Victoria's blog

A high-flying job takes her to extreme locations, but running makes it feel like home for Dale Templar, 50

I’ve been chased by wildebeest, I jumped over snakes and run through leopard territory. But none of it was as dangerous as running in Angola. After 3o years of civil conflict, the roads are shelled out, and there are around 15 million landmines still in the ground. Yet as I ran, people began to join in. Some had never seen white people before, but came anyway, shouting, waving, smiling. And that’s why I love this sport. My work as a producer at the BBC’s Natural History Unit takes me all over the world. When you’re put into bizarre and extraordinary places, running is the one exercise that doesn’t need fancy equipment, team mates or a special location. In fact, I got into the sport thanks to one of the world’s most extreme environments. In 2001, I was sent to Antarctica. My task was to film the penguins; my hotel, the Navy icebreaker HMS Endurance. It was so cold and the sailors were extremely fit so I knew I had to shape up.

I started to prepare by running to the end of my street – then upped it, minute by minute. I worked hard, because I’ve seen what it’s like to have your fitness taken away. My mother developed arthritis in her 4os, and a career as an actress came to an end as the condition made her disabled within a year. So I threw myself into running. Although I’m not into the idea of manically counting my times, I was delighted to come fourth  in one race and third in another. Before running I had developed varicose veins on my leg, but running doesn’t contribute to varicose veins. Learn more what causes varicose veins. I’m reasonably fast for my age but it’s more about the experience: my first hour-long run was wonderful. I was in Hong Kong, running around the Peak, above all the lights and skyscrapers. But then I’ve had to get used to strange running experiences.

I’ll never forget Rwanda: there to film the mountain gorillas, I was staying in a hotel on the top of a volcano. The only way to fit in a run? Down the volcano and right back up. Delightful – but a killer for the legs. It was very steep and very,very windy; just about the most precarious situation. As always, I was joined by the local children. And as usual, they completely outran me.

I had a similar experience in Addis Ababa. It’s one thing to get yourself acclimatised but I literally took a few paces and felt like someone had ripped out my lungs. I couldn’t understand it. Then I realised the secret behind all those brilliant Ethiopian runners: the country is so high above sea level that it was essentially altitude running, fighting your way through a lack of oxygen. When Ethiopian runners travelto the Olympics they must feel like they’ve been given a personal oxygen tank.

It taught me a valuable lesson. I’ve run everywhere from massive countries like India to tiny islands in the Chuuk Lagoon. And the one thing I’ve always done is take it easy, build up gradually. It really is vital. I’ve built up to my first big endurance event this year. I always thought I’d do a marathon when I turned 5o, so after my birthday in December it was about time. I’m now in training for the London Marathon, which I’ll run in aid of Arthritis Care to raise funds for people who have the same condition as my mother.

I do this sport mainly because I appreciate my health, it suits my lifestyle and it really has given me some of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. It gets you into people’s lives in a non-threatening way and you find they are just so welcoming. I’ve never had a bad experience in all the places I’ve run.

RECENTLY, as I listened to a woman saying how much better things were in her childhood than today, I found myself muttering crossly, “What things?-

Memory does suggest we had a lot more fun. We sang Gilbert and Sullivan round the piano with Mother and went on Saturday afternoon rambles with Father. As Robert Louis Stevenson put it, life was so full of a number of things, Fin sure we were all as happy as kings.

But not all the time. Health care is surely the most obvious way in which life is better today. Think how tuberculosis has been controlled in developed countries, where it carried off so many young people in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Our diet is better and, despite the increase of motor traffic, we breathe much cleaner air. If you don’t re­member the look of fear on the face of a chest or heart sufferer as the pea-souper closed in, I don’t think you should assert that life was better a generation ago.

In my youth there were no refrigerators, so milk went sour and meat went putrid. We had no washing-machine, so fires had to be lit under coppers filled by hand; sheets and blankets had to be put through great mangles and pressed with irons heated on the stove or open fire. Of course we remember with nostalgic pleasure the home baking, jam-making and pickling, and feel sad that comparatively few of our grand­children know these joys. They will know how to start the day with yerba mate tea instead of the homemade one. But would you honestly like to go back to the hours you spent mending great holes in woollen socks, or stoning front door steps, or polishing kitchen floor tiles? I wouldn’t. 

