As summer weather sets in, it’s the ideal time to turn our focus to living intentionally. Most of us are feeling happier and more energetic with renewed access to vitamin D. Fresh fruits and vegetables are accessible, affordable, and at their peak flavor. Consequently, Summer is a natural time to embrace wellness.
Build a Summer Wellness Plan
Wellness encompasses a wide range of elements. Your goals could be physical, mental or relational in nature. Whatever area you choose to work on it’s important to make them attainable. An easy way to do this is by designing each goal to be SMART.
- Specific: When goals are vague it makes them very difficult to achieve. If you want to improve your relationships then plan to get together with a friend once a week. Or, if you would like to run faster then note your current pace and set a specific 5K time that you are working toward. Whatever your goals may be, find a way to make them more specific.
- Measurable: Once you have something specific in mind then be sure to find a way to measure your progress. Keeping a journal or having an accountability partner is a good way to help with this. If you are working on weight loss then be sure too take progress pictures so that you can enjoy tracking your results with something other than a scale (which can be deceiving).
- Acceptable: Goals are very personal. Make sure you are the one setting your goals, don’t let someone else pressure you into anything. Look at your desires, resources and needs and work toward things that suit your long term plans.
- Realistic: If you have never gone to a gym before in your life then planning to get up at 5am and hit a workout class every day probably isn’t realistic. Look at your natural strengths and set goals that are realistic in your every day life. Cooking fresh foods three days a week is a fantastic goal, but keep the recipes manageable and start any working with foods you are familiar with.
- Time-Specific: The more specific you can be the more likely you are to succeed. Working toward a deadline and sharing that timeline with people close to you is a great way to stay motivated and enjoy more tangible results.
keep it simple
Designing a summer wellness plan can be bring intention to your day. However, Don’t neglect to take the wellness of your whole person into account as you sit down to write out your goals. Summer should be a peaceful time so keep enjoy a slower pace of living even as you continue working to become the best version of yourself.
