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Free eBook: Minimalist Health

Tammy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:00:23 PST

Since the release of Simply Car-free, I’ve received an incredible number of emails from folks asking questions like:

How can I improve my health?
What are the best ways to lose weight?
Where can I find real food?

In response to the questions I’ve received, I decided to write my first free e-book. The book is 20 pages and I hope it will help you get active.

You only get one body and mind. If you don’t take care of both, it’s hard to create amazing art or get involved in your community. I hope this manifesto will help you improve your health and inspire you to change the world.

Download the free e-book, Minimalist Health: How to Focus on the Essentials.

If this e-book helps you, please help spread the word by…

Sharing it with your tribe on Twitter or Facebook.
Writing about it on your blog.
Printing out copies and leaving them in your local library or coffee shop.

Please let me know what you think. Feel free to connect with me on twitter or send me a note.

How To Run Barefoot

Tammy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:00:38 PST

One of the best things about blogging is meeting other people with similar interests and making new friends. Jessica has been reading RowdyKittens for a while and I’m thrilled she agreed to write a guest post about her barefoot running adventures. Jessica is a writer, photographer and blogs at chesapeake.

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by Jessica Porter

I used to think that some people were made to run more than others. That marathons were for super-humans with a penchant for pain. Besides, I always looked funny running. I thus left the task of traveling great distances by foot to those better equipped for it.

At least I thought that until my mom, also a non-runner, gave me Born to Run, a book written by Chris McDougall. Chris is a journalist and amateur runner who was interested in answering the question of why he was constantly getting injured while running. He found the answer in the form of history: all of us were literally born to run as we are. And we were born to run barefoot.

I was skeptical at first. Running shoes are made for running, how can they be bad? Everyone wears them! But by the end of the book, I was convinced: our feet are magnificent works of engineering evolution. Did you know that the running shoe industry is one of the only industries in history that created a product we “needed?” The product and the market is completely manufactured by the man who invented the product. And that there are zero scientific studies to show that running shoes enhance athletic performance and decrease injury? It’s true. But there are many studies showing that running shoes make our bodies work unnecessarily harder and make us exponentially more prone to injury.

Not only was barefoot running supposed to be more efficient, it was supposed to be more fun. I knew that if any one could disprove the “fun” theory, it would be me. It turns out, I didn’t. A quarter of a mile into my maiden barefoot voyage, I realized that my face felt odd. I was smiling. Smiling while running. I can say, without a doubt, that it was the first time that I had ever smiled while doing exercise of any kind. My breathing was easy, my form was upright, and I was having fun. By the end of my first week, I was running eight tenths of a mile at a time. It may not sound like much, but for someone who never exercises, it was.

There was one glitch: I ran so much, so soon, that I injured myself. The great thing about barefoot running is that it allows you to be highly attuned to the signals of your body. The bad thing about a life spent ignoring said pain while exercising means that I wasn’t used to listening to my body. The best advice I have is start slow. Take off your shoes and walk around the house barefoot for a few weeks. Mix it up by walking in grass, gravel, and over concrete to get your feet used to different surfaces. Let your foot muscles build up over time.

Patience is absolutely key. Once you are ready to run, study up on proper form. There is one site in particular with great information on this, or if you live in the Seattle area, look up Barefoot Ted for a coaching session. Remember not to increase your running mileage too quickly, either. Listen to your body. If it hurts, stop and adjust your form. Take rest days. It’s like learning to walk again.

Push past the fear, toss the shoes, and do it. You were made for it.

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4 Ways to Quiet the Mind

Tammy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:00:40 PST

Quieting the mind to focus on the important can be difficult. It’s so easy to get caught up in what we “should be” doing, rather than focusing on what brings us joy and happiness. For example, some of the “should statements” that have popped into my mind lately include:

I should get a “real job.”
I should do the taxes.
I should do the laundry.
I should be writing.

And the list goes on and on.

The “should” statements are noisy and annoying. So I’ve incorporated the following tips into my life. The actions have helped me quiet my noisy mind. I hope you find them useful.

