Last updated on April 1st, 2021 at 03:40 pm
Welcome to the 2K11 24/7 Honeymoon Series, where my friends have been gracious enough to step in and supply my posts while I step out of the public eye for a while to start being a husband!
First on the list is NJ. Out of the friends who I have today, NJ is easily one of those who’ve known me the longest. Between routinely kicking my butt at Scrabble (after having been taught by me), condemning my unhealthy lifestyle (relatively speaking) and telling me how things REALLY are (whether I want to hear it or not), NJ is definitely good to have around!
On to post #1!
For those who take self-improvement seriously, it’s a habit-tweaking lifestyle. Continuing to push yourself consistently is hard work with big payoffs!
One goal that is on everyone’s list is to exercise more. Whenever January 1st rolls around, one popular resolution is to be healthier with food choices and to exercise more often. It’s also the reason why gyms are rammed with folks up until February. The next resolution is to get their financial house in order, whether that’s becoming debt-free or saving up for a bigger purchase.
What if I told you that this post could help you with both?
Now, before I divulge my not so fancy secret, what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard work in the beginning and will require you to compromise a bit. Casey might not be a fan of compromising, but unless you win the lottery, to achieve these goals, something has to give 😉
Let’s get started!
So you wanna get into shape, huh? Instead of joining a gym, consider using something you’ve already got: your feet!
How many of you drive everywhere? And I mean everywhere: work, errands, socializing and the like. Take a look at your driving habits and consider this, can you live without a car?
I get by on our local Toronto transit system, the TTC. Not only am I practicing on reducing my technological footprint, I’m also trying to reduce my carbon footprint. This means I have no car and I walk everywhere. I also only recently decided to buy a Metropass as the value of having one is better than buying tokens.
Now, I live pretty close to downtown and right on a subway line. With work being a short train ride away, it was a no-brainer to give up the car.
One important thing to me was walkability. If I was going to give up my car, then being able to do my regular day-to-day things needed to be as hassle-free as possible. After all, the reason we all get cars is for the ease of convenience! I moved closer to work and in an area that has a high walk score—what that means is that I can do my grocery, shopping and entertainment without relying on a car. Even in winter!
Check out www.walkscore.com and see how you’re living rates in terms of walkability.
For those of you who are actively looking for a place to live, are currently renting month to month or nearing the end of your lease, seriously considering moving if you’re able to find comparable (or more affordable) rent in a more walkable area. Yes, moving is hard work, but short-term pain is long-term gain (there’s something I might link to here)!
By living in an area with a high walk score, you will save time, money and most importantly gas which is at $1.35 a litre ($1.50 for premium) these days! Less driving will be less wear and tear on your car and you won’t have to worry as much about parking (once you step out of the core, most of suburbia is relatively parking-friendly). You’ll notice that you spend less on maintenance, gas and even insurance since you can change your coverage to reflect how often you drive.
By walking everywhere, you automatically increase your fitness and can safely ditch that gym membership (even more $$$ saved). If you typically work out for an hour at the gym, by breaking up your walks into 15-30 minute intervals, you’ll end up exercising more (and building muscle by carrying all those bags back!) One can argue that one car trip saves more time than a bunch of little trips. While this is true, a lot of sale items aren’t advertised in flyers. By being a frequent shopper, you’ll catch items the day before the flyer gets mailed out and catch in-store specials that you normally wouldn’t see coming in only once a week.
Imagine stepping out of your home and literally being minutes away from your favourite eateries, cafes, grocery stores, bookstores, movie theatres and drug marts. How much time would you save? No more planning elaborate gas-saving trips or sitting in traffic breathing in exhaust fumes. If you live in an area that has parks you can incorporate a little bit of nature into your routine. Fresh air does a body good 😊 More time to enjoy your life with the people in it.
151/365
