hApPy HuMp DaY, fRiEnDs!
Time for Wellness Wednesday, 07.2019 goals update and some family health tips. Linking up with Natalie at Natalie the Explorer and some of our healthiest mutual friends for today’s post. I haven’t thought a lot about my wellness goals this month but I think you and I will be impressed with some of my accomplishments.
When the new year began, I came up with these wellness goals for the year. Was so pleased with my move toward a healthier me in 2018 but this year started off slowly. Since returning to Weight Watchers in May, PC and I are gathering momentum, rather than moss, for the time being. And I hope to finish the second half of the year in a big way. Let’s see where I stand.
Wellness Wednesday, 07.2019
PHYSICAL HEALTH 5.0 (up .5)
We are riding bikes, swimming, walking, hiking and gym-ing more. Going to give myself a perfect 5 for this goal.
- Work back to running 5K (want to run more regularly again) – Ran a 5K in May. Having some issues with my leg so have cut back on running at the gym a little. Bike flat is fixed and I am just home from a 5 mile ride.
- Lift weights (at least 4x a week) – Yes! Since May, we have been hitting the gym much harder and more often. On average closer to 5x a week.
- Walk 7,200 steps a day and 3 stories (build walks back into my daily routine) – We kind of slacked off on our bedtime walks for about 2 weeks but are back at it again which will easily translate into at least 7,200 steps.
NUTRITIONAL HEALTH – 5.0 (up .5)
We started Weight Watchers on 05.19.2019. I have lost about 8-9 pounds. Today I weighed 137.3 which is the lowest I have been in years. So bumping last month’s 4.5 for this goal to a perfect 5.0 here, too. My lifetime WW weight is 138 so I have even surpassed that. Received this little key chain bauble in the mail yesterday.
- Eat more veggies and fruit (and cook meals at home 4x a week) – We are eating much better and tracking our activity and food points daily. Still enjoyed ice cream this past weekend, and Mexican food about once a week. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!
- Drink 75 ounces of water a day (pretty good at this already) – Yes, ma’am.
- Alcohol and sweets on weekends – Allowing ourselves some kind of sweet treat at least once a week and a beer or glass of wine on the weekends.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH – 4.0 (holding steady)
Going to keep myself the same here. We are attending church more regularly but today I didn’t do QT yet. PC has been home more with the holidays so my mornings are a little off-schedule.
- Quiet time 5x a week (M-F, bonus points for the weekend) – Enjoying quiet time outside most weekday mornings with the kitties on the love seat poolside. About to finish…which is a word/feeling foreign to me…my devotional. Looking for suggestions.
- Attend church more regularly (at least once a month) – Overslept – never happens – for church last week but have been going routinely for 9:00 am Sunday service. Abundant Living Faith Center‘s “Family Matters” series this summer has been excellent.
- Gratitude journal before bed – Almost every night. In June, had mentioned the idea of writing prayers every night. Might try that when I finish with this gratitude journal.
MENTAL HEALTH – 3.5 (Holding Steady)
In May, I deducted a half-point from this category because I never finish anything. I have all of these good intentions and projects going but never finish any of them. Last month, I gave myself that half point back again, because I did tie up some projects. No great gains, though, lately.
- Work puzzles and play word games, practice Spanish (Wordscapes, Word Classic, jigsaw puzzles, Brainscape/Duolingo) – Back on track with jigsaw puzzles and words games. Haven’t practiced Spanish in semanas (weeks).
- Weekly art date (do something creative or attend something artsy) – Have an art date planned for tomorrow. Photo exhibit. Scrapbooked with my sister yesterday.
- Read 3 books a month (in order to meet my Goodreads goal) – Continuing to make my best progress in this category with my reading. Should finish It’s Never too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron this week. Read The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth with my virtual book club. Great read, as was The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson, which I also finished. The book club has just chosen our next read, When All is Said by Anne Griffin. We will begin reading this weekend. Would love to have you join our group! Holler if you are interested!
RELATIONSHIP HEALTH – 3.0 (HOLDING STEADY)
- Unplug at 9:00 pm – Some days. But not always. Although, when we take our bedtime walk, we have about 30 minutes where we chat and walk together. Might come back and get on the computer again, though, as we walk before it is completely dark, and still too early to go mimis.
