For years, Melbourne in Victoria, Australia has claimed to be the best sporting nation and many locals already knew that no other city in the world puts on major sporting events quite like Melbourne. Well now it’s confirmed as true. In a recent SportBusiness industry analysis of global sporting cities, the state capital of Victoria went on to win the title of “Ultimate Sports City” for the third time in a row. Melbourne won the prestigious award ahead of other competing cities including Berlin-who hosted the IAAF Athletics World Championships and Singapore who hosted the first night Formula One Grand Prix.

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If you are a major sports fan then Melbourne is definitely the place to visit. The city offers a year round calendar of major events, excellent facilities, great weather (normally!), strong event attendances and an amazing sporting atmosphere with crowds that have a genuine passion for sport.

Why do Australians love sport so much?

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Sport is sometimes jokingly called “Australia’s national religion” and the devotion to organised activities is probably down to the fabulous weather and the clean air which provides ideal conditions to participate in and watch sports. There is a culture of looking after your health in Australia and sports and activities are often ingrained in everyday life. The Australian government is also very supportive. Each state in Australia has agencies responsible for sport and recreation policy and every area operates their own institutes and academies of sport.

What sports can I expect to see in Melbourne and Australia?

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Throughout Australia there is a very wide variety of sports to chose from Taekwondo to Iron Man events and everything inbetween. The most popular sports in terms of attendance (according to 2006/7 government statistics) are Australian rules football, horse racing, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, rugby union and soccer. Other popular sports are of course surfing and kite surfing, but also swimming, roller skating, cycling, golf and softball.

What are the major international sporting events held in Melbourne?

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• The International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships is due to take place in Melbourne running over 5 days from 29th September to 3rd October 2010. This event is second only to the legendary Tour de France in terms of importance and prestige in international cycling and brings the best riders in the world to Australia.

• The famous golfing event ‘The Presidents Cup‘ is to be held at the Royal Melbourne in November 2011, making Melbourne the first city outside of the United States to host the Cup for a second time.

• The Australian Open Tennis Tournament hailed as ‘The Grand Slam of the Asia/Pacific’ will be in Melbourne Park on the 17-30 January 2011. All the big international tennis stars will be there.

• The Spring Racing Carnival is Melbourne’s thoroughbred horse racing festival and launches at the end of September 2010

• The Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix is part of the exciting annual FIA Formula One World Championship. The next one will be held in 2011.

• The Australian Football League is the highest level of professional and competitive football in Australia and the most popular sports competition. The final is traditionally held on the final Saturday in September every year.

• The famous Boxing Day Test Match Cricket is hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and involves the Australian cricket team and an opposing national team touring Australia that summer.

Any other reasons to visit Melbourne?

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Melbourne is lively and cosmopolitan city set around the shores of Port Phillip Bay with the city itself sitting on the northern banks of the Yarra River. Melbourne prides itself on it’s friendliness and welcomes its visitors with character, personality and enthusiasm.

There are some great neighbourhoods (Fitzroy, St Kilda and Carlton) which have strong art, music, cuisine and design scenes and several other areas such as the century-old Queen Victoria Market which are great for shopping. Melbourne also has some interesting museums, tranquil landscaped gardens, some great offbeat festivals and of course the incredible Great Ocean Road is not too far away. For accommodation and more visitor information the Visit Melbourne site is very useful.

Camille Brandon
Director of Results
Milestone Personal Training

Camille Brandon is GlobalGrasshopper’s Travel Health and Fitness Expert. Camille is a Master Trainer and Functional Movement Screen Specialist with in-depth expertise of weight management, strength and sports conditioning, and rehabilitation and exercise referral joins. She also is very well travelled!

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You’re about to travel to a known malarial zone; you’ve read the literature, you know the statistics, you even know the range of drugs on offer that will protect you from contracting the disease. But have you explored all the other alternative options and are you fully aware of the potentially very unpleasant side-effects from these drugs?

About Malaria

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Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease and is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including parts of the Americas, Asia and Africa. It’s a disease with very unpleasant symptoms and can be fatal. The symptoms include fever and headaches and in severe cases coma and death. Modern drugs are normally prescribed as part of the preventative measure and these drugs include mefloquin (Lariam), doxycyline (available generically), and the combination of atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride (Malarone).

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I recently spent three months travelling through Africa and almost everyone was taking one of these recommended drugs and almost everyone felt some form of side-effect, mostly not reported in the literature we were provided. One of my fellow travellers even experienced some very serious side effects on the antimalarial Lariam. He was not informed by his GP that Lariam is known to sometimes cause severe depression, anxiety, paranoia, nightmares, birth defects and central nervous system problems (occurring in up to 25% of people taking the drug). In certain cases the symptoms of the side effects are permanent.

