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My Daunting Challenge to Go Off The Grid, De-clutter and Find Balance

There are two blog posts that I recently read that have been swirling around in my head and I keep thinking about them. For me, when something stays top of mind and I can’t shake it, I take it as a sign that I need to address the item or issue.  In this case it’s the dizzying pace of work and the physical and digital clutter that’s accumulated as a result of my life that’s all work and little play. Thank goodness I enjoy my work!

But, regardless of how much any of us love or hate our work, being out of balance is not healthy. So today, I re-read both blog posts. One is by Leo Babauta titled The Wastefulness of Decluttering; or How to Make Less Count for More, and the other from Todd Defren titled 5 Steps To Dealing with the Relentless Pace of Marketing, which opened with Defren writing about a 30 year old client who said to him, “I’m exhausted.”

I know what you’re thinking, how can a 30 year old be exhausted?! But in this brave new world of social media marketing where it’s an always-on life of 24/7, 365 days a year of being connected, I can relate to the 30-year old client who’s exhausted.

For the most part, I like working and always being tapped in or I wouldn’t do it. But when it comes at the cost of a messy, cluttered and unbalanced life, it makes me hold up the mirror and admit to myself that I need to adjust the compass a bit.

I made a New Year’s resolution at the start of this year to be committed to clean eating and being the healthiest I can be, which I had been doing fairly well on until a few weeks ago when I went three weeks without working out due to a busy schedule and travel. I’m not one of those people who can travel and squeeze in a workout. When I travel it’s all work and a little sleep and that’s it! (Okay, I sometimes will squeeze in dinner with clients).

But getting back to my point of needing to adjust the compass, this three-week streak of abandoning my 4-5 day a week workout regimen, along with reading these two blog posts, made me realize that my work-life balance is off-balance.

What I loved about both blog posts were the tips and steps that both Defren and Babauta provided. Of course, I haven’t implemented any of them yet. But I’m putting the stake in the ground right now by writing this blog post and declaring to the world (okay, to the handful of family, friends and 1 or 2 strangers who read my blog) that as of today I’m making a change.

I’m setting three goals right now, then breaking them down into small bite-sized tasks and staying the course for the remainder of this year so I meet these three goals:

1. To dial down (just a little) my dizzying always-on work pace;
2. To de-clutter my digital life and my physical surroundings (mostly my office, which has been one huge weight on my shoulders); and
3. To make time for family and friends because sadly they get about one-percent of my time if even that. My dog gets more of my time then my friends and family. Ouch, that’s a hard thing to admit.

My three biggest hurdles in taking the first step will be:

1. Being committed to spending at least 60 uninterrupted minutes on the weekend cleaning up my digital clutter, which means closing email, Tweetdeck, IM, Skype, etc.;
2. Turning off the computer AND my iPhone (eek, did I just say I’d go off the grid) and spending one or two weekend afternoons a month de-cluttering my environment (I wish I was brave enough to post a picture of my office, but I’m not, maybe someday soon when it’s less scary…haha); and
3. Carving out a little time for family and friends and NOT pull out my iPhone to tweet or check email in their presence (okay, I might fail on this last one, but I’ll keep trying and one day I’ll succeed).

The second and third hurdle truly will be the most difficult because I spend the majority of my day either on my computer or on my iPhone, even during my workouts, which makes me realize that I should probably go back to taking regular classes instead of working out on the elliptical trainer or step-climber!

So with that said and the stake in the ground, I’m going to post this blog post, tweet and Facebook it, and then shut off my computer and go enjoy the rest of this beautiful day!

Join Kashi and Burt’s Bees for a Day of Change and Start Living Your Healthiest Life!

One of my many missions in life is to not only live the healthiest and cleanest life possible, but it’s also to help others learn to live their healthiest life possible, too, hence being a “wellness warrior.” The good folks over at Kashi are on the same mission and have hit the road this summer to help people take their first step to living a healthier life.

