Water Fast: Day 1 of 3

Posted by On Filed under Health 3 Comments
Water Fast: Day 1 of 3
  • 84+ oz water
  • 0 oz or grams or pounds food
  • A minor headache since noon
  • No hunger pangs yet

I embarked on this water fast because I knew that last one would happen: I’m curious to see how many days until I feel hunger.

Granted, today I’ve felt a few cravings: a cinnamon roll from Espresso Bueno, a ham and cheese croissant from Capitol Grounds, and homemade chex mix that a friend posted to Facebook, but any impulse I’ve had has been to use food just to do something. That’s not hunger or nutrition: that’s using food as a social activity or to alleviate boredom.

Keep reading →

Experiments with a standing desk

Posted by On Filed under Doing Business Differently, Health 1 Comment
Experiments with a standing desk

For the past seven months, I’ve been on my feet at a standing desk.

It all started when I started at Vermont Tech. My office was previously used by a vastly different department, so I somehow had three desks and three filing cabinets, all of which were empty and didn’t serve my paperless work style. I realized I could start from scratch in designing the space – and it is a gorgeous space.

I’ve heard, for the past few years, that sitting all day is killing us desk jockeys. In 2011, NPR reported that “…researchers are beginning to suspect that even if you engage in regular exercise daily, it may not be enough to counteract the effects of too much sitting during the rest of the day.”

Keep reading →

Debt milestone: less than $10,000 left

Posted by On Filed under Money 7 Comments
Debt milestone: less than $10,000 left

I hit another milestone today: my total debt is under $10,000! I’m heading toward a seven-year low mark and I’m just doing full-on battle with the beast.

Since studying abroad in college, I’ve carried credit card debt. It ballooned when my income increased, a typical example of lifestyle inflation. Two years after graduating from college, I bought a brand new car and my student loans came due, all within the same summer.

See that big spike in the chart below?  Yeah, I’ve been recovering from that since 2005.

Keep reading →

Review: Simple Fitness Habit Week 1

Posted by On Filed under Health 2 Comments
Review: Simple Fitness Habit Week 1

What if dietary and fitness habits were truly simple? To find out if that’s possible, I signed up for Simple Fitness Habit from Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.

Simple Fitness Habit is a self-paced course. I signed up for the Gold level so that I’d get four months of access to articles, accountability forums, tracking forms, and several bonuses like the Marathon Roadmap and Scott Dinsmore’s Live of Your Passions ebooks. I’m especially looking forward to Dinsmore’s ebook, as well as the Kettlebell Barbell Hybrid Program and monthly expert webinars.

The program is made up of three modules:

Keep reading →

The Burning House Project: My List

Posted by On Filed under Pause for Reflection, Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism
The Burning House Project: My List

On Tuesday, I blogged about the Burning House Project. The challenge is simple: If your house was burning down, what would you grab?

Many people have actually experienced this type of tragedy, whether from fire, flood, tornado or hurricane and many did not have a realistic chance at grabbing anything but themselves and a few basics. For those of us who have not had this experience, it’s a privilege to try this thought exercise under non-emergency circumstances.

Keep reading →

The Burning House Project

Posted by On Filed under Pause for Reflection, Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism 3 Comments
The Burning House Project

Check out The Burning House Project: “If your house was burning, what would you take with you? It’s a conflict between what’s practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.”

I love the challenge and intensity of this site!

Keep reading →

The Day After Thanksgiving

Posted by On Filed under Pause for Reflection 3 Comments
The Day After Thanksgiving

It’s Black Friday. Or Buy Nothing Day. Or Flannel Friday. Or Block Friday. What the day after Thanksgiving is depends on your perspective. Let’s start with that last one.

There’s an amazing company, Holstee, that wrote the Holstee Manifesto and sells really great products, from clothes to cards to mounted Holstee Manifesto posters.  Check out their page today and you’ll see they’re diverting traffic immediately to Block Friday – away from their blog and even their sales page.  [Update 11/30/15: that link no longer works, sorry!]

They explain that Block Friday “started as a way to remind ourselves that even as we begin the holiday shopping season in earnest, we can still be mindful of the way we’re spending our time and money. What are you Blocking Friday for this holiday season?”

Keep reading →