Healthcare Affordable to All

It's a common misconception that only the "wealthy" can afford to eat healthy and there is much profiteering involved in encouraging this belief:

1. Healthy foods seem to be priced higher in the short-term (if not directly in cost, certainly in preparation time, going to store, etc. and time = money), but no one is attaching the medical bills and related cost to the long-term effects of the garbage people consume. I have a feeling if we honestly priced the junk that cost cheaper in the short-term, people would understand they can't afford the hidden fees.

2. Not everything organic is labeled "organic," so when it comes to choosing one vegetable over another, feel free to save the change by not being fooled with branding and labels. Besides any raw vegetable will be better than a bag of processed garbage, regardless if one is called "organic" or not.

3. The brand or label that matters most, if at all, is local and they don't have to put a sticker on the product or hike up their prices. Simply go to a local farmer's market, grow your own, or make friends with someone who does. The price of these products is competitive with the stores and the only extra cost is time.

4. People profit from selling nutritional plans and doing the heavy lifting of building a diet. But like anything else, there are tons of free resources available all over the internet and in books. A simple google search can tell a person the recommended amount of nutrients and calories required per day and there are tons of apps to track these things - not to mention almost every product these days is properly labeled.

5. People profit from selling gym memberships and equipment, when there are tons of free resources online for exercise, as well as out in the real world. Walk, stretch, run, do pushups and situps. Watch youutube videos for exercises, yoga, etc. Everyone carries a smartphone with internet these days, even some of the homeless people..so don't give me any crap about who is limited to all this free information.

I could go on and on, but I don't want to bore anyone further. Eventually I'll post my own diet, which is well priced (in terms of short-term cost, as well as time, with a focus on long-term cost).

I'm pretty cheap and lazy when it comes to food, so I'm driven to make dieting and eating healthy as cheap and lazy as possible. But somethings do require a little of time and it's important to make that time. We can't afford not to.

Positivity: Treat Life like a Video Game

These days I’ve been tracking and monitoring my Stats as much as possible, as if I’m leveling a character in a video game. Here’s some inspiration and a peek into my madness:

Health/Fitness:

“Lose It” App + EtikCity Scale

The scale tracks my weight and all those other stats, it cost $25 + tax on Amazon. (Not sponsored by any of these products, this is just what I use). My goal is to get down to 190-200 lbs by April 2020; I’m 6’2 in case anyone cares.

Tracking the fuel that goes into my body and monitoring the nutrients has allowed me to find an easy diet. I’ve noticed an increase in my productivity, mood, and overall well-being. Healthy body = Healthy mind (sometimes).

The second thing is my expenses/finances. I’m not sharing pictures and I’ll leave out name-dropping apps..but there are tons of them out there. They allow you to track your spending, set up budgets and goals (all free), linked to your bank to monitor spending.

Productivity. On IOS it’s Settings > Screen time

I set up limits for programs that were eating away time and since I started using this app, I’ve already managed to reduce my usage. Unfortunately my job requires me to use my phone, so I can’t completely or ever turn it off. Which is where vacations will come in handy. As someone part of the tech world now, automated society, working from home etc etc.

Burning Man, once a year. Or some equivalent that forces a person to be without cell service for a prolonged amount of time. Unplug mother fuckers, whenever we can.

My next goal for productivity is to monitor my Reading and Writing time each day. Mostly my Writing. I need to log a good amount of hours each day and build the habit necessary to start completing some Prose.

Anyways, wanted to share my stats and levels. Let people know what I’m actively doing to combat against our Instant-Gratification culture and also show that technology can be a very handy tool. It’s not only a negative.