A huge turn out for the first Northern Outlook Pegasus Fun Run

Guest post by Jenny Lake, Pegasus Events and Business Development Manager

We held our first fun run at Pegasus last Sunday – and wow, it was a huge success! The Northern Outlook Pegasus Fun Run was an excellent event to be involved with and it looks as though it is set to become an annual fixture on the North Canterbury sporting calendar. There was a wonderful buzz around the town and I’ve had so much positive feedback from both visitors and residents at Pegasus.

 

It was an amazing hot day after the heavy rain earlier in the weekend, so we were very fortunate with the weather and people turned out in their droves. The sunny weather saw 800 additional people enter on the day for the 2.5km, 5km and 10km events, bringing the total number of entrants to 2300. We had an array of entertainment for those not taking part in the races, as you’ll see in these fantastic photos. We estimate that there were around 4000 people out at Pegasus on the day.

 

The music was great, the bungy was a success as was the face painting, the bouncy castle and the skate skool. The DJ did an outstanding job and the photos and video we have captured from throughout the day are sensational. The food and beverage stands were kept busy most of the day and the corporate groups I spoke with were very happy with their sites.

 

The children loved the dance competition and having two players from the Tactix on stage dancing with a wee girl that had won a prize was a highlight.

 

The event raised at least $12,000 to go towards the post-quake recovery of sport in Canterbury. Event organiser and Sport Canterbury business manager Jonny Kirkpatrick is thrilled with the funds raised, which will be used broadly, for anything from repairs and equipment to helping with booking facilities and financial assistance.

 

To view more photos of this event, visit our Flickr page, or view the fantastic video footage on Youtube here.

This was the perfect event to kick off our summer season here at Pegasus, and I look forward to sharing more post-event reports with you in the coming months!

Jenny

Indicators of a successful school – thoughts from the Principal of Waikuku/Pegasus School

Guest post by Roger Hornblow, Principal of Waikuku/Pegasus School

I have been at Waikuku School for three years now and getting this job was like winning Lotto. I love rural schools, turning schools around and building community, the challenges of a growing roll, and designing and building a new school. Being principal of Waikuku School and then Pegasus School is all this… and more.

The Ministry of Education approached the Board of Trustees back in 2006 about the new school at Pegasus. Since then we have had recessions, a change in government and the odd earthquake or two. Please check the Waikuku School website for timeline updates for Pegasus School, or I am more than happy to answer any questions about this.

When moving into Pegasus you are zoned for Waikuku School. The school bus leaves the Harcourts’ Pegasus office at 8.45am and drops children back there after school. We currently have 31 Pegasus children on the school bus.

Parents often ask me about the decile rating of the School. We are a 7 and increasing. But the decile rating says nothing at all about the quality of any school. The decile rating is just a socio-economic indicator for the area based on the latest Census using abstract data such as household crowding, occupations and income.

ERO reviews are another indicator parents can use and our review is on the Waikuku School website. ERO reviews are useful and give an independent view. But for me the best indicator is not a review or a number or even a flash website. The best indicator is the people who are living and breathing school life every day. The best indicator is the happy children and the happy parents. Ask our parents about our community feel, our programme for four year olds, our Funday Friday, our welcoming parents into our classrooms, our focus on learning but also on fun, but most of all ask our children if they like our school and their teacher. Happy engaged children, happy inspired staff and happy parents who are always welcome and valued – they are the indicators of a successful school. Visit us and be impressed. www.waikuku.school.nz

Weighty Matters

Guest post by Paul Dunn, Personal Fitness Trainer at Pegasus

“I’ve been exercising for a long time, but I’m still the same weight. Why haven’t I seen any results?”

It’s a question I get asked fairly often and my response is almost always the same. “A scale doesn’t tell the whole story”, In fact your body is no doubt making small changes every day and you don’t even notice it. The bathroom scales can’t always be a reliable measure of these small changes. So if that’s the case, how do you know if you’re making progress?

Track Your Body Fat

Scale weight can be a useful number to know but, even better is knowing what your body fat percentage is. It is important because scale weight doesn’t always tell the whole story. An individual can be “over-weight” and not “over-fat.” An All Black rugby player, for example may be 8% body fat and yet at 120kg may be considered “over-weight” by a typical height-weight chart (BMI).

