INTRODUCTION TO WELLNESS
WHEN IT COMES TO WOMEN’S WELLNESS, THERE ARE A FEW SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS WE HAVE TO MAKE. OUR HORMONES ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO OUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES, AND THIS CAN HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT IN HOW WELL OR NOT OUR BODIES RESPOND TO SPECIFIC DIETS AND/OR EXERCISE PROGRAMS. THIS IS WHY NO ONE DIET WORKS FOR EVERYONE, AND WHY YOU NEED TO PAY SPECIAL attentioN TO YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS, DESIRES AND GOALS.
HOW OFTEN HAS A DIET WORKED FOR YOUR FRIEND, MOM, SISTER…BUT YOU EITHER SAW ZERO RESULTS, FELT AWFUL, OR JUST COULDN’T STICK WITH IT? SAME GOES FOR EXERCISE. SOME WOMENS BODIES RESPOND WELL TO RUNNING, OTHERS TO YOGA, SOME OTHERS TO WEIGHTLIFTING. WHY SO MANY POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FROM THE SAME METHOD?
THE FIRST CONSIDERATION IS OUR BODY TYPE. TALL, SHORT, SMALL-MEDIUM-LARGE FRAME, TEND TO CARRY EXCESS BODY FAT OR HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME KEEPING WEIGHT ON. WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. THAT IS BOTH A BEAUTIFUL THING AND SOMETIMES OUR BIGGEST FRUSTRATION. BUT IT’S ONE OF THE MANY WONDERFUL THINGS THAT MAKES US UNIQUELY US!
THE NEXT CONSIDERATION IS ACTIVITY LEVEL. HOW ACTIVE ARE YOU? HOW ACTIVE DO YOU NEED TO BE IN ORDER TO LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST? THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR, WE WILL DISCOVER DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIVITY AND JUST HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE THE FULL BENEFITS OF EXERCISE, WITHOUT CREATING UNREALISTIC EXERCISE ROUTINES.
ANOTHER CONSIDERATION IS SELF-CARE. SPEAKING ON HORMONES AGAIN, STRESS LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT OUR BODIES ABILITY TO FUNCTION AT IT’S OPTIMAL LEVEL BECAUSE OF INCREASED CORTISOL LEVELS. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS LEVELS, OR YOU LACK A REGULAR SELF-CARE ROUTINE, YOU ARE SETTING YOURSELF BACK IN TERMS OF HEALTH. SELF-CARE ENSURES THAT WE ARE BETTER ABLE TO MANAGE STRESS, CAN DECREASE OUR CHANCES OF DEVELOPING CERTAIN DISEASES, AND IMPROVE MANY COMMON HEALTH CHALLENGES.
THE STATE OF OUR WELL-BEING CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH FAR BEYOND JUST WHAT WE’LL SEE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. DID YOU KNOW THAT INCREASING YOUR WATER INTAKE CAN ACTUALLY SLOW DOWN THE AGING PROCESS? OR THAT WEIGHT AND RESISTANCE TRAINING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS? DID YOU KNOW THAT DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES THROUGHOUT THE DAY OR A BRISK WALK CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON REDUCING CORTISOL AND STRESS LEVELS? DID YOU KNOW THAT RESEARCHERS HAVE DISCOVERED A MAJOR LINK BETWEEN MENTAL WELLNESS AND GUT HEALTH?
WELLNESS DESERVES THE HYPE, BUT YOU’VE GOT TO BE FOCUSING BIG PICTURE IN YOUR WELLNESS JOURNEY. DON’T JUST THINK OF YOUR BEACH VACATION, THINK OF YOUR 80TH BIRTHDAY!
DOWNLOAD THE INFOGRAPHIC BELOW (JUST CLICK TO DOWNLOAD) AND START WORKING ON YOUR WELLNESS 101 WORKSHEET IN YOUR WORKBOOK. THE QUESTIONS IN YOUR WORKBOOK WILL HELP YOU TO IDENTIFY THE HEALTH CONCERNS THAT ARE WEIGHING ON YOU, THE THINGS YOU WILL WORK ON THIS YEAR TO IMPROVE THE IMPACT OF YOUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES AND YOUR WELL-BEING, AND HELP YOU MAKE A PLAN TO START SEEING A REAL IMPROVEMENT IN YOUR HEALTH.