1. Be present and enjoy the moment.

Enjoy the little things and don’t worry about “I should” statements. For instance, I set an “unrealistic” goal of making at least $25,000 this year from writing, web design and a few side projects. I know it’s possible and I also know it’s impossible to control the future.

Instead of trying to predict the future, be a rock star for at least 5 minutes a day and focus on the moment. Rather than trying to create the perfect future, you can create art that matters. A piece of art that can change a person’s life for the better.

2. Practice walking meditation.

Walking is a form of active meditation. It’s a beautiful way to calm the mind, be present and mindful of your experiences while you walk. Look at the trees, flowers, and people you pass. More importantly, don’t forget to breathe.

3. Unplug from the internet.

You know what to do. Turn the internet off and focus on your thoughts. When the “should” statements get too overwhelming, write down all of the thoughts that pop into your mind. Getting the “should” statements onto paper will help clear your mind and move forward.

4. Do yoga.

A yoga teacher told me that “Yoga reveals what was once hidden. When life gets hard, we run away. And that’s where yoga comes in handy. It forces you to examine what you’re running from.”

Yoga is powerful. It’s one way you can take care of your body, that encompass both the physical and emotional. If you aren’t practicing yoga, I’d encourage you to start. Even if you only have 10 to 15 minutes a day, it will make you feel better.

Also, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to practice Yoga. I highly recommend reading Minimalist Yoga.

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Simple Living News Update

Tammy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:00:20 PST

Week of March 8

Every Monday, RowdyKittens runs a Simple Living News Update that includes links to stories about about small living, biking, food, travel and more.

If you are interested in submitting a link to the news update please contact me. Have an amazing week!

Cool Discoveries

Carfree

The Monetary Benefits of Bicycle Infrastructure
I recently discovered a cool new magazine called Practical Pedal. Check out the article on page 6, called “My Struggle to Escape the Automobile Culture.”
When It Comes to Family Biking Size Matters

Growth / Productivity

Food

Money / Work

Minimalism / Small Living

Minimalist Personal Care

Travel

Awesome e-books

*Note: I’m an affiliate seller for these ebooks.

Simple Living Resources

Don’t forget to take a look at my blogroll for more simple living resources.

Spread the love. If this post helped you, please retweet it and share the content with others. Thanks!

Turn the Internet Off: 5 Tips to Focus on Your Priorities

Tammy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:42:16 PST

I’ve been free of email and twitter updates on my phone for the last few months and haven’t missed it. Why did I do this? To save money, focus on my art and end my email addiction.

A lot of folks have been talking about this topic lately and I think it’s a good thing. Technology rocks and I’m a huge proponent of using tech for good. My career depends on technology. It is a beautiful tool, yet the way we use our mobile devices and computers is out of balance with the rest of our lives.

Do we really need to surf, tweet and email from our phones/computers all the time? What happened to being focused on our friends, family and community?

I hope you’ll follow my lead and turn the internet off from your mobile device. If you can’t do that, then start limiting the time you spend online.

Below are a few things to think about and micro-actions to consider.

1. Use your time wisely.

Time is something we need to use wisely. I’ve stated this before but it bears repeating: time is a non-renewable resource and something we never get back. The way we use our time and what we trade it for (a.k.a money) should be considered with care.

If you’re checking email or twitter incessantly, you might reconsider how you’re using your time.

Micro-action: How many times a day do you check your email, twitter or facebook account? What could you be doing with your time instead?

2. The all consuming email addiction.

I have to admit, during the last week I’ve slipped back into my email addiction. Prior to my book launch, I checked my email 3 times a day. In the past week, I’ve checked WAY to much. I kept thinking, “What if someone has a question? What if there is a problem with the book distributor? What if I don’t sell any books?”

The “what if” scenarios were silly. The launch was crazy successful, people gave me a tremendous amount of positive feedback and there were no problems with the book distributor. But I was checking my email every 10 minutes earlier this week. I’m kicking myself now because I could have used that time to start outline ideas for my next book, be outside riding my bike or taking photographs.

