Reorganizing My Running Clothes With the KonMari Folding Method

• 3 • Live Well

If you haven’t read yesterday’s post about the KonMari folding method, which includes some embedded YouTube videos with instructions, I recommend reading that first.

Ta-Da!

My newly organized running drawers!

Yes, drawers… plural.

I run 3-5 days a week all year round, that requires some gear, right?!

What a beautiful and colorful investment in my health. 😉

Before

Two drawers of randomness. Even my cat seems to find the chaos disconcerting.

I started with one drawer for long sleeves, capris and running tights, and another drawer for short sleeves, tanks and running shorts, with a healthy mix of socks in both drawers. This quickly turned into me just opening a random drawer and placing the stack of recently washed and folded running clothes on top, then fishing through both drawers to find what I needed before my next run.

Since running clothes are pretty bright, it didn’t seem like it was taking THAT much time to find what I was looking for and run out the door.

But… there were some aggravated moments of searching for matching socks, trying to find capris and coming up with tights, looking for the appropriate base layer, and generally feeling like I was wearing the same things over and over again simply because they kept landing back on top of the pile.

Some of the more delicate shirts were getting wrinkled, so I’d wear them on the treadmill, but not necessarily to spin class.

After

Each drawer now has every item carefully folded and standing up in the drawer so I can see the entire contents of the drawer simultaneously.

It took a little bit of practice with some of the flimsier shirts (technical shirts can be slippery!) but I did get them all to pass the KonMari “sweet spot” test where they would stand up on their own. That way, even when there aren’t a lot of items in the drawer, they’re not falling over like dominoes and becoming messy.

A long sleeved technical shirt passes the KonMari “sweet spot” test by standing on its own… barely.
Even with only a few items, the folds hold and the shirts stay in place within the drawer.

Is The KonMari Folding Method A Space Saver?

Well… yes and no. My running clothes were absolutely smaller and neater when folded, however I ran out of space putting items back in the drawer because I was no longer using the full depth of the drawer. When I had running clothes shoved into the drawers six items deep, the drawers were filled almost to the top. Now that I can see every individual item, there’s a lot of unused vertical drawer space. So I ran out of space for some of my socks (which admittedly should be pared down).

But I can’t consider that a failure; I reduced the amount of vertical space being used by almost half, and yet fit almost every single item into the drawer in a way in which I can see them all simultaneously and they’re not getting wrinkled. That’s pretty fabulous.

If you have shallow drawers, I have no doubt this method will save you space.

Is the KonMari Folding Method a Time Saver?

Well… how long does it take you to find what you’re looking for to get dressed to go for a run?

It does take some time to fold shirts in the KonMari method, but I believe I’ll get much faster and more efficient with time. I also think it’d be worth it to spend a few extra minutes folding in this way and be able to see and wear and appreciate the full range of my work-out gear.

It’s frustrating when I’m rushing off to spin class from preschool drop off and all the tops I have to wear are wrinkled or buried so deep in the drawer I’m not sure if they’re even there. I like being able to see everything I own (also good for curbing impulse gear purchases) and select exactly what I want to wear in only moments.

Happy organizing! Don’t forget to part with the running stuff you never wear… it’ll make it that much easier to find and care for the items you love working out in.

Two Quick Tips From “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”

• 3 • Live Well

I recently read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up by Marie Kondo, and it is a fabulous book that explores what it means to surround yourself by only the possessions you truly love, and to treat those possessions with care.

I highly recommend it.

There were two big take-aways for me from the book:

  1. How important it is not to buy or keep something unless you truly love it
  2. How carefully folding your clothes can revolutionize your wardrobe management

With the holiday season upon us, it’s more important than ever to have our clothes clean, wrinkle-free and easy to find before we rush off to the next cookie swap or family gathering.

Marie Kondo advocates for folding the majority of your clothing, in a neat, traditional Japanese-style that turns items of clothing into neat little rectangles that stand up on their own and can be placed standing vertically in drawers so you can see every single item (like books on a bookshelf, only the drawer is horizontal).

YouTube is awash with videos demonstrating her folding method:

…pretty fabulous, isn’t it?

Who’s inspired to do their running drawer?!

I might just have to tackle mine, KonMari style.

Think of the extra miles you could get in if you could see every single article of running clothing in one glance every time you opened the drawer!

I’ll share pics* if I manage it 🙂

 

Holidays Are Stressful: Show Yourself Some Compassion

• 0 • Live Well
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Pumpkin Basket by Eric Kilby / CC 2.0

Tomorrow is a day of gratitude

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude… but it’s also a day where many of us feel stress and pressure. There’s a temptation to focus on gratitude as a means of overcoming stress. I think that path can lead us to feeling guilty, and actually interfere with our ability to feel grateful.

I would urge you to first show yourself some compassion, which will help alleviate your stress and improve your ability to feel grateful.

Hypothetical Thanksgiving Thoughts That I’m Sure Look Nothing Like What’s Going On In Your Head: I should be feeling grateful we’re all together but it was so stressful getting out of the house on time this morning and I forgot to buy the stuffing mix* and I wish Aunt Marje’s health was better because I’m worried this all might be too much for her, and I was up half the night cooking and I’m not sure the bathroom is clean and THANK GOODNESS WE’RE ALL ALIVE AND MOSTLY HEALTHY AND TOGETHER AND WE’RE NOT SYRIAN REFUGEES AND OH MY GOSH WHY ON EARTH AM I COMPLAINING I AM SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON MY PROBLEMS ARE SO SMALL THERE ARE MOTHERS WITH HUNGRY CHILDREN IN THIS WORLD AND I AM UPSET ABOUT SAGE STUFFING I AM AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STOP.

