Transferring my website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

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Hello!

I’ve decided to take my blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org using Bluehost as my registrar host. While I enjoyed the easy setup wordpress.com offers, their professional and business packages cost too much. Moving my domain to Bluehost and using the open source version of wordpress.org gives me greater customizability and tracking features, allowing me greater control over how I use my website at a much cheaper price.

It’s serious! Taking my blog from the easy-to-host version of wordpress.com to wordpress.org opens up so many doors—I can easily track user information without having to pay additional fees to add widgets and track my SEO scores using Google Analytics. Now I have complete control over of my website. Continue reading “Transferring my website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org”

January goals: reading, health and finance

larm-rmah-151478Here’s my monthly update nine days late!

At the beginning of the month, I like to set attainable, measurable goals that I can track throughout the month. I also categorize those goals to focus on one area at a time when the time comes to handle those tasks.

Reading Goals

  • Read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.
  • Read Being Vegan
  • Listen to the audiobook Writing Creative Nonficition

I’ve never read the Harry Potter series, nor have I watch the films. However, I’ve enjoyed the journey Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and their friends have taken me throughout their first four years at Hogwarts, and now I look forward to reading how they thwart he-who-shall-not-be-named’s plan to rise again. I enjoy the escape into a world of wizards and witches even if only for one chapter a night. The hype behind Harry Potter was real, and I’m just catching up.

My next book, Being Vegan, is an excellent nonfiction book focused on proper manners for vegans during difficult situations. It teaches its reader to deal with family, antagonists, curious friends and everyone in between. While it addresses some aspects of diet, it focuses on defining the emotional and mental aspects of veganism, such and showing compassion in spite of adversities and challenges. I found this book at a used bookstore for $2.

As a writer, it’s always good to continue sharpening my skills and learn how to compose better writing, both with nonfiction and fiction writing. I’m listening to the book called Writing Creative Nonfiction taught by Tilar J J. Mazzeo by The Great Courses. She speaks using a wonderful teaching voice and makes it easy to follow along while I commute to and from work.

Health

  • Finish first quarter of 12-week program
  • Meal Prep Sundays

My primary goal for this month is to complete the first quarter of my 12-week weightlifting program. This month, I’m looking for the peak of my stress. I’m writing my progress in a fitness journal and monitoring what I eat using a nutrition journal. I’m just glad to be back in the gym and on a routine again. Since coming back from my injury, it’s been a blessing being able to do the things I can do now. I won’t take for granted my health.

The secondary goal for this month is to meal prep three out of four sundays. I failed the first weekend, so I have to hit every Sunday with a meal prep for the upcoming week. I plan to pack my lunch to work to both save money and control my calorie intake, so practicing with simple meals like a fried rice and mixed veggies or simple burritos should be good. I’ll let you know what I come up with!

Finance

  • Save $200
  • Get out of Credit Card Debt

I’ve been struggling lately with my financial goals, even in a bullish economy. It’s just been a change being on my own now, and having to manage all my own expenses has been a challenge. I still have stock and crypto investments, so that’s good, but I’ve depleted most of my savings to move out and get back on track. But now it’s the new year and time to start saving again.

My goal for this month is just to save $200 in my rainy-day account and get out of credit card debt—looks to be about $400 by the end of the week. In addition to paying my monthly expenses, I want to save money and invest the rest for the future. I don’t want to do anything this year but save money—since cryptocurrencies are incredibly volatile, I don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity to capitalize on investments and make some money.


Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

Taking a look back on 2017 and making plans for 2018

ashley-knedler-75600Shortcomings and Triumphs

In 2017, I overcame a lot of challenges. I moved out, I traveled to Europe, and I made incredible strides in my writing ability—but these were not accomplished without having faced a few challenges. I made a lot of mistakes in 2017 as I’ve made in the past before that, but that’s not to say I haven’t done many things right. Those mistakes have taught me to look forward and continue pushing on. Having learned from my faults, I’ve made adjustments to my previous goals and set a new 12 for this upcoming year.