Knowing your body fat percentage can give you a better idea of how much fat you really need to lose and, even better, whether you’re making progress in your program things your scale can’t tell you. It’s possible for your scale weight to remain the same, even as you slim down, especially if you’re losing fat and gaining muscle.

A healthy body fat range is 25 – 31% for women and 18 – 25% for men. Keep in mind that most health clubs offer some type of body fat testing.

Use the Scale

As I mentioned above, scales don’t always give you the whole story about your body or your weight loss progress. For that reason, scales (when used alone) are my least favorite method of tracking weight loss. Another reason to dislike scales is what I like to call ‘Weight Loss Fixation’ or the tendency for otherwise rational people to abandon all reason, lock themselves in closets and/or ditch any and all healthy behaviors because why bother if the scale doesn’t change?

The problem with body weight scales is that they measure everything, fat, muscle, bones, organs and even that sip of water you just had. The scale can’t tell you what you’ve lost or gained, which is important information if you’re trying to lose weight and what we really mean by that is fat loss.

Here are just a few things that can increase your weight, causing it to fluctuate as much as 2 kg in one day:

• Water. Because the body is about 60% water, fluctuations in your hydration levels can change the number on a scale. If you’re dehydrated or have eaten too much salt, your body may actually retain water, which can cause scale weight to creep up. Similarly, many women retain water during menstrual cycles, which is another thing that can make that number change.
• Food. Weighing yourself after a meal isn’t the best idea simply because food adds weight. When you eat it, your body will add that weight as well. It doesn’t mean you’ve gained weight, it simply means that you’ve added something to your body (something that will be eliminated through digestion over the next several hours).
• Muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and it takes up less space, so adding muscle could increase your scale weight, even though you’re slimming down.

That doesn’t mean the scale is useless. In fact, it’s a wonderful tool when you combine it with your body fat percentage. Knowing both of these numbers will tell you whether you’re losing the right kind of weight…fat. Simply multiply your weight by your body fat percentage. For example, a person who weighs 70kg with 21% body fat has 14.7kg of fat and 55.3kg of lean tissue (70 x .21 = 14.7kg of fat, 70 – 14.7 = 55.3kg lean tissue). Keeping track of these numbers on a weekly or monthly basis will help you see what you’re losing and/or what you’re gaining.

Try these tricks to make weighing yourself a useful and more positive experience:

• Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything.
• Weigh yourself once a month instead of daily or weekly to give your body time to respond to your weight loss program. The scale won’t reflect small changes happening in your body composition.
• Remember, the scale weighs everything! Just because your scale weight hasn’t changed doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress.
• Use scale weight along with body fat percentage for a more accurate view of your progress
• Make changes with nutrition and increase exercise for better results (you cant expect anything to change if you don’t change your habits.

If the scale freaks you out and body fat testing isn’t an option, your next best choice is taking your measurements.

Take Your Measurements

Anyone can do it and its my favorite way of tracking progress because it doesn’t require any fancy equipment. Taking your measurements at certain areas can give you an idea of where you’re losing fat, which is important since we all lose fat in different areas and in a different order. Taking your measurements can help reassure you that things are happening even if you’re not losing fat exactly where you want just yet.

Start by wearing tight fitting clothing (or no clothing) and make a note of what you’re wearing so you know to wear the same clothes the next time you measure. Here’s how to do it:

• Bust: Measure around the chest right at the nipple line, but don’t pull the tape too tight.
• Waist: Measure a half-inch above your belly button or at the smallest part of your waist
• Hips: Place tape measure around the biggest part of your hips
• Thighs: Measure around the biggest part of each thigh
• Upper arm: Measure around the largest part of each arm above the elbow

Picture It

It may seem obvious, but don’t overlook one of the simplest ways to track progress–how you look and how your clothes fit. You may want to take a picture of yourself wearing swimming togs and keep it in your weight loss diary. Each month, take a new picture…you’ll be surprised at how many changes you notice in a picture as opposed to just seeing yourself in the mirror. You can also use your clothes to keep track of your progress. Choose pants, shorts and a shirt and try them on every week or month to see how they fit.

