Innehållsförteckning för TAK2335 från Take 5

Shakti Chakravarty, 66, Adelaide Hills, SA. The audience erupted into applause as my mother, Yae, finished her performance. “I’m going to do that, too,” I told my dad, watching from the front row. It was 1962 and, at five years old, I was enthralled by dancing the same way my parents were. Mum, 33, was a Japanese dancer by profession, but after falling in love with my father, Surendra, 41, had trained in Indian dance as well. After school, I’d run home and watch Mum, copying her every move. “Brilliant!” she said, showering me with praise. Within a year, I’d made good on my vow and was up on stage with my mother. I carried on dancing all throughout school. As much as my parents wanted me to dance, they…

If you’ve had to do any type of medical test, you’ve probably heard of body mass index (BMI) – ameasure of health that takes your weight in kilograms and divides it by your height in metres. The Australian Government Department of Health website says a person is of healthy weight if their BMI range is 18.5 to 24.9 and overweight if it’s 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or more indicates obesity. Like many women, body-inclusive personal trainer and certified intuitive eating counsellor Shreen El Masry first heard of the BMI in high school. “I first heard about the BMI when I was 17 years old and it was during a checkup with a nurse,” El Masry says. “I remember she said to me, ‘You’re in the overweight…

While everyone’s weight-loss journey is different, most would agree that finding the motivation to drop the kilos can be hard. Here are 20 science-based tips to help you stay inspired. 1 ESTABLISH WHY YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT It’s important to determine this, rather than focusing on comments from others to adopt a weight-loss regime. When a person’s weight regime comes from within, they may be more likely to see long-lasting change. 2 WEIGHT-LOSS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION Focusing solely on the scales can be demotivating. Instead, think of weight loss as part of a whole wellness journey. 3 SET REALISTIC GOALS Healthy weight-loss programs involve attainable goals. The WW program is designed to result in a healthy rate of weight loss. 4 CHOOSE A SUSTAINABLE…

IMPLANT EXPLANT Andi Lew, 49. I sat down in the plastic surgeon’s office. “Why do you want breast implants?” the surgeon asked. “So I feel like a real woman,” I answered openly. It was 2015, and I was living in Sydney where I had booked the procedure following a recent divorce. I told the surgeon about the sexual assault I had suffered at eight years of age and again at 18. “Whenever I’m with a man, I still feel like that scared little girl,” I said. “I’m hoping this will help me face my fear of intimacy.” He agreed to the surgery and a few months later, I went up a bra size. At first, it helped me feel like there was a protective shield in front of me. However,…

Goodest boy Sixteen years ago I went to my local pound and met Boomer, a 14-month-old staffy mix. He was a scruffy boofhead overlooked in favour of cute puppies and the staff said he’d become depressed. I adopted him on the spot. It took Boomer a while to trust us but once he relaxed he became the happiest tail-wagger ever. Our darling Boomer left us this week and our hearts are heavy. I wanted to share Boomer’s story and encourage others to adopt if looking for a fur family member. It took a bit of love and patience but this little‘reject’dog became the best friend our family could have found. Bryan Cordwell, Singleton, NSW. Role reversal My 16-year-old son, Christian, and I grabbed some drive-through breakfast on our way to…

Nicole Rowling, 40, Fernvale, Qld. It was 2006 and I’d accompanied my husband, Tony, 47, to a routine check-up at the optometrist. “Can you squeeze me in, too?” I asked, realising it had been a while since I’d had my own eyes checked.“Can you squeeze me in, too?” I asked, realising it had been a while since I’d had my own eyes checked. There was space, but when the optometrist looked at my eyes, what he said caught me off guard. “I’m referring you to a specialist,” he said. An hour later, I sat in front of the specialist, completely shocked. “What’s Usher syndrome?” I asked, in reply to my diagnosis. “It’s a rare eye disease that causes the cells in your retina to break down,” he explained. Then came…

If you’re one of the many people who has had a brush with COVID, you’ll know that exercising is often the last thing you feel like doing as you recover – even after the infection itself has long gone away. Renee Thornton from Rehab Management says it’s important to rest up, even if your symptoms were mild. “The guidelines say – even for low-risk patients with mild or no symptoms – that the advice is for a gradual return to physical activity only after 10 days of proper rest from the onset of symptoms, and at least seven days without symptoms,” she recommends. “COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that can cause severe illness and there are risks of ongoing complications. Taking it slowly is key.” The Australasian College of…

Amber McMann, 24. I took out my credit card and made the booking. “Just what me and Jordan need,” I said. It was 2022 and after searching online I’d found a great hotel at a good price for my boyfriend, Jordan, 28, and I to spend three nights relaxing. It had been a difficult few months for us. Jordan had been charged with robbery and sent to prison. I visited him there as often as I could, and he promised to never break the law again. Although we’d had some problems in the past, I believed him. I worship the ground you walk on, he wrote in one of his many letters to me. And when Jordan was released three months after he was put behind bars, I wanted to…

John McFadden, 52, Mona Vale, NSW. Scrolling through social media, an ad caught my eye. “Look at this,” I said to my wife, Karen, 44. The World Food Championships was being hosted in America. It was 2021 and I’d been working in hospitality as a chef for decades. “You should enter,” Karen encouraged. I entered the seafood category, and to qualify, I had to win in Australia first. Karen filmed me cooking my signature prawn and snapper ravioli. I made it into the top five and went to a cook-off at Sydney Olympic Park, in May 2022. When I won, I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I collected my giant golden ticket to the World Food Champs, in Dallas, Texas. My kids, Ben,10, Archie, eight, and Lily,…

Janet McQueen, 76, Frankston, Vic. My mum, Florence, looked up from her cup of tea. “Wouldn’t you like to meet someone, love?” she sighed. “No,” I replied, firmly. “Men are ratbags.” It was early 1973, and it had been a year since my ex-husband had left me. We’d married in 1965 and moved to Melbourne, from England, just five weeks later. Six years on, he had an affair with our neighbour, and walked out on me and our two sons, Christopher, four, and David, six months, leaving us in a lot of debt. I decided then, men were rotten and I wanted nothing more to do with them. Years passed. My boys grew up and left home and I remained happily single. But one day, in 1992, I went to…

Marion, 55, Tweed Heads, NSW. Putting my magazine down, I took a sip of my tea. I wonder if James would like that? I thought. I’d been reading an article about how to put the zing back into a relationship. James and I had been married for 30 years. Our kids had all flown the nest. I was still attracted to him but had been going through menopause and had suffered from a low libido for a while. This article suggested planning the “ultimate night in” to get the romance going. I decided it was worth a shot. So that day, I picked some roses from the garden and scattered petals all over our bed. I went to the butchers and bought some deliciouslooking steaks to prepare James’s favourite meal.…

Becs Clare, 26, Christchurch, NZ. Tears sprang into my eyes as I looked at myself in the mirror. “I can’t wear these!” I said in dismay. My mum, Gillian, poked her head through the changing room curtains. “I’ll get you another pair,” she said. “Don’t bother,” I said. I was 15 and wanted to wear the same skinny jeans my friends were wearing, but, at a size 16, I thought they looked terrible on me. My whole life I’d been bigger than the other kids at school. I’d tried all sorts of diets, but they never worked. By the time I got to university, I hated my body and hid it under baggy clothing. When I met my fiancé, Ryan, in 2015, I worried my body would put him off.…