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Happy Movember!

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:37:00 -0500

Half of our Movember team clean-shaven on Day 1

This month, the men of DailyFeats will sacrifice their upper lips to the worthy cause of men’s health awareness. Movember is a campaign to change the face of men’s health by raising funds and awareness throughout the month of November, or, as you’ll likely hear it called, Movember. We’ve also got some Mo Sistas supporting the cause as well, since we’re a fair and balanced team and all. (B Corporation FTW!)

You can visit our team page to donate here, and learn more about the Movember project’s aims here.

Plus, follow us on Twitter to see the guys’ progress throughout the month! Happy Movember to all.

Wordless Wednesday (Sort of)

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:24:52 -0400

Can you balance self-acceptance with self-betterment?

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:23:52 -0400

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” —Maya Angelou

Sara and I recently had the opportunity to attend a discussion on self-acceptance and weight loss at Fitbloggin. The ladies leading the discussion said,

“The goal will be for each person who participates to walk away from the discussion with a personal definition of what self-acceptance means and how to apply it in their own lives.”

I expected it to be a panel discussion where the panelists guide us through some principles on how to be more self-accepting, and maybe they would share a bit about their personal journeys.

But what we experienced was something we never could have anticipated. It was an incredibly moving session led by the bloggers in the audience. Anyone who felt compelled to share their wisdom or struggles with self-acceptance could go up to one of the mikes stationed around the room and speak for as long as they liked and also respond to each other.

We heard stories from women and men who have struggled their whole lives with eating disorders, obesity, weight issues stemming from childhood abuse…a lot of people baring their souls to a group of virtual strangers, and the response was so warm and supportive.

The Fitbloggin community is truly a judgement-free zone.

One of the bloggers, while speaking about her own struggles with weight loss, posed an intriguing question: does self-acceptance mean being satisfied with where you are now? Does it mean never changing or growing or striving for better? How do you balance self-acceptance with self-betterment?

It’s an interesting thought, and one I hadn’t before considered.

As many of us pondered the answer, many others took the mikes with their thoughts:

“I could run now when I couldn’t before. It wasn’t about the distance, I found myself worthy of putting in the effort that it took to get there.”

“Every morning I get up and say ‘I deserve this.’”

And there it came, the constant reinforcement that whoever we are, wherever we’ve been, whatever our goals—we’re worth the effort and we’re worthy of the path forward. We deserve the ability to create that path in the way that makes me most happy.

So self-acceptance doesn’t mean being complacent. It means believing that you can be a part of everything this world has to offer.

How do you define self-acceptance? What do you do to remind yourself that you’re “worth it”? Tell us on twitter! #Fitbloggin

Take the challenge: October #Unprocessed

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:53:00 -0400

What would happen if you gave up processed foods for 30 days?

Andrew Wilder, founder of Eating Rules, asked himself that very question after an “A-ha” moment in early 2009 started him down a path toward better health. Andrew was 32 at the time and dealing with an increased sluggishness and difficulty staying focused. Telling himself that he was too young to feel that way, he resolved to make some significant changes in his life and set out to find a solution that would target the roots of those problems.

Then in October of 2009, he took on a personal challenge with some friends to see what would happen if they spent the month eating nothing but whole foods.

The results at the end of the month were undeniable. Meals prepared with whole foods were more flavorful and aromatic, as well as more satisfying. Andrew felt healthier, happier, more energized, and less dependent on the processed foods we tend to feel addicted to, like refined sugars.

To top it all off, Andrew and his friends found that they were excited by the foods they cooked and couldn’t wait to swap ideas for their next dishes. There was no doubt that a diet based in whole foods could have a dramatic, positive affect on so many facets of life.

In the last 3 years, October Unprocessed has turned into a fun, informative blog-based challenge and a growing movement to get people to step away from unpronounceable ingredients toward the foods your body was really designed to run on. Check out Eating Rules and you’ll find valuable insights from Andrew’s own journey, as well as recipes, how-to’s, and strategies for getting more whole foods into your diet.

Everyone is invited to participate at your own pace. Yep, that’s right—whether you want to go whole hog or just test the waters, it’s really up to you!

While October Unprocessed is about understanding how food affects how we feel day to day, it’s also a celebration of food, friendship, and happiness—because when we’re sharing food that’s really good for us, our bonds grow so much stronger.

So grab your friends and go unprocessed! It’s super easy to pledge to participate!

This year Andrew aims to get 30,000 people to participate in October Unprocessed (and was just featured in the Los Angeles Times this past weekend). Some of us here at DailyFeats have already pledged to participate, and we want you to join us!

Tweet about your #Unprocessed successes and struggles @eatingrules and @dailyfeats—we’d love to hear from you!

We have a guest post coming out soon on Eating Rules in support of October Unprocessed—a month-long challenge to eat more whole foods in lieu of processed ones. Look for “The Power of One Small Change” on Eating Rules to see how you can incorporate more whole foods into your day!

Featers at FitBloggin' 2012

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:11:00 -0400

By Sara Hopson

Shannon and I are back from our weekend spent in Baltimore at FitBloggin’ …back with a renewed sense of purpose. Feeling inspired. Feeling (pleasantly) overwhelmed, by the amount of stories and struggles and success that we experienced over the weekend. I felt like a sponge, happy to absorb all the knowledge and sharing that was going on around us at every turn.

