Tuesday 16th

Today’s Lectures:
• Sexuality & Reproductive Health Assessment
• Paediatric & Geriatric Pharmacology
• Oprah – Strip Down Your Life (ok, not strictly uni work, but still educational and relevant because it’s about social and emotional health and personal transformation).
• Psychosocial Nursing Care
• Alcohol Problems in Surgical Settings

It was good to hear the lecturer talk extensively that the there are a lot of problems to do with the fact that Australian culture encourages and celebrates alcohol consumption, even in large amounts. So a lot of people who drink regularly don’t think they have a problem or are harming themselves because it’s so socially acceptable. Unlike smoking, alcohol is still advertised on TV, given out for free at parties and events and we laugh and joke about drunken behaviour whether in ourselves or in others. So it’s a very mixed message. The same goes for junk food. Studies have shown that most people who are overweight (not obese) think they are ‘healthy’, and similarly having a few drinks everyday is considered ‘normal’ or ‘safe’ by a lot of people who do it. Here is another basic test that is used in health care settings to find out if someone may be an alcoholic (without realising or admitting it). ‘Yes’ to any of these questions indicates that they probably are. If they answer ‘yes’ to all, then they definitely are.
1. Have you ever thought that you should cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink?
2. Have you ever been annoyed by people commenting on how much alcohol you drink?
3. Have you ever felt guilty about how much you drink or your behaviour when you’ve been drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink when you get up in the morning to ease your nerves or get rid of a hangover? (I underlined this clause to highlight that having a drink on Christmas morning while opening present is ok, lol)

For my fitness challenge today I did about 40 minutes of light cardio (stair climbing and walking) and the following weight training exercises:
• Squats with barbell
• Leg presses
• Leg extensions
• Leg curls
• Calf raises
• Crunches with medicine ball
• Russian twists
• Lying tricep extensions with barbell