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.