While photosensitivity is a recognised side-effect of Doxycycline, I personally experienced painful, discoloured fingernails and toenails on this drug that resulted in me discontinuing with the course, even while travelling through known malarial zones.  Photo-onycholysis refers the separation of the nail plate from the nail bed after exposure to ultraviolet light and can be induced by doxycycline. It’s not a well publicised side-effect but one I had the painful experience of finding out for myself!

The use of prophylactic drugs is also seldom practical for travellers spending extended periods of time in malaria-endemic areas. This is due to the cost of purchasing the drugs (which can be very expensive) and the negative effects sometimes experienced from long-term use.

So what other options are there?

• Artemisinin is a drug used to treat multi-drug resistant strains of falciparum malaria. Use of the drug by itself is explicitly discouraged by the World Health Organisation as there have been signs that malarial parasites are developing resistance to the drug.  Combination therapies that include artemisinin (such as Coartem or Cotexin (SP)) are the preferred treatment (not prevention) for malaria and are both effective and well tolerated in patients.

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• Prevention.  Mosquito nets used mostly at night above a sleeping area help keep mosquitoes away and greatly reduce the infection and transmission of malaria. Insect repellents containing DEET will also protect against mosquito bites. As a general rule, a 5% product will provide approximately 90 minutes of protection while 100% provides up to 10 hours. It is also advisable to cover up as much as possible in malarial zones and to wear long sleeves tops and long trousers.

If you are making a trip to a known malarial zone hopefully knowing the facts will help you make some informed choices-and remember prevention is always better than cure!

Camille Brandon
Director of Results
Milestone Personal Training

Camille Brandon is GlobalGrasshopper’s Travel Health and Fitness Expert. Camille is a Master Trainer and Functional Movement Screen Specialist with in-depth expertise of weight management, strength and sports conditioning, and rehabilitation and exercise referral joins. She also is very well travelled!

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Check out our list of luxury resorts for health, relaxation, fitness and wellbeing. The list includes properties that go beyond the usual ‘resort with spa’ – all of them offer tailored programmes which will help you make changes towards a healthier lifestyle in unique and permanent ways.

Europe

I spent an amazing week in the Monchique Mountains of Portugal learning Thai Chi and practicing yoga with Gordon Sillence (the Director of Wellness) and I would thoroughly recommend AlmaVerde as one of the world’s luxury resorts for health, fitness and wellbeing. All of the programmes and treatments at AlmaVerde Wellness Centre are developed following the holistic approach of treating a human body as a whole, looking at all aspects of human mental and social existence.

• For more information visit AlmaVerde

The Americas

Photo: lyng883

The BodyHoliday in St Lucia is for anyone interested in health and well-being, old or young, fit or unfit, looking for adventure or relaxation or just looking to rediscover themselves. The resort’s Centre of Health & Well-being, ‘The Oasis’, is the Caribbean’s most award-winning spa. From non-stop relaxation to non-stop activity and anything in between this resort means pleasure, rejuvenation and relaxation. You’ll leave this resort feeling totally rejuvenated both mentally and physically.

• For more information visit The Body Holiday

Asia

Rated as Asia’s Favourite Destination spa by Conde Nast Traveller 2009 readers, Chiva-Som aspires to provide its guests with a total lifestyle transformation to achieve wellness and longevity with a continuing programme of self-improvement. You can also indulge in the award-winning Spa cuisine using organically-grown fruits and vegetables from the Chiva-Som garden, proving that low calorie, nutritious food can truly be a gourmet experience.

• For more information visit Chiva-Som

Photo: Dennis Wong

Oceania

If you really want to get healthy while experiencing what a low carbon footprint feels like in a subtropical pampering resort then Ora Ora Eco Spa Resort is the place for you. This Eco Wellness Resort combines luxurious accommodation in private villas, organic gourmet food & beverage at Makai Restaurant and re-juvenating spa and massage treatments at Maora Wellness Centre – all coupled with exceptionally friendly service.

• For more information visit Ora Ora Eco Spa Resort

Africa

Situated near Cape Town, The Hydro has become a world leader in the holistic approach to balance a clear mind, healthy body and positive mental attitude. The Hydro has five basic principles; diet to cleanse, treatments to rejuvenate, exercise, relaxation and lifestyle motivation. The knowledge imparted during your stay will continue to enrich and add value, encompassing peace and harmony in the body, mind and spirit.

• For more information visit The Hydro

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Having just completed a four day Inca Trail hike in Peru, it became apparent how tempting it is to ignore thirst while travelling. Dehydration impairs both physical and mental performance in all levels of exercise (even just walking in the sun), yet it can be avoided (or at least minimised) by appropriate drinking strategies.

