This year one of my Powersheets goals is my health. This is actually something that has been a Powersheets goal for me for a couple of years, however, I bounce around with doing great and not doing good at all. In the fall of 2022 I started going to the gym five days a week. I felt stronger and better than ever. I kept up with this habit for an entire year.
Then in November of 2023, I started watching my youngest grandson and the times conflicted with going to the gym so I fell out of the habit. By December, when I set my Powersheets goals, I was ready get back to it. I was determined to make the time work. Except, I found out our gym closed its doors. Just great.
I was still trying to figure out what to do -do I get a membership to another gym, do I workout at home, do I take walks, what do I do- when I started the year very sick. Y'all, by March 5th, I had been sick four different times. So sick I missed church four different times, and I hate missing church. With all the sickness, focusing on my health was hit or miss. I drank water, took my vitamins, and did all those good things. But I was also consuming a lot of sugar and not working out at all, I also never hit my step goal.
We are now nearing April and I am ready to work on my overall wellness!
Megs from She Lives Loved did 75 Hard last year. A challenge that focuses on overall wellbeing. She is doing the challenge again beginning in April and I asked her about it. When she first sent me the information, my jaw dropped. It is intense! I decided I wanted to give it a try anyway. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that I needed something more tailored to my life and my season. Something with just a little more grace. (If you are looking for a good, strict challenge, follow Megs on Instagram and ask her about 75 Hard!)
I decided to do an April Wellness Challenge and want to invite you to join me!
I want to make this clear, this is not about losing weight. This is not a diet. And I am not a medical professional nor a dietitian. This is simply what I am doing to focus on overall wellness for the month.
So here it is! This is what I am doing for an April Wellness Challenge:
1. A 20 minute walk outside every day. Rain or shine, get outside and walk for at least 20 minutes. It doesn't have to be a powerwalk or intense. It can be a powerwalk, but it can also be a prayer walk, a worship walk, or just a leisurely walk. The idea is to just move, get those steps in, and get fresh air.
2. Drink 100 ounces of water every day. I love using a good tumbler for my water. This 40oz Swig Life Tumbler is my favorite. I also love this 50oz Reduce Tumbler. I need a tumbler that has a handle and straw, and will keep my water cold. Knowing I only need to fill it up twice (or two and a half times if I am using my Swig Life) makes it so easy to get my water in. I fill it up in the morning and again in the afternoon and sip on it all day.
3. Do an off screen activity for 20 minutes every day. This could be reading a book, doing a puzzle, playing a game, gardening, calling a friend, anything off screen. No social media, no TV, no computer, no device games, no texting, no screens! (Bible study doesn't count, we want extra time off screen.)
4. Make healthy choices six days a week. I could say the word diet, but truthfully, I am not a fan of this word. Making healthy choices for our body shouldn't be considered a diet. I suggest choosing one area to focusing on this month. This could be no sugar, no soda, no gluten, hitting a protein goal, just some kind healthy choice for six of the seven days a week. We don't need to do all these things at one time, we just need to do something. I say six days because it is okay to indulge once in a while. For me, I will be doing no ice cream and no soda Saturday through Thursday. I enjoy having a Pepsi on Fridays when I go to the lake, and I enjoy ice cream so I don't want to completely deprive myself. So Fridays will be my treat day (notice I didn't say cheat day, that has a negative feel to me)! In addition to making healthy choices, if you take medication or vitamins, stay consistent with those all seven days. If you don't currently, consider starting a multivitamin or taking a greens supplement, this Teami Greens blend is the best one I've found. I mix it with orange juice and even though it's green, it tastes just like the orange juice. It isn't gritty or grainy. I would also encourage you to have no alcohol of any kind during this time if that is normal for you.
And most important, give yourself grace. If you mess up one day, don't give up or beat yourself up. Just jump back to it.
So why am I doing this instead of a full on diet? I already mentioned, I don't like that word. Eating good shouldn't be considered a diet. But, for one, I don't care about the number on a scale or the number on the tags of my clothes. I care about how I feel. I want to feel good. Two, in the past when I have dieted, I feel restricted and deprived. It ends up with me getting upset and quitting. And three, wellness isn't just about your weight. It's about your overall health. To be overall healthy. we need to make sure we are moving our body, drinking water, and spending time off screen just as much as we need to watch what we consume.
With 75 Hard, one of the steps is to take a progress selfie every day. To me, that sounds annoying. I do not want to take 75 (or more if I mess up) selfies. However, I do thinking taking a picture at the beginning, on April 1st, and at the end, on April 30th, is a good way to see if you notice a difference. That said, the best way to notice progress is by how you feel!
To help you keep track of your April Wellness Challenge, I created a calendar tracker. You can use this to track your progress, your water intake, and mark your treat day. To download the calendar tracker, click HERE.
Will you be joining me for the April Wellness Challenge?
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