The bottom line

• Use one or all of the methods above to keep track of how you’re doing
• Set realistic goals (essential for your success)
• It takes time to lose weight (don’t panic if you don’t drop 1kg in a week)
• If you’re losing weight the right way, your progress will be slow and steady.
• Make positive changes to the way you eat and exercise. 

Where has all the fun gone?

Guest post by Alison Dormaar, Pegasus resident and author

Hmmm, reality TV. Survivor, Wife Swap, Top Model, the Next Pop Idol, not to mention the next Master Chef. And then of course you have all the shows lambasting obese people, insecure people, disadvantaged people, people being stupid and clumsy, people behaving badly on camera.

Notice a trend anyone? I know I certainly have. Instead of seeking a happier escape into the realm of make believe, it would seem that the powers that be have decided that we can forget our own woes by finding fault with everyone else around us. Oh yes, what a smug lot we are sitting back in our armchairs, taking a perverted pleasure from ogling the misfortunes of others while basking in a measure of self congratulation that for the main part it does not apply to YOU. If you are a TV producer, I suppose it is much cheaper to stick a live camera into some poor sod’s living room to broadcast their frailties around the globe to a slavering audience of millions than, Heaven forbid, pay some decent scriptwriters to come up with quality entertainment that does not come at the spiteful expense of someone else. The media needs the Extreme Makeover, not our houses.

I have often wanted to ask these dupes on reality TV where their pride has gone. I daresay most of them will have been offered money for their very public crucifixion, but at what personal cost? I want to know how they can face their friends and neighbours each time they poke their nose around the door at the local shopping mall without being aware of the silent finger pointing and sniggering. It goes to show what some people will do for those thirty pieces of media silver.

Apart from the deplorable standards that now rules our screens, I have often wondered about the many great unemployed writers and TV directors roaming aimlessly about without a studio to call home. Then of course you have all the wardrobe staff, the dressers, makeup artists, set builders, technicians etc etc. Gods, what a waste of creative talent in a time of global recession.

It all comes down to money of course. After all, why pay decent people to produce decent shows when you can get ratings and advertising dollars at a much cheaper expense? But what they cannot or will not realize is that the cost to society is huge.

I am sick of children aping hideously drawn, freakish creations from cheap and nasty Asian-made cartoons (whatever happened to Disney, Hanna Barbara, Warner Bros?) who all seem to have big mouths and bigger attitudes. Is it any wonder so many of our kids now have behaviour and depression problems that will persist well into adulthood? Don’t we all have enough to worry about these days without being forcibly educated, informed and lectured all day and every day? A massive blow has been dealt to the sheer healing power of imagination.

Imagination is what has made humanity stand out from every other creature on the planet. The power of creative, positive thought has driven our greatest scientists, artists and leaders, and it is that great force that is now under attack. Especially in light of recent times, people need to have light relief and fun, and lots of it. Okay, maybe I’m old fashioned, but whatever happened to those laugh out loud English comedies that used to grace our screens? Whatever happened to the mini series, the fabulous period dramas, the family variety shows like the Generation Game whose sole purpose was to give everyone a good time? Whatever happened to such wonderful children’s shows like the Muppets and the Smurfs? Where has the laughter gone?

It is no small coincidence that mankind’s myths and legends endure long after their buildings and monuments fall. It goes to show that what we wish to remember is what truly endures, not what is foisted upon us by the politically correct dogma of the day.

I am a writer. I create, and I like to think I create to a good purpose. The powers that be ignore such recent phenomena as Harry Potter and the Lord Of The Rings at their peril. These are indicators that there is a real desperate social hunger out there that is not being filled. In my own small way, I am hoping to help fill that void.

Facebook.com/Author, A J Dormaar – Fan Page

It’s a dog’s life!

Guest post by Alison Dormaar, Pegasus resident and author

Ever since moving away from the main hustle and bustle of the city, I’ve been noticing the local dogs more. It’s funny how much we take them for granted in our busy city lives, but the other week with several centimetres of snow piled up on the lawn outside, to watch them ecstatically lolloping around in the white stuff with apparent ease was a real pleasure, and it made me sit back and think.

