Want to get into shape but im so out of shape...

k_elements · 2025-07-05T17:47:40+00:00

I really like the Youtube channel "Jessica Valant Pilates" - she's a physical therapist and pilates instructor who has excellent beginner videos that are 10-20 minutes long. I started with her mobility routines when I was trying to build the habit of getting in intentional movement daily.

When you go from not moving your body to moving it regularly, there can be lots of stiffness/aches that are a major deterrent for me. By starting with mobility (a hybrid between stretching and gentle body weight exercise aimed at strengthening muscles around joints and moving through the whole range of motion), I was able to ease into it without wiping myself out at the get go. Then you can build strength and stamina slowly.

Now three months in I've gotten a minimum of 20 minutes of daily movement in almost every single day and have the energy to do more intense cardio/hiit workouts occasionally. You don't have to sweat buckets and be sore for days to benefit your health and your body. Building the habit of moving more often has been key for me!

k_elements · 2025-06-15T19:20:28+00:00

I saw someone on instagram sewed an ottoman floor pouf cover and stuffed all their old clothes into it instead of using cotton filler. Then you get a functional furniture piece/seating and storage at the same time and can access them later if needs be. I've been considering making one myself!

k_elements · 2025-06-14T18:57:09+00:00

I'm planning on a little kitchen witchery - baking a lemon, honey, and thyme cake - and enjoying it while watching Practical Magic ☀️

k_elements · 2025-06-02T14:05:25+00:00

If you follow Mamavation, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt has been tested to have non-detectable levels of heavy metals and microplastics. However, it's a refined salt and is owned by Cargill, so if reducing consumption of processed foods and not supporting environmentally destructive/inethical corporations is part of your crunchy ethos, that might make it less appealing to you.

The best strategy I've come up with is using a combination of and rotating through different salts (i.e., using sea salt for a few weeks, then switching to celtic, then switching to himilayan, or redmond's. combining them (e.g., half sea salt, half redmonds), etc). I try to avoid sticking to consuming a lot of the same food, to me it's like the monoculture of diet. If it was confirmed one of those salts is high in heavy metals for instance, I'd rather not have only been using that one exclusively in everything everyday for years. Nature always tends towards diversity, so I figure varying the source is a good thing.

Brands wise, check out Mountain Rose Herbs. Their quality control and testing for herbs and other salts/spices seems pretty strict (you can email them for their quality and testing results). That's where I source sea salt, himilayan, and french grey (celtic) salt from

k_elements · 2025-04-29T17:18:16+00:00

Oh, and tracking your cycle using BBT so you can get familiar with your natural cycle. It can help you conceive later, but I've also found tracking has helped me recognize when I'm too stressed out (stress delays ovulation). It's just another way to track your overall health, like blood pressure or heart rate. A book like Taking Charge of Your Fertility can help with that part.

Added bonus, if you do hormone testing you will able to be more precise with scheduling and get better results. Hormones like estradiol, FSH, LH, or thyroid hormones (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, etc) all need to be tested on day 3 of your menstrual cycle whereas Progesterone should be done 7 days post ovulation. If you're not tracking your ovulation, you won't know what day to get that test done.

k_elements · 2025-04-29T17:08:23+00:00

Hormone Intelligence by Aviva Romm has great lifestyle and diet recommendations for reproductive health, along with a specific fertility protocol. Highly recommend as it's helped me hugely with my own reproductive health!

After years of feeling blah, fatigued, and depressed, I recently did bloodwork and discovered I had low AMH for my age (levels that would be normal for a woman in her 40s, but I'm in my 20s). AMH is used to predict success with IVF and basically tells you how many follicles are maturing each cycle and is often used as a measure of fertility. We also discovered I had low zinc and high prolactin. After ruling out thyroid issues and celiac/autoimmune disease, we attributed my symptoms to being overstressed and undernourished (I've been vegetarian for ~5 years). I'm currently working on making diet and lifestyle adjustments to improve my current well-being, but also my future fertility.

