How to fight aging

Did you know that just walking for 30 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week is enough to combat aging?

According to researchers at the University of California, one of the principle causes of deterioration of the human organism’s physical faculties is its diminished ability to metabolize glucose. And they howed that even leisurely exercise, like taking a walk, plays an important role in keeping glucose metabolism functioning smoothly.

Do you spend the whole day sitting at your desk or in front of a computer screen? Why not get up occasionally and do a few minutes of physical exercise? Don’t worry about what other people think.  In some Japanese companies, it is even become a collective habit. Every twenty minutes a bell sounds, and everybody gets up to do some stretching exercises, after which they sit down again as if nothing had happened. Japanese managers are convinced that their employees are more productive when they are relaxed.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit is low in calories and provides a good source of potassium, folic acid, fibre, and vitamin C. Grapefuit also contains phytochemicals, including lycopene, liminoids, flavonoids, and glucarates.

Studies have shown that grapefruit pectin, like other fruit pectin, is effective in lowering cholesterol. The edible portion of 1 whole grapefruit contains about 3.9%, or roughly 7.5 grams of pectin. Eating approximately two grapefruits per day would significantly lower the risk of heart disease by 20%.

The red and pink fleshed grapefruits contain a larger amount of lycopene than the other varieties. Lycopene is an important phytocemical that battles cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration.

Source: http://www.everynutrient.com

What are the consequences of living together?

The Domestic Partnership Bill of 2008 (the “Bill”), once introduced as an Act, will regulate the legal status of people of the opposite or same sex who are in a domestic partnership, but have not yet “tied the knot”.

1. The effects of unregistered domestic partnerships (general)

1.1 Life as we know it is all about the make-ups and the break-ups of relationships and we have all witnessed (I’m sure) the problems that couples face when their relationship or the domestic partnership (which I will refer to from now onwards) comes to a sudden halt. Literally it spells d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r!

1.2 Time and again people jump right into living together without thinking of the legal consequences thereof, the importance of wills and winding up of deceased estates, or have no legal understanding of the law. Before they realise, homes, motor vehicles, and other luxury items are bought, and verbal agreements are concluded and before the partners realize the situation, one is paying off certain items, other items are only in one of the partners name (bonds etc) and unexpectedly what you thought was true, never-ending love for each other suddenly comes to a complete end due to death, mutual agreement, or your better half (well that’s what you thought at the time) literally packs their bags and heads for the hills!

1.3 Now the looming question, if the property as mentioned above is not in your name, where exactly does it leave you and how will this affect your pocket? Often, couples are so madly in love that they fail to see past the break-ups and what the future may hold. I was always warned and advised that an agreement between two lovers should be agreed to as if they you were getting divorced, or separating at that present moment in time. This would save unnecessary legal fees and of course avoid those dreaded “settlement agreements” that can never be agreed upon.

2. Domestic Partnership Bill, 2008

2.1 According, it brings me great pleasure to advise you that there is light at the end of the big, dark tunnel. The Bill was drafted to afford all partners equality before the law1, the right to equal protection and benefit of the law . Therefore legally recognizing and protecting partners in a domestic partnership, and allowing the partners the opportunity to share in some of the rights and obligations that flow automatically from a marriage. The Bill is aimed at providing partners with certainty and greater understanding of the topic.

2.2 A look into traditions of today:

As we move towards the new and kick out the old, traditions come and go, and society’s beliefs change the word “marriage” for some brings a chill to their spine, and almost sounds somewhat archaic. However as human nature has it, we all still want what rightfully belongs to us (or what belongs to others but which we believe rightfully belongs to us!). At the end of the day we want our possessions protected.

2.3 In my view, the Bill has done just that, it provides rights and obligations to domestic partners who are not concerned with registering any form of partnership. The Bill has identified all the important and relevant aspects pertaining to unregistered domestic partnerships such as such as property division after termination of unregistered domestic partnerships either through death or suspension, maintenance after termination of the unregistered domestic partnership, as well as intestate matters (persons dying without leaving a will)2.

