Moment to Moment Living

Motivation Monday with Brittany: Alright so I just got back from an extended weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; how do you go about compositing such an experience into a singular post that is not all over the place? It does seem like a daunting task but I am up for the challenge. I don’t need to give a play-by-play of what I did or what happened, but lets highlight the lessons learned. Let’s begin with why? Why go to Vancouver? Why only for a couple of days? These were commonly asked questions and the truth is that I have no answers. I find that we are always seeking definitive answers in life (girls want to know is he my boyfriend or is he not, people want an exact reason why I don’t like to drink any longer). Have you ever gotten an impulse to do something. To take a certain class, to take a class, to go to a concert, to dance, to take off somewhere, to speak out? We often think and talk about doing things in life, but soon talk ourselves out of it. That idea is ludicrous, we are too ‘busy’, later on in life we’ll do them. I’ll travel when I’m retired, or I’ll have a family once my career takes off. We’ve become a nation of human doers and not of human beings. That’s what happened to me, I had it stuck in my

Fear of Life vs. Fear of Death

I just completed reading Into the Wild and naturally it has brought many things to my attention. I can’t help but feel a kindredness and see many similarities between myself and McCandless. A fan of Tolstoy and Thoreau, many may consider him an ideological, dreamer. He was too green or ignorant about survival in the Alaskan bush and had it coming to him, is what many of his critics proclaim (how easy it is to judge from the outside, to see flaws and determine how best to solve or live a seemed problem, when it is not actually happening to us and we’re not in someone Else’s shoes).  I don’t see this at all. I get his perspective (I live in a freaking shed with no electricity for crying out loud). I’ve frequently been testing myself with little adventures. For me its about breaking down

Losing Control to Gain Perspective

Motivation Monday with Brittany! I know this title may seem like an oxymoron, but I promise that it will make sense by the end. I feel that living inspired goes hand-in-hand with my eating and health. For the last 6 weeks I have felt slightly less inspired than I was previously, and thus, out of complete harmony with my eating (not bad just not as focused as I was previously). So what to do? Take off on an adventure of rediscovery of course. To be able to just be and not think. Friday morning I got in my car and took off with no definite plan of where I was going, but not caring and not hurrying. Previously I would have been afraid. How often do we have to have plans. We have our five-year and ten-year plans. We know what we’re doing tomorrow, we know what we’re doing in a week. We go on vacation and it’s pre-planned and an itinerary is in place (we have to see this and do that). This is typical of humans, we don’t necessarily like the unexpected. Moving into my shed, initially I was terrified. How long am I going to live here, what about the winter, on and on. But then I realized that that is what is wonderful about the whole thing and this is what I took from the weekend. Not knowing where I’m going to be tomorrow or in an hour is so freeing, it’s an adventure and let’s you treasure the moment that is here right now. It’s like Thoreau (someone I consider a true kindred spirit) said, “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”

Underestimated Play

Bike rides, especially in foreign locations (like here in Denver), are a great way to explore your surroundings

Today I’d like to discuss play. Yes, play. It may seem like a frivolous topic and definitely not something most would put on their list of wellness must do’s. This is sad because it has been an integral part of human existence and much like sleep and hiking, I don’t think that it gets the accreditation that it deserves and put off as something that we can do later. I’ve been reading a book on Play (yes they write entire books dedicated to play, wonderful books that just make you feel young and enthused to get outside), filled with study after study about the benefits of play. From a young age it seems we are molded to strive toward accomplishments. We spend our early life taking tests and preparing for the next phase of life. For high school, to get into college, for the ‘real world’, for retirement. It’s an assembly line, as if our futures are already mapped out and we spend our life with self-restrictions, trying to fit into the societal qualms of what is acceptable, being and doing what is considered right. Play and anything that doesn’t seem ‘productive’, is deemed unacceptable. Play isn’t something scheduled though. It is spontaneous, trying to define play takes away from the