We can have a healthy relationship with email. A number of bloggers have written amazing articles on this topic. For instance one of my blogging heroes, Leo from Zen Habits, came out with an amazing new manifesto called focus – a simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction.

Micro-action: Read the focus manifesto and implement some of the tips Leo offers in your own life. You’ll be healthier, happier and less distracted.

3. Observe your behavior.

When I had email on my phone, I noticed that I would check email, twitter or surf the web when I was feeling uncomfortable, lonely, or bored. Rather than running from our emotions, I think it’s important to observe them, understand the cause, and devise a solution. In my experience distracting myself from a problem doesn’t solve anything, it just makes the issue worse.

Micro-action: Observe your behavior. When you decide to check your email or surf the web from your phone, why are you doing it? Is the behavior a necessity? Or are you feeling lonely or uncomfortable in a situation?

4. Focus on the important.

We are all artists but we can’t make art and ship it by multi-tasking. Distracting yourself from creating art will kill it. For example, I could not have finished Simply Car-free if I had been checking my email or twitter stream every 5 minutes.

Last year, Gwen Bell inspired me to write down a list of daily intentions. My daily intentions typically include from 1 to 3 creative items that I can accomplish everyday. I used to write out long to-do lists and the items were not accomplished. The list was too overwhelming! By narrowing down my list to a few specific creative tasks and living outside of my inbox, I’ve accomplished a lot!

Micro-action: Every morning write down 1 to 3 creative tasks you want to accomplish. And read The Indispensable Guide to Timejacking Your Way to Success

5. Unplug and get your creative groove on.

Getting your creative groove on doesn’t require an internet connection. It’s amazing what can happen when you step out from behind the computer screen or your mobile devise. Most of my killer ideas come to me when I’m taking a walk or cooking a meal. Everyone is creative and a lot of people tell me the same thing. Ideas come to them in odd moments. So make sure you keep a journal with you at all times. It’s a perfect way to log all of your cool ideas.

The past week has been exciting! I’m extremely grateful to everyone who purchased Simply Car-free and to all the folks who interviewed me about the book. I love the internet and all the cool folks I’ve meet through RowdyKittens and social networks.

However, it’s break time. No twitter, email or surfing the web for me. Bike riding, walking and finishing up a few science fiction novels are on the potential agenda. I’m going to go with the flow and see what each day brings.

Micro-action: Schedule 1 day a week where you are free from tech. Leave your gadgets at home and do something non-tech related. Go for a bike ride, make a beautiful dinner or volunteer at a non-profit. Do good and change the world.

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8 Simple Tips to Overcome Loneliness

Tammy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:00:04 PST

Sitting still or being silent is often frowned upon. American’s are taught to always be busy, to be doing something. As a result, I don’t think people deal with their feelings in healthy ways, especially when it comes to loneliness. Rather than dealing with the cause of a feeling we distract ourselves by running out to the store to buy something, turning on the TV, or drinking alcohol. It temporarily eases discomfort, but doesn’t deal with the underlying issue.

Humans are social animals. We crave connection and companionship. It’s natural and important. I think blogs and social media platforms foster amazing connections. However, I don’t think these tools replace face-to-face communication. Meeting a friend for a coffee date is a much different experience than talking on facebook or twitter. Although the internet has connected many of us together, are we really connecting or are we becoming more lonely?

Below are 8 simple tips to help you overcome loneliness. The tips will force you to get out from behind your computer screen.

1. Go ride your bike.

As you know I’m a huge fan of riding my bike. It’s relaxing, fun, and a great way to see your surroundings. For example, on Friday night I’m attending an Art by Bike tour in Portland. I’ve gone on art walks before, but an art by bike tour will be completely different and fun!

Micro-action: Plan a fun biking adventure with friends or family. For example, go on an art by bike tour, picnic in the park or take a tour of your local coffee shops.

