Tough Broad. Caroline Paul.

 

Tough Broad.   Caroline Paul.

From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking – How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age.

Can we improve our lives as we age?    Do you believe we can improve on skills or grow to learn them as we approach a certain age?    Regardless of thought or answer, the book “Tough Broad” and its author, Caroline Paul, have some definitive thoughts on the matter.  This is a book about being outdoors, being active, being adventurous, challenging ourselves and the impact on your physiology as well.    While the book features a variety of female characters and adventurers it is not necessarily limited to who might like reading it.

Caroline Paul, the author, has lived a life of trying new things and sharing her experiences of both failures and success.     She skillfully blends in how some of these adventures impact our health from a physical, emotional, and social perspective.   Paul writes about trying and sometimes even excelling at such daring activities as base jumping, wing walking, deep sea diving among others.   In addition, the author inspires the reader to seek inspiration and awe in our daily lives for motivation and personal growth.    

Paul not only interviews several older women who participated in a wide variety of physical activities but often engaged in those acts right along with them.    Each chapter focuses on a character and reveals the experience they shared together.   Along the way, the author expands upon their story in how they got started with it and the experiences they have had over the years including injuries, setbacks, and growth as well.

At times, it seemed like the author through her experiences learned as much about herself as the characters of each chapter did.    A unique bonus of each chapter was the ability of Paul to tie the adventure to some physiological benefit along the way.    An example would be how breathing in phytoncides emanating from trees in the forest would help boost our immune system and lower blood pressure.   Another example was finding a way to put ourselves in awe of nature particularly during a walk or outdoor excursion.   The benefit being that it helped us re-set and clear the clutter from our minds. 

There seemed to be a theme of how woman can do these daring and thrilling activities.   Not only women but older women.    Virtually every one of her subjects discussed in each chapter was older than the author, including several septuagenarians and octogenarians.   The point being that woman did not have to be as cautious about living, trying new things, even something as daring as wing walking or BMX bike racing as they were once raised and programmed to act.    In fact, these various acts including milder adventures such as bird watching, swimming or snorkeling had many wellness benefits that might not have been visited or experienced among women of past generations.   

Naturally, the author was very supportive of all her subjects since she had a daring streak in her as well but also a supporter of woman taking risks and living their fullest life especially outdoors where the physical and mental benefits are numerous.    Paul even included separate sections and mentions about both her mother and father and the influence they had on her siblings including twin sister.  The book strongly ties the concept of positive outlook on aging as a strong predictor or indicator to the health and longevity for human beings.    Paul even makes a bold assertion at the end of the book that through her experiences outdoor adventuring should be “prescribed by doctors and funded by health insurance companies.”  The thinking that this would be a useful motivator to get aging women involved in something socially, physically and mentally beneficial.   On the surface it sounds like a nice idea but probably not a likely offering any time soon and that is unfortunate.

At two hundred and sixty pages, the book is easy enough to read.   One does not have to be female to start or enjoy this manuscript.     The author deploys interesting and engaging writing prose.   The research is well done, and the stories of adventure are gripping.  Some topics were more interesting than others but in the end the message was the same.   Women, even much older women, are quite capable of engaging in outdoor adventures in middle age and extend that deep into their twilight years.    According to the author, there are no shortages of outdoor activities that yield positive health results for any participant.    This is a good thing since performing risky activities such as sky diving or jumping out of a plane may seem counter intuitive to extending one’s life.   Caroline Paul puts together a pretty good argument that woman can be tough, daring and get as much out of life as their male counterparts.        

·         You might like to read this book if you are interested in reading about people that perform interesting outdoor adventures.

·         You might like to read this book if you seek to read about challenges and adventures experienced particularly among women.  

·         You might like to read this book if you enjoy learning more about how to derive more wellness benefits as we age.   

 

Read more about the author on X:   https://twitter.com/carowriter