The dangers of fluid loss

Exercise produces heat and sweating unless fluid losses are replaced by consumption of liquids, sweating goes on to cause progressive depletion of circulating blood volume, leading to dehydration and a thickening of the blood. This places a strain on the cardiovascular system, with a rise in heart rate in order to maintain adequate blood flow to exercising muscles and vital organs. As blood volume depletes so too does blood flow to the skin. As a result, sweating decreases and heat dissipation is impaired, causing core body temperature to rise potentially leading to heat stress, collapse and even death.

Fluid needs

Photo: twicepix

Water is the largest single component of the human body. For every 600 kilocalories (kcal) of heat loss, the body is reported to lose one litre of water. Water loss from daily living alone can result in two to three litres, not including added losses from exercise.

As a general guide it is recommended that we consume at least two to three litres of water per day with an additional litre of water per hour of exercise undertaken or time spent in the sun to maintain adequate hydration. Just 2% dehydration (approx 1kg bodyweight loss for a 50kg person) is claimed to reduce exercise performance by 10-20%. Dehydration of 3-5% results in nausea, muscle cramps, diarrhoea, dizziness, heat exhaustion and other more serious health problems.

Interesting dehydration facts

• Our sense of thirst fails to advise us early enough of our body’s need for rehydration. By the time we are thirsty we’re already dehydrated.
• Other beverages such as diet/regular soda, juice, coffee, tea, processed milk and alcohol require much more water than they contain so can actually dehydrate more!
• Fruits and vegetables are a good source of water, for example cantaloupe and melons contain more than 90 percent water, as do leafy vegetables such as lettuce.

Guidelines for water intake

Photo: notorious d.a.v.

When planning for exercise such as hikes or a run along the beach, the ideal is to drink a significant amount of water 30-60 minutes prior to starting. During activity keep a bottle of water with you and hydrate every 15-20 minutes.

Drink no more than the equivalent of one to two cups at any one time will allow more of the water to move from the bloodstream into the cells. Drinking any more than this at once causes the kidneys to filter out the water. It is very important to drink plenty of water in the 30-60 minutes after exercise.
In short, following these suggestions of hydration will not only increase your performance while hiking or trekking but also will reduce your risk of health problems when travelling.

Camille Brandon
Director of Results
Milestone Personal Training

Camille Brandon is GlobalGrasshopper’s newly appointed Health & Fitness Travel Expert. Camille is a Master Trainer and Functional Movement Screen Specialist with in-depth expertise of weight management, strength and sports conditioning, and rehabilitation and exercise referral joins. She also is very well travelled!

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What could be better than seeing the world while competing in a series of marathons offering a $1 million prize purse?

On 23rd January 2006, the World Marathon Majors launched a championship-style competition that includes races in Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. If you’re asking the question why would anyone in their right mind undertake a marathon, much less take vacation time to do it? Then the answer would be found in the countless studies citing the positive effects of exercise and holidays on our health.

Health Studies

The American College of Sports Medicine found that regular long-distance running can help prevent the metabolic syndrome (a group of diseases that can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes) It is also reported that an annual vacation can cut the risk of a heart attack by 50 percent and blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of epinephrine (a stress hormone) decline on holidays of only one or two days!

Photo: bass_nroll

The Races

Boston -
The 114th B.A.A Marathon will take place on Monday 19th April 2010

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon and part of the World Marathon Majors. A maximum of 25,000 participants begin in Hopkinton and run the legendary course through eight cities and towns before finishing in Boston’s Back Bay.

London -
The 2010 Virgin London Marathon will take place on Sunday 25th April 2010

Elite runners compete for a portion of £150,000, while the fairly flat, city landscape and spring climate combine to provide the best backdrop for posting records – personal, national and world.

Berlin -
The 37th real Berlin Marathon will take place on 25th/26th September 2010

40,000 runners and around 8,000 inline skaters will fill the streets of the German capital on the last weekend in September. The course is known as the fastest in the world, the crowds are legendary and the atmosphere is hard to top at this most international marathon in Europe.

Chicago -
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday 10th October 2010

This race has a field of 4200 runners and is among the fastest growing marathon road races in the world mainly due to the fast and flat course which attracts many in the pursuit of personal records and world record performances.

New York -
The Ing New York City Marathon will take place on 7th November 2010

One of the world’s great road races drawing in 90,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $500,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and 300 million worldwide television viewers.

More information on the World Marathon Majors.

For more information on how to train for a marathon or for a personalised training programme please contact info@milestonepersonaltraining.com

Camille Brandon
Director of Results
Milestone Personal Training

Camille Brandon is GlobalGrasshopper’s newly appointed Health & Fitness Travel Expert. Camille is a Master Trainer and Functional Movement Screen Specialist with in-depth expertise of weight management, strength and sports conditioning, and rehabilitation and exercise referral joins. She also is very well travelled!

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