Beware those dreaded Christmas injuries

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For some, Christmas can be an accident waiting to happen. TSIC has unfortunately seen plenty of interesting Christmas-related injuries. Read on to avoid making these same mistakes.

The ‘Decorating while under the influence’ (DWUTI) injury

Preparing your house with cheer and copious amounts of fairy lights is impressive and fun. However, the consumption of alcohol seems commonly linked to the use of wonky stools and unsupported ladders that often end in tears and a nasty DWUTI injury. 

The Christmas Eve ‘parent-duties’ injuries

While constructing or testing gifts for the children, there are an assortment of injuries that can occur. That new trampoline looks harmless; however, your joints and muscles have most likely been out of practice for a few decades, so be cautious. It is also extremely tempting to check that the new scooter, skateboard or bike is raring to go for the kids on Christmas Day. Be wary, as these toys weren’t designed to carry the weight of an adult.

The Christmas through to New Year ‘Look at me’ injury

The weather is perfect and friends and family are gathered. There is always that one festive person who attempts a backflip into the pool or face plants while attempting an assortment of stunts. Sure, the embarrassment disappears swiftly; however, the pain may not.

The Sports Injury Clinic is here for you and your family over the Christmas season should you fall prey to a dreaded Christmas injury.

THE SPORTS INJURY CLINIC

A: 365-367 Nepean Highway, Frankston 

T: 9783 9990


Kis someone this Christmas

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Kis Organic Perfumes make the perfect gift for you or someone else. These natural perfumes are subtle and beautiful and can be used as an aromatherapy “pick me up” at any time of the day.  

Made by a professional perfumer using blends of organic essential oils, they are a worthwhile addition to your beauty regime. They come in an eau de parfum 50ml spray or a convenient roll-on in alcohol-free jojoba oil. 

All products come in eco-friendly packaging, and you can also choose from essential oil blends, scrubs, soap buckets and a Mr Smooth range for the men. Prices range from $15 to $65, which means they’re great for Kris Kringle gifts and stocking fillers.

KIS MY BODY

M: 0418 271 504

W: kismybody.com.au

FB: kismybody

INSTA: kismybody

Welcome to Vanessa’s house of horrors By Kate Sears

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A hearse sits in the frontyard and it’s drawn by a horse that’s just a skeleton. If you’re brave enough to continue towards the house, an eerie butler will greet you at the front door. You’ll find a headless Victorian lady and her friend who follows you around while staring you down with her piercing red eyes. Follow the hallway to the end to discover a Bates Motel-style set-up complete with sign and deceased mother in the rocking chair. Or stop by the creepy clown or horrific zombie room before you get the absolute jitters in her backyard cemetery.

Sk8house co-owner Vanessa Hammond transforms her whole home into a spooky house in preparation for her favourite day, October 31. More than two weeks of hard work among spider webs and skeletons is what it takes for the house to return from the dead and be ready to come alive at night in the lead-up to Halloween.

Vanessa is not alone in her love of the scary season, with her daughter Brittany, mum Lorraine and her mum’s partner Dennis (or Jack the Ripper on stage) assisting in the festivities. These family members are talented creatures who have a knack for creativity and bringing Vanessa’s crazy nightmares to life.

“I show them my ideas and they create it,” said Vanessa. “Mum and her partner make the props, including hand-painting polystyrene to look like stone that we’ve then put on the walls. She’s helped with my clown room and hand-painted a clown’s face on to wood which is now the entrance to the room — you walk right through the mouth. It’s also decorated in fluorescent paint so everything glows with the UV lights.”

You can expect to see a 2m pumpkin man, gargoyles guarding the driveway, coffins that open by themselves, a creepy dungeon, zombies that reach out at you, hanging skeletons that move, and of course lots of gore.

It’s become an addiction that Vanessa looks forward to every year as she sources paraphernalia from overseas and online throughout the lead-up to make each year bigger than the last. With storage becoming a terrifying challenge, she’s moved some props to a storage facility and — fittingly — to her mother’s attic. Could you just imagine stumbling unsuspectingly into that room?

“Halloween is becoming popular in Australia. It is all about dressing up. It’s a chance to pretend to be someone else or something else. It’s a chance to do a different activity.” Vanessa’s even had Channel 9 News host its weather segment with presenter David Brown inside her haunted house. Now that’s different!

