all over the world! The power of the Team is such that all three Wild Women On Top teams finished with all four team members over the line in less than 28 hours! On behalf of all the Wild Women On Top Trailwalkers, we'd also like to thank our support crew, who were the guardian angels at each checkpoint - who strapped our stinky feet, carried our heavy bags and made sure we got back on the trail with our camelbacks full of water and snacks in our bags. You guys are truly the glue that holds it all together and we couldn't do it without you!
Wild Women On Top Trailwalkers:
Congrats to the following Wild Women who ALL completed the 100km Trailwalker on Friday:
Wild Women On Top 1: Time of 17hrs 9 mins, second female team.
Kelly Books
Lisa Marshall
Shona Stephenson
Millie Herzberg
Wild Women On Top 2: Time of 26hrs 54mins
Monica Hitchenson
Wanda Nicholson
Melissa Norsa
Fuchsia Sims
Wild Women On Top 3: Time of 27hrs 19 mins
Mary Straton
Karen Dix
Gemma Roberts
Julie Stern
Jane Montgomery - who stopped to give First Aid to a heart attach victim and still finished in 27hrs 4mins. Go Jane!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Body Image
By Victoria Silk
Having recently given birth to a baby girl, my mind has often wandered back to a conversation I had during trek training with one of the girls late last year. I remember the session, the weather, where we were, and the conversation even then, struck me as poignant. I was in my first trimester.
The dialogue went something along the lines of us bemoaning the amount of time we had spent during our teens, twenties and we hate to admit, a proportion of our thirties, wishing our bodies to be something they are not. Whether that ‘thing’ be taller, slimmer, curvier, it didn’t matter, it just seemed to be an imposed longing that eroded away our appreciation of what we did have, with the effect of making us self conscious and hesitant.
But here we were on this beautiful day, invigorated, sweaty and radiant from trek training, marveling at how confident we now felt in our physicality. And it had nothing to do with being taller, slimmer or curvier.
Why, as women, does it often take us until our late thirties and beyond to love our bodies and want for them strength and health, rather than anything that our misguided popular culture considers beautiful? Why do we spend precious energy and attention on unreal expectations, fad diets and negative self body image? The member in question, a mother to a near-teenage girl herself, hoped for something different for her daughter – as now do I.
The thought that for one minute my girl would not love the skin she’s in, or suffer any of the angst and self consciousness that so many of us go through, is horrifying to me. That she would resent or punish her body as many women do is unimaginable and distressing.
We went on to talk about how being strong and fit, being able to walk, talk and carry, to lift and stretch and physically exert ourselves without embarrassment, is what now empowers us and makes us love our bodies. How can we pass this on to our daughters and younger generations of women?
Step one is to practice loving our own health, physical and mental well being above our appearances. In doing this, at any age, we send the most powerful message we can to our children and indeed everyone around us. We exert love of ourselves and self confidence and with that - beauty.
And this is contagious, or so I have experienced amongst wild women. A late night swim after trek training in a beautiful moonlit rock pool, stripped down to our underwear, proved this. What started as a reluctance to seize the moment due to inhibition and self consciousness turned into a thing of exuberance, joy and beauty as one by one these inhibitions were let go and the experience embraced – ‘how could we have considered passing that opportunity up’ is what we all later reflected. How many of these golden opportunities have we passed up previously due to self consciousness and doubt?
What I wish for my daughter is freedom from false and shallow ideas of what her body should be. I want her to strive for health, strength and well being with the body and mind she has been given. What better gift can we impart to our daughters than this? She has after all shown me a new respect for my own body and its capabilities with her appearance in this world and I hope, over the years, to return the favour!
Having recently given birth to a baby girl, my mind has often wandered back to a conversation I had during trek training with one of the girls late last year. I remember the session, the weather, where we were, and the conversation even then, struck me as poignant. I was in my first trimester.
The dialogue went something along the lines of us bemoaning the amount of time we had spent during our teens, twenties and we hate to admit, a proportion of our thirties, wishing our bodies to be something they are not. Whether that ‘thing’ be taller, slimmer, curvier, it didn’t matter, it just seemed to be an imposed longing that eroded away our appreciation of what we did have, with the effect of making us self conscious and hesitant.
