Weatherman by WillisI first heard Willis during a performance at Circus Juventas at St. Paul. This song, Weatherman, is from the album Uncle Treacle. Willis is a combination of Lady Gaga's amazing voice with a vaudeville flair. she is well known for her costumers and theatrical makeup. Weatherman by Daphne WillisYes, there is a song entitled "Weatherman" by two artists who have Willis as part of their name. Here is a live version of Weatherman by Daphne Willis. Her vocal range demonstrated in this song is impressive, and she performs music in multiple styles including country, blues and electronica. Weatherman by Dead Sara...and now for somethign completely different (and much harder). Dead Sara's is fronted by Emily Armstrong and Siouxsie Medley. The band describes themselves as "an electrifying four-piece rock band whose supercharged music is propelled by Medley’s exhilarating, monster guitar riffs and Armstrong’s powerful, wailing vocals." Learn More Since it's raining in at least 2/3 of these songs, this seems like the right image.
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My Relationship with CrossoversI started roller derby earlier this year. When I went to my first practice, I could stand up on skates, and that was about it. Now, a few months in, I can start, stop and do several basic skills. I decided that, in the off season, I would figure out how to do crossovers—which I managed to do (even a couple of months ahead of schedule.) I certainly do not have the best crossover ever, but I can say that I can actually do a crossover, and now I’m fine tuning as I start to think more seriously about 27/5 (and the million other skills I'll need to master before that can happen).  This was obviously taken at a roller skating rink because, carpet. Regular Practice at a Roller Skating RinkIn order to do crossovers, I went to the roller skating rink 1-2 times a week and skated for about 1.5-2 hours each time. I know that in order to master this skill, I needed to skate, try a few things, adjust, and keep skating and trying it. Here is what worked for me as I worked from not being to stand on one foot to being able to do a real live crossover that is ready to be further coached and perfected.  Get thee to a roller rink! 1. Practice standing on one foot.I know the first time I went to a roller derby class, during our initial skills assessment, they asked us to skate on one foot, and I couldn't do it. Those were not muscles that my desk office worker body had occasion to use. I started by just spending 30 seconds per day standing on each foot. Over time, I would stand in more of a derby stance and shift my weight to one foot (like I need to do when skating) and stand on one foot that way. Build those muscles that you’ll need to use. 2. Wear knee pads at the roller rink. Always.I find that if I don’t wear at least knee pads, I’ll either not try anything as much as I should or I’ll fall down and it’ll really hurt. Whether you wear real roller derby knee pads or sneaky little under your pants low profile knee pads, wear something to literally cushion the blow. Remember, you will for sure fall down—probably a lot—while learning how to do this, and without knee pads you will be banged up and it will be unpleasant. Your knees will thank you—as will your future better-able-to-walk self. 3. Practice skating on one foot.If you can't get your weight on your left leg while skating, you don't be able to pick up your right foot and cross it over. Let me say that again because it’s so important: you can’t pick up your foot if you have your weight on it. (That sounds obvious until you start to skate and then, like an idiot, try to pick up the foot that you have your weight on, fail, fall, then wonder, “why didn’t that work?”) When you go to the roller rink, practice skating on only one foot while you count to 5, then switch feet. This starts to train your body on weight transfer and builds up your muscle memory on how to do the start of a crossover. 4. Work up to skating on just your left foot on the corners.When you get to the corners at a skating rink, skate just on your left foot and lift up or push with your right foot. Keep doing this until you can hardly stop yourself from lifting up your foot and putting it over. 5. Watch the other skaters.When you go to the roller skating rink and you’re skating around, look at the other people skating. Take note of the people who seem to do crossovers without even thinking about it. Watch their feet, and how they shift their weight, and lean into the middle. During this process, do your best not to hate the people who can just "no big deal" do crossovers. 6. Lean into the middle.It will feel like you are leaning in a cartoonish manner, but do it. the lean, and being on your left foot, makes it possible for you to get your right foot over. 7. Try to do crossovers standing up instead of in derby stance.Remember those people at the roller rink? Try to mimic their actions and do a “ no big deal” crossover instead of a heavy duty roller derby crossover. Once you understand the basic foot over foot action, you can work your way up to being more powerful. 