Vale Alan

Loss. There's such an empty, disbelieving gap. Every few minutes after 1.30 pm today I'd look out the window at work and be conscious of the sun shining, a breeze wafting through the window, a distant bird. And I'd think: he's gone.

I called him two weeks ago, as he lay in hospital. He could barely draw the breath to talk to me - but I just wanted him to listen. To say I was here if there was anything I could do. To say he meant so much to me. That he'd been part of an amazing journey we'd been on together. A mentor, a friend, a valued and respected colleague, a wonderful boss. Next to my husband and parents he was the first person I told I was pregnant. (I can still remember the exact look on his face, the silence and then the word "s--t" which was the only thing he could think of to say. Several times!). We joked about it for years.

He was totally supportive, had high ideals on the value of women's careers, was passionate about his football club (the tie, the mug, the paraphernalia that cluttered his office) and his son's sport. He spoke so fondly of his kids, was enormously proud of them, never held back from telling funny stories about them, made it obvious that they continued to surprise and delight him. When I was a new parent, he talked of how he'd held his baby daughter while he studied for his PhD. He could always relate.

And now he's gone.

I was privileged to work with him. Privileged to know him. He was always good company, always down to earth. He shared my TV debut and I remember being amazed at how media savvy, cool, calm and collected he was. We had a good laugh about how nervous I was in comparison - even muttering nonsense good humouredly under his breath during the filming, helping me to relax. He shared my dream for that project and he carried it as Project Director through thick and thin.

I will miss you Alan. Thankyou for being the special person you were.

Deidre.

Masters of self delusion

I have found if I "observe" rather than "absorb" the things around me (thanks, Lisa), I see things from a different perspective. A couple of times in the last week, I have observed my own ability to be a master of self delusion. Let me explain.

I go to a local gym. I love going to the gym, and I think I go quite often. I am convinced in my mind that its "only a couple of days" since I last went to the gym. But we each have a record card that needs to be filled out for a circuit and I am surprised each time to find it has been 5 days or 6 days since my last visit. Obviously if I only go once a week (as evidenced by my card), that is not going to have the impact on my health and fitness that I desire, and yet I was totally convinced in my mind that I was doing more.

The second example was the fluid intake I mentioned in my last post. I always thought I was good at keeping up my water intake. But when I start to write it down as per Dr Batmangelidj's suggestion, I find nearly every time that I am only having half or less of what he recommends.

Not wanting to point the finger, but my husband "swears" he takes his vitamins regularly, but I only order one pot of his vitamins for every 2 or 3 of mine.

About 10 years ago, I tried a popular weight loss program and there were two things I was asked to do: keep a food diary and record my water consumption. Interesting. Why was I asked to do that? I wasn't offered an explanation at the time, but I believe it is because we are all masters of self delusion. We think we eat healthily, but the food diary might give us different evidence. We think we drink enough water, but the water record might tell another story.

It is always an interesting exercise to write things down, just to check if you really are on track to achieving your goals. What is it that you want to do? If it is achieve your ideal weight, your ideal health, your ideal business, your ideal investment portfolio - what is your strategy? Write it down, then write down the activities you are taking towards those goals. This isn't meant to show you if you are right or wrong, but it is a great feedback mechanism if what you are striving for does not seem to be getting any closer.

Be Well!

Deidre.

Observation

Have you ever noticed that once you know something, your awareness of it is more acute? An example almost everyone can relate to is when you buy a new car. You suddenly notice more of those cars as you travel around the city - they "stand out" from the crowd.

Since starting the Health Highway, I have found this aspect of observation is also true when you learn something new about health. You notice things, or see things differently.

A few years ago I did a course in Iridology. Whether you believe this science or not (I've struck some sceptics), I find I notice things now when I look into people's eyes. I notice "sludgy" areas, dark spots, nerve rings and signs of brain fogginess and acidity in the body. Once you know a little bit about different signs and signals in the iris, they really stand out when you're talking to someone. I've even noticed these things in the eyes of people whose photos are in magazines. Sometimes its quite disturbing.

A few months ago I blogged about Dr Batmanghelidj's book and website on Water and Salt. It led me to change my own habits and I have felt significant benefit from following his guidelines. Since then, I've observed how much (or mostly, how little) colleagues around me drink water. Particularly in meetings. I started a new part time job last week and on my first day we had a "site visit" to another organization which involved an hour and a half of meetings followed by a walk and talk tour for another hour and a half. Of the 9 people in our party, 5 of them did not have a sip of water or anything else in that whole time. I've been in meetings time and time again for hours where colleagues have not had a drink - although some have drunk coffee, which as a diuretic puts their fluid levels into an even worse state!

I highly recommend going through the information on the Water Cure website and following his guidelines. I have found it to be wonderful. It is something almost everyone could do to improve their health immediately, or to get their body into better balance.

If you are in a workplace and find yourself in meetings, start to raise your level of awareness on this issue. Is water made available? Do people use it? Do you? How often are you working in airconditioning, or travelling in a car or plane? Do you drink more water to compensate for the drying effect?

I don't suggest that you become the thought police on how much people drink, but be aware for your own sake that our brains and bodies run on hydroelectric energy - they need the right amount of water. Without getting the balance right, you are robbing your body of energy and your brain of ability. This will impact your health over the long term. Ever tried cutting a tomato open and putting it on your desk in an airconditioned office? Try it.

Water. Be aware and be better!

Deidre.