The days are getting shorter, the nights getting crisper and soon we’ll be reaching for our jackets! 

Autumn is the best time to get outside for that walk and to grab great seasonal produce.

The Livelighter’s A-Z produce guide makes buying fresh easy, or even better you could come along to one of our local produce swaps outside Woodland Grove which runs until March 21.

We have had a terrific response to our Friday Lunch in the Park series – music and banana lounges are a great mix. Don’t miss out! It finishes up at the end of March.

Speaking of terrific, did you see us at Hume Bank’s City2City? It was a great event and we had heaps of fun competing and talking to locals at our stall at the finish line,

Check out our article below.

Remember you can keep in the loop and get daily health-related goodies on our Facebook.

That Sugar Film is creating quite a buzz around the country and Healthy Together Wodonga and is bring the film and producer and actor Damon Gameau to Wodonga as part of the film’s limited community release.

That Sugar Film is one man’s journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. Gameau embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high-sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as ‘healthy’.

The screening will be followed by a discussion panel with Damon Gameau and special guests at The Cube Wodonga on Tuesday, April 28 at 7pm.

Tickets are adults $10, children, students and concession $5 and are available in person at The Cube Wodonga box office, or online via thecubewodonga.com.au/tickets

Book early as limited seats are available!

Do your children walk, ride or scoot to school? Would they like to but can’t because of different challenges or barriers? 

Join us to discuss future opportunities and the health benefit for students at the Schools Active Travel Forum hosted by Healthy Together Wodonga and VicWalks.

In the forum we will be discuss how Healthy Together Wodonga, VicWalks and the Bicycle Network plan to support active travel to schools, promote the safety of students getting to and from school and more.

Schools Active Travel Forum will be on Wednesday, April 15 from 9.30am to 12.30pm at The Cube Wodonga.

Please RSVP by Monday, March 23 to Felicity Finn on (02) 6022 9323 or ffinn@wodonga.vic.gov.au

During the first week of March, Wodonga Middle Years College (Huon Campus) took a focus on health and wellbeing with the support of Healthy Together Wodonga.

During the week, students attended a presentation by North East Water on the benefits of drinking tap water, had fun grooving at a lunchtime Zumba class, stretching with yoga and participating in student versus  staff boot camp sessions.

A healthy eating session for students discussed food marketing mythbusters, reduced sugar intake and even a 2.5 year old McDonalds meal was on display – showing very little signs of age. A great reminder to rethink before ordering that Big Mac!

Did you know that we sit between seven and 15 hours per day? And if you sit most on the day you’re at the same risk of heart attack as a smoker. Scary isn’t it?

To combat our sedentary lifestyle we need to get moving more often.

Thursday, March 19 is Walk the Block day to encourage us all to take a little time out of our day away from our desks and feel happier and healthier in our workplaces.  

Walk the Block is free, fun and easy to organise. Register your workplace, there are weekly $100 vouchers up for grabs. Beauty!

On Sunday, February 22 more than 3500 keen runners and walkers participated in the first Hume Bank City2City Walk Run.

Congratulations to those who participated and have taken home our challenge cup awards:

• Albury Wodonga Health Cup - Joint first place, Team Physio and Paedi Heroes
• Workplace Cup - Hume Bank Albury
• Emergency Services Challenge Cup- Army Albury Logistics Training Centre.
• Schools Cup - Victory Lutheran College
• Sporting Club/Community Group Cup - Step into Life Albury
• Most Active Achievement Program Workplace – Border Express and Hume Bank. Both businesses are registered in the Healthy Workplace Achievement Program and are actively working towards receiving reaching the healthy workplace benchmarks.

Parks Week is an annual event that celebrates the important role parks play in creating a healthy community.

To celebrate Parks Week, and as part of our Workplaces in Open Spaces initiative, we are encouraging people and local businesses to stop and smell the local roses and enjoy the great number of parks we have in the area by taking a walk with Friends of WRENS.

