Lead Articles - Uncategorized

What's this pelvic floor business all about anyway? By Colleen Burns

Dianna Henry — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Everyone’s heard the saying: “I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself!” But nothing rings closer to the truth than when you’re heavily pregnant. As I write this article, I myself am 38 weeks pregnant, and have had a few ‘close calls’ when I’ve decided this really is no laughing matter

The truth of the matter is, that urinary incontinence (or leakage) is very common during pregnancy, and that one in three women continue to suffer these symptoms for months or even years after the birth of their baby. So it is a VERY common problem, and we really need to talk about it!

Private school sports buy ins

Dianna Henry — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Yesterday's Courier Mail contained six pages of coverage of private boys' schools and the issue of buying top athletes. Headmasters from some schools said that they were withdrawing their schools from rugby games when it was clear that the other team was significantly stronger because the headmasters feared the possibility of serious injury. Students spoke out about the disappointment of being in the top teams throughout high school, only to be replaced by an import in Year 12.

Has anyone experienced this same issue in girls' schools?

I finished high school 12 years ago. But I can still remember the huge pride and sense of achievement I felt when I represented my school at the annual interschool swimming carnival. In one particularly exciting race, I can even tell you which lane I was in and where my school was sitting! It would have been heart breaking if after four years of representing my school, I was tossed off the team in my final year to be replaced by a buy in. Fortunately the school I went to didn't engage in these sort of tactics.

Does this happen at girls' schools?

Brisbane hockey talent brings hope to Hockeyroos World Cup campaign

Dianna Henry — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:00:00 GMT

When the whistle blew to start Madonna Blyth’s first hockey game for Brisbane’s Valley Hockey Club when she was five-years-old, she was not to know this also sounded the start of her development into a player who would later captain a campaign to revive the renowned success of the Australian women’s hockey team.

It is now a decade since the Hockeyroos have enjoyed the height of success which saw them recognised as Olympic and World Cup champions, but later this month Blyth will have the opportunity to lead the Hockeyroos in proving they still have what it takes to stick it to the best in the world.

Madonna in action (Photo courtesy EMB Photographics)

The Enigma of Having More Energy by Annalies Corse

Dianna Henry — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

As a practising Naturopath, one of the most common questions I am asked is "What can I do/eat/take to have more energy?"

That is the million dollar question! Without opening a vast discussion into sleep/diet/stress levels here, I want to apply the KISS principle and Keep It Simple!

One of the major reasons we are so tired, so exhausted and so drained is due to the fact that our mind is constantly switched ON 24/7! It's often flicking through channels/downloading memory and data from thousands of files in our brain. Some of these files will contain all the information to perform well in your job, study for your exams, remember your unanswered e-mails and not forget the kids after school activities.

The myth of natural ability in elite sport by Justin Coulson

Dianna Henry — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Despite decades of psychological research to the contrary, the myth that natural ability makes an athlete superior persists. In fact, if you listen to the commentary of nearly any sporting event you will hear the “expert” describe the “natural talent” a given player exhibited throughout his or her life, which has culminated in present day successes.

Everyone believes in talent. Especially the experts. And the reasons are somewhat intuitive. A person has more fast-twitch muscle fibres, so she MUST have been born to be a sprinter. Another athlete is simply so tall she was always going to be a gifted basketball player. Or perhaps an athlete always showed promise, literally from the day she first crawled or walked. Physical endowment is visible. Shape and size, agility, and strength are all visible. That is what makes the “natural” argument so obvious.

Yet several decades of research has more or less debunked the claim that there is any such thing as “natural” ability. That is not to say that genetic endowment is irrelevant. Genetics provide a “natural capacity”, but the ability to perform at high levels is something that is developed, acquired.

2009 NSW Sports Federation Annual Sports Awards

Dianna Henry — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

The awards night dinner was held in February at the Waterview Convention Centre, Bicentennial Park (Sydney Olympic Park). Guests were entertained by Scott Finnie, Belilnda Adams and a Brazilian Dance Group.

Female winners on the night included:

* Norma Stead (Kiama) : Distinguished Long Service Award for services to Tennis.
* Yvonne Talbot (Beverly Hills) : NSW Volunteer Award for services to Wheelchair Sports NSW
* Clary Munns (Seven Hills) : NSW Masters Athlete of the Year for Swimming.
* Kara Leo (Cranebrook) : NSW Young Athlete with a Disability Award for Swimming.
* Megan Dunn (Dubbo) : NSW Young Athlete of the Year for Cycling.
* Dani Samuels (Merrylands) : NSW Athlete of the Year for Track and Field.

Congratulations ladies!