Some Interesting Stuff I Read Recently…
I had tried doing this once before but then fell off the wagon. I post a lot of stuff over on my Facebook page that I find interesting as I peruse the web; stuff on movement, nourishment, mindfulness, health, happiness_all kinds of good stuff!-that I find on various blogs, on social media, in peer-reviewed journals, in newsletters, and in my schoolwork.
I figure, since I think this stuff is interesting, other people might, too! So I’m going to resurrect the compilation of all of this interesting stuff and actually try to stick with it this time :)
What do you think is interesting?
As you read through this stuff, think about the kind of stuff you want to see more of and leave me a comment! I’ll include it in future “interesting stuff” posts.
MOVEMENT STUFF
As you all probably know already, I’m a huge fan of walking and getting moving throughout the day. One of the most harmful “behaviors” of the modern day is sitting around and not moving much.
Regardless of how much exercise we get, sitting for hours at a time is just plain bad for us.
My Mom has always been a walker. She can be gone for hours walking in woods or along a beach. Thankfully, I inherited her wandering and wondering spirit. I LOVE walks.
I can walk anywhere: a city sidewalk, a neighborhood, a beach, a park, the woods, the mountains, a meadow, the plains….(although I do prefer being on trails). I also recognize, though, that not everyone thinks walking is the cat’s meow.
So how can you spice up your walks, make them a little more interesting? Add a little more flair or intensity or interest?
Go barefoot, go at different times of the day, take a different route, meditate while walking, travel afoot, go exploring, play a bit, workout a bit…the options are endless!
Check out this Mark’s Daily Apple post by Kevin Geary for a full look into how to make walking a bit more exciting (click here for the post).
Sunshine
Another benefit to walking outside? Sunlight. I talked about it in my last post (missed it? Click here) but I’m not the only one on the sun bandwagon.
Check out this interesting read on sunlight and prostate cancer and this read on how Vitamin D deficiency is consistently linked to cardiovascular and cancer deaths .
NOURISHING STUFF
Food quality matters. A recent post in Science Daily discusses how where our calories come from is important.
We should be getting our calories from nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods like locally, organically grown fresh veggies, roots, tubers, nuts, and fruits and pasture-raised animals that are also eating a quality diet.
Shockingly, almost 30% of adults WORLD-WIDE are now obese.
Fast food and food manufacturers shoulder a lot of the blame; they have mastered the art of marketing to make us want to buy and consume their heavily processed, sugar-laden foods. (Sugar + fat = trouble).
How can we fight back and get healthy?
We cook! We buy local! We eat real food!
FOOD. IT’S AWESOME.
I love food. LOVE LOVE LOVE food. And I love to cook. Again, I know not everyone shares my passions. Or even if they do love to cook, they don’t always have the time. So I love simplicity as well.
A delicious, nutritious, and simple recipe just can’t be beat. I discovered a couple really good ones this past week.
Ratatouille from Anne Burrell
Ratatouille may not be qualified as “simple” but this recipe is relatively simple for ratatouille! This was by far my favorite new recipe I’ve tried as of late. I don’t mean to brag, but it turned out freaking awesome. And as I keep getting eggplants in my CSA box, I can’t wait to make it again! Click here for the Anne Burrell/Food Network recipe I used.
Lamb Meatballs and Avocado Tzatziki from Primally Inspired
I also love lamb and all things Mediterranean, especially Lebanese food (thanks, grandma!). I also love tzatziki but lately, every time I eat any sort of dairy I break out (this is very upsetting to me! I love cheese! And yogurt! And kefir!). This recipe for lamb meatballs (you can use ground beef, too) is simple and is paired an avocado tzatziki that can be made dairy-free. Yes please! Click here for the recipe from Primally Inspired.
And in Nut News…
Almonds reduce the risk of heart disease.
SIMPLE STUFF
I am trying to simplify my life a bit. My husband and I cleaned out our garage last weekend, filling up the ENTIRE BED of his pick-up truck with donations (that’s a lot of stuff. Lots of stuff we no longer used, some of which we hadn’t used in YEARS, but that was still useful stuff for somebody, I hope.). We also threw away a bunch of stuff that we still had for some reason that wasn’t useful for anybody.
Get Rid of Stuff
How do we accumulate so much stuff? What can we get rid of? Check out this post from one of my new favorite blogs, The Minimalists.
Be Less About Stuff
Keeping with a minimal theme, another new favorite blog is BecomingMinimalist and another great post on the Pursuit of Selflessness. Being selfless may just be the key to happiness.
TRAVEL STUFF
Another thing I’m passionate about is travel. Near or far, doesn’t matter. Just getting out and exploring is good for mind, body, and soul. Explore the world, the States, your state, your country, your town, your neighborhood, your own backyard…it’s all good. Just get out there. Explore. Discover. Have adventures. Get lost.
Want some ideas on where to go in the good ole U S of A? Here’s a post on Where to Go In America Right Now from AFAR.
Need help packing for that trip? Check out these packing tips from Fathom Away.
ENOUGH STUFF? TOO MUCH STUFF? TOO LITTLE STUFF?
Ok. I think that’s enough stuff for this first go at it, don’t you? I’m realizing just how much stuff I find interesting…no wonder I fell off the bandwagon before, it’s overwhelming! But I’ll refine the process. Hopefully with a little help from my friends…
Let me know what you think. Do you like this type of post?
What would make it better?
What stuff would you like to see?
As always, thanks for reading my posts.
Til next time!
