Wellness In Progress: January 2025

[itsfi]

2025 is literally just days away, BIC! Let's start off the year strong with making our health, wellness and self-care one of our priorities. We can make it fun, too, with another game of wellness bingo! 

Self-care can be a very personal thing - what works for one person may not work for someone else. Practicing wellness is a process - it takes time and effort. We have our good days and bad days - moments when we are thriving; and others, where we need to pause, take a deep breath (or multiple ones, for that matter), and reset. But even as our self-care journey is a personal matter, support, encouragement and just knowing there's something there doesn't hurt. Wellness takes work. Let's do the work together, BIC!

▶️  How to play:  There are many different ways to take part in this wellness challenge. A few are mentioned in the spoiler below, but if you have a way to approach wellness bingo that works best for you, go for it!

Spoiler

• Treat it like a game of BINGO, except in this BIC-version, you are your own moderator, either (a) selecting which activities you want to engage in or (b) putting them into a random generator tool, blindly pointing at a square, or writing each activity (or each square) onto a piece of paper, placing all of them into a bowl and pulling one out each day you intend to undertake a wellness activity, and then doing that activity.
• You can aim to do 5 activities in a way that earns yourself a BINGO!  5 activities across the same row, down the same column or across diagonally from upper left corner to lower right, and/or upper right corner to lower left. OR
• You can just go about your day picking one activity to undertake and work towards doing all the activities on this B Well card (but see notes on making adjustments below).
• You can choose to go row by row or column by column each week. Thank you, @Mellmars1185, for sharing how you went about your wellness bingo last month. It's such a great approach!

🗒  Monthly Self-Care Activities:

• The self-care activities in the squares change from month-to-month, with some appearing in a previous month's bingo wellness card, and others being new or tailored to the specific month/season. 
• For a more detailed description of the activities in each of the squares above, click on this link ➡️ January 2025 Wellness Bingo Activities
• If you're interested in seeing what others have done for some of the activities being repeated, you may want to take a peek at some of the replies from other members of the Community in previous wellness challenge threads -Wellness In Progress: November 2024 and Wellness In Progress: December 2024.

🌟  Posting Your Self-Care Activities. This challenge is certainly one you can do on your own. It's also something we can take part in together. If you feel comfortable, share about the activities you did to earn each square by replying to this original post - with words, photos, and/or a pic of the bingo scorecard with the activity / activities you took part in crossed out. You can post weekly or at the end of the month, depending on your preference. We love hearing from the Community and have learned about new ways of doing things that we wouldn't have thought of otherwise. 

🎀  Make Adjustments As Needed. We are all at different stages of our wellness / self-care journey. While it cn be good to challenge ourselves, sometimes, it's best to take make adjustments. I'm not at expert at this at all, and if there's an activity that is not something you are ready for or that you shouldn't engage in, make the adjustments you need to, or just skip that square altogether.

• Be safe. Consider weather conditions or where you are in your own wellness efforts. For instance, the second square in the last row is for a winter walk or hike - if it's storming outside or you're in an area where it is not safe to do this (e.g., weather advisory, shelter-in-place, etc.), then skip this one and stay indoors. Be safe. Also, for some of the activities listed in the boxes, particularly the physical ones, please consult with your physician or health care provider before starting, if and as appropriate, and adjust accordingly.
• Focus on one activity per week vs. one per day. We have BIC'ers who engage in wellness activities in some form every day, some more than one activity in a day. We also have BIC'ers who are starting out on their wellness journey or are coming back to self-care. There's be different objectives for each of us; make this work for you. If there's an activity in a square that you've been eyeing for whatever reason and you want to focus on that for the week, focus on working towards that activity for one day, two days, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 for the week. If there's another activity that piques your interest, give that a try for another week. 

⏲  Duration for Certain Activities. The time periods for certain activities included here are arbitrary.

