1. Tiny House tours on You Tube.

I already live in a small space (ask nicely and I might post a video tour of my kitchen, which is smaller than most half-baths) but the tiny house movement is fascinating to me.  I grew up in a large country farm house and for most of college lived in larger space than I do now.  When I decided to move to New York at 23, it was very hard for me.  I drove myself so anything I couldn’t fit in my car was left behind.  I remember buying a small box with sleeves to house my DVD collection and agonizing over throwing away the individual plastic cases – which sounds ludicrous to me now but at the time I had never been challenged to downsize my crap and it felt SO weird!

The various spaces I lived when I was in New York City really helped me appreciate that when you keep your space and personal items organized and to a minimum, you have more time and money to spend on experiences.  Ultimately, everything you own  is just stuff you have to maintain, clean, deal with, etc.  Whether you are aware of it or not, stuff is heavy in a mental way.  Keeping the sum of everything I owned small enough to fit in my car was EXCITING and I did it for years.  When I moved back to Iowa, I shipped everything I owned in 5 suitcases via Fed Ex, so I guess I trimmed the fat even more.

But tiny houses are downsized on another level!  I really connect with their desire to enrich their lives by keeping possession to a minimum.  Really think about how counter intuitive that idea is according to American culture – ENRICH your life by minimizing your possessions.  From personal experience, I can say it’s worth considering, especially if you’ve reached a point where you are spending more time working to get your stuff than you are enjoying your life.

Watching these videos have challenged me to remember why I loved downsizing in the first place and to clean out some of my own stuff.  Below are my personal favorites:

A super modern look for a couple with a full size kitchen

A couple gave up their mortgage for a life with more freedom

A health scare changed this woman’s perspective

A mom and two children love life in their tiny home

Enough room for a couple, a baby and a really big dog

 

2. Podcasts!

I have listened to the occasional podcast here and there, but recently I have stumbled upon a few that I think are exceptional.  Stay tuned for a future post about specifics, but in the meantime, use your smart phone to find one because the topics are endless!  I can listen and learn while accomplishing other things around my home, and how is that not a win win!? 🙂

 

3. Seasonal Vegetables!

Tomatoes!  Hatch Peppers!  Watermelon!  And pumpkin season is right around the corner!  Happy dance!!

If you’ve got some tomatoes that need using, I’ll be posting my tips for amazing marinara sauce in a couple days, which I received from a dear friend who is a 1st generation Italian.  If you want the truth, go right to the source, amiright!?

 

4.  The Paleo Coach by Jason Seib

I read this book over the weekend and plan on posting a full review later this week.  But to speak quickly, his words have genuinely fired me up and helped me to understand some of the mental road blocks I have been dealing with over the last 6 months in my personal pursuit to health and fitness.  He also is no BS.  Which I love.  The success stories in his book are pretty darn amazing AND it has a specific 21 day meal plan with recipes included – which right there makes it worth every penny.  If you need a kick in the pants, buy it.

 

5. YOU!  My Readers!

I am genuinely humbled and excited by the number of you that stop by to see what I have to say!  Knowing that you read keeps me writing!  Please let me know what you would like to see more or less of and any topics you would like me to cover and I will do my best 🙂

My goal for this blog has always been to share my personal experiences and to inspire others to action.  When I made the move to Paleo-fy my life, I had no idea what the results would be – if any.  Cuz let’s face it, there are more than a few gimmicks, more than a few bridges in Brooklyn, that the weight loss industry has tried to sell all of us over the years.  And the key word in that sentence is industry – industries need to make money.

The weight loss and fitness industries have made hundreds of millions of dollars off of people who want help – who need help.  It pisses me off because I bought those things – pills, powders, systems, subscriptions, etc.  And when they didn’t work I blamed myself – my lack of motivation, my genes, my stupid body.   I spent years beating myself up over these failures, which lowered myself self-esteem and effected my relationships – really all aspects of my life.  And those industries kept making money off me – off my sadness and frustration.  Well guess what – it wasn’t my body or my mind, it wasn’t my fault at all – none of that SH*T worked because it doesn’t work.  Not in the long run and most of the time not in the short either.

You will NEVER see me endorse powdered or packaged eating or a quick fix system.  I’m never going to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn.  I can provide ideas but really everything you need to heal yourself, achieve an amazing quality of life and find joy in your body exists in the world and no corporation can trademark it.  I’ll keep standing on my soapbox and screaming “PLEASE TRY PALEO!” for no reason other than I want everyone who comes in contact with this blog to see the light like I did and take action.

So there you have it.  A bit of a rant but I’m fired up today 🙂  I appreciate you stopping by, please keep reading, and don’t be afraid to contact me publicly or privately if you want honest answers.  Feel free to comment or you can contact me thru my Facebook page or by email at thebigcityfarmgirl@gmail.com.

 

 

Oh yeah!  #6!  This image I posted on instagram earlier this week.  A good reminder for anyone who is trying to make real change in their life.  And most of the time… if you want to change one thing about your life, you are really going to have to change 5 or more.  Change requires work.