Running Towards Wellness

Alright People, how it possibly 2024 already?! Man, I remember being a kid and thinking the 2000’s were so far off and now here we are, almost a quarter into it. Of course, I also couldn’t imagine being in my late 40’s when I was a kid either. 

I like the idea of picking out a word vs doing a resolution for the year. 2023 was the word intentional and I think (ok, I know) I failed. The year just completely got away from me. However, I do plan to be very intentional about my 2024 word and that is right in the title of this blog, “wellness”. 

I’ve been so busy just trying to survive the last few years that I’ve completely let myself go. I have been on the back burner for so long that I need wellness in every area and aspect of my life. It’s not easy putting yourself at the forefront when you’re a Mom. Add in parenting kiddos with trauma backgrounds and special needs and it gets even a little bit harder. My kids are young and still pretty dependent on me and so they’ve become my top priority. So what am I going to do to make “wellness” abundant in my life?

My very top focus is my health. I am a sugar addict. I love baked goods especially homemade cookies and donuts (looking at you Linda’s Bakery and Kwik Trip) but for the most part, they need to go. Nutrition is going to be a big focus for the whole family. Yes, my kids are going to dislike me. I may even hear that they hate me once in awhile, but I also know, especially for M, sugar and food dyes directly affect her behavior and how well she can stay regulated. Fitness and moving will be the next big piece. When you’re 60-70 lbs overweight for your height and you add in Fibromyalgia symptoms, making yourself get up and move isn’t easy, but it’s going to be a must. My husband Justin and I sat down yesterday to go through a routine on what I’m going to go at the Y each day. It’ll be a mix of stretching, cardio for warm and cool down and strength training. 

After physical wellness, my next priorities will be my mental wellness. Taking care of myself in ways that I enjoy and making my relationships with others a priority again. And really spiritual and financial wellness are right up there too. They are all important to me. A friend of mine got a group of ladies together and we are going through the entire Bible in one year through the Bible app. I look forward to learning more from this group as I have a hard time trying to figure out what exactly the Bible is saying when I just read it by myself. I’m looking forward to getting the family back to Church this year and strengthening my prayer life. Financial wellness, well, that probably seems like a weird thing to concentrate on when I’ve quit my job but with whatever I do manage to make this year, I want to do less spending and more saving. I also want to figure out exactly what I want to do next. 

As a family, Justin and I have decided to focus on the 7 F’s from the Oola guys with one small change, instead of Field, we’ve changed it to Fulfillment. The other 6 F’s are Faith, Family, Fitness, Finance, Friends, and Fun. We have them written on a chalkboard in our living room and plan to be intentional about doing as many of the 7 F’s each day as we can to live a more balanced life. I started my day with making sure I drank 30 oz of water before reaching for my coffee and reading the 1st day of the Bible plan before most of the kids were up. Once they got up, we played a game of memory, Justin and I played a few round of speed and then we did some family stretching and Just dance on youtube to get in some fitness since the Y is closed today.

So Friends and Family, I hope you’ll ride this journey with me searching for wellness in your own life wherever you may need it. Weight, measurements, and pictures have been taken. Accountability partner is set and I’m looking forward to feeling healthy again. My prayer is that the numbness in my hands goes away, sleep improves, my foot pain improves and my body stops feeling like one huge bruise every time someone touches me. Here’s to a year of peace, love, joy, prosperity and wellness!

Cheers,

Dawn