Wellness Weekend 08.2020: Goals Update & Flexibility

Wellness sisters, it’s the third Sunday of August which means it’s time for Wellness Weekend 08.2020.  Sharing an update on my wellness goals and talking about our optional theme, flexibility.  Thinking we have all had to show a little flexibility in our plans and our lives this year.

In last month’s wellness post,  I shared that there’s been little progress toward my wellness goals lately.  If you missed that confession, click here to read it.  There isn’t going to be much progress to write home about this month either.  But I think we might be turning a corner!!

So on this bright Sunday, let’s review what I should be doing toward improving my wellness.  Still committing to all 5s by the year’s end.  Hoping I am getting back on track.

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WELLNESS WEEKEND 08.2020 GOALS UPDATE

Last month, I was sure El Paso was beginning to wake up after its long Covid-induced nap.  But then all of our numbers started increasing and most everyone I know has gone back to bed and pulled the covers over their heads.  Each Sunday my Prince calculates the Covid numbers – increases/decreases over the past 7 days.  Finally, our numbers are beginning to improve.  We are down in new cases, hospitalizations, patients in ICU and on ventilators.  Hallelujah.  Now to translate that to an improvement in my overall wellness!!

In the meantime, let’s see where I am for Wellness Weekend 08.2020…sadly, I’m not giving myself any point increases again this month.

PHYSICAL HEALTH –  3.0  (HOLDING STEADY)

• Stretch and work out 4x a week , Weight Watchers to maintain weight – Have begun thinking about Weight Watchers again!!  Lost the 2 pounds I found last month.  And we are working out at least 2-3 times a week.  Hoping to increase that this week.
• Get 7200 steps and 3 floors a day – getting in my steps a little better but rarely getting my 3 floors a day even though I climb the stairs a dozen times.
• Walk in nature for 30 minutes a day, 5x a week – still suffering through weeks of triple digits temps, so I don’t have much interest in walking in nature – or anywhere – for 30 minutes.  Trying to take a quick bedtime walk but even at dusk the temperature is over 100*F many evenings.

NUTRITIONAL HEALTH – 4.5  (HOLDING STEADY)

• Cook meals at home 4x a week –  might be the only goal I am succeeding at!!  I am continuing to cook my little heart out.  Lots of grilling.  Made this delicious creamy chicken noodle soup last week on a day when I was feeling kind of punk.   As you probably already know, I never follow a recipe completely.  This soup was no exception…threw in a package of Ranch salad dressing mix to the pot a few minutes before serving.  Gave it a richer flavor.  And Lauren has again shared a Hello Fresh meal with us that I am making tonight.  And we’re using our chopsticks!!

• Eat 1 fruit and 1 veggie every day (sad, I know) – yes, continuing to do this well.  Still on the smoothie kick!!
• Indulge in alcohol and sweets on weekends – doing better on this again.  I’ll drink to that.  Planning to make this German chocolate pie today, though, to satisfy an activity on my summer bucket list.  And who am I foolin’? Like that’s the only reason I’m making it!!  German chocolate pie just sounds divine!!

SPIRITUAL HEALTH – 4.0  (HOLDING STEADY)

• Develop a morning routine M-F – my mornings never look the same from one day to the next, despite all my efforts.  Some mornings I fairly pop out of bed to do my QT, workout and run before going to help with the babies.  Other days, I could stay in bed all day.  For some additional direction, I have begun working my way through Make Over Your Mornings and will talk more about this on Thursday for a Keeping it Together post. Will be working through Make Over Your Evenings this month.  Trying to get back to my paper to-do list making.  It’s been hit or miss lately.
• Enjoy quiet time M-F (devotional, writing, reading, moment of silence and prayer) – yes, but not as consistently as I should.  Enjoying Devotions from the Beach, a gift from my BFF Sharon.  Completed Grace Changes Everything a Bible study for teachers my sister invited me to do.  Will begin Hope Filled Living’s “Cultivating” series tomorrow.

• Use aroma therapy during my morning routine – have been alternating between burning a candle, Bath and Body Works “Black Tie” and using my oil diffuser when I enjoy my quiet time.

MENTAL HEALTH – 3.5 (HOLDING STEADY)

• Get dressed every day (not active wear), wear a dress or skirt to church – will we ever return to church???  Although, our church has been open for 2 months or more, we haven’t returned to Sunday service.  I haven’t felt like dressing up much to help with the babies and that’s about the only place I’ve gone.  Did order the maxi I was eyeing from Dress Barn.  Such a flattering fit.  Will share it in a post soon.  Now I am coveting this leopard floral maxi.  But I sure don’t need another dress to wear sitting around here at home.
• Weekly artistic activity; word games, journal – have done a little better in this category.  Lauren and I picked up our cactus mosaics from Terry Wright Studio and began working on them at the kids’ house.  We hope to work on them some more this coming week.  This is the sample Terry sent us to work from.

