Wednesday 11 April 2018

Wellness Wednesday Apr 11


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

My progress update on my March wellness goals:

1. Meditate 15 minutes daily: Similar to February, 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: In March, I walked 5K or more daily, except three Sundays when I ran 5K. I went to the gym nine times, and practiced yoga nineteen times. When I was in Chile, I did not have access to a gym. I modified my fitness routine by walking more and doing yoga.

My regular exercises certainly keep me fit to travel (see #4 below). I had no trouble moving around, getting in and out of buses and subway train stations in Santiago, walking in the Atacama desert, crawling briefly in the Salt Cave, and climbing hills in Valparaiso, etc.

3. Smile or laugh daily: This was well achieved in March. I caught myself laughing out loud several times. I had plenty of fun meeting new people in Chile, too.

4. Explore Chile in March: Done and enjoyed! You might like to see my posts on:
5. Plan for spring travels: Yes! I booked accommodation for a family getaway coming up next weekend. I also booked my flights to the Baltics and accommodations in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Warsaw.

My April wellness goals:

For April, I'll keep the first three daily wellness goals, and replace the two travel goals with two art and entertainment goals as listed below.
  1. Meditate 15 minutes daily.
  2. Exercise one hour daily.
  3. Smile or laugh daily.
  4. Read up on the four European capitals (Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Warsaw).
  5. Watch two new-to-me movies.
The Wellness theme this month is Natural Wellness Tips. When I hear natural wellness, I think of keeping well by natural or organic means. They prompt me to list the following suggestions.

Natural wellness suggestions: 
  1. For the mind: Practice meditation or yoga. There are lots of free online materials and tutorials to get started. Take a few minutes each day to calm down, reflect, and feel gratitude.
  2. For the body: Drink water daily in lieu of soft drinks. Tap water is safe to drink where I live. Low cost, no sugar, effective hydration, need I say more? Eat a variety of vegetables and fruits for natural nutrients and fibres. Enjoy seasonal fresh produce that may not be available in the winter. Find a physical activity that you enjoy and use the full range of movements that our body can do. Protect your hair, eyes, and skin from sun exposure by using natural products that work for you. A nice sun hat, sunglasses, and comfortable clothing give adequate protection while staying chic!
  3. For the spirit: If we take good care of our mind and body, it's natural that our spirit will stay positive. Keep in touch with friends, family, or neighbours, who support you. Do something fun on a regular basis.
That's my contribution for today.

How are you doing with your wellness goals? Any natural wellness tips to share?

8 comments:

  1. While I have found ways of having fun alone, I will be so glad to have my partner in crime back home again on Saturday after six weeks being apart. Doing something fun every week is so important.

    Haven't had quiet mornings with meditation and affirmations in weeks. My traveling has interfered. Back to that next week when I hope to be home for a long while!!

    Thanks for creating this series. So glad to be a part.

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    1. Thanks, Leslie, for organizing the link up codes for us. Hope that you'll have a fun weekend with PC and get back to your routine at home just the way you like it.

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  2. Your goals always motivate me Natalie to do better. I am building myself up for Mindful in May which I've never done before so looking forward to a new challenge.

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    1. Mindful in May sounds great, Sue. Thank you for your ongoing support. I really appreciate it.

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  3. Hi Natalie, love hearing about your travels! It's interesting to me how so often during travel we find ourselves alone in the hotel's gym, when available. Travel can be exhausting, so that time to work on our stamina when we can is so helpful, I'm surprised other's don't join us!

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    1. Hi Tamara - Maybe some people don't like the gym. Like you, I try my best to keep my exercise routine, both at home and abroad. One reason is to maintain stamina as you mentioned, and another reason is when I return home, I have no trouble continuing.

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  4. Hi, Natalie - Congratulations once again on so successfully achieving your wellness goals. Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Warsaw? Your exotic and extensive travels put mine to shame. You should join the A to Z Challenge next year and focus your posts on the travels that you have done. I would love to read that!

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    1. Hi Donna - The idea to join the A to Z Challenge next year and focus my posts on the travels that I've done did occur to me. I quickly made a list to see if I have A to Z, and OMG, I have them, with U and Y planned but cancelled due to external reasons. They were good stories, too. I hope that I'll continue to have good ideas to write on my blog until next year :)

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