Well, Warriors, the calendar has flipped to a new month and we are headed into a season of busyness. This is the time of year that most health and wellness practices start to slide to the back burner to make room for all the other things. So, today I want to take a look at wellness practices that actually move the needle.
Truthfully, many of you are majoring in the minors. What I mean by that is that the focus is on what supplement is best rather than making the effort to eat a balanced diet. Or worrying about which workout is going to burn the most calories (or induce the most potential for muscle building) rather than keying in on consistency. We are too worried about bio-hacking our body and not concentrating our time and energy on the few practices that keep us moving forward.
With these practices at the forefront, it is easy to see why they fall by the wayside during difficult or busy seasons of life. They are easy to stop. It is easy to stop making the supplement-based smoothie every morning because you need that 10 minutes to do something else pressing. It is easy to skip very intense or long workouts because they are painful or, again, there are more important things you need to do with your time.
It’s the same reason why most New Year’s resolutions are done-zo by Valentine’s Day: we overcommit our time and energy for short term wins. I’ve written before about playing the long game. And I’ll reiterate, there is nothing wrong with a short term goal. But, two important points I want to make here… First, if you aren’t working on the fundamentals, your short terms gains will not last. Second, if you don’t have longer term plans to anchor your practices, maintaining consistency will be difficult.
Now, this time of year is not necessarily a time when most of us are thinking about short term goals. Let’s call a spade a spade. We make a big deal about maintaining calorie deficits through Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, but the practice of that isn’t a reality for most of us. Ditto for maintaining workouts.
This is, however, an excellent time of year to be thinking longer term. New Year’s is about two months away. Think about how much better it would be to start the new year feeling as though you don’t have to start from scratch. What if you concentrated on practices that will keep you feeling strong and energetic through the next six to eight weeks?
These are practices that move the needle. Things that underpin just about any goal you can think of and encourage our bodies and minds to be the strongest they can be. These are habits that will allow you to maintain when life is stressful or overwhelming and will also serve as a foundation for both short and long term goals. If you have been around MMW for a bit, none of these should be a surprise.
Walk. If you are physically able, there is little that is better or more accessible than regularly walking. If you are differently abled, any movement that is lower intensity and rhythmic in nature will serve similar purposes.
Strength Train. This doesn’t need to equate to hours in the gym. Twenty minutes two or three times per week will do the trick. Resistance bands and body weight exercises will provide plenty of challenge. Just make sure that each muscle group is getting roughly equal attention.
Water. Chronic dehydration is debilitating and many of us are suffering. Especially as the weather turns cooler and drier, getting an adequate amount of water is important for proper function. Flavor it, eat more broth based soup, fruit, and drink tea. If by the end of the day, your pee isn’t nearly clear, you need more water.
Sleep. There is little that will make you feel as good as a decent night’s sleep. Each of us needs different things to facilitate sleep, so start paying attention and get into a sleep routine. One thing that most studies agree on, though, is to shut off blue light devices at least 30 minutes before bed.
Quiet Time. Meditate, pray, or just spent a bit of time in quiet. A few minutes, and I mean literally a few, five will do it, on the regular creates space for your mind to relax and for you to clear negative emotions.
Gratitude. I talk about this one a lot because regular gratitude practice causes such a huge shift in mindset. Journal them daily, put them in a jar and read as needed, talk about the best parts of your day at dinner. The practice itself doesn’t matter, the act of acknowledging is what is important.
Plan. Again, this doesn’t need to be involved. A few minutes once or twice a week to check your calendar and block out time where needed and create a rough to do list can alleviate so many stressful patches. My husband and I started having weekly meetings this past summer. Nothing crazy. Just a few minutes on Sunday morning when we can discuss what each of us has coming up, what we need, and what our pain points for the week might be. During crazy weeks, we re-evaluate as needed, but just having the initial discussion makes each of us aware of goings-on and where we are at. It has saved so many arguments. 10 out of 10 recommend.
There is no need to re-invent the wheel. The basics work. And they work because they are easier and lower effort. These are the practices that become habitual and create consistency. And you know what consistency will lead to…
Until next time, be well friends!