• For example, the third square in the first row is for "Exercise (20 minutes)" - if you want or can do more than a 20 minutes, go for it. If you're starting out or if you're crunched for time, aim for 5 minutes and work up from there, when, if, and as appropriate for you.
• Same with the "Stretch (20 minutes)" in the third row, second square.
• If you're starting out or are aware of certain conditions that may make either a more challenging effort, please discuss these activities your physician or health care provider before starting, and adjust accordingly.

Excited for another month of wellness bingo, BIC. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year! 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much for sharing these photos this is so helpful! It looks amazing 🤩 @itsfi 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi What an awesome week of wellness! I really like how you stamped you squares. Did you use a specific program to do so? I like how each week has a different stamp. It helps to visually see what you have done/what is left to do. The first thing I noticed when I saw your photos is the length of your nails! The shape and the length look amazing! Have you been doing something different? Keep up the inspiring self care!

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, I'm working on my nails this year - one of the many things to work you. Your nails are inspiring to me. 

These are actually press-on nails in the photo. I go through ups and downs with my nail growth. I have been trying to pinpoint what makes my nails grow. They were in peak form when I was on vacation and then poof after Labor Day they started to decline, which coincided with a few things so my current hypothesis (that I'll put to the test this and next month) is that for me, nail care + diet is huge factor for my nail growth.

• Nail care = being consistent with using a nail hardener polish (the one I used went out of stock everywhere - stores here, Asian beauty online retailers) and I finally got my hands on a bottle - Canmake Nail Hardener) and being consistent with using a nail cream (Dior Creme Abricot works well for me - my nails are a little boujie, hahaha!) and with cuticle oil - I see the best results when I use it every day (every!! day!!! That's a tough one for me) and going heavy with the cuticle oil, too. 
• Diet = I find that when my diet consistently includes a good amount of protein, my nails do better. Eggs, in particular, have yielded good results for my nails.

@caitbird mentioned using press-ons to keep from picking, biting, etc. her nails and I'm trying to do that every so often when some of my fingernails are growing nicely while others are struggling. Right now, my thumb, index and pinky are good but my middle and ring fingernails are on the struggle bus. My thumbnail may get to the same length as the press-on by the end of next week; my index fingernail maybe in two weeks. 🤞 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thank you so much! I feel honoured to inspire. Thank you for sharing a bit of your nail journey. Diet is definitely something that I believe contributes to nail growth. I take a nail and hair gummy vitamin daily for the past 3 years or so. I think that may be helping. You mentioned cuticle oil. That is something I want to star incorporating into my routine. I wonder if applying before bed is a good time? The nail press ons you applied look completely natural! They seem like a great option when your nails are on the mend. I still need to try them! Boujie nails 💅?! I love it!

[itsfi]

Your nails are so beautiful in shape and length!!! 😍 They look healthy too with the length. Mine can be thin and weak when they grow out so that is something I need to work on. Yeah, I need to start including supplements in my self-care routine - for nail and hair health but also for upping my intake of certain vitamins. It's great to use cuticle oil before bed @Mellmars1185! I leave a bottle on my nightstand - a lesson learned from 2 pan it! challenges where I had a cuticle oil as part of the challenge. I also leave a bottle on my workdesk - this started when I was working from home - I'd leve it in my line of sight, to remind me to apply when I'm on hold or waiting for a videoconference call to start. Someone mentioned applying it while watching TV and I think that could work too.

These press-ons are from the same brand as the ones I picked up during Sephoria this year - imPress. Both are the short length - the ones I wore at Sephoria were more square shaped, these are oval, which is the nail shape I like when the natural length of my nails are long enough for me to shape it that way. Otherwise, I go for round when they are growing out.

Oh, completely forgot to answer your other question - so sorry. I usually cut and paste a free clipart image (and size it down, waaaay down). I have tried the Pic Collage app for the stickers/emoji - I used the free version - for me, it's easier to navigate the stickers on my desktop with it. I'm sure if I used it more I'd get better but oh man, the first few times I tried through the app 🙄 - I ended up resizing the bingo card or moving it without knowing what I did to resize or move it. Hahahaha! 

