hApPy HuMp DaY, fRiEnDs!
It’s that time again. Time for Wellness Wednesday, 08.2019 and healthy friendships. Sharing my goals update and talking about healthy friendships. Linking up with Natalie at Natalie the Explorer and some of our healthiest mutual friends for today’s post.
When the new year began, I came up with these wellness goals for the year. This past month we have continued our Weight Watchers journey we started in May. PC is down over 20 pounds and I fluctuate between a 9 to 11 pound loss. We both feel so much better. Have a look at my month.
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WELLNESS WEDNESDAY, 08.2019
Shooting for perfect scores in every area. But I still have some work to do.
PHYSICAL HEALTH 5.0 (Holding Steady)
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) – Looking for a fall 5K to run. Maybe the 2019 Read A Book Day 1 Mile, 5K, 10K, 13.1, 26.2 on 09.06.2019. Having some issues with my leg so have cut back on running at the gym a little. But I started PT today so hope to have that on the mend soon.
- Lift weights (at least 4x a week) – Every time we hit the gym. On average between 4-5x 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 when temps rose into the triple digits and have more or less stayed there. Not reaching 7,200 steps everyday as a result. Hope to pick up on the evening walks soon.
NUTRITIONAL HEALTH – 5.0 (Holding Steady)
Keeping this goal a perfect 5.0, too. My lifetime WW weight is 138 so I have surpassed that.
- 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 enjoying meals out and desserts now and then.
- Drink 75 ounces of water a day (pretty good at this already) – A habit now.
- Alcohol and sweets on weekends – Really have cut back on the alcohol. Not that I ever drank much but drinking even less now. My sweet tooth is curbed with an occasional chocolate kiss, mint or piece of red licorice.
SPIRITUAL HEALTH – 4.0 (HOLDING STEADY)
Going to keep myself the same here. We are attending church more regularly. But finding it harder to do quiet time now that I am heading over the mountain M-F to help Lauren with Lucia first thing in the morning. PC has been home more with with the change to his job so my days are a little off-schedule.
- Quiet time 5x a week (M-F, bonus points for the weekend) – Struggling with my quiet time now that I am helping with Lucia every weekday morning. And PC is working from home now which has thrown a monkey wrench in my schedule. Reading Renewing the Mind, 2.0 by Casey and Wendy Treat. Really enjoyed hearing Wendy speak at church in March.
- Attend church more regularly (at least once a month) – Yes. The messages on the 2 Sundays since the El Paso shooting have been so good, so helpful, so uplifting.
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- 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. In June, I gave myself that half point back again, because I did tie up some projects. My August goals have me striving to complete some other projects.
- Work puzzles and play word games, practice Spanish (Wordscapes, Word Classic, jigsaw puzzles, Brainscape/Duolingo) – Ugh. I feel like my mind is going to mush. Playing some word games and an online drawing game but have done nothing with my Spanish.
- Weekly art date (do something creative or attend something artsy) – Visited the International Art Museum in July. Started work on a paint by number kit that I received in exchange for my review. Check out that post, here and be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance at winning a kit.
- Read 3 books a month (in order to meet my Goodreads goal) – Continuing to make my best progress in this category with my reading. Finished It’s Never too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron, finally. Good personal enrichment book. With my virtual book club, read The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary and When All is Said by Anne Griffin. Both books were very good; the former kind of fun and the latter very moving and poignant and thought-provoking. We will begin reading The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren this weekend. Would love to have you join our group! Hollaback, girl, if you are interested!
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Would love to have you join our group! Hollaback, girl, if you are interested!
RELATIONSHIP HEALTH – 3.5 (Up .5)
- Unplug at 9:00 pm – Not often. Need to do better about this. It is now 9:34 pm and here I am.
- Date night 2x a month (bucket list activities) – Shared my summer bucket list, here. We finally had that backwards date…post coming…for our anniversary.
- Skype with Brennyn/Cady & Lauren/Lucia (read books to my babies) – Visited Brennyn and Cady in Ft. Worth. And Lauren and Lucia joined us. Read with Cady several times. Lots of playing Barbies, a trip to a water park, several afternoons at the pool and park. Being with my babies in real life beats Skype, hands down.
