Mental health nurse and Wao speaker Sam Rodney-Hudson discusses the rise of eco-anxiety and what you can do to stay positive in the age of overwhelm.Very few argue the fact we are currently living in a climate crisis. The past 20 years have seen a steady increase in natural disasters. Climate change, deforestation, pollution, and species extinction is happening at an alarming rate and there doesn’t seem to be much mahi to slow it down. I made my first donation to Greenpeace when I was 10 and there was no way I was having children due to the state of the world I would leave them to inherit. Youth environmentalism is nothing new but it’s definitely more pressing, as I frequently tell my two children! Governments and leading organisations have failed to act for years, and humanity has rightly  taken it upon itself to raise awareness. The plus side of raising awareness about anything that causes harm is the increased likelihood of change. Behaviour change, legislative change and hopefully paradigm shifts. But the negative side is the knowledge that things out of your control are happening every day and it’s not okay. Social media companies, charged with the task of growth, growth and more growth have found a way to capitalise on our attention by harnessing our outrage and ensuring we stay engaged and on their platforms. So it’s little wonder we are seeing the new, more widespread sense of despair and phenomena of eco-anxiety. Our anxiety is being exploited and sold, it’s a commodity, with information overload intentional. Therapists have reported a significant increase in clients sharing their disturbing concerns about the climate crisis and feeling overwhelmed with sadness and guilt about future decisions like buying a house, travelling and having children. Unsurprisingly, Greta Thunberg’s worldwide movement started with her experiencing a period of sadness and despair, leading her parents to support her to take action. We are all aware of the impact that initially small but ultimately massive global action has had in slowly but surely awakening many. As a mental health nurse, I see eco-anxiety as one of many things we worry about that we have little or no immediate control over. I tend to suggest a focus on transferable skills like resilience, emotional regulation, and taking small steps towards those bigger, seemingly insurmountable, goals. On the bright side, eco-anxiety is born from a genuine concern for the planet and our fellow humans, it shows an awesome level of empathy and kindness for our wider community, Papatūānuku, and the animal kingdom. It’s an opportunity to work together. Climate change really is something we see eye to eye on with our young people and teens.What next?Sam Rodney-Hudson is a Mental Health Nurse, BSc(Hons) Nursing and Mother of two. To hear more from her in the flesh, be sure to head along to the Wao Summit where Sam will be speaking at Harnessing Hope for a Better Future: Mental Health in the Age of Overwhelm alongside Maureen Mooney, Abbas Nazari and Esther Whitehead.The Wao Summit is a six day annual event held in Wānaka. Its aim is to inspire, educate and enable our transition as a community and nation to a healthy, thriving, diverse, carbon zero community. Tickets on sale now at wao.co.nz/summit2021

Being awestruck can bring a host of benefits from lowering stress and boosting creativity to making us nicer people - but what exactly is awe, and how do we get more of it in our lives? Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.We all know that amazing sensation of feeling part of something much larger than ourselves, of being upended by the vastness of the night sky, fit to burst with the emotion and wonder of a new birth, or consumed with the intensity of great music. Research has shown that experiencing these magical feelings also changes how we approach our lives. Experiencing awe can make us more satisfied, less self-involved, less likely to feel starved for time, more grateful and more likely to help others.Scientists have learned these ‘Wow!’ moments also stimulate curiosity, creativity and innovation - all critical tools for solving complex social problems. Most importantly, they bring joy. The best thing? It’s easier than you think to feel awe every day. Awe brings with it a host of physiological, psychological, and social effects. Studies have found that feelings of awe can be accompanied by heart rate changes, goosebumps, and the sensation of chills, and there is some evidence that awe may even decrease markers of chronic inflammation. When it comes to psychological effects, studies have found that awe can give people the sense they have more available time, increase feelings of connectedness, stimulate critical thinking, create positive mood, and decrease materialism. Multiple studies have found evidence that experiencing awe also makes people more kind and generous. For example, people who wrote about a time when they experienced awe were more willing to volunteer their time to help a charity than people who simply recalled a happy experience. Another study found that people who stood among awe-inspiring eucalyptus trees picked up more pens for an experimenter who had “accidentally” dropped them than did people who stared up at a not-so-inspiring large building.Our own natural environment is full of awesomeness. In their 2003 research paper, US psychology professors Dacher Keltner and Jonathon Haidt described two aspects of awe experiences: ‘perceived vastness’ and a ‘need for accommodation’. Perceived vastness, they say, can come from observing something physically large, the vast night skies for example, or from simply being in the presence of someone with immense prestige like a famous sports star. It could also be the incomprehensible small scale of atomic particles. This perception of vastness upends our existing understanding of the world, it exposes us to things we don’t yet understand, and our brains work to make sense of it. An awe experience provokes a need for ‘accommodation’ when it defies our expectations. When we experience something that challenges what we thought we knew, our knowledge has to restructure itself in order to accommodate it. Fittingly, this process of learning is known as ‘accommodation,’ and it’s an essential part of gaining new perspectives. Since the 2003 study, other researchers have confirmed that experiencing awe helps us to focus less on ourselves and feel more like part of a larger whole. In multiple studies, awe-struck research subjects have shown greater generosity, more ethical decision-making, kinder behaviour towards others, and a decreased sense of entitlement.  Vicki Zakrzewski, education director at UC Berkeley has studied the effects of awe in her students. She found that by helping young people connect to something larger, awe could also open their minds to new ways of thinking and help them discover a deeper purpose in life. In their original research paper, Keltner and Haidt stated that “awe-inducing events may be one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth.” So, if experiencing awe can inspire so much in us, what inspires awe? Beauty – a dazzling sunset rich with colour, music with its mesmerising harmonies, dissonances and textures, plants from the most delicate of our ferns to the splendour of our 100-year-old kowhai in flower. Exceptional ability – the precision of athletes, a tool someone has invented to solve a problem, the amazing landscapes painted by our local artists, the intricate colour-work and detail in a skilfully hand-crafted garment. Powerful forces – the immense energy of the lightning experienced earlier this week, the powerful current of the mighty Mata-Au, the immense g-forces experienced by drivers in race car crashes. Infinity and infinite repetition – the uncountable number of stars in the night sky, evolution and amazing adaptations of some of our native species. The secret code of Fibonacci numbers are often found in nature, such as the number of spirals in a pinecone or petals on a flower. Breadth and scope – truly seeing the ‘big picture’ for the first time can forever alter how you feel in the now. Look at things around you with awe in mind, and it may just help you gain a better perspective for life.Image credits: Mary Hinsen