Her kids look forward to it each year and plan their costumes well in advance as they follow in her eerie footsteps. For 15 years this tradition has attracted quite a following, with neighbourhood kids of all ages coming to have a look — supervised by an adult and invite-only — and to try their luck at trick or treating.

Frightfully good fun at Sk8house By Kate Sears

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When ghouls and goblins come out to play, Sk8house puts on its biggest event of the year. Halloween festivities will be in full swing on Saturday, October 27, from 6-9pm. It’s a family affair, with everyone invited to dress up and compete in the Best Dressed Awards for the chance to win a Sk8house voucher and bragging rights.

Wee trolls and cheeky fairies can try their hand at trick or treating if they’re brave enough to approach the Sk8house staff, who will be in full bloodcurdling costume handing out tiny treats, freebies and of course lollies to get everyone in the Halloween spirit. Scary sights will be set up around the rink as the decorations go to the next level for the most attended event on the Sk8house calendar.  Cobwebs will adorn the walls as skeletons hang around for a scare. It’s time to dance around in your skates (or standard shoes) to a spooky playlist complete with the Ghostbusters theme and such graveyard smashes as the Monster Mash. If this doesn’t give you the creeps, how could we forget to mention that fake blood and gore will be around every corner. And don’t forget to grab a photo in front of the elaborate props to complement your costumes and create lasting memories in case you don’t survive the night of frights.

“There will be more decorations than ever before,” said co-owner Bernadine. “It’s going to be a great night of fun for all ages, from tots to grandparents.”

Halloween-inspired non-alcoholic drinks will keep you hydrated between spooky games, while you feed your inner zombie with green ghoul soup and other fright bites. With three years of Halloween party experience behind them, this team is set to scare your socks off.

“A lot of people say they don’t celebrate Halloween, but it’s not just about that. It’s a chance to dress up and pretend to be someone or something else for a night,” said Bernadine. “Regardless of your age, who doesn’t love dressing up?”

Entry is $12 and it’s an additional $3 for skate hire. Now be warned, it’s best to be stealthy and get in early because bookings aren’t accepted.

SK8HOUSE

A: Unit 3/2 Amayla Cres, Carrum Downs

T: 9773 6799

W: sk8house.com.au

FB: sk8houseau

 

Design your perfect diamond ring online with Anny’s By Kate Sears

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Anny’s Manufacturing Jewellers has specialised in designing quality custom-made jewellery for more than 28 years. Now Anny’s has taken things to a whole new level with a website that lets you view 30,000 GIA-certified diamonds online from all over the world so you can hand-pick the perfect diamond for your perfect ring.

Choose the shape, colour, carat, cut, price and clarity of the diamond you want, and all the diamonds in Anny’s system that match your search criteria appear with their details and corresponding prices. You can even zoom in on your choice for a 360-degree close-up view.

Then proceed to the design stage to choose your preferred metal and style for your wedding ring band and put them together with your diamond. Your very own design then appears on screen. Happy with it? Add to cart. Not happy? Head back to the drawing board.

If you’re still not sure, simply speak to one of Anny’s master jewellers, who will help you design a gorgeous quality piece that will last a lifetime and bring you endless joy, working with you every step of the way. Jewellery is very personal, which is why they stand by their promise “You Imagine — We Create”, and that’s exactly what these master jewellers do.

ANNY’S MANUFACTURING JEWELLERS

A: 92 Young St, Frankston

T: 9783 6226

W: www.annys.com.au

INSTA: annysjewellers

FB: AnnysManufacturingJewellers

E: [email protected]

 

Don’t let injury sideline your exercise

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It is a misconception that exercise should stop just because one limb is injured. There are plenty of exercises you can do even if one arm is in a sling or your ankle is in a moon boot.

Research has shown exercising your uninjured side can help prevent a significant loss of strength to the affected limb. This means that, when you have recovered, the loss of muscle strength won’t be as dramatic.

Exercising the uninjured side can also help to understand the movement pattern and exercise that you will be doing once your injured side is ready. You may be able to do one or two specific movements in your sling, but once out of it your exercises will be able to progress much further. To help with this process, starting those progressions earlier on the non-affected limb can help with both your understanding and your muscle’s ability to adapt to the exercise which will help reduce the overall loss of strength on the injured side.

