online health journey

How It Works

Make your health journey easier with caringbridge.

CaringBridge is your free online tool for sharing health updates. It is an easy and ad-free way to communicate health news to family and friends—all in one place.

Start a Site in 5 Minutes

Register Your Email Address

Sign up with your email, connect your Facebook account, or connect your Google account to easily start a site for yourself or a loved one.

Personalize Your Site

Personalize the site by indicating if the site is for you or someone else, and what you would like the site title and site address to be.

Choose Your Privacy Settings

You control access to your site and can see who’s visiting and following it. You also decide if your site is searchable online by search engines like Google.

Start Posting Your Updates

Let people know what’s happening with your health journey. Share a quick update, write a longer Journal entry, post a photo, or upload a video. Your site is all about what you need to say and hear.

Site Features

An injury or health crisis takes a toll on both your physical and mental well-being. Even something simple like texting or emailing updates to loved ones and friends is one to-do too many.

• Add to your CaringBridge Journal as often as you need to keep everyone posted on your progress or write through the highs and lows of your healing journey.
• Family and friends can react to your entries and leaving encouraging comments.

Ways to Help

Your Ways to Help section includes a number of tools to make it easy to communicate your needs.

• Start a GoFundMe for any of the things you need during your health journey — from healthcare costs and meals, to airfare or even childcare.
• Start a Meal Train ® page  to organize those who want to provide support through home-cooked meals and more.
• Order groceries with Shipt to help with everyday essentials.

To learn more about the organizations we team with to provide extra help to CaringBridge users, visit our partner organizations page .

Having one or more co-authors for a CaringBridge site means having help with:

• Posting updates, photos, and videos
• Viewing and respond to comments
• Setting up Ways to Help, including GoFundMe, Meal Train, and Planner tasks

Why CaringBridge?

More than 300,000 people use our private communications platform every single day. We have the tools you need to navigate your health journey and are always adapting based on your feedback.

Unlike other online platforms, privacy—not profit—is our main concern. CaringBridge is a secure, ad-free community that never sells your data.

We are a nonprofit that has been supporting health journeys for nearly 25 years. We are trustworthy and we know the power of community support in health journey communications.

The CaringBridge team is here to make it as easy as possible for you to communicate with your loved ones during a health crisis. If you need help at any time with your CaringBridge site, we have Customer Care representatives standing by waiting to help .

Donor-Supported

CaringBridge is a donor-supported nonprofit , powered by supporters like you. A gift to CaringBridge supports free, private sites for anyone on a health journey. For every $30 donated, we can power one site—that’s one gift that can change the experience of someone on a health journey.

Download Mobile App

Our mobile app offers you convenience, which is essential on a health journey.

Private Practices

See how our services can become an extension of your team to keep your patients healthy and your practice more profitable

Health Plans & Employers

Learn how our online health coaching helps employers achieve healthier numbers and lower healthcare costs

Digital Health & Device Companies

Find out how our services work in conjunction with digital health and device companies to keep patients engaged and empowered

how it works

Learn how our collaborative approach to virtual medicine helps patients achieve positive outcomes that last

Clinical Research

Take a look at our proven clinical outcomes and research

Our Health Coaches

Meet our health coaches

about inHealth

Find out what makes our story unique

Meet our leaders

• inHealth Press & Blog

Browse articles that showcase the benefits of online health coaching, lifestyle management tips and company news

Get Started as a Provider

Get started as a partner, health is a lifelong journey. we’re there every step of the way., a collaborative approach to virtual healthcare..

Every day, individuals make hundreds of health-oriented decisions. As a lifestyle therapeutics company, inHealth offers online health coaching services to help patients stay on the right track and achieve long-term outcomes.

Convenient Telehealth Coaching

inHealth is a service that delivers support from the comfort of a patient’s home. Our trained health coaches meet with patients weekly or biweekly via the downloadable inHealthNow app.

Science-Backed Solutions

Through randomized, controlled clinical trials, we’ve demonstrated outcomes that showcase the effectiveness of the inHealth method — from weight loss to reducing the risk of diabetes.

Hyper-Personalized Solutions

To cater to the unique needs of patients, inHealth focuses on four tenets of success to ensure client sustainable results within each unique clinical program, while customizing each individual's plan.

Insurance Coverage

Backed by positive clinical outcomes, inHealth services are covered by commercial insurance as well as Medicare if a physician is registered with inHealth.

Qualified Coaches

inHealth coaches use an  integrative approach to nutrition and lifestyle behavior changes to improve the client’s health. inHealth coaches use health education within a coaching framework to facilate client-empowerment and enhance the realization of health-related goals.

Post-Visit Chart Notes

After every scheduled visit, an inHealth coach writes and sends post-visit chart notes to physicians using the subjective, objective, assessment and plan (SOAP) format.

How the inHealth Process Works

Request a Prescription From Physician

Ask your current doctor or nurse practitioner for an inHealth prescription or simply download the inHealthNow app and choose your doctor from the dropdown menu. If your provider is unfamiliar with the inHealth health coach services, let them know they can fill out a form on the inHealth website to get registered.

Download App & Schedule Visits

Go to the app store and download the inHealthNow app , and then register. Once registered, we will contact you to schedule your first visit. You can also start tracking your food and exercise, and connect to a smart scale or wearable tracker.

Meet With Your Doctor or Health Coach

Open the app a few minutes before your visit is scheduled to receive the video call from your doctor or inHealth coach. Chronic care and prevention visits will occur on either a weekly or biweekly basis with a dedicated health coach.

The Conditions We Manage

Maybe a patient is considering a diet and wants to lose weight, or a patient has just received a doctor’s diagnosis and wants to take subsequent steps. No matter the scenario, inHealth is armed with a team of highly trained health coaches who can step in to help patients prevent, manage and improve chronic conditions.

• Hypertension
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Dyslipidemia
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Smoking Cessation
• Bariatric Surgery Pre- and Post-Op
• Pre-Natal/Post-Natal Healthy Eating
• Multiple Chronic Condition Management

Coach leaders and LTCA learning facilitators

Abby has been partnering with clients to help them take the lead in designing the kind of life they want by developing positive health and wellness behaviors for over 20 years. She has a BS and MSEd in Exercise Science and is a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, certified exercise physiologist and registered experienced yoga teacher. She believes everyone deserves to feel and live their best life and is passionate about collaborating with others to help them get there.

Abby Eastman NBC-HWC C-EP, ERYT-200

Cynthia Morales is a certified Employee and Clinical wellness coach. As a Health Coach Supervisor, she supports Employee Wellness Coaches in the further development of their coaching skills. She is a graduate of California State University Long Beach with a BS in Kinesiology and an emphasis in Fitness. She believes that healthy lifestyle behaviors should be fun, sustainable, and unique to everyone. She loves promoting healthy lifestyle change and helping people with their own journey. Through her experience as a health coach, she hopes to help create an environment where others reach their goals both personally and professionally.

Cynthia Morales, EWC, CCHC

Katie is a health and wellness coach, dietitian, and tobacco treatment specialist. She recognizes that we are all on a journey with our health and is honored to partner with patients to help them achieve a higher level of wellbeing. She works with clients to uncover strengths, solutions, and motivation.

Katie Sims RDN, LDN, CTTS, CHWC, NBC-HWC

Michelle Singleton is Lecturer of Exercise and Sport Science at Coastal Carolina University and is in the dissertation phase of her PhD in Human and Sports Performance. Michelle has a research focus on sport nutrition education, dietary and recovery strategies following exercise and injury, psychosocial aspects of sport-related injuries, and psychological interventions associated with the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries. Before entering academia, Michelle clinically practiced in several athletic training settings, as well as worked in various fields of  exercise science. Additionally, Michelle joined Inhealth Lifestyle Therapeutics in 2020 as a  health coach. She has been able to combine her skills as an educator, researcher, and health coach to allow her to now work with the research and development team, as well as facilitate training to future board-certified health coaches. 

Michelle Singleton, PhD(c), SCAT, ATC, CPT

See what some inHealth advocates have to say...

I thought I was eating healthy, but I was not. With the support of my coach, I have lost 40 pounds without feeling constantly hungry, and I have successfully changed my habits and lifestyle.

— inHealth Patient

I have been struggling with obesity for years and tried multiple programs with only minimal short-term success. My doctor suggested coaching and I am so glad he did!

I know I would not be in such a great place, emotionally and physically, if I had not stayed with my coach.

Let inHealth help support your efforts.

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Nourished Union

Unlock the Wisdom Within

Online Health and Wellness Programs

Life is a journey and we believe the journey should be filled with meaning and connection . We are here to guide you through your personal wellness journey and back to a place of living well. Our online wellness programs put our philosophy into practice and are organized into discovery, awareness, healing and transformation. Our goal is to help you implement a daily wellness practice so that living well becomes a way of life. We also understand that each individual is a unique being, so our online health programs consider your personal readiness and needs along the way, guiding you to build a practice that truly works for you.

Our certified holistic health and wellness coaches are trained to deliver our programs online via our secure platform making them accessible to all. Select the program below that best suits you based on where you are now on your wellness journey and continue to grow and develop your practice from there. Read about each program in detail below or skip further down to compare programs. 

Digital Discovery

Discover the principles of Yoga and Ayurveda alongside modern day health and wellness science. This program offers free tips, tools and exercises, and is an easy and accessible way to get started on your wellness journey.

Awareness Consult

Learn what is causing the disharmony in your life and how you can shift from stress and overwhelm to meaning and purpose through your awareness in this free consult with one of our holistic health practitioners.

HEALING STUDIO

Join our online studio to build a daily practice with on-demand or live classes, and learn how to tune inwards, connect to your true self and deepen your inner awareness for a more healthy and conscious life.

Personal Transformation

Experience transformational change by deeply committing to your health and wellness through the ongoing practice of daily rituals and personal coaching to bring you back to your authentic self.

Holistic Health Assessment

This in-depth assessment starts with a detailed intake and provides you with personalized holistic health and wellness plans designed to correct imbalances and improve your overall health.

Read More “Holistic Health Assessment”

Compare Wellness Programs

Compare the details of our online wellness programs below, select the program that best suits where you are now on your wellness journey and continue to grow your practice from there.

Read More “Compare Wellness Programs”

A Randomized Trial of 21 Days of Loving Kindness Meditation for Stress Reduction and Emotional Well-being Within an Online Health Community for Patients, Family, and Friends Experiencing a Cancer Health Journey

Affiliations.

• 1 Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
• 2 Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
• PMID: 35167360
• DOI: 10.1089/jicm.2020.0512

Objectives: CaringBridge (CB) is an online health community for people undergoing challenging health journeys. Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is a systemized mind-body approach developed to increase loving acceptance and has previously been reported to increase resilience in the face of adversity. Materials and Methods: Results of a randomized controlled trial of immediate compared with deferred 21-day LKM intervention in an online community are reported. The deferred group received LKM intervention after a waiting period of 3 weeks. Inclusion criteria were >18 years old, ability to understand English, willingness to participate in a mind-body practice, and use of CB for a cancer journey. Change in perceived stress, self-compassion, social connectedness and assurance, and compassionate love scales from baseline to 21 days was assessed. Results: Of the 979 participants included in the study, 649 (66%) provided 3-week follow-up data and 330 (49%) self-reported engaging in the LKM practice 5 or more days/week. Participants in the immediate LKM group reported medium effect size improvement in stress (0.4), self-compassion (0.5), and social connectedness (0.4) compared with the deferred LKM group. Changes in perceived stress and self-compassion were larger in magnitude and increased with more frequent engagement in LKM. Conclusions: The immediate LKM group showed improvements in stress, self-compassion, and social connectedness compared with the deferred control group. Differential study retention rates by treatment arm and self-reported engagement in LKM subject the results to selection bias. Future research of similar interventions within online health communities might pay greater attention to promoting intervention adherence and engaging a more diverse economic and racial/ethnic population. ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT05002842 ).

Keywords: CaringBridge; Loving Kindness meditation; mind–body; online; self-compassion; social connectedness.

Publication types

• Randomized Controlled Trial
• Meditation*
• Neoplasms* / therapy

Associated data

• ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05002842

Roadmap to Health: Your Guide to a Longer, Healthier and Happier Life

In our quest for a long and healthy life, we often find ourselves on a path riddled with uncertainty. What habits should we adopt or avoid? How can we ensure that our journey leads to well-being? Here’s a comprehensive roadmap to health, to keep you focused on what matters.*

I’ve studied healthy aging as a profession and hobby for as long as I can remember. As a scientist, I’ve been experimenting on myself to see what works best for me. Breaking the rules for the good of all concerned.

Because everyone is different. Our bodies, histories, personalities, and preferences are unique and require an individualized approach to benefit them optimally. This is a huge reason why so many people struggle to follow guidelines and self-help strategies.

My goal here is to provide a roadmap that anyone can use. A roadmap with a solid starting point, various milestones, and significant stops along the way to optimum health. One that, most importantly, you can tailor to your own life to make the most of your journey.

Roadmap to Health

An optimal journey towards health will hit all the milestones and significant stops, in the order listed or whatever order works best for you .

1. Milestone: Goal Setting and Self-Assessment

At the outset, it’s essential to set clear health goals on your roadmap to health. These goals become your guiding stars, illuminating the path ahead. But before you set your sights on the future, take a moment to assess where you currently stand.

Self-assessment provides the context for your journey, helping you understand your starting point. Understanding your baseline involves evaluating various aspects of your health, including your physical condition, mental well-being, quality of sleep, and lifestyle choices.

Identify areas that need improvement and set achievable, measurable goals for each. By acknowledging your current health status and setting clear objectives, you’re laying the foundation for a successful journey.

Roadmap to health resources for self-assessment

• American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 Assessment : Assesses your heart health and provides recommendations for improvement.
• Mental and Emotional Well-Being Self-Assessment : Offers mental health self-assessment tools and resources for various mental health conditions.
• Government of Northwest Territorie s: Provides a self-assessment questionnaire to evaluate your nutrition habits.
• VeryWell Fit : An explanation on what’s involved and why you should get a fitness assessment before beginning an exercise program.

These self-assessment resources can help you evaluate your health and well-being. However, remember that these tools are meant to provide general insights, and for a comprehensive assessment and personalized advice, it’s essential to consult with healthcare professionals.

You can also start with being honest with yourself. What are your daily challenges in life? Is there anything you would like to improve? What do you dream of doing? The answers to these questions will give you a solid place to start.

My self-assessment is pretty simple. I need to eat healthier and gain strength for the things I want to do in life.

I also know that I sleep like a baby when I eat right and exercise regularly. And I will always be working towards a balance between peopling and catering toward my introverted ways.

Pretty simple, right? It doesn’t have to be complicated unless you want it to be.

With the help of experts in healthcare or project management, or even on your own, set some goals for yourself and your short and long-term future.

Roadmap to health resources for goal setting

• “ Setting SMART Goals : An article explaining how to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals.

When setting your goals, start small and be specific. Make sure it’s meaningful to you and something you can achieve in a realistic timeframe. There’s plenty of time to add new goals later.

To address my goals, I’m currently wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) as suggested by my physician. This will give me a better understanding, and incentive, of how what I eat affects my body. I’m working out 6 of 7 days a week, increasing in weight and intensity as I can.

For me, it’s rather essential to remember that it never gets any easier if you’re always making it harder. In other words, don’t add to your workout the second or even third time around. Wait until you feel it’s a bit easier than it was, then move up and along.

And lastly, I make sure I spend more time alone than I do with people, which usually does the trick. I might throw in a nap for balance . Three small goals at once work for me, but you may only want one to start with.

Do what works for you.

2. Milestone: Educate Yourself

Knowledge is power, right? In the realm of health and longevity, it couldn’t be truer. To make informed choices for your roadmap to health, you must educate yourself about the various facets of health. Start by reading books, articles from reputable sources.

It’s important to understand the most basic principles of nutrition, the benefits of regular exercise, and the significance of mental health. Your ongoing education will serve as a compass, guiding you through the maze of health information and misinformation.

Roadmap to health, resources for gaining knowledge

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) : A comprehensive source for health information, including articles, research, and educational materials.
• Harvard Health Publishing : Provides articles, newsletters, and online courses on various health topics.

