Trying Something New...

There is this teenage girl in our neighborhood who rides skateboards. She has long blond hair that blows in the wind behind her as she rides down my street wearing shorts and sneakers.

I want to be her.

I don't want her hair or her youth (who would want to be a teenager again! Ugh!), but I do want to glide ever so smoothly, weaving back and forth down the streets of my neighborhood.

And so I've decided that one of the things I want to try this year is skateboarding. I want to be a skater chick. Minus the grunge, of course. You know my style--I can't pull off grunge.

In my opinion, the best part about trying something new is that it pushes me out of my comfort zone in a relatively harmless way. Because let's face it--we get pushed out of our comfort zones a lot for all sorts of things that are usually unpleasant. Like an unexpected layoff. Or a new baby. Or a sudden illness.


My theory is that trying new things on purpose--like skateboarding and knitting and learning the butterfly stroke (I still can't get my legs and arms to work together!)--gives us practice handling the unexpected, and overcoming steep learning curves. When I'm whizzing down the street on a skateboard with my husband running after me yelling "Bail! Bail!," I'm building character.

And wearing a helmet.


To put it simply, trying new things keeps us from getting too comfortable doing the same-old, same-old. We learn flexibility, which is a crucial skill for living life.

And of course we might pick up a few new hobbies in the process. And some scraped knees.

What would you like to try this year? Share your comment below!

Glossary of skateboard items, all from handmade sellers on Etsy.com:
1. early fall skateboard deck by amy ruppel
2. skateboarder 1 by stephen edward graphic
3. skate notecard set by little korboose
4. crawl walk skateboard onesie by kool kidz
5. recycled skateboard bangle by all deck'd out

Summer Slimmers

I am going to be in a wedding at the end of the summer, so I decided that it was high time for me to get back into the routine of working out (I took a wee bit of a break this summer....).  I turned to my most favorite place to find good workouts: Exercise TV.  

I discovered Exercise TV earlier this year as part of my television on-demand cable package, and was instantly hooked.  Since I can't afford a gym membership (and we were already paying for the cable), this has been a great alternative.  The workouts are quick and usually involve a combination of strength training and cardio.  No leaving the house.  No classes to catch.  It's great!

Fortunately, in addition to being on cable, you can also find these workouts online, and download them to your phone, ipod, or computer for pocket change.  Check out my new summer favorite, the Summer Slimmers two week program.  

This post is part of August's Summer Squeeze series.

Don't forget to check out my other blog on current events, Cigars in the Parlour.  Today's topic: China.

Wellness

As the daughter of a nurse, and a native Coloradoan, I grew up with the concept of wellness long before it became a popular philosophy.  Not that I always adhere to the lifestyle....but I have learned to value it.  So when I read an article last week about companies launching wellness programs for their employees as a way to keep health care costs down, I agreed that it is a good trend.

So what does wellness, and company health care, have to do with being a modern housewife?  Well, if there is anything I have learned about wellness, it is that it takes time.  Shopping and preparing healthy food, getting exercise, resting, enjoying nature, cultivating spirituality--all of these things take time.  And when practicing them all together, they can take a lot of time.  

This is when working full-time in the workforce can present obstacles to wellness.  The last thing I felt like doing after coming home from the office after a long day was exercise and cook a nutritious dinner.  I might have conjured up the motivation for one, but rarely both.  Being at home, though, provides more time for wellness, and it rubs off, too.  I cook healthier fare more often, which both myself and my husband benefit from.  We take more walks together (even the dogs have lost weight), and I spend a great deal more time outside.  

This is not to say that you can't be well when you are working.  If you work for one of the companies that has launched a wellness program, you might be in great shape.  All I am saying is that staying at home can offer the same benefits that a work wellness program can offer.  You can also take advantage of the same financial benefit that these companies are trying to capitalize on.  A household with healthy people saves a lot of money over one that has unhealthy people.  Have you purchased a bottle of cough syrup lately?  How about Prilosec or Ambien?  These drugs are expensive, and can really add up!  Having more time to cultivate wellness at home will decrease your need for them, thus saving you green.  

To conclude, being a housewife is not traditionally seen as a path toward wellness, but I argue that it really can be.  Since I left the corporate 9-5, I really do exercise more, eat better, garden, sleep well, pray more, and save money.    I'm doing...well.

To link to article on corporate wellness programs, click here.