How to Get Started on a Health and Wellness Goal

Often, the hardest part of getting started is getting started, amiright? Especially when you're trying something totally new. You're fired up and motivated to make progress, but you don't know where to direct all that energy! 

This month, in a special blog series, we'll be laying out potential starting steps for the most common goals we hear in the Cultivate community. Each week, along with some of your most trusted experts, we'll bring you starting steps for health and wellness goals (today!), finance goals, parenting and family relationship goals, spiritual and personal growth goals, and finally, business and work goals. 

Encompassing fitness, weight loss, mental health, self-care, meal planning, living with chronic illness, and much more, the "health and wellness" bucket means a lot of things to a lot of people (so much so, that it is the number one goal gals in this community want to work on this year!).

Here are just a few suggestions of how you might kick off your health and wellness goal, and a few of our best resources to encourage you along the way!



Focus on the way you want to feel, and work backwards from there. One of my favorite mantras is "do the things you need to do to feel the way you want to feel." If you want to feel strong, what will help you get there? A workout that gets your heart pumping? A challenging hike with a friend? If you want to feel happy and energized, what can you do today to create those feelings? A walk outside in nature? A Pilates workout + a nourishing smoothie? Focusing on the way you want to feel instead of treating wellness as another item on your to-do list, will increase your motivation AND your results. — Robin Long, Founder of The Balanced Life Pilates community

The four main food groups you'll want at meals are fiber, fat, carbs, and protein - I like to call them the Power Picks. Having the Power Picks present at meals ensures you are satisfied and nourished every time you eat. — Dylan Murphy, Registered Dietician Nutritionist

For the sake of your mental health, focus on saying "no" when things do not align with your goals and values. We often feel compelled to do it all, but when we say "yes" to everything and everyone, we lose our sense of balance. — Dr. Ashurina Ream, PsyD and author of Psyched Mommy

Love your gut!  Skincare starts from within so making sure you're consuming things that are good for your gut will reflect on your skin.  We love investing in supplemental items such as bone broth, probiotics, and fibrous foods to help keep our skin glowing. (More on this here!) — Katie Carroll, skincare expert at Primally Pure

Think about what you can add to your diet rather than what needs to be removed. Oftentimes when we focus on the things we shouldn’t be eating or the things we need to cut out of our diet, it gets frustrating and overwhelming. Reframing your thinking in this way helps to switch our focus from foods we’re “missing out on” to foods "we get to enjoy more of." This is also especially helpful for people with food allergies: focus on the foods you can have vs. focusing on the foods you can’t have. — Sarah Jane Parker, personal trainer, food allergy mom, and blogger at The
Fit Cookie

Living the chronic illness life can make achieving goals feel out of reach. When you find yourself working from the couch or from bed, it doesn't always feel like a victory - but that's not true. Your days are never wasted when you're caring for your body or a loved one. Each day, I write down one victory for the day (I use the wildcard page in the refresh section of my PowerSheets). Some days my victory is taking a deep breath, sometimes it's cleaning the living room. After 90 days, I may not feel like I accomplished a lot, but being able to look back and see the 90 little things I've done reminds me that a victory is a victory, no matter how small, and that I am making progress. — Cassie Nolin, blogger, podcaster, and chronic illness warrior

Diets are tempting, I know. But next time you consider jumping on the latest diet trend, ask yourself these two questions: 1) is this sustainable? Can I see myself doing this 1, 3, or 5 years from now? and 2) Will this impact my mental health? Will I have to miss out on social events or will it increase my meal planning stress? — Dylan Murphy

When it comes to fitness, remember some movement is better than no movement. Commit to spending time each day moving, even if it's just stretching or walking. As you establish the habit and routine of daily movement, you can add more to your movement sessions as you can. Establish the daily habit first, then build on it! — Sarah Jane Parker

Don't get caught up in comparison! Just because a certain workout plan works for your friend or a way of eating works for someone you follow on Instagram, doesn't mean it's the healthiest thing for YOU. Focus on your unique preferences, your unique season of life, and your unique goals and make choices from there. At the end of the day, what matters is that you're taking care of your whole self, in a way that leaves you feeling healthy, happy and strong. — Robin Long



Friends, I hope these ladies gave you a few things to think about as you set out on your health and wellness goals this year! Below, I've rounded up some of our best resources for your use along the way. We're cheering you on!

• Quick Start Guide | Health and Wellness
• Wellness Journal
• Wellness Planner Notepad
• Meal Planning Journal
• Meal Planner Notepad
• Intentional Action Card Deck | Wellness
• How to Be Present
• 46 Productive Things to Do Instead of Scrolling Social Media
• 6 Ways to Crush Comparison
• Goal Action Ideas for Nutrition Goals
• What Wellness Goals Can Look Like in the Summer
• Goal Action Ideas for Fitness Goals
• Quick and Easy Recipe Round-Up
• How Embracing Imperfection Can Help Get You in the Best Shape of Your Life
• Your Go-To Guide for Meal Planning
• Lara's tips for hiking with kids
• Podcast Episode: How to Say No

The best companion to your health and wellness goals is the PowerSheets Intentional Goal Planner! Don't have yours yet? Order it today and we'll have it in your hands a few days later. You'll be so glad you did!