You can also listen to podcasts, attend seminars and workshops, and read as much as possible. One of the key characteristics of people who age well is that they are always learning. Make it a hobby and make it a habit.

Once you’ve identified your goals, take the time to learn as much as possible from experts and people who’ve been there and done that. It may provide you with valuable tips and incentive, or even let you know what you don’t want from your journey.

I read and listen to many podcasts on various topics, from health to aging to writing to women building each other up. Because that’s what women should do whenever they can. The world needs more of this.

Significant Stop: Consult with Professionals

In your journey to health and longevity, healthcare professionals are your trusted allies. They possess the expertise and experience to provide personalized guidance and care.

Schedule regular check-ups with your healthcare provider and undergo comprehensive assessments to clearly understand your health status. Ask for a body composition analysis if they’re looking at bone density anyway.

Through these assessments, your healthcare provider can identify potential health risks, deficiencies, and areas that require attention. They can adjust their recommendations to your needs, supplementing the roadmap so that it aligns with your goals and current health status.

3. Milestone: Fuel Your Body Right

A well-balanced diet is the cornerstone of a solid roadmap to health. A nutritious diet gives your body the essential nutrients to function optimally. 

Transition to a diet rich in whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Try to avoid or reduce processed foods, sugary beverages, and excessive sodium.

Roadmap to health, resource for eating healthy

• MyPlate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture : Provides guidance on building a healthy plate and dietary recommendations.
• Eatwell Guide (U.K.) : Offers guidelines on healthy eating from the U.K.’s National Health Service.

You can also make small changes at a time so that it is more doable. Add a fruit or vegetable to every meal. Drink a glass of water before every meal. Try a new and healthy recipe each week. Go without meat on Mondays. Bring healthy snacks with you when you leave the house.

All little steps to big changes.

4. Milestone: Keep Moving Forward

Physical activity is the elixir of life, and incorporating it into your routine is vital for health and longevity. Aim for a mix of cardiovascular exercises to strengthen your heart, strength training to build muscle and bone density, and flexibility exercises to maintain your range of motion.

Gradually increase your workouts’ intensity and duration, so that they remain challenging yet manageable. Wear a health device or seek assistance from a professional if you need it.

Roadmap to health, resources for physical activity

• The American Heart Association : Provides information on physical activity and exercise guidelines.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) : Offers global recommendations for physical activity.
• Consult a fitness trainer or physical therapist to design a personalized exercise plan. Their expertise can help you build a program aligning with your current fitness level and long-term goals.

The point is to move more; you don’t necessarily need a professional to do it. Simply walking every day is a great place to start. Listen to your body, maintain proper posture , and do what you can do. You’ll find that you’ll build on this over time, and you can do more eventually.

My goals here are to build strength and stamina for all the trekking and traveling I want to do in life. I was once certified as a personal fitness trainer, so I have the background to build slowly and prevent injury.

Even still, I’m always looking for new ideas and new information to supplement my current routine. However, if I needed to gain experience, I would definitely join a gym and take advantage of their classes and offerings.

5. Milestone:  Nourish Your Mind and Spirit

Physical health is just one part of a successful roadmap to health; mental and emotional well-being are equally significant. Mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, can have a huge impact on your overall health. Seek counseling if you’re struggling with mental health concerns.

Stress management is another critical aspect of mental well-being. Techniques like meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation exercises can help you handle the pressures of daily life. These practices reduce stress and improve your emotional resilience and mental clarity.

Roadmap to health, resources for Mental Health

• American Psychological Association (APA) : Offers articles and resources on managing stress and improving mental health.
• Mindful : Provides mindfulness and meditation practices for emotional well-being.

Start talking to friends and professionals and to yourself. It’s okay not to be okay, but talking about it with others has a way of working through it. Everyone has stress of one kind or another, and it’s easy to keep it bottled up inside. Give yourself the freedom and solace to NOT do that.

Keeping a gratitude journal is a big one for me. And I spend part of every day doing something I absolutely love – writing.

Do I get stressed out? Absolutely. But I also try doing something about it instead of letting it fester. Working out helps a lot, but so does talking about it with someone I trust.

6. Milestone: Rest well

Sleep is like a superhero for your health – it does all sorts of behind-the-scenes work to keep you functioning at your best. When you sleep, your body has time to repair tissues, boost your immune system, and consolidate memories. It even helps regulate your mood and appetite.

So… getting enough quality sleep is crucial for well-being.

If you’re looking for resources to improve your sleep, there are plenty of things to try. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule is a great idea for anyone, as is creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and also making your sleep environment comfortable are good places to start.

Some apps can help with relaxation techniques, white noise, or guided meditation. If sleep troubles persist, it’s always a good idea to consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice.

For me, the most significant influence on sleep is exercise. And not drinking too many liquids right before bedtime.

Significant Stop: Regular Check-ups and Screenings

Regular check-ups and screenings are essential for early disease detection, an important aspect of a successful roadmap to health. Health issues, when caught in their early stages, are often more treatable and manageable.

Consult with your healthcare provider to determine the recommended schedule for health check-ups and screenings based on your age, gender, and family history.

Screenings may include tests for conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes, and various forms of cancer. These preventative measures can save lives and reduce the impact of health challenges.

Routine check-ups for all of the following are essential every year:

• Opthamologist
• Mammograms or prostate cancer screening
• Colonoscopy
• Dermatologist

I try to knock the less desirable ones off at the beginning of the year so I don’t spend the rest of the year thinking about it.

7. Milestone: Kick the Bad, Embrace the Good

Damaging habits can hinder your journey toward good health and longevity.

Smoking and tobacco use are among the most detrimental habits you can have, significantly increasing the risk of various health issues, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions.

If you smoke or use tobacco, quitting is one of the most impactful steps you can take to improve your health.

Excessive alcohol consumption and recreational drug use are other habits that can jeopardize your well-being. Limit alcohol intake to recommended levels and avoid recreational drug use altogether.

Negative self-talk is another extremely bad habit, like a raincloud that follows you around, dampening your mood and your confidence. Constantly criticizing yourself or focusing on your perceived shortcomings can lead to a downward spiral of negativity.

This not only affects your mental well-being but can also impact your physical health.

Repeated negative self-talk can contribute to stress, anxiety, and even depression. It can erode your self-esteem, making it harder to face challenges and hindering personal growth .

Moreover, negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies, influencing your behavior and potentially creating the outcomes you fear.

Breaking the habit of negative self-talk involves cultivating self-awareness, challenging irrational thoughts, and replacing them with more positive and constructive ones.

It’s like training your brain to be its cheerleader rather than its harshest critic. Have you ever tried turning your negative thoughts around? If not, now is a good time to begin.

Roadmap to health, resources for working on bad habits

• Smokefree.gov : Provides resources and tools to help quit smoking.
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) : Offers guidance on responsible alcohol use.

There are plenty of resources out there to help combat negative self-talk.

• “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol S. Dweck, is a book that offers insight into changing negative thought patterns.
• Apps: Apps like Headspace and Calm provide guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, helping you become more aware of your thoughts.
• Therapy and Counseling: Professionals like psychologists and counselors can provide personalized strategies to overcome negative self-talk.
• Positive Affirmations: Using daily affirmations can help shift your mindset. Apps like ThinkUp and websites like AffirmationPod offer positive affirmations you can listen to regularly.
• Online Communities: Joining forums or groups where people share their experiences and strategies for overcoming negative self-talk can be supportive and informative.

Often, people can see their bad habits if they stop to take an honest look or ask a trusted friend to do so for them. It’s easier to replace a bad habit with a good one than it is to quit, which may work for you. See if you can stop the habit on your own, and if you can’t, seek help. You are worth it.

The biggest key to reducing negative self-talk is consistent practice. Changing thought patterns takes time, so be patient with yourself. Give the above resources a try and keep trying until you find what works for you.

8. Milestone: Preventive Measures

Prevention is a powerful tool in the pursuit of health and longevity.

Vaccinations, for instance, protect you from infectious diseases that can lead to severe health complications. Stay up-to-date with recommended vaccines, and consult your healthcare provider to ensure that you’re adequately protected.

Additionally, preventive measures extend to environmental awareness. Protect your skin by using sunscreen outdoors, and wear appropriate protective gear to protect yourself from physical harm.

Resources for prevention

• CDC Vaccines and Immunizations : Provides information on recommended vaccines and immunization schedules.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) : Offers information on protecting your environment from pollutants and toxins.

I do all these things as I can, but I am not hard on myself when I forget or am delayed. Or procrastinate, because I’m not too fond of needles. Doing your best is part of accepting and loving yourself, as is not giving up on yourself.

9. Milestone: Find Your Balance

As you most likely already know, maintaining a healthy weight is essential for overall health.

Excess weight, particularly obesity, is linked to a range of health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, and joint problems. Work with a healthcare provider and set a healthy weight goal that aligns with your unique circumstances if needed.

Monitor your weight regularly and make dietary and exercise adjustments as needed. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a long-term process that requires consistency, patience, and a sustainable approach to eating and physical activity.

Resources for a healthy weight

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) : Provides information on weight management and healthy eating.
• Obesity Action Coalition : Offers resources and support for individuals struggling with obesity.

Maintaining a healthy weight is all about finding a balance that works for you. Here are a few tips that might make the journey a bit smoother:

• Focus on a well-rounded diet with fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Don’t forget healthy fats—they’re essential too!
• Be mindful of portion sizes. It’s easy to overeat when portions are too large. Try using smaller plates to help control portions.
• Drink plenty of water. Sometimes, our bodies can mistake thirst for hunger.
• Find an activity you enjoy , whether dancing, walking or hiking . Regular exercise not only burns calories but also has numerous other health benefits.
• Lack of sleep can interfere with your body’s hunger hormones and could lead to overeating. Try for 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night.
• Pay attention to what you eat. Try to avoid distractions like watching T.V. while eating. Mindful eating can help you recognize when you’re full and prevent overeating.
• Cut down on sugary beverages like sodas and juices. They can add a significant amount of calories without providing much nutritional value.
• Choose healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, or yogurt. Snacking can be a part of a balanced diet if done mindfully.

Consistency is key. Small, sustainable changes over time are more likely to lead to long-term success.

Remember, it’s not just about the number on the scale but also about how you feel and your overall well-being. And, of course, consult with a healthcare professional before significantly changing your diet.

Significant Stop: Keep Your Heart Happy

Cardiovascular health is a fundamental aspect of well-being.

Conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can strain your heart and circulatory system, leading to heart disease and related complications.

Your healthcare provider can help you manage these conditions, providing guidance on medications, dietary choices, and exercise routines.

Understanding the significance of cardiovascular health empowers you to make heart-healthy choices. These choices include adopting a diet low in saturated and trans fats, maintaining a healthy weight, knowing your body composition , exercising regularly, and managing stress.

Resources for a Healthier Heart

• American Heart Association : Provides information on heart health, nutrition, and exercise.

Heart disease runs in my family. My dad has a genetic predisposition to it, which he’s been so kind as to pass on to me. I have all the wrong genes. Well, not all of them, but enough to be concerned and focus on a heart-healthy diet and plenty of exercise.

Do you know your family health history? If not, now is the perfect time to get started.

Significant Stop: Cancer Awareness

Cancer is indeed a formidable adversary, but early detection and prevention strategies can significantly reduce the risk of developing this life-threatening disease. Take the time to understand your cancer risk factors, including family history and lifestyle choices.

Follow the recommended screening guidelines for cancer, such as mammograms for breast cancer, colonoscopies for colorectal cancer, and skin checks for melanoma. Early detection can lead to effective treatment and improved outcomes.

Resources for cancer awareness

• American Cancer Society : Offers guidelines on cancer screenings and information about cancer prevention.
• World Cancer Research Fund : Provides information on cancer prevention through diet and lifestyle.

Cancer doesn’t have to run in your family for it to be a concern. The average American lifestyle is sufficient to make it a significant problem for everyone.

I try to get routine check-ups, wear sunscreen, and avoid the cancer-causing foods that the FDA is too afraid to prohibit in our country. Red meat, processed meat, processed food, alcohol, and dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6) are the main ones. All of these are excellent places to begin.

Significant Stop: Bone and Brain Health

Maintaining the health of your bones and brain is a long-term investment in your future.

To support bone health, ensure adequate calcium and vitamin D intake and engage in weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, or weightlifting. These activities strengthen bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. 

Brain health requires attention to mental stimulation and social connections. Keep your mind active by solving puzzles, learning new skills, and engaging in activities that challenge your cognitive abilities. Strong social connections are also associated with reduced cognitive decline.

Resources for brain and bone health

• National Institute on Aging (NIA) : Offers resources on brain health, including cognitive exercises and tips for staying mentally sharp.
• National Osteoporosis Foundation – Provides information on bone health and osteoporosis prevention.

Keeping your brain active and engaged is a great way to promote brain health. Here are some fun activities to give your brain a workout.

• Whether it’s crosswords, Sudoku, or jigsaw puzzles, they challenge different aspects of your brain and can be a lot of fun.
• Board games, card games, or video games that involve strategy and problem-solving can stimulate your brain and provide entertainment.
• Pick up a new hobby or skill. It could be playing a musical instrument, painting, cooking a new cuisine, or learning a new language.
• Dive into a good book. Reading not only expands your knowledge but also keeps your brain engaged. How easy can this be?
• Physical activity is not only good for your body but also for your brain. It increases blood flow and can improve cognitive function.
• Engaging in conversations and social activities can stimulate your brain. It helps with memory, attention, and overall cognitive function.
• Mindfulness and meditation practices can reduce stress, improve focus, and contribute to overall brain health.
• Exploring new places and experiencing different cultures can stimulate your brain and create lasting memories. Travel and adventure are the ultimate ways to make the most of life in more ways than one.

Remember, the key is to keep things enjoyable. When activities are fun, they’re more likely to become a regular part of your routine, contributing to long-term brain health.

10. Milestone: The Power of Connection

Humans are social beings, and our relationships and connections significantly influence our well-being.

Social connections provide emotional support, reduce stress, and offer a sense of belonging. Loneliness and social isolation, on the other hand, are linked to adverse health outcomes. Actively nurturing your social connections contributes to a fulfilling and rewarding life.

Resources for peopling

• Meetup : A platform to find and build local communities with shared interests.
• VolunteerMatch : Helps you find volunteer opportunities in your community.
• Habitat for Humanity : Helps you find local and worldwide opportunities to help others

Building connections with others is a beautiful and rewarding aspect of life. Here are some simple and fun ways you can foster those connections.

• Learning something new together can create bonds, whether it’s a cooking class, art workshop, or language course.
• Look for clubs related to your hobbies or interests. It could be a book club, hiking group (heart), or a board game night.
• Invite people over for a casual gathering. Sharing food or playing games can create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
• If you have a hobby, find local groups or online communities centered around that interest. It’s an instant conversation starter.
• Join groups or communities on social media platforms that align with your interests. Engage in conversations and make meaningful connections. This is an excellent option for introverts if you happen to be one…
• A simple “hello” can sometimes lead to a great connection. Strike up conversations with people around you, whether at work, in the neighborhood, or at social gatherings.
• Embrace diversity and be open to connecting with people with different backgrounds or perspectives. It can lead to rich and rewarding relationships .

Remember, genuine connections often come from shared experiences and a willingness to be open and authentic. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and enjoy the journey of meeting new people.

Significant Stop: Purpose and Life Fulfillment

A sense of purpose and meaning in life can drive your pursuit of health and longevity. As you align your life with your values and aspirations, you find the motivation and drive to maintain a healthy lifestyle .

The activities and pursuits that bring you joy and fulfillment are uniquely yours. They may involve hobbies, volunteering, creative endeavors, or career aspirations. Embrace these activities as integral to your health and well-being.

Resources for Finding Your Purpose

• Coursera : Offers a wide range of online courses on various topics to explore your interests and passions.
• TED Talks : Provides inspirational talks on finding purpose and meaning in life.

Finding purpose and fulfillment is a personal journey that often involves self-reflection and exploration. Here are some steps to help you discover what gives your life meaning.

