Days Off, June

After a busy month of unpacking and organizing, I decided to take a day off for myself and do some other things I enjoy (besides playing with food). And it also usually involves playing with food. ;) First stop,Nekter Juice Bar for a tasty smoothie bowl!

I started my day off with some time on the slackline. If you haven't seen or tried slacklining before, you are definitely in the majority! It is a common thing to see in climbing areas and gyms, sometimes even amongst yogis, and practiced for developing balance and core strength. This is basically a much better version of a tightrope, and yes, you walk across it! Well, that is the goal anyway. ;) I love to spend time just practicing balance or doing yoga on the slackline, and often find that I'm using muscles I don't otherwise use to steady myself. You can learn to walk across it forwards or backwards, and some people can do handstands and other tricks -- I'm not quite there yet! It's a great tool for developing core strength (which can help improve posture and breathing, by the way.) Typically a day off also means hitting the gym....no no...the climbing gym.

Climbing has been a hobby of mine for nearly ten years now. Although I do (now, finally!) have access to outdoor climbing areas, I am a self-professed gym rat most of the time. I think one of the best tricks to staying healthy is finding an activity that you truly enjoy. Do something fun, whatever it is! Within reason! Climbing doesn't feel forced to me, ratherit is something that I look forward to. Biking, yoga, snowboarding...all FUN activities and all great workouts! There is no rule that says your time spent exercising must be miserable and painful, so don't settle for less than a good time.
As you can imagine, rock climbing does tear up my hands quite a bit, and dipping them in chalk certainly doesn't help with dryness. I have to work extra hard to keep my hands moisturized and maintained, so I worked extra hard to make products that work extra hard! After a stop at Sweetie Pies down the street for a red velvet whoopie (woops) pie, a good soak in Butter Bath Salts followed by some Mango Body Butter helps get my hands ready for the work day tomorrow.