Minimalist Mondays: Leo Babauta's The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life Book Review

 My minimalist journey started with reading Leo Babauta's Zen Habits and Mnmalist blogs. I bought his book "The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life" right after the Haitian earthquake. As I've promised, this is a review of Leo Babauta's ebook.

The book starts with a rather sheepish apology about it being 104 pages, but Leo explains that he wants his readers to get more than they paid for. So did I get what I paid for?

In a sense, yes. Let me tell you first that whatever you find in this guide is found elsewhere in Leo Babauta's blogs. I have read enough of his two blogs to know that he was right in warning other people about his ideas not being new.

So is this ebook worth your money? If you value your time, yes. This ebook is worth its price tag. It definitely saves you a lot of time than when you set out finding the same information in Leo's blogs. Just look at the archives and you'll see what I mean.

What I like about this book is that it is laid out nicely so that you can set out to begin your clutter-and-distraction-free life. Leo does a great job explaining what a minimalist life is like. The first five chapters were inspiring and by the end of those chapters, you'd be sold to the idea of a minimalist life.

After that are practical tips on how to free yourself from "stuff" that crowd your life. From a minimalist computer to minimalist travel, Leo has just about answered everything about what minimalist living is like... for a male.

Leo, being male, does not understand female clutter or female grooming. To be fair to him, he knows he does not understand females and our beauty routines. But seriously, shaving your head is not exactly reading fare for females. So, women, brace yourselves for the wardrobe and grooming part.

This is my only disappointment plus the fact that he flippantly referred to developing countries as "Third World" in his ebook. I am very sensitive about this issue. but I thought, everyone should be educated enough to know that this term is degrading and at most, racist. In fact, that term disappointed me so much that this review was late for two weeks. I was mulling over whether to write about it at all.

But over-all and despite being offended about the "Third World" term, this is a must for someone who is trying out the minimalist life for the first time. Leo offers very practical advice for a minimalist life that can be put to good use immediately.

This is the strength of this ebook and of Leo's writing. So if you'd like to check out the book, click here to view more details.

Why Do You Work Out?

I guess I didn't tell you before that I used to teach Women Studies at university. This course is one of my favorites and the one closest to my heart, even closer than teaching literature. I was reading an article on the politics behind disordered eating and at first, I rejected the idea and felt offended. It never left my mind, though and I kept thinking about it.

Basically, the article said that women are conditioned to think that their appearances will determine how other people treat them. Through our upbringing and mass media, we are taught to treat our bodies as social currency. In my case, I have always thought that to be respected, I always have to look my best. That's the thinking that I grew up with. I have a grandmother who told me that if I get married, I should ALWAYS, ALWAYS look my best or else I'll give my husband an excuse to fool around. Alright, I know how superficial that advice was, but throughout my life, I've seen the reality about how important image is and the rewards you get by looking good. I have also seen how my self-esteem is related to how I perceived my appearance.

Now I know how dangerous this thinking becomes especially if you hold yourself to an unattainable ideal. Look around you and you will see that mass media holds us up to a body size that represents 5% of the female population, leaving the remaining 95% frustrated with their bodies. Some resort to disordered eating practices or countless hours in the gym. The author says it's the "politics of distraction" at work. Instead of focusing on our own education or skills, we focus on maintaining our weight or looking good.

The first time I read this article, I was offended. How can working out and dieting or spending time looking good be a "gendered form of social control"? I am educated; I have the skills. But it's true that I have to set aside about two hours of my time to working out, which could be spent learning photography or blogging.


I must confess that I bought the 30-Day Shred because I wanted to look good, not to become healthier or stronger. I wanted to lose weight because I thought I was flabby. When I tried calculating my BMI in this BMI calculator, I realized that I don't need to because I was the normal weight. How easily it was to fall prey to what the fitness and beauty industry wants me to believe.