3. DIVISION OF THE PROPERTY

3.1 The Bill provides domestic partners the rights to apply to Court on application to obtain a court order in respect of the above three aspects of unregistered partnerships.

The Court however takes into account certain factors such as the duration and the nature of the relationship, the degree of financial assistance, dependence or interdependence, arrangements regards financial support, performance of household duties, ownership and use of as well as acquisition of the property, the principles of justice, fairness and equality, and the interests of both parties as well as their individual needs depending on the facts of each individual case.

3.2 Additionally the partner applying for the court order may not at the time of the application to Court be a spouse in any civil marriage, or a partner in any civil union or be in a registered domestic partnership with a third party. Further, one of the partners in the domestic partnership is required to be a South African citizen and/or a permanent resident of South Africa. It is important to keep in mind that the application is required to be lodged within 2 (two) years of the separation3.

4. MAINTENANCE

4.1 Unregistered partners do not have the same duty of support as registered partners do, except as for provided in the Bill. The Bill deals specifically with maintenance with regards to when the partners have separated as well as if a death has occurred in the domestic partnership.

4.2 Separations and the effect on maintenance in terms of Section 28 of the Bill

After separation a Court may, upon application make an order which is just and equitable in respect of the payment of maintenance by one unregistered partner to the other for a specified period, taking into account certain necessary and relevant factors such as age of the partners, duration of the relationship, standard of living, respective contributions to the relationship, and respective earning capacities etc.

4.3 Death and the effect on maintenance in terms in terms of Section 29 of the Bill

4.3.1 A surviving unregistered domestic partner may after the death of the other unregistered domestic partner, bring an application to a Court for an order for the provision of his or her reasonable maintenance needs from the estate of the deceased until his or her death, re-marriage or registration of another registered domestic partnership, insofar as he or she is not able to provide therefore from his or her own means and earnings.

4.3.2 The Courts will then make a just and equitable order taking into account all relevant circumstances and necessary factors which are listed in paragraph 4.2. above.

4.4 Intestate Succession and the effect on maintenance in terms of Section 31 of the Bill

4.4.1 If your partner dies intestate (i.e. without a will), the surviving partner has the option of bringing an application to Court for an order to inherit the intestate estate in terms of the Intestate Act 81 of 1987.

• Example: if the deceased is survived by an unregistered domestic partner as well as a child or children, the partner will inherit a child’s share of the intestate estate or R125 000.00, bearing in mind that the application should be made within 2 (two) years after the deceased’s death and further applications would be necessary if the estate had already been wound up.

5. South African legislation compared to countries around the globe (comparative analysis of other jurisdictions)

In other jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand, Washington DC, Nevada and California domestic partnerships are regarded as the equivalent to marriages or same sex unions, although the concept is still evolving from place to place. Accordingly if we compare South Africa (a developing third-world country) with other first-world countries, we are keeping up with the international trends, positively accepting change and allowing legislation to influence our community and its needs in every aspect of everyday life.

Please do not hesitate to call us should you have any further queries or should you require any further legal advice regards this topic.

Notes:

1. Section 9(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996.

2. Chapter 4 of the Bill which deals specifically with section 26 to Section 33.

3. Section 31 of the Bill.

New rules for waste collection come into effect

The National Domestic Waste Collection Standards, which sought to redress the past imbalances in the provision of waste collection services, would come into effect on February 1.

Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa published the standards under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act.

It aimed at providing a uniform framework within which domestic waste should be collected in South Africa.

It came after a consultative process with provinces, municipalities and the general public, and was expected to guide municipalities on how to provide an acceptable, affordable and sustainable waste collection service for enhanced human health and environmental improvement.

The standards covered the levels of service, separation at source (between recyclable and non-recyclable materials), collection vehicles, receptacles, collection of waste in communal collection points, and most importantly, the frequency of collection.

With regard to the issue of separation at source, the document said that this should be encouraged and supported in line with industry waste management plans.

