Weird workout

One thing that I think really highlights our tendency to breakout of our comfort zone and let loose is how much we seem to enjoy trying new workouts. I don't what it is about exercising but whenever a weird way to burn calories catches on everyone wants to try it, no matter how bizarre it may be.

This week, I decided to check out Winnipeg's only indoor trampoline park, Sky Zone.

Why is repeatedly bouncing up and down so cathartic? Maybe it has something to do with an evoked sense of carefree, childlike pleasure. Whatever it is, I have never enjoyed a work-out more in my life.

Sky Zone offers all sorts of trampoline based programming including dodge ball leagues, exercise classes and jump times for all ages. Because it was my first visit, I opted out of taking an actual class and decided to just bounce around for two straight hours. During my next visit, which there will definitely be many of, I plan on taking a "sky robics" class (a drop in visit is on $12).

 

So if you're looking for a fun, unconventional way to work out over the holidays, check out Sky Zone, located at 200-400 Fort Whyte Way.

 

 

Risk takers

I've always been fascinated by people who start their own businesses; what a risk! Check out my article in this week's issue of the Projector about a young Winnipeg couple who recently opened their own stationary supply store in the Exchange District. There's a lot of paths to go down in life, Danika and Drex are definitely on the one less traveled.

http://theprojector.ca/stories/view/beyond-loose-leaf

A Hat for Thought

Fashion trends are the most fickle of all trends: plume sauce-braised pork belly will live longer on the menus of trendy restaurants than leather body suits will hang in the windows of American Apparel. One reason, food is more of a personal experience, hate or love decision based on our automatic assessments of the message sent out by our taste buds. Clothing choices on the other hand, rely too heavily on the opinions of our fab friends. You’ve got to step outside of your comfort zone and be brave enough to rock the leopard print tutu that you saw Kate Moss wearing in this Month’s issue of Vanity Fair, to live up to the latest standards of cool.

And even then, fabsters like Ms. Moss aren’t the most accurate representation of what looks good on everyone. It really is difficult to gage what fashion trends are in, and what clothing pieces you should probably just burn.

But maybe there is some value in this fickleness.

Fashion trends are a great place to experiment (even if your tutu attempts go horribly wrong). For women, the world of fashion has historically been an access point to expressions of individuality. Even today, women employ the ever-changing trends of fashion to assert their presence in the male-dominated public sphere.

For example, girls and young women have recently been rocking the backwards baseball cap. Different patterns, colours and logos give a female twist to this typically male accessory. Without reading too much into a fashion trend that probably won't even last as long as your overly priced serving of plum sauce-braised pork belly, it's worth considering the larger implication of this style choice. 

It goes along with a growing number of androgynous fashion choices that speak towards a coming together of masculine and feminine style. And even if this trend dies out quickly, it's important to note that the backwards baseball cap played a role in altering the way we think of these two gender binaries.  

In the end, fickle fashion trends have more impact than Miley Cyrus' new sledge hammer accessory, and are worth the second look if you manage to catch a glimpse before they zoom by on a wrecking ball. 

Rob Ford: still a person

I know that everyone is probably sick of hearing about Rob Ford and his “stupors” (even though it’s kind of hard to get bored of someone when they out-stupid themselves everyday) but I think it’s important to talk about what makes this controversial figure so interesting to Canadians and to the rest of the world. 

In light of a video released today of the mayor drunkenly ranting about killing some unknown person, what parts of this whole Rob Ford ordeal should we really be focusing on? 

The fact that he probably has some addiction problems definitely means that he should step down as mayor of Canada’s largest city but it also indicates that he is a sick person, in need of  help. 

I’m not advocating that Rob Ford and the serious allegations against him should be treated lightly but I think this issue sheds light on certain, perhaps unfavorable elements of human nature. 

On social media and on certain local and international news outlets, a lot of the discussion surrounding the Toronto Mayor is focused on making fun of his drunken misconducts rather than  the implications that these episodes have on Rob Ford’s ability to lead. In Winnipeg and in other cities where we don’t actually have to deal with the mayor on a sociopolitical level, our job should be to inform the situation with facts and not meems that compare the mayor to crack addicted characters on Breaking Bad. 

The more that someone behaves in a way that is inappropriate in the eyes of society’s norms and social morays, the more that person is going to receive attention. It is easy to poke fun at failure and difference. “The bigger person” in this situation, are the people that discuss Rob Ford’s obvious problems in terms of his need for help and not through a comedic lens. We should definitely blast Rob Ford for his horrendous behavior over the last few months and for his response to that behavior, but we should be careful about how we discuss these matters. 

The video below was posted by Toronto comedian, Kenny Hotz who you may know for his popular series Kenny vs Spenny. Hotz has openly despised the mayor since his he was elected to office in 2010. This video is an example of the nature of the content circling on the web that make light of Mayor Ford’s serious substance abuse problems. I’ll admit, it’s hard not to laugh at stuff like this but in the end we’re laughing at a man who is sick and needs help. Being a public figure doesn’t give us the license to forget that he’s a human being.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VzLOaeNZEY