Welcome to Pure Living!

Pure Living is the mutual brain child created by us, Shane and Marisa. I  know you don't know us yet, but I promise you will!

So, first things first, who are we?

Well we're a newly married couple, two years in July (whoohoo!), based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (for now). We recently moved to the "belle ville" (beautiful city) from Toronto so that Shane could begin a doctoral program. It was a big move for us both, but it was a move toward bigger and better things.

Journey from Toronto to Montreal

 Besides working towards a PhD in business, Shane's main passions and hobbies surround fitness, nutrition, and supplements. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN be an academic and fitness nut. He also enjoys martial arts and has experience with Karate, Judo, and Jiu Jitsu. Shane played baseball at a fairly high level and tried every other sport imaginable. Beyond his athletics, he enjoys playing his guitar and video games.

Marisa has a Master's degree in English Literature and is an aspiring novelist. Her main passions surround reading and writing, and is currently working on her first novel. However, Marisa is also interested in the relationship between mental health, diet, and exercise. Admittedly, she's not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but enjoys yoga and running.

As a couple we love to cook and are always trying to find new ways to "healthify" some of our guilty pleasures. We also love watching mixed martial arts together. Our main shared passion is our love of travel. Last summer we had the pleasure of spending a month backpacking through Europe (focusing mainly in Italy) and another two months in Costa Rica (all benefits of living a student life and having summers off!)

Here's a pic of us zip-lining through the jungle in Costa Rica. Despite the serious looks on our faces we were having fun! If you have the opportunity to go zip-lining anywhere, DO IT!

What's Pure Living?

Well first, we want to clarify it has nothing to do with religion or spirituality. For us, Pure Living is an idea based on something we picked up while visiting Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans have a great idiom that they use in a variety of situations. Pura vida. Breaking pura vida down into its most simplistic parts, it means "pure life." But what does that mean?

 Here's a few examples of how pura vida is used in everyday speech:

-What's up? 
-Not much, pura vida.

-How was your trip?
-Pura vida.

-Is that guy okay?
-Yeah, he's pura vida.

-How's the surf?
-Pura vida!

There's no English word that encompasses the breadth of pura vida. Pura vida is more than an inescapable Costa Rican phrase used in response to just about everything; pura vida is a lifestyle.

Better than we could ever summarize, Dr. Delise Dickard in The Simple Bliss of Pura Vida explains pura vida as "living a simple, uncluttered life with a deep appreciation for nature, family and friends." But, for us, pura vida has another component. Pura vida is about leading a healthy life.

Living a "simple" life does not mean leading a deprived life or selling all of your possessions (Shane loves his Nintendo Wii and iPhone and Marisa has an intense shoe and book collection!). Pure Living is more about nurturing what's important in your life and discarding things that aren't. We're not here to tell you what's important and what's not (nobody but you can make that decision), but we are here to share with you the things that are important to us as individuals and as a couple. If these things help you achieve your goals, ignite a passion, or fuel an idea AWESOME. If not, well hopefully you'll keep reading anyway!

What are we going to talk about?

Basically, Pure Living is a lifestyle blog (of sorts). It will catalogue our attempt, as a couple, at living pura vida in Canada. It's about sharing our passions, our struggles, our achievements, and anything else that tickles our fancy. Neither of us are fitness experts, nor do we have perfect bodies or eating habits. But we are a real couple that tries to maintain a healthy, simple, and uncluttered life to the best of our abilities. Do we slip up? Of course we do! That's the whole thing. Pure Living will be a reflection of our life. And like life, there will be twists and turns, bumps in the road, and road blocks.

Pure Living isn't about being perfect, but it is about trying your best, being authentic, and pursuing the things that make you happy. Whatever they may be.

We hope you enjoy the journey because we certainly will.

Pura Vida,

Shane & Marisa