I really hate trying to find something in my kitchen. This is always a bit of a problem since I love to cook and the idea of going into my pantry gives me pause on a regular basis. The solution is that I'm going to organize it so it's not only easy to find, but will help me and my partner with the actual cooking process.
The task is not only to clear out the pantry of all the stuff that we don't need or want (we don't really do gluten, or peanuts anymore. I still do some dairy) but we also need containers that I can stack and make sure there's a way to label them as to what they are and how to cook them. This will help me find things in the kitchen and cut down on waste. This will also help me when it's time to go shopping I can just look and see if we need any of a particular ingredient. I plan on posting pictures later after I'm done.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
it's not about the numbers
The scale. I hate the scale and it's number that is totally misleading as to what your health might be. I know that there's a certain amount of validity to the number as an indicator to over all health. It's only that I put sooo much behind that number, so much self esteem, and so much... well weight. It can be horribly defeating to see that number pop up after so much effort and it's not what you're expecting. In a world where we are attacked daily by images that show unrealistic body images by a very small percentage of the human population that can achieve such results it can be even worse. We are all so different and beautiful that we need to become the best that we can be, and not hold up to some other ideal that someone is selling us.
So to hell with the number. I say that if we're all different people and different objectives in our lives we need to better define what healthy is to ourselves. Even tho you can examine body composition to better understand if you're really healthy that seems to be even more outside validation that we shouldn't have to have. It should be a bonus to find out how healthy we are, instead we should look for the feeling that we get when we are truly physically healthy. As this feeling strengthens it will create a cycle of good feeling and health that will help us continue on a path to a better, healthier life.
I'm not sure why I switched to us, instead of I but it seemed appropriate
So to hell with the number. I say that if we're all different people and different objectives in our lives we need to better define what healthy is to ourselves. Even tho you can examine body composition to better understand if you're really healthy that seems to be even more outside validation that we shouldn't have to have. It should be a bonus to find out how healthy we are, instead we should look for the feeling that we get when we are truly physically healthy. As this feeling strengthens it will create a cycle of good feeling and health that will help us continue on a path to a better, healthier life.
I'm not sure why I switched to us, instead of I but it seemed appropriate
momentum
There are a few things that I find really easy to do in the morning. I used to have to get up at 5 every morning with only 15 minutes to get myself ready and out the door so I could get to work. Since I don't have to do that anymore it makes it easy to get up at 7, make breakfast for me and my partner, get food packed for the day, check some email/facebook, and a few other chores around the house.
However the one thing that is not easy to do is exercise. I don't know how many times I've had the intention of getting up in the morning and going to work out before the day gets to long, but it rarely gets to that point. Instead I fall back on this whole idea of "I don't have to do it." and if I don't have to do it I won't.
The solution comes in the form of a studio down from where I live that offers many disciplines such as: pilates/yoga/barre/TRX/ and so on. What I've noted about this place is that they have many classes at all times of the day but I feel I'd still get the most benefit if I did it in the morning. So here's the plan: each night before bed I'll go on-line and schedule a class that I'll do the next morning. Now since they have a fee if you cancel/don't show up for class if it's 8 hours before the class starts I'm hoping this will be enough motivation for me to do it every morning. That I'll be able to feel that sense of "I have to do this, I've already paid for it."
I know it's for my physical health and I know it's a goal of mine to improve health in many aspects. It's just that sometimes you need another motive to help you stay on track. At least I do.
However the one thing that is not easy to do is exercise. I don't know how many times I've had the intention of getting up in the morning and going to work out before the day gets to long, but it rarely gets to that point. Instead I fall back on this whole idea of "I don't have to do it." and if I don't have to do it I won't.
The solution comes in the form of a studio down from where I live that offers many disciplines such as: pilates/yoga/barre/TRX/ and so on. What I've noted about this place is that they have many classes at all times of the day but I feel I'd still get the most benefit if I did it in the morning. So here's the plan: each night before bed I'll go on-line and schedule a class that I'll do the next morning. Now since they have a fee if you cancel/don't show up for class if it's 8 hours before the class starts I'm hoping this will be enough motivation for me to do it every morning. That I'll be able to feel that sense of "I have to do this, I've already paid for it."
