HO'O WALA'AU

Volume 12     Number 8

AUGUST 2008

A Step In the Right Direction
by Laura Dierenfield

What an incredible response we’ve had to Take It Off Hawaii, an island wide health and wellness initiative.  There are over 300 people in North Hawaii taking part.  It really drove home for me just how many of us are ready to make positive change in our health, but just need a little encouragement to get going.

I’ve written here before how the environment must change in order for the health status to improve in North Hawaii. I still believe that strongly. But environmental change is slow and life is to be lived!  That’s all there is to it!  So while we continue to  work hard to make our communities safer for active living, we also need work hard, in our own way, to live actively ourselves. 

Living healthy is a commitment and for some it can be a big change.  Change is tough, but the status quo is often no picnic, either.  Gradual, baby steps are key; but those steps, however small, might be difficult to begin.  Aren’t our human brains fascinating, complicated little organs? Let’s peel away the layers to better understand the way our brains decide to take action. Maybe it will help you  to see where you might be your commitment to live healthy and how Tutu’s House, or a friend, or a family member can help you take a step in the right direction.

Stages of Change

Step 1: Pre-contemplation

You Know You’re Here When…You’ve often thought about starting to exercise and eat better but just haven’t gotten around to it.

Taking the Next Step…

1)     Look closely at your excuses.  What are some of the reasons you can’t exercise or end up eating a lot of unhealthy choices? Is it lack of time? Is it too many other responsibilities?

2)     Think about the benefits.  Imagine feeling better, looking better and lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

3)     Ask for Help.  Talk with a friend. Tell them you’re struggling with where to begin.  Remind them you are just starting and not to push you too much.

OK. Tried that already?

Step 2: Contemplation

You know you’re here when…You know you’ve really got to start something but you just don’t know how to do it and you really don’t want to fail.

Get Past Analysis Paralysis

1)      Research Your Options.  Try “Figuring It Out: Making Time for Exercise” at Tutu’s House. Call us to talk over your challenges to getting started and think through some ways to overcome these obstacles.  There are also many great magazines here at Tutu’s House and on the Internet.  Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks to starting an exercise program and what you should watch out for.

2)      When it comes to excuses, ask yourself,” Is This True?” Do you really have no time when you sat all day at work and didn’t give up 30 minutes to walk around the building? Could you go for a walk down the road for some fresh air and active time with your kids after you get home?

3)      Give it a Test Drive.  Try a Tutu’s House yoga class, or just try walking around the building once at lunch.  Don’t commit yourself to any more than just this once, and see how it feels.

Been there, done that?

Step 3: Preparation

You Know You’re Here When…You’ve signed up for something like Take It Off Hawaii and are totally ready to take that small step of walking every morning.

Moving into Action…

1)     Think About Your Time Realistically.  Be real about what must get done, and what can be shifted to make some “me time.” Don’t pretend you can run for an hour when you’ve only got 40 minutes between commitments.   Plan to do 30 minutes of quality workout instead.  Remember that you’re worth it and you’ll be a better spouse, friend and parent when you’ve had a chance to recharge your batteries. 

2)     Figure Out a Plan.  Write down your plan as if you were going to tell it to the first 10-year-old you see. Keep it simple and easy to do.

3)     Share your Plan with Someone.  Show your plan to a friend or family member.  This will make you more accountable to yourself for following through when the excuses creep up.

4)     Remember, false starts are OK.  Relapsing to old ways can happen. If it does, there’s no need to beat yourself up about it.  Figure out what didn’t work and commit to making a change that will work.

Do Nothing

By Mikki Hastings

We all know how to do nothing. You know, lie around and waste time. But many of us are too busy to do it often, and when we do it, our minds are often on other things. We cannot relax and enjoy the nothingness. Doing nothing can be a waste of time, or it can be an art form.

Do small nothings at first. Give yourself 5-10 minutes in a comfortable place at home shutting off all distractions.  One important part of doing nothing is being able to completely relax.  If you are not able to completely relax, then try self-massage to get yourself settled down. 

Start first by breathing slowly in, and then slowly out. Closely monitor your breath as it enters your body, through your nose, and goes down into your lungs, and fills your lungs. Feel it as it goes out of your body, through your mouth, and feel the satisfying emptying of your lungs. Do this for 5-10 minutes, if you can. When you start to think about other things, stop that! Don’t berate yourself about it, but bring your thoughts back to your breathing every time.

Doing nothing is also great when accompanied by very good beverages or food. Focus on the liquid as you sip it slowly, savoring every bit of the flavor and texture and temperature in your mouth before swallowing, and feeling the swallow completely. Close your eyes as you do this. Truly enjoy this drink.

Finally, doing nothing cannot be mastered overnight. It will take hours and hours

Goodbye to the Earl’s Garage and Tutu’s House community

By Bianca Wiesmueller-Hastings

My brother and I first started taking classes at Earl’s Garage in 2003. I greatly enjoyed learning about science and technology in a hands-on environment. For the next three years I kept attending classes at Earl’s Garage. Then in 2006 when I graduated from high school (home school), I also “graduated” from being a student at Earl’s Garage, to being a mentor and teacher to other kids. Initially, I assisted Michelle teach classes, and create and maintaine order in Earl’s Garage. My role evolved into curriculum development and materials preparation for classes and teaching. Since I started working in Earl’s Garage, the number and types of class offerings to youth in our community has expanded.

