Kickstart your 2015 Campaign

Kickstart your 2015 Campaign

By Kathryn Anderson

Time to grow

It’s always one of my favourite events in Melbourne as the Town Hall Veggie Patch is planted and the City Square becomes a tranquil garden of culinary delights – yes, the Grow Show is happening again this year between February 7 and March 1.

As part of this year’s Sustainable Living Festival, rocket, basil, parsley and any other fruit or vegetable you can grow in an urban environment will decorate the corner of Collins and Swanston streets.

The festival is focused on what we, as Melburnians can grow ourselves and so you can come down for tips about everything from the horticulture to how to cook it!

The event is always diverse and fun with information on species and plants that do well in back yards, or on balconies and terraces.

And Melbourne being a foodie capital of course there’ll be famous chefs to teach you how to prepare something extra special with the fruits of your toil.

So if you’re looking for ways to become inspired about increasing your fruit and veggie intake, or just how to grow more yourself, come down to the City Square and get involved!

Prepping your body like Kelly Slater Even though we are well into summer now, it’s not until February that our waters start to warm enough to coax someone like me into the open water.

As a result, we are seeing a number of people asking for advice on how to prepare themselves for the surfing season.

Laura Ham and Isaac Anderson from here at Viva are keen surfers and have put together some useful tips.

The universally-agreed approach is to focus on three main areas of your body: strength, spinal flexibility and balance.

The combination of these three will ensure you not only get up like an expert, but also look stylish once you’re up there. Isaac and Laura suggest the first step is perfecting your push-up technique.

Push-ups are one of the exercises most commonly performed badly and unbalance on the board.

Their YouTube clip gives specific advice on how to sort out your form.

In addition, striders, rollers squats and arabesques will keep you riding the wave all the way to the shore.

For videos and specific advice, their blog can be found at www.vivaphysiotherapy.com/prepping-body-surf-like-kelly-slater/

Are you looking for a way to kickstart your 2015 fitness campaign?

Here are two great ideas:

The Victorian Road Runners will be holding time trials at the “Tan” (TTTs) on Saturday, February 7 from 7.30am.

The club was established in 1982 and, for a modest membership fee, you can be connected with other keen runners to motivate and focus your training.

There are 4km and 8km options (either one or two laps, with a slight detour to make up the distance) and the session is open to members and non-members alike.

Beware though, as the time trial goes clockwise and for those who know the “Tan” you’ll know that means running up the Anderson St Hill.

More info at www.vrr.org.au Viva Physiotherapy is holding its annual New Years’ Resolution Pilates Competition.

By telling us in 50 words or less how Pilates will feature in your New Years’ resolution you can receive a month’s unlimited studio membership, plus a one-on-one session with a physiotherapist to write your tailored program.

Runners-up prizes are also available.

Enter at www.vivaphysiotherapy.com/pilates-competition/

Like us on Facebook