Feature photo by jurek d. Photo above by Jono Rotten

Alison Haynes knows a thing or two about keeping house, having just released Clean Sweep: The Ultimate Guide To Decluttering, Detoxing and Destressing Your Home. The guide serves as a comprehensive how-to for any homeowner, including many ‘recipes’ for homespun cleaners and beauty aids.

Alison took a few minutes to answer our questions about dangers that might be lurking in our abodes.

As travelers, many of our readers rent apartments, or lead a nomadic existence between houses. What things should we be looking for when checking out an apartment, before deciding to rent it?

One of the simplest ‘tests’ is the nose test. How does it smell? If it smells damp, of chemicals, musty …. these are indications that all’s not well. The apartment may have insufficient ventilation, or be full of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) being emitted from new carpets or furniture — ventilation is the key.

Sunlight also helps keep microbes in check. Look for damp patches and mold on the walls, especially in ‘wet’ areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Personally, I would also be looking at how I’m going to dry clothes. I’m not a fan of dryers as they are big power munchers and therefore are polluting.

I’ve never owned a dryer and always managed with a clotheshorse or clothes line if I have the space.

Price: $11.01 | BUY

With all of the chemicals swilling through cleaning products, what dangers do they present to the air in our houses?

It is difficult to be precise about the dangers of particular chemicals in cleaning products, but there’s no doubt we should treat them with respect.

Some pose more problems than others: aerosols, for instance, create clouds of tiny droplets that could be inhaled; ammonia produces irritating fumes (so use in a well ventilated space). If they smell, they’re in the air.

For those of us with kids especially, is there any way to tell if the paint on our walls may contain lead?

There are a number of tests, including DIY ones and lab tests. Check with your local authority about what tests are available and which are recommended (this is important as not all may have been approved).

The age of the house and paint may also be an indicator. For instance, in Australia, lead was routinely added to paint before 1950.

Most folks head straight for the pesticide aisle when encountering household pests. What are some more organic, safe ways of dealing with bugs and rodents?

Mechanical means is usually a much safer option. For instance, glue traps for cockroaches and simple spring traps baited with pumpkin or Brazil nuts for rodents such as rats. Preventative measures — such as sealing cracks where pests get in or installing fly screens on windows — can also help you avoid pesticides.

Photo by Max Klingensmith

It seems like there are many quick fixes on the market for getting rid of weeds, or growing a garden faster. Do these pose any threat?

You need to be thinking about what effect they might have on other wildlife. If it’s killing a plant, what’s it doing for ladybugs? or birds? or fish, if it leaches into the waterways? Fish and amphibians such as frogs are particularly vulnerable to pesticides such as weed killers and we should be wary of using them.

Is there an easy way to tell if the insulation in our old houses is safe?

Again, this is best dealt with on a local level, with local knowledge about what has been traditionally used in the area. If you suspect asbestos, it is very important you don’t try to deal with it yourself as disturbance can send fibers into the air.

I hadn’t really thought of carpets as potential chemical hazards. Can you explain how they might be?

Many new carpets emit VOCs — volatile organic compounds. These can be hazardous to breathe, potentially triggering allergic reactions and irritations, for instance. It’s the finishes and extras like underlay which are the problem. Chemicals used throughout the house may also collect in the carpet, along with dust mites and fungi.

Photo by Remy Sharp

Are there any plants that can help make the home healthier? I also noticed that you recommended some plants as deterrents to things like mosquitoes and flies.

NASA has examined how a number of plants improve air quality by removing gases such as formaldehyde and acetone. These include common household plants such as the Peace Lily, Boston Fern, and Spider plant. And yes, some plants such as lavender, mint, thyme and rosemary have fly repellent qualities.

An air freshener seems like a quick fix to make things smell good. Are there any dangers in using them?

They usually contain solvents of some sort and sometimes hydrocarbons as well as perfume. One chemical to avoid in air fresheners is para-dichlorobenzene, an organochlorine that can accumulate in the body and is implicated in liver and nerve damage.

