WHAT’S IN A HOBBY?
A hobby? Who’s got time for that? Well, you do — at least according to psychologist and professor Jaime Kurtz. “We habitually waste time, creating the illusion of busyness. Facebook, email, Netflix — pick your poison,” she writes in Psychology Today. Back in 1957, Cyril Northcote Parkinson wrote a book called “Parkinson’s Law.” It was all about time management and workflow, and it centered around one idea: The more time you have to do
something, the longer it will take . If you have something you do two nights a week, odds are your chores will be done those nights so you can get to the hobby. The rest of the week? Not so much. Besides the obvious — turning off the screens — there are other tricks to managing your time for hobbies. One great way? Just schedule hobby time into your planner or calendar. Set a reminder on your phone, and when the time comes, just go do it, no excuses. Another trick, if you know you won’t get to it later, is to do your chores early in the morning. That way, when you come home from work, they’re all done, and you have time to work on your hobbies. Oh, and bonus — you come home to a clean house! In fact, hobbies have a lot of benefits. They “can be a healthy escape,” according to Dr. Beth Howlett, “and can be very beneficial to mental health.” And
your career success, according to the Washington Post. Plus, unusual hobbies, like beekeeping or playing a funky instrument, make for great conversation starters. There are also plenty of affordable hobbies that “trick” you into staying active, like geocaching or Ultimate Frisbee. Consider something outside of your comfort zone — with a welcoming community that’s happy to show newcomers the ropes. Never be afraid to stop people who are doing something that looks fun and ask them what’s going on. That’s how you learn! Dr. Kurtz sums it up best: “Maybe there’s something you’ve always wanted to do,” or “maybe something you used to love but stopped doing.” Her advice? Take that thing and run with it. “Just don’t follow that phrase with, ‘Ah, well. Maybe someday — when the kids leave the house or when I retire.’” Because we all know what that means!
some hobbies — like reading and exercise — can even boost
Surviving Diabetes M arlon ’ s R emarkable R ecovery Marlon Bradley has lived with diabetes for 16 years. In that time, he has experienced numerous complications related to the disease. But Marlon is a survivor: “I have survived a stroke, two transient ischemic attacks, and transient global amnesia where I knew my wife was my wife, but I didn’t know her name. I didn’t know my children were my children.” It didn’t end there for Marlon. “I survived a heart attack. I survived congestive heart failure. I survived cancer.” Despite all this, Marlon is still here, and he went in search of treatment. His traditional diabetic treatments and medications simply weren’t enough. “I was excited about the opportunity to come and see Dr. Vincent DePasquale.” Marlon credits much of his success to the controlled and restricted diet plan he went on for six weeks, in conjunction with the stem cell therapy. “The restrictions were well worth it.” he says.
“It was all worth it for
me because I know that not only am I going to improve my health and avoid further complications, but I know I’m on the mend.”
Today, Marlon says his energy level is up and his condition has greatly improved. In fact, shortly after his therapy, his endocrinologist, impressed by his blood sugar levels, was able to take him off insulin. “We’re eliminating more medications,” Marlon says. “I’m good to go!”
2 | NSIstemcell.com
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