As I unfold from winter and reach toward spring the desire to begin a new path to wellness preys on my thoughts. Winter has taken its toll on my body, like always, and it becomes more pronounced with each year that passes. The cold and I are not on friendly terms, so I tend to be indoor oriented and sluggish all winter. I emerge much the same as a bear does, groggy but glad to be awake again. Add to that some health issues that I struggled with for most of last year and you can see why wellness thoughts have sought me out like a predator seeks prey.

Now it’s time to refocus my attention on outdoor activities, fresh air & sunshine, and building some muscles to support the flab. In order to achieve a thorough wellness of body and mind, I’ll need to balance the physical efforts with other activities that bring me peace and serenity. This is not about losing weight. Nor is it about how many steps I can take in a day, even though I do use my Fitbit as an activity motivator and a tool to check on my sleep patterns. This is about taking small steps to getting strong and improving my health. I would love for you to join me and post about your goals, your journey, and what tools you use to help you along.

The first thing I can tell you about here in post #1 is that I gave up coffee a few weeks ago. I’m very surprised that I don’t miss it. Seriously.  I thought I would be miserable without my morning coffee that I’ve been drinking each and every day for the past 30+ years. What I discovered is that I have much less stomach upset, decreased bouts of nausea, and have almost achieved zero intestinal cramping. I’m truly amazed that this beloved, yummy, warming morning beverage could have caused so much bodily upset. This one small step that I thought would be so difficult actually turned out to be effortless and quite an eye-opener. I think perhaps it was more the habit of it that I was dreading losing. It was the one thing I did faithfully every day, without deviation, to begin my day. I’ll confess that giving it up has allowed me to reclaim valuable time each day, time that was previously spent not feeling good enough to do anything, or running to the bathroom with stomach cramps. Then spending time waiting to feel better or to feel like I could go out without needing to be in close proximity to a restroom. All from coffee. Wow. What is your observation of your own coffee habits?

Wellness encompasses mind, body, and soul. As I travel along my path I’ll be writing about my adventures in all these areas. Let’s talk about your journey as well. 

• What motivates you? 
• What do you struggle with? 
• How have you overcome challenges?
• What do you do just for you that fills you with happiness? 

Join me as I document the journey. Please share your thoughts, experiences, successes, failures and most difficult challenges.  We could learn a lot from each other. I look forward to hearing from you. 👩🏻‍💻