This above all:

To thine own self be true.

Ideas...

Interesting people doing inspirational things.

Waves of Hope: http://elcocoloconicaragua.com/woh.php

Casa Llanta: http://www.casallanta.com/Home.html

Earthship: http://www.earthshippitayafestival.com/

Triathlon training day 1...

So I have decided that 2010 is going to be my year of random fitness goals. The major one is the triathlon I have decided to participate in in August. It's what I'd like to call a baby triathlon - 400m swim, 10km bike, and 2.5km run.... the distances might not be long, but I think that's plenty to start! ;) I would also like to run at least one half marathon, probably in the spring. Considering how miserably out of shape I am, I decided to start training now!

Today was my first day of training and the following were my numbers:

Run - 2.5km in 18.52 minutes, average incline of 4.

... followed by 20 minutes of strength training, lifting weights, etc...

Bike - 10km in 23.04 minutes, average include of 8.

Not so fabulous overall BUT it's only day one and I can get through the triathlon land distances without dying - good news! And really, I am posting these rather dismal numbers to look back on in 10 months and see just how far I have come. :)

Yippie!

mxo

Stories...

Maya has been instructed to write her story... in the third person. Strange.

Today's song: "Protection" by Massive Attack.... AND... "Knock You Down" by Keri Hilson - so all over the place, I know! That's Maya's way. ;)

Soundtrack continued...

oct. 24 - "Today Will Be Better, I Swear!" by the Stars

oct. 25 - "Good Man" by India Arie

oct. 26 - "Waiting Line" by Zero 7

oct. 27 - "Shine" by Rosi Golan

nov. 1 - "I Don't Live in a Dream" by Jackie Greene

nov. 3 - "Enchantment" by Lily Frost

nov. 8 - "Beautiful Flower" by India Arie

and today...

nov. 9 - "Running" by Jully Black

Be the change you wish to see...

It's such a cliche at this point, which is unfortunate, but it nevertheless remains true: change begins with each and every one of us.

Gok Wan is doing a wonderful thing. He has started a campaign, and a hit TV show, to help British women feel good about themselves JUST AS THEY... right NOW ... naked! What a wonderfully refreshing concept... and really, it's about time! So many of us waste such a profound amount of time stressing about something "someone" told us we should be stressing about, time that we could be using to live our lives freely, happily, confidentially, etc. I realize it's easier to say than do, but I really think that the time has come for us to shake the shackles of some boring and outdated social norms. The future of little girls everywhere, at least with respect to body image, depends on us.

Today feels like: "Beautiful Flower" by India Arie.

Enchantment...

What an enchanting day! Just the beginning, I presume.

A land forgotten...

This weekend felt like Jackie Greene's "I Don't Live in a Dream". 100%.

Growth...

It's truly funny where life chooses to drop meaningful lessons. I cried like a little baby tonight when Abby was sent home from The Biggest Loser. I haven't watched a single episode of this season, although I know her story: a young woman struggling to find herself after losing her entire family to an awful car crash. But she picked herself up, dusted off the cobwebs, and got on with living. Now she's travelling the US motivating others to get on with living. It's unexpected tidbits like this, found randomly while channel surfing on a lazy Tuesday night, that really put things into perspective. True perspective.

Today most certainly feels like Rosi Golan's, "Shine" - Abby's farewell song on the show.

This life is light, It’s light burns bright

So we’ll take it day by day and let it be

And everyone will see how good it feels

Oh they’ll see the world for all that it could be

Let the sunlight in, I wanna feel it from within

You spin me around and make me feel like I could Shine, shine.

So what do you say if the sky turned grey?

With a kiss you’d send the rainclouds on they’re way

This life is light, it’s light burns bright

Every moment is a moment you could say

Soundtracks...

I have always thought it would be pretty neat to document my days through music and create a soundtrack for my life (well, more realistically, a certain small segment of my life). So, for the next little while, when I remember, I will do just that. Here goes...

Saturday, October 24th, 2009 feels like: "Today Will Be Better, I swear!" by the Stars. Such a good song.

