6 Reasons why you should learn to juggle

By in Rants

I learned the basics of 3-ball juggling when I was about 13. I’m pretty sure my grandmother signed out an old VHS on learning how to juggle from the local library in hopes to keep my brothers and I occupied. Well it worked. I’m fairly certain any one of us could pick up and juggle 3-balls in a pinch.

I always had an interest in juggling growing up but never really had the time to spend on it with school sports, activities, and what not. I always made sure I didn’t lose the basics though. Since the end of summer however, I have spent a good amount of time mastering 3-ball juggling. Perfecting the basics, learning new tricks, and pleasantly enjoying it. The more I do it the more I realize what a great activity it really is.

So if you’re looking for a new skill to learn, I encourage you to consider juggling. In my opinion, here are the six big reasons why you should try it.

1. Juggling Keeps You Fit

Anyone who argues with this statement has never really juggled. Juggling is an aerobic exercise. One that is not expensive to do, doesn’t require a lot of equipment, and is very portable.

Don’t have time to run to the gym on your lunch break? No problem, pack your bean bags in your backpack, purse, briefcase, or whatever and take 20-30 minutes at lunch in a corner somewhere. You don’t need a lot of room either.

Plus: the better you get at it, the more of an exercise it will become.

2. Juggling Makes You Smarter

No joke. Juggling has been shown to increase the grey matter in the brain (See journal article here). So not only are you getting a great core exercise, you are also exercising your mind.

I feel smarter already.

3. Juggling Relieves Stress

It is extremely hard to think of anything else but juggling when you are juggling. It is an excellent way to clear your head of everything that is going on and get absorbed in the activity. It is an excellent positive outlet to expend negative energy and frustration.

You can’t help but smile when you are juggling.

4. Juggling Improves Concentration, Coordination and Range of Motion

You can’t just toss 3 balls in the air and hope for the best. It takes a lot of focus, concentration and problem solving. Recovering your rhythm after a mid-air collision or a dropped ball takes a lot of concentration. This focus you gain from juggling will be noticed in other areas of your life and work.

Coordination is very important for overall health. It helps avoid trips and falls, helps with core exercises and avoiding awkward situations. If you are a good athlete you will likely be able to pick up juggling quicker than non-athletes, and the main reason for this is coordination. However, even if you are the most awkward and uncoordinated person in the world, you will still be able to learn to juggle, and it will be an excellent way to improve your coordination.

When you begin to learn how to juggle, you will need to reach, crouch, bend and grab in ways you didn’t think were possible. Like any new activity, you will be sore at first since it is using body mechanics that you do not normally use. You will experience an increase in range of motion in your arms and shoulders.

5. Juggling is a Great Replacement Activity

Juggling can be used as a great replacement activity for breaking bad habits, overcoming cravings, and much more. Are you one of the many people who eats when they are bored? Try juggling instead. The same goes for overcoming cravings to smoke if you are trying to quit.

As a warning, unfortunately, juggling is also an excellent way to procrastinate from studying and working. Consider yourself warned.

6. Juggling is Cool

Juggling is fun and entertaining.

It is an excellent ice breaker and conversation starter and lets face it we all love watching someone juggle.

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Have any experience with juggling? I would love to hear.

Good luck!

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How to travel across the country for free: Ride Sharing

By in Rants

Last March I took a trip half way across the country. I spent a week visiting friends and loved ones, interviewing, and apartment hunting, among many other things.

The catch is that I did it all for around $40 – including gas, food for the week, and even a St. Patty’s day celebration.

There are many things you can do while traveling to save money, including staying with friends instead of hotels, buying groceries and packing meals instead of eating out, and the list goes on. The one thing I did that saved me so much money was setup a successful ride share.

What is Ride Sharing?

It is similar to car-pooling – basically just sharing a ride for a negotiable rate between destinations. So how do you use this to make money?

If you’re making a long drive – or any drive for that matter – and looking to save (or make) money on gas, etc. be sure to start at Kijiji to post your rideshare ad. Make sure to post the ad in all the major cities along your routes.

For best results, make it clear that your dates are flexible (and be flexible) and your price is negotiable. If you’re planning on returning the same route, offer a round trip option as well. I had over 25 requests for a ride with the above method.

So now that you’re receiving multiple emails inquiring about rides, it’s important not to commit to anything until you’ve found the best ride-share participants. I searched everyone who emailed on Google and Facebook to make sure I knew who I’d be driving.

UPDATE: A new site has been brought to my attention that not only offers a place for drivers and passengers to connect who are looking to ride share, but also helps in the process I mentioned about verifying them on Facebook, etc. I haven’t actually used it myself yet but from what I’ve been reading it looks like an awesome spot if you’re looking to share a ride. The company is called Ridejoy, and you can check them out at Ridejoy.com.

To optimize your ride sharing (and make the most money) take many people short distances, rather than a few people the entire way. In a dollar-to-milage ratio people are typically willing to pay more for shorter distances. The reason I was able to make money on my trip is because I took the following combination of ride shares:

Halifax to Moncton, Halifax to Quebec City, Moncton to Toronto, Quebec City to Toronto, and Toronto to London, and most of them took a round trip. Five people total allowed me to make more money than taking a couple the entire way.

A few things to note for both drivers and ride-sharees:

Driving people into big cities, especially if you’re both picking up and dropping off can be a logistics nightmare. Make sure you arrange where you’re going to pick up and drop off before agreeing, or make sure you have a GPS handy.

Don’t charge everyone the same price. Some people are willing to pay more for the ride than others, when you’re negotiating your ride-shares make sure you keep this in mind.

Drive safely and efficiently. Plan out your trip before hand and even email your ride-shares your itinerary so they know what to expect.

Learn to say No. You will not be able to satisfy everyone, especially when choosing the people you will drive. If someone wants to be dropped off in the depths of Montreal and you don’t feel comfortable driving in – say no, you’ll find someone else willing to be dropped off somewhere more convenient. Same goes for stops along the way, be respectful, but be efficient.

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For people that are curious, I spent $190 in gas for a round trip to London, Ontario from Halifax, Nova Scotia and I covered all that, plus $100 from my ride-shares.

If anyone has had any positive or negative ride share experiences, I’d love to hear about them.

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