Do You Have a Hobby?

Everyone should have a hobby no matter how old or young they are, something to do when you are not working or at school. A hobby is generally an activity you would do for just the pleasure of it in your spare time. Hobbies can range from doing a sport, doing artistic projects like quilting or scrapbooking to playing an instrument. A hobby is also called a pastime, derived from the use of hobbies to pass the time.

Hobbies are practiced primarily for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. But that does not mean you cannot earn some extra cash by doing a hobby. As a matter of fact since most people do not have time to pursuit hobbies until they are retired the thought of earning some extra cash appeals to most seniors since they are usually on a fixed or limited income.

Some ideas that could become your hobby:

Cooking, gardening, quilting, painting, dance, drama, needlework, scrapbooking, woodworking or carving, photography, model railroading, a sport like darts, golf or tennis, writing, reading and collecting.

The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Something to consider if you are a collector is where do you put all of these newfound items? There are many who start out small but before they know it the collection takes over their lives. So we need to be careful when picking a hobby so that we do not create more work than we can do.

Things to be careful of when deciding what kind of hobby you want to do:

1. Cost of the actual items you need to have to do the hobby
2. Cost of storing or displaying the results of the hobby
3. Space you have to do the hobby
4. Make sure the hobby does not take over your life so much so that you neglect others in your life – so I suggest deciding ahead how much time you will devote to your hobby each day or week, or month.
5. Find out as much as you can about the hobby before you start so you are aware of what is expected of you. This is important especially if you are taking up a new sport or craft.

How can having a hobby help your health?

When we are doing something for enjoyment our mood will be more positive and our stress levels will decrease. While we are doing something for pleasure we tend to feel better about ourselves. Many people who have retired find themselves bored because they have no longer a job to go to but if you have a hobby that you do each day or a few times a week it will give you back that purpose in life. Keeping our body and mind active will make sure we do not become stagnant. Exercising our mind as we work on a hobby is a very positive thing!

You might want to look at hobby ideas that you can do with others so that you also have the companionship this would give – something like playing bridge or euchre. No matter what you chose have fun and enjoy the pleasure a hobby can give you!

Today’s Salad:

Make your favourite salad then pack it separately in a plastic container along with your favourite salad dressing in another small container so you can add it to your salad just before eating.

Put the following into your plastic container the night before you want it for lunch:

• 2 cups Romaine lettuce
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 6-8 grape tomatoes
• ½ cup thinly sliced zucchini
• 2 tbsp hemp seed
• ¼ cup thinly sliced red peppers

Toss with your following dressing just before serving.

Saving Money by Taking Your Lunch to Work or School

Not only does this save money but it saves time – you don’t have to go out, get in your car and drive to the restaurant then pay an average of $10-15 per lunch when it might cost you $3 per lunch when you make it yourself. Assuming you’ve been doing this for five years paying $3 per meal versus $10 a meal (the difference is probably greater) you would have saved almost $9,000. Not bad and you will have eaten healthier!

NEW Recipe Book: Salads & Dressings Made Easy

Judy Fleming’s newest recipe book is now available for sale. This book features 52 different salads and dressings for easy meals!

It is important to make salads from an assortment of raw fresh greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds. Select dark leafy greens such as romaine, arugula, spinach, parsley, bok choy and cabbage. Add at least 3-4 other fresh raw veggies, some nuts or seeds and dried fruits. Then toss it all with a fresh raw dressing using the formula below.

Making your own fresh raw dressings is so easy; all you need are 3 main ingredients.

1. Something Acidic Tasting (any citrus fruits, apple cider vinegar or fresh tomato)
2. Some Fat (a variety of raw cold pressed oils, nuts or seeds)
3. Seasoning (an assortment of fresh herbs, spices, garlic, ginger and onion)

Dressings are best if mixed in a blender so the flavours blend together well. All of the raw dressings found in the book can be kept for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Retail price is $24.95