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 feels like: anything off India Arie's "Voyage to India" album, but probably "Good Man" if I had to pick one. Gets me every time... don't know why, it just does.

Monday, October 26th, 2009 feels like: "In The Waiting Line" by Zero 7. FANTASTIC song. Do you believe in what you see... motionless wheel, nothing is real... wasting my time in the waiting line... do you believe in what see?

Random Maya tid-bits on a Tuesday night...

m. is...

1. Loving the new Zero 7 record, Yeah Ghost - it's about time!
2. Contemplating training for a sprint triathlon. Hey, why not?
3. Wanting to go dancing.
4. Wanting to travel.
5. Wondering what the future will hold - more of the same or something entirely new.
6. Enjoying her glass of valpolicella deliciousness.
7. A wee bit bored... and cursing her dad for telling her as a kid that intelligent people never get bored. Ufff.
8. Looking forward to 90210.
9. Introspective and a wee bit sad... but hopeful.
10. Contemplating a second piece of that amazing chocolate - organic, 80% cocoa with orange and spices... yummmm.
11. Hanging out with Charlie.
12. Liking the red soles on Oprah's awfully high high heel. P.S. Oprah muted isn't nearly as interesting.
13. Stopping at 13 - her favourite number.

mxo

Risks...

How do you know if that nudge inside to do something is life calling you to take a risk, or if it's just recklessness taking over? How do you know what you'll regret more: doing something or never knowing? How do you know if the risk is right for you?

Apparently you can't leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-feet jumps... but why not? Why does it have to be all or nothing, now or never?

Round and round and round...

When the world won't stop spinning, all you can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. I have had the time of my life over the past few weeks. See below:

New friends, old friends, I love my friends.

mxo

Cloudy Sundays...

I don't have much to say this week - my world has been spinning round and round and round recently and I've essentially fallen off all wagons. But fear not! The air's achanging and good things are just around the corner.

For now, I leave you with an interesting cover of one of my favourite songs of all time... what ever happened to Lauryn Hill anyways?

Tidbits...

Here is what I have learned this month: time is flying by faster than I can keep up with! Case in point: it's been over two weeks since my last blog; I thought it had barely been one. I didn't go see a movie this month; I was convinced the last one I saw was just a couple of weekends ago. So, it seems that if I am to have any success with my "challenge", I need to forego my myopic tendencies and get organized! :)

And now, some interesting life tidbits:

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." (Albert Einstein)
"The life which is unexamined is not worth living." (Plato)
"We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way." (John Halt)
"Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understand." (Baruch Spinoza)

Checking in...

Here's the thing about committing to something: sometimes you really don't want to do it but you do anyways, because you promised yourself you would.

I'm just getting my feet wet in my self-imposed challenge and although I don't always want to partake, I'm already reaping the benefits. I have made some absolutely delicious, feel good food from Heidi Swanson's book - think Banana Walnut Espresso Muffins (I added chocolate because I'm a glutton), some amazing curried carrot soup, wheat berry feta salad, biscuits, cookies, etc, etc. I have stretched myself silly in restorative yoga which you all must try. But by far the most rewarding have been the books. Of the books I have read in the last month, these are absolute must reads:

• One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez) - Not an easy read, especially given that all of the characters over the several generations captured in the book seem to share the same name... but well worth the 400+ pages. It's a classic. Enough said.
• Still Alice (Genova) - Oh my goodness. I cried and I cried and I cried and I cried... Still Alice is an absolutely beautiful story about a Harvard professor who develops early onset Alzheimer's. It's a heart-breaking story about life, love, identity, loss, etc. A must read.
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) - Hands down my favourite book of all time (and I have read a lot of books).
• The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry (Flinn) - Think "Eat, Pray, Love" but set at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. A deliciously entertaining read.

I leave you with a quote from Flinn's book:

Living is like driving," my grandmother used to say. "You have to pick a lane."

Life is not a dress rehearsal...