Some alternative air fresheners are listed in Clean Sweep in the chapter about the bathroom and include scented candles and bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. Good ventilation is the best air freshener around.

Feature photo by Heliøs. Photo above by SuperFantastic.

Erik McLaughlin is not your typical doctor. This family practice resident speaks four languages, attended medical school in England, and aims to focus on expedition medicine in the near future.

With a real passion for taking care of travelers and embarking on adventures in remote locations, he is an adventure doc in every sense of the word.

Matador sat down with the Adventure Doc to pick his brain for travel health advice. Travelers are exposed to a much wider range of viruses and medical situations abroad than domestically, and we wanted to know what advice the Doc had for our readers.

Matador: Does Vitamin C really work?

Vitamin C is relatively well known as having some benefit, although it has yet to be proven in serious medical literature. Lots of people cite many studies on Vitamin C. These studies are often improperly done, have small numbers of participants, and show skewed data.

Interpretation of data is key, as is the source and quality of the research study. Basically, there is no proof of the effectiveness of Vitamin C, but I say, if it makes you feel better, go for it! I still take one gram of Vitamin C every day that I am sick.

Matador: And what about Emergen-C?

I actually drink Emergen-C often. I love the easy packets, great vitamins, and electrolytes. I had a glass earlier today. I also carry it with me in my first aid kit when I travel.

Photo by shareski.

Matador: Why are sports drinks so effective in rehydrating sick people?

The thing about sports drinks is that they contain glucose, which couples with water molecules, helping them get from inside the stomach to the blood stream faster. Thus, dehydration gets treated faster. Sports drinks are the best for dehydration, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

But you don’t need to buy the expensive ones. Some water, a few pinches of salt, and a spoonful of sugar work fine, too.

Matador: Hand sanitizing gel vs. hand washing?

A very good question! There is a bit of an argument in the surgical crowd about this. Both state that the gel and actual hand washing are effective, and I believe they are. But one always tries to be better than the other.

The problem with hand washing is that tap water is not always clean water and definitely not sterile. If I just washed my hands with soap and then rinsed with crappy water, that’s no good.

Personally, I use hand gel when I need to be sterile and try a mix of both when I’m traveling. Either way, washing your hands is the most important thing to prevent infection from colds and the flu. This is proven, retested, and proven again. This is the most important thing I can say about infection prevention.

Matador: How does the flu shot work?

The flu shot is basically a prediction of what several flu strains are going to be the most virulent and pathogenic the next year. Flu shot engineers take into consideration the way viruses change as they shift from continent to continent and spread around the world.

Engineers grow the virus, then inactivate it before administering it to patients so it cannot infect people. Your body recognizes the virus and remembers it so when you encounter it again, your body immediately releases white blood cells to kick some butt! Flu shots do work and should be encouraged.

Photo by rocknroll_guitar.

Matador: Why is it so important travelers get the flu shot?

Viruses mutate as they travel the globe. This is where travelers come into the equation of global disease spread. Influenza is pandemic stuff. Think epidemics that kill millions. The common cold just gives you a runny nose, a 2-3 day fever, and a cough.

The flu kills millions in outbreaks. The early 1900s saw a global pandemic killing millions. This is the fear with the bird flu. Hence the emphasis on travelers getting the flu shot.

Matador: Besides travelers, for whom else is the flu shot essential?

People with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease should get the flu shot. Anybody who risks being killed from a case of the flu should get a flu shot.

Matador: What is the typical incubation period for the flu virus, and is it possible to combat the flu during this stage?

The incubation period varies depending on the virus, bacteria, or infectious agent. Generally a 2-14 day incubation is common. Fighting off the flu is almost a futile attempt. If you got it, you got it. Like bad body odor, nothing can be done.

