Hello all! I have been sending out a few less posts lately because not only have I been learning to play a guitar (slowly but surely!), but I’ve also been working with some of my first clients. 
A little update on Wholee Healthy: I filed my paperwork with the state of Arizona to become a legitimate business! While this is exciting, I’m still taking my time and learning and growing slowly. Working with clients is such a fun process! It is so rewarding to work with different individuals to meet their health goals! I am taking on 1-2 clients a month, and am still offering plans free of charge for friends, family, and followers as I gain experience. If you are interested, just let me know! I offer holistic health plans (goal setting in each dimension of health with the option of nutrition and exercise plans/guidance) or physical health plans (goal setting for physical health goals and optional nutrition and exercise plans/guidance). With either plan, I help the client create goals and break them down into “bite-sized” tasks that they can accomplish each week. We do weekly surveys to see how the week went and then create new tasks for the upcoming week. I offer guidance, motivation, and support as clients work to create healthier habits in their lives and an overall happier and healthier lifestyle. I would love to start working with you in November! Just email me wholeehealthy@gmail.com
This month is dedicated to Intellectual Health, and the current challenge is Challenge Your Mind. 
The challenge is to learn something new each day for the month of October with the goal of making lifelong learning a habit in your life. As I mentioned, I am learning to play the guitar. It has proven to be a slow process because my fingers get too sore if I play back-to-back days. I also started another Whole30, which is a diet that encourages fresh ingredients and eliminates foods that cause inflammation and sluggishness. I am loving it! (But, accidentally cut my thumb in the process of chopping all of the fresh, amazing ingredients, and thus, impeded my guitar playing even more!) If you want to know more about the Whole30 program, comment below or email me! Since the guitar has been going a little slower than I would like, I have been gathering fun health facts to post on social media (Facebook and Instagram) for followers every day. Make sure to follow me (see links at the bottom) if you want to see them and other daily inspirational messages I’ll be sending out in the future. I’d love to hear more about what you are doing for the challenge this month as well! Let us know in the comments below or email me some details!
Now, since this month is about Intellectual Health, specifically becoming a lifelong learner, I’ve decided to write about the different health benefits of being a lifelong learner. Some of us may think we don’t have the time or we already have hobbies we enjoy and aren’t really looking to expand our repertoire. But, some of this information may change your mind and give you a little insight into the importance of keeping your mind active and continuing to broaden our horizons throughout life.
First, let’s focus those of you in the thick of life, who may have kids, spouses, bills, a lingering graduate course or two, opportunities for career growth, full schedules, and a whirlwind of action happening around you at every second. For you, the idea of taking up a new instrument, learning a new language, taking a pottery class, or taking a course on philosophy may seem intriguing, but mostly laughable because of how tight you are on time the way it is. The thought of carving time out of your hectic life for something “fluffy” like this may seem unnecessary and maybe even impossible.
Lifelong learning is actually proven to help improve a person’s mood, brain function, potential in their career, and longevity. In addition to these benefits, I also want to ask you this question… when will you do it? 
Don’t wait until retirement, until the kids are out of the house, or until things slow down. You don’t know what the future holds, your kids/loved ones will benefit from seeing your example of lifelong learning, and things aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. The whirlwind you are experiencing right now is life. Do you have interests and passions that are untapped? Tap into them! Take a free course on Coursera and swap out watching TV at night for learning something that really inspires you. Do a social media cleanse, buy a keyboard, and use the extra time to learn to play piano. Maybe you are currently involved in a committee that you find exhausting and you drag your feet out the door and come home feeling completely drained. Quit the committee and start taking a cooking class instead! Life is too short to spend all of our “spare time” watching TV story-lines about people doing exciting things with their lives, looking at the highlight reel of our friends and family on social media, or committing time to things that aren’t necessary and detract from our well-being.
I just started watching a few of my favorite shows that started up again. I was shocked at how much lower my productivity level was throughout the week! Mindless TV viewing/social media/redditing/pick your poison takes valuable time away from other, more inspiring, useful, and real things we could be doing with our lives! It can be dangerous! I am making a point to take one day off a week from chores/blogging/clients/etc and that will be the day for me to catch up on shows, browse Pinterest, or scroll social media. But, the other days, I want to do something valuable with my time! Join me! What untapped passion do you have that you can make time for? Share below in the comments to hold yourself accountable, and then do it!
The science used to tell us that kids are the only ones who can learn new things and that your brain’s ability to learn is all but used up when you reach a certain age. But, new findings have shown us that parts of our brain are just as capable of taking on new information and learning as they were when we were young. We have the capacity to keep learning throughout our life; however, we often become complacent, busy, or content with where we are at and don’t pursue new avenues.
The latest science is also telling us that learning new skills (specifically those that are completely foreign to us, such as a new language) helps prevent Alzheimer’s. It also shows that learning a new instrument keeps our mind sharp and working more efficiently on a day-to-day basis. Learning new skills that challenge us in new ways also can improve our memory, even later in life. All of these physical benefits can be outlined by comparing our mind to our muscles. If we use our brains, they improve and stay healthy, but if we become complacent, sedentary, or stop challenging our mind, its abilities gradually diminish.
For those of you in your later years of life, these health benefits are a great motivator to get outside of your comfort zone and pursue new things. Additionally, it can be a great way to form new relationships and create new talking points for those you are surrounded with on a daily basis. Lifelong learning also makes a person’s confidence levels improve as they feel the sense of accomplishment that learning produces. There are so many benefits of learning! Don’t become complacent with the status quo… you can start something new, regardless of your age. It is never too late to take up a new hobby or delve into a new interest! Start exploring new things and see how it can benefit several different facets of your life!
Have specific ideas for learning later in life, different hobbies or interests that I didn’t mention that you feel may be worth noting, or any more info about the benefits of lifelong learning? Comment below to share with the Wholee Healthy community!
CHALLENGES
If you are currently doing Challenge Your Mind with me for the month of October, I’d love to hear what you’re doing and how it’s going! Comment below or send me an email to let me know! I received a guitar book with Christmas songs and started learning Silent Night. It is so much fun to do something I couldn’t do just a few weeks ago. Learning is amazing!
Next Up:
November’s Challenge!: Challenge Your Soul and A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss: Improve Your Body, Improve Your Brain
Follow Me!
Follow me on: Facebook and Instagram for daily motivation, YouTube for health tutorials, and, if you haven’t already, subscribe to my blog on wholeehealthy.wordpress.com to make sure you don’t miss a post!
Also, feel free to comment below or email me with suggestions for future challenges, post ideas, questions, or anything else you’d like to chat about: wholeehealthy@gmail.com
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Wholee Healthy 