Here's the thing about life, folks, there are no do-overs (Being Erica doesn't count). I will never again be one of those kids with their crisp, so clean it must be the first day of school backpacks heading to school anxiously wondering what this year will bring. I will never again be a 19-year-old frosh kid parading proudly through campus in a neon green "Freshman" t-shirt, an emblem that might as well read, "I'm no longer in high school!" I will never again be 15, 21, or 24. All there is here and ahead, and we aren't even certain how much farther we have to go.

Now, I'm certainly not the type to say (and belief) that we should all live as though this day is our last. That just seems like a recipe to end up broke and fat. But in the end, it's true - this day, this year, might just be our last. If nothing else, this day, this year, are far too fleeting to waste. This is what I have learned. I spent the last six years tirelessly working towards a goal I wasn't even sure was mine, completely putting off how I wanted to live. While I don't regret a minute of it, because it granted me this realization, I now know that I can't do any of it over. All I can do is stop putting off living from here on in. This is my public declaration.

Year o' Travel...

Trip one - Nica.
Trip two - London. Brussels. Amsterdam. Berlin. Prague. Poland and back again. Maybe even a little jaunt in Thailand before heading home.

Let the planning begin! :)

Stories...

Life, as I see it, is a narrative and we are its narrators. What we write determines how the story unfolds. Of course, outside circumstances and other characters play a role, but they merely paint the landscape through which the protagonist must navigate. It is us, as the narrators, who determine how the protagonist reacts to his or her environment. We determine how we behave, who we are, and what our stories are. Just us. And so I wonder, who would you be without your story?

My favourite story for this week - both in print and in film - is To Kill a Mockingbird. It may in fact be my favourite story of all time. It so poignantly establishes just that principle - that we are solely responsible for who we are and how we react to the world around us. I leave you with perhaps my favourite line of the entire story: "If there's just one kind of folk, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?"

Hmmm...

A quick tidbit on this beautiful September morning: Julia Child was born on my name day*AND she died on my birthday.

Seems like Mrs. Child and I have a bit of a connection... I'm just saying... :)


*For those of you wondering what the hell a name day is, it's an old Polish thing. Your name day, or "imieniny", is essentially a celebration of the saint you're named after, and it has traditionally been more important than your birthday.

Cake please...

As great as our Canadian society is here, and it really is great, there is at least one thing we have yet to figure out. In all of the strides we have made towards gender equality, we have not yet effectively answered the question of what exactly a woman is to choose - a career or a family, or an attempt to successfully juggle both.

As I write this, I am 25 and well, not quite sure what to do about the fork in the road I see up ahead. It frustrates me that men don't have this choice to make. OF COURSE there are huge responsibilities and life changes when choosing to be a father but let's be real here, what 25-year-old male is spending this much time and energy trying to decide if to pursue his dream career or to have a family. OF COURSE there are many examples of strong women who masterfully balance both a lucrative career and a rewarding family life. But why is it that when I talk about going back to school to pursue what I really want to pursue, almost everyone gives me the same suggestive smile and asks, "that's so great, how brave, but what about starting a family?"

So I'm 25 and utterly confused. I want to go back to school, perhaps for upwards of 7 years, and I want a family. While I'm still young, it's only a matter of time before the clock starts ticking. This doesn't feel like a choice at all. So, ladies, gents, how does a little lady have her cake and eat it too?

To hell with stoicism...

So it's been almost two months since my last post and that's pretty indicative of how the summer has been. After graduating in April, I spiraled into some weird, lonely state of contemplation. I didn't want to do anything, see anyone, and I definitely didn't have any interest in blogging. But last night I saw Julie & Julia, a movie that pretty much could have been written about me, and I am fully stealing the idea - blogging about some arbitrary self-imposed challenged to sort out a less than ideal period in life. So, in the name of foregoing my stoic ways, I embark on yet another challenge...

The mission of this challenge: figure out what I need to do to feel satisfied. In essence, to figure out my joy.