A few moments stuck out that I wanted to record for our own sake and for those of you who weren’t able to attend. The good news is… next year’s conference is in Portland, OR (tentatively) June 27-29. I’d suggest marking your calendar, like, now :)

This conference was different from others we’ve attended in its use of discussion rooms instead of traditional panels. The format was a smashing success as far as I could tell: a few of them veered more toward emotional storytelling and catharsis, while others (including my own) were more a sharing of knowledge and perspectives on blogging and various topics related to it. It was nice to have the option to attend more presentation-oriented sessions and then sit in on really genuine, free-flowing discussions. I think it gave the conference a more close-knit feeling. People were connecting on a personal level far more than I’ve experienced before. Love was in the air!

Within minutes of sitting down to breakfast Friday morning, we met Kate and Stephanie of Bulu Box (check it out), and had a great convo about how cool & encouraging it is to see the emergence of this community that’s so passionate about health. Nice start to the day and the conference!

Here are some other gems we took away from the weekend…

During the “Self-Acceptance and Weight Loss” discussion room:

“We’re not trained as a society to look @ eachother & be supportive, to say ‘I love you for you’” - @fatgirlvsworld #fitbloggin
— Sara Hopson (@sahopson) September 21, 2012

“We’re all making a difference, whether it’s in our own lives or others: do not let the anxiety stop you” - @poiseinparma #fitbloggin
— Sara Hopson (@sahopson) September 21, 2012

Amy was right up our alley with her presentation, “Build Your Brand”. If you missed it, you should Tweet at her to get copies of the worksheets - so helpful.

Build your brand at 3:45. You ARE a brand. A hands-on workshop #fitbloggin.
— Amy (@FatGirlsCanRun) September 21, 2012

Kara kind of blew us all away with her inspiring story…

WOW. Kara @fatwmnonthemtn is 7.5 months pregnant and has only gained 5lbs! Incredible. Inspiring. @bistromd is helping. #fitbloggin
— Sara Hopson (@sahopson) September 21, 2012

Shannon was pumped for her first Zumba session—which was awesome and led by Sue (@MrsFatAss) and Sam (@SimplifyingSam).

About to do my first zumba session with @sahopson. Full of oatmeal. #fitbloggin #sleepy
— Shannon Wagner (@S_Maria_Dubs) September 22, 2012

Behind the scenes as Roni and the FitBloggin’ team arrange us for a group photo:

How to squeeze like 200 people into a #fitbloggin photo.instagr.am/p/P4u40msChp/
— Shannon Wagner (@S_Maria_Dubs) September 22, 2012

My discussion room was last in the lineup and our group had a good talk about how to incorporate vision into our blogs, and what our go-forward plans will be from the conference: what we learned, what we still need help with, and what we’re excited about.

Please, do have a look at the Google spreadsheet “action plan”, where we’ll add in some of the attendee’s plans and what they’d like some help or advice on. If you have experience in any of those areas, reach out & offer to help! This community grows stronger when the ties within it are stronger. Also, download the worksheet I put together for the discussion here.

Here are some soundbites from these awesome bloggers…

- From 300 Pounds and Running: “Men don’t talk about weight loss. They never talk about ‘Man, there’s a jelly roll here and I can’t do nothing about it.’”

“I wanted to be different, and the way I did it was blogging.”

- Kelly from No Thanks to Cake: “You don’t always realize that the honesty you reveal and the truth that you share is the same challenges that everyone shares”

- Tim of Midpack Runner: ”It was a little too schizoprhenic to blog about running, bocking, and these other things I was doing. You realize there’s no specific audience for your blog…so I said what do I care the most about sharing with people…and that became about running.”

”Build your brand now and you’re able to leverage that [when transitioning out of your job]”

- Amy of Fat Girls Can Run: “The blending of the personal and professional life…that’s a personal choice. You either keep it separate, never use your last name, never mention your location, where you work…or you can blend the two and really make it about whole life.”

“If you’re concerned about your boss finding something that you wrote, don’t write it.”

The 10-4-1: for every 25 pieces of socmed content you produce, 10 should promote other people’s content, 4 should promote your content, and 1 should sell yourself.

- And from the Renaissance Woman, The Get Fit Diva: “I definitely look at my audience, where they’re coming from, which posts are popular, and I keep writing about those topics.”

“I’m definitely always hyper aware of what my content is. It’s not just helping me, it can help other people as well.”

* Shout-out to Jamie & Alyse from FitApproach, Paul, Kate, & Stephanie from Bulu Box, Lynda of Hit the Road Jane, and Toni from Running, Loving, Living for the Saturday night antics as well! :)

Head on over to the #fitbloggin Twitter stream for a LOT more great content, pics, and fond memories. Thanks to Roni & the whole FitBloggin’ team for a wonderful weekend, and for bringing us all together in such exciting and unique ways! Looking forward to next year!

Wordless Wednesday (Sort of)

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:22:26 -0400

Fast food for thought: stop fantasizing if you want change

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:52:00 -0400

“It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it.”
― Lou Holtz

Think for a minute about your goals.

Do you have a clear picture of what your success looks like? Maybe it’s your dream body, or maybe it’s your dream job, or dream home.

Now, do you have a clear picture of the path you need to take to get there? Can you anticipate what the pitfalls and struggles might be?