Climate change is forcing us to rethink how we govern, work and behave. In the legal world, inaction, or delayed action, is increasingly being viewed as a violation of human rights. From increased court cases to changes to our laws and regulations, our legislative ecosystem is shifting fast in response. Whether you work in the public sector, own a business, are a director, a trustee, investor or simply wanting to buy or build a house, these changes will affect you. This blog gives a brief overview of what’s been happening.In 2019, we amended the Climate Change Response Act  and enshrined a net zero emissions by 2050 target in law. Aotearoa New Zealand is one of the first in the world  that has legally committed to implementing clear and stable climate change policies in line with the +1.5 degree target set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Earlier this year, we  also became the first country in the world to introduce a law that requires the financial sector to disclose the impacts of climate change and take action to mitigate against these risks. We’re going to have a much better idea about which companies are adding to the problem and who, faced with the stark facts, wants to put money into a company that contributes to climate harm?Also at the top of this list is the Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. After an extensive independent review, the Act is set to be split into three separate laws with a new law specifically focusing on climate change adaptation. Current laws are unclear about who is responsible (and liable) for helping communities deal with things like rising sea levels, drought and erosion prone land, and other land related consequences of the global temperature heating up. This Act looks to clear that up. With more reforms to come (e.g. the Building Code) we’re not doing too badly on paper. However, we’re falling into the bottom of the global basket on whether or not our actions will keep us in the safe zone. Our efforts rank us 9th worst out of all G20 nations. This is where litigation can play a role. In July 2021, a few days after the report was released, Lawyers for Climate Action NZ filed High Court proceedings seeking judicial review of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) arguing that the recommended emissions budget did not meet the Commission’s own calculation of what is consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. The consequences of not meeting this crucial target  are going to be pretty stark, in particular for our Pacific neighbours.Litigation is trending upwards both in New Zealand and globally. There is an increasing body of international case law equating climate delay or inaction with a violation of fundamental human rights, challenging the enforcement of climate mitigation and adaptation measures, suing high emitting companies that contribute to climate harm, and greenwashing through non-disclosure of climate risks. Arguments are getting more sophisticated and direct linkages between cause and harm increasingly being identified as science evolves. So how could this affect you in your day to day life? First and foremost, you need to understand that what was ok yesterday, may not be ok tomorrow. The more we learn and keep up to date on what is going on, the better prepared we will be to adapt to these changes. Second, understand your emissions profile, as well as the risks and opportunities that this profile entails. Know how much you or your activity emit in carbon emissions. You can act in a targeted manner to reduce your emissions. Third, this trend is going nowhere. In fact it’s not a trend, it's the beginning of a system shift. Learn to let go of how things were done before and embrace the new. COVID gave us a good dress rehearsal for this. Even if it’s a bit scary because we’re adapting as we go on a path we haven’t walked before. Be reassured that it's a much safer path than the emissions intensive one we’re currently on. Want to find out more?Get a ticket to Lawyers for Climate Action NZ’s Jenny Cooper’s Climate Risk & Liability Workshop at the Wao Summit 2021. Attend the discussion with Rachel Brooking, Labour MP, who was on the review panel for the RMA on Developing for the Future: What to Expect with the RMA Reform.The Wao Summit is a six day annual event held in Wānaka. Its aim is to inspire, educate and enable our transition as a community and nation to a healthy, thriving, diverse, carbon zero community. Tickets on sale now at wao.co.nz/summit2021

More than a hundred years before Covid came on the scene, face masks were used successfully to combat a pandemic.Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.More than a century ago, a Chinese-Malaysian epidemiologist named Dr Wu Lien-Teh tried an experiment - he used face masks to help control an epidemic. It worked.Dr Wu changed the course of a plague epidemic in the early 20th century and pioneered the use of masks as a public health tool.In late 1910, a deadly plague began spreading in the northeast regions of China, reaching the large city of Harbin. Tens of thousands of people coughed up blood, their skin looked like prunes and turned purple. They all died. The Qing government was powerless; so they recruited epidemiologist Dr Wu Lien-Teh to help.At the time, there was a flourishing trade in marmot pelts in the region, and trappers and fur traders had been the first to be affected.Dr Wu performed the first ever autopsies in China. Through his findings, he succeeded in isolating and then culturing the bacterium responsible for the disease. The bacterium was Yersinia pestis, known as being the cause of previous bubonic plague epidemics in the West.Dr Wu Lien-Teh was the pioneer of the face mask as a tool to control the spread of disease.Most people believed the disease was caught from rats or fleas, but Dr Wu recognised it was a respiratory disease spread by droplets.​​He made a mask from cotton and gauze, with layers of cloth and secure ties. He urged everyone to wear these masks to protect themselves, especially medical staff and law enforcement.Dr Wu’s masks initially met with some resistance. However, a French doctor died of the plague after refusing to wear one, and attitudes began to change.This was the very first time widespread mask use had been part of an epidemic control strategy - and it proved effective.Masks were the start of Dr Wu’s strategy to control the epidemic. He convinced the Chinese authorities to restrict peoples’ movement, including stopping all trains, in order to limit the spread of the disease. Sick people were instructed to self-isolate.He also persuaded officials to authorise dead bodies to be cremated, a practice which was not normally accepted in China at that time.The epidemic became known as the Manchurian Plague. An estimated 60,000 people died in a period of only four months.Dr Wu went on to chair an international conference on the plague, helping epidemiologists and scientists from 11 countries learn more about how to respond to outbreaks and halt their spread.China’s experience of the Manchurian Plague convinced China’s leaders of the need for a modern public health service, and Dr Wu helped establish this. In 1921, Dr Wu successfully stamped out a recurrence of the epidemic, and was the first Chinese doctor to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine.So, the face masks we wear today, and many of the strategies we are now using to control the spread of Covid began with The Manchurian Plague epidemic and the work of Dr Wu.Image credits: reproduced under a creative commons licence. Accessed from WikipediaImage 1: created circa 1910 Image 2: created before 1925