• Read 3 books a month in order to meet my Goodreads goal  (are we friends on Goodreads yet?) – our public library is opening this week for pick up!!  And I finally got my books returned through the book drop. Still working my way through Pearls of Wisdom by Barbara Bush, just finished Fierce, Free, Full of Fire by Jen Hatmaker.  Boy, that book spoke to me.  Immediately ordered For the Love:  Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by the same author.  My book club is reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and because I was so swept away by The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I have started reading Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.  Similar story line – Kentucky pack horse librarians. P.S. If you are looking for a great online book club, holler!  I’ve got just the one for you.

RELATIONSHIP HEALTH – 3.5  (Holding steady)

• Unplug at 8:30 pm, implement evening routine – my break from social media in May helped me to get started doing this again.  To be honest, I haven’t been too keen on Facebook or Instagram since.  So I am continuing to do better about this.
• Date night with PC 2x a month  (bucket list activities) – no real date nights to report on.  A couple of masked trips to the outlet mall, picked up Crab Station last night, and Casita Linda’s another night.  We sure are missing our dates to the movies!!
• Me time, develop friendships, take a class or do something for myself – have returned to scrapbooking with my sister again, enjoyed swimming/floating in the pool by myself, started work on my cactus mosaic, messaged my new friend Janet from pickleball (can’t wait to start playing again), baked a peach cobbler for the neighbor.

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MAINTENANCE – 2.5 (HOLDING STEADY)

• Improved skin care, routine facials – using sunscreen, my RoC Retinol Correxion night cream but no facials.
• Weekly dry brushing – nope…even though the brush is hanging there by the shower door, I keep forgetting to do this.
• Regular manicures – haven’t had a professional mani is months and months.  But I am finally giving myself a mani once a week on Mondays.  And my Color Street nail polish strips have arrived.  Need to get very brave and try them.

FINANCIAL HEALTH – 3.0 (HOLDING STEADY)

• Continue saving each month –still making itty bitty deposits in my money market account, I’ve been playing the stock market using Robinhood.  It’s been fun and now I have PC doing it, too.  But I buy penny stocks while he runs with the big dogs.
• Save for birthdays and Christmas – my daughters said ‘no presents’ for birthdays this year so I am putting that money toward a big family trip to Disney World.  In 2021.  I hope.
• Keep spending under control –  have been behaving pretty well.  Thank goodness the fall clothes aren’t in the stores yet!!

Really felt totally unmotivated in July to do more than eat and sleep.  But I think I am finally turning a corner again.  Fingers crossed.

Flexibility

It seems I relate everything lately to Covid.  Last month’s Wellness Weekend optional prompt was having fun.  Covid has changed the way we have fun.  I talked about renting movies, sitting on the patio, playing catch.

The theme for Wellness Weekend 08.2020 is flexibility.  Again, I am applying the prompt to life during Covid.  We have all had to learn to be more flexible during this pandemic.  Here are some of the ways I am trying to stay flexible during these often trying times.

• my schedule helping with the babies is rather fluid and I am not always sure when I will be needed from week to week.  But Francisco’s schedule at the hospital has been all over the place.  The girls have both been sick.  I want to help when I can.
• we have had to figure out new ways of working out.  Online videos, walks, swimming replace our gym work outs, 5Ks, and hikes.
• cooking.  Ugh.  Have had to step up my game in the kitchen because we aren’t going out to eat, and only occasionally picking up something to eat at home.  Quick dinners, 2 Hello Fresh meals, soups, grilling out.
• shopping has changed from a once a month big trip to the commissary to picking up grocery orders at Walmart.
• stepping up our safety measures and cleaning routines.  We aren’t doing a lot of things differently but we do take our shoes off at the door, wash our hands more, use sanitizer when we enter and leave a store.

This article in the Wall Street Journal has lots of tips about remaining flexible as we navigate our way through this virus.  I would like to believe that maybe by this time next month, the virus will almost be behind us.  Whether it is or not, I think there are ways our lives will never return to where they were before the virus.  One thing’s for sure, we will all need to continue to be flexible.

Your Turn

How have you progressed on your wellness goals for the year?  In what ways have you had to become more flexible?  If you’ve fallen off a little on your wellness goals lately like I have, take comfort!!  We still have more than 3 months ahead in which to reach perfect scores each of our goals.

Thank you for encouraging me on my wellness journey.  Please keep in mind our upcoming themes for the remainder of the year.  And come back on the 3rd Sunday of September to check in again with us.

• September 20: Balance
• October 18: Walking
• November 15: Peace
• December 20: Wrap-up

Please use the link up to share your wellness related post.

 Hugs and kisses,