The term we use is “symptomatic treatment,” meaning we try to help the runny nose, cough, or fever. But fighting the virus is very tough. Viruses are clever. There are some antiviral medications like Tamiflu that take action against replication of the viruses, thus shortening the duration of the illness.

However, use of antivirals can also increase resistance to the medications, ultimately making them useless.Really, the only things you can do is treat the symptoms and ride it out.

Photo by Augapfel.

Matador: What are some key steps in prevention?

The flu shot may not be in everyone’s lifestyle, but hand washing should be. Hand washing is a very inexpensive and very effective method of prevention. Rest is also key, as lack of rest can lower the immune system.

Additionally, some argue that being properly hydrated prevents tiny cracks in your mucous membranes that will allow viral particles suspended in the air an easy entry portal.

Proper nutrition is also vital. Being fit and healthy lessens your recovery time, makes your immune system stronger, and increases resistance. This is why people with chronic medical problems should get the flu shot.

Matador: What is the number one piece of advice you’d give to travelers in order to avoid the flu?

Travelers are encountering things that they have never seen before – buildings, people, pathogens. Their resistance to simple local illnesses is almost non-existent. Travelers need to be extra cautious as they are encountering things that are new to their body. Hand washing is the most important thing a traveler can do to avoid the common cold while on the road. Proven prevention is hand washing.

Matador: How do you know when it’s time to go see a doctor?

Signs of trouble include fevers not responsive to medication like Tylenol, shortness of breath with cough, changes in the color of mucus. Rashes are also pretty big red flags to me. This is assuming lots of things like the person is a healthy adult, not in a malaria-exposed environment, and has no recent foreign exposures.

Matador: What items does the Adventure Doc pack to stay healthy while traveling?

Ibuprofen or a pain and fever medication like Tylenol, electrolyte powder, and an antihistamine like Benadryl. Ibuprofen can treat pain, fever, inflammation, and much more. It is truly a wonder drug!

Matador: What literature would you recommend for our travelers without medical backgrounds?

Field Guide To Wilderness Medicine, Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual, and Where There Is No Doctor. The best, by far, is the Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine. That should be read by every traveler.

The Adventure Doc hopes to open his own travel clinic in 2009 and is available for internet consultations. Visit his website or contact him through email : adventuredoc@gmail.com.

Feature photo by Jessica Driver / Above photo by Timm Williams

Before you go under the needle, have a look to see what the following might say about you.

Photo by Enricus

Tribal Band/Barbed Wire – Upper Arm

This tattoo proclaims you as a member of the tribe, that’s true. The sad part is that the tribe in question is the “sub-literati.”

Super Hard Neck Tattoo

The placement implies anything but hardness, no matter the subject matter. This is the mark of the young man with erectile dysfunction, or at the very least, a premature ejaculator. Can you say overcompensation? Go ahead and try again. I’m willing to be patient.

Garden Variety Butterfly Tramp Stamp

Beware the secret garden below. The butterfly belies a much more sinister truth, and though the garden is sure to be properly pruned, the implication that insect life may seek exodus from the deep cleavage below may not be so far off the mark.

Look At My Boobs Sacred Heart

Frank Zappa had it right about you Catholic girls. Too many years cooped up with the same sex have you making this desperate and permanent plea for male attention that you reiterate every time you “forget” to close those top buttons.

Photo by goodeye03

Any Placement Of A Dolphin

Bad enough on a necklace or a t-shirt, the dolphin tattoo indicates a desire to be seen as peace and earth loving. The bad news is that you were probably inspired to get it after an alcohol fueled domestic abuse disturbance that resulted in your arrest.

Nautical Star

Would you cut it out already? The closest you’ve been to the open water is happy hour near the naval base during shore leave.

Photo by haycarrieanne

Angel Wings On The Back

In your desire to be different, you committed the error of putting puny, atrophied angel wings on your back in an indelible medium. Were they suddenly to become corporeal, you’d be left with useless nubs that make getting dressed impossible. Shows severe spatial orientation issues.