MAINTAINING HEALTH – 4.0 (Up .5)
- Use sunscreen on my face daily (moisturizer with SPF) – Using a bottle of SPF 47 on my face, and spraying down with sunscreen before going outside for any length of time. Returning to use a product to lighten my sun spots.
- Floss – Ordered the Turewell Cordless Water Flosser today.
- 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. Have been helping with Lucia for a little extra money each week. Thinking of looking into VIPKids again. Would be a job I could do from home, as well as when I go out of town. Had applied and was only lacking doing a sample lesson when mom got sick last October.
Aging Well With The Help of Friends
To paraphrase the Beatles, we age better with the help of our friends. The results of a study on the affects of friendship on aging, designed by Michigan State University psychology professor William J. Chopik, support that theory. According to this article in “Psychology Today,”:
…valuing your immediate family is good for your health and happiness at any age. But the older you become, the more important it is to have strong friendships. You’re happier and healthier when they’re happy–and you’re more likely to be sick when you don’t value friendship or your friendships are in trouble.
Over the years, much research shows, your friends influence your happiness and habits—whether you’ll smoke or drink, work out, stay thin or become obese. The new research found that the importance of friendship increases with age. This works both ways—quarrels with friends, it suggests, are tied to chronic health problems. The key is to keep friendships in good order. You may need to repair, or replace, friendships as you age.
Interestingly, the impact of strong family relationships remains the same throughout life, though. And “strain with family, surprisingly, wasn’t tied to more illness.”
So, What’s an Introvert to Do?
As we left church last Sunday, I told PC I would like to find a couple with similar likes and interests with whom we could play Pictionary. Playing Pictionary is on my summer bucket list and it didn’t happen in Ft. Worth as I had hoped. So now we need to make it happen here. But it’s hard to play any game other than chess, checkers and backgammon just the 2 of us. My Prince said we would find a couple and get together with them, and then the woman would say something I thought was out of line, catty, hurtful. And that would be the end of our friendship. He knows all too well my experiences with women/friends. Sadly.
Friendships require nurturing and commitment, too. I can hardly keep up with all the demands of my family. Not sure this introvert would be a very good friend. Yet, now that I am retired, I miss having regular contact with the gals, the colleagues I worked with. Didn’t feel like I needed friends away from work because I spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with a gaggle of girls.
You know how I don’t believe in coincidences, right? Well, today when I turned on the computer, this post from Proverbs 31 Ministries about our need for IRL friends popped onto my screen. Divine intervention? Even the Bible verse of the day spoke to the importance of real life healthy friendships.
Proverbs 27:10 The Message (MSG)
10 Don’t leave your friends or your parents’ friends
and run home to your family when things get rough;
Better a nearby friend than a distant family.
So, I am looking for a real life friend here in El Paso who I can shop with, who can join me for Bible studies, hikes, the occasional lunch. Anyone interested?
Your Turn
How are you coming on this year’s wellness journey? Did you have any significant gains or losses this month? PC and I are both scared we are going to slip into our familiar hibernation mode with the first freeze. Hope we can encourage each other to keep working out and eating well.
If you have a wellness post to link-up with us, click below and then be sure to visit some of the others linking up with us this month. And if you’d like to join us for Wellness Wednesday the rest of the year, here are the optional prompts we will be addressing along with updates on our goals progress.
- September 11: Sleep Hygiene
- October 9: Gratitude
- November 13: Healthy Holidays
- December 11: Year-End Review – What Went Well?
Hoping you are well, happy and knee deep in healthy friendships! Planning a Thankful Thursday post for tomorrow. If you have a second, would love to have you stop by.
Hugs and kisses,
Gail
If I was in El Paso I would happily meet up and play Pictionary, though I’m not very good at it.
You and PC are great role models for health and fitness. I am trying to get back into the groove of yoga and gym visits, and maybe starting walking again. Not doing enough.
I may resume “sentence a day” – I stopped back in April because we hardly did anything that month and I was embarrassed! But it is a good forcing function in terms of making me book things for us to do.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, please, please come back to Sentence a Day. And I need to try to do a few more fashion posts to link up with you on Wednesdays. I think the bucket list and Sentence a Day posts are great for inspiring us to LIVE and find activities to make life more fun. Maybe you could write up a fall bucket list, too??
