Last year I learnt that the Spirited Women’s Adventure race was coming to Alexandra and decided this was some-thing I could challenge myself with and hopefully be able to complete. We got a team of 4 together with a combined age of 235 years and entered the Masters women’s short course option.

The race consists of a mix of hiking 5-10km, mountain biking 15-20km, kayaking about 2km and a mystery event along with finding our route, navigating and checking all 39 check points.

I had never done an adventure race and with knees that have moderate arthritic changes needed to put in some serious training and over the five months after the entry went in. I swam for cardio fitness, cycled over 400km and walked using Forrest Hill as one of my main training places as well as doing some kayaking over the Christmas break. Nordic walking certainly helped with the hills.

On the 14^th of February our team went to the briefing and were given our route maps, dropped our bicycles of at Chatto Creek and then spent time deciding the most efficient routes to take to get from one transition stage to the next and being able to get all 39 check points!

The short course had the last start time at 10.45am and was in two waves for the 79 teams. In all we had 9 transitions and these were all mixed between cycling and walking with the kayaking being at the Lower Manorburn Reservoir. Our mystery activity was also there and this consisted jumping 5.1metres into the dam from a rock face. Our team all completed this and did not incur penalty points.

After 7 hours 31 minutes we completed the race with smiles on our face. We finished 4^th in the Masters section and 43^rd out of the 89 teams that ranged from high school students up to our age group. Over-all pretty satisfied with our achievement as a group with a combined age of 235 years!

Have you started to experience discomfort in your neck, arms or back with returning to work following the holiday period?

Now is a great time to take a look at your work habits and address this discomfort before it becomes a bigger problem.

Our bodies are not designed to sit for long periods of time, hold our arms in one position for too long or complete repetitive tasks such as typing or mouse work for prolonged periods.

So what can you do to avoid this occurring:

• Task variation: where possible vary your tasks as often as you can as this can alter your work position e.g. vary between hand written work, typing, mouse work, phone calls and meetings where possible
• Regular rest breaks: Ensure that you take all standard rest breaks and don’t get into the habit of eating at your desk. Time away from your desk and computer work station gives your muscles time to recover from the work that they have been doing.
• Micropauses: it is recommended that at least once every hour (ideally every 15 minutes) for 5-10 seconds you should STOP what you are doing, DROP your arms down by your side and gently SHAKE them to relax your muscles and help restore normal circulation
• Postural variation: take any opportunity to get up from your desk such as walk to the printer to collect your own printing, or go next door to discuss matters with your colleague rather than phoning or emailing
• Stretches: completing neck, arm and back stretches prior to your day starting and regularly throughout the day helps to prevent or reduce any muscle tension that may cause discomfort. Refer to www.habitatwork.co.nz for a range of appropriate exercises.

It is also important to ensure that your workstation is set up to suit your individual needs. Even the slightest adjustment to your chair, screen height, or desk layout can make a difference to your posture and any discomfort. If you require any assistance don’t hesitate to contact the team at Accelerate Physiotherapy to discuss the situation or arrange for an onsite ergonomic workstation assessment with your Physiotherapist.

As Sarah Hannan CEO, of the Southland Chamber of Commerce, stated;

“The awards were introduced in 2013 and are held bi-annually. This year there were double the number entries from the inaugural event and the high calibre of entries made judging particularly difficult, with only a few points between finalists in many categories.

Southland Chamber of Commerce CEO Sarah Hannan, said there has been a depth and breadth of talent shown across a range of business sectors. “The awards are the regions platform to showcase and celebrate business excellence in all its forms.”

Entering the awards involved submitting an entry that included the clinics vision and plan, a review of the business’ strengths and what differentiates us in the community, risk management, community work as well as financial information over the past two years.

By doing this it gave us a good opportunity to review the business processes, strengths and weakness along with identification of possible opportunities for business development.

To celebrate being a finalist we took all our staff to the awards gala dinner on September 25^th at Ascot Park Hotel. Our team had a great night and enjoyed sharing in the success the business achieved as it couldn’t have been achieved without the great team we have working at Accelerate.

Our second celebration of success was at the Sunrise Rotary Club of Invercargill where Judy Wheeler was presented with a Pride of Workmanship Award on Friday 16^th October.

Judy’s nomination recognised the 13 years she has been with the company, her courteous and friendly manner that is an excellent first impression of the business,  attention to detail and the fact that she is accurate and conscientious with all her work tasks ensuring they are completed on time, even if it means working extra hours. Over-all Judy puts her all into her role and is a great asset to the business.

Luckily, sort of, I had concerns with Lily’s ability to jump in her jolly jumper and thought her legs were a different length when she was 4 months old. We were sent for an ultrasound at the hospital, and was told her left leg was permanently dislocated and therefore her hip hadn’t formed properly.

When Lily was 6 months old, she went into a spica cast – a cast from her nipples to her ankles. But, Lily quickly adapted and hasn’t minded being restricted. She is now 10 months and coming to the end of her spica journey. Lily’s hip has formed well and the specialist has said Lily shouldn’t need any further treatment. But she will be followed up until her adolescence. This is relatively minor compared to other children who have had numerous surgeries and casts. Also, if children are older when the deformity gets picked up, the children can be more upset as they can’t crawl, stand, or walk anymore.

Signs and risk factors for DDH include family history of DDH, first born, female, breech birth, leg length discrepancy, and uneven skinfolds on the legs or buttocks. If you have any concerns, make sure you talk to your plunket nurse or GP. If the deformity is picked up soon enough, the treatment is far easier on the child (and parents).

We have regular clinics in the Western Southland area to serve the farming and industry community and we are located in the medical centre in Tuatapere. As we are situated in the medical centre, we are able to work in close contact with the medical staff to provide a holistic approach to health care.

The weather is usually kind to us and very rarely do we not make it out to Tuatapere.

Our usual hours in Tuatapere are Mondays – 9.00am -5.30pm.

If you need any physiotherapy treatment or advice you can make an appointment through Accelerate Physiotherapy on 03 2186583 or by contacting Tuatapere Medical Centre on 03 2266123.