Andy's Idea Factory

I don't really know if this is idea number 3829, but I feel like this one is worth numbering, and not to toot my own horn, but I've had a lot of great ideas over the years  –  as I"m sure you have too. Getting back to the reason I started writing this blog - insights, inventions, and ways to make life easier, simpler, smarter  – this idea was a particularly OMG kind of a-ha moment for me. And it's truly simple. Where do you put your half-eaten avocado? Typically, we would just leave it open in the fridge and cut off the brown when we wanted it the next day, or at worst, two days later. Sometimes it would be all brown, and we'd have to throw it out. But last week I didn't have my own fridge, and I didn't want to just leave it out in the open. And the only thing I had at work was the cleaned out jar I'd had my breakfast smoothie in. So I threw the avocado in there thinking, "that's weird but whatever." 6 hours later is was still green.

Living without sugar is still a daily challenge for me. I've covered this topic often because going sugar free helps me so much, but it SO isn't easy, so I hope these posts help you, too. Especially around Valentine's Day. But let's face it, every month of the year has at least one holiday that's infused with sugar. A February free of...  - 2/1/17 Raw, vegan lifestyle isn't just for crazies anymore  - 3/11/16 30 days of "no" sugar - successes and challenges, and moving forward  - 2/9/16 30 days of sugar free: Kicking the Addiction  - 1/28/16 30 days Sugar Free: Switching date sugar  - 1/11/16 Committing to 30 days without sugar - YOU will hold me to it  - 1/10/16 Partying with a restrictive diet - yes, it can be done!  - 3/24/12 Healthy Living 2: Healthy Eating  - 8/5/10 Healthy Living 1 - Read the Label  - 7/28/10 Bottom line, I know I feel exponentially better without it  –  sugar gives me headaches, tummy aches, joint aches, thro

I was in a book store in Oregon, about to embark on a journey across land and sea, when a book fell off the shelf and dropped to my feet. I looked around to see if someone had pushed it - the shelves were the old school library kind, where books were backed up against each other on metal shelves between narrow aisles. But no one was there. I was 23 and a little jumpy. I bent down to pick up the green book and read its unsuspecting, all-text cover. "The Celestine Prophesy," it read. Hmm, prophesy, I thought, that's cool. But what's a Celestine Prophesy? So, I flipped it over and read the summary of a man on a journey to find an ancient manuscript. It felt somehow connected to the journey I was embarking on. I wasn't headed to South America, but it didn't matter, I had been delving into the depths of myself with my first metaphysical teacher for a year and was ready to dive further. I was headed to Scotland, and it was cold and dark and raining there. Perfect

Welcome February! I am embarking on a month with the theme of free . I have tried gluten free . Dairy free. Grain free . Sugar free . Alcohol free . Caffeine free. But I rarely try them all at once - I like the old adage "everything in moderation," although there are times when I do adopt all of that. At once. For months. I know, that's crazy talk. But I felt amazing. I was pain free. Insomnia free. Worry free. So now is that time again. After the holidays, and then another month of "I'm kind of being good" with my diet (not the weight loss kind of diet, but my clean eating regime) while on the road, I figured February was a good (short) month to get back on track. I am committing to cutting all of those things out, while adding in a daily workout of any kind (from just walking to cross country skiing), a morning and midday smoothie with my Complete protein Today's smoothie: Pumpkin, cranberry, soymilk, flax, hemp seeds, and Complete powder,

Over 5 years ago I made the choice to give up alcohol for good. It was no longer serving me. I'd had a long journey to this decision, mind you. I'd taken as much as a year off from drinking here and there, and often times, even throughout my long bartending career, I'd go days, even weeks, without a drink. It wasn't something that called to me, beckoned me, taunted me. I wasn't addicted. So my disclaimer here is if you feel that alcohol is something that has a hold on you, seek professional help for that, because you deserve it, you'll need it, and it's out there for you. But if you're one of those people who like me wondered why you bothered after you had a few - especially the next day when your body was angry - then I urge you to take a look at whether it serves you, your health, your vitality, your relationships, your mind. Even if you're one of those people who drinks "just a glass" of wine per night because you like the taste of

UPDATED!!  I should have posted this sooner - but it took me a while to really commit to these planners on a daily basis for the full 90 days!!  My latest review for the 90x Planner by Alon David: I have been using the 90x planners for a couple of years now but hadn't ordered the Action Planner until now and LOVE the compactness of it! I struggled to fill the pages of the bigger planner some days (although when I did I found the intentional activity powerful!) and I also travel a lot for work, so It's nice to have the Action Planner with me always to stay focused on the goals at hand!  I also have used a LOT of planners, I tried the Panda planner, Erin Condren, Brendan Burchard's, Franklin Covey, and others (see below)... but nothing hones me in on my goals, bringing me back to focus on them weekly, staying on task with them monthly, and ticking down the 90 days like champ more than the 90x planner does! THANKS Alon!! This book has been a game changer for me!  If I could gi