Living your best life is more than just a catch phrase.  Pick a few of these tips to start on your journey to optimal wellness. As you get good at incorporating one tip into your life, pick another one until you have mastered all 10.  Enjoy the benefits as you venture toward optimal wellness.

1. Be intentional Be intentional with everything wellness.  If you do not intend to exercise, mediate, cook at home etc., you won’t. Decide what you want to add or delete from your life, make a daily plan.  Start small and celebrate each little accomplishment to make your intentions a habit
2. Be mindful.  What does it mean to be mindful?  According to Merriman- Websters it means to be aware, heedful. This means paying attention to what you are doing and how you are feeling.  Take a minute before starting work and do a simple body scan. When you are eating, do you savor every bite or scarf it down?
3. Lift “Strength is independence!”, that is one of my favorite sayings.  Walking and other cardio is great! You must add resistance training to get the full benefits of exercise.
4. Power Add some power to your workouts. A few days a week, stress your body through some power exercises; something simple like a single leg hop, or something complex like a plyo pushup
5. Think If you are having trouble focusing, if you feel mentally exhausted, take a walk, do some yoga; just move.  Many studies show how your cognitive performance improves after exercise.
6. Fun Do you remember the last time you had fun?  Have you forgotten what it felt like? Add some fun into each day.  It does not have to be a trip to an amusement park.  It can be something as simple as watching a comedy skit or catching up with an old friend.
7. Community/ Support We all learned through Covid how important it is to stay connected to each other.  Saint Mother Theresa said, “The problems of this world are because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”  Find your community.
8. Fueling We really are what we eat.  If you are not meeting your protein needs, eating too many simple carbs and too much saturated fats, you will not feel well or be well.  Most people do not get 5 servings or fruits and vegetables each day.  Do you?
9. Boundaries What are you saying “yes” to when you should be saying “no”?  If you are giving all your energy away to your family, your job, you child’s school, your church, your volunteer efforts, what is left for you?  What is most important to you?  Are you giving it your all, or do you not have enough time and energy to devote to it?
10. Stress management. We all have stress; some of it good and some of it bad.  How are you managing it? Do you ever get a chance to take a short walk alone, meditate, or simply take some deep breaths?  If not, this should be your priority.