• What activities or topics make you lose track of time? What are you naturally drawn to? Your passions often hold clues to your purpose.
• Consider your skills and talents. What are you good at? How can you use these strengths to contribute to the world around you?
• Pay attention to activities that leave you feeling energized rather than drained. These can be indicators of what aligns with your true self.
• Define what success means to you. What do you want to achieve in different areas of your life? Setting personal goals can give you a sense of direction.
• Be open to trying new experiences. Sometimes, the purpose is discovered through exploration and pushing your boundaries .
• What principles and values are important to you? Aligning your actions with your values can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
• Think about past experiences where you felt a sense of accomplishment or deep satisfaction. What elements of those experiences can you incorporate into your life now?
• Engage in conversations with friends, family, or mentors. Sometimes, others can provide insights into your strengths and passions that you may not see yourself.
• Read books, attend lectures, or listen to podcasts that explore topics related to purpose and fulfillment. Sometimes, external sources can trigger self-discovery.

Finding purpose is a journey, and it may take time. Be patient with yourself and be open to adjusting your path as you learn more about what truly fulfills you.

Remember, purpose is a dynamic and evolving concept. It’s okay if it changes over time, and it’s perfectly normal to continuously explore and redefine what gives your life meaning .

Significant Stop: Protect Your Surroundings

Your health is not just about your personal choices but also the environment in which you live. Minimizing exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants is essential. Ensure that your surroundings offer clean air and water, as these factors can directly impact your health.

Take steps to reduce your carbon footprint, support eco-friendly practices, and advocate for clean and safe environments in your community. Protecting the environment is a collective effort that benefits not only your health but the well-being of future generations too.

Resources for environmental safety

• Environmental Working Group (EWG) : Offers environmental health and safety resources.
• Earth911 : Provides information on recycling and eco-friendly practices in your area.

Significant Stop: A Stable Future

Financial health is another pillar of your overall well-being. The stress and anxiety that financial instability can cause have a significant impact on physical and mental health.

Resources for money management

• The U.S. government’s MyMoney.gov : Offers tools and information for financial planning and budgeting.
• Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards : Helps you find a certified financial planner for personalized financial advice.

Consult with a financial advisor to create a plan that aligns with your financial goals. By securing your financial future, you reduce stress and anxiety, which can positively impact your health.

To begin with, spend less than what you earn going forward. Start evaluating purchases based on need versus want. Wait several days before making otherwise spontaneous purchases. Pay off your debt as much as you can each month.

11. Milestone: Keep Moving Forward

Your journey to health and longevity is dynamic and ever-evolving. Regularly assess your progress, adapt your goals, and make changes as necessary. Your health roadmap is not set in stone; it’s a flexible guide accommodating your changing circumstances and needs.

Review your goals and assess whether you’re on track to meet them. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small, and use setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow. The journey to health and longevity is a marathon, and persistence and adaptability are key.

Many apps, like MyFitnessPal and Fitbit, can help you monitor your health and fitness progress. You can also keep a journal along the way, a trip journal, if you will. Document your milestones, significant stops, thoughts, challenges, and wins. Revisit it often.

Whatever you do, don’t stop learning, growing or moving.

FAQs on Roadmap to Health

Commonly asked questions and answers to developing a healthy lifestyle.

The roadmap for health is a journey towards mental and physical well-being that is punctuated with meaningful milestones and significant stops, both of which are major goals to work towards for living a longer, healthier and happier life. Whatever your age.

Prioritize a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Engage in regular physical activity, aiming for at least 150 minutes per week. Ensure adequate sleep, manage stress through relaxation techniques, and stay hydrated. Avoid tobacco and limit alcohol intake. Regular check-ups and preventive screenings are crucial.

Longevity refers to the length of a person’s life or the duration of existence. In a broader sense, it encompasses strategies, practices, and conditions that contribute to a longer, healthier life, often associated with promoting overall well-being and delaying the aging process.

Jeanne Calment holds the record for the oldest person ever, living to 122 years and 164 days. Born on February 21, 1875, she passed away on August 4, 1997.

Wrap-up: Roadmap to Health

The pursuit of health and longevity is a satisfying and worthwhile endeavor. Is it effortless? No. Is it worth it? Without a doubt.

By setting clear goals, educating yourself, consulting with healthcare professionals, and following a structured plan, you can increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life filled with purpose, joy, and fulfillment.

As you navigate this roadmap, remember that the destination is not just a longer life but a higher quality of life. With each step, you invest in a future of well-being and satisfaction.

* The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for personalized guidance. Wander Healthy and its representatives are not responsible for any consequences resulting from actions taken based on the provided information.  

Dr. Tammi Kaeberlein is the owner and author of Wander Healthy, a longevity lifestyle blog that helps people incorporate healthier options into their daily lives. She's also a scientist in the biology of aging and has earned certification as a sports nutritionist and personal fitness trainer. When she isn’t writing about health and wellness, she is usually outside somewhere.

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Navigating your personal health journey

As humans, we often compare ourselves to others or wonder how we can reach the next best thing: When will I reach my goal weight? Why is it so difficult to control my relationship with food? Where am I headed in my career? Why does everyone else seem to have it all together?

This mind-set can be exhausting as you try to create sustainable changes in your life. It distracts you from enjoying the present moment and acknowledging the steps you’ve taken to get this far. It’s important to remember there are always going to be roadblocks on your journey, whether you’re navigating your physical, mental, or emotional well-being.

Perhaps you’re feeling anxious about all the unhealthy foods that may be around during the holidays, or maybe you’re having difficulty keeping up with your routine while living with someone who doesn’t prioritize their health. It’s natural to encounter distractions or setbacks, but learning from and pushing past those points is where you build resilience and improve your mind-set.

What health looks and feels like will be different from person to person, and that’s what makes achieving health a bio-individual process. Wherever you are in your health journey, it’s important to remember that you are the creator of your own path. By recognizing this and choosing to stay in the present, you can grow more confident in your health choices and keep the momentum going on your personal journey.

How do Health Coaches fit into this mix?

Health Coaches can inspire the extra push you need to keep the momentum on your health journey. Here are some ways they encourage sustainable change in their clients’ lives:

     1.  Health Coaches create safe spaces and foster positive coach-client relationships.

A Health Coach is different than a nutritionist or dietitian in that they do not give personalized nutrition advice, nor do they prescribe diets or meal plans. Health Coaches have nutrition expertise, but focus on nutrition from a functional and holistic perspective, which means that everyone is different and will thrive off of their own unique wellness plan. This is IIN’s concept of bio-individuality!

Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Heather Freudenthal believes this relationship forms by taking this bio-individual approach, which means acknowledging her clients’ unique nutritional and emotional needs as well as their personal fears, concerns, and goals.

She says, “First and foremost, I make sure to validate my client’s feelings and acknowledge how challenging it can be to feel like ‘everyone else’ has it easier.” She connects with clients by reminding them that everyone struggles with something – even her. “Whether we struggle with cravings, food addiction, poor body image, poor health, or general feelings of being stuck, it can seem like there's something wrong with us when others around us don't struggle with the same things.”

     2.  Health Coaches help clients find joy in their journey.

According to Heather, focusing on the healthy habits that excite you can prevent a client from feeling overwhelmed about the journey as a whole.

“There’s a ‘fear of the forever’ that clients feel when it comes to creating consistent habits,” Heather says. “I try to point out the healthy habits that are enjoyable for my client, so it doesn’t feel like a struggle to them.” Whether a client enjoys working out, making a home-cooked meal, or getting to bed at an early hour, Health Coaches help clients identify, appreciate, and keep up with the habits that bring joy to their life.

Five ways to keep the momentum on your journey (with or without a Health Coach):

     1.  find an accountability buddy..

There’s strength in numbers. Enlisting a support system can motivate you to stick with your health goals and renew your energy on days when you’re just not feeling up to it. Your support system keeps your goals from feeling unreachable because they are on this journey with you (even if they’re simply cheering you on from the sidelines!).

You can build your support system by finding a friend to join you for your daily run, or challenging a friend to complete a round of sit-ups with you at the end of each night (this is a great virtual activity, too). If you live with a partner or roommate, accountability could look like swapping nights to cook a heathy dinner or leaving each other notes around the house with positive affirmations. When one person feels discouraged, it’s comforting and encouraging to know there’s someone there for you to keep you on track.

     2.  Document your progress.

When you write out your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, you’re reminding yourself of the work you’ve already put toward improving your overall health and happiness. This could look like keeping written or digital checklists, such as every time you exercise or choose a glass of water over a sweetened beverage. Documenting your progress is also great motivation to move toward the next benchmark on your list to reach your bigger goals.  

     3.  Keep things fresh.

Change up your routine by getting creative in the kitchen! If you are someone who likes to meal prep, it can be easy to stick to the same few dishes in your wheelhouse. While habits and routine are comforting, learning new ways to keep your health journey interesting will go a long way.

There are so many delicious ways to enjoy functional foods – those that taste great and promote health – by experimenting in the kitchen. Try picking a new selection of fruits for your smoothie bowl or swap the meat once a week for roasted cauliflower tacos . Healthy eating shouldn’t feel boring – there are so many ways to integrate new textures and flavors by exploring new foods (bonus points if they’re colorful!).

     4.  Evaluate how your current habits make you feel.

Your energy is an important part of your overall health, so creating routines that leave you feeling optimistic, confident, and productive can help you stay focused on your health goals and journey. Perhaps you’ve been mindlessly scrolling on social media , or are often spending more than your weekly budget allows, leading to feelings of guilt. By perpetuating habits and behaviors that don’t promote great emotional health, you’ll feel less motivated to actually participate in the habits and behaviors that do promote health.

Creating healthier habits could look like putting your phone down during your morning routine and as about an hour before bed. When it comes to your shopping habits, explore whether there’s an underlying reason for wanting to spend more, such as a desire for comfort or connection. By bringing awareness to how these habits make you feel, you’ll be better able to shift the habits that bring you closer to your goals.

     5.  Be kind to yourself.

At its core, self-care means carving out time to show love and gratitude to yourself, while fueling your mind, body, and spirit in the process! Some parts of your health journey can feel stressful and overwhelming, so it’s important to give yourself the time and space to occasionally recharge. Self-care can look different for everyone, from a bubble bath at the end of a long day to a walk outside in nature. 

Try giving yourself a break when you feel like you’ve been pushing too hard at the gym, or allow yourself to indulge in a piece of dark chocolate. You can even take it a step further by adopting a meditation or yoga practice , finding stillness and clarity amidst the sea of thoughts that may flow through your mind each day.

Gratitude for yourself and the process

Don’t forget to express gratitude for showing up for your health. Each day is an opportunity to remember where you started and reflect on how far you’ve come. Staying present and focused on your health journey can be difficult, and though you’ll experience setbacks or feel unmotivated from time to time, your continued and conscious commitment to improving your health will make you stronger each day.

Ready to learn more about how health coaching can facilitate health transformation? Check out the IIN Sample Class to discover what makes the Health Coach Training Program so life-changing.

Rebecca holds a bachelor’s in English with a focus in public relations and has a writing background in retail and entertainment advertising. Some of her favorite things include juicing, creating the perfect bowl of oatmeal, and getting in a HIIT workout.

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How-To Geek

The 9 best wellness journals to keep track of your health.

Get started on your wellness journey with these journals that track everything for physical and mental health.

Quick Links

How to pick the right wellness journal, best overall: dailygreatness wellness yearly, best for mental health: the happiness planner, best for convenience: erin condren petite planner wellness log, best for tracking workouts: newme fitness track your fitness, best for tracking food: eat pretty, live well, best for mental and physical health: ban.do wellness planner, best for being calmer: zen as f*ck, best for being more positive: good days start with gratitude.

If one of your resolutions this year is to be healthier both physically and mentally, then you might want to add a wellness journal to your daily routine. Depending on what you're looking for, these wellness journals can help you track food or workouts, as well as help you be more mindful and calm. Below are the best out there, and there's something for everyone.

Every wellness journal is different. Some focus more on mental health, while others are all about the physical. Keep these questions in mind when choosing what's right for you.

• Are you trying to lose weight? If your goal is to lose weight, try to find a wellness journal that lets you keep track of what you're eating and your workouts. You can also look for a wellness journal that has healthy prompts, or one that enables you to track things like water intake and has space for meal planning.
• Do you want to keep track of workouts and progress? If you want to be more mindful of your workouts, there are fitness tracking journals that are all about what you're doing at the gym. These can be great for making progress.
• Are you trying to be happier and more positive? Journaling can be a fantastic tool in dealing with everyday anxiety and stress. These are some wellness journals that will help you feel calmer and get your worries out on the page.
• Do you want a little of everything?  Then, of course, there are the wellness journals that combine it all: they have sections for fitness tracking, room for food tracking, and prompts for clearing your head.

If you want a little bit of everything, it's hard to find something better than the Dailygreatness Wellness journal . This guided lifestyle journal includes wellness worksheets, daily food and exercise journal pages, meal and goal planners, training tips, weekly shopping lists, healthy habit reminders, and mindset coaching, so it's ideal for both physical and mental health.

This one isn't dated, so you can start it anytime and use it whenever. There are weekly and quarterly check-ins to hold you accountable and keep you on top of your goals, and a yearly review at the end to remind you of everything you've accomplished. It's not too busy, has a great design, and checks all of the boxes.

Buy at Dailygreatness

If you're more focused on improving your mental health than anything else, try the popular Happiness Planner . It's designed to help you manage your busy schedule but also to feel happier through the use of positive thinking, mindfulness, and gratitude. This one encourages you to set goals, practice self-reflection, think more positively, eat better, exercise more, and have stronger relationships.

It does this through pages of prompts, like monthly goal setting, daily quotes, morning intention setting, daily schedule and to-do list, sleep tracker, exercise and meal plans, gratitude, and notes. The soft cover makes it easy to carry around, and it has a great layout.

Wellness journals tend to cover everything you're doing throughout the day, so it's something you want to be able to take with you to work or school or wherever you're going. The larger ones are great, but they aren't super convenient. The Erin Condren Petite Planner Wellness Log has lots of space for tracking and logging, but it's also small, lightweight, and super easy to throw in your bag.

There are six months worth of wellness spreads with prompts for things like monthly goals, accomplishments, goal progress, meal tracking, activity tracking, and habit tracking. It's straightforward, soft-cover, and super light.

Erin Condren Designer Petite Planner - Wellness Log Edition 2, Track Habits for Sleep, Water Intake, Steps Taken, and Goals. Includes Inspirational and Fun Sticker Set

This soft cover Erin Condren wellness planner has a lot of space for tracking but is lightweight.

If you only want to keep track of your workouts, then opt for the NewMe Fitness Tracker . This 126-page book is dedicated to fitness logs that are created to help you achieve your goals and stay on track. The pages are for detailed tracking with spaces for goal planning, stats, and workout frequency.

There are also helpful graphics that give you info on how exercises target specific muscles, as well as measuring body fat. It's sturdy and durable, but it's also lightweight enough to easily throw in your gym bag and take with you wherever you're going.

NewMe Fitness Journal for Women & Men, Workout Planner and Exercise Log Book to Track Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, Gym, Bodybuilding Progress, Daily Personal Health Tracker - Pack of 1 (Fitness)

The NewMe Fitness Workout tracker makes it easy to log all of your workouts, progress, and goals.

Keeping a food diary is a proven way to help you lose weight and eat better overall. The Eat Pretty, Live Well food tracker is a super organized way to log everything you're eating throughout the day. Each page has sections for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks or other foods. There are prompts for how you felt after eating too.

There are also tips strewn throughout for ideas on healthy snacks, guides to foods that have certain benefits, and more. Overall, it's a helpful journal that is easy to carry around and makes tracking a little bit fun.

Eat Pretty Live Well: A Guided Journal for Nourishing Beauty, Inside and Out (Food Journal, Health and Diet Journal, Nutritional Books)

Eat Pretty, Live Well has organized pages for tracking every meal and snack, as well as tips throughout.