If you lose motivation just thinking about it, then it’s possible your brain is working against you.

A recent article on the Buffer blog by Gregory Ciotti, founder of SparringMind, says that fantasizing too much on the end-goal can give you a false sense of accomplishment, which keeps you from ever acting toward your intended goal, or from acting consistently.

So how can you break the fantasy cycle?

Break it down DailyFeats style!

Here’s an example. Let’s say your goal is to lose 20 pounds. How will you do that?

1. Eat healthier
2. Exercise

And how will you do those things? Break those steps down even further!

1. Eat healthier

Eat more fruits and veggies in each meal
Stop buying Doritos and Little Debbie snack cakes

2. Exercise

Go for a 10 minute jog/walk every other day
Do pushups and crunches before I take showers

If you can make a clear plan for getting from point A to B to C, you’ll set yourself up for real success and lasting change.

What do you think? Does fantasizing about your success make it harder to reach your goals? Do you have some tips of your own? Share with us on Twitter!

Wordless Wednesday (Sort of)

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:06:02 -0400

Featured Member: Alexandra

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:49:00 -0400

Welcome to September, Featers! We’ve successfully climbed out of the doldrums of summer to bring you our latest Featured Member.

Meet Alexandra…a renaissance soul who loves life, books, and salsa.

1. We think it’s awesome that you’re studying community health and that you’ll be doing your internship with a local children’s center – obviously, community health is something we’re very interested in! We’re curious, how were you drawn into this field?

I am one of those people who loves so many different things, so choosing a major was really hard for me! But I started realizing that the things I valued most in my daily life were health and lifestyle related. Those were the articles I read, the magazines I bought, and the things I liked to spend time thinking about. I was naturally drawn to exercise, healthy eating, the environment, etc. So it was really freeing to realize that! I also really love to work with people, so I liked that this field gave me so many great options and ways to help others.

2. You describe yourself as a salsa connoisseur, which is lucky because we just happen to be salsa lovers. What in your opinion makes the best salsa?

Yes, I am! Mexican food in general is something that I just LOVE! Salsa, though, is really what adds the interest for me! It adds the kick and excitement to any Mexican food, and really many non-Mexican foods as well. For me, a good salsa is fresh and chunky with lots of lime and lots of garlic. I love to experiment with fresh salsas at home. But I’ve also found a few really great organic ready-made options from the store that are pretty darn good!

3. We were perusing your blog (which we so often do) and came across your summer bucket list. How many things have you crossed off so far? Which one(s) were the most memorable?

Thank you! Blogging is a hobby of mine that I really enjoy. I do it for myself, I like to track my goals and record my memories there. But it’s definitely a bonus when others appreciate it as well! The summer bucket list has been a great project for me and my husband. It has kept us busy this summer! So far, we have completed 33 things out of 50! Which I think is pretty great; it is a rather ambitious list!

Definitely the most memorable experience from the list was taking a road trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul to see Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto show. I have been an avid Coldplay fan since “Yellow” came out; I know nearly every song, so the fact that we had an opportunity to go to this show was so amazing! The music was incredible, and the visual aspects of the show were just over-the-top and breathtaking. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.

4. Imagine your future self shows up at your house to tell you something. What do you think she’d say?

Hmm, this is a hard one. I think my future self would probably tell me not to worry so much about the future. Right now I am in a place where I am about to graduate with my undergraduate degree, and I really don’t know what is next. I am one of those people who hates waiting around and doing nothing. So the fact that I don’t know what to work toward leaves me feeling like I’m treading water rather than swimming. Despite these anxieties I know that everything will work itself out, I just get a little overwhelmed. My future self would probably say that these few years ended up being really great and that I just need to keep my eyes open for signs and take every opportunity. So that is what I am going to try to do.

5. If you came across a burning library (I know, perish the thought!) and you had enough time to run in and save just one book, what would it be and why?

Oh no! That would be so awful! I love so many books, from so many genres so this is a pretty hard one for me. But I guess if I had to choose just one, I would choose Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One by Margaret Lobenstine. It is this fantastic book for people like me who love so many things that it’s hard to choose what to do. Especially in a world that encourages us to find and follow our passion. Some of us really don’t have just one! So this book is a fantastic comfort to me, and it helps me focus on the values and activities that are important to me at a specific time. By developing those I can meet all my needs and rotate my activities based on that. The author is so great and helps you map out how you can turn multiple passions into a career or income. It’s especially helpful in times like now, when I am trying to decide my next big step in life! I highly recommend it to anyone who feels similarly!

Friday recap: what we loved this week

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:58:00 -0400

by Shannon Wagner, Marketing & Community Engagement

Every day Sara and I read A LOT of stuff on the internet in search of the best advice, tips, research findings, and inspiration so that we can give you what you need to be your best self. And now, we’re compiling that stuff into one weekly digestible post.

The tastiest food for thought:

(It’s just a coincidence that both are from Ali Luke of Ali Ventures, but it’s ok because she’s freaking awesome!)

In this Pick the Brain article, Ali shares 9 ways you can look in every nook and cranny of your day to make time for your goal, whatever it may be.

It’s no secret that we LOVE Lifehacker. Seriously, where would we be without their geeky wisdom? In this guest post, Ali talks about how to make those good goal intentions last.

