More from Moore

On Friday, I wrote about Chris Moore’s (@barbellbuddha) book Progress.  I wanted to supplement that post with a few video clips featuring Chris. Enjoy!

Chris Moore’s First Book: Progress

So I’m a fan of the Barbell Shrugged and Barbell Buddha podcasts. I enjoy the CrossFit and weight lifting content and I’m learning a ton from these guys. If you are relatively new to either of those worlds, check out the podcasts. You can thank me later. PM me and I’ll tell you where to deposit your bitcoin.

Barbell Shrugged introduced me to Chris Moore (@barbellbuddha). Moore doesn’t know this yet, but I am fairly certain he’s leading an alternate reality version of my life had I played football in high school instead of letting an annoying grass allergy knock me out – ah the decisions we make at 14 and who the hell is allergic to grass… I’d say I’m leading an alternate version of his life, but I have a few years on him. I’ll leave it at that for now otherwise I will run the risk of sounding more like a stalker than a fan who’s connected with someone’s ideas. 

I recently finished Moore’s first book, Progress and I have his second book, Way Past Strong, loaded on my Kindle.  As with many first books, Progress has its faults: there are spelling and grammatical errors and the writing isn’t as tight as you might want it to be. If you can look past that (and you should), you’ll be rewarded with Moore’s hard-earned wisdom. Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

Sesame Kale

 

I was inspired to make my own version of the sesame greens you can buy at Whole Foods. Here’s the result!

Well, some failures are problematic

Failure is not the problem

We tend to think of failure as a bad thing. It means we screwed up somewhere and we didn’t get what we wanted. Maybe it means we disappointed someone. Maybe it means we disappointed ourselves. When failure is a bad thing, it’s easy to give up and do something we’re good at instead of putting in the work to become better at what just showed us where we’re weak.

Veganversary

Today (4/21/12) is my 6 month anniversary eating a plant-based diet. I thought it was time to take a look back at the last six months.

Chickpea Magazine

If you are looking for inspiring articles on vegan lifestyle issues and great recipes, look no further than Chickpea Magazine. This quote from their mission statement captures the spirit  of the magazine:

chickpea is intended to be a community-supported venture. each season of the year, we put a call out to everyone we know, and they submit the best photography, artwork, recipes, articles, stories, and products they’ve got. not only do we get to know our vegan community better, but we’re supporting one another as well.

rather than going the traditional route of advertising in the magazine, we want to support fellow vegan etsy shop owners, and/or support those who may not be vegan but sympathize and still sell high quality vegan products.

the focus of the magazine itself is to show all aspects of veganism, in an aesthetically pleasing, easily accessible format. the online magazine will be totally free, and designed by us as well as fellow vegan designers and artists. (http://chickpea-magazine.tumblr.com/mission, retrieved 12/16/11)

Chickpea has a visual appeal. The writing may not always be grammatically correct (neither is mine!), but the authors are clearly passionate about their subjects. With only one issue available, I find myself wanting more.

I miss Ascent

Ascent was a yoga magazine and so much more. I may be romanticizing, but it was a yoga magazine that cared about yoga, yogis, enlightenment, meditation, and compassion. It didn’t care about the latest yoga trends, clothes, gadgets, or whatever else the mainstream yoga press blathers on about. It introduced me to Noah Levine, for which I will be eternally grateful. (Read more about Noah here, here, and here.)

You can still find all the online content here. Don’t miss Kuan Yin’s Kitchen for delicious vegan recipes. If you find a magazine you love, subscribe and cherish each word as if it was the last.

I am vegan. That is all.

Okay, so that’s not all – how can one declare, “I am vegan,” after a lifetime of eating meat with gusto without offering an explanation. Well, I’m a new vegan and I am still finding my voice. So for now, I’m following the model offered by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau – speak your truth and meet both questions and criticisms (rational or otherwise) with compassion. If you have 37 minutes, I would encourage you to watch this:

And if you are still interested, you can watch the Q&A; it’s good stuff.

Amazing – Made in Iceland

So I’m super-envious of the hike that lead to Klara Harden’s Vimeo Made in Iceland.

If you have any love for nature, you must watch. It’s a visually stunning and surprisingly intimate video essay of Klara’s hike across Iceland. I can’t say enough. Watch, then plan your next hike. Make it someplace lush and green. Stretch a bit, scare yourself, record the whole thing – and dance like you’ve never danced before. If you watch the credits, you’ll appreciate that last sentence more.