My Wellness Journey 03.2022

Bienvenidos to my wellness journey 03.2022, friends.  Today’s post is the second installment of my monthly journey toward achieving improved health and wellness for the year, and for life.  For over 3 years, I have journaled about my wellness goals here.  And doing so has helped keep me more accountable.  Last year at this time I started out in a big way but six months later, I had stopped updating my progress.  I struggled to find the will to exercise and eat well.  Lost interest in doing some of my favorite things.  Hoping to get back on the bandwagon with a fresh start this year.

MY WELLNESS JOURNEY 2022

 

Again this year, I am dividing my wellness activities and aspirations into a handful of categories.  Hoping to make the whole mind, body and spirit healthier.  By sharing my journey here with you, I might even – hopefully – inspire you to begin or continue your own journey!  My friend Juhli at A Boomer Girl’s Guide talks about finding the right exercise program or combination of programs to suit her needs.  I think PC have figured out a pretty good mix, too.  Now to just do it!!

Here are my goals.

WELLNESS GOALS 2022

 

The goals I set for myself the last 3+ years have been pretty well all encompassing; goals for exercising, diet, staying well in addition to mental, spiritual, relationship and financial wellness.  This plan has served me well in the past.  So, at the risk of being redundant, here are my wellness goals for this year.  And as in years past, I will be rating my progress on a scale of 1-5.  Going to say I was at a 5 to begin in February.  Which isn’t true at all but going to score myself as if this is a rubric where I start at a perfect 100 and work to try to maintain it.

The body loves routine. Try to eat, sleep, and so on at the same times every day in order for the body to function at its optimum efficiency. The body loves consistency.” ~ Theresa Hearn Haynes

 

PHYSICAL HEALTH

• Lose Covid weight:  about 5 pounds would be perfect.  Well, in this first month of work toward my goals, I have gained 1.5 pounds.  Ugh.  But, I am tracking again.  On, off, on, off.
• Workout 4 times a week:  have sadly gotten away from any regular exercise other than walking since autumn.  Here is some good news!!  We are both working out more again.  I am running a little over a mile 3-4 times a week, doing our sit-ups, and something called “Supernatural” workouts on our Oculus virtual reality device.  We have done a few weight training workouts but need to get back at it more regularly.

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• Walk everyday:  walks in nature whenever possible.  Participate in StepBet challenges. Hikes.  I just completed a StepBet challenge and won $10.13!!  Have started another one but we are just in the warm-up week and won’t start for real until Monday.  We have walked up McKelligon Canyon a couple of times lately.  But no hikes.

So, if I started at a 5, I am going to give myself a 3.5 in this category for the month.

NUTRITIONAL HEALTH

• Track weight Watchers points:  track my points at least Monday-Friday.  Have been hit or miss with this.  But back at it today.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables:  incorporate new recipes for vegetable side dishes to our menus.  Reach for fruit rather than carbs.  Before going to the grocery store the first of February, I pinned a bunch of vegetable side dishes.  Did make these spicy sriracha green beans. They were very good.  Bought ingredients to make this pineapple coleslaw but haven’t tried it yet.  Thinking I will tomorrow with ribs.
• Alcohol and sweets on weekends:  return to making Saturdays my indulgence days.  Only had one piece of PC’s birthday cake.  And that was on a Saturday.  But did help him get through the container of cookie dough ice cream I bought to go with the cake.  Definitely slowing down on sweets again and alcohol has never been much of an issue but limiting it to weekends.

If I started with a perfect 5 in this category, I am going to say I am at a 3 this month.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

• Quiet time:  at least M-W-F, getting up early to do it first thing. Continue with my gratitude journal at night.  This past week I did my quiet time 3x but some days I am struggling with getting up early to do it.  Then other days, when I get a last minute call to sub or an SOS text from Lauren, I run out the door without getting my quiet time done.  Still enjoying using my Prayer Journal for Women: 52 Weeks Scripture, Devotional, & Guided Prayer.  Bought it in May but only about halfway through the book.

• Get back to church:  I want to get back to going at least twice a month.  We started back and then got sick.  Not Covid but sure had a lot of the same symptoms and weariness.  Finally feeling better.  And you know what?  I think it is because we are exercising again.  Anyway, planning to go to church again tomorrow.
• Add verses (and quotes) to blog posts: find Bible verses (and quotes) to support the themes of my blog posts whenever possible and share them on my blog.  I’ve done this a couple of times but not as often as I would like.  Going to change this to verses and quotes.  I like sharing quotes, too.

Room for improvement here.  Let’s give it a 3.5 out of 5.

