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Earlier this week I was sitting on the couch, telly was on, I was scrolling through my phone and suddenly BAM! Something as simple as a powerpoint slide posted on Instagram created a hundred pictures in my head, made me feel about a thousand things and spurred me into action (it was a busy 10 seconds in my head).

Physio Tasmania had posted a picture of a graph from the World Health Organisation letting me know that Physical Inactivity is the 4^th ‘leading cause of attributable global mortality and burden of disease’ aka: likely reason for death and illness… and there I was sitting on the couch.

Did I get up and do ten squats? No. Did I look at myself in the mirror in disgust? No. Did I text a friend to organise a walk or a PT session? No. Did I think about who those inactive people were and what they might be doing right at the moment? Yes. Did I wonder what the extra challenges are that’s stopping some people, clearly many people, do what they know would make them healthier and live better, longer lives? Yes  

Perhaps some of them were sitting on the couch staring at Instagram.

One of the big reasons I joined forces with my sister Lucy to create our company Healthy Tasmania was to help support all people to live the best life they can. We do that by leading projects which help improve the individual, social and economic health of our communities, supporting people to be as well as they can be, for as long as they can be. We believe making and sharing real stories is an important part of this, as it allows people to see things from perspectives they may not have considered. It makes people feel something. However, lately, I’ve been grappling with how to do this well.

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PENNY TERRY and LUCY BYRNE, Mercury

December 11, 2017 12:30am

A well-versed health expert once explained the problem of our health system: We keep parking ambulances at the bottom of the cliff — what we need is a good strong fence at the top.

In Tasmania, we only have a couple of danger signs at the top of that cliff despite a capable workforce of fence builders busting to come and get the job done.

I’d argue that the correct investment in preventative health would bring about an economic boom; not only would it lead to an eventual reduction in public spending on acute health, a growing budget problem universally, it would open the floodgates to a torrent of clever innovation already happening in the sector which is focused on keeping people well for longer and out of hospitals. 

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When did us ‘locals’ go from being the biggest advocates of our state to being the people most likely to point out all the things that are wrong with Tasmania? Don’t believe me? Check facebook.

I’m not having a go, just interested in the process that’s got us here.

There seems to be a disconnect in how Tasmanians view their state to how ‘the rest’ do. Perhaps, that’s just it. ‘The rest’ are just viewing it, while we are living in it.

Not only is there a reason for this disconnect, I reckon there is a solution (insert happy dance here). Click READ MORE to find out what we reckon.

Grant writing. Tendering. Sponsorship requests. Partnership proposals. Ever tried it?

It’s like Shark Tank for Not-for-profits.

What a show that would be eh, people pleading for money not for a commercial gain, but for a social one. Grab the popcorn… and maybe the tissues. There MUST be a better way.

Click READ MORE to find out why

There is no ecaping the need for greater investment in preventative health to relieve the burden on our states health system and budget. With a state election looming there is no better time for a comprehensive focus on preventative health and the impact proper investment could have on the health, social and economic outcomes of our communites. We were thrilled to lead a special Sunday Examiner series that looks at current preventative health initiatives, policies, case studies, and ideas from experts, in the lead up to the state election. Click through to read the full article.