8. Do "baby crossovers."Do the "foot over foot" part of the move, then just keep going. You'll get next to no power (which comes from the crossunder work that you left foot is supposed to do), but that's not the point. The point is to get your right foot up and over your left foot and set it down again. SCORE! This part is the super scary bit. Now skate around and do that a whole bunch. This is huge, amazing progress. 9. Do 2 "baby crossovers" in a row.They will not be pretty, or particularly good, but you will have crossed over. Twice. DOUBLE SCORE! You're really doing these! 10. Practice. Then practice more. Then practice even more.For 10 minutes (or more) at a time, skate, and each time you get to a place where you have to turn, do 1-2 crossovers. The more you do them, the easier the motion will become. Over time, they will suck less, and then they will be almost tolerable, and then you will start to feel like you get the basic motion, but like they could get better. The more you do them, the easier they will become, and the better they will get.  Maybe, some fine day, you'll be doing big time roller derby crossovers! From Baby Crossover to Big Time CrossoverAt first, you'll have to think really hard each time you get ready to to one. Over time, you'll think less and do more. The more you practice, the more automatic they will be come. You'll start to look like your role models at the rink who do them without thinking! Over time, you'll get into derby stance and start to try them that way. One day, you will magically cross under and go "holy crap! That's what that's supposed to feel like!" What Do You Think?What advice helped you learn to do crossovers? What was your "ah-hah" moment? Share in the comments. Learn MoreBuying a house is one of the largest financial decisions that most of us will ever make. I have bought two houses in my life. The first, I made many, many mistakes that I’ll share here for your amusement and general edification. The second, after having more experience in adulting and all things personal finance, I did in a much more planful and intentional way. Through these two very different experiences, here are my top three tips for buying a:
A Note on the Use of Information in this ArticleHere is my disclaimer regarding the content in this article. (We all know there has to be one of these just to set the record straight.) The ideas included are for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as financial advice. Concepts covered here are overly simplified examples of basic finance related information. Please consult a qualified financial professional to learn additional details about each financial concept and to help you figure out what is right for you.  Buying a house is a project. A List of Don'ts: My Life as a Clueless First Time Home BuyerThe first time I bought a house, I did things in a way that hurts my current, better financially educated self. At the time, my then husband and I, were recently married and realized that more adultier adults bought houses. Here are the highlights of the poor decisions we made during this process: Bad Decisions:
Worse Decisions:
Downright Awful Decisions:
 Buying a house the right way. A List of Dos: My Life as a Much Smarter Home BuyerYears later, after having worked in the financial services industry for a bit, my soon-to-be fancy new husband and I decided to consider buying a place together. This time around, being 10 years older and a ton smarter, we had a more methodical process. We talked about how we wanted to live our lives and bought a house that would support those wants and needs. We also worked with a realtor, who helped us through the details of being a smart homebuyer. Finally, we had a greater understanding of the financial aspects and what we were getting ourselves into. Tip 1: Assessing Housing Wants and NeedsBefore looking at houses, we talked about what we each wanted, and what was important to us collectively. We took our lifestyle into consideration and turned those abstractions into our list of must haves and nice to haves. Our list of requirements included the following: Housing: Must Haves
Housing: Nice to Haves
Once we assessed our needs, we knew what we were looking for. We could also then assess if we were in a financial position to purchase a house that met our needs, or if we needed to wait longer. Tip 2: Working with a Buyer's RealtorWhen buying a house, there is no earthly good reason not to work with a realtor. Realtors get paid a percentage of the cost of the house being bought, which is paid by the seller. In short, it costs you no more money to work with a realtor than to work by yourself. Realtors will also help you save time, money and frustration because this is what they do for a living. They will help you find possible houses that meet your needs. They arrange house showings so you can privately view a given house. They may also know about houses that are going on the market before they are listed to give you a head start on other potential buyers. They also typically have relationships with people who do financing and home repairs, so they can help with recommendations throughout the whole process. They can walk you through the paperwork from start to finish. Typical realtors represent people who are buying and selling houses. We worked with one who only helps people buy houses—a buyer’s realtor. Part of the reason why we chose a buyer’s realtor is that their only job was to help us buy a house, not to also sell other people’s houses. This means that they do not have a possible conflict of interest (unlike realtors who both buy and sell houses) since there would be no temptation to try to sell us a house that they had listed.  