Weekend Design Project
OR•GAN•I•ZA•TION
Pick a room or a closet that is in need of decluttering. This should take less than one day in order to reserve the other weekend day for rest and creativity.
Time to face the dreaded clutter that haunts and hinders the full use of a space. Here are five steps to climb and conquer Mt. Clutter that has become your room or closet.
FACE THE MESS: directly at the combined clutter. Identify a few items that are randomly strewn about. This is an important step as it defuses some of the overwhelm that led this area to get to this point.
GROUP LIKE ITEMS: Choose one item and place in on the floor away from direct access to the area. Pick another item and place it somewhere else on the floor unless it is similar to the first item then add to the first pile. Keep repeating this step until the area is empty.
CATEGORIZE: Which pile has the largest amount of like items? Think about their function and how you use them in your life. What can you donate or discard? Separate broken items or items that have missing parts that you no longer have. If these items can function, then consider donating the parts you have with a note of the missing pieces.
EVALUATE THE EMPTY SPACE: What would be the best use for this space? How could this empty space make your daily life easier? Read previous blog posts, “A Functioning Home” and “Create a Room Layout” to create a plan.
PLACING ITEMS: Start placing the larger items and items that are used infrequently to the harder to reach areas if the space is a closet. Place all larger furniture if the space is a room. Look around the house to find furniture that could be better used in the newly decluttered space. This will prevent you from having to spend money on a new piece. It’s okay to use an unconventional piece of furniture if its function better serves you used different from the main use. For example, a rectangular filing cabinet may work better as a bedside table if you like to read, draw or knit in bed.
FINISHING TOUCHES: Time to add accessories to the room or make sure the closet has all of the hooks, shelves and access to the most needed items.
REST: Take the next day off to relax and feel accomplished that you made your life easier so you can have more time to rest and recharge.
4 Pillars of Health
Photo by Victor Freitas @victorfreitas
Daniel Son, himself
SLEEP, FOOD, STRESS AND EXERCISE
From the trainer of trainers, Dan Trongone, head trainer designing functioning workouts at World Body Fitness in St. Petersburg, lives by these four pillars to have a healthy metabolism. Dan says that “sleep, food and stress management is metabolic cake. Exercise is the frosting so set your focus on the cake.”
I first met Dan at Broadway Athletic and Swim Club in San Diego. Dan was my second spin instructor as the other guy yelled, “go, go, go, go, go,” for one hour with little instruction on posture and well, reminders to breathe. After the lactic acid that had me walking like the “Tin Man” wore off, I decided to give spin another chance—with a different instructor of course.
To set the scene, Broadway Athletic Club is the beautiful gym with a giant upper deck overlooking the harbor. The spin bikes, boot camp equipment, lounge chairs and a pool complete the outdoor space which made the classes more enjoyable.
As soon as I got to my class I heard the New York in Dan’s voice and knew we’d be friends for life. As fellow east coasters we were enjoying the California sunshine while not fully fitting in to west coast life. Dan has the New York intensity that was just what I needed at the time. I still hear Dan’s voice in my head, “push pull, feet flat, chest up, head down, elbows back, don’t bounce…” at every spin class I take. Dan has been the best and most impressionable spin instructor and trainer that I have encountered. Thanks Dan!
Here is a link to Dan giving a quick arm strengthening demo. Dan’s website is under construction so I will add a link when it’s complete.
Line Drawing
Practice Makes Straight Lines
Want to get inexpensive cognitive therapy while enhancing your stick figure making game? It’s kind of a win, win!
Practice drawing a freehand straight line. It takes a while to draw a straight line naturally. Using a straight edge may help to create some muscle memory with the consistency of the lines and with the space between the lines. Slowly start to make freehand lines to see the natural progression and consistency of the lines. Fill up a whole page or an entire sketch book of practice lines.
Drawing lines on paper, doing puzzles and listening to music taps into the cerebral cortex of the brain. Deep within the cerebral cortex is the the hippocampus, or memory center of the brain. The hippocampus stores both long and short term memory along with navigation and spacial awareness. Using the hands to create patterns, words and numbers enhances memory and cognitive function. Activating the hippocampus also effects cortisol levels (belly fat). So grab some pens, pencils or crayons and work on those abs.
Creative, stress-free exercise without the sweat:
Make some lines on paper and group five vertical lines together (up & down)
Then draw five horizontal lines next to the vertical lines (left to right)
Keep going with this pattern or mix it up and do some diagonal lines.
