Wednesday 8 August 2018

Wellness Wednesday August 8


Welcome to our 8th Wellness Wednesday link up in 2018! Today I'm providing updates on my July wellness goals, setting goals for August, and linking up with a group of terrific bloggers who are also on the wellness adventure.

July wellness goal updates:
  1. Meditate 15 minutes daily: I continued to meet this goal in July. I feel that it's time well-spent as part of my self-care routine.
  2. Exercise one hour daily: I got all my exercises in, both at home and in Quebec City, in July. The hotel that we stayed at in Quebec City had a gym with a nice view of the city and the surrounding mountain range. We had a heat wave that week so even with air-conditioning, the cold face towels provided in the gym were well-received.
  3. Smile or laugh daily: I had an excellent July as written here and many reasons to smile or laugh daily. We spent the first week of July with friends in beautiful Quebec City. Upon returning home, this summer continues to be great with mostly sunny days, lush green trees, bright flowers, fresh produce at the farmers' markets, live music, outdoor art exhibits, etc. I'm loving it!
  4. Take online French and Spanish lessons daily, fifteen minutes for each: I've been taking my language lessons throughout the month of July, and got to practice conversational French in Quebec.
August wellness goals:
  1. Meditate 15 minutes daily.
  2. Exercise one hour daily.
  3. Smile or laugh daily.
I'm setting just three wellness goals for August since I'll be away traveling in France in the last third of August. This means I'll need to modify my exercises as I won't have access to a gym. I'll bring a resistance band, my running shoes, and use my body weight to keep my fitness routine going.

I plan to continue my language lessons with Duolingo but I expect a temporary break whenever I don't have Internet access. I'll get to practice conversational French in France so this will be a great substitute.

Last but not least, the optional Wellness prompt for this month is Healthy cooking tips. I look forward to reading all the healthy cooking tips that readers or other bloggers want to share. My practice of healthy cooking includes olive oil, lean meat, and fresh or frozen vegetables. We often steam, stir fry, bake, broil, or grill, and use non-stick cookware which requires less oil. We use herbs and spices to enhance the flavours. We rarely use butter and salt in our cooking.

Your turn...How are you doing with your wellness goals? Do you find it easier to keep your wellness goals in the summer? What's your favourite healthy cooking tip? I'd love to hear your comments.

28 comments:

  1. Natalie, last summer and fall, having read about the benefits of meditation, I decided that I would meditate each day. I used a couple of different pre-recorded online meditation coaches to guide the meditation practice. The meditation ranged from about 8-25 minutes, and I could choose from different themes. I was fairly consistent, meditating most days except when travelling and during our move. I persisted with it for about three months. And then I gave up. I felt that I was just sitting there trying not to think, and rarely achieving a state of presence that I associate with meditating (although I did get there a handful of times, and it felt great). One of my yoga teachers occasionally offers a yoga nidra class, and I find that works much better for me although I don’t know if it is actually meditation. Sadly, I guess I am a meditation failure!

    Jude

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    1. Hi Jude - Yoga nidra is a meditation technique done while lying down, as opposed to sitting meditation. I think the different terms confuse people, and make the practice more complicated than necessary. The key thing is to take time out, focus on our breath, relax our body, and calm our mind. With regular practice, anyone could get to the calm state successfully and enjoy the feelings of well-being. It sounds like the guided yoga nidra works for you, so forget the term meditation, just enjoy the moment :)

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  2. Hi Natalie, I love your attitude to keeping fit even when travelling. I've been trying to learn Italian for years so I can converse with my husband's relatives when we visit Italy. Your idea of 15minutes a day might just work. Not too long yet enough to fit into a daily routine. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Sue - I'd rather do something to keep fit when traveling, than skip and have a hard time resuming my fitness routine after a trip. For my language lessons, I set 15 minutes as that's do-able and I'm learning because it's fun for me. Lofty goals are good but they must be realistic otherwise they make us feel like failures and that's not good for learning. Your husband's relatives will be so impressed when you can converse in Italian with them.

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  3. Practising conversational French is so much better than duolingo, so you have my permission to take time off from it while you're there. My fave healthy tip is homemade stocks and Asian broths - full of flavour, spice & virtually no fat.