#FF - Our latest favorites on Twitter:

Most inspiring:

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” ― Albert Einstein

“Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor’s of the mind.” -Leonardo da Vinci (courtesy of Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project)

Best laugh:

The awkward faces of Olympic divers and figure skaters

Find something interesting, helpful, or just plain awesome that you want to share with us? Hit us up on twitter (@dailyfeats)!

Wordless Wednesday (Sort of)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:55:00 -0400

Meet Sara - our fabulous Manager of Community Engagement!

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:16:00 -0400

You know her as the Manager of Community Engagement — your link to the DailyFeats team. We at DailyFeats know her as a social media guru with a passion for people and innovative technology. Now, thanks to our new Team Member Profile series, we can all get to know a bit more about what really makes Sara tick.

How habits of thought impact habit change

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:58:00 -0400

By Shannon Wagner, Marketing & Community Engagement

It’s no secret that DailyFeats wants to help people build better habits. We continually do research into sustainable behavior change and the technology that makes it possible, and lately I’ve been thinking about my own habits, specifically the ones I’d like to adopt, and why some stick and some don’t.

I’ve tackled some big health feats in the last couple years, including becoming vegetarian and jogging a couple times per week, and experienced no real difficulties building habits there.

But when it comes to my bigger dreams, I’m not nearly as successful and I find it harder to make those dream-related habits stick. What gives?

After some days of soul and Google searching, I came across Kristy Swanson, a personal development coach, and her blog post about The Habit of Fear. In it, Swanson says that when we find ourselves faced with stress-inducing situations, we’re confronted with thoughts of habit, like doubt and fear.

These feelings act as a sort of an anti-cue, meaning they trigger us to not do the thing we set out to do because we’re afraid of failing. As the old saying goes, “I think, therefore I am.” Turns out the opposite is equally true: if you think you’re not, you won’t be.

But Swanson says we should be more bold:

You can either look at things in black and white terms, like success or failure, or you can take a more complex look at your process, what you are learning about yourself, and how you’re gaining by making the effort.

Just like how we at DailyFeats break down larger goals into smaller, more manageable actions, so too should you break down the way you view progress into smaller efforts, understanding that even failing counts as a success because you took a chance and learned something about yourself, and (hopefully) got back on the horse.

According to the team over at Pick the Brain, this view of progress is what separates experts from amateurs and drop-outs (or quitters).

When we think about success and look at the achievements of successful people, all we can see is the superficial layer. We see the successful business, the best selling novel, or the artistic masterpiece. Naturally, we assume that success requires a similar achievement and we’re discouraged because, as beginners, we’re incapable of reaching such heights. This is when most people start thinking in terms of “can’t.”

But we can retrain ourselves to view progress differently — we can change our thought habits. And if we can do that, we can certainly tackle our broader, “grey area” goals.

If we could see successful people as beginners and understand every tiny effort that gradually contributed to their success, we wouldn’t be discouraged by our own initial ignorance. Instead of seeing the path to success as a gargantuan wall, we’d see it as a very long but climbable staircase.

One step might not produce THE result, but it brings you to the next step—one step closer to the top—and that itself is its own success.

In a nutshell, we’re all creatures of habit, and habits are the results of our mental wiring. But whether you want to build new habits or break old ones, it all starts with how you think about your habits and progress.

Want to join in this conversation? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter: @dailyfeats

And check out our new Think Brighter challenge from Mindful Moon App, designed to help you stay present and focused on what really matters (your limitless potential).

Eric Brown, creator of the Mindful Moon iPhone app, wants to remind you to think positively.

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 10:55:00 -0400

We’re thrilled to announce a challenge with the creator of the Mindful Moon iPhone app, which helps to incorporate positivity throughout your day with reminders that make you mindful of your mood. The Think Brighter challenge will help you do just that. Here’s a little more from Eric to get you started.

Mindful Moon App was inspired by the common challenge to remain positive and present and focused on what really matters (our true limitless nature), while living in a fast paced technological world.

Mindful Moon App acts as a friendly ‘tap on the shoulder’ to bring us back into the moment and train our minds of habit into being more positive and present. The app has a collection of positive and insightful messages which you set to daily reminders, so throughout your day you will get a few positive messages which is training to become more positive and present and to live to your full potential.

Here are the feats in the Think Brighter challenge and a little more food for thought as you approach completing them:

!eatfocused

Why?

So often in our busy lives, we eat in a rush or on the go.

Gift yourself a solid break from your busy day by sitting and eating slowly.

Eating mindfully actually helps us digest better and gather more nutrients from our food, which helps our overall health in a positive way.

How?

Be present with each bite notice the subtle flavors. We often eat less (or the perfect amount) when we are eating slowly and mindfully. Another aspect of mindful eating is noticing how your mind and body react with certain foods. Do the foods you eat make you feel good? If not, try cutting out certain foods or at least having less of the ones that your body may be saying “no” to, and eating more of the foods your body is saying “YES” to. Be grateful for your food that has come to you, courtesy of the sun, rain, farmers and all the other elements that made it possible.

See our blog post about this: Balanced Eating & The Bodies Intelligence

!bemindful

Why?

The “HERE NOW” is all that exist.

Much of our thinking is habitual about the past or worry about the future, though the only thing we really have is this current moment! When we are present, life is more enjoyable and flows more smoothly.

How?