- Date night 2x a month (bucket list activities) – Just shared our summer bucket list, here. Our anniversary is this week but on Thursday. Might postpone our celebration til the weekend or even the following weekend.
- Skype with Brennyn/Cady & Lauren/Lucia (read books to my babies) – Going to Ft. Worth to see Brennyn and Cady next month. And Lauren and Lucia are joining us. Hope to get lots of ‘cuddles lil bitsies,’ as Lucia says, from all my girls.
MAINTAINING HEALTH – 4.0 (Holding Steady)
- Use sunscreen on my face daily (moisturizer with SPF) – Using a bottle of SPF 47 on my face, and spraying down with sunscreen before sitting outside for quiet time, or going on a morning walk or bike ride.
- Floss – Okay, okay, I just just put a water-pik flossing device in my Amazon cart for Prime Day.
- Take vitamins and minerals daily (multi, vitamin B, C, D – LMNOP – flaxseed oil, biotin, magnesium, probiotics) – Added probiotics to the mix about a month ago. Seems to help keep me ‘going’.
FINANCIAL HEALTH – 4.5 (HOLDING Steady)
- Save money for Christmas – Have begun!
- Pay off Amazon card – Done. Now to work on the Loft card.
- Have money in my checking account at the end of the month – Yes. Not a lot so can’t give you a loan, but yes.
- Looking for a part-time job. Anyone need a retired librarian?
Not too shabby, for Wellness Wednesday 07.2019, if I do say so myself. July is a very expensive month for me with 3 birthdays: my precious daughters and my oldest grand, Cadence. So my financial health will take a lickin’ and probably my nutritional health and physical health, too, while I am in Ft. Worth visiting. But I can always climb back in the saddle when I get home.
Family Health Tips
“Family” day-to-day here at the castle is just my P. Charming and me (and the princesses, Purrsimmony and Purrsnickitty). Some of the tips we are using would translate well for families with children at home, too.
- Start the day with breakfast – I used to take breakfast up to PC every morning but now days we cherish our sleep so much, that I pack his breakfast along with his lunch in his lunch box; we do have breakfast together on weekends
- Eat at the table together for the evening meal – no devices allowed, but we do watch TV
- Play together – have fun, laugh, relax, de-stress; but I draw the line at playing baseball with PC
- Work out as a couple – makes each of you accountable to the other for getting and staying fit
- Set aside time for communication, for us in the hot tub or on our walks and hikes, my sister and brother-in-law do ‘couch time’ with a glass of wine before dinner several times a week
- Go to bed at the same time – a good time for bonding
- Worship together – no matter the message, we always leave church feeling uplifted, encouraged and with something to contemplate and talk about
These are some good articles with more tips for maintaining healthy families, “Ten Habits of Healthy Families” and “Tips for Healthy Children and Families.” There was one tip from the second article that I remember being an issue when my daughters were teenagers.
Reward children with praise, not food.
One of our favorite things to do when it was just the girls and me at home was to go eat dinner at a mom-n-pop Mexican restaurant. But when the girls were beginning to watch their weight and become more conscious of healthy eating, Lauren asked if we could start doing more activities together that didn’t revolve around food. Too often we equate eating with entertainment and having fun. Might be better to do something active first, before heading out-to-eat. And maybe rewarding children with books…BOOKS…as an alternative to treats.
Your Turn
What have been some of your wellness accomplishments this year so far? Where are you struggling as of Wellness Wednesday 07.2019? There’s still a lot of year left for both of us, you and me, to get to perfect ‘5s’ on all of our goals. If you have a wellness blog post to share, please link-up with us, below. And then be sure to stop by to say hi to some of the other gals joining us this month.
Well, PC says it is time for our bedtime walk. Going to lift my 5 pound weight while walking. Thanks for spending a few moments here with me today.
Hugs and kisses,
Dee | Grammy's Grid
WOW! You’re doing great, keep on, you can do it!!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much, sweet friend. I am feeling much better.
