I’m a New York native, born and raised. It’s where I spent the first 32 years of my life. After a brief stint in Los Angeles, I’m now living in Colorado with my fiancé and blue heeler.
In 2018, after nearly a decade working too many hours and being chronically stressed, I left my corporate job, and began focusing on my one true love, health.
For most of my life I’ve been devoted to maintaining good health, something that my grandfather instilled in me from a very young age. For years I defined health as daily exercise and eating a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.
But in recent years I’ve realized that good health encompasses so much more. Everything we do impacts our mood, our energy, how we feel, our actions, and our ability to live a long, happy, and meaningful life.
I’ve now become obsessed with achieving this greater picture of health. Not only being physically fit and agile, but mentally and emotionally as well.
I love to cook, read, exercise, and write (CREW), and I believe that daily practice of these four disciplines represents one accessible path towards achieving and maintaining health.
Since leaving the corporate world I’ve spent the majority of my time cultivating each practice, trying to improve and make them the principle focus of my life. My website is a dedication to these practices, the unique benefits they offer each of us, and the greater picture of health we are all after.
Each post comes from an experience I’ve had, a book I’ve read, behavior I’ve observed, a meal I’ve cooked, or a workout I’ve enjoyed. I’ve become passionate about sharing these experiences and observations because I think that it’s these moments that help shape our life and our perspectives.
I want to help cut through the noise that surrounds “health,” and provide a real life road map on how to get there.
Cheers to your practice(s).
James.
More About CREW
CREW, short for Cook, Read, Exercise, and Write, is what I believe are the four fundamental disciplines that everyone should practice regularly. Each one of these disciplines offers something unique.
Cooking can be a creative act, and a way to nourish yourself and those around you. Cooking can also be used to bring people together and create community. Cooking also keeps you close to the food that fuels our lives.
In these posts I answer the question, what do I eat? which is the first question I get whenever someone asks me for diet advice. My answer: everything you see in these posts.
Every meal I make aims to be nourishing, delicious, and packed with whole food ingredients. I live to combine odd ingredients (like eggs, blueberries, and peanut butter), and I’m obsessed with making sure nothing goes to waste. Which makes for some interesting and tasty dishes.
Find some meal inspiration, and answer the question, what do I eat?
Reading. All the greatest thinkers and leaders throughout history have been avid readers. It is an essential exercise for your mind. It’s an opportunity to disconnect from a world filled with artificial distractions. Read to learn, grow, and uncover new truths.
Reading made me question most of what I thought I knew about the world and myself. It started to take me down a different path than I had been on for most of my life. It opened my eyes to new information, different perspectives, and alternate ways of living. Reading has drastically changed and improved my life, and my guess is it can do the same for you.
In these posts I share books I’ve reading or have read that are interesting to me and that I have found value in.
Exercise is most commonly associated with physical benefits and good health, but it’s positive effects on mental health are discussed far less. Yes, a body in motion stays in motion, but regularly performing rigorous exercise also builds confidence, and releases feel good endorphins that can relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your mood. The latter of which is the main reason I continue to exercise daily.
I've been a gym rat since I was 15. Strength, endurance, kickboxing, hypertrophy, yoga, triathlon, hiking, and climbing, are all disciplines that I've tried, learned from, and have kept me moving late into my 30s. The activity you choose is not nearly as important as the pursuit. Pick something you enjoy, and you’ll never workout a day in your life.
The best time to start exercising was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. Stop waiting. Start moving. Use these posts to find inspiration for your workouts.
Writing, like reading, is essential for mental health. Writing is a way to de-clutter the brain. To expand and cultivate ideas, thoughts, emotions, and heal trauma. By writing often we learn how to better articulate our thoughts, and become better communicators, which leads to greater success in our personal and professional lives.
Most of what I write about is conversations I have with myself, behaviors I observe in myself and others, both good and bad, and experiences that have left an impression on me. I think that big change is found in the small moments throughout our day, and its these moments that I like to write about and ponder.
When put together and practiced regularly, these four fundamental disciplines offer a way for anyone, in any situation, to improve their life. That’s been my experience, and that’s the experience I want to share here.
What is OneSource?
OneSource is a collection of my favorite content that I recommend to the people in my circle. Books, articles, podcasts, videos, movies, recipes, and more, are always being shared amongst friends and family, but there is one place to find the exhaustive list of everything that has been sent. OneSource attempts to be that place.
Content is being created at breakneck pace, making it impossible to keep up with what’s new, and, more importantly, what’s useful. The best way to stay on top of it and to not waste time on bad content is through word of mouth referrals. There’s a reason it’s been the tried and true method or centuries.
On the OneSource Content List you’ll find content that I’ve vetted, shared with friends and family, and have found useful for one reason or another. Sort, filter, and search by topic, date published, media type, author/creator, to find the content relevant to you.