Feeling lazy? Not getting enough done in the day? Easily distracted?Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.I read a lot. Every now and then something really resonates and a penny drops. This was one of those moments. This penny was one about overstimulation. I work from home, at a computer, so it tends to creep up on me. But the effects of overstimulation are vast and ongoing. Wellbeing advice includes cutting screen-time and reducing how often we check news and updates. How many people do you know that can’t put their devices down, even when with family and friends? While our devices can enhance connections, help us work, learn and build community, they can also interfere with everything from sleep to creativity. Consider this. Your eyes are not simply tethered to your brain, they are considered actual brain tissue. Technically, when you look someone in the eye, you are looking at the only visible part of their brain. So your eyes are in fact a main highway for stimuli – good and bad. Research conducted on mice testing the effects of overstimulation on people found when mice were exposed to screens that resemble cell phones and TV, they performed significantly worse in cognitive tests: mazes, memory, and problem-solving. When your stress ‘cup’ becomes full, just one more thing can make it overflow.However, when the mice were less engaged in screens, they moved through mazes with natural efficiency, ignoring distractions. Practice fasting. Do you have days when you look back and wonder what you actually got done? I do. I kick myself for doing nothing. But technically, I was still doing things. I clicked through all my social media notifications and answered messages posted to my website. I watched my favourite channels on YouTube. I researched upcoming articles, and checked news feeds at least a dozen times. It’s all about pleasure – that’s what dopamine does. Data scientists are not there to do what’s best for you. They’re hired to boost engagement, sending us swirling down the deep drain of social media. ‘Dopamine fasting’ is a method based on cognitive behavioural therapy, which helps us become less dominated by unhealthy stimuli, lowers the level in our stress ‘cup’ to make room for good things. It helps us manage all those messages, notifications and beeps that are part of living and working in a tech-centred world. Instead of automatically responding to every reward-inducing cue providing us with immediate but short-lived charges of pleasure, ‘dopamine fasting’ gives our brains a break, a chance to re-set from the constant bombardment. The idea is when we step back and find pleasure in more natural activities, we regain control over our lives and are better able to achieve the things we want to achieve. When we actively disengage from the dopamine loop, even for a short time, our brains become primed to engage and get things done without feeling the tug of distractions.Take time to disconnect from tech. Doing nothing is everything. Famous mystery writer Raymond Chandler, had a brilliant strategy for procrastination called the ‘nothing alternative’. When he realised he couldn’t just force himself to focus on his writing, he decided to allow his mind the freedom to do nothing. He gave himself times where he had the freedom to get lost in thought, look at the view, or stand on his head. The recipe: when you are feeling unproductive and unable to focus, do nothing. Nothing means no devices, no books - nothing.  It’s a bit like putting yourself in time out. Meditation is my ‘nothing’ tool when I can’t focus. When I’m most distracted I go somewhere quiet, close my eyes, breathe, and just let all those chaotic thoughts float past. I don’t stress about the thoughts – just notice them. After just a few minutes, I feel more still and focused. I am prepared for work. Know which maze you want to get through first. Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein once said, “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” Having goals streamlines your efforts to get past the noise. Keep the list short and simple – the most important things for the day. It heightens your connection to your goals and fortifies you against distractions. Like the research mice, start by knowing which maze you want to get through. Then do ‘nothing’ first so you can ignore anything that distracts you from that journey. The takeaway. You’re not lazy - overstimulation stops us achieving what matters. The fix? Practice doing ‘nothing’, and have forced disconnect periods from technology. Be selective about what you allow into your mind.Doing nothing has a habit of turning into doing something. Productivity isn’t about getting everything done, it’s about getting the right things done.  For goal-setting help, see ‘The 10.30 question' article.US National Library of Medicine scientific report on overstimulation sourced here.Harvard Medical School health post on dopamine fasting sourced here.Image credit: Unsplash

The 10.30 question has been life-changing for me. Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.During my lockdown reading, I stumbled upon a suggestion on a blog I follow.  This suggestion has since become extremely useful in helping me get through the long list of To Do’s I carefully write out each morning. As someone who mainly works from home, asking this question works better for me than any of the productivity hype or apps I have found online.It’s called the 10.30 question.What would I get done if I only had until 10.30am to work each day?Each morning, this is now the first question I ask myself when I sit down at my desk to begin work.I figure out the answer. Then I do it.I find that in order to get those urgent things done, I spend less time looking at my inbox. I make my coffee before I start work. I fend off distractions by putting on noise cancelling headphones, and the music I play helps me focus and relax into working.Suddenly, I am getting a lot more of my work done before 10.30am each morning, and a lot more achieved overall.Better To-Do list prioritisation helps, but it can be tough to feel that sense of urgency when there’s a whole day stretching out in front of you. It’s often hard to know where to start. It’s all too easy to opt for ticking off the quick jobs first, then decide it’s time to stop for a coffee to give myself an energy boost.Things get added to the list - as they always do.Then, at the end of the day, my To-Do list is just as long as when I started, and I end up working at night.It turns out, when I tackle my Must-Dos with urgency, procrastination disappears, the decks clear and time opens up.When Must-Dos get done first, the rest of the day feels far more relaxed and I’m less likely to be putting in late nights catching up with work.All that equals more time for family, friends - and for me.More rest, better sleep, more time for play equals better work, and better life. What would YOU get done if you only had until 10.30am to work each day?