It was true that I derived some part of my self-esteem to how good I looked. Whenever I start gaining weight, I felt lazy, out of control, and ugly. I rarely take a photo of myself because I don't look as good as the ones I see in magazines, although I get a lot of compliments that I am pretty. The funny thing is, I enjoyed looking good, too. I loved purchasing beauty products, clothes, and shoes. I enjoyed being a girl. I thought being preoccupied with my appearance is a "girl" thing. What I didn't realize is that we were trained to think that it is normal. What's more, the beauty industry is cashing in on our insecurities. By holding us up to a standard of beauty that is out of reach and doling out products that supposedly would help us reach that ideal, capitalistic forces can hold us by the neck.

 I might be stepping on a lot of toes here, but I did not write this to judge anyone who is reading this. I only wrote about what I've realized about myself and I don't want to forget. I have to keep myself in check and to learn to see way past my appearances for me to feel good about myself. I have to teach myself once again to feel good because of what I do and not what I look like. This is important especially since I have two daughters whom I want to set a good example.

I am still continuing my 30-Day Shred, by the way, but I'm doing it now for different reasons. I feel stronger now. I can carry a wiggling child up the stairs without feeling like my body's giving way. I came from the grocery store and carried the groceries effortlessly. I love how my body feels like a well-oiled machine now. I'm just not doing it for me to look good.

I found this on Youtube, by the way. This ad wasn't shown in the Philippines, I think. Let me know if they did. But another eye opener for me not to believe what I see in mass media:



*Update: Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred kind of battered my wrists, so if you decide to do this workout, take care of your wrists. I'm thinking of getting a wrist guard because for two days, my wrists were really painful.

P.S. If you want a copy of the article, let me know and I can email it to you.

Day 2 of Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred

I've decided that I'll try to update you on my progress as I go through the 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. I need this for accountability or otherwise, I'll just quit on it. Day 2 is more difficult because my body is aching all over. My thighs and arms are sore, but it's a good kind of pain, like you're pleased that that 20-minute workout is working.

I suspect that I'm pushing it by starting on 5-pound weights. Towards the end of reps, I was ready to throw those weights at the TV if only I had the strength to throw. But I'm determined to see this through if it kills me. So, you have to cheer me on, okay?

I think I need a spotter or a good full-length mirror with this workout because I'm not sure whether or not I'm doing the moves right, especially the last part where you have to do side crunches with bicycle legs.

 I might as well record what I weigh here: 51 kg. Let's see how much weight I shred after 30 days?
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Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred Level 1 Review

Hello, everyone! I've been remiss with my blogging duties, but my youngest daughter just came from a bout of measles/german measles and had been very cranky. I didn't have time to handle my work, a rash-covered child, and blogging at the same time. Hopefully, I'll have more time this week.

I've always been on a lookout for a good workout video and looking for ways to cut back on the time it takes for me to exercise. I found Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred which only lasts for 20 minutes. I tried it today and boy, she does makes good use of those 20 minutes.

For someone who loves dance exercise, the 30-Day Shred is a huge change for me. Frankly, Jillian Michaels scared me a little with her deep voice and tough demeanor. No perfect teeth, styled hair, or high-pitched voice to urge me through the routine here.

The 30-Day Shred Level 1 routine consists of a combination of cardio and strength training split in intervals: 3 minutes cardio, 2 minutes strength, and 1 minute crunches. I've started with 5-pound weights because those are the only available weights in the house. You might want to start with 3 pounds or less because 5 pounds is pure torture. Fortunately, Jillian has two girls who demonstrate low- and high-impact versions of her workout.

Since I've been exercising for a month, I thought I could do the high impact, but some of the strength segments are tough. I switch from high to low-impact throughout the workout.  I'm still concentrating on perfecting my form, since I don't want to injure myself.

So, did I like the 30-Day Shred workout?

Absolutely! After the workout, my clothes are soaked with sweat, the same way I sweat when I'm done with dance workouts for an hour. So I guess, I'm sticking with the 30-Day Shred and see whether it delivers what it promises. I'll update you.