The ban.do Wellness Planner has something for everyone without feeling too overwhelming. There are pages for goal planning, meal planning, activity logs, feelings, and more. It helps keep track of both mental and physical health, which is nice. And it has an emphasis on creativity, with stickers included so you can decorate the pages.

Another thing that makes this one stand out is that it's full of advice and information from female experts on topics like nutrition, exercise, body positivity, and emotions. It's not just about tracking and logging; it's also useful and a good read.

Want to work towards being more positive and mindful, and less stressed out? Then try out the Zen As F*ck book by Monica Sweeney, which is fun to use and look at and also really useful for making journaling more interesting. Plus, yeah, it will make you more zen (that's the goal).

The book is full of prompts and questions, with plenty of space to write out your answers and let your feelings out. Everything is accompanied by colorful, fun images and drawings that are weirdly inspiring. It's a fun take on a wellness journal that you'll enjoy.

Zen as F*ck (Zen as F*ck Journals)

The Zen As F*ck book is a colorful, creative way to be more positive and mindful.

Sometimes you just need a reminder to be more grateful for the things in your life. That little reminder can make you feel more positive and happy every day. One way to get it is with a gratitude journal like Good Days Start With Gratitude . This is a 52-week self-exploration journal to become more grateful and to focus on the good things in your life.

Each weekly spread has an inspirational quote, space to write what you're grateful for each day of the week, and a weekly checkpoint. It's a great daily habit to get into and will make each day a little bit more positive.

Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude: Gratitude Journal

Good Days Start With Gratitude encourages you to think about what you're grateful for each day.

Virtual Wellness Coach

For most of you, change is difficult, even more so with this COVID-19 pandemic. The shift of your daily activities online just added more mental, physical, and emotional tolls, that it’s quite a challenge to stay on top of your health, much less maintain it. Still, that shouldn’t have to stop you from pursuing your health and wellness visions and preventing lifestyle and diet-related diseases.

In light of all these challenges, Healthy Inspired You is here to help make your transformational change easy and possible through Virtual Health Coaching. It will be an exciting learning experience for you because of the freedom it provides regardless of the state of your health and geographic location. 

And as your online health and wellness coach, I specialize in the holistic approach to help you find practical means to make small changes that add up to huge results. I will make it more fun and straightforward as you journey to a healthier & fulfilled you.

So, don’t worry about whether you have to make time for health coaching appointments or that there’s no health coach near you because remote health coaching is all you will ever need!

If you’re ready to find out more about health and wellness coach online and how you can be your most beautiful you inside out, I will walk you through the basics of virtual coaching, its benefits, as well as how you can get started with the program.

What Is Virtual Health Coaching?

Ever since you begin to interact online, you might have noticed that the digital space indeed offers a variety of solutions to every aspect of our lives — from meetings, classes, shopping, even health and wellness coaching is no exception to that.

Virtual wellness coaching helps you navigate through the entire process of lifestyle change to create healthy habits that somehow make you feel inspired and alive. It’s a perfect blend of simplicity and flexibility that helps you map out the best road to getting optimal health no matter where and when.

Hence, you are no longer bound to work on your struggles with in-person coaching. Because, with the help of a remote health coach, you can now lose weight, improve gut health and digestion, combat chronic affliction, reduce stress and symptoms, find more energy, gain confidence, and so much more — LIVE, all the way from the comfort of your home!

With its innovative lifestyle and nutrition plan that adapts to a format that best fits your needs, preferences, and goals for the future, you now have the power to reclaim the life you deserve at your fingertips.

I am a health coach, and I understand that there’s no one size fits all approach when it comes to your health. Thus, we will work together to find the answers which are aligned with your purpose to best address your needs and desires in creating a lasting and impactful result to your wellness and weight loss journey.

What Do Virtual Health Coaches Do?

Virtual Health Coaches collaborate with you from anywhere in the world to enhance your overall health and wellbeing. They develop custom-fit health coaching online programs to assist you in accomplishing specific exercise and wellness objectives that you’ve set for yourself. And through their supportive mentorship, you can harness your full potential so you can return to work and go back to doing the things you love most.

In essence, a virtual nutrition coach will help you change your diet based on your condition and activity level and advise you to embed the healthiest lifestyle practices into your daily routine without ever having the need to leave your home.

I have a passion for holistic health, and I believe in the idea that what works best for you is unique to your own nutritional, behavioral, emotional, and mental needs. As your virtual wellness coach, I will look into your health concerns and the kind of lifestyle you lead to create a customizable solution for you. And together, we will revisit and adjust as you progress towards the most sustainable healthier food that will help you live a life with more vitality and fulfillment in life.

When you’re ready to connect the dots from where you are to where you want to be, I’ll be here to help you focus more on the positive changes that will add value to your life so you can move in the right direction.

What Can I Expect From Virtual Health Coaching Sessions?

It basically mimics face-to-face health coaching sessions where you will learn how to fuel your body, mind, and spirit the right way by finding exactly what works for you to become the healthiest, happiest, and vibrant version of yourself. 

However, the virtual session enables you to deep dive much faster into identifying your blockages because it gives off an interesting combination of intimate yet safe aura and space to open up. And so, you and your coach can focus intently on each other, free from any form of distraction.

This way, at any given rate, you can expect the following from our online health and wellness coaching sessions :

• PARTNERSHIP in taking action to ensure greater success towards creating your most fulfilling life possible.
• SUPPORT on various ways to make real and lasting changes in your dietary and lifestyle habits — zero judgment!
• INSPIRATION to see yourself in a new light.
• IMMERSIVE wellness coaching online experience that gets results yet with a human touch and personalized feel.
• ACCOUNTABILITY that will help you keep on track.
• CONVENIENCE via Skype, Zoom, or Meet.

Plus, having a virtual coach who is knowledgeable and trustworthy will undoubtedly make all the difference. I’m an expert functional nutrition health coach and I can confidently develop a realistic and client-centered plan that will make you a priority in your own life.

Curious about what health and lifestyle coaching services could do for you? Healthy Inspired You has something new and exciting in the works. Check out below!

Online Health Coaching Services

A digitally designed health coaching platform delivering an individualized, insight-driven balanced coaching session to encourage you to take a more active role in your health and life.

It’s actually the next big thing in fitness, nutrition, and wellness. What’s more! It’s available for everyone remotely. So, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re old, suffering, injured, tired, or scared to go outside — living better and longer is within your reach with a health coach online. 

My online health coaching services greatly complement my existing disease management and lifestyle improvement programs so that you will have access to a wealth of health at any time.

Here’s a quick look at some of the reasons why it might be an excellent option for you:

• More Affordable – you’ll have the same dependable and highly-trained coach and personalized programming for less money. That means you will lose weight, stress, and whatnots without losing your bank account in the process. In short, you can be a better you for a better price.
• Periodic check-ins – you’ll have someone who will put you in charge and hold you accountable for carrying out your self-directed plans, so you won’t be on a constant roller coaster of being consistent one day and falling off the wagon the next.
• Saves Time – you’ll no longer have to travel back and forth since you can just engage on your own terms and time regardless of what devices you’re using from home, while you’re at the office or wherever you might be at the moment.

That being said, it’s time for you to get up, get online and get healthy! Because your ticket to wellness success awaits. Trust me! It’s an absolute life-changer.

Depending on your body type, intentions and circumstances, there are two options that you can choose from:

HEALTHY INSPIRED YOU

• Work With Me
• Functional Nutritionist
• Health Coach
• Nutrition Counseling
• Virtual Health Coaching

Email: [email protected]

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Deep Health and Healing

Living a life you love is possible, even with chronic disease, digestive problems or autoimmunity. I firmly believe that the body will heal given the right conditions. Let’s work together to create the environment your body and mind need to get back to feeling healthy and inspired.

My approach is high-touch and results oriented. I care deeply about your experience in working with me. Consider me the “project manager” of your healing journey as we work together. I will dive into the details and do the detective work that others may have not, find any gaps or new ideas to help you identify the food and environmental factors that trigger your symptoms, clear them out of the way so your body can focus on the healing it needs. 

After we’re done working together you’ll have improved symptoms, feel a greater sense of calm and control, and gained a friend for life; me. For our longer packages, together we will build a stronger care team, ensuring you have the support you need for the rest of your healing journey. 

30 Day Coaching Package

• A comprehensive nutritional assessment
• A 90-minute initial consultation during your first week
• 4 30-minute follow-up consultations
• Unlimited  text messaging support for 30 days
• Meal plans, personalized weekly
• Supplement discount (US only)

Options to split or pay weekly available.

3 Month Coaching Package

• 12 (30-minute) or 6 (60 minute) follow-up consultations
• Access to Healthy and Inspired Curriculum
• Unlimited text messaging support for 3 months
• Followup comprehensive nutritional assessments monthly, or as warranted

Options to pay monthly or weekly available.

$997 ( or 332/month)

6 Month Coaching Package

• 12   (30-minute) or 6 (60 minute) follow-up consultations
• Unlimited text messaging support for 6 months
• Follow Up comprehensive nutritional assessments monthly, or as warranted.

$1697 (or $282/month) 

Resilient and Inspired

People rely on you, but who’s taking care of you? Find refuge in the chaos of today’s world with me as your guide. I will help you establish your new self-love routine through exploring the foundations of wellness, personal strength and spirituality. This is a special time exclusively with me to build personal strength, identify your values, understand and harness your strengths, and connect deeper with those who mean the most to you; so you can thrive through times of adversity. 

Resilience is a learned skill, it’s not something we’re born with. Tools of resilience help us maintain balance in our lives during difficult or stressful periods, and reduces the risk of mental and physical illness. I will teach you practical tools and mindset shifts that build resilience and make navigating difficult times easier by turning adversity into triumph. Times have been tough lately, let me help you get back to feeling healthy and inspired. 

Each week we will meet 1:1, where you get personalized coaching on the foundations of resilience. I will work with you to uncover what’s keeping you from feeling and being your best.

If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed and tired, this program is for you. In this 8 week journey you’ll have me as a trusted partner to explore your foundations of resilience. We will form a tight bond and will forever be connected after our time together. You will have revelations about yourself and your purpose in life. We will have fun! We will laugh, we will rejoice, we will learn and you will FEEL again. 

Module 1: Healthy Foundations:

• Stress and Resilience
• Rest and Sleep

Module 2: Strength in Self

• Self-Compassion
• Values Based Future
• Exploring Your Story

Module 3: Strength in Connection

• Connection and Relationships
• Flow, Creativity and Play

Quick Nutrition Reset

Life has gotten in the way of your mojo, you’re not feeling your best and know nutrition is a part of the picture. This package is designed for those who have a good understanding of healthy eating but need a little guidance and accountability with getting back on track. 

Work with me to turn things back around. I will provide structure, accountability and fun. Together we’ll find your motivation again and create new habits and find new foods that support you feeling your best. 

Health Diary App: Your Personal Health Journal Simplified

Unlock the power of your health journey with CareClinic’s Health Diary App. Effortlessly track your health metrics, from mood to medications, and discover the ease of staying informed and in control of your wellness. With CareClinic, you’re not just tracking your health; you’re actively shaping it. Get personalized reports, understand correlations, and achieve your lifestyle goals swiftly. Start your path to informed health management today, with seamless integration between mobile and web platforms.

Actively Engage with Your Health Using CareClinic’s Personal Health Journal

Transform your health management with CareClinic’s personal health diary. This dynamic platform empowers you to actively monitor and address any health concerns. Whether it’s tracking symptoms or managing your health to-do list, our app serves as your centralized health hub.

Access detailed reports with ease and observe changes in your health journey at a glance. CareClinic’s flexibility shines in managing diverse health needs, from women’s and children’s health to senior care. Say goodbye to cumbersome printed templates and embrace our digital Care Plans.

What Sets Apart CareClinic’s Care Plans?

Care Plans, the heart of CareClinic, are tailored digital folders designed for your unique health challenges. These plans encompass everything from journal entries and medication schedules to nutritional advice and fitness routines. Developed in collaboration with medical professionals, our Care Plans ensure reliability and are grounded in expert knowledge.

After creating your Care Plan, engage with regular Check-In posts. These check-ins foster self-accountability and are crucial in managing treatments for chronic illnesses or mental health conditions. They also support you in achieving broader health objectives, like weight loss, improved sleep, and mindfulness.

Digital Check-Ins: A Game-Changer in Health Tracking

With CareClinic, checking in becomes a part of your routine, whether it’s hourly, daily, or weekly. Each check-in can include diary entries, health measurements, or even photos, making it a comprehensive tool for health tracking.

The power of CareClinic is evident in the Reports section, where your check-ins and their impact become visible. Regularly reviewing these reports can lead to insightful discoveries and pattern recognition in your health data. The app is designed to highlight potential triggers, correlations, and alerts, enhancing your understanding of your health.

Remember, effective health management hinges on detailed tracking. The more context you provide in your check-ins, the more precise your health improvement strategy becomes. With CareClinic, you’re not just recording your health metrics; you’re actively participating in a journey towards wellness and improved health outcomes.

Why keep a personal health journal?

CareClinic helps capture health data in various formats. The app provides a meaningful way for users to make sense of their entries with Reports.

Instead of using a template that may or may not suit your health needs. Care plans serve the same need as templates. Therefore, if you need to consume a certain amount of medications, do a certain physical activity, etc. Your check-in, when viewed through the Logs section, will contain information in a structured way. There is no need to set up any sort of custom template. The most common use cases for a general medical diary are:

• Pregnancy Diary
• Blood Pressure Diary
• Cardiovascular Disease Diary
• Gluten-Free Diary
• Weight Loss Diary
• Baby Health Diary
• Diabetes Diary
• Food Allergies Diary

Patients rate CareClinic as the best medical online health diary because of its flexibility to track all aspects of health.

Discover the Multifaceted Benefits of a Health Diary

Comprehensive Health Monitoring:

Stay on top of your health by tracking various aspects such as symptoms, treatments, and lifestyle choices. This vigilant monitoring enables you to notice patterns and correlations, guiding you toward what benefits your health and what doesn’t.

Organized Medical History:

A digital health diary is more than a tracking tool; it’s an organized repository of your medical history. This feature is invaluable for healthcare providers, allowing them to access detailed timelines and information for precise diagnoses and treatments.

Enhancing Mindfulness and Memory:

Research indicates that maintaining a health diary can significantly improve mindfulness and memory retention. Recording symptoms or health-related observations as they occur ensures accuracy and helps in the effective management of health conditions.

Goal Setting and Stress Reduction:

Writing down your health goals serves as a reminder and motivator, keeping you engaged in your health journey. Additionally, the act of journaling itself is therapeutic, helping to alleviate stress and organize thoughts.

Personalized Health Reports:

The CareClinic app compiles your inputs into comprehensive reports, providing insights into various health aspects. Discover patterns like how certain dietary habits may affect your sleep, or monitor your medication adherence and vital signs over time.

Integrated Health Calendar:

Track your health journey with an integrated calendar feature. It shows not only your journal entries but also records physical activities, therapy sessions, and nutritional habits. This holistic view of your health regime aids in consistent and accurate tracking.

Seamless Synchronization with Health Apps:

For added convenience, CareClinic syncs with popular health apps like Apple Health and Google Fit, ensuring your health data is unified and accessible across platforms.

Multi-Platform Availability:

Whether you prefer web, iOS, or Android, CareClinic is available across various devices, ensuring your health diary is always at your fingertips.

Optimizing Your Health Diary Entries

Harness the full potential of your health diary with CareClinic by following these guidelines:

Embrace Honesty and Freedom in Writing :

Your health diary is a personal space. Write your thoughts and feelings candidly, and include motivational quotes or expressions of gratitude. Even if you have little to write initially, you’ll find that ideas flow more freely once you begin.

Combat Recall Bias :

Regular journaling helps avoid the common pitfall of recall bias, where you might forget or exaggerate certain symptoms. Frequent entries ensure accuracy and consistency in tracking your health.

Consistency is Crucial :

Establish a routine for writing in your health diary. Consistency not only helps in forming a reliable record of your health but also acts as a motivator, driving you toward your health goals. Find a time and place that works best for you and stick to it.

