Hello and welcome back. I'm celebrating today! Why? I'm finished. I'm done. Not really in my life journey's wellbeing. But for my participation in the Wednesday Wellbeing Club hosted by 
And we all completed it! If you care to read about the initiative and all that was involved in our journey, you can read it here: Wednesday Wellbeing Club | 11 August - 24 November | Week 1: Wednesday 18 August 2021.
I adopted the Club's Rule of Fives as my framework. The ability to create your own Rules and work within the framework is easy. That way, you'll be able to fully maintain your wellbeing plan.
Here was my Rule of FOURS for each week:
- Lose 2 lbs.;
- Enjoy 4 x 30-minute sessions of physical activity (either indoors or outdoors);
- Eat 4 x (1/2 cup combined) - portions of fruit and vegetables each day;
- Get 4 nights x 8 hours sleep.
- Carve out 4 x 30-minute sessions offline either with family or self-indulgence quiet time.
Below is my chart of activities over the past 15-week period of the Wednesday Wellbeing Club:
RECAP OF MY WELLNESS JOURNEY
| Activity: | Weight | Phy. Activity | Eating | Sleeping | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOAL | -2 lbs./wk | 4 x 30 min | 4x1.5c | 4x8hr | 4 events/wk |
| Week 1 | -.5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Week 2 | -.5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Week 3 | -2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Week 4 | -.5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Week 5 | -.5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Week 6 | -.5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 7 | -3.5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Week 8 | +1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 9 | -.75 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Week 10 | -0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Week 11 | -.5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Week 12 | -0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Week 13 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Week 14 | -1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Week 15 | -.05 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| TOTAL Loss | 10.75 |
Overall Accomplishment
Completing the Wednesday Wellbeing Club's initiative was a huge success in terms of following through with a commitment for self-improvement. Over the course of the 15 weeks, I learned a good deal about my habits in several areas. These habits I acquired over the years in eating, sleeping, health awareness, and taking time for personal growth needed to improve.
Documenting my movements in terms of wellness I have attempted numerous times. Each time previously has been loosely adhered to.
After my diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes, I realized I had to make a permanent change in my lifestyle. The Wednesday Wellbeing Club assisted me in my efforts.
Weight Loss
My goal in the Wednesday Wellbeing Club was to lose about 2 pounds per week. That would have been a total weight loss of 30 pounds over 15 years. I was hopeful I could accomplish this. However, I fell short. I'm disappointed, but not discouraged.
Weight loss has been the one area in my life that has been extremely difficult for me to manage.
During this 15-week journey, I realized a total weight loss of 10.75 pounds. I know it's not a major accomplishment, but for me, this is huge. With the holidays here, I have a different approach in my weakness for desserts.
Physical Activity
I have increased my physical activity to the point of combining indoor exercise on my exercise bike. My outdoor activity includes light walking due to arthritis in several areas of the body, especially my knees.
Eating
This is perhaps the one area of my life that needed a major change. I've now started being more conscious of my intake as far as a balanced meal. Adding more fruits and vegetables had helped my diet so that I could realize those 10.75 pounds lost. Also, consuming less soft drinks, even the diet brands, helped my diabetes.
Sleeping Wellbeing
Going through this process and documenting my sleep habits have now become routine. As I stated in an earlier article about routines and rituals, documenting my sleep habits became a routine.
Now, it has become a ritual as I attempt to analyze when and how I sleep to correct bad habits of less than 5 hours sleep each night. I knew I couldn't sustain this long term with underlying health conditions.
My goal during those 15 weeks was to realize 4 or more nights each week getting 8 hours sleep. Some weeks worked out extremely well. Others, especially when ill, saw me slip back into old habits.
To correct this situation, I've started taking additional naps of two hours or more during the day if I didn't rest well the night before. I will continue this going forward.
What I gained more control over during the Wellbeing journey was being more conscious of my sleeping habits and correcting them immediately.
Offline Wellness
Also, I've been more aware of when and how long I spend online to balance out my time and energy. I was able to start and work on projects that needed my time and attention. I've also made a commitment to take a few days each week offline.
During the pandemic, my immediate family attempted to protect me by not visiting often due to their contact with outside individuals they had no control over.
Thanks
I'd like to conclude my participation by thanking all my readers for accompanying me on my journey in the Wednesday Wellbeing Club. It was a pleasure reporting my progress each week, whether good or bad. I appreciate your support as you offered feedback and tips. Thank you for the engagement. Happy Holidays, and Have a good rest of your year.
Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva utilizing one of its templates and other images in accordance with my Annual Pro Subscription.