I know it's for my physical health and I know it's a goal of mine to improve health in many aspects. It's just that sometimes you need another motive to help you stay on track. At least I do.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
day one
I want to be healthy. This is fairly profound statement and one that can also be elusive. I've tried to figure out what this really means to me and I feel that ultimately I need an outlet to explore what this really means. This way I can explore this process organically and not be stuck on an idea of what health is and can allow it to change as my needs change.
Three fold health. Defined by me as the three parts of my life that I want to improve. Physical, mental and spiritual it's all connected in my book. If I want to be healthy, truly healthy I need to make improvements in all aspects. This will include a few goals and statements to help me on the way to a better me.
I feel the best way is to make small changes in my life on a daily basis. These small changes are bound to take a firmer root and lead to overall greater changes and ultimately greater health. Here are the first few:
1) in the physical realm I want to be more active. I don't have what one would call a "sedentary" lifestyle. It's more about increasing my over all activity. It's not just about exercising more, even tho I plan to do more of that, it's about just doing more active things in my free time.
2) eating healthier. Although I eat fairly healthy, I want to tighten the belt on my diet. I want to enjoy my food while eating for a healthier life. I'm looking to have a solid foundation of healthy eating so that when there is to be a little indulgence it won't break the cycle of health. This includes eating more plant based food and less animal products, limiting portion size and drinking less alcohol and more water. This along with being more active will allow me to lose/maintain a healthier weight.
3) I really enjoy having people over but when I do I have to scramble to clean my apartment since I tend to live like a slob. I hope to overcome this by develop a simple system of everything in it's place so the clutter doesn't ever get really out of control. This includes clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, clean and well stocked fridge, trash and recycling getting out of control, and overall cleanliness of my apartment. I feel that if I have a system for everything I will be able to combat the clutter that exists. Lack of clutter in my living space will allow for a less cluttered life and mind.
4) I want to encourage more mental pursuits. I want to read more books, meditate on a regular basis and re-new my pursuit of Buddhist studies. This will simply be me taking some time every day to do at least one of these if not more a day.
while this is not a complete list of all the changes I want to make it's a start. Again this is about process and progress and I have to start somewhere so this is where I choose to begin. Anything and any time I need help to define or refine what I need out of this process/progress I'll turn back to this blog. I will also use this blog to post anything that pertains to this pursuit.
Three fold health. Defined by me as the three parts of my life that I want to improve. Physical, mental and spiritual it's all connected in my book. If I want to be healthy, truly healthy I need to make improvements in all aspects. This will include a few goals and statements to help me on the way to a better me.
I feel the best way is to make small changes in my life on a daily basis. These small changes are bound to take a firmer root and lead to overall greater changes and ultimately greater health. Here are the first few:
1) in the physical realm I want to be more active. I don't have what one would call a "sedentary" lifestyle. It's more about increasing my over all activity. It's not just about exercising more, even tho I plan to do more of that, it's about just doing more active things in my free time.
2) eating healthier. Although I eat fairly healthy, I want to tighten the belt on my diet. I want to enjoy my food while eating for a healthier life. I'm looking to have a solid foundation of healthy eating so that when there is to be a little indulgence it won't break the cycle of health. This includes eating more plant based food and less animal products, limiting portion size and drinking less alcohol and more water. This along with being more active will allow me to lose/maintain a healthier weight.
3) I really enjoy having people over but when I do I have to scramble to clean my apartment since I tend to live like a slob. I hope to overcome this by develop a simple system of everything in it's place so the clutter doesn't ever get really out of control. This includes clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, clean and well stocked fridge, trash and recycling getting out of control, and overall cleanliness of my apartment. I feel that if I have a system for everything I will be able to combat the clutter that exists. Lack of clutter in my living space will allow for a less cluttered life and mind.
4) I want to encourage more mental pursuits. I want to read more books, meditate on a regular basis and re-new my pursuit of Buddhist studies. This will simply be me taking some time every day to do at least one of these if not more a day.
while this is not a complete list of all the changes I want to make it's a start. Again this is about process and progress and I have to start somewhere so this is where I choose to begin. Anything and any time I need help to define or refine what I need out of this process/progress I'll turn back to this blog. I will also use this blog to post anything that pertains to this pursuit.
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