Tips for Effective Journaling :

• Be consistent: Make journaling a regular part of your routine for a true reflection of your health journey.
• Be honest: Express your symptoms, moods, and reactions to treatments or lifestyle changes. This transparency aids in understanding and managing your health.
• Be detailed: The more details you provide, the clearer the picture you and your physician will have of what works for your health.
• Be yourself: Write in a way that feels natural to you. There’s no right or wrong way to express your health experiences.

Strategic Questioning for Goal-Oriented Tracking :

• Customize your journal entries based on specific health goals. Questions like “How do I feel today?”, “Did my medication affect my daily activities?”, or “How did my diet and hydration affect my wellbeing?” can provide targeted insights.
• Tailor your questions to suit your health tracking needs, whether it’s diet, pain management, or overall wellness.

Remember, your health diary is more than just a record; it’s a tool for active engagement in your healthcare journey. By following these tips, you can make your health diary a powerful ally in achieving your health and wellness goals.

Effortless Online Health Diary Creation on Your Mobile Device

• Convenience at Your Fingertips: Say goodbye to bulky laptops or paper diaries. CareClinic brings the ease of health journaling to your smartphone, ensuring accessibility anytime, anywhere.
• Personalized and User-Friendly: Tailor the app to your health needs. Its intuitive design makes tracking your health straightforward and personalized.

Comprehensive Tracking Features

• Health Diary: Document an unlimited number of health-related notes and photos.
• Medication and Supplements: Keep track of what you take or miss.
• Symptoms Logging: Record and analyze symptoms as they occur.
• Biometric Data: Track vital measurements like blood pressure, sleep patterns, and energy levels.
• Dietary Insights: Note foods that may trigger health issues.
• Activity Tracking: Record exercises recommended by healthcare professionals.
• Therapy Notes: Keep a log of therapy sessions and insights.

Holistic Health Management

• All-in-One Platform: CareClinic eliminates the need for multiple apps by integrating various health aspects into one comprehensive platform.
• Insightful Reports : The app collates your data to produce detailed reports, aiding in understanding treatment effectiveness and overall mood patterns. Discover correlations and patterns in your health journey.
• Seamless Integration: Effortlessly switch between trackers and reports, linking treatments to your health diary for cohesive monitoring.

Secure and Collaborative Health Care

• Privacy and Security: CareClinic values your privacy, providing a secure platform for your health data.
• Sharing Capabilities: Easily share reports with your healthcare provider, fostering a collaborative approach to your health management.

Customizable to Your Unique Health Needs

• Versatile Functionality: Whether managing chronic conditions, mental health, or general wellness, CareClinic’s diverse features cater to a wide range of health needs.
• Proven Trust and Reliability: With over 50,000 users, including patients and pharmacists, CareClinic is a trusted tool in managing health effectively.
• Clinician Endorsement: Doctors value patients who proactively manage their health, often leading to more accurate diagnoses and efficient treatment plans.

Join the CareClinic Community and Start your own Health Journal

Take Control: Ready to streamline your health management? Download CareClinic for Android or iOS and start your journey towards a healthier, more informed you.

Liz Marie Blog

in LizMarieBlog

My Health Journey FAQs

A sincere exhale as I start to write this blog post. Since the end of last year the daily number one ask question, in-person and online, is all about my health journey. I know it’s because that’s when others could start to see progress on my health journey in the form of my body changing, but what no one knew is that so much had changed over the year from my mental health to my goals & beyond. But what most people focus on is the weight loss & I get it…. it’s quite obvious & I was in those shoes two years ago wondering where to begin & what steps I needed to take. I have been pretty reluctant to share my journey for a few reasons, but mainly because I don’t like putting the spotlight on myself as an individual, especially my body. But after a lot of thinking & praying on this I do believe I can share some wisdom & what finally clicked for me in hopes that I can answer some of the frequently asked questions to help guide another health journey for the better. I want to also preface by stating the obvious, what has worked for me does not necessarily work for others. I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or fitness instructor in any sense of it all. I am just a girl who was fed up with being tired, inflamed, & overall not living a healthy lifestyle. About 19 months ago I really started on this journey full force after reaching a low in so many ways. The results may have seemed quick to you, but it’s been a very long journey to where I’m at & I am not done, but let’s celebrate the progress together today & go over what worked for me…

Before you read ahead:

You are beautiful. You are amazing. You are worthy. You do not need to lose weight to have more value. You are valuable the way you are right now in this very moment no matter what size you are or where you are at in your journey. Your health & happiness is most important overall. You should eat to feel fueled, satisfied, & happy. Your health journey will look different than everyone else’s so don’t compare yourself or your journey to anyone. I loved me then & I love me now. I am not ashamed of either person & I’m proud of both for trying. Here are some very scattered thoughts of my health journey that I hope make sense in the end…

Two years ago:

A few days ago I put a question box on Instagram, looking for questions people had regarding my health journey. Here are the questions, and my answers:

What was the turning point that made you make the changes in your health?

This is a great question to start the post. I knew I wanted to be healthier in general, but especially for Cope. Unknowingly at the time, I didn’t necessarily see all the unhealthy decisions, and in-turn, the results, I was forcing onto my body. I knew I no longer looked forward to going for walks outside, I noticed areas in my life that should be effortless, tasking, and at this point I wanted to change something. Little things like putting my shoes on were hard for me to do, none of my clothes fit, & I just felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I also had a few doctor visits where the doctors highly recommended losing weight & leading a cleaner lifestyle. I ignored it for a very long time & tried a few times, but never gave it enough effort to really see a change so I would give up. I truly think in order to make big changes & stick to them you need to make that decision on your own & truly want to change no matter what it takes. I reached a low & I needed to change in order to keep going.

Where did you start?

I started with the mindset of wanting it to be a forever change & not just a “quick fix diet” like I had tried so many times. I finally realized there was no secret pill, drink, or diet that would instantly make me healthier & that it would be a combination of many changes that I needed to make myself. So I started making one small change at a time. Cutting things out, moving more, adding in supplements, & so on. I knew that in order to completely change my lifestyle I had to do it slowly & steadily or I would give up. With each small change I started to feel better so it motivated me to keep going. Knowing from the beginning that nothing is instant & it all takes time & patience was really helpful. I started going to the gym first, then after a while of doing that I started to change my diet up, & after that I kept making small changes slowly so that they all became a habit.

Just how did you do it?

Learning, being firm, being consistent, & developing better habits.

The short answer is, learning about what foods I need to put into my body and general exercising. It may sound silly, but I never taught myself how to eat or move for my health. I don’t obsess over numbers, in fact I refuse to weigh myself, because that isn’t what matters to me, it’s making healthier decisions every day to better my body to hopefully keep me healthier longer for many years to come. The details on how I specifically changed are like most, before I would just jump on supplement recommendations, a few diet fads, but also like most, nothing stuck. Jose and I joined a local gym, and I started my exercise journey doing an incline treadmill, while Jose would go weight-lift. I felt great just getting my body moving. After a few months, Jose convinced me to join him in weight lifting and we began working out together. I loved moving my body, but I was a little shocked that I wasn’t seeing a huge difference in my body. This is roughly when I started taking my diet into consideration along with moving my body more.

The first two steps to correcting my diet was portion control and learning more about proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Prior to changing my diet, I would consume whatever and whenever I wanted. I remember the year prior, we would visit DQ on an every other week basis for either ice cream or ice cream cake. I drank almost a 2 liter of cherry coke every single day. I didn’t portion control & I had no idea how many calories or nutritional value anything I was eating added up to for the day. I now prioritized adding more proteins into my diet, ensuring I am getting my daily recommended dose of fiber, and continue to learn how my body responds to foods. The body burns more energy breaking down protein, and how it uses fats and carbs, and re prioritizing those foods that are higher in some ingredients than others, has truly transformed my cravings and fat burning.

A great tool when you are learning about how food is broken down, look at the nutrient information on everything. It breaks down, your carbs, fats, and proteins, adds it all up to total calories.  You can find free calorie calculators online for your height, weight, and ideal body weight. This isn’t necessarily completely accurate, but my goal was to truly identify how much “energy” I use, and doing my best to be in a calorie deficit, each day, or relatively over the week. If you really want help tracking this information, there are great mobile apps out there like “myfitnesspal” that allows for you to scan the barcode and get all the exact nutrient information to be logged. Jose used the apps for a while, I did not. All I used what my ideal daily calorie intake and made conscious effort to what I was consuming… this was the biggest impact to my journey I think.

The biggest thing I learned is what foods work for me & I am so thankful it comes naturally now. I truly was very ignorant before now about calories in and how much I was consuming daily & now I feel like I can make better decisions & know what my body needs to fuel it properly. Through this journey I have learned to listen to my body more & that’s been a huge positive change.

How did you heal your inflammation?

This was a big part of my health journey from the beginning. To be honest with you, I didn’t really know about inflammation, what it was, that I was struggling with it, or how to heal from it. This is another thing that you should check with your doctor about & do your own research because it’s different for everyone. My issues came from inflammatory PCOS which leads to obesity. I always think of it as some people can eat the way I was eating & live the way I was living without any issues, but for my body, sugary foods & processed foods lead to excess inflammation in my body so I needed to start eating an anti-inflammatory diet to combat that side effect of my PCOS & take supplements to fight it as well. Omega-3 foods, vegetables, high fiber, & less processed foods & sugary foods.

I also worked very hard on my gut health. Healing your gut can help immensely with weight loss & overall health. I started taking probiotics, taking apple cider vinegar daily, & consuming a lot more fiber to get my gut back on track. Drinking more water, moving my body more, & trying more greens daily. There are many other ways to heal your gut, but that was where I started & saw a huge difference right away. Look into turmeric & foods that are anti-inflammatory that are great to eat no matter who you are.

I would do a lot of reading & research supplements to heal & nurture your gut health.

What small changes made the biggest impact on how you felt?

During my cherry coke phase I hardly drank ANY water at all. Adding in water daily made such a huge difference & that can seem really obvious, but for many of us I think it’s something we push to the side & don’t really see the importance in. Well, turns out it’s very important. Drinking water helped me mentally, physically, & emotionally really. I became more regular, less bloated, & my cycles became more regular when I upped my water game.

Going to the chiropractor seemed like a small change in the beginning, but it turned out to be a huge contributor in my health journey. I truly think getting my body all aligned helped so much in allowing my body to do what it needed to do & function properly. Such a great decision!!

Just saying “no”. It actually feels powerful and rewarding to say no to things. I started saying no to food when I wasn’t hungry just because it was there or being offered. I started saying no to desserts & no to certain foods when they were being offered & not feeling bad about those decisions when we were out or with other people. I’m a people pleaser to my core, but for my health I started say no & guess what? no one was offended & I felt much better.

I am a sauce-lover. I love sauces with everything! When I started looking at the calorie counts of items, to include sauces, I was shocked. My beloved chick-fil-a dipping sauce is 140 calories in one little dipping container. I wanted my diet choices to stick, and I knew that being overly strict wouldn’t last, I wanted to continue to eat my favorite food like pizza, and better small decisions, would help me keep those favorite meals on my plate. Making changes like my 140 calorie chick-fil-a sauce (that I would easily finish off 3 dip containers), to 45 calorie barbecue or 50 calorie honey mustard are the small victories that get you to your goal. Reading the nutrient information on your common things will help you portion control your intake, and help you understand foods, to a point where you can guess (pretty accurately) most of your frequent items to curb your intake int he right direction. The key for me to making everything stick is not to obsess over any aspect of weight loss, from calorie counting, overall weight number, or body fat percentage. If you change you mindset to making smarter diet decisions every single day, you would be surprised with the success you’ll have.

Consistency. This was a small change with a HUGE impact. Every other time I tried to get healthy and make better decisions I was never consistent & then I would just say that “nothing works”, but what I didn’t know is just how consistent you need to be & for a long time to see results. It’s hard in the beginning when you are not seeing big results to be motivated to keep going, but trust me.. the one key thing is consistency.

More Weight lifting/cardio, or both?

For me, I found the most significant transformation shortly after I started weight lifting. When Jose and I started going to the gym, he would weight-lift and I would walk on the treadmill at an incline. It was great, but when you break down the difference between calories burned, all within the target heart range for burning fat, I found it more efficient in my 45 minutes workout time each morning. The bigger muscles like your back and legs require more energy to use for exercise, and also burns more energy for repair. I am not talking about lifting heavy weights. I am talking about lifting weights slowly, steadily, & with purpose & resistance. I was intimidated by weight lifting, but thankfully Jose taught me some very simple weight lifting exercises for each group of muscles.

How has your journey helped your PCOS symptoms?

One of my lifelong issues is tied to my PCOS has been all about regularity (or lack their of) in my cycles. While on my health journey, I have noticed a few steps closer to regularity. Not perfect, but definitely more frequent. This is very important, as I have never been regular, so it goes to show, your current weight or BMI does not necessarily coincide with health. When I was younger I was on the smaller side, and the fact that I am adding the right elements into my body, and it drastically changing, proves that you need to be conscious with your journey and cannot just close your eyes and apply a general diet, listen to your body. I still struggle with PCOS & hormone imbalance, but I have noticed my acne, mood, & cycles have all leveled out & it makes me cry sometimes after years of suffering with inflammation from all of these things.

I remember never having clear skin & having painful cysts all along my jaw line, being super bloated & swollen in my face & all over my body, & not getting a period for a whole year. I truly thought I was going to have to live with these things. It turns out that cutting most sugar, upping my water intake, & eating a little cleaner was the best medicine for my PCOS.

Go to snack that actually fills you up?

Currently my  nearly every day snack is chopped apples (honey crisps to be exact), peanut butter, a few chocolate chips, a small serving of fiber, and protein powder. I mix it together, and sometimes add a splash of oat milk or almond milk to lighten the texture. Mix all but the apples together, and when you eat, I place a layer onto of the apples and have at it. I have found that basically mixing protein powder with anything like pudding, peanut butter, & other great recipes you can look up is so filling & can satisfy your sweet tooth. Plus more protein is great for weight loss & gives you great energy!

How much weight did you lose?

Here is the fun fact, I have not weighed myself in over 19 months. When I started, I weighed myself for a starting weight, but as I continued on the journey I didn’t want to feel tempted to judge my progress in numbers, but understand that my progress is putting better foods into my body. So, I still haven’t weighed myself as I don’t want to obsess over the number. Even at the doctors I asked to turn around & for them to not tell me my weight. I simply asked them to give a review of what they thought of it & let me know if I was on the right track & healthy. They were happy to do that & it has made this journey a lot easier. I do know I lost a lot of weight as my clothing sizes have changed, but what I work for every day: Feeling healthy, energized, & fulfilled. Will I weight myself? I might soon. I just don’t have the urge to do it quite yet.

Any tips on how to stay consistent with change? How to stay motivated?

For me this was a “get healthy” eat “healthy” motivator. That never changes, and the struggles I had in the past was if I set goals like a weight or size of jeans, once I achieved that goal it was hard to continue to stay motivated. The endless goal of healthy living is something I wake up and decide to do each and everyday without any struggle and regret about decisions I am making. For me obsessing over numbers & sizes was discouraging so just having the desire to be healthier every day is great motivator.

Of course when you start seeing results after you are consistent is a HUGE motivator, but of course that comes with time. If you are reading this I just want you to know that it really is just consistency that works as far as losing weight or seeing any results. I learned that the hard way, but oh my it was so worth being consistent!

Did you consult with anyone about your journey?

Besides my routine doctor office visits & weekly Chiro visits, the biggest step for me was figuring out my mental health & regulating meds. That journey is ever changing & of course the end goal for me would be to not have to take anything, but for now I am still being treated for my anxiety/depression/adhd & I’ve worked for over a year of trying to build better habits, use self control, & regulate my emotions. I have found that a diet change has really helped with a lot of this thankfully.

How tall are you, your BMI now?

I am 5’2″.  I have no idea how much I weigh and my BMI. I found it very helpful to know this in the beginning as a BMI calculator online can let you know roughly how many calories daily will allow you to lose weight, but after that I’ve left it up to my doctor for now.

What’s your current calorie intake?