You’re not a horrible person.

You can find baking and cleaning and traveling tiring and stressful AND be grateful that you’re seeing your family, and for the level of health and prosperity you and your loved ones do have.

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It’s not all rainbows and butterflies…

Stress and Gratitude are Not Mutually Exclusive

Feeling stressed does not mean you are not grateful. You can feel stress or worry about some things even as you feel gratitude for other things.

It’s wonderful to focus on the things we’re grateful for, and I find I’m better able to do that when I show myself a little compassion first for being stressed out about the little things.

Try This:

Acknowledge the things that are stressful or challenging about Thanksgiving, whether it’s regulating your pie intake or remembering to pack everything. Allow yourself to feel and accept that these are stressful things.

Don’t try to replace them with gratitude for much larger things and then feel guilty about the stress still simmering under the surface. Rejecting your stressful feelings may just make them stronger as they wait to be acknowledged. Accept the stress, but don’t dwell on it. Acknowledge that it’s common and ok to feel stress, and that it doesn’t mean you’re not also grateful.

THEN think about the big things you’re thankful for. Fill your mind with joy about the family members you get to see, the people who are still with us. Think of things you’re excited to share with them. Picture the big hug from your Dad, or the squeals of excitement as cousins run to play with each other. Imagine that first bite of your favorite side dish. Reflect on how wonderful it is to have been born in this century, with all the medical innovations and movements towards equality it brings. Think about how great it is to sleep in a warm bed. How much you love your kids, your partner, your parents.

Better, right?

You’re wonderful, and you’re stressed because you care.  Be kind to yourself, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

*I really did forget to buy stuffing mix**

**No, I’m not making stuffing from scratch. 

Should You Hit the Snooze Button?

• 2 • Live Well
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Sleeping Cat by Tristan Bowersox / modified with added text / CC 2.0

I wake up to the pitter patter of little feet rather than an alarm in the morning, so I don’t think much about the “snooze” button.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not snoozing. Instead of hitting a button on my alarm clock, I’m choosing to roll over instead of get out of bed when Greg’s alarm goes off. I’m telling my 5 year old I’ll be “right down” and then falling back asleep while he gets his own cereal. (Typing that makes me feel like a horrible parent; but he loves getting his own cereal, and typically Greg goes right down, so I’m just a horrible SPOUSE, which is, um, way better.)

Not only am I missing the chance to hang out with my 5 year old while he pours his cereal, I may also be setting myself up for a rough day.

When you hit the snooze button, you interrupt your body’s natural waking process, by moving yourself back into the sleeping part of the cycle instead of the waking part of the cycle. Then, when the alarm goes off later, you’re even more groggy and tired than you were before

Greg told me he’d read an article about this phenomenon, and a quick google search trying to find said article came up with dozens of articles about why you should get out of bed the first time you wake up, and not roll over and try to catch some extra z’s. (Notable sources: Huffington Post, The New Yorker, Gizmodo, Slate, and CNN.) I also read one article from Business Insider in defense of the snooze button… but it is more an argument for “gentle awakening” and lengthening the wake-up cycle, not rolling over and heading back into a deep sleep. Despite being titled “Why You Should Hit the Snooze Button” it ends with the sentence “You’d be better off getting that extra 10 to 20 minutes of real sleep rather than doing that dance with the alarm clock.”

Seems like the anti-snooze verdict is pretty solid.

This video by AsapSCIENCE and shared by Lifehacker is a perfect summary of what I read:

Anti-Snooze in Practice: I got out of bed this morning and yesterday morning as soon as I woke up; which was before the kids both days. Two days in a row; someone get me an award.

I do feel less groggy this morning; but I think the biggest difference will come from implementing this on the weekend, when I tend to sleep in at least one morning, costing myself a few daytime hours and often throwing myself into a groggy fog until I’ve had a chance to shake it off with exercise.

Will I have the willpower to stop sleeping in? Maybe. It’s a logical way to improve my life, and it’s arguably a lot easier than becoming a half marathoner.

I’ll still be wanting that coffee… though.

Do you snooze? Have you ever tried giving it up?

Live a Little Greener: Some Little Changes YOU Can Make

• 2 • Go Green, Live Well

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I’ve added a new page to the site; “Go Green” where I’ll be compiling a list of blog posts I write about tips for living greener.

The American Geophysical Union just posted an article about how we’re living in the last few days of sub-400 ppm carbon dioxide; it’s a scary thing. We’re not going in the right direction.

The day after I read the article about Carbon Dioxide increasing past a point of no return in our atmosphere, I got this in my e-mail from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau:

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How eloquently and beautifully said.

Our actions make an impact; whether we’re remembering our reusable bags when we go to the mall, or choosing to bring our own water bottle, or carefully sorting the recycling and finding a new home for items we’re done with instead of sending them to a landfill. It’s especially true when we decide to eat a plant-based meal, reducing cruelty to animals AND our carbon footprint.

We don’t get to choose to make a difference, everything we do has an impact. This is true whether we’re choosing to be compassionate towards other people, be good stewards of the earth, or make better decisions about what we put on our plates…. whether we make a mindful effort to do our best, or take a convenient route while trying to ignore the ripple effect that action has on the world.

I believe we, as runners, are some of the most accomplished people in the world when it comes to achieving big things by taking little steps, over and over.

Let’s take those little, manageable steps, one at a time, in the right direction.

What are some easy changes you have made to lessen your negative impact on the earth, or another decision you’ve made that has a positive impact on the world or its inhabitants?