When you notice yourself day dreaming about the past or worrying about the future, GENTLY bring your attention back to your breath (in all that you do today). Repeat this throughout your day each time coming back to your breath. Our breath acts as a great anchor into the present moment and with practice, you will naturally become more present, less stressed and add more balance and ease in your life. It can be helpful to write little reminders to breathe, somewhere that you will see it often. Even a stick note on your desk.

Try it out, a Present Moment Experiment!

!compliment

Why?

Often we want to say something to someone (stranger or not), and we hold ourselves back.

Today, let yourself express freely express your gratitude and or something you like about someone. When we compliment or express gratitude for someone, this creates a ripple affect and often spreads from you to that person and to the people they later interact with. You’ve now had a positive impact on more peoples lives then you may know.

How?

Give someone an authentic compliment today.

Anything from a compliment on someones earrings or shoes or a compliment on someones qualities or character you appreciate.

Reward Info:

July 23-August 6th, the Mindful Moon App will be discounted to .99 in the iTunes App Store for the DailyFeats Challenge. The first 33 participants to post your favorite inspirational quote on the Mindful Moon App Facebook page will receive a free copy of the Mindful Moon App.

Also, interact with us on Twitter for more positivity.

Featured Member: Renee

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:31:16 -0400

This is the latest in our Featured Member series, in which we shine a spotlight on the amazing people we’re meeting as we grow.

Today, meet Renee…

chef, attorney, student, volunteer, and all-around wonder woman.

1. We think it’s fantastic that you’re working toward a degree culinary nutrition, and studying to become a registered dietician. But we’re curious – after working as a practicing attorney, what made you decide to get into cooking? Or have they always been dual interests?

I’ve wanted to go to culinary school ever since I was 16, when a graduating friend went to one. When I asked my mother about it, she responded with this gem: “Don’t ever do anything you love for a living because you’ll grow to hate it.” (Yes, she was rather embittered about her career choice.) I actually bought into that for decades, until the corollary finally became clear in my mind: it’s far better to spend over 60% of your waking hours doing something that you dislike. What kind of advice is that?

It took until I turned 40 and realized, in short, “if not now, when?” that it was time to make my dreams a reality. As much as I love some parts of the practice of law, other parts feel soul-draining; cooking, on the other hand, is life-affirming and soul-feeding for me. Add that to a few other things that fell in line and a new culinary student was forged!

2. Of course, to be in the culinary nutrition field you have to have a love of food. What’s the first dish you ever learned to cook, and what’s your favorite one to make today?

It’s hard for me to identify the first dish because I can’t remember not helping my mother or grandmother cook and bake. I know that I was making babka (Polish sweet raisin egg-bread) with my grandmother from a very young age. I also remember, as part of fulfilling a requirement for a Girl Scout badge, cooking Barbie’s Hot Pot on my own. (Yes, there was a Barbie cookbook and I had a copy!)

Talking about favorite things to make is sort of like asking a parent to talk about their favorite child — while there might be one that the parent relates to better, there is no real favorite. The first thing to jump out at me, though, is sourdough bread. I love baking sourdough — from culturing and feeding the living yeast culture, through kneading and shaping the loaf, through watching it as the yeast continues to live and create the flavor in the bread itself. It’s time intensive and more than a bit of a pain — sourdough starters take time and money to keep going — but I love doing it.

3. We know that when cooking you always have to be on your toes and multitasking, but no matter how hard you try, sometimes things just go wrong. Have you ever had any kitchen disasters?

Most definitely! One of my earliest was when I was in sixth grade. It actually taught me something that I’m glad I learned very early — read your recipe completely, multiple times, before doing anything! I was making some sort of apple cake for a foreign recipe day at school and added the applesauce to the batter rather than saving it for the topping. Oops!

I’ve had some major disasters more recently, too — it’s part of learning new things. I’ve both undercooked and overbaked cookies, and at work I’ve baked my share of “chocolate bacon.” I won’t go into details about my first ever attempt at making chicken parmesan; I’ll just say that I’d never made it before and that it was another learning experience.

4. You’re a student, an attorney, a town selectman, a regular volunteer at your local farmers market, and an active Rotary Club member – phew! Did we forget anything? What’s your secret to maintaining your balancing act?

I’m sure you and I both forgot something, but I’m not sure that I want to remember what it is at the moment! I think a big part of my secret is prioritizing — focusing on those things that need to be done the most quickly and, while I’m working on them, not worrying about the other commitments. Sometimes that doesn’t work — I have, on more than one occasion, had multiple deadlines on the same day — in which case I just need to push myself to get one or more things done in advance.

The downside to all of this is that what suffers the most when I’m pushing towards a deadline is myself — the quality of the food I eat goes down and I don’t exercise. I’m working on changing that, and DailyFeats is definitely helping me there. Sometimes I will say to myself, “No, you’re not reaching for that box, you can cook this in 15 minutes” just so I can check off a few feats. DailyFeats also helps me remember my personal priorities after I’ve met my deadlines — “Oh, right, I haven’t done that in a week, I can do it today.”

I find it somewhat sad that I need reminders to take care of myself, but I’ve learned that I do. And while I’d like to make the mental shift that would have me not forgetting, for now I’ll take the strategies — like using DailyFeats — that help me get back on track.