Dogs make me happy. I like to think I could make them happy. There are many life lessons we can learn from dogs, not least of which is the gift of sheer enjoyment of the simple things such as a snowfall while we of the gens humana live in a constant state of self-dissatisfaction. It is said that we have made dogs honorary humans, and I strongly suspect it is because we see many aspects of dogs that we wish were more apparent in our own somewhat flawed character.

Who among us would not want the life of a dog? Seriously? Most pet dogs in our society live in warm, comfortable homes without worrying about footing the mortgage or the power bill. Unlike the forever starved masses in the Third World (sorry folks, Africa is a bottomless pit of often misappropriated aid), dogs are guaranteed at least one square meal a day and they have learned that if you give the right wistful look at their owners at the right time they can capitalize with tasty snacks in between. You have willing servants on hand to plump up your pillows, buff up your beanbags, walk you, bathe you, brush you and rush about the house fulfilling your every whim without you having to raise a paw. Balls, frisbees, sticks and squeaky toys are laid on for your entertainment while your personal chauffeur whisks you away on numerous trips in the country, windows preferably rolled down. No-one is nagging you to tidy the house, mow the lawns, cook the dinner or go to work, and what’s more everyone you know likes you. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone if you’re a dog. You just have to be…well, a dog!

We humans tend to age not very gracefully. After a certain age we become victims of gravity. Everything on our body starts to sag south and we start to shrivel up and stoop, unsightly blotches appear where we never had them before and the key subject of conversation at social functions is the latest round of medical procedures. We slather ourselves with potions and lotions to restore some semblance of health and youthful looks and ingest other substances to improve our memory and keep ourselves regular.

Compare that with your dog. Okay, Blondie may be getting fat with age, but somehow it just makes her all the more lovable. She may have a few gray hairs around the muzzle, but that thick furry coat remains the same and those liver spots are marks of distinction rather than blemishes. When she trots out for her daily walk she is still the subject of smiles and admiration (how many aging people yearn for a return to that kind of attention!) Yup, in old age your dog remains respected and loved. No old age home for Blondie, no being shut up in a pastel painted dormitory with drooling open mouthed zombies staring mindlessly at television sets while their life savings trickle into someone else’s bank account. Unlike many elderly humans, your dog is guaranteed constant support and does not have to wait until weekends for a possible family visit. And at the end of your life, unlike humans who are often forcibly kept alive by all manner of nauseating drugs and machines in the supposed name of humanity (or is it medical research? No, maybe the retirement home is still owed the balance of the remaining quarter), your dog if need be is allowed to slip away peacefully and painlessly to avoid unnecessary suffering.

If only we treated each other the same way that we treat our family dogs…

Facebook.com/Author, A J Dormaar – Fan Page

Why do we make life so complicated?

Guest post by Alison Dormaar, Pegasus resident and author

Perhaps I’m aging prematurely. I’d like to think not as I am still only in my early 40’s and besides, many people as they age will tell you that life seems to become a lot faster and more complex. I just never expected it would become so cluttered in a matter of months, not years!

I’d best explain myself. Like far too many I know out there at the moment, my employment situation over the past few years has been somewhat precarious at best. So what? I hear you all say. Go out there and get a job. Ahhhh yes, there’s the Catch 22 of the entire matter. Over past decades this was done as easily as going down to the local store for Pick N’Mix (remember those?) If you hated what you did or had a cruddy boss, no big deal. You’d just walk down the road and chances were you’d land something else within a week, provided you could provide solid evidence of a good character and a reliable work history. The rest didn’t matter, right?

Unfortunately nowadays the Rest is Everything!

A year ago I had to go to one of the recruitment agencies for skill testing. Okay, no big deal and fair enough. I sat both tests with good grace and that, along with my provided referees, was considered enough to work with at the time. But within the space of one year how tings have changed. I have been to several other agencies in that time, and for some reason they now want to know everything, not just your rank, name and serial number. Apart from the computer tests there is a raft of fact finding papers you have to fill out that would make a government Census envious. There are motivational tests, personality tests, reasoning tests, psychometrical tests, etc etc.  Apparently the powers that be want to know if people “think correctly”. Hmmm. This is the kind of terminology once used by the Hitler Youth and Khmer Rouge, not to mention the Soviet Young Pioneer Movement under Stalin. All Hail Big Brother, and woe betide you if you fail to conform to the ideal “vision” and are over 30.