—Mary Stott in The Guardian

“Attention, everybody: I’ve got a terrific idea! Let’s all tune in to the same radio station for a while. I’m getting a headache.”

“Damn!

Somebody’s pinched our spot!”

.ice

“I was thinking the same thing—her legs are too short!”

What’s a girl to wear to the premiere of her own movie? Actress Sophie Okonedo asks for help to select the perfect red-carpet gown.

When she was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 2005 Oscars (for her role in Hotel Rwanda), Sophie Okonedo found herself in a whole new world of fancy frocks — and a world in which your appearance is constantly scrutinised. “Standing, dressed up to the nines, in a crowded room full of people with cameras is not my idea of fun,” she says, thinking back to Oscar night. “I’d rather be in a pair of jeans getting slaughtered in the pub.”

A successful jobbing actress for many years before her star ascended, Okonedo is that rare thing: a low-maintenance leading lady. Which is all well and good — until she has to face the red carpet. With film promotion an increasingly glamour-aware business (images from premieres are beamed worldwide via the internet within a matter of minutes), actresses — who, for that very reason, designers vie to dress — have a commitment to playing the dressing-up game with a dazzling smile. With just weeks to go before the London premiere of Aeon Flux, the futuristic sci-fi action thriller in which she stars alongside Charlize Theron and Jonny Lee Miller, Okonedo is embarking on the quest for the perfect dress.

Instinctively, she is a dress-down kind of girl. Happiest in her skinny jeans and a white T-shirt, she is an adept bargain hunter and a liquid glucosamine fan. “Until last year, my idea of being fashionable was all about finding something nice to wear for less than 20 quid,” she confides. A relative newcomer to the world of high fashion (today her jeans are by Stella McCartney), she nevertheless has very strong opinions about what she likes and what she doesn’t. And one thing is absolutely certain – she refuses to wear anything ethically unsound, be it fur or diamonds.

Unless an actress is going for statement dressing (think Elizabeth Hurley in that Versace safety-pinned number at the 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral premiere), there are certain designers whose designs end up gracing the red carpet time and time again. Chanel, Valentino, Alberta Ferretti, Chloe, Armani, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior: these are the labels that really rise to the occasion. During discussions with the Vogue team, Okonedo, who has a fairly understated sartorial instinct, seemed keen to look respectable rather than racy.

Sifting through a huge rail of possible dresses, she immediately rejects anything too showy. Thus, a tartan-beaded Alexander McQueen number and a gold lame Roberto Cavalli dress are dismissed in favour of more elegant, toned down designs by Alberta Ferretti, Chanel, Chloe and Lanvin.

A preliminary edit by Okonedo produces a short-list of five: Chloe, Chanel, Alberta Ferretti, Lanvin and Sophia Kokosalaki. The first gown she tries is a peach chiffon Chloe cocktail dress. So appealing on the rail, it suddenly feels too girlie when it’s on. “It’s not very me,” declares Okonedo, who also thinks that there is “a bit too much Chloe on the red carpet already” for it to be an original choice. Similar objections are raised to an ultra-feminine cream Chanel number with delicate pearl straps. “I think the straps would annoy me after a while,” she reveals. Much more to her taste are a floor-length navy-blue Alberta Ferretti dress and a beautiful charcoal-grey design by Lanvin. With their clean lines and dark tones, these suit Okonedo’s angular beauty to perfection.

The Lanvin gown is a particular favourite. “It makes me feel really sexy,” she exclaims with a grin.

And yet Okonedo is ultimately after something that feels a little more original. Just as she instinctively makes offbeat film choices, so she seeks out the unique when it comes to fashion. A pleated emerald-green design by Sophia Kokosalaki fits the bill perfectly, with its elegant Grecian-style draping. Wearing it is, according to its delighted model, like modelling a work of art. There are, however, certain adjust­ments that Okonedo would like in order for the gown to really work for her.