Flower On The Ankle

The design you picked out gave you a familiar, warm-fuzzy feeling. It’s unfortunate that you failed to recognize it was because it resembled the packaging on your favorite feminine hygiene product. A future of daytime soaps awaits you.

Tazmanian Devil

Any Looney Tunes character pretty much says the same thing, but Taz is the mark of the beast – as in Old Milwaukee. The calling card of the unemployable, the Tazmanian Devil shows a character deficit that pretty much guarantees you will complacently be the recipient of public assistance for the rest of your life.

Low-Abdominal, Sub-Navel Tribal

Your shirt’s too short and your pants are too low and that means we can all see your belly tattoo. With or without a belly button ring, this almost definitely indicates a cavalier approach to birth control. Pretty soon, your tattoo will be ravaged by your impending and unplanned pregnancy.

Photo above by howieluvzus

Many of us have heard of Banksy only within the last few years as he has transcended into worldwide notoriety and infamy. We have seen the stencils and heard the name, yet the man himself remains a mystery.

Photo above by DocZork – restless

Not much is known about Banksy outside of his work. In the midst of rumors, journalists and art aficionados have produced little verifiable concrete background information about the underground British artist.

UK’s Daily Mail published an article last summer, claiming to have uncovered Banksy’s true identity, although at the very end they concede that their whole discovery could be bunk.

The most commonly accepted facts are: his hometown is Bristol, UK; He was born in or around 1974; and his involvement with graffiti art began in the early 1990s.

In interviews granted to various media outlets, mostly anonymously, Banksy talks about his background only in relation to his work.

Having always been interested in art, Banksy started graffiti when he was just 14 years old. He gravitated toward stencil art because it was quick while still allowing him to do aesthetic, detailed work.

“If you damage someone’s property it’s good to show some dedication to it. [To] just slop it up is a bit rude, I fear.”

Having never been a fan of school, Banksy, instead, found his place and identity within the underground graffiti culture. Since picking up a spray can and stencils, the artist hasn’t looked back.

Photo above by howieluvzus

Regardless if you’re a fan or a member of Keep Britain Tidy (a group that believes Banksy’s work is criminal vandalism) you immediately recognize a Banksy when you see it.

His signature rat, children, monkey, and police men motifs and consistent anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment messages make his work uniquely identifiable.

Banksy Worldwide

Starting in the early 2000s, Banksy began to extend past Britain and work all over the world. From the Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland to the sprayed art on Israel’s West Bank wall, Banksy’s art has covered the globe, uniting all sorts of people in his fan base. Currently, fans include some of Hollywood’s most famous stars, though in all likelihood Banksy wouldn’t brag about that.

What probably makes Banksy most notorious, however, is not just the message, but the overtly mischievous and humorous style evident in his work.

Photo above by LexMonkey

A few years ago, Banksy added his own prehistoric piece to the walls of the British Museum, mimicking cave art style and depicting a man with a shopping cart chasing a buffalo. The statement “This finely preserved example of primitive art dates from the Post-Catatonic era,” was in the sign hung beneath.

He once snuck into the London Zoo, spray painting the message “I want out. This place is too cold. Keeper smells. Boring, boring, boring.” in the elephant pen.

When Paris Hilton came out with her debut music CD, Banksy replaced 500 original copies with his own doctored CDs across 48 UK record stores. He Photoshopped the cover art to replace her face with that of a dog’s and added titles such as, “Why Am I Famous?” and “What Am I For?”.

In response to his increasing notoriety, Banksy offered for sale a painting of an art auction with the sentence, “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit.”

Photo above by armcurl

Banksy Today

A little less playful and a lot more disenchanted, Banksy has told The New Yorker’s Lauren Collins “I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I’m not sure I like it enough.”

He’s admitted that his infamy and the fact that just one of his pieces fetches hundreds of thousands of dollars makes him uncomfortable.