2. Write in your journal.

Writing is a powerful tool. It can help you identify many different types of feelings, including loneliness. If you’re feeling lonely, start writing. Get your emotions out on paper and start asking yourself how you can create a feeling of connection in your life. Focus on the important.

Micro-action: If you don’t have a journal, I highly recommend purchasing one. Use it to write down your ideas, feelings and action items to foster reflection and make your life better.

3. Cook a real meal.

Cooking a good meal can be a meditative experience. It’s a great opportunity to mull over thoughts and lose yourself in a recipe. Cooking a real meal is also a perfect excuse to find a dinner date. I don’t know about you, but I feel lonely when I eat alone. Making dinner for a friend or loved on is the perfect way to create a meaningful connection.

In addition, Michael Pollan talks about the importance of NOT eating alone. Eating with a friend is more fun. You’re more likely to eat slower and less.

Micro-action: Do you cook real meals regularly? If not, make that part of your routine. If you’re looking for simple and easy recipes subscribe to Stone Soup: Minimalist Home Cooking.

4. Take photographs.

Taking photos is a way to notice the details of life. Whenever I walk around with my camera and take photos I get into a zone. I notice the little things, like the morning dew on flowers or a beautiful sunset. For some reason this makes me feel less alone. The world is alive with beauty and has so much to offer. We just have to slow down long enough to notice.

Micro-action: If you own a camera, take it everywhere and start taking photos. If you don’t own a camera try sketching in your journal.

5. Connect with your community.

There are so many ways you can connect with your community, from volunteering to attending city meetings. A few nights ago I attended a city budget forum. I was hesitant to attend, but I’m glad I did. I met some amazing community activists, I met the mayor and learned a great deal about the Portland community.

Micro-action: What are you doing in your community to make the world a better place? Do you sit on committees, volunteer at local organizations or mentor youth?

6. Read a good book.

Go to your library and pick up a good book. Reading is a great way to escape into another world or glean creative ideas for your latest project. I spend a lot of time in libraries and books stores. It’s a frugal way to educate yourself, be inspired and a healthy way to use your time.

Micro-action: If you don’t have a library card, go get one and start reading. Make a personal goal to read a book a week. If reading a book a week seems too overwhelming, try reading one book per month.

7. Be still and do nothing.

Supposedly being “busy” is a sign of success in this culture. I’m not sure that’s true. Why are we all in such a hurry? Do we really create beautiful art if we we’re rushing from place to place? And if everyone is so busy, how do we create meaningful connections with others?

Slow down, take your time and start to take your time. Rushing from place to place can be counterproductive. Being busy can sometimes erode our sense of purpose causing us to feel undervalued and lonely.

Micro-actions: Set aside 10 minutes a day for meditation. If you have over-committed yourself to meetings or projects, consider re-prioritizing what’s important to you.

8. Set-up a coffee or tea date with a friend.

I have to admit that I’ve been a little lonely the last month. It’s weird not having Logan in Portland and I miss him. At the same time being by myself has forced me out of my comfort zone and that’s a good thing. It also makes me appreciate Logan and my friends even more.

Since I’m by myself, I’ve been getting together with new friends for coffee and dinner dates. It’s been a great way to connect with others and get out of my apartment. Plus, I’m seeing more of Portland.

Micro-action: Call a friend and schedule a coffee or dinner date.

Leave a comment and tell me how do you deal with loneliness.

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5 Frugal Personal Care Tips

Tammy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:59 PST

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on minimalist make-up. It was extremely popular and a lot of readers have emailed asking for tips to help them save money and time when it comes to personal care.

I try and keep my personal care routine as simple as possible because it saves time, money and keeps plastic out of my household. Below are a few tips that have worked for me. By implementing these tips into my life, I’ve saved between $1,500 and $2,000 per year.

1. Baking soda is a minimalist dream product.

Bacteria is the main cause of nasty odors and baking soda is an excellent odor killer. I believe baking soda is one of the best products on the planet because it has so many uses. For instance you can use it as tooth paste, a face and body cleanser, a mouth rinse, shampoo and more. If you want to save money, I highly recommend purchasing a big tin of baking soda. It’s cheap, has no toxic chemicals and little to no plastic packaging.

