Starting up your small business at home may cut some overhead expenses, but once you start to set up those oh so important meetings that will make or break your new venture, you may want to reconsider inviting the execs over for a cuppa joe in your living/dining/bedroom.

There are office spaces popping up around town that cater to one-person operations. You obviously don’t need to rent out an entire office because you don’t have employees, but now you have the option of simply renting out one desk space, or one small room in a facility of many. The Network Hub is one such place.

Some benefits of moving your setup to the Hub include:

* Accessibility to meeting rooms
* Internet access
* Print/Copy/Fax facilities
* A business mailing address
* Live answering services provided by a receptionist
* A waiting area for your clients while you prepare for your meeting with them

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Wednesdays are usually the day Dabbler.ca features a new Beau Nelson Essential Make-up Tip. However, Beau’s next segment will be postponed by a week to bring you information on a new book for all you make-up lovers out there. Check out Carmindy’s “The 5-Minute Face: The Quick & Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman.”

Please note that Beau’s feature segments will resume next Wednesday, July 11th!

We’ve all passed Chinese herbal medicine shops and have paused in wonder at all the bins and jars filled with unusual and exotic ingredients. It’s quite an intimidating sight and if you venture inside, it’s like visiting a foreign country (except you don’t have a map or a dictionary). Usually the language barrier hinders our ability to learn more about this curious world so we’re simply left to our own imaginations and wild speculations. But you don’t have to wonder anymore. Dr. Maryam Mahanian from the Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Clinic of Vancouver will give you a rear look inside the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine as we visit the Sunny Day Herbal Store in the heart of Chinatown. That’s coming up on Friday June 22nd so don’t miss it!

Part I: Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Cure for What Ails You
Part II: Traditional Chinese Medicine: Herbal Prescriptions

Ok, I know many of you just got turned off by reading the word “Football,” but hear me out. I went to my very first live football game last night when the BC Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders met for their pre-season exhibition game (that means it doesn’t count). I had great doubts that I would enjoy it because football is one of those sports that makes absolutely no sense to me and I never had the desire to learn. To me, it just looks like a bunch of large men in tights in a seemingly futile attempt to get a football more than a few yards down a field. They’d never run more than a few feet before ending up at the bottom of a dogpile and seemed to spend more time standing on the sidelines than actually playing a game. Anyhow, I digress. Despite my lack of interest, I let myself be dragged to a game but made sure that I didn’t let my Friday night go to waste. Before the game, Rick Ball, the notable voice for the BC Lions on The TEAM1040, was kind enough to lend me a few minutes of his pre-game prep time to give me a quick rundown of what to expect and how to understand the game and you know what? I actually enjoyed watching it afterwards! Maybe you will too once you read my primer and hear what Rick had to say. Find out what a ‘Down’ is, what I think about the Felions, and how Rick got his coveted Grey Cup ring. It’s all coming up THIS week so stay tuned!

Football Primer

Have you met your sexy side? Pole dancing isn’t reserved for exotic dancers anymore. Housewives, lawyers, students…women from all walks of life are signing up for one of these challenging classes. We were at Aradia Fitness today to check out one of the advanced levels and you’ll get to see what such a class is able to achieve on a pole. Get the virtual experience with Instructor Caroline MacGillivray as she breaks down all the moves and techniques that make up each jaw-dropping routine. It may seem like a graceful, sensuous and effortless form of dance, but pole dancing can take months, even years to perfect, which is why students keep coming back for more. How many workouts can tone those abs AND make you feel sexy while doing it!

Mark your calendars and check out the video on Monday, June 18th!

Pole Dancing: A Workout Like Nothing Else

Nordic walking – also commonly referred to as pole walking or ski walking – is essentially a fitness option that employs the use of ski poles when walking. The sport originated in Finland and for decades has provided effective dry land traning for competitive skiers in the off-season.

Although regular ski poles can be used for this form of exercise, specialized ones are available which cater to the specific needs of a Nordic walker. Custom features include an ergonomic handle and comfortable straps, a rubber “bootie,” and height adjustability. With proper technique, pole walking can be quite the workout.

This is a fantastic option for those who have trouble with high impact sports such as running. It may not sound like you’re doing much but you’d be surprised. Pole walking is likened to cross-country skiing in the full body exercise that it provides. You can burn 28% or more calories when walking by simply adding the poles to your routine and you also release the pressure on your back and lower joints when you transfer part of your weight to the equipment.

Tune in THIS Friday, May 15th when Donna Hutchinson of On The Edge Fitness Educators introduces the sport of Nordic Walking:

Part I: The Key is a Good Bootie!: Nordic Walking
Part II: Nordic Walking: Technique

Like many of you (or ideally many of you) who attended EPIC, the Sustainable Living Expo back in March, I signed up for my free subscription to Granville Magazine. I enjoy reading ‘green’ articles and books on how to leave a smaller carbon footprint but as with many such publications, ideas are somewhat tricky to contextualize and put into practice when solutions are posed but not where those solutions can be found locally. Now there is a city magazine to use as a resource and reference to help us realistically maintain the beautiful environment we have come to enjoy as Vancouverites. I’ve been waiting all this time to get my premier issue and it finally arrived in the mail yesterday. I was psyched! Until I looked at the cover. Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty-nine years old and still wondering what I am going to do when I grow up. I’ve dabbled in this and that and have enjoyed success in everything that I’ve done, but to claim that I have one passion that I want to spend the rest of my life pursuing would be a gross misrepresentation. Am I atypical? I don’t think so. Remember when you wanted to be a firefighter/doctor/vet/astronaut/superhero? I’ve decided there’s no good reason why I shouldn’t try everything out and where better to do that but in Vancouver! I’m not saying I’ll be pulling any bodies out of burning buildings anytime soon but if there’s someone in town who can teach me how, not only will I jump at the chance, but you’ll read or watch it right here. This blog will feature articles, as well as an extensive video library about anything and everything under the sky.

Welcome to Dabbler.ca, where there is always something for everyone.