TRENDSPOTTING | by MOLLY MARTIN

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING still seems to be driving a lot of new equipment in the fitness world, and for good reasons:

• 

  SOURCE: VALSLIDE.COM

  Many folks find that integrating exercises that strengthen core abdominal and back muscles can help recovery from old injuries and prevention of new ones.

• Movements that mimic the constant fluctuation between stability and instability of everyday activities feel more natural than isolating muscle groups on complicated machines.
• Plus, they’re often simply more fun.

A few recent ones that caught my eye from FIBO 2010, the world’s largest health and fitness event, held this spring in Germany:

• TRX Suspension Training uses a portable system of straps and grips for “leveraged bodyweight exercise” — often with one or both arms or legs off the ground.
• The Val Slide uses simple foot-sized pads for sliding exercises to strengthen the core as well as the lower and upper body.
• The TOGU Jumper in effect downsizes the BOSU to expand the possibilities on the unstable surface.
• Ropes Gone Wild proves that double-dutch rope-turners were getting a pretty good workout along with the jumpers.

Often, though, I’d like to forego the equipment altogether. A few years ago, I longed to do capoeira. Now (if it weren’t for the fear of likely sprains, breaks and months inactivity), I dream of join up with the kids doing parkour.

WELLNESS | by CELESTE TELL

WHEN I WAS A KID, THE BIG THING was going to McDonald’s on vacation. It was a big treat from home cooking. And you could eat in the car!

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

Today, the last thing any of us want to do on vacation is keep moving faster. But as soon as you jump into that rental car, the kids are hungry and there you are pulling into the nearest fast-food outlet just to get the kids fed.

OK. Just a minute. Stop. Breathe. Slow down. Breathe again. Want to get out of that fast-food-on-vacation rut?

Plan ahead. Do a little up-front research. Pack enough snacks to get you and the kids far enough down the road to find a local restaurant. Or stock up on sandwiches from the local deli or natural-foods store.

Pack snacks for travel days. For those long days of connecting flights and rental-car lines, pack up individual packets of crackers, cheese, fruit, nuts and, yes, good-quality chocolate. Water bottles are essential, even if you have to buy them at the airport. Pack enough snacks to get you past the airport fast-food gauntlet.

Eat local. Once at your destination, steer clear of the chains and check out the local restaurant scene. It’s a great way to plug into the local culture, meet people and get beyond feeling like a tourist.

Eat in. While hotels have, at best, a mini-fridge, vacation rentals include houses, apartments, cottages and cabins with full kitchens. You can eat out or, better yet, cook and eat in. Hunt down local farmers’ markets and fish markets. Try new things you don’t have at home. Take a local cooking class.

Most important: Make eating well a fun, memorable and relaxing part of your trip.

Bon appetit!

PASSIONS | by JEAN GALTON

I DON’T THINK I HAD EVER PAID MUCH ATTENTION TO RADISHES before I went to cooking school. Of course I’d eaten them, the ones that were thinly sliced and then forgotten on the bottom of the salad bowl. But in a cooking lesson on crudités, we slathered crusty slices of bread with good butter and topped it with paper thin radish slices. And just before we ate them, we sprinkled the radishes with coarse sea salt. The combination was truly astounding, the combination of textures and flavors transforming. I never looked at a radish the same way again.

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

Radish Crostini
Makes 8 slices (serves 4)

2 (or more) tablespoons European-style butter
8 thin slices crusty French or Italian bread
2 radishes, thinly sliced
Coarse sea salt

Spread the butter on the bread slices, dividing evenly. Cover with the radishes (this can be done up to an hour ahead, just cover with a towel). Just before serving, sprinkle liberally with salt and serve.

BACK TO BASICS | by DEBRA PRINZING

THE INTERNET IS CROWDED WITH ALL SORTS OF ADVICE FOR RAISING CHICKENS in a small-scale environment, such as an urban backyard. You can watch a bevy of You Tube videos on DIY coop-building, selection of rare and exotic breeds, and the care and feeding of chicks.