There will be two walks; one is on Thursday, March 12, 9am to 11am at Baranduda WRENS reserve, Boyes Road, Leneva Park and the second is on Monday, March 16, 9am to 11am at Drapers Hill WRENS reserve, Castle Creek Rd, Wodonga.

For more information please visit the Parklands website.

Australia's No.1 anti-bullying campaigner and four-time Australian of the year nominee Brett Murray is coming to Wodonga to hold a parenting presentation to discuss how we can “Make Bullying History.”

It is being held on Thursday, April 16 from 7pm at The Cube Wodonga, to coincide with National Youth Week. 

Tickets are $10 and are available online at thecubewodonga.com.au/tickets

For more information please contact Anthony Nicholson on (02) 6022 9703

Review by Shannon McKeogh, Marketing and communications officer.

I am not a runner but that was before I got Couch 2 5k’s app that aims to transform you from being a couch potato to a sweaty person who can run five kilometres without stopping.

The aim is to get to this goal over a gradual period of eight weeks, running only two or three times a week to ensure your body gets time to rest.

You always start with a warm-up walk of five minutes and then go from intervals of running to walking, it beeps and tells you whether to walk or run. The duration of running increases as you go along and become fitter. As you run a voice tells you “you’re awesome!” and to “keep going!” That strange American voice really is encouraging.

Currently I can run for 20 minutes in 10-minute stretches, I listen to bad pop music when I run and it’s pretty fun. I’m getting to the goal slowly but it has taken me longer than the recommended eight weeks to get there but it’s a training program that you can take at your own pace.

The app is free for the first three runs and then it costs $2.99.
Available through the Apple App Store or on Android.

Premier’s Active April encourages all Victorians to do 30 minutes of physical activity a day during April. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to get more people active and healthy.

Use the online Activity Tracker to log your daily activity and track your progress throughout the month. 

Premier’s Active April is a good opportunity to highlight the importance of reducing sedentary behaviour in the workplace and organising opportunities for staff members to get together, have a bit of fun and become more active.

Just by registering every participant gets:

• 10 free YMCA passes;
• 2 for 1 ticket offer to SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium;
• A chance to win some great prizes including four tickets to the 2015 Toyota AFL Grand Final (GFAFL15/12), a $1500 bike voucher or a GoPro Camera; and,
• More awesome prizes!

Register today at activeapril.vic.gov.au

Like to know more? Our next business network meeting for Wodonga, Wangaratta and Alpine businesses registered or interested in the Workplaces Achievement Program is Wednesday, March 18 at Gateway Health from 12pm to 1pm.

There will be a focus on Premier’s Active April workplace challenges. For more information please contact Grace Churches on (02) 60228859 or gchurches@gatewayhealth.org.au

Method

1. Place both chicken breasts in a medium saucepan with enough water to just cover.  Season with black pepper.
2. Add garlic, coriander roots and stems, reserving leaves.
3. Place over high heat and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 2 minutes.
4. Switch off heat, cover and leave chicken to rest in the liquid stock while preparing salad.
5. Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water.  Set aside for 5 minutes to soften.  Drain well.
6. Add cabbage, carrot, spring onions, bean sprouts and mint to noodles.  Roughly chop mint leaves and add to salad ingredients.
7. Remove chicken and garlic from liquid stock and set aside to cool slightly.
8. To make dressing, mash cooked garlic in a cup and combine with lime juice, sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce and water.
9. Coarsely shred or thinly slice the chicken then add to the salad with dressing and combine.
10. Serve immediately, topped with peanuts.

Hint
This dish can be made in advance, but dressing and peanuts are best to be added to salad just before serving.

Variations

• Replace the rice noodles with 100g fresh egg noodles. If using dried egg noodles, you will have to cook according to the packet directions.
• Substitute poached chicken for two skinless breasts of a cooked roast chicken.

Serving Suggestion
For added spice, add a chopped red chilli to the salad mix or sprinkle with white pepper.