My friend posted on her Facebook page about joining the New York Times Well Challenge, which involves a series of daily prompts to help you focus on wellness. The prompts are focused in four areas; Move, Refresh, Connect and Nourish. I decided that I could always use more focus on being well so I joined in the fun.
For my first daily challenge I was asked to write a letter to myself describing what a successful well challenge means to me. Since I love writing this seems like a great first challenge to complete.
What does a successful well challenge mean to me?
The ideas of move, refresh, connect and nourish are central to overall wellness. For me personally working on the first word – move is going to be extremely important. I have often focused on the need to get fit or physically healthy, but I have often failed to recognize the importance of moving simply for the joy of it. This creates a situation where moving begins to have a negative connotation. That’s why I am so excited that my husband bought 2 kayaks for my Christmas gift.
The idea of paddling across a lake or gliding down a calm river sounds amazing and is exactly the kind of “move” that I need; focusing on the joy of movement not just forcing myself to get on a treadmill at the YMCA. I am also excited to have a new Apple Watch because it has features that remind me to stand and move more. With little reminders, my watch helps to hold me accountable to make good decisions for my body.
Another great feature of the watch is an app that reminds me to focus and deep breathe. This is a great reminder for the need to refresh. Life can come fast and while I am stressing about bills and my job and my very messy house that needs to be cleaned, the ability to just slow down and take a deep breath is so important.
The third part of the challenge is connect, and while so many of us use social media to reach out, connecting with friends in real life and finding time to be together is important. I am so lucky to have a wonderful tribe of friends and I have tried to keep these friendships a priority in my life. I attend a monthly book club with the most fabulous group of women. I actively participate in my local democratic legislative district and have met so many wonderful people there, and I make an effort to stay connected to friends. I had a wonderful holiday season, spending some positive family time not only with my husband, grandson and my daughters, but also my nieces and nephews as well. We played games, laughed and even went to an escape room together. These connections are so positive, I am grateful every time that I get to be with them.
The last part of the challenge is nourish, and for me taking time to read and time to write, as well as spend time in nature are the things that help me to nourish my soul. Eating well and getting back to good food choices will nourish my body. Focusing on hydration is another important part of taking care of my self. After a very self-indulgent holiday season my body is craving healthy nutrition.
I do not know exactly what this #NYTWellChallenge will bring in coming days, but if I can focus on finding joyful movement each day, using my technology tools to help remind me to move and to breathe, making connections a priority and remembering to nourish my body and soul, then I think I will be successful at this challenge.
I am looking forward to seeing the daily prompts and learning from them.
If you are interested in the NYT Well Challenge you can find out more at https://www.nytimes.com/programs/well-challenge