Amid the challenges of Covid lockdown, now more than ever it is important to be kind.Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.Each month Neighbourhood Support NZ launches a national campaign where they encourage us to focus collectively on a theme, for maximum impact. This month the theme is very relevant to what we are going through:Random acts of kindness.All it takes is a kind gesture to change someone’s day. New Zealand can become a better place, one random act of kindness at a time.Even in lockdown, the options for random acts of kindness are endless. Being kind doesn’t have to cost a thing, a smile is free. Here are some other ideas: Write positive messages in chalk on paths around your street as you go for a walk.Call a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while.Tell a family member how much you love and appreciate them.Give a friend or neighbour an unexpected compliment.Ask someone how their day was, and really LISTEN to the answer.Make a ‘Be kind’ poster and display it in your window.Arrange to have a cup of coffee with someone via a virtual catch up.Make a simple bird feeder and hang it where both you and others can enjoy watching the birds feed.Remember, research has shown that when we do something good for others it not only benefits them, it also boosts our own health and wellbeing. So, be kind to those around you.Dr Ashley Bloomfield had a wonderful suggestion at Thursday’s Covid briefing this week:“Don’t forget both the smallest and the largest question you can ask anyone is, ‘Are you OK?’”. Image Unsplash

WoolOn has given us a weekend of fashion, a time to remind ourselves of the importance of making the right choices when it comes to our clothing. Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle. Globally, wool groups are campaigning against fast fashion and its reliance on synthetic fabrics to quickly turn out new product. Fast fashion is still dominant, but the writing is on the wall - that era is about to end. The European Union is currently considering policy to have environmental labelling on all consumer products, including apparel products. This could come into effect as soon as next year in an effort to guide consumers towards choosing the most sustainable products. In New Zealand, we have the wool mark, often seen on labels. Recent research shows how often clothes are worn is the most influential factor in determining environmental impacts from clothing. That means each and every one of us has a big part to play. Wool is a fibre that lasts and can be recycled. But exactly why is garment lifespan important? The purpose of clothing is to be worn. The more often it is worn over its lifetime, the more completely it fulfils its purpose and the less impact it has on the environment, or on our purse. A world-first study has calculated the lifetime impacts of a garment per single wear event and found that how long a garment lasts without having to be replaced was the most influential factor determining the positive impact of woollen garments. The total number of wears was estimated to be 109 for the study. However, if a garment was disposed of after only one season, or 15 uses, this would result in a 5.8- to 6.8-fold increase in environmental impacts and resource use. Increasing the total number of wears even further to 400, reduced environmental impacts by up to 68 percent, showing substantial improvements are possible through choosing to wear wool. So, choose wool. It may cost more at the outset, but your clothes will last and it will be worth it in the long run.To read more about the study, click hereImage Unsplash 

Why biodiversity matters.Put simply, a thriving, diverse ecosystem is our life-force. Without it, we simply cannot survive. Wetlands help purify our water, store carbon and help prevent flooding and drought. Indigenous forests provide carbon sinks and provide us with the air we breathe. Forests and farms provide products such as timber, fuel, food and medicines. Our farming, forestry and horticulture depend on the resources and services provided by biological systems. Indigenous biodiversity is often found nowhere else in the world. It is important to New Zealand’s environment, culture, society and economy, and is key to providing stability and resilience as we adapt to the fluctuations and disturbances brought about by climate change. So how are we doing?According to the Ministry for the Environment, we could lose more than 80 per cent of our reptiles, frogs, bats and birds, and unknown numbers of our invertebrates (such as weta, snails, funghi, good viruses). Fifty-nine of our native bird species have disappeared since humans first arrived here and we continue to lose fundamental ecosystems and habitats like tussock grasslands, sand dunes, indigenous scrubland and indigenous forests.  Over 4,000 native plants and animals, including the kererū and the kiwi, are at risk of extinction despite a community push for conservation. The main causes? Our use of land - be it urban development, inefficient use of or intensification of productive land - combined with invasive pests and diseases. Climate change is also having an impact. These include shifts in the range of some species, and earlier timing of leaf-unfolding, bird migration, and egg-laying in some species. Warmer water and lower flows in rivers and streams as a result of climate change are disrupting delicate ecosystems.    How can you help?Get involved. There are a number of community and national conservation groups and programs working to clean our waterways, regenerate land with native plants and eradicate pests. There is a lot of work to be done, and with rapidly increasing climate pressures every bit counts. Get yourself planting! The Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird have created a list of plants that our indigenous species love. Try to use plants that naturally occur in your area. These could include kōwhai, flax, kakabeak, and tarata for nectar; and wineberry, karamū, and korokia for fruit. For more ideas on what works in your neck of the woods, go visit your local DOC or make contact with your local branch of Forest and Bird.  Want to find out more?Get tickets to the Indigenous Biodiversity Workshop: Monitoring Flora and Fauna on Your Property at the Wao Summit in October 2021.Check out the work being done by WAI Wānaka and Wanaka Backyard Trapping, and donate to your local planting heroes Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust & Wakatipu Reforestation Trust or to national projects like Million Metres or Trees that Count. The Wao Summit is a six day annual event held in Wānaka. Its aim is to inspire, educate and enable our transition as a community and nation to a healthy, thriving, diverse, carbon zero community. Tickets on sale now at www.wao.co.nz/summit2021