5. If you had the option to clone yourself as many times as you wanted, how many do you think you’d need?

Oh my — I’d probably need like at least 5. One to work full-time and earn enough money to support all of us; one to do all the research (volunteer- or town-related) that I never find the time to do; one to do all the housework and gardening that I’m always scrambling to catch up with; one to focus on fundraising for the organizations I’m involved with; and one to do paperwork and all the coordinating necessary to make all 6 of us work well together. I could focus on going to school, enhancing my cooking skills, putting in time with the organizations I volunteer with, and spending time with my husband and my friends. Heck, I might even have time to travel!

Alison from GlobalGiving invites you to Live More Generously

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:52:00 -0400

This month, we’re launching a challenge by GlobalGiving that helps you support projects you care about and discover ways people are creating social change. Alison Carlman, GlobalGiving’s Unmarketing Manager (love that title!) wants to share the inspiration behind this particular challenge.

Guest Blog Post by Alison Carlman

Some days it feels like the world is just full of problems. We can’t even get out of the bed in the morning without worrying. But nothing changes our attitudes and our outlook better than living generously. When each of us takes a moment to show love to others, we gain perspective for our own lives while making life easier for someone else. This Live Generously Challenge on DailyFeats is designed to help you do just that!

At GlobalGiving we see the glass half full. We think the world as full of solutions; solutions created by courageous and generous people who take risks to change their communities. We’re a fundraising platform that gives social entrepreneurs and non-profits from anywhere in the world the chance to raise support they need to improve their communities. We’re hoping that by living generously for one month, you’ll be inspired by the way others are changing their communities, and hopefully you’ll be part of some solutions yourself!

Thank you for your generosity.

Discover how to live more generously with tips and strategies from GlobalGiving at their DailyFeats challenge, and share your experience with us @dailyfeats and @globalgiving.

How to make DailyFeats even more your own... starting this week!

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:20:00 -0400

By Sara Hopson, Manager of Community Engagement

The wonderful people using DailyFeats never cease to amaze us here in Cambridge. We’ve spent these past few weeks collecting their precious input and feedback to continue to improve our product… a website and app that helps you make positive change in your life by forming small habits. Here’s what we’ve come up with for our newest version:

An all-you-can-feat menu on the left side of your screen:

Why? - The way you navigate DailyFeats should be quick, clean, and intuitive. We think this menu captures that pretty splendidly.
How? - The menu gives you a way to browse feats by how you relate to them. In one click, you can see your goals — feats you’re really focusing on to make into habits. Or you can find the feats you do most often, as well as new feats and suggestions like quick lists by the our team and challenges from our partners.

Keep working on your goals:

Why? - Lots of people smarter than us have found that you can only effectively focus on building a few habits at once. That’s why “My Goals” screen looks best when the list is shorter, encouraging you to really keep these few feats top of mind.
How? - On any feat tablet, select “set this as a goal” to move a feat into the “My Goals” screen, where you’ll be able to track your momentum, progress, and stats about that feat instantly, every time you log in. Also, click “# Props” on the lefthand menu for a quick look at what you’ve checked in recently, if you want to get an idea of what you’ve done and haven’t done today.

Check in the feats you already do:

Why? - Because we give you points for it! And many of you have told us how good it feels to go in at the end of your day and see those bright green check marks, showing all the feats you’ve accomplished. Positive reinforcement FTW!
How? - Select “Yes, I do this!” on a feat tablet when you hover over it in order to move it into the “My Regular Feats” screen. This way, you’ll be able to check that feat in going straight to the “My Regular Feats” screen, where all your usual feats can be saved.
Note for existing members: This is also where DailyFeats will migrate up to 50 of your custom-listed feats.

Find new feats to do:

Why? - We have almost 500 feats on DailyFeats… might as well get exploring and see what other positive actions you could add to your daily life.
How? - Choose from one of the feat categories in the lefthand menu. You’ll also see Suggestions show up in the form of short lists at the top of these pages as you browse from category to category. Those are just easy ideas curated by our team of ways to actually do the feats you’re exploring. You’ll also find challenges for extra points there.
Note for existing members: We’ve had to move over to a new challenge structure and in the interest of our system running as clean and fresh as possible with this new release, we’ve had to close out all old challenges. So - congratulations! You’ve now won all of your challenges, and your account has been credited with points for the challenges you were enrolled in. Please feel free to re-enroll in any of them if you want to finish checking in the feats.

Hide the stuff you don’t need to see:

Why? - We’ve added an exciting way for you to customize your DailyFeats experience even more: you can now hide the feats you don’t do, or simply can’t! For instance, I’m not yet a parent. For now, I don’t need to check in !babycare, !babynutrition, !stroller, or !pottytrain. So, I’ve hidden those feats, and won’t see them on DF anymore. This makes room in my browsing experience for other feats I don’t yet do often, but may want to.
How? - Simply click “hide this” on any feat you don’t want to see anymore, and “view hidden” to make those hidden feats show up, just in case you’d like to do one of them after all.

Take it offline:

By popular demand: we’ve created an online store with feat stamps (in the form of stickers and stamps) and DF t-shirts for you! Some of you have seen our fun feat stickers, and we’re happy to make them available for all.

I have the !deepbreath sticker on my laptop… keeps me balanced through the day.

As always, let us know what you think by shooting a note over to sara@dailyfeats.com. I’d be happy to answer any of your questions and bring your feedback to our product team.