Kashi’s ‘Day of Change’ tour is hitting 17 cities across the U.S. this summer from Tampa to San Francisco (see tour dates). The Day of Change events are focused on education. Attendees will learn how to shop and read product labels so they know what to look for, they’ll learn how to “naturalize” recipes, take part in hands-on sustainability activities, and also learn more about natural products for both the inside and out.

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body, which is why Kashi has partnered with Burt’s Bees on the tour. The Burt’s Bees team will be on hand to share the importance of using natural personal care products from skin care to oral care.

I didn’t even know that Burt’s Bees had an oral care line until very recently when they sent me a sample of their Burt’s Bees Multicare Natural Toothpaste (peppermint flavor). It’s 99.2 percent natural (contains fluoride) and is quite good in terms of texture and taste. For those of you, like me, who prefer fluoride-free toothpaste, they offer 100% natural fluoride-free toothpaste, too. The Burt's Bees oral care line consists of four products: multicare and whitening (with and without fluoride), and then two kids toothpastes, Berry Bee (fluoride-free) and Orange Wow (contains fluoride).

I’m not sure if the Burt’s Bees team will have the toothpastes on hand for people to sample at the ‘Day of Change’ events, but they along with Kashi will have sample products for people to try.

I love both Burt’s Bees and Kashi products, so I will do my best to make it out to one of the events on their 17-city tour. Hopefully, it fits in with my travel schedule, so if I make it out to one of the events, I’ll certainly report back on how it went. And maybe I’ll capture it on video, too. Hope to see you there, too!

For more information visit:
Kashi’s Day of Change
Kashi Day of Change Tour - a Natural partnership with Burt’s Bees

Follow and fan them at:
Kashi on Facebook
Burt’s Bees on Facebook
Burt’s Bees on Twitter

 

Being a Wellness Warrior in the Age of Xtreme Eating & Limited Dining Choices

 

Summer is upon us and it’s a reminder that we’re halfway through 2010. How are you doing on those goals that you set at the beginning of the year?

On January 1, I set a goal to be committed to clean eating and remembering to vote with my dollars for clean, sustainable, non-GMO and organic foods. I’m now six months into it, and I must admit that it’s been a challenge. For the most part, I’ve done fairly well, but where it’s been the most challenging is dining out.

Most restaurants fail miserably in offering healthy and clean-eating options. What I mean by “clean” is organic produce and grains that are free of herbicides, pesticides and GMOs; seafood that’s wild caught and not farmed; organic meat from grass-fed cows and free-range chickens fed certified-organic feed and animals that are not pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. Sadly, most restaurants serve the antibiotic and hormone-injected animal products that are fed unthinkable feed, and grains and produce from GMOs that are full of herbicides and pesticides.

For the most part, I buy organic whole foods that I prepare at home simply because there are so few choices when it comes to dining out and sticking to my clean eating diet. On occasion, I go to vegan restaurants that buy organic, local and do their best to serve healthy dishes. However, I do break my rules sometimes when I eat out, simply because there are so few choices.

It’s unfortunate that most restaurants serve unhealthy dishes, but they do this for a variety of reasons from wanting to keep cost down and profit margins high to giving people what they think they want. Most people prefer to eat out and select high-calorie dishes laden with sodium and fat, so the restaurants cater to this.

As a marketer myself, I get that. And I also understand the economic realities of keeping food costs down, but that doesn’t make it right. It just makes it a sad reality because more than half of Americans are unhealthy due to being overweight and poor food choices.

I personally welcome the new legislation that requires restaurants to post calories on menus. It’s not perfect, but it’s one baby step in the right direction. I’m hoping it will raise awareness and help people to start taking responsibility for their health, which starts with every bite we take and drink we sip.

The folks over at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) are helping raise awareness of this issue. CSPI is a nutrition and food safety watchdog organization that’s doing its part to transform the American diet. CSPI recently announced its Xtreme Eating awards, which spotlights the unhealthiest dishes that are served up at some of America’s favorite chain restaurants.