We know prolonged breastfeeding reduces overall cancer risk, but did you know your boobs start to eat themselves once breastfeeding is over, and it’s all related.Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle.We’ve just finished celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, and here at The Central App we came across some interesting research connected to breastfeeding.When a woman stops breastfeeding, her breasts go from being full-time milk factories to regular body parts in only a matter of days. Now scientists have discovered something: your boobs start to eat themselves after breastfeeding is over.And it’s good for you.A molecular switch has been identified. It controls the breasts’ transformation from milk secretors to cellular eaters that gobble up their dying neighbours. The discovery, scientists say, could provide new insights into prevention of breast cancer.Women’s breasts comprise a network of ducts, covered by a layer of fatty tissue. During pregnancy, hormonal signals cause cells lining those ducts to multiply until they form ball-like structures called alveoli.  These are where milk is made once the baby is born. However, once women stop breastfeeding, these alveoli are no longer needed and self-destruct – a process that involves massive cellular suicide, followed by the removal of all debris.Here is the mystery that scientists began to ponder: our  immune system usually removes dead and dying cells in the body. However, the amount of material that is consumed once breastfeeding stops and the alveoli are no longer required is so great you’d expect immune system overload, significant inflammation, pain and tissue damage.  But that doesn’t typically happen when breastfeeding is over.After lactation, it seems it’s the cells lining the ducts that eat their dead neighbours. Since a protein called Rac1 is essential for normal milk production, Nasreen Akhtar and her colleagues at the University of Sheffield wondered whether it might also be involved in this process of breast transformation.Experiments with mice revealed to the team that without Rac1, dead cells and milk flooded the breasts, triggering swelling and a state of chronic inflammation, impairing the ability to regenerate tissue or produce milk in later pregnancies.The mammary gland has a huge amount of tissue and debris that it has to get rid of quickly after lactation. Akhtar’s work showed for the first time that Rac1 is responsible for clearing everything up once breastfeeding is finished, and that this clearance of cell corpses and milk is essential for long term tissue health and function.So, Rac1 makes the epithelial cells (cells lining the ducts) clean themselves up.These findings could have positive consequences for understanding the development and progression of breast cancer, scientists say. We know prolonged breastfeeding reduces overall cancer risk. So, the process the body uses where excess or dead cells are removed by other cells in the breast, thereby suppressing inflammation,  is something scientists are exploring further in a push to better understand breast cancer.Journal reference: Developmental Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.08.005Breast Cancer Foundation NZ - Lower your risk of breast cancer.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated across the globe from 1 to 7 August every year, in a bid to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of our babies. Simply Central is a home and lifestyle series for your Sundays. We take a look at what’s hot, what’s not, and everything lifestyle. This year’s theme  ‘Protect breastfeeding: a shared responsibility’ means we all have a part to play, says WellSouth health promotion specialist Jo O’Connor. That means friends, family, employers, communities, health systems and government. There are a number of different ways we can support mums and babies this week here in Central Otago. Coming up on 4 August, Central Cinema will be screening Dream Horse, a combined Central Cinema and Mums4Mums event. “Isn’t it great our local community cinema is providing a family-friendly environment, limiting ticket sales so there’s ample space for wandering toddlers. “Breastfeeding mums will be welcome plus there’s now a change table should parents need to use it”. WellSouth and Mums4Mums will provide morning tea from 10am, then Dream Horse will screen at 10:30am for mums, dads, babies and toddlers.  For those that just want to drop by for a chat, peer supporters will be there until noon providing the usual relaxed chat and ongoing cuppas as they do each first and third Wednesday of every month at Alexandra Baptist Church. Central Otago has a network of trained peer supporters who are there for our whānau. They are volunteers, trained and supported by WellSouth across our region to provide non-judgmental support and information on the normal course of breastfeeding, overcoming common barriers and breastfeeding challenges.  ​​Peer support counsellors are mums themselves, who have trained locally and support other mums, Jo says. “This system of support is here because we know it takes a village to raise a child,” Peer supporter Nicola Rae is one of those volunteering her time to help mothers and families. “Breastfeeding might be natural,” she says, “but it doesn’t just naturally happen. “Support from friends and whānau is invaluable in helping mums and babies make breastfeeding work.” Breastfeeding may be natural, but doesn’t always happen naturally. Peer support and Mums4Mums coordinator Kylie Murdoch says there will be a number of virtual events streaming via the Big Latch On Aotearoa social media. “Support for mums is so much wider than just breastfeeding, and these virtual events give mums access to some great information.” Kylie says Tuesday’s event will be a live-streamed ‘Ask me Anything’ session with Karen Palmer, a neonatal nurse, midwife, and lactation consultant.  Jo pointed to the many ways all of us can take part in World Breastfeeding Week and support our mums. If you are a friend – nurture mum. Make meals or do housework so mum can focus on cuddling her baby and breastfeeding, or mind the other little ones so mum can actually get some rest. If you are an employer – have a conversation with your staff before they go on parental leave. Ensure they understand that you support them breastfeeding when they return to work. Provide a private space for them to breastfeed or express and provide flexible break times. Supporting families to meet their breastfeeding goals also helps our environment, Jo says.  “Breast milk is a natural, renewable food produced and delivered without pollution, packaging or waste. “Breast milk is the perfect food for babies; not only is it free, it’s all a baby needs to eat and drink for about the first 6 months.  “It helps to protect baby against colds, tummy bugs, infections and allergies”.   Supporting breastfeeding, Jo says, is a shared responsibility. It does take a village. For information about the Big Latch-On virtual events, click here. Images supplied

What’s the problem? As we come to the end of Plastic Free July, we thought it would be good to take a closer look at the problem of plastics. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Plastics are everywhere, from the bottom of the deepest sea trench to beaches around New Zealand. Plastics break down in the oceans to microplastics, mistaken for food and ingested by ocean life. The plastics act as endocrine interrupters, leading to an increase in female hormones, interrupting reproductive cycles and changing the sex balance within a species. We are not immune. It is estimated that the average person consumes 5 grams of microplastics each week. In the last 40 years, men's sperm count has halved, and fertility in women is steadily decreasing. Scientists are predicting that our exposure to plastics means that it is likely most couples will have to use reproductive assistance by 2045. [insert Wao gif banner here with link www.wao.co.nz/summit2021)Recent incidents like the West Coast landfill disaster in 2019 which resulted in 135,000kg of waste, much of it plastic, seeping into the Fox River, and eventually into the Tasman Sea. The ban on single-use plastic bags, exported plastics no longer being recycled overseas and our waste polluting developing nations has created an awareness of the problem here in New Zealand. What can you do?Refuse plastic in your life. It’s as simple (and complicated) as that. Changing our habits can be done. In Wānaka, More than 70 per cent of Wānaka residents have now given up single use takeaway cups according to a survey released by Wastebusters this June. SUCfree Wānaka have been instrumental in this, by transitioning people's thinking from “takeaway” to “throwaway”.The initiative is contagious, with SUCfree Queenstown as well as other communities setting up to get change happening in their neck of the woods.The government has started to clamp down which will make a difference. In June the government announced a ban on more single-use plastic items, such as drink stirrers, cotton buds, single-use produce bags, cutlery, plates and bowls, straws and fruit labels, by 2025.If in doubt, think of the waste hierarchy: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (except plastics don’t rot so go back to the rethink drawing board). Want to find out more?●     Have a look at the For The Blue trailer, and book your tickets to view it on the 29th October at the Wao Summit 2021.●     Check out the latest SUCfree video to see Wānaka’s journey to becoming single-use cup free.●     Based in Queenstown? Get involved with SUCfree Queenstown!Check out the latest news from local cup lending scheme Wanakup