I just started using baking soda for deodorant. It’s far better at keeping odor at bay than store bought commercial deodorant. I don’t mix baking soda with any other product. However, Fake Plastic Fish has a great recipe to cure stinky pits. She uses a combination of tea tea oil (which is an antibacterial) and baking soda.

…here’s my recipe: Add few drops of tea tree oil to a jar (in my case, a tea tin) of baking soda. Shake well. Apply with a fuzzy powder puff (which I already had.)

Fake Plastic Fish has written extensively about alternative personal care products. Below is a helpful article you should read: Update: Soap, Shampoo and Deodorant

2. Try to simplify your hair style and the number of products you use.

Why does hair have to be so complicated? There are so many options in hair style, color and cleaning products on the market.

At one time I colored my hair and purchased a lot of different products for styling. On average, I was spending about $75 a month just on hair care! Right now I have a short hair cut, do not color my hair and I do not purchase hair care products. I stick with the simplest option: wash and wear.

Plus, there a number of toxic chemicals in hair styling products which are bad for your health and for the environment.

3. For the ladies: Consider using a diva cup or reusable, handmade pads.

Ladies, we need to work on “greening our periods.”

When you think about it, we don’t really have any contact with our cycles using tampons or pads. We use these products and then throw them away.

This adds waste to landfills, puts a strain on water treatment facilities, and it’s just more product we have to spend money on each and every month.

But, menstrual cups eliminate all that.

Prior to my Diva Cup days, I spent about $150 to $200 a year on pads and tampons. My Diva Cup cost $15 on sale at our local co-op. So the savings is incredible! Plus you can reuse it every month and reduce the amount of wast that goes into the landfill.

Heather from The Greenest Dollar wrote a few incredible articles on this topic. She’s part of the reason, I made the switch. Her posts are a must read:

4. Consider trying Sea Salt Soap.

I’m trying to limit the amount of plastic that enters my life and recently discovered sea salt soap. Right now I’m using Sea Salt Soap to wash my face and love it! There are no chemical additives and the soap comes in paper, which rocks my world. My little vermiculture compost friends are loving the extra paper and I’m limiting the amount of plastic that enters my home.

5. Use minimal or no make-up.

For more information on minimal make-up strategies, read this post and check out the comments section. A number of readers left incredibly helpful hints and tips.

6. Micro-actions and questions to consider.

Take inventory of your personal care products and look at the ingredients list. Are there toxic chemicals in your make-up, shampoo, deodorant or hair styling products? Check out GoodGuide.com to help determine the background of a product.

For the ladies: do some research and try out diva cups or reusable, handmade pads. And don’t forget to read Heather’s posts on this topic.

Do some research and try making your own personal care products, like lotion.

Buy some baking soda and and try using it as deodorant or shampoo.

Launch of Simply Car-free

Tammy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:00:51 PST

Today is the launch of my first ebook, Simply Car-free: How to Pedal Toward Financial Freedom and Better Health. I’ve been working on this book since the beginning of February and it’s finally ready!

About Simply Car-free

I wrote Simply Car-free to help people save money and pedal toward a healthier life. The book is full of tips, tools and strategies that will help you live a good life, without having to depend on an automobile.

Long-time blog readers may notice that I’ve integrated some of my older articles into this book. Not all of the ideas are new, but the material has been updated.

—> Click here to visit SimplyCarfree.com

Spreading the word

I’m an independent writer and this blog is my primary source of income. It would be awesome if you would help spread the word about this project. Below is a list of ideas:

1. Tell your friends and family about Simply Car-free.
2. Share this post on Twitter or facebook.
3. Write a review of Simply Car-free on your blog.
4. Become an affiliate seller.

Props

Writing a book doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Accepting help, support and encouragement are gifts that I’m grateful to have received. With that in mind…

A big THANK YOU goes to: Logan Smith, Chris O’Byrne, and Everett Bouge.

