As a warning to anyone reading: don’t start running to lose weight. Running burns calories and can increase your calorie maintenance, but it will also make you very hungry. Weight loss is mainly about CICO, and you can’t really outrun the fork. Since running can be very natural to humans as a form of movement, it also burns very few calories for the effort. I feel like weight training is a more fair calorie spender for the effort.

But running and taking care of myself does make me pick healthier options. Running helps me sleep, so I’m less tired and as a result, less hungry and prone to wanting unhealthy snacks. Fried greasy foods aren’t great fuel for runs, so I’ll naturally pick things like oatmeal, bananas, veggies etc. But be warned, many runners also love a post run beer so YMMV.

It costs a chunk to run, but saves a lot in health bills - even in countries where healthcare is universal. Heart disease is both a killer and something that can incapacitate you, and any potential weight loss benefits aside, running is fantastic for heart health (provided you do it properly and with the approval of your medical professionals). Not to mention it also has focus, mental health, and sleep quality benefits. Plus if you really get into it, you’ll soon be training for some disturbingly long race and be too busy to do much of anything - especially shopping for pointless things you don’t need.

I’d say that most people can get started with decent wicking workout clothes (thrift them if you can and go for gaudy neons if you live in a place that’s dark most of the year), and a pair of decent running shoes on sale. Wireless headphones and a running belt (or just going for pants with zippered pockets to hold your phone) are small upgrades that also make it better if you have a bit of extra budget. Run like this for like a year, and then slowly upgrade with gadgets like running watches, CamelBak backpacks if you start doing long distances and feel like you need it. Also consider investing in slightly better clothing based on what you determine your needs are - colder climate thermals, merino, running shoes for specific pronation, and rolling tools to help you stretch.

Running can be as cheap as less than ~$100 a year or as expensive as you want it to be. It’s cheaper than the gym, CrossFit, at home workout equipment, yoga classes, etc. Not to shit on those things at all, in fact cross training helps you build strength and avoid injury. But nobody should ever feel discouraged by running due to costs, it pays off in spades.

And for new runners, run s l o w. Slower than you want. So slow you feel you’re not doing much and practically walking. Slow and long runs are the ones that make a real difference in building stamina, cardio health, and even decreasing your race times. You’re also less likely to get injured and prematurely get winded by using up all your energy in a sprint. Also, walking is fine. Even experienced runners walk during certain moments - usually for me, I’m doing it to get a burp out or something.

As the daughter of a chef - skip the salt, add a bouillon cube. It’s not authentic but it tastes better and half of the NYC restaurants do it already. The umami from the bouillon cube rounds out the flavour and makes it taste less like a two ingredient poverty food.

A lot of Italian dishes taste kinda unfinished until you add an umami element to them. Thats why I prefer the Croatian version the same dishes. Pasta fagioli is a beany vegetable soup, the Croatians make pasta fažol by adding a bit of pršut (smoked ham) and it completes the flavour and makes it a delicious hearty meal. That’s why Lydia Bastianich has been so successful - she’s been passing the typical Croatian version of meals as “authentic Italian” for decades and people like it because it flat out tastes better.

If you wanna get real advanced find some Vegeta in a European grocery store and start using it to sub salt in most meals. It’s basically just a bunch of herbs, onion and garlic powder, and MSG. Use it as a meat rub, use it when making rice, use it while cooking anything savoury.

That’s your experience. No matter how well I dress, I can’t stop my bones from aching in the cold. On the flip side, I’m typically comfortable in the heat, even in 38 Celsius temps. I obviously have an upper limit of like 40-45C, but so do most humans.

Likewise it’s not really safe to chill outside in -40 to -50C for most humans either. At that point you’re getting frostbite through the wool underlayers, and the exposed skin will literally sting.

Well summer never made me want to kill myself so I tend to prefer it. Severe seasonal affective disorder is interesting.

That said these days I have ways of dealing with it. Turns out running during the winter days is kinda neat because you end up getting endorphins and UV. I also have one of those SAD lamps and they truly work for me. Nowadays I like winter a lot more - especially cozy stuff like knitting and tea.

I do think that the world’s increasing waistlines affect people’s attitude about summer. I know that the bigger you are, the more miserable the heat can feel. Plus wearing revealing clothes isn’t fun for everyone, especially with things like chub rub. On the flip side, being skinny makes you pretty cold so the winter can be miserable. I know that no amount of layers would help the ache in my bones when I was underweight.

This is why autumn is bae. Hot enough to be outside, cold enough to not sweat, pretty colours and harvest activities, Halloween… Autumn wins. Close second is spring, which I hear is fabulous in many places, but in Canada is mostly just freezing winter temperatures, one week of trees blooming, and then just 30 C temperatures after that.