But here we were on this beautiful day, invigorated, sweaty and radiant from trek training, marveling at how confident we now felt in our physicality. And it had nothing to do with being taller, slimmer or curvier.
Why, as women, does it often take us until our late thirties and beyond to love our bodies and want for them strength and health, rather than anything that our misguided popular culture considers beautiful? Why do we spend precious energy and attention on unreal expectations, fad diets and negative self body image? The member in question, a mother to a near-teenage girl herself, hoped for something different for her daughter – as now do I.
The thought that for one minute my girl would not love the skin she’s in, or suffer any of the angst and self consciousness that so many of us go through, is horrifying to me. That she would resent or punish her body as many women do is unimaginable and distressing.
We went on to talk about how being strong and fit, being able to walk, talk and carry, to lift and stretch and physically exert ourselves without embarrassment, is what now empowers us and makes us love our bodies. How can we pass this on to our daughters and younger generations of women?
Step one is to practice loving our own health, physical and mental well being above our appearances. In doing this, at any age, we send the most powerful message we can to our children and indeed everyone around us. We exert love of ourselves and self confidence and with that - beauty.
And this is contagious, or so I have experienced amongst wild women. A late night swim after trek training in a beautiful moonlit rock pool, stripped down to our underwear, proved this. What started as a reluctance to seize the moment due to inhibition and self consciousness turned into a thing of exuberance, joy and beauty as one by one these inhibitions were let go and the experience embraced – ‘how could we have considered passing that opportunity up’ is what we all later reflected. How many of these golden opportunities have we passed up previously due to self consciousness and doubt?
What I wish for my daughter is freedom from false and shallow ideas of what her body should be. I want her to strive for health, strength and well being with the body and mind she has been given. What better gift can we impart to our daughters than this? She has after all shown me a new respect for my own body and its capabilities with her appearance in this world and I hope, over the years, to return the favour!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Time Out
Time Out
Do you often get to the end of the weekend and think, "whew - what a week, I am exhausted and I can't even remember what I did!"? Well, it's time to take charge of your week and build in some time out. Only you can do this! Your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is directly affected by the quality and quantity of TIME OUT that you give yourself each week. This time should involve doing something you love, in the great outdoors, away from the computer, phone and diary.
To really feel good, you can't just focus on one aspect of wellness, such as nutrition, or sleep, exercise or mental stimulation. You need to bring all of those things in to balance in your life. It's not easy by any means, but it is truly the key to a long and healthy life, and to being present in each moment, being grateful for every day and knowing you have the inner strength to take on goals you never thought possible before.
Here are some simple steps to follow this week:
1. Sit down with your diary (or iphone or blackberry!) and book in some YOU time - this should involve an outdoor expereince in which you are physically, emotionally and mentally engaged in an activity in nature.
2. Make a shopping list and leave off all the packaged, processed and sugary items you had thought you might need. Replace these with only whole foods and fresh produce. Order you food online and avoid the shopping queues...
3. Pack healthy snacks in your handbag with a bottle of water, each time you leave the house.
4. Write down a fitness/wellbeing goal you want to achieve this month - then break it down and make it happen.
5. Sleep more - go to bed, forego the tv program you were going to watch and read a good book or stretch!
I look forward to sharing this Sunday with all the Wild Women On Top who have taken on the Blue Gum Challenge. Enjoy Trek Training this week!
Wild Wishes,
Lisa Marshall
PS: If you want more info on how time out in natural environments benefits your health, check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forest-bathing/
Do you often get to the end of the weekend and think, "whew - what a week, I am exhausted and I can't even remember what I did!"? Well, it's time to take charge of your week and build in some time out. Only you can do this! Your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is directly affected by the quality and quantity of TIME OUT that you give yourself each week. This time should involve doing something you love, in the great outdoors, away from the computer, phone and diary.
To really feel good, you can't just focus on one aspect of wellness, such as nutrition, or sleep, exercise or mental stimulation. You need to bring all of those things in to balance in your life. It's not easy by any means, but it is truly the key to a long and healthy life, and to being present in each moment, being grateful for every day and knowing you have the inner strength to take on goals you never thought possible before.
