Healthy Living Weekly Post: Wellness Journey Workshop Review

 

We are in week six of the Wellness Journey Workshop at Big Picture Classes, and I thought today I would post a little review of the materials we've covered so far. My favorite part of this workshop is that it focuses on complete wellness and all aspects of a healthy lifestyle rather than just focusing on exercise and eating.

Week One: The first week focused on exercise and developing a plan for regular exercise. I have struggled with getting back into my exercise routines since the first of the year. I was exercising five to six days a week, but my motivation seemed to just drift away with the new year and the cold weather. So, I've devised a new plan for the rest of February - rather than trying to do everything I was doing, I'm starting fresh and planning to simply ride the stationary bike five days a week, eliminating for these few weeks trying to include strength training and a sixth day of exercise. I'm going to choose a book I've really been wanting to read and allow myself to only read it while I'm riding the bike. Then at the end of the month, I'll begin to add back in my strength training sessions.

Week Two: Healthy eating and nutrition were the focus of week two. I have not really been overeating, but I've not done a good job of including fresh fruits and vegetables in my day consistently. I want to try a new recipe each week, like this Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca that I made last week.

Week Three: The focus for week three was obstacles and rewards. After rewarding myself with a massage a couple of weeks ago, I have set a new goal and reward for weight loss, however I am considering setting smaller goals based on the number of days I exercise because I don't want my focus to be on the number on the scale but rather on overall healthy living.

Week Four: We were encouraged during week four to assess where we were in our wellness journey, to evaluate the goals we had set for ourselves, and to set new goals and intentions for the upcoming weeks. There was also material on reducing stress in our lives and getting enough sleep.

Week Five: This week we were encouraged to create a Life Inspiration Journal. You can read about my Healthy Living Notebook here and here. There was also some discussion about role models and interviews with Stacy Julian and Ali Edwards.

Week Six: The focus for week six is on creating meaningful moments through rituals and traditions. These meaningful moments, whether daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly help turn ordinary activities into special times that enhance our lives. There were examples and ideas for daily, social and solitary rituals. For me, a daily ritual is to take a quiet time for prayer and Bible reading each day, preferably first thing in the morning. One ritual that Robbie and I have maintained over the past nine years is to have a date night each week. We typically have our date night the same day of the week that our anniversary fell on. For example, this past December our anniversary was on a Monday, so this year we have date nights on Monday. We have not been as consistent in this tradition over the past two years, but I'm really striving to maintain it this year. Often we will simply enjoy dinner together and watch a DVD here at home, but it may also consist of going out to eat or taking a walk (when the weather is warmer, of course!). In the week six materials, there was also a very inspiring interview with Kolette Hall who has gone through some tremendous medical challenges over the past year.

There are two weeks left in the Wellness Journey Workshop and I'm looking forward to participating in the daily check-ins as I strive to get back into regular exercise. I'm off to browse through the Cooking Light magazine again for another new healthy recipe to try this weekend.