Finding the diet that works best for you

You may know JP Sears for his satire on the more extreme elements of the holistic health movement, but he also has some real valuable advice.  How to find the diet that works best for you:

I'd add that if you have physical symptoms from your diet, tracking those as objectively as possible should also be a factor.  If you have energy but your lymph nodes are swollen, that might not be working so well for you...

Vivofit 3 and Vivofit 2

So, while waiting for the Vivofit 3 to come out, the budget got a wee bit tighter.  Suddenly the older product that's starting to see clearance sale prices is getting more of my attention, so I thought I'd do a comparison.

	Garmin Vivofit 3	Vivofit 2
Price	$99.99	69.99 (Amazon, Best Buy)
Expected Release	Any Day Now...	Available Now
Wrist Band	Molded rubber, and fashion rubber, but the tracker pops out so we might see 3rd party wristbands in the future.	Same
Battery Life	1 year, replaceable battery	Same
Display	64 x 64 pixels, 0.39" x 0.39", watch orientation	Segmented LCD
Water Rating	5 ATM	Same
Watch functions	time, date, calendar, and audible alarm	Time
Auto activity sensing	"Automatic activity detection"	None
Heart Rate	ANT+ Heart Rate Strap compatible	Accessory
Phone Notifications	No	Same
Sleep Tracking	Yes	Same
Android Phone app, BTLE	Yes	Same

It looks like the only major advantage the 3 has over the 2 is automatic activity detection.  Automatic activity detection sounds like a really nice feature, but being new it's hard to say how accurate it will be without letting other people try it out for a bit.  I very rarely "go for a run" and if I do I can track that with my phone as easily as with the wrist strap.  "Daily Steps" is tracked outside of "Timed Activities" so I don't ever have to use that feature (and even if I do it just means I need to press a button...)

I'm still postponing a decision until the budget clears, but if these clearance deals are still available then I think I'll consider it.

A plea for balance, scientific rigour & death to dogma

I don't usually like just re-linking other people's content, but this is a great one that everyone on both sides of the low carb debate should read:

http://sportsscientists.com/2016/04/low-carbohydrate-diets-plea-balance-scientific-rigour-death-dogma/

I Don't Want To Gain The Whole World and Lose My Soul

I've had this post written in draft mode for three years.  Three years...  I'm not completely there yet, but today I signed the paperwork to at least go from full time employment to 24 hour a week employment, a step in the right direction.

"Lose My Soul" by Toby Mac

Life is not about how much money I make, or what my job title is.  It's about my relationships with my God and my neighbors.  I may not have the exact same challenges as the Toby Mac, but we all face that problem of letting what we do consume who we are. 

Many will question my drastic life change to become a small farmer.  I will be giving up a lot of cash, security, normal work environment, and physically non-demanding work, and trade it for a dirty, heavy-lifting job that might not pay well every year, and may even eat my savings some years.  But I'll have my soul, I'll have my health, and maybe I'll have a larger family to share that with.

The alternative to making change is to stay where I am.  Climb that corporate ladder, live for my work, earn lots of cash and buy lots of toys I don't have much time to play with.  I'd spend most of the rest of my life in a chair, continue to suffer from fibromyalgia, and die at an early age of heart attack.  I'd raise no children, I'd leave no legacy.

Father God, I am clay in your hands
Help me to stay that way through all life’s demands
‘Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me
And every little thing I make up my mind to be

...

I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul

...

Tell me what’s your title
America has no more stars now we call them idols
You sit idle
While we teach prosperity
The first thing to prosper should be inside of me