Wednesday 7 March 2018

Wellness Wednesday Mar 7


Welcome to our third Wellness Wednesday monthly link up which started on January 10th this year! Today I'm providing a progress update on my February wellness goals, setting new goals for March, sharing my favourite exercise equipment, and linking up with several fabulous bloggers who are also on this wellness journey.

If you have a wellness-related post, please feel free to join us by selecting the blue link at the bottom of this post, visit the linked up blogs, and leave a comment to let them know you stopped by.

My progress update on my February wellness goals:

1. Meditate 15 minutes daily: I've been doing this daily because it works for me. I love the short duration and the focus during meditation. At night when I meditate with deep breathing, it helps me fall asleep.

2. Exercise one hour daily: Throughout February, I walked 5K each morning, except Sundays when I ran 5K. I alternated my gym days and yoga days during the week. In total, I exercised in the gym twelve times, did yoga at home twelve times, and ran 5K four times.

3. Smile or laugh daily: By writing this goal down, I remember to find humour and genuinely smile or laugh every day. It's one of my 'win circles' so it will stay on my list.

4. Enjoy two family outings on two different weekends: I met this goal when we went away the first weekend in February and went to our family party on Feb. 18. Both locations are about 35 km (25 miles) away from our home. The change of scenery was good, and we had great fun with our extended family and friends.

5. Attend two piano recitals with my friends: I met this goal on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23. The first recital was piano only. The second recital was a piano and violin duet. All three performers were amazing!

My March wellness goals:

We're changing from winter to spring where I live. With nicer weather, and to give myself variety, I'll replace my two completed social goals in February with two travel goals for March as listed below.

1. Meditate 15 minutes daily.
2. Exercise one hour daily.
3. Smile or laugh daily.
4. Explore Chile in March.
5. Plan for spring travels.

My favourite exercise equipment:

Over the years, I've used a number of exercise equipment such as elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, indoor rowing machine, bosu, dumb bells, pulley station, balls, and skip rope, to name a few. Yet my favourite exercise equipment is actually my body. I think our body weight is excellent for calisthenic workouts, and other types of exercises such as yoga.

Some examples of good calisthenic exercises that we can do with our arms, legs, and body weight include: abs, planks, side planks, push-ups, burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squats, or lunges. Start with selecting 5 or more exercises and keep repeating without a break between sets for at least two sets each, and you'll be amazed what a workout it is.

Short on time? Try the scientific 7-minute workout as published here. Want something more gentle? Do light exercise and the ten basic stretches as shown here.

Regardless of what equipment we have for exercise, I think the key to success is to exercise consistently (use it or lose it).

Your turn... How are you doing with your wellness goals? What is your favourite exercise equipment or gadget?

18 comments:

  1. Hi Natalie - I'm not known for my fitness posts, but I actually had one to share with my FitBit - my new love and inspiration to get my butt off my chair more often!

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    1. Thank you, Leanne, for linking up. Your FitBit sounds very useful. Keep on moving!

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  2. I am totally with you on the body weight activities. We can do so many movements without actual equipment.

    I love your goals for February, and I love that your Wellness goals change as the year changes and as you complete them.

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    1. Thank you, Dani, for linking up and commenting. I like variety and keep making small changes to my routine so I'm not on auto-pilot.

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  3. I agree Natalie, I would rather workout in the park with body weight activities than in the gym. When we had our Personal Trainer we would work out in the park and it was so lovely to train in the fresh air. Doing well with your goals and look forward to next month's Wellness Wednesday. xx
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

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    1. Exercising in the park is fantastic, Sue. I hope you'll find another PT you like soon. My gym is useful in the winter when it's cold outside. Thank you for linking up. I look forward to next month's Wellness Wednesday.

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  4. Hi, Natalie - I love your focus and your commitment on your goals. You are a true inspiration. Good luck with your Spring List. I can't wait to read about Chile!

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    1. Thank you, Donna, for your comment. My health is my wealth so I'm investing time and effort into staying healthy. I'm looking forward to my trip.

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  5. You're inspiring with your wellness goals and sticking to them. I'm back into my pilates after my 2 weeks away. I didn't walk as much as I had planned when I was away. I had planned to do early morning and late afternoon walks but mostly only did the late afternoon walks. I found I needed rest more than I realised. In the second week the weather intervened too. I need to meditate more regularly. I am trying but could do better! #TeamLovinLife

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    1. Glad you had a nice beach holiday to rest, Min. Just ease back into your exercise routine and you'll be feeling great again soon.

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  6. Well done. We have so many body weight activities in the parks along the coast track. I'm seriously considering cancelling my gym membership to use them. #teamlovinlife

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    1. Sounds great to have body weight activities in the parks along the coast, Jo. I imagine green space, ocean view and sunshine. Thank you for dropping by.

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  7. Right on! Our bodies should be our favorite exercise gadget. I always feel so exhilarated after a good run. Or when I can see the results of my exercise sculpted in muscle on my legs. I really appreciate your point of view.

    Glad you are still finding things to bring a smile or a giggle. I am blessed to have many folks in my life who make me laugh.

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    1. Thank you, Leslie, for dropping by. Hope your trip to Kentucky will bring you fun and laughter.

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  8. You're doing really well. I need to work on my stress levels as I've had to stay at my mother's a couple of times this past week and am not accustomed to being around people when really stressed at work. One night I basically grunted and took a sleeping tablet and went to bed at 6.30. The next night she kept asking pesky questions, like, "What do you want for dinner?" I raged at her that I could not possibly make a decision before apologising and explaining why my working week was so crappy.

    She asked if it helped to talk about it. I'm not sure it did. Anyhoo.... it just means I need to get better at dealing with that stuff rather than let it simmer along.... #teamlovinlife

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    1. Thank you, Deb, for dropping by. Stress creeps up on us. Hope you are able to relax on the weekend, and an easier work week next week.

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  9. Those are great wellness goals! Congrats on meeting them all!

    I love body weight exercises. The 7-minute workout is my go-to workout when I'm traveling. I always forget how tough it is, especially on round three or four...

    Andrea
    Andrea’s Wellness Notes

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    1. Thanks, Andrea, for dropping by. You're right about the 7-minute workout. It looks simple yet gets challenging as we do the repetitions.

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