Figuring out home financing. Tip 3: Learn About the Financial ImplicationsSome people, mostly homeowners, tout the financial benefits of owning a home—and believe me, there are many. However, buying a home is also a multi-pronged financial commitment that goes beyond the desire to stop "throwing money away" on rent. Here are a few financial factors to consider when considering buying a house. Figure Out How Much House You Can AffordThere are several calculators available online to help you figure out how much house you might be able to afford. If you look at guidelines for how much of your income should be spend on any given thing, typically they recommend spending 25-35% of your income on housing. Personally, I think a lot of calculators suggest an amount that is higher than it makes sense to spend. (A calculator I ran recently suggested that I could afford to spend more than twice what I currently spend on my house—which is not something I would ever do on purpose). One more conservative recommendation is that you plan to spend 25% of your net income. (As a reminder, your gross income is the amount that your employer says they pay you, and your net income is the amount of money that actually shows up in your paycheck on payday). In the end, you need to figure out what makes sense for you. Housing Costs: More Than a MortgageFinancing Your Home Purchase It’s not just the purchase price of your house, but how that translates into monthly payments for you. Most people obtain a loan to buy a home, which is called a mortgage. The amount you pay on a monthly basis depends on the interest rate, the term (how long you plan to pay it back) and the amount that you borrow. There are several loan options, but here are two common ones:
House Buying Expenses
Ongoing Housing Costs
So Now What?After you have a big long cry after realizing there is more to this than you thought there might be, realize that looking at houses is a part of adulting. Get thee a good buyers realtor, who has been through this a bunch of times, and then can help talk you through what you need to do. The more you know about the processes, the better off you’ll be. What Do You Think?What advice do you have for people considering buying a home? What missteps did you make that you’d like to help others avoid? Learn MoreMy Lazy ThyroidLike many women, I found out that I had thyroid issue, specifically hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, when I was having a hard time losing weight. At that time, in spite of a more-healthy-than-not diet and increased exercise, I was tired and the scale wasn’t moving. It took me a couple of years to get from feeling generally awful, to feeling more like myself again. Here’s a once over on hypothyroidism, causes and basic treatment options. Hypothyroidism DefinedIn my mom’s day, people whispered about their plump aunt who couldn’t help being overweight because she had a “glandular problem.” Now, we call that hypothyroidism. In short, the thyroid (a butterfly-shaped gland around the throat) isn’t doing its job of creating sufficient thyroid hormone to keep the body running smoothly. Thyroid hormone impacts most of the body’s systems, including metabolic rate. Ergo, the aforementioned heavy aunt had a body that was out of whack and made it difficult (or nigh impossible) for her to burn off those nagging extra pounds.  Commonality and Causes of HypothyroidismAccording to the American Thyroid Association, in the United States, as many as 20 million people have a thyroid related disease, and of those 60% may have no clue there is an issue. As an extra added bonus, women are way more likely to develop a thyroid condition (like 5 to 8 times more likely) and 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid disease at some point in their lives. Thyroid conditions can include hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), hypothyroidism (an under active thyroid gland) or thyroid cancer. Yay womanhood! As for causes, no one really knows for sure. (That’s not particularly comforting.) Like with most illnesses, stress is certainly a factor, as is genetics—and being a woman makes it more likely, too. Some will say that toxins in our environment—including our personal care products and cleaning supplies--put us at higher risk. Increased gluten in our food isn’t doing us any favors either. How Hypothyroidism FeelsThe quick answer is--not good. For me, I was just generally tired and run down. (Which, unfortunately, can just be caused by adulthood and the pressures of raising a family, going to work and trying to carve out time to do something for yourself that doesn’t involve the other two.) In addition to having issues losing weight, I started gaining more weight around the middle. Since I was in my early 40s, I originally assumed that my symptoms were menopause related. To my surprise, as I researched, I discovered that there are 300+ possibly symptoms of hypothyroidism including hot flashes, excessive sweating, having