(Note to reader: I live in a world surrounded by people who know their passion with every ounce of themselves - the bloody musicians, artists, and philantropists - so to even state my last sentence is a tad strange and embarrassing... oh well!) :)

Okay, so, the rules for the next year... and they are intentionally meant to be fun:

1. Because I love cooking... I will cook my way through the following cookbooks: Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Cooking"; Nigelle Lawson's "Nigelle Bites"; and one section of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child (one section because the book is huge and I don't ever want to eat beef jello. Gross!)
2. Because I love to read... I shall continue with my classics reading list.
3. Because I love yoga... I promise to go to at least one yoga class every single week. End of story.
4. Because I absolutely adore movies... I will go to the movies at least once a month AND will watch at least 25 of these: http://www.filmsite.org/momentsindx1.html
5. Because I love anything and everything to do with wine... I will finally learn about wine!
6. And of course, I will blog - not every day because who has time for that... and who wants to read that?!! - but at least once at week.

After so many years of insanity, let the year of narcissistic fun begin! Yippie! :)

Reading list...

Hi!

Delinquent blogger here. I blame summer. Really. The challenge is going fairly well. I've become a gym rat but I don't have a six-pack. Why? Three words: bread, chocolate, and wine (oh, and pasta). But that's just fine with me. :) It's about balance!

I recently watched 'One Week' with oh-so adorable Pacey... rather, Joshua Jackson... and I got to thinking: what would I do if I only had one year left on this here planet? Most of it's personal but one item I can definitely share: I promised myself that if I had one year left, I would read as many of the great literary classics as I possibly could. Inspiration wasn't far behind and now this is one of my goals.

Here is my classical lit reading list for the next year (my 25th on this here planet). Eek!

August: One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marque

September: Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

October: Death in Venice – Thomas Mann

November: Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

December: To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

January: Great Expectations - Charles Dicken

February: 1984 – George Orwell

March: Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

April: The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

May: Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

June: Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

July: Absalom, Absalom! – William Faulkner

If I have time: Les Miserables - Victor Hugo AND/ OR Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf

Yikes! :)

Homework...

My yoga teacher, who I will admit is super fantastic, gave us the following homework after a near deadly two hour class:

This week make it your goal to learn the name of a person who you encounter frequently, like the barista who makes your delicious tall soy extra hot latte, but who's name you've never bothered to find out. Why? Simply because life is far too short to ignore people.

Oh, and smile. 

Excess...

We live in a society defined by excess. We eat in excess. We soak up media in excess. We spend money in excess. We even lead schedules of excess - an excess of things to do, places to be, people to see. 

This is what I was so acutely aware of this week. As I hemorrhaged money, time, and everything else, I couldn't help but think of the intention I had set for myself for this week - simplicity. 

The end of the 20th century was most certainly a time of excess and now, without repeating the broken record that has been playing over and over and over and over again, we are paying for it. Excess spending. Excess polluting. Excess weight on an excess of tummies. All of this excess has left us a little lost. And yet, despite this evident failure of all things excess, 'simple' seems to carry a hefty burden. Simple people are boring. Simple foods are unpalatable. Simple is old-fashioned. Simple is bad.

However, after a week of exploring simple, I beg to differ with these negative connotations. Simple is challenging, probably because we aren't accustomed to it, but there is incredible reward in the challenge. We have hid from simplicity as though it would reveal something about ourselves that we really didn't want to face. But undeniably, the world of excess has exhausted itself and it's time to venture into simplicity's dark corners. 

This is my challenge to you for the next week: do less, eat less, talk less, watch less, read less, and stare at the screen less. I suspect that after the initial shock, you will learn to relish in the silence. Simple is not bad, it is nuevo chic.

On a final note, if after a few days of contemplating all things simple, you find yourself wanting to shed your life of things you really no longer need, please look into these organizations. 

http://sistering.org/donate/

http://www.conccommunity.org/index.php/pages/wish_list/

They transform your clutter into a treasure for someone in need. Thanks to Amanda for this awesome suggestion!

mxo

Living with less...

