By Abra Pappa for Nutritious America
There is something inherently playful about August. Even as we are bombarded with the reality that fall is just around the corner and the kiddies will soon be off to school there is a bubbling mischievous and naughty nature about the final weeks of summer. We just want to play hooky, have fun, let loose, experience life, swim, frolic and laugh.
What if we allowed ourselves to do just that? What if play became more important and food less important? What if you spent a day like any 4-year-old where food was absolutely secondary to FUN.
There is a delicate balance that begs to be struck between nourishment from life and nourishment from food. When life is out of balance (unhappy career, long work days, little to no sleep) food can creep in to try to fill the void. When our very essence is begging for fun and our “busy trap” keeps us from having fun it’s amazing how food seems like the solution. What if we satisfied the need for fun? Would food become less important?
Here are three ways to increase your play and upgrade your fun in these last few weeks of summer and allow food to be secondary to the immense joy that a summer frolic can offer.
1. Create a water park in your backyard. Set up sprinklers and water balloon stations. Get soaked. Laugh. If you don’t have a backyard, visit a water park!
2. Pick at least one day each week to put away all of your to do lists and unplug from the hustle and bustle of life. Shut off your smart phone, say goodbye to Facebook and Twitter, and just disconnect from the “busy trap.” Make it a choice. Instead, catch a funny movie, take the kiddies to the park, or do anything but engage in online life or to do lists.
3. Sleep under the stars. Nothing brings you closer to summer bliss then getting a bit more intimate with the great outdoors. Living in NYC, I can’t really make this happen. If you are an urban dweller as well, use your imagination. Build a massive fort in your living room, play an outdoor soundtrack, and open all the windows in your apartment to breathe some fresh air. It may not be the real thing, but even pretending to sleep outdoors can feel like play.
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