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

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  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.

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.

GLAMPING: BE IT CANVAS TENT, YURT, AIRSTREAM, rent-a-can or luxe-guided-expedition, “glorious camping” holds a definite allure for not-so-rustic women who want just a little sip of nature.

SOURCE: WILDRETREAT.COM

The travel and outdoor industry recognizes, thank goodness, that not every woman’s ready to embrace her inner Grizzly Adams. Sound familiar? Then check out some of these ways to make the outdoors a lot more fun and just a little more bearable:

• State and national parks often offer overnight digs that are rustic enough to satisfy camping-enthusiast-kiddos while pacifying the kind of mom who likes a door, a floor, a bed, some heat, a light.  Visit your state’s parks website to search for overnight accommodations and book now for popular summer months, as these affordable spots go fast.
• Skip the tent and do some Googling for other options in the region you’re looking to explore: the Vegas Strip via Airstream, perhaps, or California’s wine country in a retro Teardrop trailer, a yurt in Cape Cod or a tipi in New Hampshire.
• Champagne camping on a champagne budget. A gourmet sojourn in Montana is a luxury option for those foodie types while fly fisherwomen will swoon at Tofino, B.C.’s Clayoquot Wilderness Resort.

BOTH NEW-HOME CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-DESIGNED residential properties have certainly taken a serious body blow since mid-2007. Add in the foreclosure rate, and the fact is that many homeowner dreams have been reduced to rubble. However, there is one area of the building sector that has seen exponential growth — the model-home industry.

SOURCE: PLANTOYS.COM

No, we don’t mean those staged homes where real-estate agents hope that by creating a desirable though imaginary environment, a buyer can envision herself living a certain kind of life that captures a dream and inspires purchase. We’re talking about another type of imaginary environment that is built by the owner, modified upon whim and very reasonable in cost per square foot — or should we say square inch?

There are the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection Lego sets that take a playful approach to the master’s work, with renditions of both Fallingwater and The Guggenheim Museum. Lego even has building block kits for the Taj Mahal. While Lego may feel a bit more male-centric, there are dollhouse versions, too. The Emerson House is a mid-century modern with 2 frpls, 2 bdrms, solar panels and sliding glass doors. The Guiette House is made of basswood and can be painted or stained whatever colors you wish. With PlanToys you can choose to either build green or fashion a not-so-big traditional home perfect for the first-time homeowner.

You can buy ‘em for the kids, but why not allow yourself a chance to build upon a dream and discover the inner architect longing to break free? The mortgage rates are pretty good, too.

LIKE AN URBAN FLORIST who relies on one type and color of flower grouped en masse, keep it simple when friends stop by and showcase one fabulous ingredient on a plate, platter or in a bowl. In addition to creating a gorgeously simple tableau, you’re also revering the ingredient and celebrating its unique flavor and beauty.

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Some Sophisticated Plates to consider for nibbling:

• Shave fresh curls of parmesan (bring the cheese close to room temperature to make it easy) and put them on a pretty white plate or pedestal for noshing. This is pretty, ethereal, salty and light.
• Spring’s first produce offers a bounty of gorgeously delicious options.  Those first tiny red radishes offer a striking look along with a peppery, bold punch. Pair with two tiny bowls: one with sea salt and one with soft butter, for dipping.
• Artisanal breadsticks or flatbread crackers are so delicious. Fold into parchment on a buffet or serve upright in simple glassware. Crunch.

GREEN WALLS ARE THE HOT, NEW, must-have landscape design element. The Europeans were the first to figure out how to engineer large-scale planted walls, inspiring some innovative American designers to follow with their own twists.

SOURCE: FLORAGRUBB.COM

Traditionally, the idea of vertical plantings involved arbors, trellises and fences—structures across which vines clambered. Then there was an explosion of “green” planted roofs, an eco-savvy alternative to heat-reflective, composite roofing, shingles or tiles.

But engineering a roof is a challenge for the average homeowner. So it’s only natural that we’re seeing the planted wall as the next installment of “plants-as-architecture”—a trend that seems much more achievable than a planted roof.

Green Wall resources

• Custom walls, including site-specific creations, range from tapestry-like vertical plantings of winter-hardy sedums and succulents by Seattle-based Carina Langstraat and Erik Wood to avant-garde textural compositions of air plants or succulents by San Francisco-based Flora Grubb to an edible wall designed by Anne Phillips of Go Green Gardeners in Los Angeles.

• The Woolly Pocket is a do-it-yourself wall-planting system created by L.A.-based sculptor and designer Miguel Nelson. He created a soft-sided envelope that makes it possible to have a lush wall of vegetation without having to hire a structural engineer. Made in the U.S. from breathable fabric that was once plastic bottles, the 15-by-24-inch pockets are lined with built-in moisture protection. Fill one with a little potting soil, plant with lush greenery and allow the vines or foliage to spill over the top edge. Combine multiple pockets to create a living wall.

Think about it: If you’re sick of watching your neighbor as he/she washes the dishes just beyond your kitchen sink, maybe a living wall is the solution.

MY HUSBAND AND I STARTED LIVING ON THE FLOOR more than 25 years ago, when the small, squishy bed where we were house-sitting prompted us to try the thick Chinese rug alongside it ― and we quickly realized the rug was way more comfortable (and roomy) than the bed.

