What Does It Mean to Build a Wellness Routine?

Creating a sustainable, realistic wellness routine you can stick to in the new year is easy with these tips. 

For many, a new year comes with new resolutions. Getting in shape, losing weight, and becoming more financially sound are at the top of many resolution lists when the new year hits. But when thinking about wellness, it can be easy to fall into thoughts of toxic fitness routines and diet culture. Thinking about your health in terms of overall wellness when designing a new routine can help you create sustainable and realistic goals. We sat down with our corporate wellness experts, Lexi Wilcox and Amanda Loitsch to find out what it really means to build a wellness routine. Continue reading to learn more about creating a wellness routine that fits your lifestyle.

The Pillars of Wellness

Wellness can be broken down into different categories or as our experts call them pillars.  Our very own corporate wellness program Passport to Wellness is broken down into these pillars as well, which include social wellness, mental wellness, educational wellness, fitness and nutrition.  Incorporating each pillar will help you develop a well-rounded routine. 

Social Wellness can be as simple as calling a friend to catch up or volunteering in your community. The important part is making a connection with others.  

Mental wellness could mean scheduling time to relax and meditate or even scheduling time to journal if that’s something that interests you! The idea is to check in with yourself mentally and emotionally. 

Educational wellness possibilities are endless! There is always a new skill or language to learn. You’ll never run out of books to read or podcasts to listen to.

Fitness and nutrition can often seem pretty straightforward, but there is a lot of misinformation out there. It's best to do your own research and discuss with your doctor before making significant changes to your lifestyle, especially if you already have health concerns.  

Take Inventory 

There may be aspects of a wellness routine you are already doing without knowing it, so taking inventory of your daily routine is important. “Resources will look different for everyone, so it is important to take inventory of what you already have access to.” says Lexi.  “Consider what you currently do that fits into a routine for overall wellness. Maybe you already take your dog for a walk in the morning and call your friend to catch up at the end of each week.”.

If you have a fitness tracking device you aren’t utilizing or a gym that you have access to, now is a great time to activate those resources. Continuing to do things you already enjoy with resources you already have will make the routine the most manageable.  

Checkpoints and Rewards

Wellness looks different for everyone. Rather than looking at what others have and are already able to do, it's best to focus on your own starting points and goals. One tip from our corporate wellness experts is to structure your goals out over the course of a year with checkpoints and rewards set for each quarter.  You may have better luck staying on track if you start before or after the new year, rather than on January 1st. In doing so, you can avoid the pressure of new year fitness routines and dieting, which can easily turn into anxiety and work out fatigue. Amanda points out that out our corporate wellness program  restarts every year in October which allows members to already be working on their goals well before the new year, reducing pressure to make lifestyle changes overnight. 

Tracking

“It’s natural for wellness to ebb and flow within our lives when left unstructured, and an easy remedy for that is to create a visual tracking system” says Amanda. It can be as simple as downloading a goal tracking app on your phone or tablet. Or you could print off a tracking sheet to post on your desk or fridge at home. The important part is that you’re able to see your progress overtime. Being able to visualize that progression and see where you started will encourage you to continue with your goals even when it's difficult or when you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. 

 

Community 

Oftentimes we reach out to friends and family for support. Lexi mentioned calling on your community to help achieve your goals, “Having a community of support, whether it be one person or ten, can drastically improve the likelihood of success with your goals.” You might consider starting a challenge with a friend so you can hold each other accountable. Many fitness studios and gyms will host support meetings, not just for physical wellness but for social and mental wellness as well. If those options don’t work for you, there are many online wellness and support groups you can join to find people with similar goals as yours. 

 

Incorporating Wellness Everyday

This may sound overwhelming at first but it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean focusing solely on wellness all day, every day.  Both our experts agree that making a conscious effort to fit some aspects of wellness into each day can lead to your overall success. Thinking back to our pillars for example, maybe you focus on your mental wellness on Monday by participating in a mediation session, then on Tuesday you might go for a walk or run. Wednesday, you could work on your educational wellness by starting to learn a new craft or by watching a documentary, and so on. 

Balance is essential in creating a well-rounded and sustainable wellness routine. Now that you have a starting place, are you wondering how to elevate the physical activity portion of your wellness plan while social distancing? Check out the link below to learn more.