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    1. Speaking French in France is the real deal :) I plan to maximize my practice time. My cousins can speak English but I'll ask them to converse to me in French. Thanks, for the healthy tip, Jo. Homemade stocks are very versatile.

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  4. I like that number 3. Make time for fun - and dance. That's my tip. Will add my post but if not specific enough, no offence will be taken if deleted. But No Lights No Lycra is def my HAPPY place.

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    1. Dance and music are great for our mind and body. Thanks, Lydia, for linking up with us.

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  5. Not sure what happened to my comment??

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  6. Smile or laugh daily. I really should do more of that! I also have let meditation lapse. Thanks for the reminders! :-) #TeamLovinLife

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    1. You're welcome, Min :-) Good news is both smiling/ laughing and meditation can be resumed any time you like.

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  7. Natalie I really like these three goals - achievable but also really practical and the fact that you've taken your month into consideration and modified things a bit is also testament to how intentional you're being about your wellness.

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    1. Thank you, Leanne, for your kind words. I like to keep my goals simple (1, 2, 3) and practical.

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  8. I should set some wellness goals so I'm accountable. I want to be a bit physically and mentally healthier when I go to Italy in a month. AND I need to download an Italian speaking app so I can learn a few words!!! #teamlovinlife

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    1. How about walking near nature and listening to an Italian speaking app, three times a week? 2 birds 1 stone :) Thanks, Deborah, for stopping by.

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  9. Natalie, I love your "smile or laugh daily" goal. A good dose of endorphins can't ever be bad in my opinion!!!
    It's the "conversational French" in France that was my undoing. Three weeks of intensive French language lessons in Paris and I naively thought I'd be able to converse like a native. Wrong!!! I could read so much better and understand better too, but when it came to conversation it was just so much harder! What I did get very good at saying was "Je parle un peu français" and "Plus lentement, s'il vous plaît"!!!
    Enjoy France :)

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    1. Thank you, Sue, for visiting and sharing your experience in France. I look forward to enjoying my time there.

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  10. Hi, Natalie - My favourite health cooking tip is to add walnuts to cereal, salads or muffins (for their Omega-3 benefits).

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    1. Thanks, Donna, for sharing you favourite healthy cooking tip. It sounds crunchilicious. I'll add walnuts to my grocery shopping list.

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  11. I'm getting there with my wellness goals, my big running race is this Sunday and I'm excited. I've trained as best I can and will be focusing on my best time on the day and not those of my friends. They are all speed runners.

    SSG xxx

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    1. You got the right focus on your personal best, SSG. Good luck on Sunday. I'll be cheering you on virtually.

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  12. As I'm moving house in the latter part of August, my wellness goals will probably go out the window. But I do try to exercise for at least 45 minutes a day and do something for myself. I hope you have a great trip. #LovinLifeTeam

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    1. You're wise to take care of yourself, Kathy. Moving house is a big undertaking so naturally it will affect your wellness activities. Good luck with your move. I hope everything goes smoothly.

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  13. Your commitment to exercise when you are traveling is admirable. I have the best of intentions, and always pack my tennies and active wear but I don't always get them out of the suitcase. Will be accompanying my PC to Arizona for a week this fall. We have scouted out where the nearest gym will be from our hotel. Now to make good use of it!
    Thank you for putting together this link-up series. I really think it is because of Wellness Wednesday that I am moving more these days.

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    1. One trick that I do is to get dressed in active wear and start walking. You've been doing great with your fitness activities, Leslie. The fall season is beautiful and cool which is perfect for workouts. Thank you for joining me in this series.

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  14. I’m going to need to set some sort of goal for myself. I’m gonna have to take baby steps but I think the first thing I need to do is cut down on my intake of Diet Coke and drink more water. I eat healthy, but this Diet Coke is a huge vice. Enjoy your time in France.

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    1. Thanks, Stacey, for your visit and linking up with us. Baby steps are great. Soft drinks have a lot of sugar and empty calories that we don't need, plus you can save the money to treat yourself to a nice experience. Our next Wellness Wednesday link up is on Sept. 12. Optional prompt 'favourite strengthening exercise'.

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