What does the word wellness mean to you? What does having a wellness practice mean?

One idea that makes sense to me is wellness as one of 6 pillars. The other pillars being: connection (love/support), Rest(recovery), Moving (fitness/exercise), healthy eating and living in a clean environment.

Wellness could be described as practices or activities that lower stress and raise our resilience.

When you think about what a wellness practice would look like, what comes to mind?
Here is a list I generated and some or all of these things may be ideas you also associate with wellness and or a wellness practice.

● Meditation(5 minutes daily +) focused, mindfulness or compassion meditation are 3 common formats. Head Space Mediation series on Netflix has a great series for beginners.
● Yoga
● Cultivating gratitude (gratitude journal/journal, sharing with yourself or others)
● Music, specifically with 432-528 HZ
● Time in nature (the Japanese refer to this as forest bathing)
● Positive mindset (books, blogs, youtube channels)

If your considering starting a wellness practice the recommendation is to move towards 30 minutes daily (am,pm or both) for the most benefit. Keeping in mind as you explore this idea whatever you settle on should be enjoyable or at least you feel the benefits of what you’re doing over time. Not everything we talk about will resonate with you. My journey began 1.5 years ago. Cancer woke me up to the necessity of lowering my stress ( it is now a bigger factor than ever for cancer occurrence). Things to consider if/when you create a practice and if you have one perhaps some additional information.

For me the goal with wellness is to:
1. Feel more in control during my day, less bothered by little stuff.
2. Move away from feeling overwhelmed
3. Feel free or light for a few minutes a day.
4. Live more active, less restrictive

So if you currently do not have a daily practice but are wanting to or giving it some thought here
are ideas to get you started.

● Choose what you want to start with keeping in mind that it takes about 24 weeks to
create a habit so the whole thing might feel foreign for awhile.
● Start small-pick one, two or three things and build on the time commitment gradually.
(combining things like meditation/music, gratitude journal/music, walk in nature/3 things
your grateful for)
● Keep in mind your practice may look one way on certain days of the week and another
way on other days.
● Give yourself some slack. If one day does not go so well. Get back to your practice the
next day. All or nothing does not work very well when we are looking to create new
habits and/or change old behavior patterns.

When I first started my practice as a response to the stress I was experiencing upon my cancer diagnosis I had to try different things as what sounded good did not always work for me. For example: I am able to meditate for about 10 minutes daily. Many people are able to practice mediation for much longer. I tried journal writing and found I was just not motivated to stick with it so switched to a gratitude journal writing 3 things I was grateful for daily.

In addition to creating a wellness practice to lower stress and raise resilience I recommend basic health safety during COVID. Everyone has heard about the importance of hand washing(20 seconds) social distancing and wearing a mask in public places ( effective masks are crucial).

Lastly, getting fresh air makes a huge difference in your mental and physical wellbeing. If your exercising outside your set. If your workout is indoors open a window if you can, use the garage, get creative.

In support of you being able to live a life that feels free, powerful and awake. For more about me, my services or the book please go to www.health-fitness-coaching.com

Laurie Bagley

Laurie Bagley: MS in Outdoor Adventure Leadership,  mother,  Author, ACE certified health coach and group fitness coach, entrepreneurial business owner, Level 1 PN Nutrition coach and EnergyUp coach. Her Health Fitness Coaching Business focuses on assisting people reach healthy lifestyle goals. She is also the 6th woman to summit Mt. Everest from the North Col route and has written a book called “SUMMIT”. One woman’s Mt. Everest Climb Guides You to Success. The re-release of this book happened January 4th 2021