First, the cleanse - 

So technically it's been about three weeks since I started my cleanse BUT, let's be real, my cleanse ended about 30 minutes after it began. I learned something interesting about myself - the second I tell myself I have to do something, I don't want to do it; as soon as I tell myself I can't have something, regardless of how little I actually used or ate it before, I suddenly crave it. So, all in all, the non-doctor-recommended cleanse was a bad idea. I'm not saying cleanses are a bad idea, but apparently they are for me... especially when I'm accountable to no one but myself.

And then I realized... This was never meant to be such work. The only way a lifestyle change will stick is if it's somewhat enjoyable. I go to the gym eight million times a week because I enjoy it. Food likewise should be about pleasure. So yesterday, after three weeks, I finally let myself off the hook. Ironically, all I have wanted and had today is uber healthy food. Go figure.

So what's the next step? Like clockwork, my life magic has kicked in again. Every time I find my interest weening, boredom encroaching, or just the need for something new, life hands it to me. I'll admit, I have been feeling rather glum these last few days, a little bit of "what direction does poor little maya head in now?", and right on time, Oprah provided the answer (that's right, I proudly watch Oprah). Today's show was all about the things we can learn to live without in order to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. From this premise of unpeeling the layers in order to get at the substance, comes my next set of goals:

For one week starting tomorrow (Thursday):

• Absolutely zero TV. Matt will be very happy about this one.
• No computer after I leave work at 5. If you need me desperately, text or call.
• Give away ten things that I can truly live without.
• Live on a budget - $100 for the week (major grocery shop excluded).
• Brown bag lunch everyday (except tomorrow because I already have lovely lunch plans).
• More mindfulness about simplifying every part of my life.

Wish me luck... and feel free to join me in my ventures (I'll need things to talk about if I can't peruse the net all night long)!

mxo

Uggg....

We humans are funny, funny creatures. We defy ourselves even when we know better. We do things that we know aren't good for us, that will even harm us. But we truck on anyways down the road of oh-so-stupid.

Today was my blip on the road to something better. The day started out decent but the second I got off the streetcar and headed for S-bucks, I knew I was in trouble. I tried to justify the tall, soy, extra hot goodness but really, who was I kidding? The day got progressively more stressful and I fed my discomfort - dinner was a pint with sweet potato fries, then chips and salsa for dessert. Awesome child, just awesome. 

So now it's 9:24 and I sit here with a stomach full of rot and no one to blame but my stupid, silly little self. I have a glutton hangover. It rocks. But perhaps this was meant to be yet another lesson - it's soooooo not worth it.

Ugg.

Honey Maple Salmon on Roasted Greens...

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix honey, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and tamari soy sauce to taste.

Pour marinade over salmon fillets and let sit for 20 minutes. 

Cut up asparagus, green beans, zucchini and any other tasty veggie. Add a few chopped onions or garlic cloves for flavour. 

Line baking dish with cabbage, spinach or leek leaves. This step is optional but it helps to protect the salmon from burning.

Place veggies in baking dish.

Layer salmon fillets, skin down, on veggies. 

Pour remaining marinade over salmon and veggies. 

Pour a little olive oil over entire dish and add a dash of salt and pepper.

Cover and bake for 25-30 mins, until salmon is flaky but still moist.

Layer veggies and salmon on spinach salad.

Spinach salad: toss baby spinach leaves in dressing of organic flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice and tamari. Sprinkle with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Mmm, mmm good. 

Time for a cleanse...

Three nights of thai take-out later, I am oh-so ready to get back on the uber healthy horse (although, it's debatable whether or not I actually fell off). According to all sorts of wise nutrition gurus, the body needs a "cleanse" at least twice a year - just when the trees start to bud, and when they begin to lose their leaves. The trees outside look gorgeously green and I think it's time for my own cleanse! 

Because supposedly it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, I will be partaking in this new adventure for the next 21 days starting tomorrow (Wednesday, May 5). So here's the deal - until May 26, these are my rules:

• No dairy. No problem.
• No wheat. Yeah, yeah.
• No meat, except fish. Fishy, fishy, fishy.
• No alcohol. Yes, wine constitutes alcohol.
• No processed food. Easy peasy.
• No caffeine. Dear god, no S-bucks tall, soy, extra hot latte. :(
• No sugar. Honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc are allowed.
• No corn, tomatoes, mushrooms or canned veggies. No citrus, strawberries, or melons. No peanuts, pistachios, or cashews. These are the restrictions my naturopath tailor-made for me, based on my constitution. Do as you please with these. For me - no excuses.