Roughly 1,800 to 2,200 calories each day. Again, I don’t obsess over these numbers & really just eat to feel fueled. I don’t let myself be “hungry” or not energized as that was the entire point of my health journey. So when I was actively trying to lose weight if I was hungry after my calories were “up” I never restricted food & it still worked. I feel like if I was strict with myself I wouldn’t have stuck to it or made it my new lifestyle.

Do you eat sugar?

Yes, as most foods have sugars, but I have cut out a lot of items I was eating and drinking before. Example, I no longer drink soda, I have cut out all cookies, cakes, sugary snacks. I love replacing all of these things with fruits, peanut butters, & zero sugar added chocolate daily. I do not think that everyone has to do this, but for me it helped to cut it all cold turkey because I do struggle with moderation so it was easier to just say no to it all.

What do you do for daily movement?

I have added in routine visits to the chiropractor, and chasing a little 3 year old around. We tend to the farm here, and will be returning back to the gym this fall. I love walking!! I don’t do long distances, but little walks make me feel good. We are also setting up our treadmill in a gym area in our home that I hope to use daily as well. I’ll keep you posted. Writing about this makes me want to get back into lifting weights… I’m even motivating myself!

Biggest attributions to your weight loss, inflammation, supplements, hormones?

One of the biggest things I recommend everyone do is to work with your doctor and get a full panel to check all of your vitamin levels and general bloodwork. This is help with any additional supplements that you may be deficient in. Getting your body back to neutral, is the a great step forward in your health journey. Also being your own health advocate. I know for me I have suffered through 11 miscarriages, pcos, & more so I had to stand up for myself & ask for things to be checked/tested. You know your body best! I think the biggest thing was finding the right balance for me. Not over exercising, not over eating, & not being over restrictive. That looks different for everyone, but in that balance I found happiness & peace both physically & mentally.

I am daily Alani Nu kinda gal. Do we think they are bad? so stinking good.

I am no health expert & I’m sure they would just tell you to only drink water, but Alani Nu kicked off my health journey. I had a weird (and I mean weird) obsessions with cherry coke. Needing something with caffeine I found Alani Nu, while we were in Sarasota Florida’s a few years ago. I loved the low 10 calorie count, and the high caffeine. I was able to phase out my cherry coke obsession and substitute it with an Alani Nu and water, a much better combination than cherry coke. Now nothing is better than just plain old water, so I’m sure there are some con’s to having one or two Alani’s in a day, but for me I kicked my soda habit and add in much more water than I previously was drinking. They helped me in a big way so I’m just thankful for them!

Are you at a weight that you are comfortable with?

I don’t weigh myself, so hard to say yes or no to this. I do feel healthier, more energetic, more limber, and have a lot more fun chasing a toddler around. That was always the goal, and I’ll continue to do my best to generally make smarter decisions when it comes to what and how much I eat. A while back I started to up my calories because I didn’t want to lose any more weight. Even though I don’t weigh myself I was comfortable where I was at so I upped my calories & from what I can tell I’ve maintained & maybe gained a little, but I feel comfortable & that’s all that matters.

Did you do anything with regards to checking your hormonal balances?

I did not, but I still want to. Jose did have a full panel bloodwork done, as he constantly battles fatigue. He could fall asleep after drinking a few energy drinks and a coffee. I highly recommend everyone do this, because more times than none we are all deficient in something, most commonly Vitamin D. Some vitamins are so hard to achieve recommended levels just from diets, you need to purchase supplements. I love the idea of targeting those areas specifically. The tough part about fixing vitamin deficiencies is that it takes a while to really adjust, something we all don’t have patients with. I supplement vitamins pretty heavily, and need to get updated bloodwork done to see where I am truly at.

Tips on maintaining self discipline?

Change the mind to healthy living, rather than weight or pant size goals. Because what happens when you achieve it is that you get mad at yourself if you fluctuate in the wrong direction, or become so obsessed it can become unhealthy. Make better decisions daily and you’ll feel better – plain and simple. Giving yourself grace & not developing such strict boundaries that if you fail you want to give up.

Do you count calories?

Not really anymore. In the beginning to lose weight I did & that is truly what helped me drop the pounds. I have a pretty routine morning and afternoon as far as eating & I’ve found eating the same foods daily has helped me stay on track. From there I know that I am only about 800-1000 calories in, this allows for me to have some pretty large meals and even a nightly subtle snack to maintain my deficiency. This is of course different for everyone. I know there are many people who love large breakfast meals, but for me I have never liked a big breakfast & I’m more of a large dinner kind of gal. After a while of counting calories it became second nature of knowing what foods had what calories & then I could just add it loosely in my head to know if I was in range. After a while the habits started sticking so I no longer have to count as much. Developing habits of the past year has truly allowed me to be free of counting calories or obsessing over numbers.

What did you omit from diet?

I try not to drink my calories. I just find no joy in it, but for some that love those tasty treats from Starbucks have at it, and work it into your planning. I have fully cut out soda, and Jose and I have not permittaly omitted it, but have removed a lot of red meat from our diets. Red meat does have some links to inflammation of the body, and Jose is pretty convinced that he doesn’t need it and you’ll usually catch him going the chicken, turkey, or fish route. I do struggle with dairy, so I have removed ice cream from my routine foods, but that’s simply tied to not responding well. I love finding ways to enjoy a little sugary sweets like adding chocolate chips to a nightly snack with apples and peanut butter, but generally try not to slide down the slippery slope of straight candy and dessert. Again, some people may be able to do this, but for me it’s best to not start as I struggle with portion control & needing it every day,

Best tips on maintaining healthy habits and not reverting back?

Find the reason for the change and do your best to flip the switch. Jose and I, do eat our fair share of fast-food, pizza, and hot dogs, but we make the conscious decision during the day and mostly during the week to pick the naturally grown fruits and vegetables. Its crazy how fast you start craving stuff like apples and grapes, when you just add it into a routine a few times a week. My parents just started looking at their diet along with walking a little bit more, and man the changes already. My dad says today, he rarely drank water over the years, now its all he drinks and he craves it all of the time. Seeing my parents make small changes & see big results so quickly has furthered my believe that you don’t need to be restrictive to completely change your life.

Did you follow PCOS recs to go gluten free/dairy free?

We were actually gluten free for 7 years or so. This is the time period I gained the most wait. When I found sweets that I enjoy that were gluten free, I would over indulge. I’d find ways to supplement those items what weren’t gluten free and those decisions weren’t always the best. In 2020, we were having a hard time finding… well everything, so we slowly walked away from a gluten free diet. It took some getting use to, but neither of us are super sensitive, but more did it in hopes of correction any PCOS and fertility issues we were having. We are still non-gluten free, but generally speaking we unconsciously limit those gluten items, just based on the items we eat. I have a problem with straight dairy, so if I do have milk I am typically using oat milk or almond milk.

What are your daily “go-to” foods for energy?

Protiens, Peanut Butter, Fruits, & just Whole Foods in general I have noticed just make me feel good.

Do you intermittent fast?

I want to start this answer off by please everyone do your own research to determine if this is something for you. Jose does this a few times a week, and loves it. I’m not a breakfast person, so I do it, but it’s kind of a natural thing for me. You can easily google it to get a more credible definition, but we believe in the information regarding insulin and glucagon functions and how intermittent fasting manipulates them. Insulin and glucagon are a push/pull type of relationship, meaning when one goes up, the other goes down. Both are responsible for maintaining balanced blood sugar levels and metabolism, but the goal of intermittent fasting is to allow the body to fully process the last meal, to allow the glucagon hormone to take the front seat to break down the macromolecules (stored fat), and stay front and center much longer than it would when following the standard American diet we are so used. Every time we eat, our insulin levels spike while the body is trying to figure out what to do with the food you ate, insulin is all about absorption and storing (again opposite of glucagon). Once the insulin hormone is done, the glucagon steps in. The problem with the standard American diet (in our opinion), on top of heavy calorie intake, it leaves very little time for the hormone of glucagon to do its job. From a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner, by the time your insulin levels start to drop to allow glucagon to take over, we are sitting down for the next meal & start all over again. I read somewhere a moderate to large dinner, will take the body up to 8 hours to have insulin levels drop back down. If you have dinner around 6, it won’t be until 3-4am for glucagon to get moving, and a few short hours later, we are up and ready for breakfast.

Now when you hear the word fasting, most people think days and weeks without eating… that is not the case. The way we do intermittent fasting is we typically just will skip breakfast one day and resume eating around lunch time, maybe even have a little later lunch depending on how we are feeling that day. We’ll still do a cup of coffee in the morning, but other than that, its allowing the body to fully process and break down food start at 7pm, and not eating again until 11am-1pm the following day. This is all about balance & it’s not for everyone, but I have seen good results from it for us.

Did you take diet pills?

I am not sure there is truly a magic diet pill.. maybe there is, but I wouldn’t recommend just that over creating a better lifestyle. No diet pills, surgeries, or quick fixes. Just better decisions every single day that over time made a huge difference.

What supplements do you take?

A short list: Fish oil, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, turmeric, DIM, NAC, probiotic, prebiotic, turmeric & a few more that have changed along my journey. But this is super personal to everyones individual journey & should be treated as such. If this is something you want to see more of I can share that in a later post.

Can you simplify what you did to get where you are?

-cut out a lot of/most of sugars & processed foods.

-move your body every day in some intentional way.

-lift light weights.

-eat a lot more fiber & protein.

-consume lots more fruits, vegetables, & healthy fats in all my meals.

-calculate your BMI.

-learn calories in foods & how much you are consuming vs. how much you need to consume daily to lose weight.

-get more sleep.

-drink a lot more water.

-stretch & work on flexibility/mobility

-check hormones/vitamin levels

-be kind to yourself.

I’m sure that is not it, but I wanted to answer some of the FAQ’s for you guys because I know it can be daunting on where to even start. I will update the post if any more frequent questions come up. I do hope this helps in some small way to someone. xx

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Self-Care, Mental Wellness, & Self-Improvement

in Goals , Mindset , Self-Care , Self-Improvement · March 8, 2022

How to Start Your Wellness Journey in 5 Easy Steps

This post may contain affiliate links meaning that, I may make commission if you purchase through my links. Learn More . 

When first exploring how to start your wellness journey, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with differing advice and contrasting opinions. It doesn’t have to be so complicated!

Here are 5 steps to starting your own personal wellness journey – along with additional tips, tricks, essentials, resources, and reminders!

What is a Wellness Journey?

To start a wellness journey, it’s important to have a clear idea of what a wellness journey is and what it looks like for you.

As a whole, wellness can be defined as “ the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health “.

With that, a wellness journey can be used to describe the act of pursuing and developing habits, routines, and lifestyle choices that better your health.

The term “health” here can refer to many different areas: mental, physical, emotional, etc. We have different areas of life that are all incredibly important for our overall health.

Because of this wide range, a wellness journey is going to be slightly different for everybody.

For example, say you feel that your financial/career health is strong, but would like to focus more on mental health. This would mean that your wellness journey would be directed towards mental health habits/activities.

Everyone’s wellness journey will look different.

Even more so, your own wellness journey will likely shift over time.

Your goals and intentions may shift over time from when you first start this wellness journey.

With all of that said, at its core a wellness journey is simple.

A wellness journey is about pursuing health – inside and out.

A healthy, happy, and well-balanced life is the ultimate goal of starting a wellness journey.

Here’s how we can achieve that…

5 Steps to Start Your Wellness Journey

1. identify where you are.

Do you already have wellness habits in place? What things are you already doing that make you feel good?

On the other hand, do you have habits that you know are making you feel unwell ? When you start a wellness journey, what do you think will have to change?

By being really honest with yourself and answering some of the questions above, you can get a really good idea of where you’re at right now. This is important for determining where you need to go.

When starting a wellness journey (or any new journey), it’s always a good idea to take a quick look at where you are starting from.

Chances are good you have some habits that actually don’t need to change! (Look at you!!)

For example, maybe you’re already really good about drinking your water or you have great self-care habits.

This is awesome!

With this information, you can better identify and pinpoint the places that DO need to change. Then, you can proceed with setting some goals for how you want to start your wellness journey.

2. Set Goals for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness goals can look very different depending on the person. We most often hear the term wellness in relation to physical health (drinking water, eating nutritious foods, etc.)… but wellness goes way beyond the physical body!

I highly recommend looking at each of the 7 areas of life and taking a deep dive into how each area looks for you.

Maybe your social/relational wellness needs some work… or maybe you notice that you feel unwell in your career. This is all super valuable information when setting wellness goals.

From here, you can set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) for your wellness journey.

Goal Ideas for Your Wellness Journey:

• Drink ‘X’ oz water/day
• Get outside daily
• No more than ‘X’ amount of time on social media everyday
• Attend one social even each week
• Journal every morning
• Meditate daily
• Unfollow negative accounts online

RELATED POST: 10 Tips to Make Instagram More Positive

• Get 8+ hours of sleep/night
• Develop a skincare routine
• Develop a morning/night routine
• Make time for at least 5 minutes of self-care every day
• Focus on more foods that feel good to eat
• No work after (set specific time)

3. Develop Daily Wellness Habits

Habits – what you do consistently on an everyday basis – is where you are going to want to focus when you start a wellness journey. The day-to-day behaviors and habits are what make up your life. Shifting habits is what will cause great, lasting change.

Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations. james clear, atomic habits

These habit changes don’t need to be extravagant or overwhelming. In fact, too many big changes may set you up for burnout. (We don’t want that!!)

Instead, improving your small everyday habits on a consistent basis is the best way to achieve long-term success .

Habits to Consider on Your Wellness Journey:

• Water intake
• Daily movement
• Nutrient intake
• Social media consumptionn
• Social life/behaviors
• Money habits
• Making your bed
• Opening your blinds
• Night routine habits
• Organization habits
• Self-care habits

These are just a few of the MANY wellness habits you can focus on. Again, this will be entirely personal and individual.

Once you know where you’re at (wellness journey step 1) and have goals set (wellness journey step 2), you can really hone in on what habits are going to bring you closer to the life of wellness that you desire.

4. Keep Track of Your Wellness Journey

When we start a wellness journey, it’s very easy to lose sight of our progress and how far we’ve come. Tracking your progress along the way can help you stay motivated and appreciate how far you’ve come.

I highly recommend journaling on your wellness journey and using a habit tracker.

Habit trackers are a great tool for a wellness journey. I personally keep my habit tracker out on my desk with my planner. It’s a constant reminder of the habits I am working to adopt. Plus, it allows me to look back at the end of the week/month and see the progress I’ve made.

No matter how you choose to track your progress (with a habit tracker , in your planner , in an empty notebook , etc.), it’s incredibly valuable to keep track of your wellness journey.

Stay motivated, on track, and aware of your progress.

5. Be Flexible

Give yourself grace and be flexible when you start a wellness journey.

Adopting new habits and changing your lifestyle is no small task. In fact, it takes a ton of work and dedication. (You can do it though!)

This means that it’s super important to be kind to yourself through the process. Sticking to a routine and being dedicated is great… but don’t allow it to consume you and take a negative toll on your life. That defeats the whole purpose of your wellness journey!

Give yourself grace and leave room for mistakes. Be flexible and adaptable.

Life happens. I’m can almost guarantee that you will “mess up” on your wellness journey (probably many times!). This does not mean failure. You’re human.

To be honest, even an established wellness lifestyle is not structured and routine 24/7. I t’s all about balance. Some days may be filled with more “wellness habits” than others.

That’s the whole point of wellness… to be able to live a life of happiness, spontaneity, and adventure. A rigid and strict lifestyle is not a wellness lifestyle.

With all that, don’t be too hard on yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, compassion, and self-care always.

Top Wellness Journey Essentials

When starting a wellness journey, having the right tools and resources to help you is essential. Whether it be a good Podcast, an inspiring book, or a reflective journal, having the proper wellness journey essentials will be crucial for guiding you through the process.

Best Podcasts for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness podcasts are one of the most essential tools on my own wellness journey. Every time I go for a walk (nearly daily!), I thoughtfully choose a podcast that will inspire, motivate, encourage, or teach.

Listening to wellness podcasts is one of the simplest ways to incorporate wellness into your everyday life.