Why to shed shoes

Blogs by Brittany: Vacations are a time of rest and relaxation, so naturally a good book is a must. Today’s post was brought about because of the book that I cuddled up to the fire with in the ColoradoMountains. Granted it was tale about running and had some interesting points, I was most taken/intrigued by the section on barefoot training. It further solidified and justified my belief in barefoot training (and if possible actually elevated my level of barefootedness). We’ve looked at the benefits of barefoot several times in the past, but here is a little more proof that I got from the book (written by a writer from Runners World): According to Dr. Daniel Lieberman (Harvard), before the modern day running shoe was created by Nike in 1972, Americans had stronger feet and less incidence of injury. Since the 70’s Achilles complaints have actually increased by 10% There is no actual evidence that shoes prevent injury. In 2008 D. Craig Richards revealed that there are no evidence-based studies that shoes make you less prone to injury. The more expensive and cushiony the shoe the worse it is. Runners with high-end sneaks were 123% more likely to abstract an injury than runners in a cheap pair (according to a study by Bernard Marti, M.D.) Running impact

Seperation of Mind and Body

Always up for a challenge, when asked if I want to climb Pikes Peak, what is my response? Hell yes! Is there really a need to ask. Never one for vacations, of laying and drinking iby the beach, I’d much rather be sweating it out on a 12 plus mile hike up a 14,000 foot elevation. So I find myself staring up the Barr Trail, backpack strapped on, my parents flanking me on both sides, barefoot shoes and an itch for adventure all present at 8:30 am. Initially we face a heavy load of traffic running down the mountainside for the first few miles. But I’m not one to complain, especially when a majority are bare-chested tattooed guys! As we push further we find ourselves apart of a smaller group of summit climbers. After a while, though, I decide to put my headphones on, which my father doesn’t want to hear. He holds his hands out in a motion for me to go ahead. A solo trek up a mountain by myself? Yes please! I love my parents, but I felt like a lamb, that Dad preaches about, mindlessly following their schedule and

Tales of the Tao Traveler

Me and Half Dome

Hello there! Some may not be aware of what the Tao is, but like Ashton Shepard says ‘Look it up.’ As a few of you may know I just returned from a four-day trip to California and Yosemite National Park. In this post I hope to not only relay my experience to you, but delve into my personal thoughts on the on-goings and life in general (hence the Tao). Just to lay out now: previously some may perceive me to be ‘shy’ and I would struggle to just ask someone for a refill, so this is a trip of many firsts where I have to take my own initiative (needless to say I tore down all kinds of walls). Saturday morning I waved good-bye to mom at 5 am to depart on my first solo flight (layover and all); finally reaching my destination of San Francisco, California at around 10. I caught my own taxi (another first) to take me to the Ferry Building to purchase bus and train tickets to the park. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, there was minimal wind, the sun was shining, and the temperature was just perfect. Once I arrived at my destination I was a little taken aback to see this huge market sprawling in front of me. Eventually though I find the station to get my tickets, to discover that I have two hours to meander around the city. I explore the market, taking in all its wonders: extra-virgin olive oil, organic fruits and vegetables in abundance, smoked salmon, organic herbs and seasonings, everything. Needless to say I was not only in awe, but in love (why do I not have this in Terre Haute! I was a little envious of the city at that point). For the two hours I wander aimlessly around the city trying not to have an agenda, rather just absorbing the city and all that it beheld. I stopped by a man’s station, where he played his makeshift drumset of trash cans and coffee cans. Upon reading I learn that his car had been broken into and his original set stolen, yet his sign said ‘Life is Good’. What a beautiful notion that this man can have everything taken from him and still have such a positive outlook on life. I place money in his tin and he gives me the most joyful smile (which I try my best to replicate) and move on to wonder down the streets. On returning to the market a young man (barefooted and dreaded hair), who approaches me acquiring about my visit and pack. ‘Well welcome to California. Do you want to smoke weed.’ Well I am a little taken aback, but manage to somehow politely deny him and tell him that I haven’t done that and that I don’t see a need to. Well he was baffled because he’d never met anyone that hadn’t smoked pot. This kind of set the tempo from where the day went from here. I boarded a bus to Emeryville, where I connected for a two hour train ride to Merced. Here is