Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 2: This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 2: tip is to be well rounded. Just like kids are
Speaker 2: often nudged to participate in a variety of activities, adults
Speaker 2: need things in their lives outside work and family too,
Speaker 2: So in a number of families, there is a certain
Speaker 2: norm about the activities kids need to participate in. In
Speaker 2: my family, for instance, I tell the kids to do
Speaker 2: something musical and something physical. They also need to do
Speaker 2: church activities or a civic group like Scouts. Other families
Speaker 2: might stress a sport and something creative or volunteering plus
Speaker 2: something competitive or some other combination. Now, in my family,
Speaker 2: as in a lot of families, mom and dad are
Speaker 2: obviously busy doing things like working and driving kids to
Speaker 2: all of their activities. But it seems like fair is fair,
Speaker 2: and we should be doing something musical and physical and
Speaker 2: participate in volunteer opportunities as well.
Speaker 1: And so I do. I run and work out with
Speaker 1: a trainer, and I sing in two choirs. Right now,
Speaker 1: this makes life feel a lot more full and interesting
Speaker 1: than if I were only working and driving kids around.
Speaker 1: Now I know that fitting activities into adult life isn't
Speaker 1: always easy, but there are a few things to think
Speaker 1: of here if you want to aim to be well
Speaker 1: rounded as well. One is that physical activity isn't really optional.
Speaker 1: We all need to move our bodies. This doesn't need
Speaker 1: to mean going to the gym for an hour every day,
Speaker 1: but doing something physical for at least ten minutes a
Speaker 1: few times a week is going to pay pay off
Speaker 1: in terms of more energy. Exercise doesn't take time, it
Speaker 1: makes time. It is the rare person who couldn't go
Speaker 1: for two ten minute brisk walks during the workday, or
Speaker 1: do some push ups and setups in the morning and
Speaker 1: then do something for ten minutes after work. Then weekends
Speaker 1: might offer a little more space, including time to do
Speaker 1: things as a family. I also think that even busy
Speaker 1: adults could take one night a week to do something
Speaker 1: creative or musical or civic minded that is not work
Speaker 1: and is not caring for family members. I have seen
Speaker 1: enough time logs to know that it is the rare
Speaker 1: person who is spending all seven evenings of a week
Speaker 1: on high quality activities with their families. So even if
Speaker 1: it's just doing something like quilting for an hour one night,
Speaker 1: a week after the kids go to bed, there is
Speaker 1: probably space for something. And even if you don't think
Speaker 1: you could make a regular commitment to something, you could
Speaker 1: put in one off activities to start feeling more well rounded.
Speaker 1: For instance, maybe you don't think a regular volunteering commitment
Speaker 1: would fit in your life right now. I would wager
Speaker 1: for most people this isn't true, but let's just say
Speaker 1: it is. Perhaps you could do a one off Saturday
Speaker 1: volunteering activity with your family. Perhaps you think you don't
Speaker 1: have time for something creative in your life, but you
Speaker 1: might be able to do a one off pottery making
Speaker 1: class on a Saturday with a friend That might make
Speaker 1: you feel more well rounded, even if it is not
Speaker 1: happening repeatedly. As you do these one off things, you
Speaker 1: might find that the world does not come to an
Speaker 1: abrupt end when you do something that does not work
Speaker 1: and is not caring for family members. That might inspire
Speaker 1: you to find time more regularly for your passions and interests.
Speaker 1: But if you don't, even a few activities a year
Speaker 1: can make you feel well rounded, and that can make
Speaker 1: life feel a lot more fun in the meantime. This
Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.