Janine Adams from Peace of Mind Organizing with why sorting the mail is so important

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 10:18:32 -0400

by Janine Adams, Peace of Mind Organizing

As a professional organizer, I get to see inside people’s homes and see the challenges that face them. You know what I see? Lots and lots of paper. And much of it is unopened mail.

Why don’t people open their mail? I think sometimes they can’t be bothered, and then when the pile gets too big, they get overwhelmed. And the mail can get scary. There can be correspondence from the IRS, past-due notices, denials from insurance companies lurking in there. But you know what? Ignoring that stuff doesn’t make it go away. And it sure doesn’t make the situation any better.

The other thing to remember is that sometimes there’s great stuff in the mail. A letter from a loved one. A refund check. Maybe even a notice that you’ve inherited something inside a really scary-looking letter from an attorney. Hey, yesterday I received a thank-you card with a $25 Starbucks card inside. I’d be bummed if I’d never opened that.

If you stay on top of your mail, you don’t have to look at the piles. You don’t have to worry about what might be lurking there. You have an opportunity to take action on any bad news that might be there. You pay your bills on time. I bet you can guess that I think staying on top of the mail is a good thing.

How do you go about doing it? The system that I suggest to my clients, which has been very successful for most, is quite simple. Here are the steps:

* Buy a desktop file box, with no lid, no more than about six inches deep. Make it pretty, so you can keep it out on a desk. I call this your Action Box.

Click through to read more of Janine’s tips and claim a valuable discount on her organizing guide and e-course…

* Put six to ten hanging file folders in it.

* Create categories that represent the mail that you receive and need to hang onto. Common categories include: Bills to Pay, Action, Coupons/Gift Cards, Events, Schedules, Pending.

* Work through your backlog of mail, getting rid of as much as possible, and filing into your Action Box as needed.

* Set aside a little bit of time each and every day the mail comes to process it, again getting rid of as much as possible and filing into the Action Box as needed

* Each day (or at least once a week) go through the papers in the Action Box, paying bills and doing actions as necessary. Weed out expired coupons. Get rid of what you can. This is an essential step. If you don’t lok through the Action Box regularly, you’re just hiding stuff from yourself.

If you make handling the mail a daily feat, scary piles of mail can become a thing of the past. And boy can that bring peace of mind.

Want to go a little more in-depth? I give more detailed instructions on creating an Action Box in my Organizing Guide called How to Fall In Love with the Mail Carrier All Over Again. It’s a five-page downloadable pdf and sells for $9. And for extra special support and advice on getting a handle on your mail, I offer an e-course called Make Peace with Your Mail.

I’m happy to offer DailyFeats readers a 15 percent discount on these and all other Peace of Mind Organizing products. Simply use the coupon code DAILYFEATS at checkout.

Janine Adams is a certified professional organizer and owner of Peace of Mind Organizing® based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Highlights: A couple DailyFeaters head to the Fitness & Health Bloggers Conference

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:16:00 -0400

By Sara Hopson, Manager of Community Engagement

My teammate Monique and I spent June 22-24 in Aurora, Colorado at the gorgeous University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference, where we were a participating partner. We had an awesome weekend, full to the brim: learning about the latest fitness and health research, trying new workouts with the rest of the attendees, and getting to know what some really enthusiastic and inspiring bloggers are up to all around the country. Elle Potter and Allan Wright did some fantastic work organizing the weekend’s events, sponsors, and speakers. Thanks guys!

Not surprisingly, we exercised three times in 24 hours, and all three were totally new workouts for me. Julie (from A Better Life with Burgers) and I sweated it out during Tabata Boot Camp, and a big group of us enjoyed Zumba together on Saturday evening.

As a sort of fitness novice of late — having only begun working out seriously a year ago, after five years of inactivity following high school — I was pleased to feel so welcome and comfortable around this group of registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, wellness coaches, yogis, and marathon runners. Everyone was, above all else, super enthusiastic.

(L-R) Ted Vickey (who I learned day 1 hails from the same TINY town in PA as I do) & AdamBordes from ACE Fitness presented on how to use the Internet to grow your fitness business. Their special guest was Shanti, of YouTube fame for her video blogs about her weight loss journey. Very moving stuff.

On Saturday morning, we attended the optional yoga class led by the wonderful Clare. She made us all fall in love with the mantra from Meditations from the Mat: “Show up, burn brightly, live passionately holding nothing back. When the work is done, step back, and let go.”

One of the four cohort breakout sessions was a cooking demo led by the Anschutz Wellness Center’s Chef Paolo Neville, who creates and prepares the meals served in its Bistro Ellaia. Get the recipe for the meal we saw prepared and tried here (it’s grilled chicken with red lentils and a curry yogurt sauce, with a fennel watermelon salad. Yum!).

(L-R) The four cohort breakout sessions had us in small groups, venturing to different corners of the Wellness Center and the library, to learn about all kinds of things that are happening at the University of Colorado’s Medical Campus.

We visited the grocery lab, provided by King Sooper, to learn about the research they’ll do there, including educating people about the relatively new NuVal system, which was created with the intention of helping people comparison shop more knowledgably. The bloggers in attendance (including Tamara, Carissa, Sandra, and Andrew, among others I’m sure I’ve left out) had some pretty spot-on tips for making it and the grocery lab even better.

