Pursuing health looks different for everyone because people have unique definitions of wellness in their own lives. Some may consider physical fitness to be the peak of health while others view contentment in the area of mental health as the crux of well-being. No matter how you define wellness, there are many areas of health that require investment to improve.
Most people will focus on a few specific areas in their pursuit of health. They will increase the amount of time spent exercising or engaging in physical activities. Then they will balance that with healthier eating. People may also build time into their schedules to focus on mental health through rest and relaxation. Lastly, they may focus on social health by spending quality time with the people they care about.
All these pursuits are great ways to achieve better wellness. But how can you better support your journey toward health so that you stay motivated and on track with your goals? Here are a few new ways to support your health journey going forward.
Research What is Coming in the Future
Knowing is half the battle, at least, that’s what they say. For personal wellness, that is absolutely true. The older you get, the more vulnerable your body and mind become. Health issues that come with age may be unavoidable in some cases, but how you approach your health now could play a role in reducing their likelihood or their effect on your life before they happen. By doing the research now, you can start adding goals to your health journey that will give you a better chance of staving off some of these conditions or at least diminishing the symptoms. Start preparing for health in your old age by understanding what may come and adjusting your health goals to plan for your later years. This research will help you better support your long-term health journey.
Keep a Journal of Your Progress
Reflection can be a very helpful tool for anyone with long-term goals, and this is true for health journeys as well. By taking time each day to write about what you accomplished, you can track your progress, celebrate milestones, and look back on your story for inspiration. Journaling is also proven to have mental health benefits, so it can be considered one of your mental health goals while also supporting your other wellness efforts. When you feel discouraged or unmotivated to keep reaching for your goals, looking back at your journal entries from days that you pushed through could give you the inspiration needed to continue.
Take Dietary Supplements
When you are embarking on a health journey that will push you, it can be helpful to enact some minor changes in your life that get you into a growth mindset. These small steps can signal to your brain that changes are coming. One example of a small change that you can make is to start taking dietary supplements. Supplements are a great way to support a balanced and healthy diet with additional nutrients, though they should never act as a substitute for nutrients that should be provided by the food you eat. Cellsentials from USANA are a great option for supporting your health journey by starting a new habit.
Invite Others for Support
Pursuing health can be difficult, repetitive, and sometimes lonely. There may be days when you feel like you are making no progress and you start to lack the motivation needed to push forward. When this happens, the best thing to get you back on track could be a friend who is going through a similar journey. Exercising, dieting, or pursuing better mental health with a buddy can make the process go smoothly. You can encourage each other, hold each other accountable, and even experience a new perspective on how to follow through on your goals. If you don’t have a buddy to walk alongside on your journey, you could find a community group or class that has similar goals. Even if you don’t know the people personally at the beginning, you will form a bond as you push toward the same milestones.
Supporting Your Journey is as Important as the Goals Themselves
When you initially set your wellness goals before starting on the journey, it can be very exciting. You are chock-full of motivation to achieve better health, and the first few weeks or days may seem easy with all the energy that you have. But in every health journey comes moments where you dread the idea of another run, or eating another salad, or there is too much to get done to relax for half an hour. When these moments occur, how will you motivate yourself to push on? That is why it is so important to have built-in support systems for your process that can give you that small burst of motivation or energy that you need to keep going. Try out these suggestions and see if they give you a little extra push to reach your personal wellness goals.