committed to wellness

Now that all of the boxes have been unpacked, the pictures perched on their walls and the rooms impeccably organized (have I mentioned that I'm anal in that way?), I am left with an increasing amount of time to sit, read, and reflect on this new adventure.  Even more than that -- what I want to do with this time that I have been gifted!  As with any new beginning, I am given a choice in how I want to be, where I want to be involved and how I want to prioritize my time.

Time and again, however, my mind returns to the concept of self-care and wellness, a topic I began exploring here a few days ago in my post titled "rest."  As my family, friends and mentors can attest, this is not my strongest quality.  I have a habit, an ingrained pattern, of ignoring self, ignoring wellness.  And, while sometimes this self-denial is wrapped in a pretty bow of busyness and self-sacrifice, the truth is that I don't make the choice to care for myself, to make health and wellness a true priority.  I have, at times, put everything - my school-work, my job, my can't-miss tv schedule (you know, the important stuff) - above making wellness a priority.  To focus on wellness requires effort, education, and commitment.  And, truth be told, while I have had an on-and-off affair with healthy eating and exercise, I have never committed to seeing it through.

The ironic thing is that my core values -- authenticity, compassion, honesty, justice -- are made impossible without a commitment to wellness.  

My mind is awhirl with hopes, goals, and inspiration -- places I want to go, things I want to do, parts of me that I am dying to discover -- but, for any of these to become a reality, the foundation of all of it must be a commitment to health and wellness, healthy living and self-care.  And, to be honest, it's one of the things that I am most excited about!  

I am soaking in the knowledge, reading like a maniac, finding different ways to workout on a daily basis (especially at a 7,000 foot elevation!) and learning how to make healthy eating a reality while on a strict budget.  How about you?  How are you making health and wellness a priority? What do you want to know more about? Come be a partner on this journey!  Research has shown that social networks improve health -- I would love to learn from you, too!  

No more excuses!  Commit to yourself.