But this doesn’t mean he’ll retire from art activism. Just late last summer, he tagged several buildings in New Orleans to commemorate the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully, for his fans around the world, he’ll never stop working.

You can visit Banksy’s official website at www.banksy.co.uk. Original prints can be found at lazinc.com and are sold through his agent’s gallery in Soho, London.

All photos by Jorge Santiago

The chile pasilla is my favorite, a deep, dark purple the color of intense grief or memory. It is wrinkled and weathered, a mirror of the aged face of the woman who hands me my change and my chile and says, per Oaxacan custom, “Que te vaya bien,”

The chile pasilla rests atop a bouquet of squash blossoms, whose airy, floral looks—delicate orange and green lilies–betray the hearty vegetable flavor they take on when sautéed in oil.

I’ve always thought squash flowers were embarrassingly sexual vegetables. They start out innocently enough, small bodies fanning demurely into star-shaped flowers, but the second they hit the heat of the pan they give way entirely, losing form and caving to the oil, until they are limp and languid. Their pistons remain crunchy, but the rest of the flower goes soft.

The still virginal squash flowers cover up a layer of moss green and bumpy avocados, gently prodded between fingertips for ripeness. The avocados jostle guayabas, small Mexican guavas with a flavor like a yellow exclamation mark.

The guayabas rest gently beside the cecina enchilada, thinly sliced pork that has been rubbed with chile. All—cecina, guayabas, avocados, squash flowers, chile pasilla– are sided by a wall of tortillas. The tortillas are warm and keeling over a bit, emitting moist fumes with a faint starchy smell.

This is my dinner. Chile pasilla soaked until it is soft once more (memory and grief released) and ground into an earthy, smoky, salsa. Squash flowers tossed into the pan to lust and wither. Avocados cut cleanly in halves and sliced into crescents. Cecina fried, letting off waves of rich, red, animal smells, the spiced enchilada rub creeping up into one’s nose. Guayabas blended to make thick, acidic margaritas, the type that make your eyes squint and your tongue ache a bit before the sweetness and alcohol kick in.

This process—the journey round the market, the jostle of vegetables in the bag, the feel of warm tortilla flesh pressed into one’s hand, the slicing through soft avocado, the colors and smells blurring in the pan, the smoke of the pasilla cutting through the nose-watering spice of the pork, is the evocation of place.

It is Oaxaca conjured through a handful of ingredients, an hour in front of the stove, a half-hour of chewing and laughing and exclaiming.

If I cannot be Mexican (for as much as I love the heavy r’s and spiked sentences of Spanish, the land here, the people, I still have a streak of undeniable Americannness that prevents full assimilation) I can literally get the country in my blood.

And perhaps the piquant jalapenos soaked in white vinegar and the cups of crunchy hominy with mayonnaise fuel not only my ability to walk and breathe and think, but also the tingle I get down my spine passing a church whose religion I’ve never practiced, the nostalgia I feel walking past the bright fading walls of a city I did not grow up in, the surge of longing that grips me when I go running on the dusty soil of a foreign country.

Salman Rushdie writes in Midnight’s Children of the way in which a character cooks her lust, her hatred, her bitterness, her passion into the dishes she prepares for her family. I still remember that novel when I am hovering over a simmering pan of softened vegetables, sprinkling them with cumin, fanning them onto tortillas.

Not simply eating, but cooking is an intimate and sometimes perilous (the love affairs that emerge from a steamy kitchen and all those heady flavors, the tossing and turning of North American stomachs confronted with distant spices) affair with a particular place and its people.

Which brings me to the point—even if you have never hovered with longing before the spice racks in the grocery store, or rhapsodized about the possibilities of a chayote, you might be surprised by the sense of connectedness you get from spending a little time with local ingredients in a local (hostel or hotel included) kitchen.

Think of the vegetables and breads and spices as an extension of the landscapes and the personalities you encounter and hope to develop relationships with. What better way to feel and come to know a place than to eat it?