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thank you 😊🙏. I will definitely be cracking open and placing my cuticle oil by my bedside table. It should be easy to start adding it to my routine before bed. 

Thanks for sharing your bingo card secret. I use my mobile a lot because my laptop is very out of date. Maybe when I get a new one I can get more creative!

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi I happened to buy some of the imPress brand nails the other day because they were a fantastic deal. I've never tried press on nails or any type of artificial nails before, so I'm a little anxious about trying them. Yours look great! 

[itsfi]

@PrettyPaint, I like the imPress line because they come with adhesive stickers and they're already affixed to the press-on. I also like that the instructions on the box have illustrations to show the right way / end of the press-on to apply to the base of your nails, and which is meant for the tip - it's the little things like these illustrations that make it easy for me to use them. And I need easy. 😂 The instructions on the packet included in the nail pack are super helpful too - doing the thumbs of both nails last is a good idea.

One thing I do before I apply the press-on nails is to apply (and let dry) a thin coat of a clear base coat (or a nail hardener or top coat or clear polish, whichever you have on hand) - it could just be all in my head, but I feel as though this gives me a slight additional layer of protection for my nails. 

These can be reused but you'll need to pick up some double sided nail adhesive tabs. There are different brands available. I have ones from Glamnetics; I haven't seen any from imPress. Thank you; that's good of you to say. I feel like I've figured out what nail length and nail shape with the ones from imPress work best for me - short for length and shape-wise, I like oval or round best. The length of the short square ones more closely track the actual length of my nails in general but the square shape of the press-on takes me some getting used to - much like in real life - oval looks best when my nail length allows me to do that shape - it makes my fingers look longer, more slender. Round works well, too - probably looks the most natural on me. I've worn press-ons maybe half a dozen times and the square shape has been more challenging. There's also square oval which I may try eventually. 

As someone whose fingernails naturally lean on the shorter side, the press-ons do take some getting used to - I really have to remember to use the pads of my fingers to do things. Otherwise, I feel the press-on bending/popping - not completely off and you can press it down in place, but I did feel it the other day when I ws tryign to remove a baking sheet from the oven even through the oven mits. I do like the convenience of them - I don't need to allocate enough time to do my nails (prepping, painting, letting them dry, etc.) and I can just pop them on (once I figure out which press-on fits best with which nail) and be out the door. In full disclosure, I usually just wear them for 1-3 days; ocassionally, I'll have them on for a week, but that's rare - it's a me thing - there are certain things I do that I just feel like I prefer having them off, like cleaning the house. Again, that's just me; I think other people are more used to doing their normal activities with them. 

I'll be interested to hear what you think of them - that's great you were able to find them on sale. Score!!! Curious to see which design/shape/sizes you picked up and what becomes your favorite or go-to size/shape. 💅

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi Thank you for all of the helpful tips! I'm so glad to hear these come with instructions. I'll also need to pick up some nail adhesive tabs. I don't anticipate being able to handle wearing them for extended periods of time. 

That's a great tip about applying a base coat or nail hardener first. My nails are in pretty bad shape right now, probably due to the weather. I used to be able to grow them out, but they are so weak and brittle right now. Do you have a recommendation for a nail hardener? The last one I tried didn't seem to be particularly effective. 

The nails I purchased were just based on what happened to be on sale, so I didn't necessarily take shape and color into great consideration. The nails I purchased are all short versions, which is a good thing. There's absolutely no way I would be able to handle long ones.  It looks like most of the ones I got are more square shaped. I wonder if that's the standard shape for these, as I can't see where it says what shape they are specifically. They look pretty square-like, though. I hope they aren't too challenging. That's good that they also have square oval as well! 

[itsfi]

@PrettyPaint, I had a good chuckle at "[t]here's absolutely no way I would be able to handle long ones" - I'm with  you there. Not all "short" lengths are the same either, depending on the shape of the nail and also on the brands. There have been some I've tried where I'm just not sure we have the same definition of "short" - and there's definitely been ones I've looked at and thought "ohhhh, very pretty, but I can see myself gauging myself with them."

