Unleashing the Inner Kid

It’s been one week since I last submitted a post from this account (though @steemship was kind enough to post an article I wrote a few days ago). Over the last week, I was able to vote and comment on others’ posts, but it didn’t make much sense to write anything when my earnings were disappearing.

Today, I am thrilled that my account has been restored and I have full access again. My first action was to cancel the Power Down that the hacker had scheduled last week. I remain so impressed with the Steemit team's commitment to helping everyone and getting this platform right. Thanks, Steemit team!

Having my account back makes me feel like a kid again. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to make a post about adults being kids. I’m not sure I like all these trends, but they do point to the occasional need to simplify our lives. Since I happen to be going on vacation for the next few days, I am going to take this opportunity to unplug from Steemit for a bit, de-clutter, and try to see the world from my kids’ perspective.

Here are some silly things that some other people are doing to re-discover their inner child. I call them silly, but they're probably laughing at me, too.

Baby Food Diets

The Baby Food Diet: did you know that’s a thing? Some adults who want to keep from gaining weight have started eating jars of pureed carrots and peas. Here is the explanation of this diet from WedMD (source links at end of article):

The Baby Food Diet, an Internet phenomenon rumored to have been started by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, is a gimmick for cutting calories and controlling portions. It involves replacing one or two meals or snacks a day with baby food -- jars of which range in calories from about 20 to 100.

This is not a weight loss diet, but a maintenance plan to help you keep off pounds you’ve already shed. The rules, which aren’t published anywhere official, vary. One version calls for eating 14 jars of baby food during the day and a real dinner in the evening.

Oh my goodness, 14 jars? Do you know how much baby food costs? It isn’t cheap. I assume these people are buying the jars rather than making their own. If they are blending up their own bananas and spinach, then you’d think they might add some seasoning.

But that’s not what this trend is about. It’s not about making baby food. It’s about simplifying. Opening a jar of baby food is easier than cooking and it’s easier than counting the calories on the back of every food label.

So who cares if pureed food goes through your system faster, keeps you feeling hungry, and makes you want to grab for that 15th jar of applesauce? It’s usually vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and relatively low in sugar. Baby food: simple stuff.

Summer Camps for Grown Ups

Where I live in the United States, it is common for children to attend summer camps. But kids’ camps are yesterday’s news. If you want to invest in a growing industry, look no further than ADULT day camps. Whether it’s motivational team-building for employers or full-on summer camps for adults, these things have spread like wildfire.

At most of them, Rule Number 1 is “No technology.” You won’t get phone coverage or wifi at most grown up camps. Some even confiscate your phones. Slowing down is often a major theme.

There are horse-riding camps, archery camps, basic training boot camps, fishing camps, storytelling camps, religious study camps, and a whole lot more. There's a zombie survival camp. A rock and roll camp. The US has 800 adult camps.

And then there’s Camp Throwback, which offers all the fun of kids camps: making friendship bracelets, holding watermelon seed-spitting contests, and eating cafeteria food. But it goes a step further: there’s lots of alcohol and sexy dancing. And it’s famous for Drunk Field Day.

Psychotherapist Nancy Collier, quoted in a CNN Money article on adult camps, said "More and more, we are longing for places that put us in one experience. People want to touch real community versus virtual community.”

And unleash the inner child. The sexy, boozed up inner child, perhaps.

Coloring Books for Big Kids

Adult coloring books hit the big time in 2015. Last year, 3 of the top 10 bestselling books on Amazon were coloring books. The designs are beautiful and there is some therapeutic value to spending a few minutes (or hours) giving life to those lines.

Creativity is healthy for the mind, researchers have found. Adult coloring books are “another peg in the ever-evolving industry of self-help”, wrote neuroscientist Jordan Gaines Lewis in NY Magazine. And this activity gives you a little time away from technology. Unless, of course, you are doing it while texting or while watching your favorite TV show!

Like eating baby food, coloring books are simple and they’re quick. You don’t need to plan a vacation, cook a fancy meal, or read a full-length novel. And this can be a group activity for family or friends, just as easily as it can be a rewarding solo venture.

So what do you like to do for fun? Unleash your inner kid!

#life

Sources:

Adult Day Camps: http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/18/technology/camp-rose-all-day-adult-summer-camp/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool

Buzzfeed article on Summer Camps for adults: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alejandroalba/summer-camps-for-adults?utm_term=.dxq6yw9VyY#.ghz7ZaxnZ4

Baby Food Diet: http://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/baby-food-diet

More on Baby Food: http://slism.com/diet/baby-food-diet.html

Coloring books: http://qz.com/593489/if-you-want-to-be-a-bestselling-author-make-an-adult-coloring-book/

Neuroscientist on adult coloring books: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/01/neuroscientist-explains-adult-coloring-books.html