It also stated that all domestic waste must be sorted at source in all metropolitan and secondary cities, and that the service provider, or municipality must provide clear guidelines to households regarding types of waste, the sorting of waste, appropriate containers, and the removal schedules for each type of waste.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) said that non-recyclable material – such as perishable food waste – must be collected at least once a week, and recyclable material – such as paper, plastic, glass – must be collected once every two weeks.

Municipalities had a choice on whether or not to provide different types of bins, taking into consideration the type of vehicles they use. However, the bins should be rigid and durable to prevent spillage and leakage.

The DEA added that the development of the standards took into consideration the existing practices at local government level across the country and sought to build on what has already been

How to set up your workstation

Despite the availability and supply of adjustable workstation furniture and equipment, employees usually don’t use these very well. The following checklist is a step-by-step approach designed for employees to use when they’re located at a new workstation or whenever their tasks change.

When setting up the position of this furniture and equipment it’s important to try new positions to find the most comfortable arrangement for yourself. Give yourself a chance to get used to any changes, as it may take several hours or even days to determine the best position. Remember, it may take a few tries to get the best arrangement, but it is worth the effort – and if a change doesn’t work, you can always reset it.

Adjusting your chair

When adjusting your chair please refer to any instructions provided with the chair or have someone how you how to adjust it and use the controls. If there’s no one available to assist you, work through this checklist with someone else and observe each other’s postures and body positions.

Also, try avoiding sitting for long periods of time. Some form of break from sitting every 20 – 30 minutes is helpful. Even getting up for 20 to 30 seconds to go to a printer or standing while talking on the telephone will provide some relief.

Adjusting the seat

Height: Adjust chair height so:

• Feet are comfortably flat on the floor

• Thighs are approximately horizontal

• Lower legs approximately vertical

Low heeled shoes will improve comfort of the legs with the chair at this height.

Tilt (if available): Set to horizontal or slightly forward to suit your comfort.

Finding the correct back support

Height: Start by raising the backrest to its maximum height. Then sit in the chair and check the fit of the backrest to the curve of the lower back. If it’s not comfortable, lower the height by several centimeters and try this position.

Repeat this adjustment and try each new position until you find the most comfortable fit. Ensure the backrest supports the curve of your lower back and isn’t too low.

Forward/backward position: Adjust the position of the backrest until a comfortable pressure is exerted on the lower back area while seated in the usual working posture at the desk.

The backrest position shouldn’t feel as though it pushes you out of the seat, or that you have to lean back too far to reach it. There should be a two-finger clearance between the front of the chair and the back of the knee. Try a number of different positions until you achieve the best fit. A slight backward tilt is a preferred position as you reduce the force on the lower back. But, you might prefer to sit upright.

You can vary this angle to provide changes in posture from time to time.

Adjusting your armrests

Armrests aren’t usually recommended unless they’re:

• Short

• Fit under the desk

• Are adjustable

However, if your chair has armrests make sure that they don’t prevent you from getting as close to the desk as you require, or impinge on your elbows while you’re working. If this is the case, either remove them by unscrewing them, or replace them with a smaller or adjustable option.

Adjusting your desk

If you have a height-adjustable desk

Having first adjusted your chair to suit your body size, adjust the desk so the top surface is just below elbow height. To determine your elbow height, relax your shoulders and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees and check the elbow height against the desk height.

If you don’t have a height-adjustable desk

If the chair has been adjusted and the desk is higher or lower than the elbow, other forms of adjustment will be required. Start by measuring the height difference between the desk and your elbow.

If the desk is too high

Raise the chair by the measured difference and use a footrest. Set the footrest platform so that it is the same as the measured difference or lower the desk by cutting the legs down by the measured difference.

If the desk is too low

Raise the height of the desk by extending the leg length or sitting it on wooden blocks or something similar. Remember to ensure that any such changes are secure and stable.

