A wellness plan is a set of health-curated activities, rituals, and habits that help people feel and function at their best. A wellness plan envelops multiple wellness categories, including diet, exercise, work-life balance, social connections, “mental” fitness, sleep, spiritual life, and more.

Your Wellness Plan

To develop a personalized wellness plan, we need to explore the components that make up wellness in the first place. In this article, we’ll explore just that while offering tips for your routine and lifestyle. Then, we’ll look at TelMD’s resources that can help you thrive with your new wellness plan.

Importance of a Dietary Wellness Plan

Choosing to transform our lives by upgrading our health requires a strong nutritional component. The nutrients in food influence a great number of physiological and chemical processes in the body. It’s not only important what we eat, but how we eat it. Chewing slowly, the setting, and your state of mind are critical components of a healthy meal. 

Here are some tips for your wellness plan regarding dietary choices.

• Center your diet around vegetables and fruit.
• Avoid processed foods, packaged foods, fast food, added sugar, unhealthy fats (canola oil, rapeseed oil, dairy fat etc.), and refined grains.
• When eating grains, try sprouting your grains for better digestibility and unlocking more nutrients. 
• Always aim for grass-fed, pasture-raised, cage-free and free-range when eating dairy, poultry and meats. 
• Make sure you’re actually hungry before you begin eating.
• Eat food slowly and chew each bite 20 – 30 times.
• Drink 8-10 glasses of clean, filtered water daily. 

Importance of an Exercise Wellness Plan

Steady, consistent exercise is another essential component of developing a wellness plan. Exercise can transform how we can move, how we feel, our moods, and so much more. If you’re not used to regular exercise, getting started is the biggest challenge, but know that it just takes a bit of momentum to morph it into a lasting habit. So hang in there and use these tips to make exercise a core part of your wellness plan. 

• Begin where you’re at and set realistic expectations. Just start moving more. Begin with walking, stretching, and gentle cardio.
• Morning jogs are good for building endurance and can thus help with other exercises you choose to do down the line.
• Once you’re ready, High-Intensity Intermittent Training, or HIIT,  has been shown to rapidly burn fat, boost testosterone, and increase human growth hormone. These are all amazing for keeping the mind and body in tip-top shape. 
• Include some form of exercise into your daily routine.

Importance of a Work-Life Balance Plan

Our work life contains the inevitable labor we must do to sustain ourselves. The thought of work can often have a bad connotation. We aim to clear that up with these work-life balance tips below.

• Work when you’re at work. Don’t work when you’re not at work. As simple as this sounds, it can be hard to stop working or thinking about work when not at work. Make time for life, for tuning out of work.
• Having a foundational morning routine before work starts can help you work more efficiently. Try exercising, showering, and having a quiet breakfast before work.
• Form bonds with your colleagues. This can help you feel better about going to and being at work. 

Importance of a Social Connections Plan

Humans are social creatures that thrive off connection with others. I can’t emphasize the importance of social connection enough. We innately crave to be part of a community and around like-minded individuals. Follow these tips to help you form a plan surrounding social connections.

• Be willing to make time for friends and family.
• Connect with people who have similar career goals and hobbies as yourself. 
• When possible, attempt to steer your conversations in a purposeful direction. This heightens the possibility of meaningful social connections, which can feel more fulfilling.  

Importance of a Mental Wellness Plan

A fully developed wellness plan should contain a specific plan for mental wellness. Adopting a mental wellness plan involves habit building, performing mental exercises, and building a healthy relationship with our emotions.

Use these tips to inspire you as you work to develop a personalized mental wellness plan.

• Look into adding mindfulness and meditation to your daily routine. According to a review published in Personality and Individual Differences, “Recent studies have shown that both mindfulness and self-compassion skills may play important roles in well-being and positive emotions associated with mindfulness training.”

• Tap into willpower for productivity. It’s hard to do the difficult tasks first. Try “just starting” on tasks throughout your day that seem daunting. You’ll be surprised at how easy they seem once you’ve begun. Completing these types of tasks first can make you feel on top of things and more productive overall.

Importance of a Sleep Plan

There’s more to a good night’s sleep than you might think. In addition to a mental wellness plan, a plan to optimize sleep will go a long way in helping you feel your best. Follow these tips to see what I mean.

• Attempt to go to sleep and wake up at a similar time each night and morning. 
• Limit exposure to light, especially from electronics, at least two hours before sleep. 
• Don’t work right before bed. Instead, do something relaxing like deep stretching or reading.

Importance of a Spiritual Life Plan 

Our “spiritual life” has to do with our connection with ourselves and the world around us. What is our experience of life like? What practices can we use to help us better experience the world?

• If you practice a religion, try forming a community surrounding it. Have weekly meetings, begin an online discussion group, or develop some other form of connection to share thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
• Prayer is an excellent way to connect to your spiritual side. Try setting a few minutes aside in the morning and at night for prayer.
• Practice gratitude. We’re often eager to acquire more and focus on what we want and don’t have. We must slow down, realize what we already have, and say “thanks.”

How Can TelMD Help?

TelMD offers tools, resources, and even the opportunity to partner with a wellness coach to create your personal wellness plan.

When signing up, consider these questions pertaining to your path at the present moment:

• How do you view your life right now?
• What would you like to change or improve?
• What are you looking for?

As a member of the TelMD community, you’ll be able to select a target goal and track your progress pertaining to our wellness categories (The 5 Areas of Life): Body, Energy, Mind, Mood, and Spirit.

Gain insight into where you are right now on your wellness journey: 

• Answer 5 brief daily questions (1 for each area of life).
• Read your daily Reflection.
• Read your daily Secrets.
• Track your progress.
• Post your thoughts and inspirations to your journal.

Plus, try our free telehealth platform, where you can connect online with medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, psychologists, wellness coaches and more. 

Try our Free Telehealth Platform

TelMD reimagines proactive, preventative health care that focuses on boosting your immunity via simple, small changes in your daily routine. Imagine health care that’s all about creating health in your life–not centering on problems. Imagine health professionals who personalize & create an individual wellness plan that exceeds your expectations. That’s true wellness. That’s TelMD.

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