issues concentrating and trouble sleeping. I also realized that depression, like the days when it was all I could do to force myself to complete routine tasks, were hypothyroidism related. On the weirder end, excessive crying (which made work an absolute joy for my poor, mostly male coworkers), sensitivity to light, being easily startled and having a hard time breathing deeply, were all due to my under active thyroid. Again, yay womanhood! The Trick That Is Diagnosing HypothyroidismGetting diagnosed with hypothyroidism is often difficult. For one, many doctors are resistant to testing for it—partly due to what seems to be a general bias against women saying that they don’t feel well and writing that off as invalid. Having a family history of hypothyroidism (which I have, but didn’t realize I had until after I was diagnosed) can help persuade doctors to run tests. Fortunately, I have a supportive doctor who was willing to give me a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test during more than one annual physical exam. In the end, it was nice to at have a for-real diagnosis and the validation that something was actually medically wrong. I was happy to have a specific problem to solve. Treatment: MedicationAs for treatment, prescription medication replacing your missing thyroid is diagnosed, and is a must to get your body working properly. For most people, taking medication for the rest of your life is the treatment plan. The current go-to drug is Levothyroxine (often as the name brand, Synthroid), which is a synthetic hormone. Another treatment option, which was standard prior to synthetic thyroid, is natural desiccated thyroid (often as name brand Armor Thyroid or Nature-Throid). Natural desiccated thyroid is derived from pigs, and has shown to have more favorable results for many women. On an ongoing basis, the TSH test, and additional tests, are completed on a regular basis to make sure that levels are in line with the reference levels.  Hashimoto's ThyroiditisIn some underdeveloped nations, hypothyroidism may be caused by an iodine deficiency. In the United States, given our sodium laden diet, most people who exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism actually have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system decides that your thyroid is the enemy and must be destroyed. Hashimoto's is the underlying cause of hypothyroidism. Advocating for Your Own HealthA family friend of mine battled cancer successfully for several years--much longer that her health care providers through possible. From her struggles, I learned the importance of being my own health care advocate. While I'm sure my doctors care about my health, I am also certain that I care about my own well-being more than anyone else can. Fortunately, my pre-disposition to researching and learning helped me to seek out a specialist, change medications and take additional steps to make my life better above and beyond just the medication. What Do You Think?Have you been diagnosed with hypothyroidism? What was your experience like? Share your thoughts, opinions and experiences in the comments section below. Learn MoreI remember in college, watching Nirvana perform Smells Like Teen Spirit on MTV. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I also remember them publishing a version of the video clarifying what the sometimes mumbled words were, and then seeing the video again interspersed with a grieving Courtney Love lamenting Kurt Cobain's untimely death. Fast forward many, many years. My daughter's junior high school band covered this song at a recent concert, which inspired me to find new, different covers of this now retro song. Smells Like Teen Spirit: It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That SwingThis version features a starlet Robyn Adele Anderson covering the song with a 1940's swing style. Smells Like Teen Spirit: Full Orchestra and ChoirMore instruments! More vocals! Even more smelling like Teen Spirit! Smells Like Teen Spirit: A Capella...and now for something completely different. This time, no instruments at all are needed. Instead, it's four guys, Maybebop, with microphones in a hallway doing amazing things with only their voices. Learn More Nirvana! Going to work expecting to finish up a report and lead a meeting and having your workday end abruptly at 10:00 AM walking to your car with a box containing all of your workly positions, is jarring. What's even more jarring is the realization that now--SURPRISE--you have to find a new job so that you can continue your extravagant lifestyle of living indoors and eating on a regular basis. For the whole of my professional career, I have worked in the field of corporate education in positions like software trainer, training specialist, sales training manager and instructional designer. Like many of my colleagues, I've also been laid off three times in my 20+ year career. (I know people who have me beat by at least a couple of times.) While fixating on the fear of losing your job is a horrible way to exist, there are a few things that you can do now--while you're happily, gainfully employed--that can help lessen the blow if you do happen to find yourself suddenly in need of a new position. Build Your Professional NetworkIf you read any articles