Do you keep a journal? I keep a daily journal of my thoughts and ramblings. I try to make a habit of writing in it every morning. I would not call it organized or even legible. The writing is random and often incoherent. It is a helpful habit, but not something I would share.
I have decided I would like to keep a sharable journal of the journey I spoke about last week. Although I only officially started last week, it feels like I have been on it for a lot longer. I have been looking for ways to learn, grow and be the best version of myself for a very long time. I think I am just now beginning to find the pieces I need to make it all come together. I know it will continue to be 2 steps forward and step back process, but I believe what I said last week. It is important to know you are not alone. If by sharing my triumphs and setbacks I help one person to not feel alone I will have served my purpose.
I count the first week of this journey a success.
I followed the workouts for each day from the app we selected last week. As someone who knows very little about working out and even less about weight lifting, this turned out to be a good call. Each workout is broken into small sections that makes it so much easier for me to get through. The coach tells me what to do and if I should be using light, medium or heavy weights. They also gave modifications, which I needed. The app tracked my heart rate and workouts. I am totally exhausted, but I feel so empowered. This type of working out is completely out of my comfort zone. I have always been resistant to weight lifting and gyms in general. I have never seen myself as athletic, coordinated or physically strong. It is incredible what our perceptions can make true. After this week, I think I might have been wrong. Being able to do workouts at home without an audience has shown me that I am capable of so much more than I thought.
However, I did not follow the food and wine guidelines completely. My hubby was sick last week so my cooking went more for comfort than low carb. I did keep my hand out of the Halloween candy, but not off the wine glass. I have reduced my wine intake since the lock down free for all. But as for a complete removal, I don't see it. I would rather skip the desert! For me wine is one of life's pleasures. And we all need our pleasures!
My wellness journey goes beyond diet and exercise. I am working to incorporate healthy habits that improve both my physical and mental health. I am incorporating meditation, yoga and reading into my daily routines. I look forward to my yoga and reading time, but the meditation not so much. I once heard someone say that no one is "good" at meditation. Being good is not the point. The point is to learn to get quiet and observe what comes up and then let it go. Let's just say I am a work in progress. My personal goal is to get to a place where I look forward to just being quiet and still, having no reaction to what comes up. I am also learning about Qigong, another practice about calming the mind and improving the flow of energy. I feel like the practice of yoga, meditation and Qigong will complement each other and will positively impact both my physical and mental health. It's a process. My hope is to keep a weekly journal of how this is going. I will also share the resources I find along the way. Welcome to the menopause mafia! You are an honorary member.
Resources from my journey:
Workouts- I am using the Ladder app
Yoga- I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. Lots of different classes of different lengths.- https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
Meditation- I am trying out different meditation channels on YouTube. I have not settled on one yet.
Qigong- Still checking out different channels on YouTube. I am also reading The Dao De Jing, A Qigong Interpretation. I will be sharing my thoughts in the Coffee Clutch as well as on Instagram.
Podcast - This week I listened to an episode of Super Woman Wellness with Dr. Taz. It is an older episode but I thought the information was great for going into the holiday season. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bdosiXlSFRzQNrdKLgErq
I am here to learn and share. Vulnerability and authenticity takes strength. I am finding mine. How about you? What are you working on?