SOURCE: MODERNCOOP.COM

But it wasn’t until several of my design-savvy friends became hen owners that I realized how cutting-edge chickens can be. No longer the domain of the alternative set, chicken ownership is indeed a mainstream phenomenon. Eat an omelet made with just-gathered eggs and you’ll be persuaded, too.

Chicken-coop design is an important consideration. My friend Kathy owns a fetching structure affectionately called the Palais de Poulet (yes, it has a turret and leaded-glass windows). Another gal pal, also named Kathy, decorated her coop with a colorful mosaic mural of handmade tiles. I’ve seen chickens take up residence in a converted children’s playhouse and live in a beautiful piece of miniature architecture — cupola included.

Then there are prefab coops. The explosion of prefabricated architecture doesn’t relate only to homes for humans. Here are some of the most interesting ready-to-go chicken abodes around:

Henspa: Egganic Industries, a mom-and-pop coop-maker in Virginia, sells a wide range of easy-to-assemble wood kits, including the “Henhut,” which for a little more than $300 can house a small backyard egg-production operation.

Eglu: Imported from the U.K. and now available to North American chicken owners, this futuristic hut is attached to a wire “chicken run” and can even be ordered with a pair of hens. Kits begin at $495.

Modern Coop: Shaped like a vintage trailer and made from reclaimed  boards, this witty coop houses chickens while adding retro style to your yard. $700 plus additional costs for accessories.

CONNECTIONS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

PEOPLE LINE UP TO GET THEIR “DOROTHY FIX” of wisdom and optimism. Catching my friend Dorothy Eaves, 96, in between her travels, I asked this California adventurer, great-grandmother, former school owner and Girl Scout leader to share how she keeps her sunny outlook.

Dorothy:  I take no credit for it. The good fairy gave me an optimistic disposition when I was born.

Sherry: Does knowing you’re optimistic help you face challenges?

D:  I think it’s important that I’m not afraid of change. Life is going to be different and you’re going to have to make choices. We all have things that you wring your hands and say, “Please, take this burden away, it’s more than I can cope with.” But you can cope and then somehow it goes away.

S:  You always say nice things about people. Is that a choice?

D:  I like people. I like people who are different. I want to know about them. If I see someone new, I introduce myself. If they don’t like me, well, I’ll go find somebody else.

S:  You read recently about five commonalities of people over 85 who live well. What are they?

D: They all drank coffee — I liked that one. None smoked. They were within some sort of normal weight but they could be pretty chubby, fortunately. They liked people and they belonged to a community. Wherever I’ve gone, I found community. It’s important not to be isolated.

S: Your Episcopalian church friends took you to a biker bar for your 95^th and 96^th birthdays. Could martinis be the secret?

D: Occasional martinis; coffee and wine every day. Obviously, that isn’t going to shorten my life.

S: Next big trip?

D: Mexico in October. There are many more adventures out there and I want to go.

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

JUNE IS GRADUATION MONTH. PERHAPS IT’S A LONG TIME SINCE you received a diploma from an academic institution, but life presents plenty of major learning opportunities.

June is a great time to consider and celebrate some other accomplishment: What have your learned or earned or survived in the past year?

Traditional graduations involve gathering friends and families who have been part of the process of sacrificing, birthing papers, gaining new skills and awarenesses, making connections, and persevering. These are the same kinds of actions demanded by the school of life. June gives us a seasonal call to reflect with those we love and share our continuing learning journey that is this life.

BACK TO BASICS | by DEBRA PRINZING

THIS TIME OF YEAR YOU CAN FIND POTS OF ALL SHAPES and sizes in any garden center. But for my money, turning something unexpected into a planter is the best way to add style and personality to your garden. Unless you’ve decided to use an item of antiquity, the costs can be minimal and the steps are easy:

SOURCE: DEBRA PRINZING

• Look in the garage, storage shed or basement. What’s lying around that you can’t bring yourself to throw away? I’ve converted all sorts of interesting items into planters. The slightly rusted little red wagon that my sons outgrew became a cool place for daffodils and other spring bulbs. The vintage but leaky galvanized metal watering can now has chocolate mint spilling from its opening. And succulents peek from the open flap of an upturned mailbox — one that I salvaged during a construction project.
• Assess your drainage needs. While standard-issue flower pots come with drainage holes, a piece of old pottery or industrial metal may not. A little ingenuity may be called for. In the case of ceramic items, a masonry bit will do the trick. Used with an electric drill, the bit’s sharp point can penetrate the base of an old piece of pottery to create holes. It will also work with concrete and cast stone. Depending upon the thickness of a metal item, you might be able to puncture the base by hammering holes using a large nail. Otherwise, look for a drill bit that can be used with metal surfaces.
• Plant to your heart’s content. Fill the converted vessel with organic potting soil and plant annuals, perennials, bulbs, herbs or succulents inside — just as if you were designing any garden container. Remember, you win bonus points for creativity! The most amusing repurposed item I’ve seen for holding plants is a pair of 1970s women’s pumps. Oh, la la!

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

MOST OF US TRY TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS with a variety of sledgehammers in our mental collection. Usually, the hammering has little success. There is another way.

Look around your life for what is already working. Do more of that. If you don’t see examples or seeds of something working in relation to that problem, ask yourself how you could get more. Notice that you’re already succeeding, and it feels good. As you continue to inquire about how to get more of what’s already working, you might just discover that you can put your mental sledgehammers in the basement, for good.

TRENDSPOTTING | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

EVERY YEAR AS JUNE APPROACHES, I go through the same fire drill of figuring out summer activities for my kids. The older they get (ages 8 and 10), the less inclined they are to do any old summer camp.

SOURCE: iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

If given a choice, they prefer camps that focus on their favorite hobbies (by and large, sports-related) but, given the hefty price tag that goes along with most camps, our family budget allows for only two camps per child. That adds up to a whopping total of two weeks. Add a couple of weeks for family vacation, and that still means I have eight weeks to cover in the 12-week-long summer.

This year, a group of four mom-friends and I have devised a plan that kills yet another week. Our daughters are all school classmates and friends. We moms have become friends because of them. And so we decided, why not join forces to keep them entertained?

We’ve created the Mom-Led Fun Week (I know, we need to work on a more clever name). Each mom will take a day of the week to lead some sort of activity with all the girls.

For example, my day will include hitting tennis balls with the girls, then bringing them back to my house for ice-cream sundaes and a dip in the hot tub. Laura is taking them to the beach near her house, and helping them bake cookies. Leslie is coordinating a day of crafting. (Greta joked hers would be a nature day — where she would have the girls help her do yard work!)

The kicker of our plan is to meet up at the end of each day and have a much-deserved Mommy Happy Hour.

The things we do for our kids.

CONNECTIONS | by MOLLY MARTIN

IS THERE ANY BENEFIT from all the time spent playing video games these days? Stress reduction? A sweat-free endorphin rush? The illusion of accomplishment?

What if it wasn’t an illusion? What if playing video games could help solve world hunger, poverty, climate change and global conflict?

Games developer and researcher Jane McGonigal argued just that at this year’s TED Conference. Rather than fueling guilt for the 3 billion hours a week people play online games (not to mention the offline ones!), McGonigal said we should aim to increase that to 21 billion, expanding the skills learned in such games so we can apply them to the real world’s big problems.

Playing online games makes us good at four things, McGonigal said:

• Maintaining a feeling of urgent optimism: We’re game to tackle an obstacle because we believe there’s a reasonable chance of success.
• Weaving tight social relationships: We like and trust folks more when we play games with them.
• Feeling blissful in productivity: We’re happier when we work hard (even in the virtual world) and get things done.
• Aiming for epic meaning: We believe we can change the world because we have super powers and take on awe-inspiring missions.

McGonigal has created three games so far as examples:

• World Without Oil simulated the first 32 weeks of a global oil crisis.
• SuperStruct invited players to chronicle the world in the year 2019, and imagine how to solve the problems we’ll face.
• Evoke, launched this spring, is a social-network game that aims to empower young people all over the world, especially in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems.

I’m not quite sure how the Bejeweled game on my iPhone fits in there, but I’m hoping for the best.