"One might think that chains like Outback Steakhouse and The Cheesecake Factory might want to lighten up their meals now that calories will be required on their menus, courtesy of the health care reform law signed in March," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson in a recent article. "But these chains don’t promote moderation. They practice caloric extremism, and they’re helping make modern-day Americans become the most obese people ever to walk the Earth."

Jacobson is right! These restaurants do practice caloric extremism. When I’m dining out, I use the Lose It! and/or Restaurant Calorie Counter iPhone apps to look up calories and other nutritional information as I peruse the menus at restaurants and I’m always shocked at the amount of calories in some of these dishes. A lot of dishes have an entire day’s worth of calories in one dish. That’s not only unhealthy, that’s insane!

Of course, calories are just one factor to consider when trying to eat healthy. Food choice is far more important than caloric intake, in my opinion. It’s critical to our health to select whole foods with high nutritional value and stay away from foods that are highly processed and laden with chemicals and other unhealthy substances.

Honestly, it’s a daily battle for me. I use the word “battle” because I’ve had to become a wellness warrior fighting to stay healthy in a food system that's filled with unhealthy selections. I hope if you’re still reading this it’s because you care about your health and want to join me in being a wellness warrior fighting for our health and the health of others!

 

 

iPhone Apps to help you stay healthy and/or lose weight:
Restaurant Calorie Counter

Lose It!

GoodGuide

Locavore

SeafoodWatch

Whole Foods Market Recipes

Resources and Related Links:
LA Times: And the Xtreme Eating awards go to ... really fattening restaurant food

LA Times: Calorie labeling! Coming soon to a buffet -- and drinks menu -- near you

Reuters: Menus still calorie-laden despite new laws: group

Environmental Working Group: “The Power of Information”

Monterey Bay Aquarium: SeafoodWatch

Whole Foods Market

 

Kick-off World Malaria Day with a Tweet, Wall Post and Donation to Help End Malaria

Today is World Malaria Day 2010 and the Social Media Envoys have already started their efforts in helping to end malaria in endemic African countries by 2015. The Social Media Envoy is a large group of influencers from Anderson Cooper of CNN, Queen Rania of Jordan, and Ryan Seacrest to Mashable’s Pete Cashmore, Jutine “iJustine” Ezarik and a host of others who have been brought together by Ray Chambers of the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria and his team.

(photo credit: DailyBooth.com from user Sweetpea6497)

In a recent statement issued by the Office of Special Envoy, Chambers stated, "In our efforts to reach the Secretary-General’s 2010 goal of universal bed net coverage, and to reach the longer term goal of near-zero deaths from malaria by 2015, it is critical that acceleration continue in the malaria control movement."

Chambers continued, "Social media content and user driven syndication have proven to be exceptional media assets in generating action behind, elevating awareness of, and increasing resources for global malaria efforts. With our malaria-related objectives within sight, this influential group of Social Media Envoys will help us exceed our awareness goals throughout the year."

The Social Media Envoys have agreed to help spread the word across their networks through tweets, wall posts on Facebook, YouTube videos and photos on DailyBooth.com. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness across the Social Web in order to raise the needed funds to provide interventions against Malaria, such as insecticide-treated nets, in all endemic African countries.

In another statement issued by UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF said, "It's difficult to imagine that 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes like malaria—but it is in fact a reality. Progress is being made on combating this killer disease in Africa but so much more needs to be done.  I'm confident that engaging individuals through social media is one very powerful way to elevate the profile of this disease and provide a real outlet for action."

Stern is right, it's incredibly difficult to imagine that 24,000 children under the age of five die EVERY DAY from preventable causes like Malaria. Together, let's put an end to it. Join in and spread the word, make a donation and save lives.

To make a $10 mobile donation text NETS to 864233 (UNICEF). Or visit the Malaria Envoy Facebook page and make a donation there.

Check out Jutine"iJustine" Ezarik's End Malaria video:

Related Links:
http://www.tweetmixx.com/malariaenvoy
http://www.facebook.com/MalariaEnvoy

#WorldMalariaDay
#socialmediaenvoy
#endmalaria