~ as someone who feels accomplished every time she checks something off her to-do list

So you’ve decided to change your life, get healthy, and begin your own wellness journey… but where do you start? Our nervous systems are constantly being overwhelmed by wellness tips and tricks and how-to’s on social media which makes it really hard to just get started. We can get stuck in wanting to do everything perfectly and wanting to do everything all at once, when, in reality, the best way to start is to just do something small that helps you reach the goals you have set for yourself. 

When I decided that I wanted to start focusing more on my health and fitness, I was an “all-in” kind of person. If I was going to do something, then I was going to do all the things, every single day, and I was going to start over if those things didn’t happen. I quickly realized that while this worked for me in the short term (for my 75 day soft challenge), it was not sustainable. I could not realistically keep being super strict with my time and my energy because I would burnout.

After my 75-day challenge, I had a lot of changes happening in my life. I was moving back in with my parents, I was substantially extending my daily commute to work, and I was stepping into a higher leadership role at my job. The way I adjusted and reset was by focusing on three daily wins: a physical win, a mental win, and a spiritual/emotional win. This was one of the best ways I found to feel that I was making tangible steps towards my goals each day without overwhelming myself with a long list of must-do’s.

So let’s talk about it. What can you do to get started on your own three daily wins?

Physical Wins

A physical win for the day is defined as anything that has to do with fueling your body or moving your body. Some great examples are getting in a walk every day, hitting a step goal, hitting a protein, fiber, or calorie goal, doing yoga, going to the gym, or even stretching for a set amount of time every day. Whatever physical goal you decide on, I would recommend that you make it specific to your current lifestyle. Push yourself, but don’t overdo it.

I was really into the gym at this time, but my gym routine was very strict. With the adjustments I had to make to my time, I decided that my physical win for the day would be simply being in the gym for a total of 45 minutes. Previously, I had been stretching, lifting, doing an ab circuit three days a week, and walking 30-45 minutes to get my steps in as my daily gym routine. There were days that I was there for 2-2.5 hours, but that just wasn’t sustainable in my life anymore with my 75-minute commute to work. I set this goal of being in the gym for only 45 minutes because it felt like I was giving myself permission to leave without completing every little exercise I previously had been doing. This was so beneficial to changing my “all or nothing” mindset right at the start of this huge pivot in my life. 

Some more specific examples of a physical win could be:

• I will walk 8,000 steps every day.
• I will stretch right when I get up in the morning for at least 15 minutes before starting my day.
• I will plan my meals the night before to make sure I reach my 120 gram protein goal.

Mental Wins

A mental win for the day is defined as something that is making you think or focus. This could be educational in nature or it could be something that you are specifically invested in knowing more about. Some examples could be setting aside time to listen to a podcast about an interesting topic, reading a new book, learning a new language, studying for class, working on your side hustle, or being creative in any way that feels right to you. Again, this should be something that is specific to your life and the goals you are working toward on your wellness journey.

I have always been an avid reader of all genres. Recently, I had been relying on audiobooks for my reading consumption, so I decided that my mental win would be to physically read before bed every day. Realistically, some days that looked like two pages before I was falling asleep, but other days, I was getting into bed early because I was excited to give myself that space to read. I could still consume audiobooks during my workouts and on my drives, but with this daily goal set, I was able to work through some of the books on my (over 100 book) physical TBR (to be read) pile. Another benefit to this was that I was giving myself the space to enjoy reading again without having to multitask during it (aka audiobooks while driving or working out).

Some more specific examples of a mental win could be:

• Every day I will spend 30 minutes studying Spanish.
• I will listen to one episode of the astrology podcast I’ve been meaning to start on my drive to work.
• I will write 1,000 words for the book I want to complete before going to sleep every day.
• I will crochet at least one row of the blanket I want to finish before Christmas during my morning routine.

Spiritual/Emotional Wins

A spiritual or emotional win for the day is defined as something that can help you grow in your spiritual practice or your outlook on life. If you are religious, this could look like praying or reading your devotional. If you are spiritual, this could look like meditating or repeating a mantra. If you do not label yourself as religious or spiritual, this could look like reflection or journaling for emotional wellbeing. Whatever you decide, push yourself to do more than you do naturally within this category.

At the start of my wellness journey, I was personally getting more in tune with the spiritual side of yoga and meditation. I made my daily goal to meditate for at least five minutes at any point in the day. Throughout the beginning of my journey, this went from quiet meditation, to mantra meditation, to incorporating crystals and affirmations, and even trying out my own versions of meditations I had learned. The cool part of these daily wins was watching them grow and evolve as I continued to complete them.

Some more specific examples of a spiritual or emotional win could be:

• I will journal every morning for five minutes before I start my work day.
• I will pray before starting every meal.
• I will repeat three affirmations in the mirror at the end of my night routine.
• I will reflect on my yoga practice for five minutes after completing each flow.

Benefits of Starting Here

Let’s talk about some of the benefits of starting soft on your wellness journey. The reality is we cannot be everything, all at once, all the time. When we create a long list of new habits that we want to create and implement every single day starting right now at this moment… then we set ourselves up to fail. In comparison, when we focus on the smaller steps that we can take to create wellness habits and slowly integrate them into our everyday life and mindset, then we allow our bodies and minds to adjust to this new normal. When we start with these three daily wins, we are hitting on all areas of our life that we could possibly want to improve on, which ultimately will make us feel accomplished in the long term.

For me, this worked really well at a time of massive change to my life and my routines. I was finally able to see that starting slow did not mean I wasn’t trying, it meant that I was sustaining my energy to continue to put in the effort for the rest of my life.

Much love,

Alyssa ☀️

Tell me what your three daily wins are in the comments below.