Your August Wellness Reset: Six Tools Black Women Can Use Right Now

2. Create a movement menu

A wellness plan should work with your real life.

Instead of committing to one perfect workout routine, create a menu of different ways you can move depending on your time, energy and physical ability.

Your movement menu might include:

• A 10-minute walk
• Stretching while watching television
• Dancing through three favorite songs
• Chair exercises
• Strength exercises using resistance bands or household items
• A longer weekend hike, class or bike ride

When you need community

Find a group that makes movement feel less like another task and more like connection, freedom and joy.

GirlTREK inspires Black women to walk, care for their health and build community. Readers can join a nationwide movement, participate in walking challenges and connect with other Black women committed to improving their well-being one step at a time.

Black Girls RUN! connects Black women through local walking and running groups across the country. You do not have to consider yourself a runner to begin. Its programs include Walk B4U Run, and readers can search for a community near them.

Black Girls Do Bike brings women together through cycling, fellowship and fitness. Readers can explore local chapters, different types of rides, beginner cycling videos and its national Strava community.

Outdoor Afro creates opportunities for Black people to experience nature through volunteer-led activities across the country. Its community participates in hiking, camping, swimming, paddling and other outdoor adventures, and readers can search for upcoming trips near them or connect through the Outdoor Afro app.

Movement does not have to be punishment for what you ate or a test of how disciplined you are. It can be a way to reclaim your energy, experience nature and spend time with people who make you feel good.

3. Shop your kitchen first

Spice it up in the kitchen

Let’s be honest. Many of us have been reaching for the same few seasonings for years, and some blends can carry more sodium than we realize. Before you shake with your whole heart, check the label and look for no-salt options, including blends from Dash.

You can also add big flavor with cumin, curry powder, smoked paprika, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, basil and fresh mint.

Try this

Choose one herb or spice you rarely use and add it to a familiar meal this week. Try cumin in beans, curry on poultry, smoked paprika on vegetables, basil with tomatoes or fresh mint in water or fruit salad.

You do not have to give up the seasonings you love. Just invite a few new ones into the kitchen and make sure salt is not running the whole show.

The Truth about Seasoning Salt

4. Become a sleep detective

Knowing that you need more sleep is not always the same as understanding why you are not getting it.

For seven nights, pay attention to your sleep patterns. Record:

• When you go to bed and wake up
• How often you wake during the night
• How rested you feel in the morning
• Whether you nap during the day
• Your use of caffeine, alcohol or medications
• Any snoring, breathing changes or daytime sleepiness

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a free, one-page Sleep Diary that can help you track the quality and quantity of your sleep. You can also bring the completed diary to your healthcare provider. There are also popular devices for tracking sleep such as the Oura Ring.  

Your action

Track your sleep for seven nights. Look for one pattern you may want to change or discuss with a healthcare professional.