We watched Chef Paolo’s cooking demo, referenced earlier,

and learned how Dr. Iñigo San Millán and his team use individual assessment on athletes to learn their fitness level through lactate levels in the bloodstream during exercise. I have to admit - I thought it’d be over my head at first, but he did a great job of explaining it in terms that all of us could understand… and it was really neat to see this assessment happen right in front of us.

(L-R) Monique loved the Anschutz Center’s green roof, where they grow herbs and produce for the center… and help insulate the building by growing native grasses and plants that don’t require much water. That’s called xeriscaping! (Thanks for the lesson, Monique!)

The Anschutz Wellness Center is just gorgeous. State-of-the-art fitness facilities (including killer locker rooms), a metabolic kitchen, and beautiful details like the mod entryway made it a pleasure to spend the weekend here.

Choose Cherries provided us with a scrumptious breakfast Saturday, and snacks all weekend. We had big helpings of oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, nuts, and a delish smoothie featuring tart cherry juice, which is uber-good for you.

We were also thrilled to meet the ladies from FitApproach, even getting to take home a #SweatPink swag bag (which I love!), a couple sweet TechnoGym representatives, including one who flew in straight from Italy, and Boston’s own Kristen Mercier! Angela, from DErunnerNIAL, won the $50 SpaFinder gift card during the tradeshow, which I’m sure she’ll use to relieve some of that marathon runner stress she’s built up — totally deserving!

Overall, the weekend renewed our hope in good food, good friends, and good being done all around us. Plus, we did a ton of feats… all of which I promptly checked in upon returning home ;) We’re excited to begin to work with so many of the talented, generous, and world-changing thought leaders we met, and bring their awesomeness right to your DailyFeats experience — stay tuned for great partnerships to come!

Featured Member: CarolBeth

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:43:00 -0400

We have a lot to be proud of at DailyFeats: our talented content and product development team, our super organized office manager, our B-Corp certification. But what hold high above all else is our members — as diverse as they are extraordinary.

In our new regular series, we’ll introduce you to one of these people.

Today, meet CarolBeth…

1. You’re getting your masters degree in piano performance, and you can play classical music as well as rock’n’roll—you’re quite the musician! Tell us, what was the first song you learned how to play on the piano?

Oh, my goodness, that was a long time ago! I was only 7 years old! But I just looked it up (yes, I still have that book!) and it was “Hot Cross Buns”, which is NOT a song about someone who just sat on a metal folding chair in the sun wearing shorts.

2. It’s obvious that you love to travel—you’ve been to Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and Greece. Where to next? Do you have a bucket list of places you want to visit?

I love to travel, particularly in cultures different from our own. People are the same everywhere; they live, they love, they have to figure out how to survive, sometimes against monumental odds. What fascinates me is the myriad ways they do that. Every culture has splendid and wonderful things, and other things not so wonderful. Of course, I prefer to think about the splendid things, not about how I can’t drink the water! Right now I’d love to go to Washington, D.C. (I’ve never been there!). I think I could spend a WEEK in the halls of the Smithsonian Institution, and take a bus tour of all the wonderful and historic sites of the area. I’d also like to go to India, Thailand, and Europe!

3. You’ve led such an eclectic life, with your hobbies and jobs ranging from disc jockey and newsperson, to horse trainer, ham radio operator, and piano teacher. In all your experience, what is the strangest and/or funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

Oh, that’s a hard one! I’ve been “hit upon” by a fellow in Egypt on a rooftop, I’ve won a goat milking contest (though I’d never milked a goat in my life!), I’ve bashed a car with a sledgehammer while standing on top of it wearing stiletto heels, on television! But probably the weirdest is that I once sank in cow manure up to my armpits. It took three baths for the water to quit running green.

4. How were you able to entertain 68 guests at once? Do you have magic powers?

I’ve often wished I had Samantha Stevens’ (TV show “Bewitched”) nose, but no, it wasn’t magic! It was an open house. When I served 60, it was my sons’ graduation party: finger foods, all prepared ahead. When I served 68, it was an Easter breakfast, and we just cooked to order as people came (think “restaurant”). Yes, the kitchen was a MESS. The most I’ve had to a sit-down dinner, all at once, was about 38, for my 50^th Birthday Celebration. Secret: FABULOUS recipes, but easy, and made ahead. Tables EVERYWHERE. Invite interesting people. PARTY!

5. Imagine there is an alternate universe with an alternate CarolBeth. What would she be doing right now?

The only way to do this is to imagine two alternate CarolBeths.

First CarolBeth: She is awakening in her private jet on the way to Calcutta, India, having strawberries and cheese for breakfast with her…ahem…significant other. While there, she is going to check on the charities she has established there…teaching people skills to help them survive and get out of poverty. Her jet has a grand piano. When she returns, she’ll be playing Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” with the New York Philharmonic. She’s just published a book that is on the bestseller list. She’s also MUCH skinnier.

Second CarolBeth: She is awakening in a hut cobbled together out of cardboard and a holey plastic tarp. Three of her children died in infancy of dysentery. She doesn’t know where her next meal will come from, though she’s going to check the garbage heap. She’s also much skinnier.

Come to think of it, I prefer the CarolBeth that I am right now, I am so blessed…even though I’m not so skinny!