Well, here we are on the final day of Plastic Free July. It has been a tough month, personally, with plastic seemingly finding its way into my life in the smallest and most surprising of ways. The months started with me not changing my habits out of the need to gauge how much plastic I used. That first week I had my kitchen recycling bin full. A week later, it barely had anything in it. This week, it only has a few items. Amazingly they are things I should have done without but the momentary lapse allowed them to creep through. A plastic bag for spinach and a tub of butter. Both easily avoidable if swapped for paper wrapped and bagged. The month has taught me a lot about buying habits and really engrained the lessons of trying to be conscious and not falling into the trap of convenience. That convenience our society is largely based on is horrific. Our grandparents and great grandparents would be shocked at the waste we produce instead of using paper or going without entirely. Easy things to change, for example, are buying loose vegetables and fruits - not putting them in a plastic bag. Bring a reusable bag, or if you are just getting a couple, just leave them loose if you don’t have a bag. The cashier and bagger won’t care if you genuinely ask how they are and make an effort to be a decent, friendly human. The other big change I made was to a wooden toothbrush and honestly, I don’t know why everyone uses plastic toothbrushes. Wood is good, they say. It’s the best damn material on Earth and New Zealand probably has more of a wood industry than it does a plastic industry. I choose to tell myself that when I buy a wooden toothbrush, I’m keeping a local forestry worker in a job. Whatever helps me sleep at night, eh? The last lesson I learned this month was to make my own solutions instead of buying them. Need something cleaned? Usually boiling hot water does the trick. Swear to the gods, 9/10 times it works. If it doesn’t Google it. Trust me. Someone has a solution which does not require buying some plastic pump-action bottle from New World. Next trick I’m going to learn is how to make my own citrus enzyme cleaner from orange and lemon peels, yeast, and sugar. Voila! To end this month, all I really want to say is give it a go. We have so much rubbish in the world it really isn’t necessary to create more. Anything you buy is entirely within your control. I honestly hope there is a day when people look at plastic and feel disgusted. That’s how I have become. Make the change not just for the world, but your own wallet too. I’ve seriously saved money finding my own solutions to things and not falling in that convenience trap. Convenience, I say, always comes at a cost. It isn’t about who is better and being plastic free - it is all about each of us making small changes wherever we can. The first and easiest thing - buy a wooden toothbrush.

Plastic Free July has continued to throw me some doozies. Last week I wrote about the sheer volume of plastic used in almost all groceries. This week, while I cut down quite a lot of plastic in my shopping, I learned the crux of the real problem. That problem is convenience. Western, modern society is built around convenience. We are time-poor, lazy, and have a wide, expensive taste in food. This week I switched to buying wholefoods, with a local business able to fill my own bags and bottles with raw ingredients, such as honey, beans, muesli etc. An amazing solution, but it just takes a little bit more time. As a vegetarian, cooking dried beans means planning meals hours in advance - sitting beans in water overnight or boiling for hours. The tin can beans make it easier, they aren’t plastic, but it still creates wastes which needs to go through a cycle. The other lesson I found was laundry and other items - such as plastic bottles for detergent, shampoos, etc. I found a bar of soap was and is the king of hygiene and plastic-free solutions. They now have shampoos and conditioners in bar form - delivered in paper packaging. Brilliant. There have been innovations in using plastic waste. While I freelanced in Australia I worked for a bloke who took empty plastic bottles from hair salons, and processed them into 3D printer filament. He would then 3D print prosthetic limbs for children overseas. While my little steps are seemingly just a drop in the ocean, we need to remember every individual drop we create makes that ocean. Oh, and there’s a happy little side-effect of Plastic Free July - I have saved money. More on that next week.

Plastic Free July is much harder than I thought it would be. We have become a civilisation so accustomed to the “throw-away culture” that we rarely take a hard look at our buying, using and waste habits. In my first week I realised just how much food comes wrapped in plastic. A walk around a supermarket is actually a tour of a plastic museum. It’s like companies have a game of “how many things can we package in plastic”! As a part-time vegetarian realised just how much food comes packaged in plastics for vegetarians. For the record, I only eat meat on special occasions (out at dinner, or at a dinner party, or if the meat is hunted etc). Long story short, I lived with Canadian Inuit in the high Arctic for a period in 2013/14, and with an almost entirely meat diet dependent on hunting, and began to realise personal circumstances and relationships with food and in particular, meat. For me personally, eating meat every single day devalues it. Something had to die and to treat it as a cheap thing just didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t expel the time and energy hunting it, and I didn’t raise the animal, nor did I have to end its life - so I don’t feel worthy of eating it. The Inuit treat animals above all else. Their physical and cultural survival depends on them. When they killed an animal, they would often pray over and thank the animal profusely. The hunter would then give the meat to elders, then to young families, and always take his share last (they would also use the entire animal - a complete opposite to what the modern, western world does. That experience made me make some changes in how I live my life - stopped eating meat and began using less plastic, and less “stuff” in general. I became more thoughtful about my impact on the world and those around me. So back on the topic - not eating meat means I don’t have to buy meat in plastic or that plastic tray stuff it is usually wrapped in. I also don’t have to deal with keeping it cold or frozen. It’s awful though, because if you are a vegetarian (or vegan) who made the choice due to environmental or social considerations, it is hard to stay true to that aim when your tofu is basically wrapped in industrial food-grade plastic. True story: My SMEG knife (remember the ‘Great 2020 SMEG War’ at New World?!) barely made a dent in the plastic, where other packages would give in at just a glance at the trusty metal utensil. In a week, I made a pile of plastic trash by the end of the first week of Plastic Free July - sadly, I forgot to take a photo before putting it in the bin and soiling it all. For the purpose of this first week, I made no changes to my buying habits so I could take stock of what I would normally make. For reference, I think I am pretty good at minimising my waste. But I had a fairly impressive/depressive haul of trash: 2 x tofu packets (seemingly made of nuclear war resistant plastic)1 x large chocolate bar wrapper 2 x packets of coffee beans 2 x 2L milk jugs 1 x 1L greek yoghurt tub 1 x bag from loaf of bread 1 x bag of 1kg carrots (WHY PUT CARROTS IN A PLASTIC BAG?!) 1 x 1kg bag of rice1 x bag of burrito wraps 1 x plastic bag of coriander 1 x bag of dried pasta1 x tub of butter 1 x plastic from cucumber (forgot to buy non-plastic-wrapped cucumber) The rest of my shopping is mostly fresh ingredients, such as vegetables and fruit, or staples such as flour in paper bags etc. The one good thing I made a change in early was to use a wooden toothbrush. Did you know, every single toothbrush you have ever used, will outlive you by thousands, potentially millions of years. That’s horrific. If everyone on Earth used hundreds of toothbrushes in their lifetime then that equates to hundreds of billions of toothbrushes. The one thing which did strike me about my purchasing was how much of my purchases are in glass, which takes quite a lot of carbon to create (mine, manufacture/produce, ship, create into product (ie. jar of relish), ship to store, purchase by someone like me, use, recycle, transport to recycling centre, mostly likely crushed, then sent overseas to be recycled and it does most of that journey over again - that’s a lot of carbon used in transportation alone, just for a jar). This coming week, I have found a local wholefoods store where I can drop off my jars and bags, and they refill for me, then deliver to my door. I’ll be giving that a try, and I’ll remember to take photos. 