Debbie Harris
I thought of you when I heard about the shooting in El Paso Leslie and wishing you peace. I love your update and you certainly have a lot going on and seem to be making progress. Huge congrats on your successes and for being so accountable. #WellnessWednesday
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Debbie, for thinking of me at the time of the shooting. Our city is such a sweet place to live, and this violence has rocked El Paso to its core but we are beginning to get back up again. Thank you for cheering me on for my wellness accomplishments. Feeling much better and praying we can keep up the momentum this winter.
Natalie
Hi Leslie – You’re doing phenomenal with your wellness goals. So proud of you. If I was in El Paso, I’d be happy to meet up for a hike or go for lunch occasionally or play a board game with you. I couldn’t get the WW link and thumbnails display on my blog so I included only the link. A workaround that works atm. Have a wonderful day!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you for all the encouragement and inspiration in the wellness department. Would love to be able to meet up with you for a hike or lunch or both. Hoping this fall I can find some friends who are interested in being active and having fun. Should put it on my fall bucket list to make it happen!
Dara
It sounds like you are doing great! I would like to set more goals like these for myself now that I met my weight loss goal. I would like to start building more muscle!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I am trying to tone up now that my weight is about where I want it. Hope we can continue through winter. That seems to be when we turn into sloths!!
ShootingStarsMag
It looks like you’re doing a pretty great job with all of your wellness goals this year. That’s awesome. I definitely need to get moving more, but I feel like I’m starting to do better with healthy eating. As for mental wellness, trying to get more sleep, going to therapy, reading a lot because it makes me happy, and making plans which always helps because I can look forward to something fun. I hope you can find a good friend near you to hang out with!
-Lauren
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I am going to return to counseling for a bit. So many things going on in our lives right now that I could use a little boost and someone to talk to. My poor sister hears the brunt of it now. You seem to always have something fun planned. Glad that lifts your spirits. I think that is why I like the bucket lists so much. I have something to fall back on and try when I am feeling sad or in a rut.
Deb
If only El Paso were a little closer I’d happily play pictionary with you – that would definitely make you laugh as my drawing is ridiculously bad! I know what you mean about making new friends at our age, it isn’t so easy as when you are younger.
You’ve done so well at your WW – you must have great willpower to maintain that new weight, it’s all too easy to relax the rules once you hit your target!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Deb. We would have a ball playing Pictionary together. I see you having fun with friends for your Italian dinner. The cute masks you made, and I would like to have a friendship or two where we could do something similar. Where do you meet most of your friends?
Kimberly Malkiewicz
For friendship, I would suggest lookin into BSF in El Paso (Bible Study Fellowship) . (BSFInternational.org) . It’s non-denominational and hosts a wide variety of women. The new season starts 9/11/19. Last year is the first year I attended and am glad I did–so many nice women, I have to believe you’d find someone to spend time with. Good luck!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you so much for that suggestion. Will look into BSF. I need some way of making a pal. And maybe that would lead to us having a couple we could play Pictionary with!! Thank you so much, Kim. That was very sweet.
Laura
Leslie you are doing FABULOUSLY with your health goals! I’m so impressed! I’ve been trying to cut back on my sweets and snacking particularly. I noticed I gained a few pounds this summer and I think having sweets around I tend to graze in the afternoon when I hit that slump as a way to get energy. No bueno. But after a few weeks of no snacks I’m on the right track again! I’m hoping to run another 5K in September or October and I signed up for one in December too! They are so fun!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Aren’t 5ks perfect? The distance is just enough push for me and yet manageable. I need to find one to run this fall. We usually run a turkey trot near Thanksgiving and October is a wonderful month for running in El Paso. Sure didn’t notice you gained an ounce…you look amazing to me! But good for you to curb the snack temptation and get back on track. It really isn’t that dreadfully hard once we set our minds to it! Proud of you, girl!
Anne/The Cajun Couple
Keep up the good work! I am finding I have to work harder as I am approaching 50. The good thing is, I have more time to take care of myself now that we are empty nesters.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Having an empty nest does free up some time. Hope you guys are adjusting well. I felt like I started going downhill on my 33 birthday!! Then around 50 I realized it was harder to get back in shape after hibernating in the winter. We have started WW and it has been easier this time than it was almost ten years ago. So that is one good thing about being 61! Ha!!
Amy Johnson
You are so great with your wellness goals and meeting them.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you!! Had two bowls of ice cream today while we are out of town. Going to have to quite that!!