This is Me! Spring 2016 Edition

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    SPRING 2016

    is a Shinegroup for anyone between the ages of

    11 and 18 who has Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus.

    This Is Me...

    A Golden Year ahead!2016 is ShinesGolden Anniversaryyear! Weve been

    around for 50 years, first as ASBAH and then asShine

    Well be celebrating all year and officially launching this

    Spring, so keep an eye out on the ShineFacebook, thewebsite (www.shinecharity.org.uk), This Is Meand more!

    A New Year!Its a New Year, and a new beginning so here are some fun

    ways to get healthy and active this year, whether you make

    a New Years resolution or not!

    Fancy an activechallenge for 2016?Exercise can help keep you in shape. It helps

    to boost circulation, keeps your muscles strong

    and, if you regularly use a wheelchair, it can

    reduce the risk of pressure sores. There are

    loads of ways to keep in shape, including sports.

    It can help to set yourself a fitness goal.

    Aim for something you can achieve:

    Do a 5K in your wheelchair - lots of 5K races are wheelchair-

    friendly. Its an achievable distance and a great opportunity

    to train for strength and endurance!

    Complete the Great North Run - this half marathon is in

    September, giving you nearly 9 months to train. Shine hascharity places in the main event (minimum age 17) if you

    want to raise funds too!

    Take part in a TribalSeries event - these are fully accessible

    mass-participation events designed for people of all abilities

    who have a disability. Choose from ParaTri (complete alone

    or as part of a team), ParaSwim, or ParaRun/Push.

    For more information on how to get active, to find an event,

    or for active challenge fundraising ideas, contact Cheyenne on

    01733 421307 or email [email protected]

    Can I play sports ifI have Hydrocephalus?If you have Hydrocephalus, and have a shunt, you

    may worry about whether your shunt will be damaged

    through exercise. In fact, shunts are difficult to break ordislodge and most sports and activities should be fine.

    Here are a few tips to help:

    It may be wise to avoid high contact sports where

    players are grabbed around the neck such as judo

    or rugby, or where it is likely youll get hit hard

    in your stomach

    Non-contact sports like rounders, track events,

    cross-country running and tennis should be fine

    Swimming is an excellent all round sport! If you have

    Spina Bifida you may not notice that your legs are

    getting cold, so dont stay in the water for too long

    Dont hang upside down (eg from wall bars) for

    any length of time

    If you have an LP (lumbar peritoneal) shunt, avoid

    twisting, as in aerobics and some dance, or sports

    where you need to twist at the waist, such as golf

    Follow the safety advice for your sport. Wear helmets

    for anything where injury to the head may occur

    such as horse riding, skateboarding, cycling, climbing,

    and canoeing

    Contact Shineor your GP or Neurosurgeon if you

    have any questions

    Kaela says...I have just started going back to wheelchair basketball

    and it is really good fun. I dont use my wheelchair very

    often at home so basketball is a great way for me to

    build upper body strength. My arms ache a bit after a two

    hour session but this gets better the more I go. I love the

    fact that at wheelchair basketball I can go at the same speed

    as everyone else and everyone is treated equally. I also

    love swimming. This is a great sport for someone with Spina

    Bifida. My legs dont work well in water but I am a strong

    swimmer and am good at all the strokes, using mostly my

    arms. My favourites are front crawl and breaststroke.

    Imogen says...I love cheerleading, swimming and trampoline

    lessons. Trampolining is the most amazing thing

    ever. Im looking forward to being in a cheerleading

    show with my cousin and friends

    Get yourself Wheely Fit!Here are some handy contacts for wheelchair sports:

    www.getkidsgoing.com www.parasport.org.uk

    www.wheelpower.org.uk www.efds.co.uk/

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    Are you drinking enough?

    Shine Summer

    Rez

    You cant survive without water. It makes

    up over half your body and is vital for

    you to work well. So drinking water is

    important. It doesnt have any caloriesand (tap water) is free and if you

    drink enough water, it can make

    your skin look great too!

    Here Shines Health Development

    Officer, Robin Barnatt, gives us

    a few tips about staying healthy.

    Drinking enough is something

    that all of us need to keep an eye

    on in hot weather or if weve been

    physically active.

    Here are some tipsfor staying hydrated:1. Keep a bottle of water with you

    during the day, so its within easy

    reach. That will also help to remind

    you to drink

    2. Drink little and often (try to drink

    up to two 1L bottles every day

    if you can)

    3. Drink water before, during, and

    after exercise

    4. Limit how many other types of drinkyou have such as smoothies, juice,

    squash and fizzy drinks, as they

    may contain lots of sugar which

    isnt good for you, and choose low

    calorie versions with no added

    sugar on the label.

    Dont get dehydratedIf you dont drink enough you may

    become dehydrated. Dehydration

    can be very serious and even lead to

    kidney problems, because your body

    stops getting rid of waste products, and

    can affect the balance of your salts

    and sugars. If you have Spina Bifida

    its especially important to keep well

    hydrated.

    One way to tell if you are dehydrated is

    the number of times you go to the loo

    and the colour of the urine it should

    be pale yellow. If you dont need to go

    as often as usual, or you only pass a

    small amount each time and its dark incolour, its likely that youre dehydrated.