Last year, I made a few bad investments and I hurt my knee in April running 10 miles on the treadmill, automatically disqualifying me from two of my goals: run a half marathon and a regular marathon. I exacerbated the injury playing basketball and was sidelined for a long time. I was seeing results, but then reinjured the knee in October playing tug-of-war at a work event. I’m receiving physical therapy for my injury, which is good, but I need to be careful and nurse my knee until I’m able to start running again. Continue reading “Taking a look back on 2017 and making plans for 2018”

Day of eating to gain weight on a vegan diet

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Making it up as I go

Short post for my readers! I want to gain 20 pounds by the end of 2018. I currently weigh 165 at 6’0. Today, I ate significantly well even though I didn’t plan my meals—there are a few areas where I can improve, but for the most part, I did very well, having finished my day with 3654 calories. Continue reading “Day of eating to gain weight on a vegan diet”

Plant-based foods to prevent hair loss and promote volume

alexandra-andersson-424642.jpgStrong, healthy hair is a sign of youth. As we age, our hair thins, becomes brittle and falls out, leading to recession in men and overall loss of volume for women. This causes many to look in all areas for hair-loss solutions and ways to artificially boost hair production. While there’s nothing wrong with baldness nor thinning hair, many of us prefer to seek methods of keeping our hair well into our senior years.

While hair loss cannot be completely stopped, preventive measures in diet can be taken to avoid risk factors that lead to hair loss. Continue reading “Plant-based foods to prevent hair loss and promote volume”

A simple equation to improve performance at anything

lucas-favre-335248.jpgWe all want to perform our best, but we sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed and burnt out after having taken on too many tasks. Instead, it’s best to focus on what most important and alternate between steady habits of stress and rest to maximize improvements. Planning focused sessions that alternate between both these simple concepts are the key components to progress, helping those disciplined to follow reach their full potential in physical, mental, and emotional fitness. Continue reading “A simple equation to improve performance at anything”

The real reason I went vegan: dealing with parents and getting healthy

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A few years ago, I was very sick. I didn’t receive a diagnosis from a doctor, but I felt horrible everyday. I smoked half a pack of cigarettes and carried a fat gut—I was skinny fat and disproportionately larger in the tummy area. I was losing hair, out of energy and I hated it. I hated myself. I was depressed. Then something in me told me to take responsibility and make a change. Continue reading “The real reason I went vegan: dealing with parents and getting healthy”

A quick and easy guide to understanding dietary fiber

jennifer-pallian-146555With all the focus on calorie intake in fitness, it can be easy to forget about making sure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet. Good fiber intake can cause weight loss and improve overall health.

Fibers are the edible part of a plant cell wall and a form of carbohydrate essential in digestion. A gram of fiber contains four calories, but isn’t broken down by the body and used for energy, so it can’t contribute to storing fat. Rather, both insoluble and soluble fiber aid digestion by moving product through the body and slowing down the digestive process. We’ll get to more of why slowing digestion is important a little later.

Continue reading “A quick and easy guide to understanding dietary fiber”

Chia seeds give a handful of benefits, and that’s the skinny!

brenda-godinez-228182As a person that considers himself an athlete, well-balanced superfoods easily find their way into my grocery list. Chia seeds are by far one of the healthiest foods to add to anyone’s daily diet because of its macronutrient profile. It’s one of the most nutrient-packed plant-based food that can improve a person’s diet with only just a few teaspoons. Here’s how chia seeds have gotten its name as a “superfood” and how you can add this food to your diet. Continue reading “Chia seeds give a handful of benefits, and that’s the skinny!”

Easy-to-pack vegan snacks for school and work

cristina-gottardi-105347.jpgA challenge many people face when taking the dive into veganism is keeping their hunger satiated throughout the day. Snacks can be essential in helping individuals keep their appetite tamed while sticking to their plan for eating healthier and promoting a better life for the planet.

Packing Healthy on the Go

Snacks are small portions of food eaten in between meals to keep your blood sugar regulated and your body continuing to maintain a steady stream of energy. Some don’t need snacks, but for those like me, I CRAVE them. I eat snacks before working out, before setting off on a run and when getting ready to write. Continue reading “Easy-to-pack vegan snacks for school and work”