The Femme Files

The Answer to Reducing Stress has Four Legs

I love my dog.  I could have the crappiest day in the office – but the moment I walk through the door and see my pup’s wide eyes and bum wiggle out of control, my mood lifts instantaneously.

Working in a high pressure job – I was always resistant when my husband suggested we get a pet.  “Who will walk her?  Who will mind her when we go away”  I would challenge in defence. 

But since our spaniel came into our lives, I’m fitter, less stressed and laugh more at home.

 That led me to question – can a dog really lower your stress levels?

Hot Wedding Tips – What not to do on the Big Day!

In the lead up to the wedding season we’ve been getting a lot of brides-to-be through our doors, wanting to use Hypoxi to get in shape for the big day. As the women pedal away, we can’t help but overhear snippets of their conversations – from the demands placed on bridesmaids, to over-the-top hen’s nights – some of the revelations are shocking! Drawing on our own experiences, here’s the ultimate list of what NOT to do – whether you’re bride, groom or guest:

Why Lie Ladies?

Call them fibs, white lies, tall tales or falsehoods – the bottom line is that people today lie more frequently than they go to the bathroom.  And while there are different levels of severity when it comes to lying – telling porkies is a major social issue which has the capacity to hurt relationships, businesses and society in general.

While sitting at a cafe last weekend I watched as a group of women welcomed an additional friend to their table.  I couldn’t help but overhear as the eldest woman complemented the newcomer on how amazing she looked – “Sarah you look fantastic, that dress shows off your curves – purple really suits you!”.

The high pitched, over-the-top adulation didn’t take me by surprise, but what I heard half an hour later out of the same woman’s mouth as they all got ready to leave did – “Sarah really didn’t look herself, I think she’s put on weight”.

As I sat there – a raft of questions swarmed in my head….

Fancy a Ride on the Love Bus?

Sex and the City – the words are slightly misleading as they suggest the two come hand in hand.  But according to the women we speak to daily at Hypoxi – finding a good man in a city like Sydney is about as hard as turning water into wine.

Take the typical professional female.  She sleeps on average 7 hours a day.  She takes 1 hour to eat, shower and get ready for work, 1 hour to commute to work and a conservative 10 hours in the office.  She makes the 1 hour return journey home, 1 hour for dinner and 1 hour for domestic chores and catching up with friends on the phone.  That leaves a meagre 2 HOURS of free time to meet a prospective partner.

And as if the lack of free time available wasn’t enough of a hurdle, then there is the second challenge – where do decent, good humoured, honest, hard working men hang out?

It seems that our intelligent female counter parts in Denmark have come up with a possible solution [insert drumroll] – in the form of a bus seat!

Danish bus company, Arriva Scandinavia, have installed “love seats” in more than 100 city buses in Copenhagen. The seats are bright red and two are placed side by side in every bus. If you sit on one of the “love seats” – you are effectively letting all the passengers know that you are single and available. The bus company is actively promoting the initiative and inviting men and women to sit on the available love seat and strike up a conversation if they “like what they see”.

Would anyone seriously sit on a “love seat” – I hear you ask?  Apparently so – the initiative has been so successful that the company is considering rolling it out more extensively across the network. I’m not sure whether this says something about the confidence levels of Danish women or their level of desperation.  Either way, it’s certainly a novel and time effective way to meet new people. Slightly more embarrassing than walking up to someone in a bar, but less ridiculous than the concept of speed dating.

We’d love to hear from all the single women out there – if you had the opportunity to promote yourself on a “love seat” – would you do it and why?