Archive for November, 2005
Simplify
I have a new hobby: simplification. About a month ago, I stumbled upon an interesting little corner of the internet. Since then, I’ve been reading a few blogs dedicated to simple living, efficient living, and other life hacks. The overarching theme is to live a happier, less stressful life by taking control of all of your junk–in short, simplify! I’ve been inspired, and my first attempts have gone pretty well.
Yesterday I spent about four hours going through all the junk in my room and figuring out what I need and what I can live without. 4 bags went to the recycling, 2 to trash and 2 to Goodwill. In addition, I listed a half dozen items on the Madison Stuff Exchange. My room is much cleaner now and there is way less clutter. I can’t confirm that my mental health has improved, but I certainly feel less stress when I walk into the room.
I’m looking forward to going through an even more intense process of elimination when I move next year. I really like the idea of a simplified lifestyle. (We’ll see how long this tadfad lasts.)
. . .
For further reading, check out december.com .
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Nov 20th, 2005
We’re putting the FAT back in FAT
I was watching television last night (just a few minutes, don’t worry) and I came across what could possibly be the most disturbing show yet: The Biggest Loser. At first I thought it was a competition for who could be the biggest loser (adjective) and I was intrigued because I might be a potential candidate. Then I discovered that it was a reality-TV competition of who can lose the most body weight. And I was horrified.
Have we really come to this? Have we become so massively obese on a national scale that we are entertained by watching other fatties compete to shed pounds on national TV? Are you serious?
Maybe I’m lucky because I’ve been thin and lanky for most of my life. But then again, maybe the rest of America needs to wake up and lose some weight! How tragic that the average life expectancy is actually going to go down in the next decade as obesity and the related health effects takes a toll. What has gone wrong? I have a few ideas:
Suburbs! When you have to drive in your car to get anywhere, you have a problem. In cities, walking is a crucial component of transportation. In the ‘burbs, the SUV is the top choice. No wonder we have a massive obesity problem, if most Americans don’t even walk anymore, much less exercise. Please, please, please move back to the cities and towns. The suburbs are not your friends! They are making you fat!
Convenient Foods! I just saw ad for a new product: crackers and cheese. No joke. In case it was too difficult to cut up some cheese and grab a box of crackers, Kraft has done the work for you and packaged it in a handy plastic tray. WHAT?! We are so obsessed with convenience and instant-prep times that our food quality suffers. Fast food is obviously the worst, but even many of the the microwave foods have surprisingly high fat and calorie content. Maybe if we didn’t waste so much time driving to and from work, we could spend a few minutes making a quality meal out of quality ingredients.
TV! Guess what? Watching TV is bad for your health. I’ve seen it happen–hours upon hours spent motionless in front of the glowing tube. Whether it’s TV, movies, or video games, too much is a very bad thing. Get up! Go outside! Take a hike somewhere! Just do something active.
I don’t want to be paying exorbitant health care costs in 25 years when 80% of America is obese. Please take care of your health. Thank you.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (0) : Nov 16th, 2005