MENTAL HEALTH

• Wednesdays We Write:  making this the year I write.  Participate in #write28days challenge.  Write on Wednesdays.  Use Adventures in Writing: The Complete Collection, HopeWriters and prompts from Maria at the Krafty Planner.  Did well with #write28days until the last week.  Then Mom had some problems and then Ukraine was attacked, and I was glued to the TV.  I know, I know…there’s no point in worrying, there’s nothing I can do, I need to turn off the TV.  And I have but blogging feels so inconsequential when there is a possibility of a third world war.  Back to blogging and journaling again, though.
• Weekly artistic activity:  Bible journaling, collage crafting with Jennifer Chamberlin, scrapbooking with my sister, 365 Days of Creativity, photography with Photzy.  Have been doing well at this.  Finished 2 scrapbook pages, responded to several prompts in 365 Days and did some Bible journaling.  Would like to make this collage sunflower in unity with the people of Ukraine.  Sunflowers are so hopeful, don’t you think?

• Goodreads goal:  meet my Goodreads reading goal for 2022.  Currently reading about a half dozen books.  Behind by 1 book on meeting my goal for the year.  But feel like it is still well within reach.

Hmm, really feel like I have tried in this department.  Going to give myself a 4 out of 5.

RELATIONSHIP HEALTH

• Plan a vacation or at the very least weekend getaway with PC:  we are long overdue a special time together.  For Paul’s birthday, I wanted to get opening day tickets for our Triple A baseball team, the Chihuahuas.  I bought the tickets on my phone – big mistake – and wound up getting tickets for the opening day away game in Round Rock, Texas.  Would like to take a road trip and go to the game.  But in case we can’t, I have now purchased tickets for the game I intended to buy in the first place.  Hope we can getaway soon.
• Planned local activities with PC:  plan purposeful activities and not let weekends come and go without having fun.  Continue creating bucket lists.  I got a late start on creating my winter bucket list so it is a mini list.  We have tried a couple of new-to-us restaurants, The Melting Pot and Grove.

• Strengthen relationships with Mom, my daughters and grandbabies:  especially need to show love and spend time with Cady and Declan on Facetime or phone calls. Have dates with Lucia and Cami.  Set aside special time for calls with Brennyn and Lauren.  Call Mom every day on Viewclix.  I have really focused on this.  Brennyn, Declan and I Facetime almost everyday.  Most mornings, I call Mom on the Viewclix so she can see me and put a face with who she’s talking to.  Then I call her on the phone for the remainder of our visit.  Hardly a day goes by that I don’t talk to my El Paso girls and see them at least once a week.  We have taken the littles on dates and then all went bowling together last weekend for PC’s birthday.

Have done pretty well with the third part of this category but need to make that getaway happen.  And need to do some out of the ordinary dates with PC.  Let’s give this a 3.5 out of 5.

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MAINTENANCE

• Monday manis:  give myself a manicure every Monday.  This may not be happening every Monday but I am doing this much more frequently.  And my cuticles and nails thank me.  One of my bucket list items to have a mani.  Think I will schedule it for a few days before I go see Mom.
• Skin care:  sunscreen, bedtime complexion routine, occasional facials.  Sure as I buy products for a complexion regimen, I decide ‘what’s the point?’ and almost defiantly decide not to use them.  What’s wrong with me??  Going to get back at it and see if I can see a difference in my complexion.  Maybe I will schedule a facial this coming week.
• Routine health care:  make appointments for routine checks – dental and vision checks, mammogram, cardiologist follow-up.  Need to make an opthomologist appointment.  Recently had a mammogram (for which my insurance is not wanting to pay…grrrr), and all was normal.  Hallelujah.  Had a real scare in 2006.  Then wore a Holter monitor for 2 weeks to check some issues with my heart and the results came back normal on it, too.  Praise God.  Dental cleaning in April.

Not bad in this department.  Let’s say 4 out of 5.

FINANCIAL HEALTH

• Continue saving each month:  saving a little each month.  Yes.  Yay!!
• Save for Christmas and birthdays:  invest in Christmas Club and save for birthdays.  Have been making deposits in my Christmas club account with each paycheck.  Once I get my Amazon card paid off, want to save my Rover.com (pet walking/sitting) money for Christmas.
• Watch spending:  don’t pull the trigger on impulsive purchases.  Keep Amazon spending to a minimum.  Purge clothes to post on Poshmark.  Have bought a few things on Amazon for Brennyn’s upcoming visit.  She loves this Noodle & Boo baby lotion and body wash. Bought this cradle/basinet combo so Declan can sleep beside Brennyn’s bed at our house. And a crate for Pumpkin when she visits.  Sold a pair of J. Crew leopard pants on Poshmark tonight.  Yay!!

Going to give myself a 4 out of 5 for this one, too.

YOUR TURN

 

Did you make any wellness goals for the year?  If so, how are you coming on them?  Maybe we can inspire one another toward a healthier 2022.  And please stop by to check out the progress of my friend Juhli at A Boomer Girl’s Guide on her goals. She and I will be cheering each other on in our journey toward improved health.

Stay well, my friends.  Thanks for coming by to visit.

Hugs and kisses,