Hello Friends :)

It officially feels like summer and damn does that feel good. I hope you are soaking up the sunshine, good vibes, and good champagne.

I hope you enjoy this 5-minute read. Have a great start to your week!

When you hear the word “wellness,” what do you think of?

Eating well + sleeping well + exercising + wearing cashmere cardigans & soft-as-butter yoga pants is what comes to my mind — along with visions of Goop-worthy wellness products and the Kardashians eating their salads poolside.

But let me tell you…wellness is so much more than what we eat, how we work out, and what we wear. It is a mindset.

Because the term has evolved from a strict health regimen to an individual pursuit, it’s worth asking (again), what is wellness?

According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is defined as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.” What’s missing from this definition is the freedom to do wellness how one pleases.

It’s very important that we view and understand wellness as an active, individualistic pursuit. It is not a destination to arrive at or a goal to hit. You do wellness every day, or you suffer the consequences, is really what it comes down to. Also to keep in mind? Wellness encompasses our mind + body + soul — so leaving one area out will inadvertently (and negatively) affect the others.

As women, we are inundated with “stay-fit-stay-healthy-be-happy” messages thousands of times a day via Instagram, TV shows, magazines, inspiring quotes plastered on the walls of our workout studios, and even innocent conversations with friends over lunch.

Amidst the advice (whether helpful or unsolicited) from health companies, personal trainers, and influencers, the question we should REALLY be asking ourselves is…what does wellness mean to ME?

And if you don’t know what wellness means to you, I give you a simple formula to figure it out.

3 Things Wellness Enthusiasts Seek Every Day To Live Meaningful + Purposeful + Fun Lives

What do wellness-focused women need to feel fulfilled, satisfied, and fabulous about themselves (and consequently, their lives) on the daily? It’s so simple it hurts.

They want (and need) to:

1. Feel good.

2. Look good.

3. Do good.

That is it.

I’m a firm believer that hitting all 3 of these every. single. day. is the recipe for individualized wellness success.

If you’re curious as to what I do exactly to feel good, look good, and do good every day, here’s a synopsis: (and if you don’t care, scroll down to what the experts do)

Feel good: I equate “feeling good” with a healthy mind and healthy body. To achieve this, I need to feel focused, clear, and motivated to seize the day. This is accomplished by drinking an oat milk latte in the morning, eating an organic Greek yogurt/fruit bowl for breakfast, a caprese panini for lunch, a shrimp/quinoa salad for dinner, and a few squares of dark chocolate before bed. To ensure my mind is right, I recite positive affirmations in the morning, flip between listening to music and podcasts in the afternoon, and read books or watch TV to unwind in the evening.

Look good: I equate “looking good” with a fit body and an outfit that makes me feel like me (aka dressing in vibrant colors, oversize sunglasses, red lipstick). To stay fit, I go to cycle classes 3x per week. The other 4 days I do strength-training or pilates at home — special thanks to Pinterest for giving me endless workout rotations of squats, lunges, push-ups, jumping jacks, and burpees.

Do good: “Doing good” means taking the focus off myself and placing it onto someone else, expecting nothing in return. If I feel off or gross about myself by the afternoon, I know it’s because I’ve been too focused on me, me, me. Sometimes it’s a quick phone call to a friend asking how they’re doing. Sometimes it’s an email to someone I admire in my industry congratulating them on their book or podcast, and asking how I can support them. The little interactions in our days matter.

Pro Tip: If you’re feeling unusually drained, decrease your social media usage and increase your living-life-outside-of-your-phone usage. It refuels you every time.

Now For The Wellness Experts’ 5 Feel Good Tips

What Do You Do To Feel WELL? Experts weigh in.

Think straight

“Be aware of posture — sitting slumped at a desk for hours can cause a host of problems including chronic fatigue, poor digestion and reduced concentration,” -Jeannette Jackson, nutritionist and wellness expert of The Manchester Institute of Health & Performance.

Take the middle road

“We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘every little bit helps.’ However, the busier we become, the more likely we are to adopt an all-or-nothing outlook. We can either go to the yoga class or we can’t. We can either have coffee with our friend or we can’t. We’re either looking after our health or we’re not. This binary style of thinking can quickly lead to burn out. Consider the middle road, whether this is doing a 10-minute home YouTube yoga session or catching up with your friend on the phone. Every little bit of rest and rejuvenation helps.” -Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh, behavior change psychologist and creator of the F.I.T. Method.

Join forces with others

“I joined a netball team that plays every Tuesday evening. Not only do I enjoy playing, the team element is fun. Once you have a team, you simply do not let them down by not going. So, your adherence drastically improves.” -Nicola Addison, Healthspan’s resident PT and wellbeing expert.

Create wellness cues

“I answer emails standing up. I get an email in, I deal with it there and then. In the old days I’d save them all up for the end of the day and sit there at my laptop for ages. Doing admin on the go saves loads of time, makes me more proactive and means I can carve out that hour in the day for my own training.” -Keith McNiven, founder of London-based personal training company Right Path Fitness.

Laugh

“Laughter really is the best medicine. Feel good chemicals (endorphins) are released when we belly laugh and these help to promote a sense of wellbeing and even temporarily reduce pain. As an added bonus we even burn calories when we laugh – around 40 calories per 15-minute giggle.” -Jeannette Jackson, nutritionist and wellness expert of The Manchester Institute of Health & Performance.

Feel Good Every Day RECAP

• Be aware of your posture

• Take advantage of teeny pockets of rest & rejuvenation

• Join a team

• Create wellness cues to prevent overwhelm

• Laugh

Thank you for reading :)

I hope you found these wellness tips helpful. I especially like the “wellness cues” piece of advice from Keith. Very smart.

Take A Sip is a weekly newsletter on improving your mindset health. We believe feeling good, looking good, and doing good is THEE killer combo to living your one and only life right.

If you love this newsletter, share it with your friends. And as always, tell me how I can improve your reading experience by hitting reply to this email.

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Be you.

Xo, Ashley

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