Here are some simple steps to follow this week:
1. Sit down with your diary (or iphone or blackberry!) and book in some YOU time - this should involve an outdoor expereince in which you are physically, emotionally and mentally engaged in an activity in nature.
2. Make a shopping list and leave off all the packaged, processed and sugary items you had thought you might need. Replace these with only whole foods and fresh produce. Order you food online and avoid the shopping queues...
3. Pack healthy snacks in your handbag with a bottle of water, each time you leave the house.
4. Write down a fitness/wellbeing goal you want to achieve this month - then break it down and make it happen.
5. Sleep more - go to bed, forego the tv program you were going to watch and read a good book or stretch!
I look forward to sharing this Sunday with all the Wild Women On Top who have taken on the Blue Gum Challenge. Enjoy Trek Training this week!
Wild Wishes,
Lisa Marshall
PS: If you want more info on how time out in natural environments benefits your health, check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forest-bathing/
Time Out
Time Out
Do you often get to the end of the weekend and think, "whew - what a week, I am exhausted and I can't even remember what I did!"? Well, it's time to take charge of your week and build in some time out. Only you can do this! Your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is directly affected by the quality and quantity of TIME OUT that you give yourself each week. This time should involve doing something you love, in the great outdoors, away from the computer, phone and diary.
To really feel good, you can't just focus on one aspect of wellness, such as nutrition, or sleep, exercise or mental stimulation. You need to bring all of those things in to balance in your life. It's not easy by any means, but it is truly the key to a long and healthy life, and to being present in each moment, being grateful for every day and knowing you have the inner strength to take on goals you never thought possible before.
Here are some simple steps to follow this week:
1. Sit down with your diary (or iphone or blackberry!) and book in some YOU time - this should involve an outdoor expereince in which you are physically, emotionally and mentally engaged in an activity in nature.
2. Make a shopping list and leave off all the packaged, processed and sugary items you had thought you might need. Replace these with only whole foods and fresh produce. Order you food online and avoid the shopping queues...
3. Pack healthy snacks in your handbag with a bottle of water, each time you leave the house.
4. Write down a fitness/wellbeing goal you want to achieve this month - then break it down and make it happen.
5. Sleep more - go to bed, forego the tv program you were going to watch and read a good book or stretch!
I look forward to sharing this Sunday with all the Wild Women On Top who have taken on the Blue Gum Challenge. Enjoy Trek Training this week!
Wild Wishes,
Lisa Marshall
PS: If you want more info on how time out in natural environments benefits your health, check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forest-bathing/
Do you often get to the end of the weekend and think, "whew - what a week, I am exhausted and I can't even remember what I did!"? Well, it's time to take charge of your week and build in some time out. Only you can do this! Your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing is directly affected by the quality and quantity of TIME OUT that you give yourself each week. This time should involve doing something you love, in the great outdoors, away from the computer, phone and diary.
To really feel good, you can't just focus on one aspect of wellness, such as nutrition, or sleep, exercise or mental stimulation. You need to bring all of those things in to balance in your life. It's not easy by any means, but it is truly the key to a long and healthy life, and to being present in each moment, being grateful for every day and knowing you have the inner strength to take on goals you never thought possible before.
Here are some simple steps to follow this week:
1. Sit down with your diary (or iphone or blackberry!) and book in some YOU time - this should involve an outdoor expereince in which you are physically, emotionally and mentally engaged in an activity in nature.
2. Make a shopping list and leave off all the packaged, processed and sugary items you had thought you might need. Replace these with only whole foods and fresh produce. Order you food online and avoid the shopping queues...
3. Pack healthy snacks in your handbag with a bottle of water, each time you leave the house.
4. Write down a fitness/wellbeing goal you want to achieve this month - then break it down and make it happen.
5. Sleep more - go to bed, forego the tv program you were going to watch and read a good book or stretch!
I look forward to sharing this Sunday with all the Wild Women On Top who have taken on the Blue Gum Challenge. Enjoy Trek Training this week!
Wild Wishes,
Lisa Marshall
PS: If you want more info on how time out in natural environments benefits your health, check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forest-bathing/
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