NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

2022 ushers in a new year along with a new TBA initiative! Conceived by the TBA Attorney Well Being (AWB) Committee and TBA President Sherie Edwards, The Choose Your Path to Well Being endeavor is a self-reporting adventure where TBA members can challenge themselves physically and mentally. Participants will use the app of their choice to track progress on objectives involving physical, nutritional and mental health. The AWB Committee has created three distinct tracks to achieve your goals, including suggestions for activities to build strength in each area. Competitors will automatically be entered into a drawing, which the AWB Committee will use to award prizes during the Better Right Now program at the TBA Annual Convention in June. Through group effort and encouragement, we hope that this challenge can act as motivation to be a better you on your personal path to wellness.
 

PATHS TO WELL BEING

Steps

• Set a goal to take a certain number of steps a day
• Aim for a certain average steps a day each month
• Take the stairs instead of elevator when possible
• Stand and walk while taking a business call
• Choose a more distant parking space and use the opportunity to get some extra steps
• Aim for a certain step total by the end of the challenge — the mid-June TBA Convention

Exercise

• Set a goal to visit the gym or an exercise class in a week, a month, or by the end of the challenge
• Dance
• Kickboxing
• Couch to 5k
• Find a workout partner and commit to a routine
• Commit to exercising at home — online fitness classes, Peloton, etc.

Meditative Movement

• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Walking
• Hiking
• Chi Gong

Apps

• MyFitnessPal (Free online calorie counter and diet plan, also includes some fitness tracking options)
• AppleHealth (All encompassing health app, featuring logs for nutrition, exercise, vitals and storage of medical records)
• FitBit (Counts steps, monitors heart rate, quality of sleep and other activities)
• MapMyWalk (Track and map daily walking activity as well as nutrition)
• CharityMiles (Tracks your movement and allows you to earn money through activity for donation to a chosen charity)
• Couch to 5k (A program designed for beginners to gradually build up their running ability so they can eventually run 5 kilometers without stopping)
• Peloton (Fitness classes and exercise equipment)

Activity Suggestions

• Use calorie or macro goals to improve nutrition
• Use a food prep/meal delivery service with healthy options
• Eliminate certain unhealthy foods, i.e., refined sugar, alcohol, processed foods 
• Make a conscious effort to include more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, whole foods, water, etc.

Apps

• MyFitnessPal
• MyPlate (USDA meal planner to assist with healthy eating)
• Noom (Uses psychology to understand your eating habits and personalize your meal plan to achieve desired goals)
• Forks Over Knives (Equips you with the tools and knowledge to begin a plant-based diet)
• HappyCow (Provides a guide to healthy vegetarian food, natural food stores and vegan-friendly options near you)

Activity Suggestions

• Commit to a meditation routine
• Commit to a yoga routine
• Commit to prioritizing sleep
• Commit to work/personal life boundaries
• Organization routine
• Therapy (you do NOT have to be in crisis to benefit from a therapist)
• Putting your feet in the grass, touching a plant in your office, squeezing a rock (all grounding tools)
• Connecting with at least one other person throughout your day about a feeling either they are having, or you are having
• Strive to establish a consistent bedtime and time of awakening
• Minimize caffeine and other stimulants prior to bedtime
• Use no electronics at least 1 hour before going to bed (listen to quiet music, read a book, or meditate instead)
• Strive to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night (and ensure you get at least 5 hours of sleep at a minimum)
• Begin a gratitude journal; find one thing a day for which to be grateful

Apps

• Headspace (A library of meditations, sleep sounds and mindfulness activities)
• Calm (Activities to improve sleep quality, reduce stress and improve focus)
• Whoop (Analyzes your key heart rate metrics to determine a daily recovery score, and shows you lifestyle behaviors to benefit your health)
• SleepScore (A sleep improvement program to benefit mood, happiness and long-term health)
• Oura Ring (A monitoring device offering personalized health insights, sleep analysis and more)
• Todoist (Offers organizational tools for personal tasks and assistance in planning and collaborating on projects with others)
• Happify (Science-based activities and games to overcome worries, stress and life's challenges)