I also prefer the Cynics. Diogenes is metal as fuck, but my favourite part of Cynicism is that in my opinion, it contains the only true love story in Greek philosophy, Crates and Hipparchia who influenced Zeno, the founder of Stoicism. I’m a sucker for a good love story.

I just got into knitting and I’m already dreading wearing anything I make around my family. “Can you make me a sweater, oh come on, why are you so selfish?” I dunno because it would be a month of work and hundreds in materials and no matter what I explained to them, it would just get treated like a random polyester sweater and they’d probably ruin it or toss it when they decided they don’t like the style anymore… And my family is the kind to criticise any imperfections that didn’t look machine produced.

Old ladies know the value of a decent small batch yarn, especially if they’re of the generation that knit around the clock as a necessity. Boomers and Gen X largely didn’t knit, at least generally, so they’re pretty out of touch. They may perceive knitting as something with little value - either taking it for granted that knit goods cost little due to slave and machine labor, or taking it for granted that their mother or grandmother gave them knits for free.

Many millenials and Gen Z have tried yarn crafts, and at least vaguely know it’s a shit ton of work.

The fact that people took Stoicism, a philosophy that’s basically cognitive behavioral therapy for emotional awareness, and twisted it to mean “stiff upper lip” or “repress everything lest you seem weak” is depressing as hell.

I surprisingly enjoy purling but I can only do it English style. Continental purling makes no sense to my brain. Continental knits and English purls for me are the same tension so that works out even if it’s a bit odd.

Also, don’t make the mistake that smaller parrots mean less commitment. Parrotlets and lovebirds are smart, feisty, bite pretty hard, are extremely loud, and still live like 25 years. Budgies are a bit dumber and nicer, but still live a long ass time. Cockatiels have a very nice personality and are musical, but they have 25 year life spans. Consider any small parrot to be a “25 to life” deal.

Also chances are, your parrot (of any kind) either won’t talk, or won’t shut up about the wrong things. Hope you like hearing the Teams call music at all hours.

Rats carry all the personality of dogs and cats. In theory, you get a pet that you’ll enjoy for 2-3 years. In practice, you’ll be devastated after your intelligent best friends start dying one by one. Most people cope by buying rats constantly.

As cool as Earthships sound, I feel like they aren’t a good fit for all climates. I’m in Canada, and unless you live in BC (and I’m talking Vancouver or the island), your only sustainable building option is straw bale.

Even if I could go further south to a more temperate climate, part of my fear is that anything south will get unbearable soon. Even Europe is going to be hot as hell.

My parents favourite music artists finally popped up on Spotify about 5 years ago. It was a dry run until then - I was PISSED when my brother lost my CD of a band I liked when we went back home on vacation.

Fuck that, I like you.

Stop buying stuff for a fantasy version of yourself. Even though the cost of living is insane, many consumers are still buying loads of useless crap that they hardly use or enjoy. People buy food they don’t want to eat, appliances to make that food that they won’t use, clothes for occasions that’ll never come and bodies they’ll never have.

If you’re someone who can only eat vegetables in burrito form, do yourself a favor and buy some refried beans, canned veggies, and slice up fresh veggies you’d like to have in a burrito. You’ll likely never be a green smoothie health nut, so you don’t need a blender, juicer, or organic food subscription.

I also think it’s wise to only buy clothes when you need them if you need them. You’ll pay more when buying a wedding outfit last minute, but you’ll pay more in the long term if you’re constantly buying special occasion clothing “just in case”. You can end up with a closet full of “just in case” that’s too dressy for normal life. It’s even worse if you’re shopping for a version of yourself that is doing something hard. Buying cute workout clothes won’t make you a 5 am runner. Stick to comfortable old rags when it comes to running, and see if you can actually commit to running. Then after a few months of being a runner, upgrade your gear - if you need to. Some of the fittest people in the world are poor and don’t need the latest and greatest gear to be in shape. In winter, I run in thrifted wool and cashmere sweaters because they’re warm and wicking. It sounds crazy but it works for me - and human beings have been doing hard labor for millennia in those very fabrics.

If you can swing it, consider a uniform. A dude at my office wears a suit every time he’s in, but he truly only seems to own 3 suits. Nobody can tell it’s all the same clothing. Steve Jobs, who was an evil prick, still had a good idea by picking that turtleneck and jeans outfit. It meant he never had to be in style because he never was. Consider a non offensive uniform that suits your lifestyle - if you’re a graphic designer, you may be better off in a black hoodie and dark wash jeans, if you’re in IT then golf shirts and chinos may be the right choice. Uniforms help you stay within budget, and mean you’re never shopping for a cool person that doesn’t exist.