    Other signs include: having a headache,

    feeling tired and weak, mood swings

    and dry lips. Drinking more water

    should help to sort this but if you are

    worried talk to your GP or pharmacist.

    lts extra important for people with

    Hydrocephalus to make sure they

    remember to drink enough.

    Do a Wee check...

    How dehydrated are you?

    A quick way to test how well you

    are hydrated is to check the colour

    of your urine.

    Hello, my name is Daniella

    and I am part of the Shine

    Youth Council.

    I just wanted to tell you guys

    about the Summer Rez. It was

    the best holiday because I made

    so many new friends and did

    some really fun activities, includingarchery, swimming, different crafts

    and meeting goats! For any of you

    who are wondering whether or not

    you should go, do it because no

    matter how anxious you are it will

    be something you wont regret!

    Yes - we really did meet

    some goats!

    Can dogs play too?

    Is it a rat or a mouse?

    Very pale

    yellow or no colour

    Too much cut backon the water a little.

    Pale yellow

    Youre doing well.

    Keep it up!

    Mid yellow

    Normal, but maybe drink a

    little more to get back on track.

    Dark yellow/orangeYou could be dehydrated.

    Drink some water now.

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    Eat Yourself Healthy!Here are a couple of Healthy recipes that you might like to try in the New Year

    Vegetable ChilliServes 4

    You will need:

    1 dessertspoon of vegetable oil

    1 onion, chopped

    1 courgette, sliced

    1 red pepper, chopped

    410g tin chopped tomatoes

    210g tin kidney beans, drained

    1 tablespoon tomato puree

    2 teaspoons chilli powder

    1 teaspoon paprika

    1. In a saucepan cook the onions

    for 5 minutes until soft.

    2.Add the courgette and pepper

    and cook for a further 5 minutes.

    3.Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato

    puree, chilli powder, paprika and kidney

    beans and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir

    occasionally. Make sure you taste your

    chilli as you might like to add some

    more chilli powder to make it hotter.

    4. Serve with rice.

    Cheery Chips!Serves 4

    Cut four medium size potatoes into half,

    then into quarters and then into wedges.

    Place them on a baking tray and drizzle

    over some vegetable oil, then sprinkle

    with garlic salt and paprika. Cook in

    the oven at 200C or Gas No. 6 for 25

    minutes until crispy. Turn the chips over

    halfway through cooking.

    Makes 24 biscuits

    You will need:

    100g soft brown sugar

    100g golden caster sugar

    100g butter, softened

    1 egg

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    225g plain flour

    140g milk chocolate, melted

    85g white chocolate chips

    85g plain chocolate chips

    1. Turn oven on to Gas No. 6 / 200C.

    2. Line two baking trays with baking

    parchment.

    3. Mix together the sugars and butter

    with a wooden spoon.

    4.Add the egg, vanilla extract, flour

    and half the melted chocolate.

    Mix well to form a dough.

    5. Stir in the white and plain

    chocolate chips.

    6. Use a tablespoon to scoop out balls

    of dough and place them on the

    baking tray. Leave enough space

    between the balls for them to spread.

    7. Bake in the oven for 8 9 minutes

    until golden but still soft to touch.8. When firm and cool, place on a

    cooling rack and drizzle over the

    remaining melted chocolate.

    Enjoy!!

    Rowans Triple Chocolate Cookies(OK, not quite so healthy but a yummy treat!)

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    Youth Council

    What do YOU want

    from This Is Me?

    The last Shine Youth Councilweekend was held in

    October at the Zinc Arts Centre in Essex. We had a

    very busy weekend discussing the role of the YouthCouncil, what TIM members want from Shineand

    how this can be incorporated into Shines plans

    for the future, and a session on peer mentoring.

    The weekend finished with an information session

    on the history of Hydrocephalus and shunts, and the

    opportunity to see a shunt. Two of the main issues

    discussed were how TIM members can make contact

    with one another, especially those that are too young to

    be on the TIM Facebook page and how those already

    on Facebook can be encouraged to contribute.

    It was agreed that we would try to put TIM members

    in contact with one another by e-mail or letter. Includedwith this newsletter is a form for you to complete if you

    would like to do this. Please remember that if you are

    under sixteen your parent/carer will need to sign the

    form too. If you are on the ShineTIM Facebook page,

    look out for some new things happening Daniella has

    set up Book Club and Rowan is uploading a weekly

    song. Please dont be shy, we would love to see more

    members joining the Facebook group! It is a closed

    group, so no one outside of the page can see your

    comments, and it is monitored by Shinestaff who

    can provide support with any issues you may have.

    Angela Bailey

    Would you like an interactive website?

    Do you want downloadable leaflets on teen topics or paper copies?

    If we held information days what areas would you like covered -education, independent living skills, good mental health, continence issues....?

    What sort of social events would you like?

    Please e-mail your thoughts and suggestions [email protected]

    Registered Charity no 249338 www.shinecharity.org.uk 01733 555988

    Many thanks for the generous

    support from the ScottishPowerFoundation which has helped us to

    develop the Shine Youth Council.