Wellness practices don’t need to be some crazy routine-changing event. They can be small things that improve your day, mentally and physically. Here are the four wellness practices I added to my routine in February.
Happy first day of March everyone! Since we’re starting a fresh month, I thought today would be a good opportunity to take a quick look back at February. It was another big month of change and getting adjusted to my new routine (still a major work in progress).
With more time on my hands that I’d actually like, I’ve taken advantage of the free time to try out a few new-to-me wellness/fitness practices. These are things that in the past I didn’t have proper time for, for one reason or another. I also want to give a little shout out to Kayla as her recent post inspired this one!
Here’s what I’ve been trying out and whether I’m planning to continue with these practices.
(1) Sleeping
I know, sleeping is not some new wellness trend, but for me it is! I’ve been lacking proper sleep for years. I wear a Fitbit (this one) that uses my heart rate to track sleep each night. I don’t work for Fitbit anymore but am still a huge fan and believer in the products, especially the sleep tracking. Thanks to my tracker, I can see my progress day-to-day and even year-to-year.
2017 was my absolute worst sleeping year. My average hours of sleep per night clocked in at 6 hours and 43 minutes. Keep in mind, that includes weekends where I typically got a decent amount of sleep. You can image how bad Monday-Friday were. I was teaching early morning classes 3 mornings a week and would sometimes get less than 5 hours a night.
My mind is programmed to think that I should be up early every morning ready to take on the world. At the moment, there isn’t that much to take on, and sleeping until 9 or 10 isn’t something I should feel guilty about. I do still feel guilt, but I’m working through it 🙂 In February my average sleep is up to 7 hours and 20 minutes, not bad!
There are so many benefits to getting the proper amount of sleep (I define that as between 7-9 hours), so hopefully I can keep up my good sleep schedule and reap the benefits.
(2) Kayla’s BBG Workouts
I’ve had these BBG workouts saved on my phone for years and occasionally would start the program, then 1-2 weeks later, move on to something else. While in SF, there were so many workout classes at my fingertips that I didn’t have to do much on my own. Things are way different here and it’s been a struggle to find a workout routine that keeps me motivated.
I figured now is a good time to actually try the BBG program, all 12 weeks of it. I’m currently on week 3. I do the three BBG workouts a week, then toss in some of my own workouts to keep things interesting.
I’m not in love with the BBG workouts. I find them to be very repetitive and a little bit boring (I think this is due to all of the group fitness in my past). The positive side is that the workouts will challenge you, regardless of how fit you are. They are also very simple to follow and while the moves are HARD, they are not complicated.
I’m planning to continue with the program and will give a more thorough review once I’m halfway through.
(3) Oil Pulling
This is something that has been on my radar for a while. If you’re new to oil pulling, the short story is you swish oil (usually coconut or sesame) in your mouth for about 20 minutes each morning to improve oral health. There are tons of benefits like whiter teeth, fresher breath, and decreased bacteria in your mouth (this is a good blog post if you’re looking to learn more).
I had never started this practice because previously I’ve never had 20 spare minutes do anything in the morning. I’d typically give myself 10 minutes to wake up, get dressed and get to the gym. There was no time to swish oil in my mouth. With the most leisurely of mornings right now, I thought I’d give it a go.
It’s pretty gross at first. I use coconut oil and the taste doesn’t bother me, but the texture does. I started with 5 minutes of swishing and have worked my way up to 15. I’m only on week one of this new practice. I’ll keep it going and with a bit more time, will report back on the results.
(4) Reading Before Bed
I wish I could say that my new bedtime reading habit means I don’t also mindlessly scroll Instagram before bed, but unfortunately I do a bit of both. Maybe quitting Instagram before bed will be a goal for March.
You might question if reading before bed is even a wellness ritual. For me it is. I find that reading before bed helps to calm my mind and helps me fall asleep faster. It’s the perfect way to slow down and to get away from the glow of your phone (which is definitely not a good pre-bed ritual).
Reading is another thing that has been neglected over the years. I love reading but something has always tended to trump it (mostly TV). Without a TV in the bedroom here, reading it is! I always feel better mentally when I’m reading and this is a practice I’m definitely going to continue with.
I’m on my third book of the year already, which is pretty good for me. Little Fires Everywhere and Before We Were Yours were my first two books and I LOVED them both.
So there you have it for February! I’m hoping to try new-to-me wellness and fitness practices each month. If you have a recommendation for what I should try in March, please note it below!
