What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo? - PaleoHacks.com

What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T16:18:46Z

What have you done, or what would you like to change about your house/workplace/office to make it more paleo. I don't (necessarily) mean paleo re-enactment, but inspired by evolutionary reasoning?

Minimalist material approach? Natural materials like wood? Plants? View? Birdsong cd's? Standing desk? Open windows? Chillier at some times? Cave decoration?

Thanks.

Answer by Phoenix for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T16:48:27Z

I carve pictures of steak into my bedroom walls.

Answer by Aaron for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T17:09:31Z

Work: Standing desk and brought in plants. Put a George Foreman grill in the break-room so I can cook meat at lunch.

Home: Acquired more manual yard work tools instead of power tools - trimmers, axes, machete, etc. Frequently open the windows.

Answer by Tactical Savage for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T17:17:01Z

Amongst other things, we've hung pullup bars over the baby/ dog gates in the house. So we pull ourselves up, throw our legs through, swing n release who knows how many times a day. Of course, we are usually carrying something and look for many different, instinctive, 1 n 2 hand grab n pulls as we can.

Answer by Jodi for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T17:22:54Z

Less artificial light in the evenings -- more candlelight. I invested in some wonderful beeswax candles.

Answer by texasleah for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T17:23:50Z

I got my husband to install an extra trash can for recyclables. I don't really know why, nor did I think about it much, but it just seemed important for some reason to stop putting so many plastic water bottles in the garbage. I live in a rural area and we do not have a recycling program (I have to use a small independent garbage collector), so I bag up the plastic and haul it to work every week to dispose of in the larger city recycling program. I had never bothered with this before eating paleo...so now I sort my more paleo trash and take it to work! And now that I don't cook processed food packaged in boxes, the garbage output is very much reduced.

And among other things: open my window blinds all the way to the top everyday at work instead of peering through slats, covered and taped up annoying lights on items like the fire alarm/carbon monoxide sensors, chargers, etc. Try to keep the thermostat lower at night to help sleep quality, and currently experimenting with transitioning pets to a raw real food diet as well. I have to keep the cats fit and healthy in order to remind the birds that I feed to be careful ;)

Answer by mari for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T17:42:11Z

I have a standing desk now. I use f.lux on the computer, and I've gotten blackout curtains (which are hideous).

I also want to get a plant for my room.

Answer by Travis Culp for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T18:35:24Z

I put a chinup bar, weight bench and a bunch of dumbbells in my office and use them MWF. My employees think I'm a nut.

Answer by Kimmie for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-07T21:13:46Z

Office:

I work in our local courthouse. I brought two sets of dumbbells (heavy and heavier) to my office, as well as a few plants. I rarely take the elevator to my 5th floor office anymore - I try to take the stairs everyday. I purposely park about 4 blocks away - it's a little extra exercise and it's cheaper. I recently talked my boss into getting the staff a patio table and chairs for the never-used balcony on our floor. Now I can spend lunch times (which are often fasting times for me) reading in the sunlight and getting a bit of vitamin D during the work week. :)

Home:

I like to think that my house was already relatively "paleo," long before I was introduced to the concept. My husband and I tend toward minimalism, and are very concerned about toxins and chemicals. I use baking soda and vinegar to clean just about everything (including making my own dishwasher detergent, glass and surface sprays). There are broad-leafed plants in most rooms. We compost food scraps, leaves etc. and spread the results on our organic gardens - last year we grew lettuces, mustard greens, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower and various herbs.

A few years back, I bought a 20-year-old-but-still-working hot tub off of Craigslist for $300. It's not the prettiest hot tub in the world, but with a new wood skirt and a little elbow grease, it's our favorite way to kick off weekend mornings and any time one of us needs a little extra stress relief. Very paleo, I think!

About five years ago, my husband got a wild hair and put in a huge, 2,000-gallon koi pond (dug manually with a shovel over the course of six months!), and we try to spend as much time as possible taking advantage of the pond and enjoying the atmosphere of the yard. Thankfully, we're not subject to a HOA, so we're able to keep our grass a little taller - it saves energy from having to mow too often, and it saves water, since taller grass doesn't need watering nearly as often as your typical sun-scorched, scalped lawn. Speaking of water, my husband designed his own do-it-yourself irrigation system in our back yard, that draws water from the nitrogen-rich koi pond to water the plants and gardens (fish poo is fabulous garden fertilizer!)

We've also started building a chicken coop. It's not done yet, but we plan to get 4-5 hens in the Spring. Looking forward to collecting fresh eggs every day!

EDIT: I recently downloaded f.lux for my laptop, (thanks to a suggestion from someone on Paleohacks, I think!) and I love it! I think it really makes a difference when I use the computer in the evening before bed.

The finished koi pond:

Koi fishy feeding frenzy:

Darwin the cat enjoying HIS koi pond. Both of our kitties are fed raw, carnivore diets (supplemented with Wellness Core occasionally)

Answer by gone2croatan for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-08T20:32:24Z

I also use a standing desk and move around the office frequently (including short yoga sessions). Bless web startup culture.

Answer by Yoannah_offca for What have you done to change your house or workplace to make it more paleo?

2011-03-08T23:44:38Z

I haven't changed that much I guess... I have a lot of plants, both at home and in my classroom (I am a teacher), but I've never thought it was paleo! I just grew up with plants around and love to look at them. I made my bedroom darker, by hanging thick curtains, and I cover the alarm clock bright front.

I already walk a lot, as I don't have a car, so I am not sure if that counts ;-) I workout barefoot and walk around barefoot a lot, unless it's cold (I mean at home). I try and wear only natural fibers, limiting artificial fabrics. I stopped avoiding sun, and am not bothered with UV blockers, even with my very pale skin.

I use almost only coconut oil as body moisturizer.

I guess that's all? not that much :)