One of the favorite activities under my charge has been the annual haunted house. It’s always a fun challenge to come up with new ideas for the haunted house, and to assist kids as they learn how to turn their scary Halloween ideas into reality. It is amazing to see a young inventor’s face light up when he or she figures out how something works or how to make something. When the process from concept to an actual working creation is realized, participants gain new awareness and confidence. When one young girl figured out how to make a circuit with a light bulb, you could see in her face how amazed and proud she was of her accomplishment when the light turned on.

At the end of the month I will be moving to Berkeley to attend a holistic culinary school, (mostly vegan) the Bauman College. I have enjoyed cooking, and spend a lot of time in the kitchen, experimenting with different recipes. I hope to one day open a vegan restaurant. I am excited to be following my dreams, but also a little nervous to be leaving peaceful Waimea for the bustling city life of Berkeley.

Working at Earl’s Garage has given me time to figure out what I want to do in life. It was a smooth and easy transition into a job. Earl’s Garage has helped me grow and mature in many ways. I am more confident now, and am ready to face the big world. I will be using the knowledge acquired as an Earl’s Garage student and teacher for years to come.

Quentin Burdick Program Returns to Rural Communities

The Hawaii Quentin Burdick Rural Health Interdisciplinary Training Program is the result of legislation by Senators Quentin Burdick (1908-1992) of North Dakota, and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. Originally part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the program is  now funded by the Hawaii State Legislature. The program’s purpose is “to provide culturally and place-appropriate health promotion and disease prevention for vulnerable rural residents,” said Jean McAuliffe of the University of Hawaii School of Nursing. Past projects have involved issues such as diabetes, cancer, and drug abuse prevention, smoking cessation, nutrition and health care access. Of the 67 students who participated in the Quentin Burdick program in past years, 47% have gone on to work in rural areas.

The organizers “look for applicants with a strong interest in learning more about living and working in a rural community,” explained McAuliffe. This year there were 28 applicants, representing Speech Pathology and Audiology, Medicine, Social Work, Nursing, Community Psychology, Public Health and Education.” There were 21 students assigned to 6 locations on Lanai, Kauai, Molokai and Hawaii.  This year’s Hawaii team members Kati Corlew, Erin Kalua and Kristina Ormond were based at Hamakua Health Center in Honokaa. While in the program, they shadowed local health providers, helped high school students plan for college and volunteered at the Hamakua Health Center’s Asthma Camp.

In August, at the end of the 6-week internship program the teams will present their projects and experiences at a conference at UH Manoa.

Meet Kristina Ormond

I am a 22-year-old graduate of UH Manoa, originally from California. I love music- I’ve been a musician since I was 5 years old. I originally wanted to be a music major at UHM, but studied Linguistics instead because a degree in music takes too long. In linguistics I studied all things to do with languages-domestic and foreign. I studied the Hawaiian language for 4 years because it’s something different and awesome that you can’t do just anywhere. Then, as part of my linguistics degree, I took Speech Pathology and Audiology - speech and hearing sciences. It seemed interesting, so I added it as a second major. Audiology made so much sense to me, as a musician I understand how important hearing is - I couldn’t play without my hearing. This summer I am an intern with the Quentin Burdick program, shadowing at Tutu’s House one day a week. Although you may not have seen me around, you have probably seen my work. I helped put together the sun safety display in the library area. On July 28th my fellow interns and I presented a college-planning program at Tutu’s House. In the Fall, I start audiology school on my way to becoming a doctor. I’m moving back out to Hawaii after I graduate in hopes of practicing here on Big Island. Keep reading for more about the Quentin Burdick Program.   

‘Olelo a mamala‘olelo ~ Hawaiian Word or Phrase

Excuse me

This is a rather commonly pronounced phrase, E kala mai ia‘u. Sometimes the ‘excuse me’ is shortened to “kala mai”. E kala mai ia‘u is not a brief ‘sorry, ah?’

E kala mai ia‘u is a sincere plea to, “please accept my apology, and release this burden from my heart”, or to, “please bring your forgiveness to me”.

When Queen Liliuokalani wrote “Ke Aloha O Ka Haku”, most
popularly known as “The Queen’s Prayer”, as she sat imprisoned in her home, she first sought forgiveness for her own shortcomings, and then she proceeded to ask forgiveness for those who had wronged her.

There are many wonderful pleas to offer forgiveness in hymn texts. Another type of plea is in an unspoken expression of forgiveness by presentation of lei limu kala.

E kala mai ia‘u?
Will you forgive me?
 

Earl’s Garage Places FIRST in  2008 SolidWorks CAD Challenge

For the past year, Earl’s Garage Botball team participants have been working with a CAD program called SolidWorks. The team used SolidWorks to assemble a representation of the robots they built to compete in the 2008 Hawai`i Regional Botball Tournament. Chris Wiesmueller-Hastings (age 16) modeled and animated Stardust. Keanu Douglas (age 14) modeled and animated Ziggy. Nick Chock (age 14) provided the narrative and audio that accompanies the animation.

Despite the challenges that SolidWorks presents (it’s not so simple to use) the team successfully created SolidWorks models ofZiggy and Stardust, with arms and claws that open, close, lift and lower, just like the real thing. They also created a representation of the game board on which the robots play.

Although the students were not able to attend the Global Botball Tournament, their CAD animated robot did. The Earl’s Garage team entered an animation in the 2008 SolidWorks CAD Challenge. The animation depicts Ziggy and Stardust’s unique and creative strategy for scoring points and playing defense in this season’s Botball game.

For the excellence of their creation, the Earl’s Garage Botball Team captured FIRST PLACE in the 2008 SolidWorks CAD Challenge.

The winning animation can be viewed at www.tutushouse.org/EarlsGarageWeb/EG_hall_of_fame.htm

Earl’s Garage invites teens to participate in the SolidWorks Workshop offered: