Hello All,

If you’ve continued to follow this email series, then you have likely found yourself back on the wellness wagon! Maybe, you want to hop on, but feel overwhelmed by all the separate bits of information. Fear not!! You are now entering our final email of the Wellness Wagon Series… Putting It All Together.

Today, we are going to look at a Wellness Plan Template that can be applied to any goal a person would like to achieve. You will be able to see all the information from start to finish. Check it out!!!

Meet Bob Jones!

Bob (a fictional person) is a father of 3, husband and Full-Time employee (40+ hours/week). He always feels tired (no matter what time of day it is), lacks focus mid-afternoon (especially during the work week) and eats out for lunch 4 days/week. He’s also noticed that it is more and more difficult to keep up with his growing kids and that his clothing is a bit snug.

Bob has decided that enough is enough, it’s time to make a change! But, with all the different types of information available to him, he is unsure of how to get started. Lucky for Bob, he can follow this Wellness Plan Template to reach his goal!!!

STEP 1:
Bob took some time to evaluate some important questions:

1. What would you like to see change about your current lifestyle today?
2. What excites you when you think about possibly making this change in your life?
3. If you started taking steps today towards making a change, what would your life look like in 3 months?
4. What motivator is important enough to you to help you make this change?
5. What is holding you back or standing in your way (obstacles) from making this change?
6. What are you ABLE to do to overcome these obstacles?
7. What are you WILLING to do to overcome these obstacles?
8. What would it take for you to be ready to make a change?
9. What would be a good SMART goal for you? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Sensitive

Bob is motivated to make a change and is ready to set a goal:

Motivators:

• Wants to have the energy to get through his work week and keep up with his growing kids.

Goals:

• Would like to lose 10lbs in 6 weeks (losing 1-2lbs weekly is a very achievable goal to take off and keep off the weight).
• Start walking 30min daily, 5 days weekly.
• Find a lifestyle diet plan that will work for him and implement it immediately.
• Would like to consider adding other physical activities into his routine down the road.

Accountability:

• Bob realizes with his busy schedule it would be easy for him to skip his 30min walk some days or fall back into old habits. He has shared his goal with a good friend who has agreed to meet him for a walk 2x weekly to help keep him accountable.

STEP 2:
Bob gets a baseline. How our body feels today.

Bob decided to:
1. Visit his primary care doctor for a check-up
• Had bloodwork (lab work) assessed
• Bob found out his cholesterol is HIGH
2. Keep a food journal with MyFitnessPal and figured out:
• He eats more than 130g of sugar almost every day
• Depends on sugar to pick himself up mid-day and then finds himself crashing soon after
• Has normal digestion after he eats meat proteins mixed with healthy fats like avocados and olive oil
• Has normal digestion after eating raw or cooked vegetables
• Depends on fast food more than 4x weekly

STEP 3:
Finding the right plan for YOU. Questions to ask yourself:
1. What kind of meal plan appeals to me the most and will help me reach my goal?
2. Is this plan suitable to address my needs?
3. Will I have time to properly prepare for this diet?
• Am I going to go grocery shopping and meal prep all my meals weekly?
• Am I going to eat out for lunch every day and meal prep for the rest of my meals?
• Am I going to use a meal delivery service?
4. Is there anything about this diet I need to modify?
5. How can I prepare myself for special occasions?

Bob begins to experiment with the Paleo diet for these reasons:

• Bob likes to eat beef, chickens and fish
• The plan highlights high protein, lots of vegetables & healthy fats
• Bob hopes to cut back on pasta, potatoes and bread which the plan suggests cutting out completely
• Bob loves chocolate and the diet plan includes dark chocolate in its dessert recipes.
• The plan recommends avoiding processed foods such as soda.

Preparation:

• Bob decided he would meal plan for his breakfasts and dinners and would find healthy options at the places he frequents for lunch.
• On the weeks, he doesn’t have time to grocery shop he plans on using the meal delivery service factor75 which offers Paleo friendly recipes.

Along the way Bob decided to modify the diet plan by:

• Adding potatoes back into his diet. This provided him with a balanced feeling after his meals, but he still cuts out the bread, rice and pasta as those made him feel tired after meals.
• Having a “cheat meal” (paying attention to portion sizes) 1 day over the weekend because he finds that one meal doesn’t sabotage his diet plan

Resources:

Meal delivery services:

•  Smoothies:
  o Green blender
  o Daily harvest
•  Meals:
  o Factor 75
  o Blue Apron
  o Hello Fresh
  o Plated

Meal Planning Assistance
http://emeals.com/
This is an exciting new service that provides weekly meal plans that offer variety and flexibility allowing you to pick the recipes that best fit your needs that week. Shop yourself or choose to skip the grocery store by sending your Shopping List to Walmart Grocery, Kroger ClickList or Instacart through their website. Definitely worth a look!!

Grocery Shopping Apps

http://www.bestproducts.com/eats/food/g1505/grocery-shopping-list-apps/
Whether you’re pressed for time or sick of coupon clipping, grocery shopping can feel way more difficult than it should be. Check out these great Apps!!

How to Plan for Special Occasions

Thanksgiving 2014

Diet Plans:

Ketogenic:  A ketogenic diet is a diet very low in carbohydrates and very high in fat. The reduction in the consumption of carbohydrates places the body in a state of ketosis, which is a metabolic state where fat provides most of the fuel the body requires to function. http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html

The Zone Diet: The Zone Diet requires that you simply balance your plate at every meal and snack with these nutrients: http://www.zonediet.com/the-zone-diet/

• Protein – 1/3rd of your plate, add some lean protein, about the size and thickness of your palm. This could include egg whites, fish, poultry, lean beef or low-fat dairy.

• Carbohydrates – 2/3rds of your plate, add a lot colorful vegetables and a little fruit. Fruits and vegetables to avoid are those that are high in sugar (e.g., bananas, carrots, grapes, raisins) or starchy (e.g., potatoes, corn).

• Fat – Add a little bit of monounsaturated fat. This could include olive oil, avocado, or almonds.

Paleo: A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy, grains, some legume products and processed food. http://thepaleodiet.com/the-paleo-diet-premise/

Whole30: Eat moderate portions of meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables; some fruit; plenty of natural fats; and herbs, spices, and seasonings. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re whole and unprocessed. https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

Mediterranean: Emphasizes eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, small portions of lean meats & fish, and nuts. Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil. Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods. Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801

21 Day Fix: This diet combines portion control (using specific sized food containers) and physical exercise to promote weight loss. https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/3-steps-for-successful-21-day-fix-meal-planning

Vegetarian: When people think about a vegetarian diet, they typically think about a diet that doesn’t include meat, poultry or fish. But vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:

• Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.

• Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.

• Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.

• Pollotarian diets exclude meat, dairy and fish, but allow poultry.

• Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products — and foods that contain these products.

Some people follow a semi-vegetarian diet — also called a flexitarian diet — which is primarily a plant-based diet but includes meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and fish on occasion or in small quantities. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/vegetarian-diet/art-20046446?pg=2

Vegan: Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-guide#section12

Raw Food Diet: Raw “foodism” (or following a raw food diet) is the dietary practice of eating only, or mostly, uncooked, unprocessed foods. Depending on the philosophy, or type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include a selection of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, meat, and dairy products. https://draxe.com/raw-food-diet/

The 8 Hour Diet: This diet has an emphasis on Intermittent Fasting
https://www.diet-blog.com/13/8-hour-diet-starve-yourself-for-16-hours.php

Keep in mind that this is just a template. You can apply these steps to any goal you have in mind (physical, emotional, financial, social and more). This is a step-by-step process and is done gradually over time. If there are any questions, Meredith and I are here to help!

Best,

Stefanie Lembovski