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While the hippo water roller is a form of domestic exercise, it is an absolute awesome invention that helps those who have to transport water manually from a well or other water source more efficiently and safely.

Previously people in African countries carried water balanced on their head with a container that leads to cranial and spinal injuries. The Hippo water roller users a plastic barrel made of polyethylene and is sterilized to allow the safe transportation of up 24 gallons of water which is a much higher incapacity than the previous 2.5- to 5-gallon capacity of more traditional methods.

This had led to very positive results with improving the people living in impoverished conditions to improve their quality of life where previosly there was limited access to water.

This has gained the acceptance of that men who previously viewed the act of retrieving water as not being very masculine. This has given women more time to pursue education and improve their literacy as the traditional form of water retrieval is very time consuming.

Across the road from where we run our boot camps in Northcote, I came across this sign promoting the supermarket brand and that patronising these stores a will lead to the generation of funds for school sports.

It’s disturbing that our Australian school system has become reliant on large corporations to generate additional income to manage the shortfalls from what is available from the government.

The shortage of funds available to the public school sector has led to other forms of fundraising activities involving large corporations, typically this involves the school canteen whereby selling highly processed, fatty and sugary food is given precedence over healthier choices.

Unfortunately it’s all the bad food that should be consumed infrequently that tends to have the highest profit margin which in turn leads to greater income generation.

A recent report titled “Education at a Glance” produced by the Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation painted a very appalling situation in regards to Australia’s school funding reputation.

Compared to other countries, Australia ranks 26 out of a total of 28 countries in regards to the proportion of public versus private government funding. When compared to other countries for example the US where 99.8% of government funding is allocated for the public education system, only83.1% is invested in public schools.

This places enormous stress on the public school system to source additional funds from other willing participants who wish to expand their brand recognition and increase revenue of their products.

While it can be argued that supermarkets sell a range of food products, including junk food etc, it is instilling from a very young age the association with sports where one buys their food. As parents wish to support the school to generate additional funds, they will be encouraging friends and family members to participate in the program, similarly they will be trying to purchase the maximum amount of products from the supermarket.

While supermarkets dominate the food distribution landscape, (Back in 2007 this was a staggering 79% combined market share between Coles and Woolworths) we need to educate the next generation that there are other options out there when purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables.

Children who develop brand recognition as children go on to be come consumers in their adult life, they establish a loyal customer for life.

There are numerous examples of whereby the these large corporations have established lifelong customers through the early branding initiatives, one example is the money tins that were freely given away by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in the 70s. Once a relationship and association has been established from a young age, the child will go on to become an adult customer.

This is a worrying trend that will not go away as schools are constantly seeking alternative forms of fundraising, fortunately the confectionery companies fundraising boxes has been banned from many schools.

The Gillard Goverment’s announcement that the Labor government will not be introducing the junk food tax begs the question whether the government is truly taking this issue seriously or will they merely commission another report to confirm what we already know.

One such investigation to improves the country health, in particular managing and reducing the countries growing obesity rate is the report generated from the Preventative Health Task Force that recommended introducing a tax on energy dense foods or commonly referred to as junk food.

This comes at a time when childhood obesity is at epidemic levels with the recent report into Child Development and Play commissioned by homeware’s giant Ikea found that a disturbing 66% watch more than four hours of TV per day.

A similar report from the US from the Journal of pediatrics similarity found 66% of preschoolers viewed more than two hours per day of content from a TV or computer screen.

Unfortunately implementing strategies and policies which at a the minimum stop the obesity rate let alone reduce the percentage of children overweight or obese seems to be weighted down by bureaucracy and the effects it will have on the food manufacturers and distribution landscape.

While childhood obesity, or more specifically obesity for the general population is a complex issue, we need to be a cohesive approach from not only government, but the educational providers, parents and media companies.

The key areas that need to be addressed but may prove to be unpopular are:

1.Introducing a junk food tax

2.Restricting marketing of junk food to children through all types of electronic and printed media

3.Food labeling laws to remove misleading and confusing packaging

4.Changing the school canteen menu to exclude food & beverages that are high is salt, sugar and fat, limiting processed foods and supplying fresh fruit while encouraging the consumption of tap water

5.Subsidies for healthier foods at day care centres, pre school and primary schools

6.Parents limiting sedentary behavior such as watching TV, playing video games, surfing the internet, talking on mobile phones, sending sms and watching DVD or streamed content from the web

7.Stopping the sponsorship of any event that is primarily attended by or marketed to children by junk food companies

8.Programs to increase childhood exercise

9.Educating children about the benefits of healthy eating

10.Stopping the association of brand ambassadors with junk food

While there seems to be a genuine government interest in tackling childhood obesity, we need to see action rather than debate or the commissioning of more reports, or reports that analysis all the existing reports.

If this situation is allowed to continue unabated, we will have a generation of children with Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease dying before there parents.

A restaurant near Seymour is growing its own vegetables and herbs and raising chickens for the eggs. The great thing about growing your own is that not only is it good for the environment and making tasty dishes, but it actually saves you money.

As vegetables continue to increase in price, growing your own is the ultimate way of saving some dollars while getting organic produce fresh from the garden. The flavours and nutrients are at their highest levels and the taste is quite overwhelming when compared to supermarkets vegies that have been sitting in a cool room or spending time being transported by truck.

Bruce and Lindy at the Wool Shed Cafe have a plentiful supply of vegetables, depending on what’s in season. During summer for example, they have fresh capsicums, tomatoes, cucumbers and beans and the excess is preserved in their delicious chutneys and pickles.

The great thing about Bruce and Lindy’s garden is their use of permaculture. Food scraps are fed to the chickens or mulched for reuse in the garden, while the chicken poo makes fantastic manure.
The other part of the equation is the gardening itself – its good exercise! Digging, planting, tilling the soil, weeding, composting are all great activities that require you to expend energy.
So, if you have the space, even a small pot for some herbs, start to grow your own you can create your own vegetable patch with only one square metre of space.

Even in the movies it’s becoming hip to become self sufficient, the restaurant owner in “The kids are all right” have their own vegetable patch – see it and be inspired!

Even in the movies it’s becoming hip to become self sufficient with the restaurant owner having their own vegetable patch in “The kids are all right”

After 2 years since being contacted by the City of Yarra in May 2008 about whether Fitstyler was conducting Boot camps on the war memorial in Barkley Gardens in Richmond we now have resolution.

In what started as a highly restrictive policy against fitness trainers in the City of Yarra has ended in a more amicable policy “Commercial Fitness Activity Personal Trainers Policy and Permit System” that balances the needs of the local community, park users, commercial fitness operators and the long term sustainability of open space infrastructure.

With the growing popularity of outdoor fitness training, we needed a policy that addresses not only the current but future usage of parks and gardens. More importantly it gives the public confidence in knowing that any fitness trainer undertaking exercise classes will need to have Public Liability Insurance of $10,000,000 and Public Indemnity of $5,000,000 together with appropriate qualifications.

A big thank you to the commercial fitness operators, Kinect Australia, The Age and the City of Yarra officers, in particular Mark Dornau, Greg Anders, Stuart Grant, Jenny O’Brien and Caitlin Ryan. Without their support and belief in the benefits of providing accessible exercise programs to the public, none of this would have been possible.

No doubt there will be similar challenges in the future with councils who have not formally addressed the regulation of their parks and gardens. I can only hope that the process, documentation and outcomes from the City of Yarra can form the foundations and direction for future councils to adopt.

Like I always like to say, persistence overrides resistance, whether it’s trying to lose weight to changing a proposed by-law:))