about effective ways to find a new position, leveraging your professional network is a key piece of advice. It's also harder to start networking when you have your proverbial hat in your hand and need something. It's better to start building your professional network before you need something. Your network is also much more than a job search resource. LinkedIn is a great tool to help you build and connect with your professional network. At my current job, I connect with people on LinkedIn after we have met in person and even had a chance to work together. This way, the people in my LinkedIn network are not just a collection of random people I have as connections, but people who I actually know in a work context. I connect with people from my company, previous coworkers, friends from college, people I meet at professional development meetings and people who work as vendors with my current company. I also foster a give and take of information with my network. I promote awards that my current company receives, share video content I've made and share resources that might benefit others. I also learn a lot from other people's postings, whether it's a useful article that a colleague wrote, an event that I may want to attend or industry news that might impact what educational content I might want to create next.  Connect with people and build your professional network before you need it. Update Your Resume In Real TimeMy most recent layoff (which was 3+ years ago) happened after I had worked at the organization for 8 years. When my position was eliminated due to corporate restructuring, putting my resume together again was a challenge since I had years of diverse work experience to document. At that time, I knew details about recent projects, but it was harder for me to piece together all that I had done, and salient details that would help me get hired elsewhere. Fortunately, and in rather unusual fashion, I was given a couple of months of notice that my job would be ending. That gave me the time to review my calendar, and files, to put together detailed descriptions of what I had done. This helped me put together a master resume. This isn't the final resume that you use to apply for a position. This is the big huge ridiculous document that contains everything you've done ever. From here, you pick and choose details that you'll include in your for real applying-for-a-job resume. In general, I've become more proactive about recording what I do. In my time with my current company, I've had multiple job titles, managers and responsibilities. While these projects are fresh in my mind, I write down specifics on what I did, who I worked with, outcomes and tangible results. This helps me not only for a someday job search, but it also helps me position myself for additional projects, with professional organizations and as my company grows and evolves. Keeping a detailed list of projects, responsibilities and skills you were able to use will make resume writing much easier when the time comes.  Update your resume--especially the "more stuff that makes me qualified" category. Learn New SkillsOnce upon a time, I was planning on being a high school English teacher. While my current career path focuses on education, suffice it to say that I ended up in a very different place than I originally envisioned. For example, much of my work in my day job revolves around planning, scripting and creating microlearning videos. Even 5 years ago, while I understood how to break down complex concepts to help others understand them, I did not have the technological skills created educational videos. When I look at how the world has changed since earned my undergraduate degree, it's amazing. One of my first training jobs was as a software instructor teaching people how to use the big scary Internet. My first few job searches were done relying predominantly on the want ads in the Sunday newspaper. At one company, we were on the bleeding edge of technology by using instructor-led web based training before training by webinar was standard. With advances in technology, the workforce, and worldwide economic factors, things are always changing, and to stay employeable, you need to keep up. Don't wait until your job's future seems uncertain to start learning. Go to professional meetings. Read website dedicated to your field. Listen to podcasts on topics of interest. Look at job descriptions for emerging positions to see what kinds of skills are in demand. Keep updating your skills so you're not left behind when change happens around you. Be Amazon, not Nokia.  Learn all the things! What Do You Think?What other career advice do you have to share? Learn MoreSupport your local roller derby! In the Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota area, there are multiple opportunities for adults, teens and children to watch, and even learn to play, roller derby. Here's the lowdown on each organization.  