2020 has been a year where routines have been thrown out the window to make way for social distancing and infection control measurements. Can you believe it’s almost a year since the entire world entered lockdown? I don’t know about you, but one of the ways in which all of these changing circumstances affected me, was the lack of workout and general movement I found myself having. I mean, back in 2018 I had established a pretty good workout routine for myself, hitting the gym at least twice a week, routinely every Tuesday and Thursday after work. Come lockdown, however, the gyms shut down. For ..read more

When I began my journey towards a simple, mindful lifestyle with a minimalist outlook, what was perhaps hardest to get around, was the concept of gift giving. Whether it’s your birthday or Christmas, turning down gifts or dictating others as to what to give you can be a bit of a pickle, to say the least. My friends and family are all used to it by now, but in the beginning it was hard to explain the idea of no gifts (or different gifts) without coming off as rude or as the grinch. At the same time, though, I don’t want for people to spend their money on gifts that might not be appreciated.* *M ..read more

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might know that I have been on plenty of elimination diets and made other dietary changes in the last decade due to gut and sinus issues. As anyone ever trying to combat health issues through dieting finds, is that there are almost as many variations of diets presented as solutions to any type of alignment as there are people in the world. Yes, really. And so, I’ve kind of landed on a diet for myself that is borrowing this and that from a handful of dietary practices. Healing the gut lining is a long process. After all, it took a lifetime getting ..read more

While I don’t mind living in a tiny apartment (in fact, some time last year I decided that I’m not upgrading anytime soon), the kitchen has always been a conundrum to me in terms of how to utilize it most effectively. Our kitchen is small, with only six square meters to spare, and the upper cabinets are of such height that me myself, with my 157 centimeters above ground, can’t really make much use of them without climbing a stool. In our minimalist journey so far, we have minimized our living room, our wardrobes, our hallway and our bathroom. Of course, all of these rooms are still works in pr ..read more

Some time last year, I decided this was it: I wanted to get in shape and finally decided to sign up for a gym membership. It’s not like I haven’t worked out before. I have, both home workouts and jogging outside, but most of the time, the enthusiasm gets curbed and I fall out of the habit. This time around, I wanted it to be different, and for a good while it was. With everything happening this spring, however, I fell out of the habit again, and this week I decided it was time to revisit my reasons for keeping up a workout routine: I needed to get back into the habit. To be honest, my previous ..read more

I once wrote that my minimalist practice was not necessarily a step towards zero waste. Now, however, the longer I travle on this path towards curating a slower, more mindful life, the more I understand how “the less is more” and the “quality over quantity” mantras of minimalism also applies to choosing long-lasting, zero-waste products over one-time-use or discardable objects. After all, every time we need to go out and buy consumables, we partake in the consumerist mindset. Instead, by choosing to buy zero-waste products that can be used time and time again and be discarded, we avoid partaki ..read more

You need these little treats in your life! Especially if coconut and chocolate are your thing. They’re so easy to whip up and are ready in just a few minutes in the freezer. For me, they’ve been a life saver as I’m currently on my second week of Whole 30. I know some people restrict snacking on this diet. But, with the summer weather that’s been lingering in Oslo the last couple of weeks, I’m working really hard not to eat out in restaurants any chance I get, because, let’s face it, it’s one of mine and Chris’ favorite past time activities. It is one of the reasons why we love city living so m ..read more

In my minimalist practice, I’m always looking for ways to ground myself more; to be more present and to be at one with my body. After reading and learning more about human nature and natural, healthy resting positions (such as squatting and sitting cross legged) and foot shaped footwear, while I enjoy good furniture, both for the aesthetics and the comfort they provide, I’ve come to look at things a bit differently. What kind of downfalls is there to a comfortable, padded sofa, for instance?  It’s a reason the sofa is so very comfortable; it supports and relaxes our bodies as we sit down ..read more

Quite aware of the struggles out grandparents endured in war times and the likes, thinking for a second that a full blown pandemic would hit in my lifetime is not really something I’ve been busy with. Of course, with apocalyptic themes have been a recurring and favored theme in movies and TV series, it has been hard not to wonder how an outbreak of some kind would come to affect us. But, I must say, as I looked ahead to 2020 some time last autumn, the cancelation of 2020 in it’s entirety was not in the books. Work was doing well, I’d finally found colleges that I clicked with, and things were ..read more

I am totally game for easy dinners lately, and one of my go-to-dinners these days are a fried ground beef and cauliflower skillet that whips up in the matter of minutes. The beauty of this recipe is you can find riced cauliflower and grated veggies at the store. You can of course go ahead and rice the cauliflower and chop and grate your own veggies, but the pre-made store brought versions just makes all the difference on days where you can’t stand to wait long for dinner or spend too long in the kitchen. It’s also a super alternative to fried rice, as you skip the time you’d normally use to co ..read more