Self Care Goal 2025: Physical Health
It's Time
This post is sponsored BrightStory, a boutique college admissions consulting company that teaches teens life skills so they find success no matter where they go to college. It’s owned by Stanford graduate, professional journalist and “coach of admission coaches” Alice Chen, who also created Happy Asian Woman.
I’m approaching a certain age where if I don’t stretch every day, I feel stiff.
Over the years, I’ve also racked up injuries to my knee, shoulder, foot and ankle. To be honest, most of them happened when I was working out at the Y. Either I had poor form or needed more recovery time.
So this year, my top priority is to focus on my physical health. I want to age well, and maintaining health is a huge component of that.
To that end, I have:
-Tried new exercise classes. Since I’m currently in slow season at work, I have a more flexible schedule so I’ve been trying new classes at the Y. I’ve tried a pilates class and a fascia release class - both of which are excellent. I also tried a bhangra class (Indian dance) and it was great for my brain to experience a new type of movement.
-Hired a personal trainer: My trainer is amazing and I was hoping this would be a better option, but I’m finding I have not been doing the exercises she’s told me to do at home. I think I might work with her once a month, to ensure I actually get some time to practice between sessions.
-Found an accountability partner for vision improvement exercises. I took a class to improve my vision last year and I’ve been texting daily with a woman I met from the class, to ensure we do our vision exercises. I’d like to increase the time I spend on exercises and potentially hire a vision coach to give me individualized advice on my situation.
-Eaten more beans and lentils. I’m trying to get more plant-based protein so I’ve made chickpeas and lentils over the past few weeks. Again, this is a new habit for me so the challenge is remembering these items exist. I keep bags of beans on my counter to remind myself of the option.
-Eaten more vegetables. This is a tough one but I’m trying to eat more vegetables at lunch, throwing them into the aforementioned lentil soup and various other stews I’ve been eating this winter. I’ve been cutting random greens from my garden (I have no idea what they are so I’ve been checking google lens to help me ensure they’re edible). Also, sometimes for breakfast I’ve been making sweet potatoes to eat instead of bread. Yes, sweet potatoes are a starch but they’re healthier than bread.
-Gone to bed by 10:45. It’s a rarity but occasionally I’ve gone to bed as early as 10p. I appreciate the early bedtime because if I wake up several times at night, I know I still have a long time to sleep before I have to wake up in the morning. If I go to bed late, I worry that I won’t get enough sleep and paradoxically, wake up earlier than when I go to bed early.
This all sounds very basic, but habits are hard to change!
The thing that’s helped me the most is my habit tracker (I print one out and put it on my fridge) and also accountability (texting with a friend.)
As the daughter of Asian immigrants, I’ve always been conditioned to focus on my career and mind. It’s a new thing for me to focus on my physical health, and my body is telling me now is the time!
What are your self care goals this year?
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