This includes eating it from a distance—I remember finding Chinese Five Spice in an American grocery store and nearly gnawing away at the cap to get to the delirious smells of star anise and allspice. I made myself a stir-fry of heavily anise-infused vegetables and could almost make out the cluttered noises of rickshaws and bicycles passing in the dry air of Beijing.

All of this means that, in that sometimes maddening and occasionally gratifying quest to feel connected to a specific place on Earth, sometimes the best thing to do is poise oneself over a pan of local flavors, inhale, indulge, and let the food guide you.

Feature photo and photo above by Lola Akinmade.

Jolting out of bed at the sound of my name, I begrudgingly rush over to my parents’ room for daily morning prayers. Names are yelled out in chronological order and being the oldest means I always lose a few seconds of sleep.

I love watching the cap-full of Dettol – a common antiseptic – expand into an amoebic white cloud as I pour it into a bucket of tepid water. Its residual smell lets my mom know we’ve properly showered. I slip into my little blue and white striped uniform with blue flaps for collars. We can guess which schools neighborhood kids attend based on colors, stripes, or checkered pattern of their uniforms.

The smell of curry, thyme, and white pepper wafting from the kitchen means our house help is almost done with the classic Nigerian omelette. Tomatoes, onions, and a pinch of salt rounds it out. It is usually eaten with fresh bread bought the same morning from a kiosk in front of the house, boiled plantains, or boiled white yams.

Today, we scarf it down quickly with boiled yams before piling into the family Peugeot, which we pronounce “Pee-Joe”. “Good morning Mr. Olufodun!” We greet the driver, and soon enough, we hurtle down to join the congested sea of cars.

Photo by Lola Akinmade.

“You get Punch? How about Guardian?” my mom yells out in pidgin English to a newspaper vendor racing alongside the car in traffic. Balancing a stack of newspapers on his head with a few stuffed underneath both armpits, he skillfully pulls out a Punch and exchanges it for a 10 Naira note. Twenty years later and now 100 Naira a pop, this daily ritual of buying Punch Newspaper remains.

Our morning commute takes us to Ikoyi, a suburb off one of the many islands that collectively make up Lagos. We spill out and run through the gates of our primary school, Federal Home Science, just in time for morning assembly as students gather in the dusty yard to sing the national anthem, Arise, O Compatriots.

Once primary school lets out early afternoon, we shuttle off to lessons on Lagos Mainland. After school activities involve more studying. No little football (soccer) leagues or cricket teams. If we want to play football, we form a ragtag team of neighborhood kids in someone’s yard.

We fill up on geography and social studies, and wonder if kids our age in America and the rest of the world have to go to lesson too. During our snack break, we run across the street like Frogger characters to a wooden kiosk to buy meat pies and scotch eggs – boiled eggs coated in minced sausage mix and fried.

Photo by Lola Akinmade.

The clock strikes 5 and it’s time to go home.

Navigating late rush hour traffic, we arrive to a hefty lunch-dinner combo cooked by mom who’d gone out earlier in the day, perusing open air markets to get fresh meat and green leafy vegetables.

“NEEEPPPAAA!*” we yell in unison just as the daily power outage occurs in the middle of our favorite show. Waiting patiently in the dark until the generator grunts, we resume our show without interruption. NEPA affects the TV stations as well.

I fall asleep on my knees as we convene in our parents’ room for nightly prayers before bed. Exhausted yet knowing fully well that the next day will bring more of the same.

*NEPA – Known at the time as Nigeria’s National Electric Power Authority.

Feature photo by lowjumpingfrog / Above photo by Celso Flores

Run.

Wait, you might be saying here, I am not the sporty type who looks as if she’s just bounded out of a Gatorade commercial at 7 AM.

To you I say, there are plenty of ways to run that do not involve the drudgery (which I admittedly love) of throwing on an old t-shirt and hitting the streets for 50 minutes of sweat and tears.