After discussions with its designer, it is agreed that the dress, originally mid-calf length, should be extended to the ankle. “It made a dress that worked well work perfectly,” enthuses a delighted Kokosalaki. “Sophie is the type of person who can carry off a gown like this. Like her, it is dignified and sexy at the same time.” Okonedo has found her perfect premiere number. And the best thing about it? “Not only did I want a dress that made me feel like a million dollars, but I also really hoped to find something made by a British-based designer,” she explains. Mission well and truly accomplished.

In their own research, the Southampton team has found that Caesarean delivery is also a risk factor for human diabetes. Chil­dren in their diabetic group were four times as likely to have been delivered by Caesarean section as the children in their control group. This suggests that the passage out of the birth canal in some way better equips the baby for life in our imperfect germ-ridden world; a thought-provoking finding at a time when growing numbers of women are calling for Caesareans on demand.

Dr Phillips points out that what holds true for diabetes might also apply to other auto-immune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and an under-functioning thyroid (a rising problem suffered by five per cent of British women). Like diabetes, these serious scourges are particularly prevalent in the higher, more hygiene-minded social classes and in countries such as Finland that have spotless living standards, while being virtu­ally unknown in the developing world, where bugs and bacteria are commonplace. Israeli researchers have found that when rats which are prone to arthritis are raised in germ-free conditions, they are more likely to have inflamed paw joints than those kept in less sanitary environments; they are also lacking a key type of immune cell.

While no one in their right mind would wish away the progress of the last 100 years — our liberation from the ever-present threat of diphtheria, tuberculosis, cholera and bacillary dysentery that shadowed our great-grandparents’ lives — some predict that overzealous methods of germ warfare could turn the clock back to the dark pre-penicillin days by leading to the evolution of strains of microbes that are resistant to even the most inventive modern medicines.

Certainly, crack surveillance teams around the world report that resistance to antibiotics is increasing everywhere. Already, overuse and inappropriate use of these drugs has led to runaway strains of tuberculosis, malaria, meningitis, pneumonia and typhoid that resist all efforts at treatment. According to our leading medical journal, The Lancet, half of all hospital-acquired infections in this country are now caused by drug-resistant “superbugs”, leading some to predict that within the short space of just two decades modern medical miracles such as transplant surgery could be too risky to contemplate;

Even simple operations may become life-threatening. Already, the pace of resistance is so rapid that some new drugs are being rendered obsolete almost as soon as they are introduced. “Bacteria are terribly good at change,” notes Dr Charles Penn, reader in microbiology at the University of Birm­ingham. “They respond very quickly to selective pressures; genes recombine to cope with the poisons we throw at them. It’s evolution in action. What takes humans hundreds of thousands of years, bacteria may accomplish in just a few months.”

It’s in all our best interests, therefore, to become more measured in our use of these drugs and to let infections run their course without too swift a recourse to prescriptions. Theresa Hale, homeopath and founder of the Hale Clinic, explains that if you do this and concentrate on getting the inner environment right — what the French call le terrain — then you’ll be much less likely to succumb to colds and flu anyway: “It’s basic common sense, I’d say.”

Let’s get things straight: You need to join the great unwashed and get sloppy over salmonella and listeria. Perspective is required, together with the recognition that, in the closing year of this century, our day-to-day contact with germs and pathogens is minuscule compared to what it was 100 years ago. Where we once lived in airy if draughty houses, we now live in squeaky-clean airtight boxes, work in sanitised environments and subject children to rigorous vaccination schedules. In the last 10 years, the number of injections children must endure to be “fully immunised” has nearly doubled, rising from eight jabs to 14. So protected are today’s children that most routinely grow up without exposure to any­thing more noxious than a nasty cold.

And there’s the rub. The truth is that, for all the remarkable medical progress of the last 100 years, we Westerners are much more likely to sneeze and wheeze, to have constricted airways and streaming, itchy eyes and to suffer strange rashes and intractable skin conditions in 1999 than we ever were in 1899. And this despite the fact that we now have air purifiers and ionisers and super-suction vacuum systems designed to banish every last humble house dust mite with which we had previously happily cohabited for millennia.