Stayed tuned for all of the glorious things I can eat - picture here the "after" table on What Not to Eat, chalk-full of beautiful vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, seeds, nuts, etc. 

Yeah, yeah...

So I've been wavering a little bit. My motivation is, well, in jeopardy. It's odd because I'm actually enjoying this change and yet, I can feel the problem brewing. But what is the problem? 

According to the annoying personal trainer on X-Weighted (Slice is definitely my vice), you need a fitness goal to keep yourself motivated. That got me thinking. The problem, it seems, is that I lack a concrete goal for this entire challenge. Sure, sure, I want to be fitter, happier, more productive, but that's not good enough for motivational purposes, especially with summer patios on the horizon! 

So here is my fitness goal: by the end of August, I would like to do the 3+km run through High Park in 20 mins or less. That's big because I am truly an awful outdoor runner - picture: starts sprinting, runs out of breathe quickly, resumes sprinting, nearly passes out and barely makes it home. So that's my goal - finding my running mojo and building the endurance to do that run quickly and efficiently.

Anyone care to join me? :)

The Challenge... it's boot camp time!

In two weeks, I start my ultimate frisbee league and frankly, it would be nice to make it through a game without passing out. So... this week I am seriously amping up the activity quotient of my challenge with the following:

• 3km morning run every morning that it's not raining (looks like Monday and Tuesday are out this week). 
• At least two gym visits.
• One hot yoga class. 
• For every hour of television, 25 stability ball push-ups, sit-ups, those plank things, and free weights. 
• Sunday however, is rest day.

mxo

Holiday = challenge...

So I survived and that's pretty much what I should have expected. This was a week dedicated to eating (a lovely birthday dinner party at an amazing restaurant on Queen, Nota Bena, for a lovely lady, Hil + Good Friday dinner at mom's + Easter dinners on Saturday and Sunday)... most of the goals went down the drain. I didn't avoid meat, unless turkey and ham don't qualify as meat. I did not eat small portions and vegetables were not the main attraction. I had some chocolate eggs, which I'm pretty sure constitute as junk food. Despite good intentions, I only made it to one yoga class. And finally, I did NOT eat only from a plate - lunch for me, it seems, always equals eating at my desk.

BUT despite all of those 'failures', I am not beating myself up because this week I learned another part of my 80 year-old grandpa's secrets: balance. My grandfather is extremely healthy 90% of the time; 10% of the time, he goes all out. For his 80th, he treated his guests to a three hour meal of wild boar (don't ask), washed down with copious amounts wine, brandy, vodka, etc. This is the lesson he tried to impart when I was much younger - the molten chocolate cake will taste so much more amazing when you have it every couple of months with friends, for a special occasion, than it will eaten every few days. This is one of the lessons Michael Pollen presents in his book (more on the book later). This is the secret of the French, Greeks, Italians, and apparently even the Polish. Food is more than just a means of survival. It is about friends, family, celebration, and fun. This is the lesson I had to learn this week, and so it was.

ALL of that being said, this week it's back to business because after a month of this challenge, even despite last week, I feel noticeably different. I feel great.

 

mxo

The challenge continues...

Okay truth... it's actually been two weeks since I started my healthy experiment. I wrote last week's introductory blog at the end of my first week. Why? Partially it was due to an insane schedule, partially because I didn't initially intend to blog this, and partially it was because I didn't want to commit and have my first week be an utter disaster. It wasn't. The last two weeks have actually been great. I have managed to stick to all of the my food related goals without any struggles - a huge shock to me but perhaps it just shows that my body was ready for it. I made it to one hot yoga class which nearly killed me, but it was well worth it. Cutting out TV left me with buckets of time to get ready for exams. All in all, I did what I set out to do and, like any accomplished goal, it feels good. Hopefully week two (well three, but let's just say two) goes equally well!

