Behind Closed Doors

April 18, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
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I cycled past that house again today. I ride past it most days. It’s the house where a woman was murdered a couple of months back. It’s alleged that her husband did it. I guess the courts will decide.

After it happened there was police tape blocking off the road and a number of police vehicles of various shapes and sizes scattered around the end of the street. It stayed that way for days but up until that time it was just another unremarkable house on an unremarkable road that I passed on my daily commute. The tape and the cars are well and truly gone now and it’s just a ‘normal’ house again. Although, I guess, it can never really be normal again.

Statistics tell us that the majority of homicide victims die at the hands of someone they know. Even before things get to that point you’d have to imagine that there’s a lot of pressure behind closed doors. Thankfully not all situations end that way but it’s a reminder that we never know what’s going on behind closed doors. We generally don’t know about the sadness our neighbours might be facing or the struggles that they may be working to overcome.

We can never really know if the guy that sits and the desk next to us at work is facing some major issues at home or if the woman in front of us in the queue in the cafe has just received a phone call with devastating news.

We might think we know someone but do we fully know what’s going on in their private world?

Maybe we need to remember to always deal with people kindly, with compassion and with the kind of respect we’d like others to show us. Our attitude and care may just be part of the healing someone needs today.



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12 Week Challenge

January 27, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
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One of the segments on my Morning Café radio program on 98.5 Sonshine FM is a look at fitness and health with personal trainer Kellie Long.

When we began the segment last year we started out with a little of Kellie’s story. It’s a story with which many of us can identify. It’s a story about dissatisfaction from where we find ourselves but the difference in Kellie’s story is that she did something about it then set about inspiring others.

I am not unfamiliar with the pain of being unhappy in my own skin, both physically and emotionally. I was once 93kgs and can proudly say that after 18 months of hard work lost 30 kgs and have never looked back. Was it easy? NO! Was it worth it? Yes! This is why I have been working and studying in the fitness industry for the past five years. I enjoy training people of all walks of life whether they are mothers, aspiring firemen, police recruits or business men and women. I’m proud to be a partner in their lives and a catalyst for them to reach the goals they strive for.

My goals for my clients are to see not just the improvement of their physical capabilities but their mental and emotional progress also. Physical training cannot be separated from a person’s emotional state. Therefore, my training has a holistic approach in building self confidence through client’s achievements and newly formed lifestyles of clean eating, their ability to handle stress and of course their new found strength in all their physical achievements. – KellieLong.com

Something very exciting is happening with the segment this year. We’re offering a couple of listeners the opportunity to undertake a 12 Week Challenge that will help them make a life transformation. It’s not just a weight loss challenge, it’s an opportunity to turn their life around while being supported by a great bunch of people. We’re teaming up with Goodlife Health Clubs to change lives.

Kellie and I chatted briefly about the 12 Week Challenge on air this morning. You can hear our conversation by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/FIT020212_0946.mp3]

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Don’t Give Up On Living

January 16, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
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I was watching a Youtube video a couple of days back that showed a rather elderly lady dancing up a storm at a concert. She was extremely agile, not just for someone her age, but for someone of any age. A friend said that he’d like to be able to do that when he reaches her age.

His comment made me think about what I’d like to still be able to do when I reach my senior years. For me it’s always been cycling. I’d like to still be on my bike in thirty or forty years. While I’d like to retire from work at some stage, I don’t ever want to retire from life.

What is it for you? Dancing wildly? Cycling? Some other kind of exercise?

Another thing I want to be doing when I’m much older is enjoying life with my wonderful wife, Pauline.

I’d love to hear from you. Have you seen someone in their senior years and thought I hope I’m still doing that at their age?



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How to Save a Life

December 7, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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If you were given the chance to save someone’s life, would you?

It’s not a difficult question for most people. We all like to think that given the opportunity we’d save another person’s life.

I’m hoping I saved a life or two yesterday.

I headed off to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service branch in Cannington after work to get hooked up and be relieved of around half a litre of the red stuff.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service says that every donation of blood can save three lives.

Maybe this is the time for you to get involved.

If you’re like me and you don’t like needles, can I encourage you to do it anyway? A few seconds of discomfort for you could mean that you hand someone another chance to live. A good friend of mine used to require regular blood transfusions to stay alive. My discomfort is so minor to what she endured.

Do you donate blood? I know that there are reasons preventing some from giving blood but can I encourage you to consider donating if you don’t already? It feels good to know that someone may be able to live a fuller life, recover from illness or even have their life saved because you’ve taken the time to do the right thing.



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Would you like to live to 150?

October 18, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Researchers are saying that the first drugs that can slow the ageing process are likely to be available within five to ten years. They believe this could result in people eventually living to 150 or more.

Peter Smith, dean of medicine at the University of NSW, said a girl born today in Australia could reasonably expect to live to 100 already, due to advances in medicine, lifestyle and public health. In addition, new drugs to help the body repair itself were in the early stages of development, along with new stem cell therapies.

”I think there is real hope we can extend human life by some decades further,” Professor Smith said. – Sydney Morning Herald

So, what do you think? If you could stay reasonably healthy, would you want to live for 150 years?

I’m hoping I’ve still got a good many years ahead of me but I’m not sure about hanging around for 150 years. What about you?



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