Wednesday Wellness Tip #2 - Schedule

Now that you know where you are - you might have some ideas of where you would like to go next.  Setting goals is a great way to get started.  But if you are anything like me unless you are willing to make time in your schedule to work toward those goals it will not work.

Even if you don't know where to start - set some time aside during your day to research better health in the areas that you would like to pursue.

I have been slowly keeping track of my food intake and my workouts this past week on SparkPeople.  It takes some work to get everything entered, but worth it so far.

The hardest part for me (since I work from home and on my own a lot) it setting and sticking to a schedule.  I have however found that the more I have a consistent rhythm in my day the more I get accomplished.  Here is one example . . . from PBS Kids Go  which I think is helpful no matter where you are in life as a basic tool. or you can even do something more simple like this . . .

 6:00 wake -up
        journal (20+ min)
        work-out (40+min)
7:30  breakfast
         shower and get dressed
8:30  Out the door (or to your desk to work)
          take a 10-15 minute break mid-morning to stretch/walk/let your mind rest
           (eat an apple or some almonds)
12:30  lunch
           afternoon errands
3:30     Play with kids and/or friends - or find a fun thing at work to do with co-workers
5:30    make dinner
6:00   Eat with family/friends
6:30   clean-up
          read/write/watch TV
          get ready for bed.
10:00 lights out

(you can put the amount of time in - or the time of day, which ever is more helpful to you)

What ever you do - make it work for you and then note that not everyday (week/year) will be the same, the goal is to find a rhythm that works best for you right now in life and then learn how you can make your schedule shift and change to your goals, (and interests, social life, self-care).

Have Fun!!!

Wednesday Wellness Tip #1 Back to the Basics - Tracking

One of the many things we learn in life is that when you want to get somewhere it is helpful to know your starting point.  This is just as true in terms of wellness as it is of driving from point a to point b.

Whether we are trying to eat right or train for that 5K (10K or Ironman), or just simply finding more joy in life, it is helpful to trade food, workouts and even things we are thankful for.

I have found that this part is vitally important, but as simple as it seems, it is not so simple to keep up with it.  Maybe because it seems too simple.  Isn't life just like that?  We "poo poo" the simple things thinking if we challenge ourselves more we will get better results.

So I invite you to start tracking where you are.  Get a lay of your wellness landscape.  Know yourself, listen to your body.

A basic tool for this is using a simple rating scale for your wellness in terms of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self.  Use the following either when you get up in the morning or before you go to bed to get an idea of there you are this week.  Then decide what you really would like to change (or strengthen).

Physical Wellness - "I have all the energy I need for today" 10=highly agree to 1=no energy at all

Emotional Wellness - "I am feeling very good about myself" 10=highly agree to 1=I don't like myself at all

Mental Wellness - "I am confident in what I know" 10=highly agree to 1= I am not sure about anything

Spiritual Wellness - "I feel very connected to the world (and people) around me" 10=highly agree to 1= I have not connections at all

Check back next week for ideas on how to strengthen your wellness quotient.