They are convenient and easy. Pop in an earbud while you walk, turn them on in the car, or play them out loud while you clean your house.

Here are some of my favorites.

Mental Wellness Podcasts

These podcasts focus on self-care, motivation, self-improvement, inspiration, routine, healthy habits, and overall mental wellness.

• The Happiness Lab with Laurie Santos
• Mood with Lauren Elizabeth
• SHE with Jordan Lee Dooley
• Manifest with Tori DeSimone
• We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle (My #1!!)
• Not Your Typical with Katelynn Nolan
• The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast

Physical Wellness Podcasts

While some of the above podcasts touch on physical wellness, these podcasts are specifically about physical wellness – food, exercise, nutrition, etc. Don’t worry – these podcasts all take an anti-diet approach to health. You’re safe here!

• DEATS with Deanna
• Find Food Freedom with Sam Previte
• What the Actual Fork? with Sam Previte and Jenna Werner
• Take the Cake with Kate Noel
• The Dear Body Podcast with Jessi Jean
• The Socieaty Podcast with Colleen Christensen

All of these podcasts have been a part of my own health, healing, happiness, and wellness journey. What podcasts do you love? Leave me a comment below!

Best Books for Your Wellness Journey

The first thing I did to start my wellness journey was investing in some wellness books. Whether it be about self-discovery, self-improvement, mindset, etc., these books are my absolute favorites for a journey to wellness.

These are the top 10 books I’d recommend to anyone looking to start a wellness journey.

1. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Untamed is my #1 favorite book for anything related to personal growth. I cannot say enough about this book or Glennon Doyle. She’s an incredible author and exceptional human being. I just got her Untamed journal to go with the book and I’m excited to work through it.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is probably the #1 book I’d recommend for starting a wellness journey specifically. Since habits play such a huge role in this venture, it’s important you know how to work to change your bad habits and develop positive habits . I used my 50% off my first book on AudiobooksNow and I am so glad I did. This book is a life-changer.

3. Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating was a game-changer for me. After recovering from years of disordered eating and dieting, the concept of Intuitive Eating changed my life. Learning about true intuitive eating (it’s not just “eat whatever whenever”) is essential for starting a wellness journey, especially if you don’t already have a good relationship with food. I recommend this book to everyone!

4. Unf*ck Yourself by Gary Bishop

Uf*ck Yourself is a super popular and well-loved book – for good reason! Gary Bishop has gone on to write multiple more books of a similar fashion. However, I can only speak to Unf*ck Yourself… and it is good! It’s all about getting out of your own way in order to build the life you want for yourself.

5. Mark Manson Books

I couldn’t choose between Manson’s two most popular books, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything Is F*cked . Both of these books are a great mix of humor and humility, teaching you how to let go of things that don’t serve you and the art of caring less.

6. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is a must-read for anyone looking to release self-limiting beliefs and overcome mindsets that hold them back. To be honest, all of Don Miguel Ruiz’s books are gold in my eyes. Toltec wisdom is something that I love and reading his books has been life-changing for me. ( The Mastery of Love is my #1 favorite!)

7. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

Anyone that’s read my blog before knows that I am ALL about self-love. I believe that loving yourself is an essential part of a happy, fulfilling life. Good Vibes, Good Life is about practicing and cultivating self-love to transform your life for the better. King does a great job of sharing his personal story in a way that inspires others. Love this book!

8. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul is a classic book about mental wellness and inner work. This book is all about how to free yourself from the constraints that hold you back from your highest potential. Whether it be self-limiting beliefs or external restraints, The Untethered Soul is a guide to freedom from all things that hold you back.

9. Anti Diet by Christy Harrison

As someone very against diet culture and the effects it has, Anti Diet is a book that I love and respect. So many of us (myself included) have been caught up in the hold of diet culture, wasting time, money, energy, health, and happiness. If you are wanting to start a wellness journey, learning about why diets don’t work and why you should be anti-diet can be very helpful. Don’t lose yourself in diet culture!

10. Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton

Overthinking is something that holds so many of us back. As a chronic overthinker myself, this book was eye-opening to just how much overthinking limits my happiness in everyday life. Stop Overthinking is intended to call out negative thought patterns, recognize how they negatively impact your life and help guide you forward into a life free of overthinking.

(This is the most recent wellness book I’ve read and I loved it!)

Best Journals for Your Wellness Journey

Podcasts, books, and journals – the wellness journey starter pack. 😉 In addition to the podcasts and books above, journals were a key tool when starting my own wellness journey.

Here are 5 of my favorite wellness journals.

1. The 5 Minute Journal

You’ve probably seen The 5 Minute Journal on TikTok or Instagram. It’s incredibly popular – and for good reason! Not only is it super aesthetically pleasing, but it’s simple, to the point, and effective for starting a wellness journey.

I actually just finished all the pages in my 5-minute journal last week… I’m going to order a new one. Using this journal has become one of my favorite parts of my morning routine. I love it.

2. Morning/Evening Affirmation Journal

By incorporating positive affirmations into my life, I’ve been able to shift my mindset and boost self-confidence. By no means do I believe positive affirmations are a magical fix, but I do think they’re a great tool!

Get FREE Positive Affirmation Cards HERE !

3. 3-Minute Positivity Journal

The 3-minute positivity journal focuses on improving 5 main areas of your life:

This journal is 60 days long and all it takes is 3 minutes in the morning and night. While this journal alone didn’t make me a positive person, the routine bursts of positivity definitely benefitted me and my mental wellness.

For the price, I’d definitely recommend giving this journal a shot!

4. 5-Minute Self-Care Journal

Having a guided journal dedicated to self-care can be really helpful for staying committed to your wellness journey. This journal includes prompts related to positive affirmation, self-care activities, goals, and more. It is affordable, simple, quick, and effective. I can’t complain!

5. My Self-Care Journal Bundle

After years of my own wellness journey, I decided to create a bundle of pages that includes all of my favorite self-care, health, and wellness resources. I made this bundle in hopes that I could help others pursue a life of happiness and wellness too.

This bundle is over 35 pages of guided wellness prompts and worksheets.

Once you purchase it, you have unlimited access to the PDF file of all the pages. That means you can print out as many copies as you want.

I am in love with this resource and I hope you love it too!

5 Important Reminders for Your Wellnenss Journey

Now that you know the best tips, steps, and essentials for starting a wellness journey, you’re almost ready to get started on your own journey. Along the way, it’s important to keep these 5 things in mind.

1. Your Wellness Journey is Unique

Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparing your journey to someone else’s will not serve you in any way.

There are lots of pictures and videos online from others sharing their own wellness journey (for example, the TikTok “That Girl” trend ). These videos can be inspiring, motivating, or fun to watch, but comparison can creep up quickly.

Your journey won’t look like theirs – and it shouldn’t!

Don’t compare yourselves to those around you or the people you see online. Your life is unique, your goals are unique, your wellness journey is unique. Stay true to yourself. It’s okay if that looks a bit different than what’s trending online.

2. Have a Strong ‘Why’

When you start a wellness journey, motivation is often high and it’s normal to feel the desire to give it your ALL. This is great!

But, if we’re honest, this motivation will dwindle over time. Motivation is great for getting started, but having a really strong “why” is what will keep you going.

Ask yourself: why do you want to start a wellness journey?

What will this add to your life? What are you hoping to achieve?

Having a clear reason for pursuing wellness will carry you through any waning in motivation or energy. A “why” gives your purpose – it’s important to have a strong one.

3. Consistency Over Perfection

Your wellness habits are not going to be 100% “perfect” 100% of the time. This just isn’t realistic and, honestly, is no way to live.

Perfectionism can be detrimental to your wellness journey.

In any circumstance, perfectionism can leave you feeling defeated. Drop the unrealistic expectations of perfection. Free yourself from those pressures.

Instead, focus on consistency.

Are you living your life in a way that overall aligns with your goals? If so, you’re doing great. Keep at it.

4. Give Yourself Grace

Again, perfection is an unrealistic expectation. Expecting perfection of yourself (in any area of life) is likely going to do more harm than good.

Instead, practice giving yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. Grant yourself permission to be human.

Ironically, dropping the perfectionism around starting a wellness journey is one of the best decisions you can make for your wellness journey. Take the pressure off and allow yourself space to learn and grow.

Unnecessary added pressure will only add stress to your life and hinder your wellness journey. Be flexible, be kind, and give yourself grace.

5. Mental Health First

Mental health is the priority – always . Without our mental health, our wellness journey will never be successful. Our mental health is at the root of everything we do.

Be sure to take care of yourself when you start a wellness journey. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in developing new wellness habits that we feel overwhelmed and stressed by the change.

If this is happening, remind yourself that mental health is the #1 priority.

Changing habits, developing routines, and starting a wellness journey are all intended to improve your mental health. If, at any point, it is doing the opposite, you should readjust.

Practice lots of self-care. Whether it be a 5-minute self-care activity or a full day of self-care , make it a priority to show yourself love and kindness at all times.

RELATED POST: 6 Types of Self-Care + Ideas for Each Type

Be kind to your mind, be gentle with your soul, and prioritize mental wellness above all else.

How will you start your wellness journey?

Now that you have all the tools, tips, and tricks for starting a wellness journey, where will you begin?

What wellness goals do you have? Which wellness journey essential will you explore first? What wellness habits do you hope to pick up?

Let me know in the comments! I love to chat about all things wellness!

Take care of yourself,

Hi! I’m Delaney (but you can call me Del)! Welcome to Authentically Del where we discuss all things self-care, productivity, self-improvement, mindset, and more. I'm here to offer authentic tips and advice in hopes that I can help make your life a bit brighter! More About Me...

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April 27, 2023 at 10:46 pm

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By volunteering to participate in Walmart’s My Health Journey℠, you will receive information about health studies and have the opportunity to find out about and participate in research to answer some of the most pressing health questions.

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How can I sign up?

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• Yes, securing your personal information is always a priority for Walmart. Walmart maintains an information security program that protects your protected health information. Our founder Sam Walton reminded us that "a promise we make is a promise we keep," and it's our promise to our patients that we respect the trust you place in us and the privacy of the information you share. We are a part of your health care journey and ensuring we continue building upon our trust with our patients with health care research is just one of those ways.

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The Digital Patient Care Journey: A Roadmap to Better Experiences

In today's value-based healthcare ecosystem, outcomes matter. Healthcare providers must find a way to balance delivering high-quality care while managing costs. Patients are no longer passive recipients of healthcare but active consumers with higher expectations. 

Whether it’s from increased access to information, advances in technology, or the growing emphasis on empowerment, patients are becoming more proactive about their healthcare experience. As it turns out, when organizations prioritize individualized, patient-centered care, they see positive results like improved health outcomes, lower costs, and stronger relationships between patients and clinicians.

Here, we’ll explore the advantages of tailoring the patient care journey and how to approach (and overcome) obstacles with the right digital tools, particularly for those in behavioral health and human services.

Understanding the Different Elements of the Patient Healthcare Journey

Behavioral health conditions vary greatly. Personalization allows providers to understand the unique needs and circumstances of each patient. When you tailor treatment plans to each patient’s specific needs, you can improve the effectiveness of interventions and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. 

While it can be challenging to provide patients with such a high level of personalized care, the good news is, with the help of technology, you can deliver this type of customized care and meet patient expectations more easily.

Patient journey mapping analyzes patients' progression through the healthcare system. It does so by capturing data at various touchpoints and patient interactions. Journey mapping helps patients by addressing inefficiencies and pain points along the way to provide a more seamless and positive patient experience.

On the other hand, personalized care planning focuses on creating customized care plans for each patient. Care planning considers a patient's medical history, preferences, and goals to optimize treatment approaches, improve outcomes, and boost patient satisfaction. 

By combining these concepts, you can create a more holistic approach to healthcare. This integration allows providers to chart a smooth course through programming or recovery that takes into consideration the patient’s needs, goals, and perspectives while empowering patients through shared decision-making. 

Benefits of Patient Care Journeys

The patient care journey shifts health care from reactive to proactive, allowing healthcare service providers to predict service gaps and establish preventative routines that promote better health outcomes . 

Positive patient experiences are more likely to result in patient retention and potentially lead to future referrals. According to the Beryl Institute , more than half of patients are likely to share a positive experience while roughly the same amount will tell others about a negative experience they’ve had with a health provider or team. Moreover, if a patient has a negative experience, more than 25% will not return to follow up with that care provider, and about 21% may seek out a different doctor or medical facility.

Personalized patient care journeys are exceedingly important in behavioral health. However, they tend to be underused. One study found that less than half of respondents used personalized care planning and shared decision-making even though both types of collaborative care were effective in decreasing depression and anxiety symptoms, improving medication adherence, and reducing healthcare costs. This represents an opportunity for behavioral health to adopt collaborative models to which patient care journeys could contribute. 

Other benefits for providers and patients include:

• Access to care : Patients log in and view their digital care plan from any device 24/7 as long as they have an internet or data connection.
• Resources : Educational resources help patients learn about their condition, relapse prevention strategies, and treatment options. These resources help patients engage with peers or take interactive videos, quizzes, or assessments.
• Data insights : Digital care plans help healthcare providers make data-driven decisions and optimize care delivery by tracking patient progress and providing real-time data about patient engagement (PE) .
• Communication : Using digital care plans, patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers can communicate securely, resulting in a more integrated and collaborative care system.
• Collaboration : Creating a care plan that considers the patient's goals can foster trust and boost patient retention and engagement.

Overcoming Barriers Through Technology

There are logistic and technological barriers to implementing patient engagement programs that include personalized care journeys. For one, some healthcare organizations face challenges in identifying all touchpoints in the patient journey. 

Overcoming resistance to change and a lack of technological resources when implementing patient care journeys is another challenge. Furthermore, creating an individual care plan manually is time-consuming.

Fortunately, by partnering with a vendor offering advanced digital solutions, such as a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) and mobile-friendly patient engagement solutions, you can speed up adoption and improve patient outcomes. 

Once implemented, digital care plans can revolutionize how you deliver personalized care and engage with your patients. Automation simplifies planning and improves resource allocation while giving you full control of scheduling interactive content delivery at any cadence. 

Providing the right resources at the right time can improve a patient’s adherence to treatment plans, boost engagement between appointments even after programming ends, and meet expectations for a highly personalized patient experience.

The CaredFor App: Enhancing Patient Care With Care Journeys

The CaredFor app is a cutting-edge patient engagement platform designed to help healthcare providers deliver personalized and automated patient care experiences. 

With its unique Care Journeys feature , the app enables providers to create configurable, step-by-step experiences for individuals or groups of patients. These targeted experiences include a wide range of activities, such as journaling, reading articles, completing surveys, and accessing educational resources.

Care Journeys provide healthcare professionals with a powerful tool for synchronizing patient journey mapping and personalized care planning. With Care Journeys, providers can visualize the patient's entire care journey, identify opportunities for custom interventions, and create tailored care plans that address each patient's needs and preferences.

The CaredFor app offers numerous features, including the following: 

• Personalized Care Plans : Tailored and interactive care plans personalized to each individual's needs and preferences
• Care Management : Assistance with scheduling appointments and access to healthcare providers when needed
• Family Engagement : Tools to keep family members informed and involved in the care process
• Communication : Secure messaging and video conferencing capabilities for communication between patients and healthcare providers
• Education and Resources : Access to educational materials and resources to help patients and their families better understand their condition and treatment options 
• Appointment Reminders : Automated reminders for patients when they have an upcoming appointment to reduce no-shows
• Health Analytics : Data analysis and reporting tools to track patient progress and help healthcare providers make informed decisions
• Support Groups : Access to online support groups and resources for patients, their families, and alumni

Consider Patient Care Journeys as Part of a Larger Engagement Strategy 

Today's patients expect more from their healthcare experience. They’re no longer passive care recipients; they’re active stakeholders in their health journey. As such, they demand a personalized, value-based approach to care that engages them at every stage of the patient journey, from pre-visit through follow-up care.

ContinuumCloud’s CaredFor app features Care Journeys, a tool for healthcare providers to create personalized and customizable experiences for individuals or groups. The app includes various activities like journaling, reading articles, and completing surveys to keep patients and alumni motivated.

