A screening of Noah Baumbach’s film While We’re Young got us thinking: These years where we can safely fit into the age range of a “young professional” go by damn quickly.
One second you’re a greener than grass intern; the next, you’re desperately searching for something to breathe new life into your increasingly mundane, middle-aged routine.
Yikes.
While We’re Young – which premiered back in September at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) – stars Ben Stiller (Josh) and Naomi Watts (Cornelia) as a slightly frustrated middle-aged couple who forms a relationship with a cool, much younger hipster couple, played by Amanda Seyfried (Darby) and Adam Driver (Jamie).
The comedy outlines the unlikely friendship of the foursome and will definitely get you thinking as well when it comes to things like aging, life stages, and how to make the most of our carefree days while we can still get away with it.
That’s why we bring you 9 things you need to do while you’re still young – along with a ton of prizes, valued at $1600*, to help you tackle all of them (scroll down to enter).
1. Pursue Your Passions
Jamie and Darby will drop everything they have going on to tackle their next passion and to create – and that’s one thing Josh and Cornelia love about them. In the film, this means everything from making movies to ice cream for the young couple, as well as a love for all things retro and unconnected. Take their lead; life will quickly become more chaotic when things like mortgages, kids, and increased work responsibilities enter the equation.
2. Be Active
No matter how many hours in your week are occupied with social and work obligations, now’s definitely not the time to let yourself go when it comes to your body. While you’re in your prime, take advantage of it – that 15K may not always come as easy for you. While Amanda Seyfried’s character, Darby, takes hip-hop classes and rides her bike everywhere with Jamie, Ben Stiller’s character gets an ‘over-the-hill’ dose of reality when he finds out he has arthritis in his knee. In the spirit of being active, you could win a Giant Bicycle ($519).
3. Book an Adventure Trip on a Whim
While you’re still young and relatively free, book an adventurous trip on a whim. There’s no point in trying to squash that lingering inner travel bug – it’s only going to come back to haunt you later in life when responsibilities get real. At that point, even thinking about such a trip would be a total joke. As we see from Josh and Cornelia’s lives, jumping on a plane on a whim isn’t as simple after 40. If you win $500 off your next G Adventures trip, you’ll have no excuse not to book that trip.
4. Don’t Dress Too Seriously
You have your entire life to dress like a real “adult.” Infuse your wardrobe with youthful touches – like Jamie and Darby do – that assure you that you’re not over the young professional hill yet, whether it means rocking a new pair of Chucks, or wearing your baseball hat backwards. To score the look, a New Era gift card ($200) and a Shoeme.ca gift card ($200) will come in quite handy this season. 
5. Document It
If our 20s and early 30s really are the best time of our lives, then we better document it so that we may one day nostalgically relive these moments. In the film, Jamie doesn’t leave home without his video camera. Remember, though, just because you capture the moment doesn’t mean it needs to be filtered and posted on social media.
6. Indulge
Too many young professionals take the whole ‘health kick’ to ridiculous levels. But it’s important to learn to indulge a little while we’re still young – it’s only going to get more difficult to burn those calories later in life. So say yes to the fully loaded midnight poutine once in a while. Bring your friends along too with a $200 Smokes Poutinerie gift card. 
7. Play Hard
All that pavement pounding, 15-hour workdays, and faking it until we make it gets exhausting. That’s why it’s important to let loose and play as hard as you work – your chances of doing so will only become more limited when you get older. So go ahead, get it all out of your system before you’re the oldest person in the club. In the film, Josh and Cornelia have seemed to forget what it was like to have raw, uninhibited fun until they meet the free-spirited and fun loving Jamie and Darby – and definitely play hard. 
8. Spend Time With Kids
While you’re still young, make a point to spend time with your (likely older) friends and family members who have children. That way, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect once mini-mes enter the equation and will know that kids aren’t as cute 24/7 as Facebook would lead us to believe. Cornelia and Josh still had no clue how to handle a child in their early 40s. 
9. Sleep the Weekend Away
Though our weekends would be super productive and full of exercise, errand running, and catching up with the family in an ideal world, there’s no shame in sleeping away an entire weekend while you can. You’ll look better, emerge more relaxed, and be ready to tackle the week with a focused mind. Fast-forward a decade: running a house, managing a big career, and a couple of kids means no sleep. Like, zero. Ever.
Need more insight? Check out While We’re Young for yourself. The film opens in theatres across the country on April 24th. If you missed it, check out our interview with director Noah Baumbach here.
To enter the contest, sign up to our eNewsletter here and fill out the form below.
*Prize list:
1) $500 dollar gift card from G Adventures
2) $519 Bicycle from Giant.
3) $200 New Era Gift Card
4) $200 Shoeme.ca Gift Card
5) $200 Smokes Poutinerie Gift Card
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