Week three of Plastic Free July again pitted me against the challenge of not buying any plastic products. With every week which goes by during this challenge, I continue to make mistakes as well as learn some hard lessons. That’s life, right? This week, I wrestled with the demons that are products that come in tubes and bottles. Think, toothpaste, detergent etc. I briefly touched on this in another article, but this week I wandered the isles of the supermarket looking for toothpaste in particular, to no avail. The biggest, easiest change I made which made me feel better, was switching to a wooden toothbrush. The thought of every single toothbrush I will use in my life outliving me by possibly a million years terrifies me. I have also put away my shampoo and conditioner, which came in bottles, to try and opt for the bar variety, which proved okay. It just takes some getting used to. My shower also now sports three variety of bars. The problem I have found with this challenge is monetary. It is simply cheaper and more convenient to opt for things which are not plastic-free. That’s the crux of this problem, and our society, is that the cheaper, more convenient options are often the most harmful to the planet, and us. To be plastic-free is expensive. So too organic, or vegetarian, etcetera, etcetera. I once read something which said, “to be poor is expensive”, which explained the ratio of your outgoings is much more expensive in proportion to your income. The poorer you are, the harder it is to make positive changes to your buying habits and lifestyle. It becomes an endless cycle and feedback loop. So to me, it seems the more wealthy you are, the more opportunity you have to make positive buying decisions and lifestyle choices. But often, the wealthier you are, the more time-poor you are. That wealth has gotta come from somewhere. You spend your time. So to truly make this a frugal, environmentally friendly lifestyle, one has to be able to create, cook, build, grow or manufacture the things one needs. Unfortunately, I damn well can’t make toothpaste and I don’t want to try some of the recipes I googled - some of which requires you to buy things in plastic packaging anyway - silly (but I suppose outcome (product)-for-expense (plastic) ratio may end up more economic than buying a tube of toothpaste (more toothpaste for less plastic). I wonder, if there could be a local buy & swap for sustainable products such as plastic-free items. I’d participate in that. Just a thought. For now, I gotta suck it up and buy some expensive toothpaste in a jar and have it mailed to me. I’ll let you know how it goes. 