A North Star Roller Derby bout between the Kilmore Girls and Delta Delta Di. Where to Attend a Roller Derby Bout as a SpectatorNorth Star Roller DerbyNorth Star Roller Derby (formerly known as the North Star Roller Girls) is a skater-owned and operated flat track roller derby league in Minneapolis that is affiliated with the WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association). Bouts are held approximately 6 times per season at the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St Paul. The four home teams are the Banger Sisters, Delta Delta Di, the Kilmore Girls, and the Violent Femmes. Northstar Roller Derby also has two travel teams: the Supernovas and the Northern Lights. Minnesota RollergirlsThe Minnesota Rollergirls is a skater-owned, flat-track roller derby league in St Paul that is also affiliated with the WFTDA. Bouts are held approximately 6 times per season at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in downtown Saint Paul. The four home teams are the Atomic Bombshells, the Dagger Dolls, the Garda Belts, and the Rockits. In addition, The Minnesota RollerGirls have two traveling teams: the Minnesota Rollergirls All-Stars (A Team) and The Minnesota Nice (B Team). Minnesota Men's Roller DerbyMinnesota Men's Roller Derby is a member of the MRDA (Men's Roller Derby Association). Teams are comprised of inline skaters, former hockey players and more. Bouts are held approximately 6 times per season at Champion's Hall in Eden Prairie. There are two home teams for regularly scheduled bouts: Destruction Workers and Thunderjacks. There are also two traveling teams: TC Terrors (A Team) and The Terrordactyls (B Team). Learning Roller Derby: Adults Northstar Roller Derby Satellites practice. SatellitesSatelites is the North Star Roller Derby's recreational roller derby league. Skaters of all skill levels from those with no skating experience to those retired from competitive roller derby and everyone in between are welcome. In order to participate, you need to be at least 18 years old, have safety gear and have primary health insurance. Purchasing WFTDA insurance is also required. There are three levels: Space Cadets (beginners), Space Rangers (intermediate) and Astronaughties (advanced). This is a great place to learn roller derby whether your goal is to be more active or if you aspire to compete. Typically there are fall and winter sessions with the option to practice once or twice a week. (As a point of reference, I've been part of the Satellites program since early 2017, and I love it.) Debu-TauntsDebu-Taunts is the training program affiliated with the Minnesota Rollergirls. The Debu-Taunts give skaters a positive and challenging environment to learn roller derby skills whether they aspire to try out for the competitive teams or to play recreationally. In order to participate, you need to be at least 18 years old, have safety gear and have health insurance. Purchasing WFTDA insurance is also required. Debu-Taunts practice twice per week and hold 12 week training sessions in the fall and in the spring. There is currently a waiting list to participate. Some people, who are doubly dedicated to learning and practicing roller derby as much as possible, enroll in both the Debu-Taunts AND the Satellites programs. Fresh Meat LockerThe Fresh Meat Locker (or FML) is the training program for the Minnesota Men's Roller Derby. The program is open to people over age 18 of all gender identities. This training program is intended to help teach new skaters roller derby skills to help them become "battle-ready derby superstars." Contact Minnesota Men's Roller Derby for details. Learning Roller Derby: Children and Teens A junior roller derby scrimmage between NERDY and TCJRD. Twin Cities Junior Roller DerbyTwin Cities Junior Roller Derby helps "Derby Dudes and Derby Dames" from ages 3-17 learn roller derby skills. Skaters can come in with no skating experience at all or feeling very comfortable on skates. They typically have a fall session and a winter session where skill groups, (beginning, intermediate and advanced) each have dedicated training times. Many trainers have competed in roller derby, and enjoy helping children learn basic skills. Skaters get to pick their roller derby names, can purchase TCJRD scrimmage jerseys and can participate in scrimmages with other area teams on occasion, too. (As a point of reference, my daughter has been involved with TCJRD since early 2017 and has enjoyed it so far.) NERDY Junior Roller DerbyNERDY Junior Roller Derby (North East Roller Derby Youth) helps children from ages 7-17 learn roller derby skills regardless of their skill level coming. They organize skaters by size (rather than skating levels) into "Bigs" and "Littles" and into "contact" and "non-contact" for scrimmaging purposes. Many trainers have competed in roller derby, and enjoy helping children learn basic skills. Skaters have the change to sign up to practice twice per week, and skaters can drop in for practices and pay a per-class rate. Skaters get to pick their roller derby names, can purchase NERDY scrimmage jerseys and can participate in scrimmages with other area teams on occasion, too. What Do You Think?Additions? Corrections? Thoughts? Share your input in the comments. Learn MoreFiguring out how to stay healthy is a bijillion dollar business. On a daily basis, we see ads trying to sell us products and services to help us eat less, move more or cure what else ails me. A big part of adulting is figuring out how to take care of your health so you have the energy and wherewithall to do all of the other adulting that needs to be done. A lot of the issues that we have as adults are not problems we had as children. Children eat when they are hungry, play when they are antsy and sleep when they are tired. As we grow up, we're told taught that those thing we do naturally are all wrong, and we learn to adapt. Unfortunately, when we become the adults, we try to relearn ways of being that actually work. Fortunately, through sheer luck, I have managed not to parent every good instinct out of my child, so she has less to unlearn and relearn. Here are my top three pieces of advice for my daughter on the topic of physical health. It's also a good reminder for those of us who are grown adults who need to remind ourselves of some key habits that can help us course-correct our current unhealthy path.  