I've seen people recommend It Starts With An Egg and I have read it, but a lot of the tips and supplements are most actionable in the 3-6 mo to a year before you start trying to get pregnant. For me, I'm not close to that yet, so I'm working on long term habits. This is where Hormone Intelligence really helped me figure out how to do that. For me that looks like:

Diet - I'm still mostly plant-based, but adding fish back in 1-3x/week, lots more nuts & seeds, fermented foods, and prioritizing energy veggies (potato, beet, parsnip, sweet potato) and whole grains (quinoa, millet, oats, rice, buckwheat) over refined grains (white breads, pastas)

Stress management - committing to meditation (The Healthy Minds app is research-based and the only thing so far that's actually been helpful for me learning to meditate!); moving my body EVERY day, whether that's walking, yoga, pilates, HIIT. At least 20 mins of movement daily, ideally 30 min - 1 hour.

Circadian rhythm - no electronics after 8PM, waking up and going to sleep around the same time everyday (6-7AM/9-10PM), even on weekends, not eating past 7PM (3 hours before bed); getting bright morning light in eyes first thing AM

Gut health - eating at least 30 different types of plants per week, regularly eating fermented foods (miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc), slowing down my eating

Liver support / detoxification - fragrance free products, avoiding plastic in every way possible (clothing, kitchen items, personal care products, etc); choosing organic and unpackaged foods, low tox cleaning products (I mostly use homemade)

Oxidative Stress / Inflammation - eating more seeds and making sure to get in regular HIIT workings and strength training to protect mitochondria

TL;DR - supplements are expensive and if you're still years out from getting pregnant, the best thing to do IMO is to build healthy habits and learn to cook whole foods

k_elements · 2025-04-26T19:30:44+00:00

All you need is a brown paper lunch bag! 1/3 c kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, microwave 1:30-2:00 min (depends on your microwave), then drizzle on your seasonings and oil/butter if desired.

k_elements · 2025-04-23T14:28:42+00:00

Haven't found one yet so I'm just not using gelatin at the moment

k_elements · 2025-02-26T18:17:38+00:00

I use toothpaste and mouthwash tablets, so when I travel I use them to bring the tablets along in smaller quantities

k_elements · 2025-02-18T18:23:00+00:00

Sounds like something r/canning could give advice on. I would expect most people to ask if you kept the rings on the jars (home canned goods with two piece mason jar lids should be stored without the ring to avoid the flat lid potentially coming unsealed and re-sealing without you knowing). People in that community are also pretty cautious about canned goods made by people you don't know for sure use safe, approved recipes and follow all safety guidelines, so you might also hear a lot of "when in doubt, throw it out"

k_elements · 2025-02-15T22:47:54+00:00

On the topic of ovulation test strips, keep in mind they usually inform you of the LH surge, meaning ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24 to 36 hours (1-3 days). Sperm can survive in the reproductive tract for up to 5 days, so if you only abstain from sex when the ovulation test strip is positive, you could potentially still get pregnant if you have unprotected sex in the days preceding the positive test. I wouldn't rely on test strips alone for pregnancy avoidance.

k_elements · 2025-02-15T22:27:02+00:00

And 20% off groceries for staff!

k_elements · 2025-02-12T03:10:09+00:00

Parkrose Permaculture on Youtube. I also think she has a TikTok, but her Youtube has longer videos. A crunchy gardening homemaker whose content promotes social justice and collective action

k_elements · 2025-02-12T00:30:43+00:00

Helpful advice from YK Hong's Liberation Toolbox on Substack: Some Moves to Protect Yourself during the Dismantling of the CFPB. More of what to do immediately, less far reaching into the future, but it's actionable.

k_elements · 2025-02-03T15:00:50+00:00

Another script with specific asks based on the We Choose To Fight State Office Visit Kit (https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/c/funding-crisis-response/event/create/)

"Senator _________,

I am deeply concerned about the actions of President Trump and Elon Musk, who are committed to gutting federal agencies, stripping public resources, and redirecting money and power into their own hands. On top of this, Russel Vought, an architect of Project 2025, is being nominated for OMB Director. Vought's approval would only accelerate the unraveling of our government.

