3 Reasons You Need to Add đCelebration đ„ł to your Wellness Routine
With 2020 well underway, many of us are knee-deep in creating better, healthier habits in our lives. Maybe that means getting to the gym at least three times a week and meal planning to keep your nutrition on track. Perhaps you are one of the committed individuals working through our 8 Weeks to Wellness program.
Whatever healthy habit you've been conquering, have you stopped to celebrate your progress?
No. We don't mean with cake. We mean giving a high-five, a "whoop! whoop!" and looking at yourself in the mirror with a confident "you're nailing it" smile.
Did you know that celebrating progress is psychologically vital to conquering goals? Think about it. When athletes participate in triathlons, people line the streets to cheer them on at different milestones of the race. Why? Because they need those moments of "you've got this" to keep going, especially when the going gets tough. You and I are NO DIFFERENT. Celebrating the milestones along the way can make all the difference in our success - plus there simply isn't anything as sweet as hip-bumping your bestie after you conquered the workout board.
Here are 3 reason why you (and I) need to add celebration to our wellness routines:
It's Dope! When you celebrate, your body releases dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for concentration, focus and motivation. Concentration, focus and motivation is EXACTLY what your body needs to keep going after those wellness goals you've got.
It Combats the Negative: Celebrating scientifically lowers the body's cortisone levels which in turn helps combat common issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.
It Creates Context: We've all heard the adage "reap what you sow". Imagine if you sew in celebration for all the little wins throughout your week? When you first begin a new wellness routine, your subconscious brain (also known as the lizard brain) can kick in with "oh my gosh, we CAN'T DO THIS!!!". That's because you've never done it before. Celebrating along the way helps to re-program that part of your brain so that instead of self-sabotaging when it gets hard, you begin to feel empowered and capable of the challenges ahead.
Celebrations do not have to look a certain way nor do they have to be complicated. They do get to be by your design so that your subconscious gets the message that it's doing a good job. Here are a few ideas for creating celebrations that we've recently tried:
Turn family dinner into a "Mom went to the gym three times this week" party!
Invite your loved ones to join you on a hike this Saturday to celebrate how you've gotten your body moving this month.
Have a dance party in the car to your jam (you know, your power anthem song you envision yourself walking out on stage to ;-)
Ready to test us on this idea of celebrating?
Post a picture or video (Instagram or Facebook) of your celebrations this month and tag us! Then add the hashtag #backtohealthparty
We're going to draw a winner from all those who participate and gift them some Back to Health of Anthem swag...you know, to celebrate! ;-) Winner will be announced via social on March 4, 2020.