My daughter and her best good friend--skating and otherwise being active. Eat When You're Hungry; Stop When You're FullLike many adults, I've had a lifelong battle with my weight, which is sometimes more successful than others. One issue that I have is emotional eating. In short, I have a terrible habit of eating for reasons that are not being hungry. As children, we all get this. We eat when we're hungry, and stop when we're full--and it infuriates the adults in their lives to no end. I think of the speeches I received as a child about not wasting food, cleaning my plate, finishing what I ordered at a restaurant and more. I've personally seen adults eat food I have left on my plate instead of having to watch it "go to waste." The irony is that we're' treating ourselves as a garbage can by eating when we not hungry for out of some misplaced sense of financial prudence. Fortunately, you get the whole "eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full" thing way more than I ever have. Keep having those healthy boundaries when it comes to food. Don't listen to people who tell you that you have to eat the special cookies/cake/jam made specially for you, , that you're too skinny, or that stuffing food in your face when you're not hungry is any kind of a good idea. Be polite and thank people for whatever they offer, and turn them down. This one habit will save you the frustration of unnecessary weight gain more than any other habit.  Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full--regardless of if your plate is clean or not. Remember, you are not a garbage can. Stay ActiveAs a small child, you were all about playing. There was recess at school, hitting the playground on weekends and a neverending barrage of birthday parties featuring laser tag, jumpy castles and swimming. Over time, that slowed down. Now recess is a thing of the past, but there is jui jitsu, roller skating, roller derby, trips to the waterpark, walking around the neighborhood with friends and circus classes. The older you get, there will be less opportunities for physical activity, and more times when you'll be watching videos, working on a computer or just generally being stationary. You will most likely end up with an office job that involves more sitting than not. As you get older, and more "grown up," keep on playing and being physically active. Go canoeing, skating and hiking. When hanging out with friends, walk and talk, don't just go to a coffee shop or restaurant. Find something that you love and keep doing it--whether it's biking, or martial arts, or climbing or something totally else. Just keep moving. Sometimes people think that exercise has to be awful and unpleasant. Don't try to make yourself to something you hate. Find something active you like and do that. You don't have to run, do cross fit or do yoga flow if that isn't your thing. Just do something to stay active, and keep trying new things to keep moving your body. Build movement into your life so it's just a natural thing that you WANT to do, not something you HAVE to do.  You know what's fun? Roller skating with your best good friend on a Sunday afternoon. Call it exercise if you must. Get Enough SleepYou know what else most adults are terrible at? Getting enough sleep. Most adults skimp on sleep under the guise of getting more done--and we typically are less efficient and effective when we don't sleep enough. So what should you do? Go to bed when you are tired. If you'll be out late, take a disco nap to help make up for the sleep you won't get that night. If you have a "slumber party", get some sleep the day after. Go to bed at a decent time on school nights so that getting up isn't any more unpleasant that it needs to be. Get 8 or more hours of sleep a night. Everything is better when you're not overtired. So why get sleep? As if the beauty of taking naps isn't enough, here are just a few reasons why getting enough sleep is important. It helps you continue to grow in your ongoing quest to be a head taller than me. It also helps you think more clearly and enjoy things more. It helps you be in a better mood and not cranky. You make better decisions when you're well rested. It also helps keep your weight in check and regulates your mood. Sleep is the most underrated thing you can do to maintain your overall well-being.  