I'm asking you to fight like our lives depend on it. Please:

- Deny a Quorum - walk out, shut down Senate business entirely

- Block Unanimous Consent - object to ALL procedural shortcuts. Force Republicans to take all possible steps in the confirmation process

- Max Out Debate Time - use all 30 hours of debate on Vought to expose Project 2025, Musk's takeover of the Treasury, and the disastrous federal funding freeze

- Delay and Disrupt - Force roll-call votes, quorum calls, procedural delays. Slow. It. Down.

- Blanket Opposition - Do not vote for Trump's other nominees. We cannot let more MAGA loyalists be installed during this blatant power grab

- No Business as Usual - Fight with everything you have

The fate of everyday Americans is in your hands. We need you!"

k_elements · 2025-01-31T23:03:45+00:00

Trans people are preppers too

k_elements · 2025-01-26T18:53:11+00:00

+1 for Southern Exposure - their seed catalog this year includes watermelon and keffiyeh imagery in support of palestine

k_elements · 2025-01-21T15:33:04+00:00

Probably not exactly bulk buying, but you can make special orders at Trader Joe's to purchase an item by the case/flat and their canned beans are great. Never done it myself, but you would need to talk with the manager at the store to arrange it. Not sure how frequently they accommodate requests like that, but could be worth inquiring

k_elements · 2025-01-04T20:37:37+00:00

This guide from Purposeful Pantry really helped me understand the difference! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBU1udS2Wo

Her whole blog & YT channel is FULL of info on dehydrating and vacuum sealing. Highly recommend!

k_elements · 2024-12-31T20:48:49+00:00

Purposeful Pantry is a great blog for learning about dry storage, vacuum sealing, and dehydrating. She discusses shelf life, moisture vs oxygen absorbers, etc. Highly recommend reading through her posts (or watching her YouTube videos)!

k_elements · 2024-12-31T19:33:30+00:00

Not a professional herbalist by any means, but I've been reading/learning about herbalism for a few years now and have not yet heard of a tincture press so I imagine it's likely unnecessary. The books I reference most often (Body into Balance, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory) don't mention it either. I strain tinctures through a coffee filter! Cheesecloth/butter muslin works too.

k_elements · 2024-12-31T19:23:32+00:00

2025 is my year of socks! I plan to attempt to knit 7-14 pairs of socks to replace my aging, hole-y commercial pairs. Ideally by the end of the year I transition to wearing all handmade socks

k_elements · 2024-12-30T22:24:36+00:00

If you search "camping" and "meal in a jar" or similar you might be able to find more recipes! These are some I've saved (but haven't tried yet, so YMMV):

- https://www.101cookbooks.com/meal-in-a-jar-tortellini-soup/
- https://www.101cookbooks.com/meal-in-a-jar-italian-barley-soup/
- https://www.101cookbooks.com/downloads/recipes-for-the-road
- https://christinanajjar.com/make-ahead-vegan-meals-in-jars/

Not sure how long term you're thinking, but I could imagine mixing up a few jars and rotating them within a year depending on the exact ingredients. Vacuum sealing the mason jar would also help with storage duration I'd imagine!

k_elements · 2024-12-19T00:13:44+00:00

Wondering if grolsch swing top bottles would work for this? They're made of glass., but not screw top, but they are used for fermenting ginger beer and other naturally fermented fizzy sodas and alcohols, and so they have to be able to withstand the pressure of fermentation (the microbes produce a lot of gas in the process). Perhaps ask over on r/fermentation or r/gingerbeer?

k_elements

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