T.O.L. Weekly #1: Wellness as a Means & Not an End

Create Habits First, Not Goals

Throughout my life, health and wellness have always been driven by end-date goals in order for me to be motivated; whether it be the beginning of summer or a friend’s wedding, having these hard dates and planning accordingly has been the best system I’ve found to being successful. However, while I was able to meet the goals, I would inevitably fall off the wagon and quit the habits soon after the event happened. My focus was on accomplishing the goal and not on building a sustainable wellness habit which I could stick to for the long term. I was treating my wellness as a means to an end.

I have now decided to turn my aim to incorporating sustainable daily and weekly disciplines in order to have wellness as a consistent part of my life, and not just when I need to lose some weight before a big event. This newsletter will serve as a weekly check in on my habits, what I have learned, and insights I have gleaned through the process. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments, and subscribe to get regular updates.

Improving Physical Wellness Habits

Physical fitness has been one of my biggest struggles through life, especially when it comes to consistency. We’ve all had the few week burst of motivation at the gym, only to inevitably fall off once the initial high fades. Getting into shape is without a doubt the major means to an end we all face when improving our overall wellness, but below are helpful tips to make your habits stick:

Move Your Body First Thing

Humans are creatures of momentum; once we have started working in a direction, it is much easier for us to keep going and snowball into a larger change. I have found this applies to health as well, and one of the most impactful habits you can implement is doing a physical exercise as soon as you get out of bed.

This can be anything you want, but I have found that push-ups work best for me. When I get out of bed in the morning, I immediately hit the ground and do 25 push-ups to start my day. While this is annoying to do when you’re still half asleep, it kickstarts your body and mind by getting your blood flowing. Not only does this make it easier to start the day, but this positive beginning has made me more motivated to be healthier throughout the day as well. Try incorporating your favorite workout at the start of your daily routine and get your momentum going!

Find an Accountability Buddy or group

In addition to being creatures of momentum, us humans are also social creatures. It’s much easier for us to make an activity part of our daily lives and stick to tasks if we have someone or a group to hold us accountable. I can’t recommend enough to find a friend to start your healthy habits with, especially if you have had trouble in the past. Whether it’s getting 10,000 steps a day, eating more servings of vegetables, or reading 20 pages of a book a day, having a partner or group along the journey with you will give you the best chances of success.

Thrive Thought: A Small Piece of Infinity

This week, I have been reading and pondering heavily on the book “Finite and Infinite Games” by James P. Carse. Carse differentiates and breaks down how finite games, which involve a winner and loser, are played for titles, and have a clear end (i.e. Sports, Elections, etc.), and infinite games, which sole purpose is to be played and enjoyed as long as possible with no winner (i.e. Relationships, Creativity, Passion, etc.).

This was the first time I had seen the two so clearly contrasted and explained, and I resonated heavily with this. I’ve never been a competitive person and what I enjoy most is playing team games in which I grow closer to my teammates. A line that particularly stood out to me is:

“We laugh not at what has surprisingly come to be impossible for others, but over what has surprisingly come to be possible with others… The joyfulness of infinite play, its laughter, lies in learning to start something we cannot finish.”

Throughout our days, we come into contact with infinite games, but it is easy to be caught up in the hustle and bustle of our phones and lives. All too often we overlook these moments instead of stopping to enjoy them. Life is unfortunately short; however, the minutes we are able to enjoy something for the sake of enjoyment alone, within the means and not towards the end, we are experiencing a small piece of infinity within our finite lives.

Over the coming week, I want to challenge you all to find your own piece of infinity in your lives, and take time to reflect and appreciate it.