The Hash House Harriers offer one of the best ways to forget you are actually running. You’ll get caught up in the spirit of camaraderie, following a paper trail through the Malaysian jungle or the Australian outback or central Beijing. Before you know it, you’ll be beaming proudly as you pour beers over your head.

Here’s a tutorial video about “hashing”:

I suggested to my husband that we go on a Hash run in Borneo and the look I got in response was somewhere between contempt and utter disbelief that I could understand him so poorly. Yet, we ran (after intense bargaining) and even he, who thinks my addiction to running is some sort of genetic defect, loved it.

It’s all about the spirit of community, beer drinking, storytelling, and (don’t tell anyone) getting a little exercise in. The HHH are everywhere around the world, and usually have one to two runs a week.

For those of you who can imagine enjoying, or actually do enjoy, hitting the road for a run from time to time, mix it up by looking for international races. Race to a Zapotec archeological site in Mexico. Head to Bermuda for a half-marathon. Run an international marathon (down the Champs Elysees in Paris! Through Tiananmen Square in Beijing!)

If you’re bored with your running routine, or need motivation to get started, it might be worth it to aim for one of these races as a goal.

Photo by woodleywonderworks

Get creative and stay consistent with homemade routines.

Bond with a couple cans of pinto beans and a sturdy chair and commit yourself to using them for a series of exercises on a regular basis.

Even the major fitness buffs at your hard-ass neighborhood gym concede that you really only need to do a couple sets of weights and exercises three or four times a week to build muscle tone and stay fit.

Plenty of simple routines require little more than an improvised canned good, a jump rope (find a few here) and, of course, your own motivated visions of your sleek muscular self on some Brazilian beach.

Dance.

Tango, salsa, belly dancing, drunken disco gyrations, whatever. After a sedentary day in front of the computer, I crank up the radio and let loose (with only the dog as witness). Dance classes are taking off in popularity; here in Oaxaca alone there are classes in Arabic and African dance, modern dance, and, of course, salsa.

Photo by ronnie44052

They’re all good workouts, and force you to use your body in ways that you probably don’t in your day-to-day routine. Night owls can get their eat and drink on and then dance it off ‘till dawn.

Take a multi-day hike.

If this sounds daunting, I’ll affirm that all you need to pull this off are commitment and an altered, slowed sense of time. There are multi-day hikes in many countries that go between villages and cities and offer an intimate relationship with the landscape.

The Grand Randonnees in France are a great example: a series of trails that crisscross the country, they are usually well-marked and maintained, leading you through vineyards, lavender fields, tiny villages, and, yes, over the occasional mountain.

The hike adds a whole new dimension to the French travel experience, and goes beyond downing wine at your overpriced Parisian hostel.

Head to the local bookstore or look up hiking clubs to see what’s available vis-à-vis longer trails. Ask locals if it’s possible to hike between villages and whether you could get a guide, detailed maps, or both.

You don’t have to go fast and you don’t have to lug 40 pounds of gear up unconquered peaks; you simply have to walk, and (ideally) lose yourself in it.

Start a random activities night.

There is a lot of room for creativity here. Hipsters may opt for kickball, sportier types rugby or soccer (a friend of mine played nude soccer on a weekly basis in Vietnam), and more whimsical, creative, and/or nerdy types an improvised games night.

Being the latter personality I, along with a host of grad student friends, started up a games night in Madison, Wisconsin, in my last year of school there. Red Light, Green Light, Capture the Flag, you name it; count on a lot of nostalgia and a certain degree of physical activity.

So don’t despair, even if you’ve fallen off the fitness wagon. Think outside the jock box—tango, trek, get into a wild game of freeze tag—and indulge yourself in a big ol’ bag of cheese Ruffles and an oatmeal stout, as I’m going to do as soon as I finish another solo dance marathon in the living room.

Community Connection:

Interested in learning to dance? Check out our latest video, Learning to Dance Tango. Or maybe you’re more the running type? Give our 10 Tips for Beginning Marathoners a try.