Week two of healthiness:

• Eat only from a plate and only sitting down at a table (a desk doesn't count!). I have a really bad tendency to eat wherever I can - at my desk at work, in the lecture rooms, etc. I can't imagine that makes for very conscious eating.
• TWO hot yoga classes... fingers crossed I don't pass out!
• Read another book just because. This week's choice: "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollen.
• Wherever possible, eat organic and local food.

And maintenance of the new status quo:

• Eat small portions at regular times. Easter weekend will prove to be a challenge! Eek.
• Eat primary plant-based foods.
• No meat, except fish.
• No diary. 
• No junk food. 

Wish me luck!

Just finished The 100-Mile Diet by Alisa Smith & J. B. MacKinnon. I must admit I was a tad weary that this book would be overly preachy and I would be left feeling less than stellar about my destruction of the environment (by participating in the overwhelming global food system). The book proved instead to be honest, captivating, and the genuine story of a couple who decided to eat locally for a whole year on a whim, and ending up learning one of the most important lessons we all seem to be forgetting: food is about more than just sustenance. It is about our relationships to people and to our land. It is an adventure. 

I highly recommend this book.

An excerpt:

It's no secret that we, as a society, have been losing the traceability not only of our food, but of every aspect of our lies. On any given day, chances are high I will have no idea what phase the moon is in. I cannot reliably list my brothers' birthdates, and I regularly use products that work according to principles that I cannot explain. I suspect I will go through life without meeting an of the people who make my shoes, or even seeing the factories where those shoemakers work. Like many people, Alisa and I have lost all trace of our traceability to community.... I had expected the 100-mile experiment to be a platform to think about many things, among them a long list of bummers from climate change to the failure of whole generations to learn how to recognize edible mushrooms. What I could see around the table was now a less tangible consideration: a sense of adventure. We are at a point in world history where bad news about the state of the Earth is just as jaded and timeworn as the idea that there is nowhere left to go, nothing new to explore. Put those two statements side by side however, and something hidden is revealed. Of course there are new things to do, and no shortage of them. We need to find new was to live into the future. We can start any time.

The beginning...

It seems that sometimes life gives you subtle, or perhaps not-so-subtle, knocks on the head. I have had quite a few of them this year, mostly in the form of some sickness of another. I was finally forced to pay attention when I got super duper sick and had to cancel my trip to Poland... the trip to celebrate my grandfather's 80th! There were tears and general pity-me days. Then it hit me, quite embarrassingly, that the grandfather who's birthday I was missing, was much, much healthier than I am. I am 24, he is 80. He completed over 2500km on his bicycle last summer and something equally ridiculous on cross-country skis this winter. I get winded walking up the subway stairs. My dad proudly reported that grandpa spent his birthday night dancing away. He was the last person on the dance floor at 4am when all of the much younger guests had given in to sore muscles and sleepy heads. Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned from grandpa's super healthy lifestyle. 

So without being too hippie dippie, dogmatic, yuppie or whatever, I have decided to embark on 12 weeks of challenges to inspire change. I am committing to 12 weeks but I am ultimately seeking to build life-long goals to make me as fit as my 80 year-old grandpa! I do honestly believe that food and exercise are at the very foundation of health and we can sustain close to perfect health with a little bit more sensibility in these domains. Anyways, we'll see how this goes. 

Week one of challenges:

• Eat small portions at regular times.
• Eat primarily plant-based foods.
• Cut out meat, except fish. Eat a lot of fish.
• Cut out diary. I wouldn't usually be this extreme except I have recently discovered that I am very lactose intolerant.
• No junk food. Bye bye 3pm coffee and delicious pastry break.
• At least one hot yoga class. No excuses about too much work and homework allowed.
• One or less hour of TV per night.
• Read one book for personal interest. This week's choice: "The 100-Mile Diet" by Alisa Smith and J. B. McKinnons.

Yikes!