Welcome to Refinery29’s Feel Good Diaries, where we chronicle the physical and mental wellness routines of women today, their costs, and whether or not these self-care rituals actually make you feel good.
Have your own Feel Good Diary to submit? You can do so here!
Today: A personal trainer who believes in slowing down when she needs to.
Age: 29
Location: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: Project Manager and Personal Trainer
Salary: $100,000
Monthly wellness expenses:
Strength coach: $125/month
Day One
6:00 a.m. — I got up to see my client for their 6:30 a.m. session. My private gym was able to re-open under health authority guidelines, so I’m seeing my clients in person again. Trainers have the option to wear a mask, we only allow 1:1 private sessions, and everything is physically distanced in a massive space with good airflow. Seeing clients in person again after months of Google Hangouts has been a huge boost for my mental wellbeing. It’s re-engaged me in studying for my CSCS (strength and conditioning) exam in December. Spending time (safely) with real humans is so important to my mental health.
8:00 a.m. — I read 30 minutes of my current Kindle book My Dark Vanessa. Reading is my happy place. During quarantine, I got back into fiction books and carving out 30 minutes between coaching and heading into my day job allows me to calm down and take a mental break.
5:00 p.m. — Went to the gym for my own strength workout. I can train at my gym for free after 5 p.m. on weeknights (when it’s least busy). I follow a specific strength plan. It makes me feel powerful and accomplished to see the numbers go up each week. I invest $125/month on a strength coach who programs each cycle for me, so I can just enjoy the gains instead of having to plan them.
Daily Total: $0
Day Two
6:30 a.m. — Took a nap after waking up at 5 a.m. to teach a class that no one showed up for. I rarely allow myself to rest during the day. However, after making that early trek downtown and having no one show up, I truly felt like giving my body a huge hug and letting it chill for an hour. Best. Decision. Ever. When I re-woke up at 7:30 a.m., it was like a brand new start.
5:00 p.m. — Got ice cream ($10.40) and went for a walk with a friend. Ice cream always makes me feel great. Particularly when it is homemade and consumed with great conversation. Walking 6 km felt great for the legs after sitting for most of the day, and catching up with a friend was inspiring because she had just returned from a huge hiking trip that is on my list.
9:30 p.m. — Sex with my partner. With the lights on. I felt playful and appreciative. We can get fairly lazy and keep the lights off and just roll intimacy into bedtime. I felt better by taking initiative, turning on the lights mid-way through, and asking for exactly what I wanted — which is always a win-win!
Daily Total: $10.40
Day Three
6:00 a.m. — Taught a Zoom HIIT class downtown. I have discovered over the past eight years of teaching early morning fitness that I love the feeling of community movement more than I love an extra bit of sleep. So upon arriving at the studio and setting up my space, I get to connect with the early bird crew and take us all through a strength and HIIT workout that sets me up for a solid day ahead. Side note: transitioning to teaching Zoom classes has been hard and I look forward to the day where I can go back to coaching in person.
6:30 p.m. — My partner and I took friends out for dinner for one of their birthdays ($75). We sat on a patio. After not seeing this friend for almost three months, it was long overdue, and it filled up my social connection bucket big time.
9:00 p.m. — I purchased two face products last month that have positively impacted my skin routine — the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Oil ($52) and the Kiehl’s Nightly Refining Micropeel ($60). I am an evening shower-er and tend to decompress during this time. There is nothing better than getting out of the shower and putting either product on my face. Tonight, I use the recovery oil. It smells amazing and my skin has never looked better. Soothing and satisfying.
Daily Total: $187
Day Four
8:00 a.m. — I paid to use my community center gym ($6.50) today, as I couldn’t go after work. This is my second time going here post-quarantine and I am so happy with how they have set it up. The quiet cleanliness of having so few people there contributes to a great workout and relaxing environment. I felt very strong after today because the basics of squat, deadlift, bench, and pull-ups are really all I need.
6:30 p.m. — Walked around a neighborhood mural festival. This was my first time doing this. It’s a free walk and its open for a few weeks around this time of year. I felt inspired and relaxed. Something about seeing so many stories and feelings expressed in such a beautiful way made for a really different activity.
9:00 p.m. — This time, I use the Kiehl’s micropeel. Similar sensations to the facial oil. It’s the slowdown and a bit of excitement at knowing that when you wake up in the morning and wash your face, your skin is going to feel like a baby’s butt.
Daily Total: $6.50
Day Five
6:03 a.m. — Sleeping in on a weekday is like gold. The knowledge that all I need to do today is pack for my camping weekend with the girls and make sure I’ve had coffee before 9 a.m. is amazing. I get by on six to seven hours of okay sleep most nights but at this point in my life, my body wants eight. So I’ll take it when it happens!
11:00 a.m. — Went on our hike up into the backcountry in Pemberton. ($30 for gas and food for the weekend.) This activity is my favorite thing. I spend most of my summer weekends running around in the mountains but rarely slow down to overnight camp. This trip is extra special because the girls who went have been doing trips together for the past four years and this is our first time seeing each other as a group since December 2019.
3:00 p.m. — Swimming in alpine lakes is the best part about hiking. The water was crisp, clear and there was no one else around, so we went in naked. This activity makes me feel weightless and untouchable, like nothing else matters except being right where you are.
Daily Total: $30
Day Six
7:00 a.m. — Mountain Coffee Time. Having coffee on top of a mountain, looking at the other mountains you are going to climb is unbeatable. This one was a little bit more serious as we discussed a route for getting up but it really helped build some excitement about what we were going to accomplish.
1:00 p.m. — Topped out on a mountain peak. Taking friends who don’t normally do more than standard hikes up mountains is so rewarding. It was a bit of a struggle to be patient at times, but overall felt like winning the lottery at the top. This memory will go into the bank of all time highs with friends.
7:00 p.m. — Listed what our favorite parts of the day were. This is something that we tend to do after a big day out to really cement the best parts of an adventure in our minds. They say if you want to practice happiness, you need to spend more time in your greatest moments of joy. So this camp “kumbaya” moment was exactly that. Reliving joy points from an epic day.
Daily Total: $0
Day Seven
9:00 a.m. — Went for an alpine swim. The last day in the mountain is always bittersweet, but the swim helped my mind to stay present and enjoy the quiet and the beauty of the space we were in.
1:00 p.m. — Stopped for a snack at Nesters, a local grocery chain, on the way home ($15). This stop made my stomach very happy. After a weekend with almost no vegetables, a cold kombucha and fresh fruit and veg sticks made for a refreshing pit stop.
8:00 p.m. — Organized my inbox. This weekend ritual is important for my mental health. Going through emails (as a consultant and trainer, they come in at all times) and scheduling send for Monday morning helps me to go to bed with a clear head. Feeling ahead and organized ensures that my anxiety stays in check and doesn’t disrupt my sleep. It only took me 28.5 years to learn this habit but now that I have started, I wouldn’t stop unless it impacted me negatively.
Daily Total: $15
Weekly Total: $248.90
Reflection: If I’m not at my best, no one else can get the best me.Exercise has the most positive impact in my wellness routine. Daily movement is a practice, not a chore. The most negative impact is emails or social media. Both of them distract me from meaningful tasks and engagement that results in honest connection. I try to limit the times of checking both of these things but could absolutely be better.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Feel Good Diary: Shay Mitchell's Wellness Routine
Feel Good Diary: Madison Beer's Wellness Routine
Feel Good Diaries: Detox, HIIT Workouts, And Wraps
from Refinery29 https://ift.tt/3dokZb1
via IFTTT