To expand the continuum of care beyond traditional appointments, providers can easily build Care Journeys that focus on specific conditions, themes, or scenarios aligned with treatment goals. 

Thanks to the CaredFor app, providers can create a broad PE strategy with opportunities for ongoing engagement beyond the initial encounter through regular follow-ups, reminders, and health promotion campaigns to foster long-term relationships and promote patient well-being.

Connect with us today to learn more about meeting patient expectations and implementing Care Journeys as part of a larger patient engagement strategy.

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Investigating the Design of Online Health Consultation Platforms and Patient Experience: An Exploratory Study

• Conference paper
• First Online: 05 November 2023
• Cite this conference paper

• Lanyun Zhang 10 ,
• Jingyi Yang 10 &
• Haiou Zhu 11  

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Design and Innovation ((SSDI,volume 30))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Conference on Healthcare Systems Ergonomics and Patient Safety

85 Accesses

Online health consultation (OHC) platforms have been extensively used since the outbreak of COVID-19, that the number of active users has been increasing dramatically in China. OHC interfaces require a more immersive environment to support the entire medical consultation journey. This study intends to explore the design features of existing OHC platforms, and how they relate to patient experience and patient OHC journey. A literature review of design features, patient experience, and patient OHC journey was conducted to generate a framework to guide the study. Then, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants were carried out. The notions of “Design Features” were interpreted differently by individuals. For example, ‘graphic design’ was viewed as colour, font, icon, etc. Design Features have varying degrees of influence on “Patient Experience” and “Patient OHC Journey”. This study explores what comprises Design Features of OHC platforms. The associations between Design Features and Patient Experience found in this study are different from the associations that have been found in other contexts, like e-commerce. The design on telemedicine platforms especially OHC should be studied as an independent topic to inform the design of a better patient experience throughout the OHC journey.

Download conference paper PDF

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Interaction Design for Healthcare Technologies

The Research on the User Experience of Consultation Designed by China’s Medical Mobile Media Platforms Under the Background of COVID-19

• Online health consultation
• Interface design
• Patient experience
• OHC journey

1 Background

Online health consultation (OHC) platforms enable patients to make inquiries regarding their health conditions and seek professional advice from physicians via the Internet. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of active users who sought OHC services has been increasing in China and has reached over 15 million in June 2021 alone. Compared to other types of mobile health (mHealth) services, the OHC requires a relatively more immersive environment to support the entire medical consultation journey, so its interfaces have been viewed as an important portal to create positive user experience. Existing work have studied various types of mHealth platforms such as the telemedicine portals for rehabilitation care and Web-based patient education platforms (Dekkers et al. 2021 ). Design features of these platforms are categorised in different themes, e.g. visual, content, and social-cue design. Literature has also summarised several design checklists to facilitate building trust of online health sites (Van Velson et al. 2015 ) and to improve the overall user experience of a website (Fimberg and Sousa 2020a , b ). However, the design features of OHC platforms and how the features should be practised have not been examined systematically. In particular, we aim to investigate:

the design features of existing OHC platforms;

how the design features influences patient experience;

how the design features can be utilised to facilitate each step on patients’ OHC journey.

In the following sections, firstly, to guide the study design of this paper, existing research on design features, patient journey, and patient experience are reviewed. Then, our methodological approach is described with an explanation of the results in the next two sections. Finally, a discussion of our findings is given with a conclusion.

2 Related Work and Study Design

2.1 related work of design features.

Design features have been examined across different fields of studies. Wang and Emurian ( 2005 ) studied the design of e-commerce platforms and established a framework that divided web design features into three dimensions: visual design, content design, and social cue design. In the field of mHealth, existing work has explored the impact of design from various angles, e.g. how information architecture, visual effects, and information density influence patient experience (Shan et al. 2019 ; Jeminiwa et al. 2019 ; Danaher et al. 2005 ). However, it lacks an exploration of the design features from the very beginning of an OHC journey to the very end. Since the design of a whole OHC journey includes multiple functions and diverse features, this paper intends to adopt a concept—Form and Function, to guide the establishment of the framework in this study. The concept of Form and Function was originally discussed in the field of architecture (Greenough 1969 ) and it generally moved into the fields of product design and software design (Proto.io 2017 ). It describes the relationships between how a product looks and how a product works. In this context, OHC services can be viewed as a digital product in medical practices, that we propose its design features to be grouped into 4 main dimensions across the ‘Form—Function’ axis: graphic design, information architecture, information content, and functional interaction.

2.2 Related Work of Patient OHC Journey

Customer journey map is a diagram that depicts the stages that customers go through when interacting with a service provider. Customer journey map describes the whole journey in either three or five stages according to the timeline: (1) three stages—pre-service, service, and post-service (Rosenbaum et al. 2017 ); (2) five stages—awareness, interest, purchase, retention, and advocacy (Guest Post 2022 ). Customer journey map has multiple applications and appears in various forms across different fields of studies. In the research of business and user experience, the five-stage customer journey map is frequently used and tested. In this context, patient journey map is a type of customer journey map that focuses on visualizing patient journey with the service of OHC. Efforts have been made to create patient journey map by utilising data from observations, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews (He et al. 2021 ; Reay et al. 2017 ; de Ridder et al. 2018 ). OHC can be viewed as a type of private credence information goods (Wan et al. 2021 ). Thus, the five-stage customer journey map was adopted to structure patient OHC journey in the framework of this study.

2.3 Related Work of Patient Experience

Patient experience is an important perspective to evaluate the quality of healthcare (Ahmed et al. 2014 ). Previous studies have explored patient experience in mHealth mainly from two dimensions: usability experience and sociability experience (Nambisan 2011 ). Portz et al. ( 2019 ) explored patient experience of a patient portal in terms of usability, usefulness, credibility, and satisfaction among older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Borsci et al. ( 2018 ) explored how trust is related to the concept of user experience in the design of healthcare technology. Thus, drawing on these works, we decided to investigate understandability and usefulness as the factors of usability experience, while trust and social presence as the factors of sociability experience. In addition, health literacy is a significant aspect of patient experience because it represents one’s capacity to understand, use, learn, and benefit from health information to promote and maintain one’s health (Aoki and Inoue 2017 ). Thus, we proposed to examine the following five elements that represented patient experience in this study: understandability, usefulness, trust, social presence, and learning.

2.4 Framework Proposed to Guide the Study

Based on the research questions and integrated with the findings from literature review, a framework to guide this study was proposed (see Fig.  1 ). The framework consisted of three layers: “Design Features”, “Patient OHC Journey”, and “Patient Experience”. There are multiple elements within each layer. While the elements of “Design Features” were fixed, the elements of “Patient OHC Journey” and “Patient Experience” were not fixed and can be adjusted via our empirical study later.

Framework proposed to guide this study

3 Methodology

A qualitative and inductive methodology was adopted due to the exploratory nature of this research. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 participants (5 male, 5 female). The participants were recruited on the university campus, aged between 22 and 25, with interests in mobile health and new technologies. Previous OHC experiences were not required in this study. After reading the information sheet of this study and signing the consent form, each participant was instructed to complete the study in four parts (see Table 1 ). The first part described the scenario of this study, followed by an explanation of the OHC platform. Presentation slides (see Fig.  2 a) and a mock-up App on Adobe XD (see Fig.  2 b) were developed to illustrate how to use the OHC platform. Here, the mock-up was developed based on a popular Chinese OHC platform, Yilu (医鹿). The participants were allowed to ask questions at this stage. The second part started with an introduction of the general concept of design features, followed by asking the participants to specify the design elements they noticed. The third and fourth part began with an introduction of patient OHC journey and patient experience, followed by asking the participants to specify their opinions regarding whether there was a design feature that influenced OHC journey and patient experience. Figure  3 shows the collected on-paper data from one participant. The stickers with four colours represented the four categories of “Design Features”: green—graphic design, orange—information architecture, pink—information content, and blue—functional interaction.

Presentation slides ( a ) and a mock-up App based on Adobe XD ( b ) developed for this study

The collected on-paper data from one participant

4.1 Design Features

Design features were classified into four themes based on the thematic analysis of the audio recordings—graphic design, information architecture, information content, and interactive features (see details in Table 2 ).

Graphic Design. Colour, font and icon were the most frequently mentioned elements by participants, in which 7 participants emphasized the importance of colour. As for the reason why colour was viewed important, firstly, patients’ perception of professionalism was influenced by the choice of colour, that whether it matched up with the healthcare context. One participant specified that “I would link to blue or green when physicians were mentioned. If the platform chooses other colours, it will make me feel a little bit strange” . Secondly, colour could implicitly influence emotions and behaviours, as one participant stated that “Colour combinations clearly affect patients’ mood. The platform should look clear and neat, just as a hospital should do. For example, the choice of colour should be harmonious rather than complementary”.

With regards to font, it was agreed that the choice of font influences the navigation, i.e. how quickly one can find the needed information. The remaining elements mentioned by the participants were banner, superscript, style, and white space. Banner is a graphical unit for web-advertising, usually in the form of long strips. Superscript refers to the small label on top of an icon to provide additional information. Style represents the appearance of the interface, usually related to visual impression. White space is the blank area around the content and functional elements, which is usually left blank intentionally.

Information Architecture. Navigation was mostly mentioned that 8 participants expressed their understandings of navigation through using the following words: “navigation”, “sidebar”, “hospital department”, and “navigation menu”. These words were grouped under the theme navigation because the participants intended to express that OHC functions and icons should be classified into sub-groups to help patients find their way around. One participant stated that “the (OHC) platform has a lot of functions, so its navigation is important as to help users know which function to click, where, and how”. 5 participants highlighted the importance of layout. Layout describes the rationale and form of how OHC information is presented. The words mentioned included order, sequence, card, and physician information layout. One participant believed that the layout of a page should be simple to reduce noise. At last, search was mentioned by 3 participants. For example, one participant expressed that the OHC interface should enable users to search keywords manually, that “it is helpful to find the functions I need directly”.

Information content. The elements of information content discussed have crossed multiple and mixed dimensions. In consequences, we divided all elements into three groups: hospital information, physician information and other information. Relatively speaking, there was little discussion about hospital information, with only 4 participants mentioning it. When it comes to physician information, the mostly mentioned phrases included consultation fee (7), physician’s score (4), physician’s review (3), rank of a physician (4), physician’s profile photo (3), and physicians’ current typing status (2). 2 participants stressed the importance of physician’s current typing status, as one participant said that “If I see ‘typing…’, I will know that whoever I am speaking to is still online. It will make me more confident and comfortable about this consultation”. A few participants mentioned the elements that were classified under the theme other information, such as consultation summary (2), risk disclaimer (2), function title (2), patient’s medical records (1), and support (1). Regarding consultation summary, one participant said that “it’s important to have a summary of a health consultation that can help me have a snapshot of my current condition and future treatment plans”. Support was also critical in OHC services, as one participant mentioned that “Due to the lack of medical knowledge, I have trouble finding the right out-patient specialist for my symptoms. Maybe a guide should be provided to advise me to a specialist”.

Functional interaction. The designs of functional interaction were classified into navigation, information collection, payment, and service. Search and department navigation were the mostly mentioned topics, as one participant said that “Choosing the right out-patient specialist is very important. Only if I get to the right people, can I have my symptoms checked”. Five participants emphasised that the interaction in the evaluation page at the end of the OHC experience was critical. Two participants pointed out the design of collecting personal medical information, that one said “I noticed that there was an automatic programme asking me questions at the beginning with a template. It’s good that I don't need to enter all the information manually”.

4.2 Relationship Between “Design Features” and “Patient OHC Journey”

Figure  4 illustrates the relationship between “Design Features” and “Patient OHC Journey”. The OHC journey was derived from the standard customer journey map, including five stages: awareness, information acquisition, purchase, service, and advocacy. Firstly, most participants expressed that graphic design had strong influence on the stage of awareness and information acquisition. Only one participant believed that graphic design was more important in the advocacy stage, that he specified “well designed graphics will encourage users to leave feedbacks and share experiences, which is a good thing for the continued growth of the platform”. Secondly, a large number of participants agreed that information architecture was critical in the stage of awareness and information acquisition. Only one participant expressed that information architecture had great impact on purchase and service, that “there are multiple tasks in purchase and service stage. For example, patients need to fill in personal information, symptoms, and make payment in the purchase stage. A priority is required and should be properly represented through information architecture”. Thirdly most respondents mentioned that information content was closely related to the stage of information acquisition, followed by the stage of service. Lastly, functional interaction was equally mentioned among the five stage of patient OHC journey.

The relationships of “Design features—Patient OHC Journey” and “Design Features—Patient Experience”

4.3 Relationship Between “Design Features” and “Patient Experience”

Figure  4 also illustrates the relationship between “Design Features” and “Patient Experience”. The patient experience includes five dimensions: understandability, usefulness, trust, social presence, and learning. Firstly, visual design was frequently mentioned with relation to understandability and usefulness of patient OHC experience, more specifically, colour, icon, and font. Secondly, Information architecture (navigation and layout) was viewed to be influential to usefulness. Thirdly, information content was viewed to mostly impact on patient trust and social presence. Lastly, the elements of functional interaction were found to be more influential to the experience of usefulness, compared to other user experience elements.

5 Discussion

In this study, we found a number of design features in the current OHC platforms, that they have been categorised in four themes: graphic design, information architecture, information content, and functional interaction. Some of the design features we found have been discussed by existing papers, but some are different and unique in this context of OHC. For example, the elements in graphic design and information architecture, such as colours, fonts, icons, and navigation have already been thoroughly discussed by previous studies in the online environment (Seckler et al. 2015 ; Huang et al. 2018 ; Shen et al. 2021 ; Kim and Lee 2002 ). The uniquely found elements were all from the themes: information content and functional interaction, including physician rank, physician photo, physician typing status during online consultation, consultation summary, patient medical information collection, department navigation, consulting, and choose consultation method. These design features enrich our understandings of the interface design of OHC.

In addition, we also found that graphic design and information architecture were viewed more important at the early stage of patient OHC journey, while information content and functional interaction tend to play an important role at the late stages. Our findings are consistent with the findings of previous studies (Fimberg and Sousa 2020a , b ; Lindgaard et al. 2006 ) that patients mainly scroll through the OHC interface to browse information or locate specific functions at the early stages. At this moment, the visual aspects of interface design such as graphic design are responsible for creating a positive first impression. Then, patients will pay more attention to the actual information content and quality of consulting as they decide to continue using the OHC services.

To address the last research question, we investigated the relationship between “Design Features” and “Patient Experience”. It is consistent with previous studies that well designed graphics and information architecture can enhance users' perceived usability (Tuch et al. 2012 ). Our findings also show that elements of graphic design and information architecture were also frequently mentioned when understandability and usefulness were asked. However, these elements were rarely mentioned when trust was asked, which is quite different from existing findings in the context of e-commerce. Previous studies have found that well designed graphics is more likely to gain customer’s trust (Li and Yeh 2010 ) and evoke positive emotions (Plass et al. 2020 ). Future work could explore further regarding this difference.

6 Conclusions

This study contributes to the knowledge of design features in the context of OHC interfaces and extends the understandings of how design features influence patient experience and patient OHC journey. Further, our findings provide a number of implications for the design of OHC platforms. In terms of graphic design, practitioners should choose the appropriate colour, colour combination, font, and icon; in terms of information architecture, clear layout design is needed to make sure that users get the required information and function quickly; in terms of information content, relevant information should be reasonably arranged so patients can understand more easily; in terms of functional interaction, the attention lies in the service delivering, which is the substantial goal of OHC platforms.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by Shuangchuang Programme of Jiangsu Province for the Grant JSSCBS20210190, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics for the Grant 56YAH20099, and the Fund of Prospective Layout of Scientific Research of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

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Zhang, L., Yang, J., Zhu, H. (2024). Investigating the Design of Online Health Consultation Platforms and Patient Experience: An Exploratory Study. In: Melles, M., Albayrak, A., Goossens, R.H. (eds) Convergence: Breaking Down Barriers Between Disciplines. HEPS 2022. Springer Series in Design and Innovation , vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32198-6_27

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