Technically none, but my partner pays for Spotify and I’m on a shared YouTube Premium plan. I used to have 5-6 subscriptions and cut them off in January 2022. No regrets! Even buying an old machine second hand, an external storage, and a VPN still costs way less than my many subscriptions. It’ll be hard to give up Spotify… Too convenient.

Disagree. Celsius is super helpful for determining if it’s gonna snow or not, a key weather thing where I live. Humid and cold and below 0? Snow. Humid and cold and above 0? Rain or freezing rain.

Also helps with plants. Below 0? Frost.

I’d argue you can’t get more intuitive than 0 is cold, below 0 is very cold. Celsius also plays nice with round numbers, every 5 or 10 degrees is a change in feeling. 0 is cold, 5 out is cooler, 10 out is cool, 15 is moderate, 20 is comfortable, 25 is room and warm, 30 is hot, 35+ is very hot. Every ten degrees we’re doing big changes. 0 is frozen, 10 is cool, 20 is comfortable, 30 is hot. 32 being frozen doesn’t feel as intuitive.

Something about equating the choice to have kids with reducing the climate impact leaves me with an icky feeling. Not all humans have the same climate impact, so not all children would, either. Instead of telling Bob not to procreate, we really need to take a long hard look at Bezos and his many private flights.

Never forget that “carbon footprint” is propoganda by the fossil fuel industry to push the responsibility of climate change onto individuals rather than large corporations who are the ones truly responsible for the mess we’re in.

I volunteered a local food bank before the pandemic. I’m Canadian so this is purely from the perspective of that, but I’ve observed a couple of things:

• Food banks are very efficient with money so if you donate that, they can make it go a long way. Way better than chucking a few cans near expiry. That being said, food is always welcome and appreciated. Ask your local food bank about what types of food you’re allowed to give.
• Our food bank also provided toiletries which were always a hot item. If you have extra shampoos (unopened), conditioners, tampons, doggy pee pads, deodorant, toilet paper, or any hair products you don’t need, donate to a food bank. If you’re feeling generous and you know your local dollar store has name brand products for a decent price, pick up some stuff and drop it off if they accept that type of product. Also don’t be afraid to donate something you (an adult) wouldn’t use like strawberry scented deodorant. There are a lot of teen girls that would love it.
• Please don’t donate your expired food. For food that’s just a bit expired, we had a system of sending it to the local Sikh charity who cooked meals with the food and served that to those in need. But that was our food bank’s agreement because we were near a large Sikh community, your expired cans are a lot better off being used in your soup than being sent to a food bank that will throw it out. (Food banks often have no exceptions policies about chucking out expired goods, but most things are fine to eat past the BB date. Canned beans from 2021 are better in your tummy than at the food bank in most cases).
• I’m not sure if this is true for all Canadian A&W restaurants, but our local one donated eggs in large quantities. Pretty much every family coming through could get fresh eggs every trip. Seasonally, the butchers and local grocery would also donate large turkeys for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was wonderful for local families. Anyway, so now when I do eat junk food, I go to A&W cause the burgers are good and turns out that they’re real homies.
• The shoppers (name we had for those who used our food bank) were kind people from a variety of backgrounds. Most were at the very least quiet and did their trip quickly, but the vast majority were extremely thankful to those who volunteered.
• Those who volunteer at food banks vary - in Ontario we have some mandatory community hours for local high school kids, so you’ll get some teens trying to fill their hours. But you’ll also meet people who needed that food bank at some point in their life. And older people who want someone to talk to. And kind souls who want to make a difference. And the occasional power tripper who really wants to look great in the community. But most people are fantastic.
• People who need food banks vary dramatically. Some were obviously homeless and had substance abuse issues (we banned any who were inebriated to the point of causing issues for staff), some were single moms, some were older people who needed help in retirement, some were on disability etc. It will open your eyes that anyone can fall on hard times. A woman who volunteered there disclosed that she needed the food bank after being diagnosed with MS and her husband losing his job in the same year. Luckily she’s in a better spot now and decided to give back when she could.
• This is just an observation from my perspective, but I was a late 20s petite woman who made decent money and I always tried to dress down for the experience so that I wouldn’t make anyone feel strange. A lot of people who needed the food bank were in my age group. I typically wore old jeans, an old thick hoodie, no makeup, etc. It was both practical and considerate. I noticed the dudes my age who were using the food bank didn’t even make eye contact with me when I was helping them pick food. I think a lot of them were very considerate to not make me feel weird about the interaction, but it also felt like there’s a lot of cultural pressure on men to be successful, and it seemed like shopping with a girl their own age was kinda a negative experience. It made me sad, I think our society needs to do a lot of work on men’s mental health and the pressure to be successful and a provider.