Oct 09
11
Bread Pudding and Wellness
Today I had bread pudding after lunch. So, instead of doing what I wanted to do–to curl up with a blanket and enjoy reading on a rainy cool afternoon–I turned on an exercise video and “felt the burn.” Instead of snoozing with the drone of Sunday afternoon football in the background, I listened to a beautiful, toned instructor yell at me: “Feel the passion!” “Energy!” “Power!” And I visualized that bread pudding melting right off my hips.
You see, I began a “wellness plan” just over a week ago. Now I’m more conscious than ever of what I’m eating, and how much I’m burning. I set a goal for myself to do some sort of exercise or physical activity at least six days a week, and because I am accountable now to my coach, I’m sticking with it. So instead of feeling like a blob right now, I actually feel proud of myself for doing something good for my body after my splurge.
Wellness doesn’t just mean eating right and being physically healthy. It encompasses the whole body, mind and spirit. When I began this journey, my coach Lucinda asked me to rate my satisfaction with these areas of my life, the sectors of my “wellness wheel.”
- Nutrition
- Fitness
- Fun
- Career
- Stress
- Organization
- Time Management
I rated myself from a high of 90% on nutrition ( I just thought I was eating right) to 25% on career. Time Management and Fitness tied for second lowest with a score of 50%. I don’t have much stress, I think I have fun (though I’d like to entertain more these days) and I am generally an organized person. So the baseline was established for my “wellness quarterly report,” plus my target areas for improvement were set. Hence, the goals for more exercise, and my “non-negotiable” quiet time to begin each day. Twice monthly visits with Lucinda will keep me accountable and on track. The ultimate goal is to have 100% in each area, though perfection is rarely achieved, even by people like my beautiful, toned exercise video instructor.
I highly recommend getting yourself a wellness coach, or at least taking the steps to evaluate your total body & mind satisfaction. Look at the areas listed above, give yourself a score for each, then set some realistic goals for taking small steps toward improvement. I could use some company on this journey!
My bread pudding wasn’t all bad. It enhanced my “fun factor” (I was having lunch with my husband and two of my grow-up kids), it gave me a warm, content “de-stressed” feeling, and it satisfied my sweet cravings for a while. Plus, it gave me motivation to combat the Sunday-afternoon blahs with an hour of revved-up energy.
Here’s to bread pudding and all it has done to improve my wellness!
