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Tag: minimalist

Minimalism in the City vs the Country

Published 09/04/2014

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There are SO many ways minimalism and simplicity can be looked at, and so many ways we can apply it to our living situation, whether it’s in the city or the country, or if you live in an apartment or a house.

While I’m currently in an apartment in the city, I’ve also lived in a house in the countryside. Below are a few things I’ve loved about living in each.

Living in the City

  • Using public transit, walking or biking to get around as we won’t need a car
  • We can work closer to our home as there are more job opportunities
  • Being close to the public library so we can borrow items instead of collecting books and dvds that add to our clutter
  • We don’t have to spend time tending to our lawns and gardens, but can spend a nice stroll in the park
  • The greater ability to meet likeminded people simply because there are more of them
  • We likely live in a smaller space (apartment, basement suite, smaller house) which means owning less stuff
  • Less need for purchasing indoor entertainment like a big screen TV or video games when we can go out to a concert or a movie

Living in the Country

  • Growing our own fruits and vegetables in our garden, which means less groceries to shop for
  • Entertainment options are farther away, so there is more motivation to do fun and free things at home
  • Everything moves at a slower pace and is more relaxing
  • A slower life means more opportunities to really connect with our close friends and family.
  • We likely live in a bigger space, so there is more opportunity to invite people over and spend quality time together
  • Enjoying the sights and sounds of nature
  • Less pressure of keeping up with the latest fashion trends in order to feel good
  • Not having to deal with constant shops, advertisement and consumerism surrounding you
  • Less tendency to eat out, and more cooking at home
  • More self-sufficiency and relying on what is available at home
  • More conscious or planned spending as you have to plan your shopping trips

What is your current living situation and how do you apply minimalism to it? Or if there is anything I’ve missed, please add to the list and comment below!

If there are any specific topics you’d like to hear more about, PLEASE let me know in the comments, or send me an email to lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com. I’d love to hear your suggestions!

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Shailene Woodley is also a Minimalist!

Published 05/25/2014

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 Photo credit to Into The Gloss.

 “I think the most important thing in life is self-love, because if you don’t have self-love, and respect for everything about your own body, your own soul, your own capsule, then how can you have an authentic relationship with anyone else?” – Shailene Woodley

Not only is she a minimalist, she’s also a naturalist. Wise beyond her only 22 years of age, she’s such an inspiring role model for young women today. If you haven’t heard of Shailene Woodley, she is the star of Divergent and The Fault In Our Stars, and also the hit TV show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She doesn’t give into the pressures of the Hollywood lifestyle and lives consciously and meaningfully.

Check out this video where Shailene talks about being ‘homeless’ and only owning one pair of jeans on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Here are also a few articles about her natural lifestyle:

Coco Eco Magazine

Daily Mail UK

Natural Health Mag

Now I am off to see Lana Del Rey in concert! My life is complete. Except it’s raining and the concert is outdoors ha. Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday!

What are some of your favourite role models who live the kind of life you want? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.

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Minimalist Exercise for People Who Don’t Like To Exercise

Published 04/25/2014

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“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” – Unknown

Ah exercise… Some of us love it, and some of us hate it. But the truth is that health is the most important thing we have. Without our health we would never be able to enjoy the other parts of our lives that are also important to us.

People who know me know that I am not the most physically active person the on the planet. But that doesn’t mean I don’t value my health, because I definitely do! It’s extremely important to me. However, I tend to be so cerebral and stuck in my head (hence this blog!), that I tend to ignore the physical world from time to time, including my body. Oops.

That’s until now! When I discovered a minimalist exercise routine that has completely worked for me. It’s simple, and breaks it down to the basics. No fancy stuff going on here. I’ve been doing it for the past month (with a few modifications) and I find it quite fun as I can actually see my progress. I wanted to share it with you guys in case there was anyone else out there feeling the same way as I did. It isn’t a hardcore exercise routine for those of you who really like to push it, but it does the job pretty well and studies say you just need 12 minutes of high-intensity exercise in order to reap the benefits. I can already feel my stomach, butt and arms getting firmer and more toned.

This routine is called the Lifetime Ladder. I discovered it here on the Lifehacker.com website.

It’s free and it requires no equipment, just your own body. It also doesn’t take any longer than 15 minutes a day! That’s nothing. Play 3 of your favourite 5 minute songs while you exercise and you’re good to go! (I’m pretty excited to tell you about this). The best part is you can actually visually see your progress in numbers via the ladder rungs. If you get sick and are stuck in bed for a week, you can notice how your progress has gone down.

The website explains the Lifetime Ladder like this:

The program is organised around a “fitness ladder” with 48 rungs. Each rung prescribes a given number of repetitions of five exercises. The first 15 rungs constitute the Introductory Ladder and involve easier variants of the exercises in the Lifetime Ladder, rungs 16 through 48. The exercises are intended to be done every day. Completing all the exercises typically takes between 10 and 15 minutes.

Spend one week on each rung. On a given day of the week, for example Sunday, try the next higher rung. If it seems as easy as the current rung felt the week before, move up to that level. If you have difficulty completing any exercise of the new rung, or you can’t complete it in 15 minutes, or you feel pain or exhaustion at that level, stay at your current level for another week.

How great is that! So easy! I’ve modified the “bends” into squats, and I’m going to add some calf raises. Also, for the “steps” portion, if I have the time I like to either go for a run, a long walk, or a bikeride to keep things interesting.

Here’s the direct link to the instructions: What, Me Exercise?

That’s it!

Let me know if you try this exercise routine in the comments below or send me an email at lessoftheexcess at gmail dot com.

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