200 day report on my Life Transformation Experiment

I thought that it was time for an update. 200 days ago, on Ash Wednesday, I started what I thought would be a temporary personal mortification… a Lenten sacrifice. I adopted a pescetarian diet and committed to 30 minutes of daily exercise. My Numbers, Pre-Pescetarian Life Transformation Blood Pressure: 130/85 Weight: 192lbs Resting Heart Rate: …

Being inspired and inspiring

I woke up today feeling inspired. I had a good night’s sleep after having accomplished a few simple things during the previous day that I had been thinking about. The feeling of sunlight on my arms and face was beautiful as well. I got to thinking about how I could transmit that feeling of being …

Pleasures of public transit

I am taking public transit as a part of my wellness journey. I am on a trip to Ottawa today, which meant an early morning wake-up at 4am to catch the early train. I took the GO Train at Aldershot Station with the other bleary-eyed riders to Union Station in Toronto. Then VIA Rail from …

Personal discovery: Nutrition is a practice and requires planning

Proper nutrition is a practice, I am finding. And not necessarily one where the path is obvious. I am discovering that for me, proper nutrition requires a little research and planning coupled with mindful cooking and eating. After paying the $50 or so annual membership to unlock the hidden features of myfitnesspal, I have been …

A lovely day

I woke up early today (5:30) and made myself an americano and some spoon-size shredded wheat with blueberries and strawberries. Then meditated for 10 minutes and spent the morning working peacefully, writing and editing on the deck as nature woke up around me. Then an easygoing 50 minute swim at the Ancaster Lions Pool, lunch …

Sleep and not sleeping

Sleep is central to our well-being. It is a healing time when the body rebuilds itself and our mind consolidates memories and learning. I have found that sleep is a good barometer for how I am doing in terms of day-to-day wellness. I always thought that I only needed 4 to 6 hours of sleep and …

Gratitude

I woke up today feeling very grateful. Grateful for having been blessed with privilege and opportunity. Grateful for having a supportive family and friends. Grateful for professional friendships based on trust and warmth that have created opportunities for me to contribute in academia, politics and professional communications practice. Grateful for life in a peaceful, tolerant …

The quantified self makes us more human

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of the quantified self. Since Ash Wednesday 2016, I started a fast that meant that I went pescetarian.  While I thought that I would miss beef, chicken, pork and duck, the reality has been that I do not.  It helps that my favourite foods have always …

Meditating so that writing becomes fun and not work

Amazingly, I have stuck to two of my New Year’s resolutions: meditating and writing. Each day, I have been spending two hours (at least) focused exclusively on editing JPC or working on my book project. I have found that the time I spend writing and editing has become an inspirational and meditative time that I …

On the simple life: find your peaceful thing.

Every new year, I hear many of the people I know express that they want to “return to a simpler life” or eliminate clutter. I often have this noble ambition myself. This year, I asked myself what this really means. I came up with a couple of ideas. Eliminating clutter doesn’t mean stripping back all …