Cancer Council Queensland offers the following five New Year’s resolutions to inspire your good intentions.
1. Achieve a healthy weight.
Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is good for your overall wellbeing, but we know from The Health of Queenslanders Report 2018** that this is a challenge for many Queenslanders, with two in three adults overweight and obese. For adults, a quick way to check weight status is your Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist measurement. Balancing physical activity with a nutritious diet will not only help your waistline but reduce your risk of illness and chronic disease. In 2019, establish a lifelong system of staying accountable, such as keeping a food and physical activity diary.
2. Quit smoking.
If you smoke, your body is constantly working to try and repair the damage done by regularly inhaling more than 7000 toxic chemicals. There are so many good reasons to quit and the sooner you do, the more you can reduce your cancer risk. Benefits include improvements to your health, your looks, your sense of taste and smell, your fitness and finances. And if someone you love smokes, encourage them to do the same, remembering that secondhand smoke can be just as lethal for you, your friends and family members. Call Quitline on 13 QUIT (13 7848) for free information, practical assistance and support to quit.
3. Cut back on alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of alcohol-related cancers and other chronic diseases. If you choose to drink alcohol, stick to the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for alcohol consumption of no more than two standard drinks per day. Keep in mind that many alcoholic drinks are kilojoule heavy, so cutting back on alcohol could also help with maintaining a healthier weight.
4. Get up-to-date with your screening.
Is there a screening test that you’ve been putting off? The New Year is the perfect time to set a date and get checked – it just might save your life. Find out about the three national screening programs for bowel cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer at http://www.cancerscreening.gov.au.
5. Get to know yourself.
When it comes to cancer, in most cases the earlier it is detected, the better. This is because finding cancer early can increase the likelihood of successful treatment. Without fretting or worrying, make it another resolution to get to know the regular look and feel of your body, keep an eye out for unusual changes, and commit to seeing a GP if you notice any changes. Now you have it – your cancer resolution guide.
This January & February, put your health first and put steps in place to learn about cancer and reduce your risk. More information about Cancer Council Queensland is available at https://cancerqld.org.au/ or via 13 11 20.
This being also my old haunting ground, I can fully appreciate the views Rod has committed to paper. What’s impressive about this artist’s drawings cum paintings is his use of line, smudging, then scratching into them as if to underscore the aesthetic he finds in his subjects. Equally fascinating is Rodney Horsburgh’s past as a Courier Mail press artist – joining Queensland Newspapers in 1964. Those of us of the older generation may well have seen his work in Queensland papers before some of us stopped buying them at the onset of the Internet Age.
As Artist of the Month coordinator, I helped Rod mount his pictures on the Arts Centre wall for that purpose with hands down my favourite drawings being the turkeys. These wretched creatures, I’m told by Rod, have wrecked his garden. Perhaps that’s why he chose to draw and hang them on the wall: Wanted, dead or alive! I’ve also strolled through Rod’s turkey infested marvellous magical mysterious Mt Mee garden. It’s the sort of place one expects to discover pixies hiding amongst the overgrown everything.
Visitors must be cautious of wandering into the giant spider webs festooning the pathways. Better than Christmas streamers, they only add to the garden’s charm. Watch out for Rod’s future workshops where participants will learn his techniques of line, smudging, scratching and I’m sure many other worthwhile ways and means of capturing interesting subjects on paper. Currently, his work is on display for the month of January with a free Artist of the Month talk followed by morning tea each second Friday of the month. The Bribie Island Community Arts Centre can be found at 191 Sunderland Drive, Banksia Beach, opening Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Phone 3408 9288 for further information.