This is where talking to your physiotherapist or exercise physiologist is really helpful. Not only can they provide you with exercises most helpful for your injury, they can also help keep you motivated. No one wants to be injured, but it’s important to keep moving!

THE SPORTS INJURY CLINIC

A: 365-367 Nepean Highway, Frankston

T: 9783 9990

 

Fitting reward for Mornington business By Kate Sears

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Be Fit Food has become a household name across Australia after appearing on the television show Shark Tank in 2017, which resulted in a $300,000 investment and an overnight increase in sales of 1500 per cent. Selling out for six weeks in advance within two hours of the show airing sent the team into shock. Now this Mornington-based business is making headlines again after being named the 2018 Telstra Victorian Business of the Year.

“We were nominated six months ago and were one of 10,000 submissions. The top 25 were invited to the finals awards night so going to the awards didn’t even sink in,” founder Kate Save told Frankly Frankston Magazine. “We were up against a lot of big companies so we honestly went into the night looking forward to having a good time. Then we took out our category, the Small & Succeeding Award, which we didn’t expect. I thought to myself, ‘This is the epitome of success’. We remained hopeful for the overall category. My heart skipped a beat when they called our name. I didn’t jump up as I thought I’d imagined it.”

Be Fit Food was founded by Kate, a dietitian, exercise physiologist and diabetes educator, and Geoffrey Draper, a bariatric surgeon, as a food-based tool that could remedy chronic disease and enhance long-term health.

“We take the guesswork out of healthy eating by providing Australians with scientifically formulated meals for improving overall health and well-being,” Kate said. “The main goal is to educate Australia that food is medicine and to change our clients’ health. Weight loss is just an added bonus.”

Real food is the answer, and with her busy schedule Kate loves that her family enjoys eating her Be Fit Food meals too. “My kids love the lasagne and the meatballs,” she said.

Keep your fingers crossed for our Peninsula superstars when the National Telstra Awards take place in Melbourne on Thursday, September 20. Join Kate and her team for their 10th Diabetes Walk on Sunday, October 21, in Mount Martha, starting in the carpark behind the shops (where the playground is located). All the money goes towards supporting research into juvenile diabetes.

“The win has finally sunk in and the best bit is that it’s given us a chance to get in front with creditability,” said Kate. “We’ve received greater respect since the awards from other health professionals and the greater public.”

 

A Fortnite of neck pain

Fortnite. It’s a hot topic of conversation among concerned parents at the after-school pick-up. Most of the discussion has been centred around the addictive nature of the game. But gaming also affects the bodies of the next generation in other ways.

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Excessive time spent on gaming — whether it be on a Nintendo, PlayStation or other console — puts strain on the neck. When using consoles, most people slouch their neck and hunch in their shoulders. The higher the degree of slouching, the more stress is put on the neck. Pain can extend down the back and to the hands. In the allied health industry, this type of injury is becoming more frequent and even has been dubbed ‘gamers neck’.

The Sports Injury Clinic recommends reducing the amount of time spent in front of the console but we know that sometimes isn’t always easy to enforce! When gaming, it’s important to maintain a straight back with good posture. Ideally the screen should be positioned at eye height, so there is no downwards strain on the neck. Stopping regularly for exercises is also great to stretch out the affected muscles. Chin tucks, head rotations and shoulder rolling are excellent for releasing built-up tension.

For more support or assistance on providing relief, the team at TSIC is here to help.

THE SPORTS INJURY CLINIC

A: 365-367 Nepean Highway, Frankston

T: 9783 9990

 

 

 

 

Rally around Relay For Life

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Last year, 2187 people in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula heard the words “You have cancer”. So this September help Frankston and Peninsula Relay For Life celebrate its 15th year of raising money to find a cure for cancer so others in our community don’t have to hear those words.

Frankston and Peninsula Relay For Life is an overnight team walk that has raised more than $1.2 million for Cancer Council Victoria’s research, support, information and prevention programs. The relay celebrates cancer survivors and carers, remembers loved ones taken by cancer, and includes activities that promote ways in which we can all fight back against cancer.  Relay For Life is for everyone, no matter your age or fitness level. 