This is just one indication of the system that people today must submit themselves to. Is it any wonder that so many of us feel depressed, underachieving, undesirable and substandard? As it is, we sentence our children to a bare minimum twelve years’ hard labour in an ever increasing stressed school system to learn how to cope with the bare basics, and upon leaving there are no guarantees their hard-earned straight A’s will deliver the career results parents so hope for. We live in a modern society where your best is never good enough and the pressure is always on to improve, where winning is everything and there is no acceptable alternative. With the workplace situation, you may score well on the tests, but there is no guarantee you may reach the hallowed interview stage. Then there may be a second interview, even possibly a third, and you never know what each member on the interview panel is looking for. As someone mentioned to me a while ago, they feel like a Lotto ball, forever spinning around in the wheel but never coming out on top. We strive relentlessly throughout our lives, only to become highly educated pieces of dirt in the local cemetery when all is said and done.

Many people want change in social values. I certainly do. Is it any wonder that so many people now are seeking to escape from the cities, looking for that life-giving gasp of clean, uncluttered air in places such as Pegasus? In the meantime I am assured that the recruitment agencies do not want your blood type.

Yet…

Interval Training – A great method to improve performance

Guest post by Paul Dunn, Personal Fitness Trainer at Pegasus

If you want a new, fresh and challenging approach to your gym workouts Interval training could be a great method of training for you!!
It is not a fad, but rather a sound method of training, with its foundation based on exercise physiology (proven scientific principles)

What is Interval Training?

Interval training involves alternating periods of high-intensity activity with periods of rest (inactivity) or recovery (low intensity activity). It relies on the principle of rest and recovery to allow you to work harder but in a smaller timeframe.

For example, if walking outdoors is a regular part of your exercise routine, you might include short periods (between 1-2 minutes) of jogging into your walk between lower-intensity periods of walking. A good way of doing this is to jog three lamp posts and then walk for 3 or 4. If you are just starting to exercise, you might simply walk faster between a few lamp posts, allow yourself to recover and than repeat the higher intensity walking. If you are very fit, you might add in sprints to your daily run.

 The Benefits of Intensity Interval Training

• A more varied and interesting cardio workout
• More calories burnt in less time
• Improved cardiovascular endurance
• Decreased muscle catabolism/increases in lean muscle mass
• In many cases it is highly sport specific and thus beneficial in improving performance.

 How to Start your Interval Training

The best way to commence Interval Training is to choose a cardiovascular exercise that you perform on a regular basis and yes, that you ENJOY!

There are numerous ways to increase intensity — especially if you are performing Interval Training on our Life Fitness cardio machines such as treadmills, summit trainers, X- trainers or recumbent/stationary bikes:

1. Increase the resistance of the machine for 1-2 minutes. On a treadmill, you can do this by increasing the incline. The goal here is to try to maintain your previous speed, despite the increase in incline.
2. On X- trainer machines, steppers or stationary bikes, you can also increase the resistance on the machine, which will require you to work harder in order to maintain the same speed as before you made the increase in resistance.
3. Another method of boosting intensity is to simply increase the speed on the machine, while using the same level of resistance as you do during your low or moderate-intensity cardio. For example if you are normally jogging on a treadmill at 10 KPH, you increase that to 12.0 or 13.0 KPH  for 1 minute, and then return to your normal speed for 2 minutes to allow you to recover. Once this becomes too easy, you begin to increase the time you run at 13.0KPH, and reduce your recovery time at 10KPH. That’s interval training at its best!!

Who should not undertake Interval Training

With any form of physical activity there are obviously circumstances in which an individual shouldn’t participate. In the case of interval training these are:  

• If your GP has prescribed low or moderate intensity exercise
• If you shy away from warming up before exercise. This is more important than ever when interval training.
• If you have only recently started a cardiovascular exercise regime and you are still building a sound fitness level.

So if you don’t fit into one of the above categories put your new found knowledge about interval training into action.  I guarantee it will give you renewed enthusiasm about your cardiovascular training. Remember the same old training methods will give you the same old results.