Your lines may end up creating a cool pattern that you can upload to society6 and make a few bucks.
Straighten Up
Photo by Joyce McCown @moonshadowpress
“Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.” -Hippocrates
One of many benefits from chiropractic care is that it can boost immunity. A misalignment can hinder the immune system as the nervous system controls the organs, cell function, and tissue in the body.
Hippocrates (460–385 BCE), the father of medicine, treated scoliosis with spinal manipulation using gravity. He also created the beginning of what we now know as traction, using items such as straps, wheels, axles and a ladder to have the patient inverted. Exercises were to follow his treatments for maintenance. Chiropractic tools have evolved over the centuries, however the principles remain the same. There are several chiropractic techniques to discover how physical alignment, digestion, neurological health and immune system can improve.
If chiropractic work sounds like a good mix for your treatments or prevention, I highly recommend searching for a chiropractor that has an extra something that feels specialized to your needs. They have your spine in their hands so you need to feel safe and have a great amount of trust in them. I have been fortunate to have had amazingly knowledgable, truly passionate and intuitive chiropractors in my life.
Here are some examples of these specialized touches. I have suffered with migraine headaches since childhood and each one of these chiropractors listed below has given me the best care I could have received.
Dr. Peter Mackay, in San Diego, performed micro-adjustments on my skull that made a huge difference on the pressure that I was experiencing. I remember crawling into his office on numerous occasions and after a few pushes on my head I felt an instant release of pressure. Dr. Mackay is one of few chiropractor that uses micro-adjustments in his practice. Dr. Mackay, is also a founding member of Titleist Performance Institute Advisory Board and an avid golfer.
After moving to the Bay Area, Dr. Pam Woodward, was recommended through a friend who had known her for years. Dr Pam was first a massage therapist before becoming a chiropractor so she would loosen up my tight neck with her magical hands and follow the adjustment with a bit of reiki. (See below definition of reiki as it’s not for everyone.) Dr. Pam knew I was open to any and all energy healing practices so that is why she was able to perform this extra service. This is a preference that a patience would need to communicate to a wellness practitioner or holistic doctor.
After three years with Dr. Pam fixing me, I moved back to Philadelphia and reunited with my Philly chiropractor, Dr. Cathrine Duncan, a sweet, soft-spoken, big-hearted human. Dr. Duncan has gentle, yet firm hands and would get my neck back on straight so quickly at times I didn’t realize she was finished.
And finally, Dr. Burak, my high-energy, tell-it-like-it-is, chiropractic comedian. I feel like Dr. Burak is family and I look forward to my frequent visits to his office filled with a kind and compassionate staff. We have the shared traits of brutal honesty and the lack of a filter which is refreshing especially since I’m trusting him to put me back together. Dr. Burak is stuck with me whether he wants to be or not. Ha
I am grateful to each one them for having saved me over the years with adjustments and their individual additives that truly created personal experiences.
Dr. Michael Burak
2579 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley PA 19006
Between Fetters Mill Rd. and Red Lion Rd.
Phone: 215-938-6040Dr. Cathrine Duncan
9301 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19114
215-331-5954
Dr. Pam Woodward
428 NORTH "L" STREET LIVERMORE, CA 94550
925.960.9050
Dr. Peter Mackay D.C., QME
EPI San Diego
444 W. C St., Suite 190
San Diego, CA 92101619-232-4030
Dictionary.com - Reiki - a healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being.
*Please consultant with a licensed physician before visiting a chiropractor.
Clean Sweep
“Putter Power”
- my feisty grandmother
Putter Power, as my feisty grandmother calls it, is a quick way to clear surfaces and a path without deep cleaning. To make the most of putter power, start with the biggest pile or obstruction, group the like items into piles and move those piles to the rooms or area where they belong. The most effective part of putter power is to have a basket in every room for these piles. The random basket stuff can be stowed away later when you have more time. Next, straighten pillows, fold throw blankets and toss the covers up on the of the bed minus the hospital corners. Lastly, grab your homemade cleaning/air freshening mixture (recipe below) and wipe the hard surfaces and window smudges with a microfiber cloth. Yes, this mixture is great for cleaning windows quickly and leaving them streak-free.
Natural Cleaning Mixture
Mix either in a spray bottle or directly on a microfiber cloth
1/4 cup of vinegar for an 12oz bottle
1 oz of Dawn soap
few drops of lemon essential oil
Dampen with water