Clearance under the desk

You shouldn’t store general items, like

• Computer hard disk drives

• Boxes of documents or files

• Rubbish bins and

• Mobile drawers

Under desks where they will decrease or interfere with the space required for the legs. This may force you to adopt a twisted or awkward posture of the spine.

Drawers

Place most commonly used items in the top desk drawer to improve access and reduce reaching and bending movements. Where drawers are fitted to the desk, arrange equipment such as the keyboard and computer screen on the desk so you can sit comfortably in the leg-well space.

General storage on the desk

In/out-trays

Place trays at the outer reach sector. In-trays shouldn’t be located above shoulder level.

Stationery

A variety of containers are available for mixed stationery items. These should also be stored at the outer reach sector or in the top desk drawer.

Reference books and folders

You should store large or heavy references such as telephone directories and manuals within close reach or in a nearby position where you need to stand to access them. Handling of these items shouldn’t be conducted at the limit of your reach capacity while sitting, as this can result in undue strain on the back, shoulder and arm muscles.

Keyboard angle

Tilt the keyboard using the feet at the back to suit your level of comfort. The common and preferred setting is where the feet are lowered so the keyboard sits flat on the desk. This assists in preventing awkward postures of the wrists.

Position on the desk

Place the keyboard as close to the front edge of the desk as is comfortable. Don’t place documents between the keyboard and the front edge of the desk while using the keyboard as this increases the reach distance to the keyboard and may result in excessive bending of the neck to look at the documents. Ensure that there is room to put the keyboard to one side when it is not in use.

Mouse

Place the mouse mat directly beside the end of the keyboard on your preferred side. Use the mouse in this position and always aim to keep the mouse on the mat during use.

If you frequently use the mouse in your work you may wish to:

• Learn to use it with both hands so that you can swap between the right and left sides for improved comfort

• Set the tracking speed of the mouse to a setting that suits you

• Maintain your mouse to keep it in good working order (for example, keeping it clean inside)

• Where possible, try and avoid holding on to the mouse when not in use

Computer screen

Position the screen once you’ve established the chair and desk heights.

Height

Position the screen so that the top of the screen is level with, or slightly lower than, your eyes when you are sitting upright. If the screen does not have a raising device such as a monitor stand, you may be able to use telephones books to raise the screen height on a temporary basis.

Distance from the eye

First place the screen so that it’s approximately an arm’s length away from your usual seated position. Try this position and if necessary move it further away or closer as required.

Positioning the screen

Place the screen so that it doesn’t face windows, catching reflections from the windows, or have a window directly behind it causing glare from the window.

Document holder

The position of the document holder depends on your need to view and reach the documents and the type of document holder you use. For continuous or frequent data entry where the source document is observed more than, or the same amount as, the screen:

Place the screen slightly to one side so that the document holder is directly in front of the user.

OR

Place the document holder in a similar position to the screen where it is slightly to one side and you look evenly between the two. An A-frame style book rest that sits on top of the desk is the most practical and can be set at different angles. It is usually best to place it so that it supports documents on an inclined angle between the keyboard and the screen.

A lever or swivel arm document holder suspends the document above the desk at eye level. Anchor it to the desk on either the left or right or the screen, according to your preference, and place it directly beside the screen.

Telephone

Place the telephone either within or at the limit of the optimum reach sector, depending on the amount of use. The placement should enable the user to operate the telephone without the need to move their trunk to grasp the handset or to operate the numeric and function buttons. When making a lot of calls, it may be best to place the telephone on the same side as the dominant hand so that this hand can comfortably operate the numeric and function buttons. When mostly receiving calls, it may be more comfortable to place it on the non-dominant side. Learn and utilise the functions of your phone, such as redial and the storage of commonly used phone numbers, to improve the efficiency of its use. Also, where the phone is used very often or for prolonged periods, a headset should be used.

Angled reading and writing surface

An angled board can improve neck comfort where a job involves a lot of reading and handwriting. It should be placed immediately in front of the user on top of the desk.

Stay safe