CELL OCCASIONAL TABLES BY SpHAUS

So when the house-sitting gig ended, we moved into a studio apartment, eschewed the Murphy bed and settled in with a comforter atop the carpet. Then we figured out that a 36-inch fiberboard round fit nicely atop our mini-trampoline; topped off with a standard 52-inch square tablecloth, it’s still our dining table.

For seating we tend to go with the basics, mainly the canvas-covered metal frame BackJack chair that I saw marketed first as a “TV chair”, then “video-game chair”, “meditation chair” and now as a “go-anywhere chair”.

Though the grandchildren like to tease us about having no furniture, they don’t yet know that if you do anything long enough, you’re likely to be trendy for a few minutes at least. So sure enough, “living on the floor” has been rebranded of late as “low-profile furnishings”, and upscale tables, for example, for floor-huggers are popping up from Italy to Australia.

You can almost hear them rolling their eyes in Japan, where centuries of floor living has resulted in a plethora of zaisu floor chairs, from practical to stylish. Solid wooden folding zaisu can even be a bit formal. But I’m partial to the bentwood zaisu, perhaps atop a tatami mat.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOUR TWEEN HAS LEARNED the art of good manners — whether it’s keeping elbows off the dinner table or courteously addressing adults — there comes yet another form of etiquette that needs to be conquered.

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Call it Textiquette: the art of texting without being rude to those around you.

Since recently becoming a 3-out-of– person texting family (Santa surprised our 10-year-old daughter with a cell phone!), we now communicate via texting more than ever before.

At this age, our daughter has only a few contacts, and most are family members. So while we don’t yet worry about whom she is communicating with, we already see how texting could become a distraction.

Textiquette is like any other learned behavior, so we figure it’s best to establish rules from the beginning so we don’t have to change habits later.

There are a handful of no-brainer basic rules that every tween, teen and even adults should follow:

• Never text while driving (or doing any activity that requires your full attention, like riding a bike or skateboarding).
• Never text where it’s not allowed — in class, in church or synagogue, or in other obvious public settings.
• And never, ever text inappropriate pictures or messages.

In teaching our daughter when it is — and when it’s not — appropriate to text, we’ve realized that many adults (ourselves, included) could stand to brush up on their Textiquette. Consider:

Keep text messages short and to the point. If it lasts longer than a few minutes, use your phone for a real conversation.

Don’t text another person when you are in the company of someone else. It’s just rude.  If you must take the text, politely excuse yourself from the room.

Don’t use texting as a forum to gossip or say mean things about other people. Tweens should understand how texting can impact others — and how they are ultimately responsible for what they text.

I’VE GIVEN UP ON FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS, for the most part. Quickly abandoned the carob-for-chocolate movement ― not much fun for me there. After original Fresca, never really hopped on board the artificial-sweeteners train ― don’t trust ’em. Eventually realized through the low-fat and low-carb trends that I feel better when I eat a variety of real foods. Get more satisfaction from indulging in, say, some great chocolate.

SOURCE: TRUVIA.COM

But two sweeteners have gotten my attention recently, because both come from natural sources and also might have less of an effect on blood sugar. With my family history of Type 2 diabetes, I try to pay attention.

The first is agave syrup, derived from a succulent native to Mexico. It’s sweeter than honey, and although its calorie and carb counts aren’t far from sugar’s, for some reason it doesn’t seem to make blood sugar spike. Manufacturers, naturally, offer sugar-to-agave conversion charts and recipes.

The second, and I think more promising, is stevia. Also known as sweet leaf, the plant native to Central and South America has a long and sometimes controversial history , in part because it was not until December 2008 that the Food and Drug Administration granted two stevia-based products, Truvia and PureVia, the prized “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) status for use in foods.

Stevia’s big selling points? Much lower in carbs and calories than other natural sweeteners, and little apparent impact on blood sugar. Drawbacks? Slight licorice aftertaste (to me, a worthwhile tradeoff in flavored waters), and adapting it to recipes.

Since one of Truvia’s developers is The Coca-Cola Company, and one of PureVia’s is PepsiCo, you can imagine that I’m not the only one who sees some promise here.

WHEN I TELL FRIENDS ABOUT THE NEW EXERCISES THAT HAVE HELPED MY BACK and I mention the word “core”, most nod knowingly ― until I mention the transverse abdominus and multifidus.

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The new core exercises are much more subtle than pulling your belly button towards your spine. After learning them in physical therapy, I understood them better after observing a workshop for PTs, based on research by some Australian PTs.

The theory: Three key muscles can form a stabilizing cylinder around the spine to protect the back:

• the transverse abdominus or TA, short and cord-like, just inside the hip bone;
• the multifidus, small connectors of the spinal vertebrae;
• the muscles of the pelvic floor.

The research showed that people without back problems contracted those muscles 4/100^th of a second before they moved. Folks who had back problems contracted them when they moved.

So back patients re-learn to contract these muscles before moving and then do other specific exercises, many balancing one way or another.

Most women are familiar with engaging the pelvic-floor muscles via Kegel exercises.  It’s trickier for men: At the PT-training session, some of the therapists said the most effective phrase they found to help men learn this one was, “Scrotal lift”!

The other exercises are difficult to describe (not to mention teach) with words alone. The PTs in the workshop at first had difficulties getting the knack. (“If you’re sure you’re doing it, you’re probably not, you’re contracting too much and engaging larger muscles instead.”)

What to do if you’re interested? Ask a prospective physical therapist if she or he teaches how to engage your TA and multifidus, and refer to the book link above if needed.

I hope you find as much relief from them as I have!