Kellyann Rohr
I always love reading your posts! I’m on day 3 of my latest WW journey and I am loving it so far! My Lifetime WW goal was 135 and I was always well below that but now I’m a puffy 140! I hope to lose 10 pounds and honestly I feel so much better eating this way. I remember telling my WW groups a story about a child who fell and skinned her knee. Her mother comforted her and gave her a cookies. The child looked at the mom and said, “you want me to put the cookie on my knee? I need a band aid!” Good reminder about how food is not the answer. You are inspiring me my friend!!!
xo,
Kellyann
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Kellyann, you touch my heart. Isn’t eating the WW way so much better? I tell everyone that it is the easiest way to lose weight because it isn’t a diet. It is just balancing. Choosing what you want to eat and balancing your points around that. We really don’t go without. We just eat wiser. Great story about the little one whose mom gave her cookies for her skinned knee. I was guilty of giving treats to kids at school at times, and hugs and kisses on their heads. Often times, I they chose a kiss over anything else. My students were starved for affection…and food. But food shouldn’t be the answer to bribing kids, making kids feel better, rewarding them. Great reminder. Proud of you to be getting back to the weight where you feel best.
Deb
You’ve done so well! And don’t worry about slipping off the WW journey for a few weeks – I’ve heard there are no calories in birthday cake (at least, I think that’s what I heard 😉 )
Thank you so much for hosting the book club, I’ve found books that I would never normally have picked out and I love stepping out of my comfort zone!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Deb, thank you so much for taking a chance with the virtual book club! And stretching by reading books outside your comfort zone. Would love to have you join me for a stepping outside my comfort zone post on the 31st of July sharing how you have read books you normally wouldn’t have!
So, so relieved to know that birthday cake has no calories!! Might just eat that for a whole week while I am out of town. Tee hee!!
Dara
You’re doing great! Congrats on the weight loss!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, doll!!
Donna Connolly
I admire your goals and what you have accomplished already. Time to give yourself a big pat on the back!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Going to allow myself to enjoy this week with my babies in Ft. Worth. Don’t want to make our time together about food but don’t want to let the WW get in the way of enjoying some birthday cake or a glass of wine in celebration of the five of us being together again.
Rebecca Jo
I’m always so impressed of all the things you do to keep your body & mind & spirit so healthy!
I mentioned this recently but I am loving the Embraced Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst – its a 100 day devotional. It’s just lovely.
So excited – I have my book – came in the mail yesterday – thanks for adding me into the book club!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, yes!! So glad you mentioned Embraced Devotional here in a comment. I knew someone had mentioned a devotional that I wanted to try but couldn’t remember the name of the book or who mentioned it. Going to Amazon right now to put this in my cart so I won’t forget again. Thank you so much.
So glad to have you reading with us in the book club. And appreciate that you are one of the gals that discusses!!
Joanne Tracey
I love how you score yourself and well done on your WW charm. In fact, you’re doing well overall. The Gown is on my to be read list, but When All is Said also looks interesting…
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Joanne. Hope I can maintain this weight loss and improved health. The Gown was a wonderful read. I just sent it to my mama on large print. She is enjoying it, too. But When All is Said is a book that sticks with you, and haunts you, and comes back to you, makes you think…and I am not even finished with it yet. Please take a look at both.
Laura
I am SO stinkin’ proud of you, Leslie! What awesome goals for wellness and fitness and your are ACHIEVING!! Special congrats on your exercise and weight loss goals!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, dear friend. I have felt so much better having lost just 7-8 pounds. Don’t think it is the weight loss, really, but the exercise, the eating better food, drinking less. And seeing that PC is doing the same thing and reaping the benefits. I am afraid he was headed for a heart attack. I think how fortunate Wayne was with his heart attack that it was a chance to get his health in a better place. Hoping our fellas are healthy for years to come.
Natalie
Congrats, Leslie, on all your wellness achievements. So proud of you. Remember to link up your post so other participants can see it too.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Just remembered to link up my wellness post! Thank you for the reminder. I am proud of myself and have you to thank for encouraging my wellness journey through this series and link-up. Thank you, my sweet friend Natalie.