Welcome clients to my first newsletter of 2012. If you don't want to receive these newsletters, please send me an email and I'll take you off my list.
Feel free to forward this email on to friends and family that you think may find it interesting.
We are half-way through our Perth stay so I thought it was about time I checked in with you and let you know what we have been up to since we left Ballina.
INDIAN PACIFIC After a frantic end of year stage of Christmas, packing and sorting out house sitters for our time away (thanks again Chevone for helping out there), Chris and I drove to Sydney and boarded ourselves and our car onto the Indian Pacific train and settled down for some R & R for three days.
We had a lovely time - there's not much to do on the train so we read books, looked out the windows, ate, slept, went on several interesting tours and looked out the windows some more. It was mesmerising watching the Australian landscape gradually change as we crossed mountains, farmland, dessert and travelled through cities and towns and amazing landscapes like the Nullarbor - a bit like a very long documentary.
Highlights of the trip were the tours of Broken Hill and Kalgoorlie, the interesting ghost town (almost) of Cook on the Nullarbor and seeing wild camels - also on the Nullarbor.
I would recommend the trip to anyone but you definitely need a sleeper - I don't know how the people in the seats coped for 3 days and nights.
We had a cheap sleeping cabin but spent most of our time in the lounge or dining cars - both had large picture windows and you can mingle - or not.
PERTH AND FREMANTLE We arrived in East Perth refreshed and keen to see Perth on New Year's Eve. We drove through Perth first - a modern city set on a beautiful river, then on to Fremantle - a surprisingly large city that seems set in the 1800's. We were blown away at how beautiful Fremantle was - like a larger version of The Rocks. Apparently WA had a bad recession in the 70's and 80's so instead of knocking down all the old buildings in Fremantle, they just left them. Then when the boom times came, they started restoring them - it's still going on today. As a result, Fremantle is unique in Australia because most of it's buildings are old and now heritage-listed so they will continue to be preserved. Definitely worth a visit.
We then piked out of the New Years Eve celebrations and went straight on to our first house sit - for a friend 40 minutes south of Fremantle.
LIFE IN WA After the first house-sit we had a few weeks in a Chalet on the beach near Fremantle and did a few small trips - Margaret river and a cruise on the Swan river were highlights.
We are currently staying in our second house sit in a suburb 15 minutes from Fremantle. We have another house sit booking in Fremantle - where Chris is working
- starting soon and going until mid June. I am looking forward to that as I am dying to explore Femantle in more detail.
The other thing holding me back is the weather. I knew it would be hotter here than Ballina but they have had a record number of heat waves (3 or more days over 40) and I am a bit over that.
I guess we missed all the rain and flooding on the east coast and it makes me very aware of how vast our country is - sometimes I feel like we are in a separate country over here. - see pics attached.
BOWEN IN WA I haven't been doing any Bowen work here although I have contacted several Bowen colleagues here and done some swaps which has kept me "Bowen fit". Most of the practices here are busy but not so busy they need help - unfortunately for me. I may do some voluntary work when we move to Fremantle although I will have two big dogs to take for daily walks there - at least I will get fit!
I've also been doing yoga classes and I can recommend yoga to most of you. It is wonderful for correcting postural problems and increasing flexibility. It also helps strengthen your core and and a strong core means less back pain. Well worth a try if you have even low level of fitness. If unsure, check with your doctor first.
I've also been studying up on my anatomy and as always, researching health issues and natural treatments.
TIP OF THE MONTH – AIM FOR 30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE 4 TIMES EACH WEEK - that's only 2 hours! Medical research has shown that every aspect of your health improves when you exercise - As an example, a couple of half-hour walks and two yoga sessions each week is enough to help reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as greatly reduce your risk for diabetes, Alzheimer's, obesity, heart disease and cancer. You want to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes - not racing - just enough to get you sweating a bit.
Many people put off exercise because they think it requires a huge commitment - they see super-fit people running marathons and decide they will never be like them - so they do nothing - greatly risking their health. But you don't have to be super fit to gain health benefits. 2 hours of exercise each week is all it takes - we can all make that commitment. Try it for a month and I guarantee you will feel better and all your bodily functions will improve.
And don't forget to drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated so you don't injure yourself during your exercise sessions.
MORE INFORMATION Prior newsletters are available and you can also check out updates and detailed articles on my blog site athttp://bowentherapytips.blogspot.com/
If you would like to see more information about Bowen Therapy, you might like to check out my web page on the
Natural Therapy Pages at http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/therapist/25736
You can also check out my youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZdWWmINSGc
You can also follow me on facebook - Carolyn Blackburn Bowen Therapy
And follow me on Twitter - @Bowentweeter
Best wishes to you and your families,
Carolyn .