This year’s Relay For Life will be held on the weekend of September 22-23 at Ballam Park, with teams taking turns to walk or run the athletics track. It begins with an opening ceremony at 4pm on Saturday as cancer survivors and carers take centre stage to do the opening lap before enjoying a special afternoon tea. At 8pm a candlelight ceremony is held to celebrate loved ones who have survived or succumbed to cancer. Candle bags with personal messages line the track and light the way for the overnight walk.

Midnight heralds the start of the 42.2km marathon for the super-fit; for those not quite at that level, there’s a half-marathon or team marathon starting at 1am. The closing ceremony at 11am on Sunday wraps up the event, with organisers thanking the volunteers and the community for making Relay For Life possible.

When not walking, participants can enjoy the relay atmosphere and festivities, with entertainers, games, team activities and food vendors to keep everybody going for the 19 hours. So come and have some fun, celebrate our cancer survivors and carers and raise vital money for Cancer Council Victoria by starting or joining a team in the Frankston and Peninsula Relay For Life. Cancer never rests, and for that reason neither will Relay For Life.

Go to fundraising.cancer.org.au/Frankston, email [email protected] or phone the supporter care team on 1300 656 585 today.

Take the stress out of your life by Kate Sears

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‘Prana’ means “vital energy”, and ‘yama’ means “control”. In this class at Yogaharta, clients will practise different controlled breathing techniques in a seated position. Teachers Cody Felmingham (owner Ruth’s son) and Miroslav Petrovic will demonstrate techniques to help purify your respiratory system and aid in healing your body and mind. Simply put, pranayama prepares you for meditation as it teaches you to focus on your breath and to turn your absent-minded shallow breathing into deeper breathing.

“It will make a huge difference to how you feel and you can apply it to stressful situations during your day,” said Ruth. “It can be hugely powerful for people with anxiety and depression, as it calms you down and brings you in touch with yourself.”

New clients are treated to a special deal. For $25 they receive unlimited access to the studio for 14 days. Pranayama classes are on Wednesdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 6pm.

YOGAHARTA

A: Level 1, 8/42 Hartnett Drive, Seaford

T: 9002 1158

W: yogaharta.com.au

E: [email protected]

FB: Yogaharta.com.au

INSTA: yogaharta_seaford

 

Access to therapists available to all

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The Active Health and Well-being program at St John of God Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital ensures access to therapists is open to everyone, whether you’re privately insured or not. You can access experienced rehabilitation health professionals using private insurance ‘extras’ cover, or via a referral from your GP for chronic disease management schemes. TAC, WorkCover or self-funding patients are also welcome.

Programs available are:

·      Dietitian Services

·      Exercise Physiology

·      Hydrotherapy

·      Occupational Therapy

·      Physiotherapy

·      Speech Pathology

·      Women’s & Men’s Health

The hospital’s modern consulting rooms are equipped to provide the best possible care with some programs offered in its rehabilitation gyms and hydrotherapy pool.

Their physiotherapists assist people affected by accident, injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise; manual therapy; education and advice. They maintain health for adults by helping patients manage pain and prevent disease.

Women’s and Men’s Health is provided by experienced physiotherapists who have specialist knowledge in this area. A variety of conditions are assessed and treated for incontinence and bladder/bowel dysfunction to musculoskeletal complaints of the pelvis using the latest in technology, such as real-time ultrasound.

Exercise physiologists design safe and effective exercise programs specifically for an individual to ensure maximum performance. They also work with people affected by acute or chronic medical conditions after injury, trauma or disability.

Occupational Therapy enables people to participate in their activities of everyday life. Whether it is by a specific exercise program, use of assistive devices or modifying the way we do things, Occupational Therapy provides a practical approach to making life easier.

Services such as dietetics, speech pathology and hydrotherapy complete the comprehensive services now available.

Please call 9788 3331 to inquire and make an appointment. Chronic disease management schemes will require a GP referral/management plan.

ST JOHN OF GOD FRANKSTON REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

A: 255-265 Cranbourne Rd, Frankston

T: 9788 3333

W: sjog.org.au/Frankston

FB: SJOGFrankston