Alison – a remarkable woman, a remarkable story!

Alison Botha

'Like an apparition, conjured out of the darkness, a young man with light blond hair pushed his face into the car. I immediately spotted the knife. It was a long, thin weapon, almost like a letter opener, with a tapering blade. It felt cold and spiny as he pressed it to my neck. When he spoke his voice, which was quiet and controlled, sounded as though it emanated from a distant planet. But every word thudded into my skull.

"Move over or I'll kill you," he whispered.'

And so began Alison's nightmare journey with the two callous killers who were to rape her, stab her so many times doctors could not count the wounds, slit her throat 16 times and leave her for dead in a filthy clearing miles from the city of Port Elizabeth which was her home. 

But Alison defied death. And more than that, she denied her attackers the satisfaction of destroying her life. The courage which allowed her to move beyond severe physical and emotional trauma and to turn a devastating experience into something life-affirming and strong, is an inspiration to people everywhere.

Alison led a quiet life in Port Elizabeth, until this one fatal night in December 1994 everything changed. Alison became a household name overnight with national newspaper, radio and television coverage of this remarkable lady who continues to inspire, motivate and enthuse all those who listen to her unbelievable story and the lessons we can learn from it.

Having had her throat slit 16 times and uncountable stab wounds in the abdomen, Alison held her head up with one hand, and, holding her intestines in with the other, she crawled to the road where she collapsed.  She was found by a young medical student and after waiting two hours for an ambulance, was taken to hospital.  On arrival, no one ever believed that a person with such severe wounds could possibly live!  But she did!  Alison is no ordinary lady, she not only has an exceptional will to live, but she has an unbelievable attitude towards life and everyone can learn from her.

The fact that Alison survived has been acclaimed a medical miracle, but the fact that she has chosen not to be bitter, but to learn from her experience and share her lessons with everyone she can, is more of a miracle. Alison believes that it is her choice as to how she sees this experience and she has chosen to learn from it.  After an interview, she is quoted as saying, ‘If I could go back in time and somehow have prevented what happened to me, I’m not sure that I would, because it took that traumatic experience for me to realize my personal power and what I’m really capable of doing. 

Through the experience, I am now empowered to help so many people.

Her story is inspirational and her message powerful.  

Danie

How to deal with a double chin

Many people have a problem with loose skin and double chins, these exercises will help tone and lift the chin area and help bring back that youthful look.

• A great exercise it to sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and then start a chewing movement. You will feel the muscles working in your neck and throat area - and will be truly amazed at the results. Repeat 20 times.

• Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. 

Start puckering your lips together in a kiss and stretch the kiss, as if you were trying to kiss the ceiling. Keep your lips puckered for 10 counts, then relax, bring your head back to normal and repeat 5 times.

• Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Open your lips and stick your tongue out as if you were trying to touch your chin with the tips of your tongue. Keep your tongue out in this position for 10 counts, and return your tongue and head to its normal position.

• Sit upright, in a chair tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed, start a chewing motion as if you're chewing gum. You will fill the muscles working in your neck and throat area. The results are fantastic. Repeat this exercise 20 times.

• This exercise will help alleviate sagging jowls and firm and contour the sides of your face. You use this muscle to clench your teeth, close your jaws and assist when chewing your food. This wide, broad muscle consists of one deep muscle and one superficial muscle.

• Sit upright, tilt your head back looking at the ceiling, while keeping your lips closed and relaxed. Next move your lower lip over your top lip as far as possible and keep it there for a count of 5. Relax and repeat 5 times.

• Lie on your bed, with your head hanging down over the edge. Slowly bring your head up towards your torso and keep it there for 10 counts. Relax and lower your head towards the floor again - repeat 5 times.

• Sit upright and face forward and while keeping your lips together, separate your teeth by dropping your jaw and then push your jaw forward, keep for a count of 10, bring back to starting position and repeat 5 times.

Danie

photo credit: Beautiful blonde woman in green dress. via photopin (license)

Live better, eat better.

To improve your quality of life, you have to eat better. Here are a few examples: Eating food with Trans fats may cause inflammation and inflammation of the joints is not only for the aged.

Remember, eating crap can make you looking older than you really are. Diets with too much sugar and carbohydrates like pasta and bread can damage your skin’s collagen. Collagen helps keeping your skin supple and also fights wrinkles.

Anything that's deep-fried in oil can add to inflammation throughout your body. Especially avoid Trans fats. It can raise your LDL "bad" cholesterol and lower HDL "good" cholesterol, which increases your risk for heart disease.

 What is more, unhealthy foods mentioned above also put your overall health on the line and may even lead to heart disease or diabetes.

Watch out for another scoundrel: alcohol. Moderate drinking may be good for your heart, but heavy drinking can accelerate the aging process. "Moderate" is one drink per day for women (such as a 5-ounce glass of wine or 12-ounce glass of beer) and two drinks for men.

Remember the saying: “you are what you eat or drink”!

Danie

Most Effective Exercises: Walking

Walking as an exercise is always a winner; and the beauty of it is that everybody is doing it at least once a day for whatever reason!

You can walk anywhere, anytime. Use a treadmill or hit the streets. All you need is a good pair of shoes.

Another benefit is that you do not have to allocate special time of your already packed day to fit in walking - just do what I do; I walk to work and back every day! Ok, I know, I have the benefit that my work is only 4 km from my home whilst many are not that lucky.

Therefore, for those who have to allocate specific time for exercise every day, here is how it works: For a beginning start with five to ten minutes at a time. Increase the time with about 2 minutes for each walk until you reach about 30 minutes per walk - you can then stick to these 30 minutes for a month and there after consider adding some more time per walk - it is up to you. But 30 minutes a day of brisk walking is more than sufficient.

Enjoy it but please look after your safety during walking and the best advice is to have somebody walking with you!

Danie

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