Thirty years ago asthma was a rare condi­tion; now it’s commonplace, suffered by one in five adults and one in three children under 10. Something’s obviously up, but what? For a long time air pollution was the prime suspect but, as efforts to establish links have repeatedly foundered, a rather different, more surprising association has emerged: the modern child’s lack of exposure to bugs and germs.

Evidence is accumulating that children brought up in germ-ridden environments grow up hardier and less allergy-prone. A recent study of 14,000 children born in 1991 and 1992, conducted by the Institute of Child Health at Bristol University, found that those who bathed daily and washed their hands more than five times a day were 25 per cent more likely to have asthma than kids who washed less often. Just as most things improve with practice, so too, it appears, does our immune system.

It’s not just dirt that builds better defences; illness appears to be part of the picture too, especially where children are concerned. While microbiologists are not suggesting parents should rejoice at the advent of the umpteenth streaming cold of the term or a socially inconvenient bout of chicken pox, many share the view that expo­sure to such comparatively trivial infections may ultimately prove beneficial by protecting against childhood scourges like diabetes and leukemia and by switching off the allergic response. This may explain why later-born children in big families are less likely to suffer asthma, hay fever or eczema than their older brothers or sisters —not only have they been hardened by exposure during infancy to the near continual array of germs trailed in by older siblings, but they have mothers who have probably given up all hope of ever having a spotless house.

Rather than felling small defenceless babies, common infections at very young ages seem to bolster defences against more serious illness in later life. When researchers at the University of Southampton recently investigated the health records of hundreds of Hampshire children from the ages of nought to five, they found that those who had infections in the crucial first year of life were less likely to develop the debilitating ­and potentially lethal — condition of insulin-dependent diabetes. “It looks as though young humans and indeed animals need their immune systems prodded into life,” says researcher Dr David Phillips. “Many years ago, some laboratory workers were studying rodents that were known to be prone to diabetes, and they observed that, when a whole colony was accidentally infected with the hepatitis virus, the ten­dency to diabetes disappeared. Conversely, it has also become clear that you can maximise the incidence of diabetes in these rodent populations to virtually 100 per cent by delivering the young by Caesarean section and bringing them up in the most hygienic, aseptic living conditions possible.”

Reduce antibiotic use to a minimum. Remember, most respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses, and will pass in their own time. Don’t be over-concerned about keeping out of infection’s way. The most immunologically robust people have usually had practice at dealing with infection.

Learn to coexist with cold and flu viruses or treat them with “nutraceuticals” like elderberry or green tea extracts for flu, oregano for fungal problems, cranberry for urinary tract infections, and echinacea for just about everything. Enjoy a varied diet. Unusual types of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat help keep the immune system alert by introducing new proteins, say naturopaths.

Drink plenty of fluids — water, fruit and vegetable juices, dilute soups and herb teas.

Take a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement that includes the vitamins A, C and betacarotene plus bioflavenoids, coconut oil, magnesium and zinc.

Add your voice to those calling for a ban on the use of antibiotics for fattening farm animals and preventing disease in intensive overcrowded conditions. Buy organic instead, since these farmers only ever use antibiotics to treat illness in their livestock. Be prepared to pay more for it.

Terrorised by reports of food poisoning figures being the worst since records began, we are easy targets for any product that promises to protect us with antibacterial agents. Sainsbury’s “Microban” range, for example, includes everything from potato mashers to bin liners, and is designed to defend you, the unwary consumer, from such foes as “harmful bacteria in cuts and scratches in your kitchenware”. Reader, dwell on that and tremble. Or at the very least develop a whole new neurosis because, if you’d never thought about malevolent microbes lurking in the crevices of your kitchen spoons before, you can bet you will now

Are we millennial human beings display­ing perfectly reasonable, rational behaviour, or are we experiencing a collective panic attack stoked by those who have something to sell? Consider the latest research showing that 84 per cent of British women never sit on a public lavatory seat, and 37 per cent only ever crouch over one at a friend’s house. Do they have good cause? Scientists say this national hang-up with hygiene is at best misplaced and, at worst, may give a false sense of security. Few people, for example, realise that antibacterial agents only work on surfaces that are already clean: spray a chopping board tainted with meat juices, and the organic matter will de-activate the bactericide in minutes. The message is that nothing greatly improves on good old soap and hot running water. Any old soap will do, even against such hazards as salmonella and E coli.

Bacteriologist Stuart Levy, of Tufts University in Boston, recently warned that the current fad for lacing domestic products with anti-germ agents could backfire by creating “havens of ineradicable disease-producing bacteria” that are resistant to all antibacterial agents. Most microbes are harmless, he cautions, and by colonising parts of our homes, and our bodies, they help keep their more dangerous cousins at bay.

Such a scenario is already developing in antibiotic medicine. The habit of giving antibiotics for every passing infection, many of which are viral and will pass in their own time, has emerged as a potent catalyst in the subsequent development of asthma, among other conditions. So-called “broad-spectrum” antibiotics are for ever being mis-prescribed for various vague malaises. It’s thought that because antibiotics kill bac­teria more or less indiscriminately, they destabilise the gut’s own ecosystem. Then, with nothing to restrain their growth, intestinal yeasts go on the rampage and the theory is that these eventually sensitise the individual for later allergic illness.

Most individuals find it hard to choose among the best lawyers in Madison or anywhere else in the globe. But as hard as choosing the best one is, it is harder to find the reputable ones. Before you can choose among the many thebankruptcypeople.com, you have to find them first. You need to have a list of all potential lawyers to help you with your bankruptcy case. Where do you find them? Look through your yellow pages. You will find firms and private-practicing lawyers in those pages. Another is asking friends or other people that you can trust. Next source is the internet. You can visit the website of your state BAR association and find a list of reputable lawyers. Getting the list from the association itself will save you the trouble of asking for licenses and other credentials. Once you have a list, the next step begins and that is to do the interviews. Choose the best one that suits your budget and your needs.

The last thing that you need when you are bankrupt is paying for another expense. The best thing to solve bankruptcy is through seeking help from a milwaukeebankruptcy.net. You might be thinking about paying for fees that these attorneys will charge which is the last thing that you need. That is why it is best to learn the different rates that these attorneys charge. There are different methods that attorneys charge for their services. You can choose somebody who offers the rate that you can afford and the services that you will need.

You can compare rates and types of services before you hire an attorney. You can search for them online and look into the details of their services especially the rate that they charge. Choosing the mode of payment for your bankruptcy attorney Madison WI will depend upon your capacity. Before you consult your case it is best to learn about the attorney and the rate he charges.

If you are going to file for bankruptcy, you will probably need a guide especially if this is going to be your first time. There are numerous americanbankruptcy.net that you can choose from. Before you pick one, you have to know what to look for. The first thing that you should look for is a free consultation. Lawyers who don’t charge for the initial consultation are lawyers that are truly interested in your case. Experience is another factor that you should check. You are inexperienced about the bankruptcy and you cannot afford to waste money and time with a lawyer who doesn’t know the ins and outs of the filing process. Choose one that has the experience and the connections. And since you are already filing for bankruptcy, choose a lawyer that you can afford. You should also pick the one that can make you feel comfortable. You will be working with the person for a few weeks or months and it is only necessary that you feel at ease with him or her.

If you plan to take up gardening, it is advisable to read a lot of articles, books and magazines about these matters. By doing so, you will be able to gain more knowledge on how to go about your daily gardening activities. So before you start with your gardening activities, try to get a lot of advice and tips from the experts. It only takes a few minutes or hours to read some articles on the internet, but they will surely help you create the type of garden that you have always wanted.