For nail hardeners, my favorites are Canmake Nail Hardener and Orly Strengthener - it has a blue tint to it, but I have this feeling it's been discontinued. I found one at TJ Maxx a couple of years ago. 

Others that have been good include Orly Nailtrition, Butter London Horse Power Rescue Nail Base Coat, and OPI Nail Envy has one - the original formula.

[PrettyPaint]

@itsfi Thank you for these recommendations. I think I'll most likely go with the Canmake. It looks like it has keratin in it, which seems like a good idea for my dried out nails. If I can only figure out a way to get rid of the cracks on my fingers, I'll be all set. I was seriously thinking about trying to order some medical glue, but most of the stuff online seems a little sketchy. Liquid bandage doesn't stay on very long, unfortunately. 

[itsfi]

@PrettyPaint, the Canmake is a good one. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works out for you! 🤞 Oh no, cracks on fingers are painful - and a common occurrence in the winter - so many elements this time of year contribute to it and with the weather being chillier this year and parts of the US dealing with the polar vortex, I can only imagine! You may have tried this already, but do you think slathering aquaphor or an oil (or hand cream) on your hands and applying breathable cotton gloves over your hands and sleeping with them would work? I know the brand Earth Therapeutics makes them - I see them in Target from time to time.

[peculiarzmakeup]

Wellness Week

Stretch 20 Minutes 

Played twister with my sister 

Stretched at my best before working out

Resolutions

Be Healthy- eat nourishing foods and excersize 

Nurture Meaningful connections 

Did these every day and was there for my sister during break being off a school is very lack of structure i tried to help her through that 

Quiet time, journaling, meditation 

Spent time reflecting and writing in my notes app plan to purchase a journal this week and utilize it

Cook a Healthy Meal 

Have been doing this daily and incorporating fruits and veggies broccoli is delicious! 

Digital Detox

1 hour before bed this has gotten easier 

the bottom of the collage is art i found that really inspired me art helps me feel connected to my creativity! And so does BIC 

yay for wellness I’ve been enjoying reading your wellness practices as well ❤️

[itsfi]

Sorry this is late @peculiarzmakeup! BINGO!!! Excellent work!

[peculiarzmakeup]

Yay!!! Thank you @itsfi  🙂 🎀❤️

[itsfi]

Your collage this week of your self-care activities is so fun @peculiarzmakeup ❣️  Love the pineapple street sign! As others have said - Twister is so nostalgic! Makes stretching that much more fun. Out of curiosity, what was your favorite meal you made this week?

[peculiarzmakeup]

Thank you so much I saw the pineapple street sign and had to snap a pic my favorite show is psych and in every episode there is a hidden pineapple haha I would have to say chicken with mozzarella cheese and the red sauce that I can’t spell haha with Parmesan it felt good to make it myself I don’t do that often it felt like a very nice wellness change 🙂 @itsfi I also had steamed broccoli with that which was so good! 

[itsfi]

Are you a fan of delicious flavor @peculiarzmakeup? 😄 I looooove Psych!! The hidden pineapple in the episodes is such a fabulous touch! 🍍 Ooooh, chicken parmesan. Filling but not too heavy and so delicious. Great to pair it with steamed broccoli for some veggies. Yum. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

Haha yes I like pineapple and grapefruit is my fave I immediately think of psych but I think about it all the time haha 🤣 maybe I should do a Juliet O’Hara makeup inspired look 👀 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

You should @peculiarzmakeup! This week's capsule theme for the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025 is feature focused - either or both your favorite feature(s) and/or a look inspired by a feature film. If I'm remembering right, Psych had a TV movie and a musical. You can also do it another week and if you have an outfit inspired by Jules, you could do something for The Fit, The Fab and The Face: Outfit and Inspo Thread 😍

[peculiarzmakeup]

Now I’m excited thank you! And what a coinicidence on themes! Yay 🙂 @itsfi