The woman sitting on the yoga mat next to me smiles and raises her eyebrows. I nod. Then look around at the walls, noting the tendrils of green plants climbing them, wrapping around bare curtain rods. There are candles and little Buddha statues. Tones are hushed. My mat-mate is right, it definitely feels a little temple-like. Our instructor, Angela Connell, floats around the room in yoga pants and a light top, her calming voice dispensing careful instructions and words of infinite wisdom. Her arms, delicately laced with tattoos that look like prayer beads. She’d deny the temple thing. And the role it casts her in. But it is the vibe. Especially tonight. We’re here for a Tibetan Singing Bowls experience.“You might find the experience a little overwhelming.”Ange explains that each of the composite stone bowls corresponds to one of our seven chakras. They’re meant to connect with and represent different physical and spiritual parts of ourselves. I’ve researched this, so I know what to expect. I’ve also had a taster session before tonight. We sat in a circle. I opened my mind. We all closed our eyes. I heard the ding of hammer against metal and then an alien sound. A boomerang of tone. Tonight I’m eager to feel that thrumming again. Resonating in my bones, on my skin. Wrapping around and running through me. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. I need an escape. Ange explains that Yoga Nidra, or yogic “sleep” is a “consciousness shifting” practice, "releasing physical, emotional and mental tension by re-directing and re-creating new neuronal pathways through carefully guided visualisation techniques".The workshop includes a “sound bath” of Tibetan Singing bowls to help harmonise the electric currents of the nervous system and to facilitate a deeper integration of the practice.“We’ll begin our Yoga Nidra by raising our awareness.”First she guides us through a meditation. I imagine every finger, every toe. I note I am most present in my right hand. My left sole tingles, but my feet feel very far away. Parts of me feel almost disconnected. I realise that I tend to live in my head. Here’s proof, apparently.At one point I doze off. Just for a few minutes. The session is longer than last time, and it’s later. And it seems like the bowls aren’t singing as often. I wanted more of the eerie haunting tones that took on the shape of a twisted oval, or infinity sign in my mind. I wanted to be carried up and out tonight. To feel suspended above the form lying on the thin mat, under the wool blanket. Wearing my comfy jeans, wool socks and a warm sweater, I am a form still aware and awake enough to think, “I’m a little chilly” right in the middle of the experience. Higher consciousness eludes me generally. Except for a few magical moments here and there. And I’m so glad I can find them here.+++++++This “temple” is a yoga studio on the top floor of a building on Tarbert Street. It sits above the 2 Dollar Store. You can see its exposed steel beams. They’re painted the pale colour of the walls and wrapped in fairy lights. The scent of lavender and chamomile tea infuses the air. Complemented by a few essential oils. This other-worldly sanctuary is at the heart of Alexandra. Angela Connell is a local, but one who left, saw the world, and came back with a mission: to enrich and support the community in which she was raised. Even though she knows what she does isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. Ange created this space after leaving Australia, where she was working in a world light years away from what she does now: waitressing and bartending, climbing her way up the career ladder to managing a bar in Melbourne. She knew enough about herself back then to know that being able to suggest the ideal craft beer for each dinner course wasn’t in line with her values.At that point in her life, her values really started screaming. She describes feeling “stuck, hopeless and even harmful to the environment” working in hospitality, “wasting massive amounts of food, milk, produce, packaging, and resources, not to mention encouraging huge amounts of alcohol consumption and less than optimal behaviours”.So Ange decided to make a “passionate commitment to 'do good' in the world.” She turned her back on success as defined by external standards and chose to put her energy instead into quality over quantity. And to focus not just on her success, but on helping solve community challenges. One of her top priorities is sustainability. She’s kitted out her studio with driftwood art, homemade bolsters and op shop treasures (which also form the core of her wardrobe). Another is mental health, so she decided to include kids in her practice. She now teaches mindfulness in private sessions and in schools around the region. Other core values are contribution, creativity and community.Angela Connell is the life force behind Alexandra's Flow Space. When she was a student, Ange wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to be, trying three different courses that would have prepared her to be a PE or Art teacher, or even a fashion designer. At one point she applied for Environmental Science and Psychology degrees. She even started scheming up ideas for a massive peaceful protest group.But before any of that came to pass, she went traveling. First to India and Nepal and then to Australia. There, she ended up spending  six months in a monastery, where she says she was transformed.“I shed all of my limiting beliefs about what I was (or wasn't) capable of...lifted the veil of the sham of society: the things that we go along with just because everyone else does (getting a degree, being this, being that, getting this status, following those rules etc). “This dramatic demolishing of self-doubt was absolutely essential in the fruition of my goal of reducing suffering in the world and made me feel limitless in my potential. I finally believed in myself and in the power of intentional living.”Her daily mantra became “let life flow through me freely for the benefit of all beings”. With this intention in my mind, she knew that anything she decided to focus on would be supported. Her first yoga and meditation venture was in Queensland, but her heart was in Central Otago, where her sister and family had become rooted once again. In her heart she knew that this was where she felt she could change the world by being a “good human”. Giving back to life, to her home.  And she added to her daily mantra a quote by Mahatma Gandhi.“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”++++++Flow Space Yoga is what she created. It’s where people in Central can find solace and healing through massage therapy, trauma therapy, Reiki, workshops on mental health and mindfulness training. Where kids can learn yoga and meditation. Where writers can share their work at regular open mic events. And where women convene for monthly Moon Circle gatherings. It’s where people can connect as a community. Ange has also pushed past the walls of her studio. She created and hosted the first ever Holsym Festival last December. Her intention was to “celebrate and integrate creativity, culture and community by uplifting, inspiring and strengthening connections and hauora. To use the arts as a way to support wellness through a variety of creative forms”. Yet, she does this year-round.As our Tibetan Singing Bowls class ends, we can hear the sounds of people laughing outside, leaving the bar next door. The idling of an engine, the roar of an unmuted muffler. I am so grateful. For all of it. To be here, with locals and transplants who fell in love with the energy in this part of the world. To find a community of people who are curious and open at the heart of a conventional small New Zealand town. To find a “good human” like Ange, who understands there is a balance in life. Even if it’s not always achieved by being in balance all the time. Who teaches us how to stretch ourselves. To step off the traditional path and onto our own. And to create our own temples, honouring and serving and nurturing our highest values and passions.

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I’ve always been a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to sport.  Case in point; I took up rugby at the age of 33.  That’s not entirely accurate; I did play at primary school, but saying I played is probably taking things a bit far.  Rugby for me at primary school involved handing over my marmite-jar thick glasses to the coach and then running around on a paddock while blurry blobs fuzzed around, and occasionally, into me.I think many of the guys I played rugby with later in life would say that the advent of contact lenses did little to develop my game, and that age and inexperience didn’t help.  I recall the first team announcement when I was put at lock and a few murmurings of surprise (given I’m 5’10”).  The coach addressed this by saying “look, he’s too small for the front row, too slow to be a loosie and too stupid to be a back”.  No-one disagreed, including me.  But, unlike when I was at primary school, I absolutely loved being part of the rugby team, and on the odd occasion even getting to play.  I have always found pursuing fitness without an end-purpose harder than when it has a sport associated with it, and training for rugby was awesome for that.  I also made great friends and created great memories, although the great memories were almost exclusively off the paddock.  I was rubbish at the game itself to be fair, but very devoted rubbish for the 5 years I played.  And the best bit of playing rugby was that it led me indirectly to meeting my wife Linda.Speaking of which, she and I took up boxing together in our mid-40’s.  Again, most would think this was a bit late in the piece, but we both absolutely loved the challenge, the physicality and the motivation that knowing a lazy week would result in a very sore Tuesday and Thursday night brought.So; we now get close to the point of the story, and that’s that we have found a new passion, and that passion is squash.  We both played a bit when we were a lot younger, but a chance event led us to having a hit together and we immediately found that we were well matched (meaning we are both equally hopeless) and that we really enjoyed playing together.  We have found the Alex Club to have been incredibly easy to join and very helpful to new players.  For instance, there are racquets there to borrow rather than forking out for a new one.  Here’s a random question; why the hell are squash racquets so expensive?!?Anyway, we are loving it, and finally, here I am at the point of the story.  Do something new, or do something you haven’t done for ages, but have a think about doing something you are not doing now, because the benefits are just massive.  Even if I do have folks at work asking me on Monday’s why I am limping so badly.