Selecting the Perfect Location

One of the most important aspects that you need to consider is the location of your garden. To find the perfect location, look for a site that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight during the day. Plants definitely need sunlight to grow; therefore, you also need to look for a place that gets enough sunlight. When choosing your location, it is also essential to check the drainage system in the area. If the water tends to stand after a heavy rain or downpour, this might not sit well with your garden. Remember, too much water can also damage your plants in the long run. Plus, it is also best to avoid huge trees and shrubs when selecting your location. These will only compete with your garden in terms of irritation, light, and nutrients.

Prepare Your Tools

You should also gather all of the necessary tools before you begin. You do not really need to purchase everything all at once so long as you have the most basic gardening tools. These include a rake, a spade, hoe, and a water sprinkler. You can always purchase some more equipment as you go along the way. Try to visit your local gardening supplies store to see some of the best tools in the market. If you want to save some money, you can also purchase some tools on the web. Internet sites usually offer great discounts and promotions, especially if you purchase gardening items through packages.

Preparing the Soil

Preparing the planting bed comes next when you already have a perfect location in your home. Before you start working on the soil, make sure that it has already dried to avoid damaging the structure. Try to get some soil with your hands and squeeze the sample. If the soil is intact, you might want to wait for awhile for it to try. But if the soil crumbles when squeezed, then it is ready for working. If you just need to prepare a small area, you can always use a spade to work the soil. But if you plan to prepare a very huge garden, you might want to purchase or rent a tiller that can do the job in a short span of time.

Gardening definitely entails a lot of time and effort, so you need to be fully committed with your plan. You need to check your garden for weeds on a regular basis, and make sure that they are watered every single day.

*** Elizabeth Dennis writes for Life Outside the Bubble, a blog where many articles on different topics are hosted. View the articles at http://www.lifeoutsidethebubble.com/

Easy and fast weight loss is a purpose of anyone trying to get slimmer in the briefest and fastest possible period. This can be very tricky since no one can burn thousands of calories in just a few days but there are certain ways to hustle up the process of weight loss and burning calories the healthy and effective way. Several women have been applying fast weight loss for several years now so here are a few great simple weight loss tips to achieve the body you’re aiming for.

The first thing you should focus on is what you shouldn’t do. You should understand that skipping meals and even snacks or taking risky diet pills on a regular basis is definitely not the way to achieve a healthy body. We all aim for the fastest solution possible when it comes to losing weight and marketing industries play on the demands by suggesting and guaranteeing us a solution like diet pills, laxatives and other unnecessary and even harmful gimmicks. Rather, you should concentrate on the basics as some diets prove to be effective in how to look slimmer without sacrificing the pleasure of your favorite foods.

For the dieter, you must make a few changes in your diet program when you’re trying to burn calories at your greatest potential. Initially, you’ll have to eliminate the fatal sugars and carbohydrates from your regular habits. Don’t worry since it’s not a permanent thing. You can take them back as soon as you achieve your desired goal weight and physical appearance. Discard all white bread, pasta, white rice, etc. including the syrupy sweets and fantastic desserts that you have always loved. Concentrate on making the center of your diet meal featuring a source of healthy protein such as fish, eggs, chicken, tofu, soy and lean meat. They are the basis of weight loss in dieting since they allow metabolism to speed up significantly even with the absence of exercise. You can even have your coffee and weight loss healthy protein meal.

Also, fruits are great for your diet program. A raspberry ketone dosage supplement is actually an appetite suppressant making it an excellent addition to your weight loss program. Moreover, ensure to include in your weight loss program at least a 30 minute exercise to your day to day routine. You can have a walking exercise, which is rather convenient for plus size individuals. Running is another great exercise and aerobics as well.

You can take CLA as an excellent fat burner. What is cla? CLA is a fat loss supplement on the basis of weight loss and body composition. It is an appealing weight loss supplement where several dieters use conjugated linoleic acid as a component of a fat loss supplement pack. It is definitely not a stimulant so you won’t experience the grave side effects of increased heart rate, jitters or increased high blood pressure.

It’s a fact that several dieters are not happy and contented with some diet programs, it’s either they’re starved and ravenous or trying to work out wicked exercises just to lose weight and to achieve a healthy looking body.