These individuals put a lot of time and energy into this project and I couldn’t have completed it without their support and encouragement.

Simple Living News Update

Tammy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:30 PST

Week of March 1

Every Monday, RowdyKittens runs a Simple Living News Update that includes links to stories about about small living, biking, food, travel and more.

If you are interested in submitting a link to the news update please contact me. Have an amazing week!

Cool Discoveries

The Modern Minimalist
Adam’s Simple Guide to: Minimalism – Free Ebook
I’ve been reading Tiny Simplicity for the last few months and wanted to make sure all of you took a peek at Chris’s blog. He publishes a great article once a month.

Carfree

Growth / Productivity

Food

Money / Work

Minimalism / Small Living

Travel

Photos from Marfa

Awesome e-books

For Fun

Simple Living Resources

Don’t forget to take a look at my blogroll for more simple living resources.

5 Ways to Connect with Your Community

Tammy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:00:13 PST

I’ve been thinking about the importance of community and gratitude. The help and encouragement I’ve received while writing Simply Car-free has been incredible. Thank you for all your efforts, both large and small. I couldn’t have written this book without such a supportive community. Don’t forget the launch is scheduled for Monday March 1st, at 6AM PST.

With community in mind, I resurrected an article I wrote for The Small Living Journal. Enjoy peeps! And thank you for reading RowdyKittens.

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A number of studies have shown the declining number of people involved in their communities. Some speculate that this is correlated to a growing sense of isolation and unhappiness in the United States. Living a small lifestyle promotes community involvement and offers a variety of solutions to the land of dissatisfied American consumers. How can a small and/or minimalist lifestyle be a solution to this problem?

Consider the suggestions below to reconnect with your community.

1) Reshape your work-life.

A great way to find community is by reducing your working hours and volunteering with community groups representing issues you care about.

Its easy to see why many American’s feel isolated from their communities when they typically spend 8 hours a day alone in a cubicle, then drive home (alone) to a big house and partake in our favorite analgesic: watching TV. I don’t think any of these activities are inherently bad, but they don’t promote community involvement or a flexible lifestyle.

Your day job doesn’t have to be your only identity. You are more than your job, you are part of a community. So how can you become more active if you are still working 40 plus hours a week?

If you work in a cubicle forest, talk to your supervisor about working from home or reducing your work hours. A majority of office dwellers can complete their work remotely. People don’t need to be tied to their cubicle to produce stellar work and many corporations recognize the importance of community service. The internet has changed how organizations do business and view local and global communities.

Best Buy’s programs are an excellent example of reshaping work culture.

2) Rethink transportation.

Selling one or all of your cars is good for your wallet and community. One less car on the road means less smog and more friends. Selling a car will open up endless possibilities.

How can this be? Going car-free forces you to expand your network of friends and allies. For instance, instead of driving alone to the office you can carpool, take the shuttle or the bus. A few of my friends live in a suburb outside of Sacramento and either carpool or take the bus to work. Both of these amazing women are extremely happy with the money and time they have saved in addition to the strong friendship they have developed by commuting together.

3) Start exercising.

Exercising is a great way to create community and spend time with your spouse or friends. Instead of working out at your home gym, sell the equipment and join a fitness group or look into joining a gym, local running club, or some kind of interactive class.

If you can’t afford the time or money a gym membership or class require, incorporate exercise into your errands. Start running, walking, or biking with your spouse or friends to the grocery store, post office, etc. This is an inexpensive activity that improves relationships and builds community.

4) Rethink time.

Downscaling and disconnecting from consumerism is one way to free up your time and reduce debt. Rather than working lots of hours to pay for a big house and recreational shopping, you can use that extra time to volunteer or connect with friends and family members.

5) Live small and think big.

Living a small lifestyle is about more than cute homes or counting up possessions. It’s a movement connected to broader social problems, like consumerism, cycles of debt, global warming and poor community services. It’s about re-examining our lives and how our daily choices effect local and global communities.