Here is the Meathook kitty taking a much needed disco nap so she's not cranky while crazily running around the house at 2 am. What Do You Think?What are your top pieces of health advice? Learn MoreI live in South Minneapolis, just blocks from the house used as Prince's home in the movie Purple Rain. I also work in the Warehouse District of downtown Minneapolis down the street from First Avenue, where much of Purple Rain was filmed. Minnesota loves Prince. Upon his untimely death, many artists started adding Prince covers to their sets. While amazing covers of "Purple Rain" and "Nothing Compares 2 U" abound, here are three amazing covers of 'When Doves Cry."  Prince's gold star near the entrance of First Avenue in Minneapolis, where parts of Purple Rain were shot. Choir! of 1999 Voices Sings Prince "When Doves Cry"See this amazing chorus of 1999 people pay tribute to Prince by singing "When Doves Cry." This event took place on May 2, 2016 and was recorded live in Toronto at Massey Hall. These people were given a couple hours of rehearsal just prior to this moving performance. Greensky Bluegrass: When Doves Cry (Prince Cover)When I think of "When Doves Cry", I think of electric guitars and moaning. Or, in this case, guitars, banjos and string basses. Jack Black (of Tenacious D) Sings "When Doves Cry"It's Tenacious D, and its' time for Jack Black's solo. Hear "When Doves Cry" as only he can sing it. If you never knew Jack Black could sing, prepare to be delighted. Note it's not a "Tribute," but the actual song. Learn MoreNo one wants to be a victim. People talk a lot about self defense--which I usually think of as the ability to defend yourself against an attacker. Ideally, though, we can learn how to prevent many of those situations from becoming physical altercations. I think it is important to be able to defend yourself. Most self-defense training, though, focuses on the point where you're being attacked, not on ways to prevent an attack from ever taking place. Here, I'm focusing on putting yourself in a position where you can avoid an incident (like being assaulted, robbed or raped) altogether. As someone who lives and works in a large city, and doesn't want to sit home afraid, I focus on these three concepts for staying out of harm's way: situational awareness, being an imperfect victim and listening to my intuition. Have Situational AwarenessSituational awareness is a fancy way of saying "pay attention." I'm amazed by the people I see on a regular basis, usually during my daily train commute, who seem completely disconnected from the world around them. For many, there seems to be the prevalent attitude that bad things simply will not happen to them regardless of what they do. Being actively disconnected from what is going on around you make you more likely to be assaulted or a victim of theft. Here's what a lack of situational awareness looks like:
Here's what situational awareness looks like:
Overall, situational awareness is making a little effort to notice your physical environment so that you are in tune with it, instead of constantly surprised by it.  Put down your phone and pay attention to the world! Be an Imperfect VictimAgain, no one wants to be a victim, but many of us do things that make us more likely to be one. Since typically people who are going to rob or rape others are looking for easy targets, being perceived as difficult is a great way to avoid an incident. Here's what imperfect victims look like:
Imperfect victims also remember their boundaries. Too often, especially as women, we try to accommodate other people's requests because we want to be liked. Remember, though, you don't have to be nice to random people who approach you and demand things from you. You do not have to shake someone's hand, hug someone, or tolerate someone in your personal space. You do not have to give anything to an aggressive panhandler. Tell people no, and do it loudly if required. Put your hands up between you and them when you say "no" to let them know they really do need to stop. You may even need to yell "Get away from me" loudly to make it clear that they need to give you space. People who speak up are perceived as being more trouble than they are worth.  Put your hands between you and the threatening person. Listen to your IntuitionYou know how sometimes dogs don't like certain people? Or how babies cry and do not want to be held by just anyone? Their intuition is what makes them want to avoid some people. Unlike small children or animals, as adults, we tend to ignore our intuition. This is out of a sense of politeness or fear of being accused of being one of the bad -ists (racist, sexist, elitist). We need to re-learn to listen to our intuition for the sake of our well-being and trust that. This is not about political correctness or offending someone we don't even know. This is about our personal safety in what could be a dangerous situation. Here are those feelings you need to honor:
Those weird feelings that you can't quite put into words? Listen to them. Remember, sometimes, our bodies figure thing out before our brains catch up. We need to learn to pay attention to our surroundings with our heads, and our bodies, and heed that warning. It will help keep us safe.  Listen to your gut. You dont' have to buddy up to the creepy person. In fact, get away from them. What Do You Think?What safety tips do you have? How do you keep yourself out of harm's way? Learn More
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