Wellness Plan Prompt Templates

Your Wellness Plan

What You Want: More energy to keep up with your kids, lose weight, and avoid diabetes like other family members.

Where You're Starting: Busy schedule, fast food lunches, no exercise routine, not enough sleep.

The Truth: You don't need a gym membership or meal prep Sundays. You need changes that fit your actual life.

PHASE 1: WEEKS 1-2 (Foundation)
Focus: Just two changes. Nothing else.

1. Pack lunch 3 days per week
Why: Fast food lunches are adding hundreds of extra calories daily.
How: Sunday evening, make 3 simple lunches. Doesn't need to be fancy. A sandwich, an apple, and some baby carrots beats a burger and fries.
Goal: 3 packed lunches this week. That's it.

2. In bed by 10:30 PM on work nights
Why: You're running on 5-6 hours. That tanks your energy and makes you crave junk food.
How: Set a phone alarm for 10:00 PM. That's your cue to start winding down.
Goal: Hit 10:30 bedtime 4 nights this week.

PHASE 2: WEEKS 3-4 (Build)
Add one thing once Phase 1 feels normal.

3. Walk during lunch (even 10 minutes)
Why: You said mornings don't work. Your lunch break does.
How: Eat your packed lunch at your desk in 15 minutes. Use the remaining time to walk outside.
Start: 10-minute walk. That's one lap around most office buildings.
Goal: Walk 3 lunch breaks per week.

PHASE 3: WEEKS 5-8 (Expand)

4. Swap one dinner per week
Why: You're not going to overhaul family dinners, but one swap is doable.
How: Pick the night you usually order pizza or do takeout. Make something simple instead. Rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetables counts.
Goal: One home-cooked dinner per week.

5. Weekend activity with kids
Why: You want to keep up with them. This counts as exercise.
How: Bike ride, walk to the park, shoot hoops. Whatever they'll do with you.
Goal: One 20+ minute active thing with the kids each weekend.

HOW TO HANDLE STRESS EATING:
You mentioned this is a pattern. Here's what to try:
• Before you eat, ask: 'Am I hungry or am I stressed?'
• If stressed: walk for 5 minutes first. Then decide if you still want it.
• Keep crunchy vegetables around. Stress eating often wants texture, not taste.

MEASURING PROGRESS:
• Weigh yourself once a week, same day, same time (after waking, before eating)
• Track energy level 1-10 each day
• Note how you feel playing with your kids

Expect: 1-2 pounds per week loss once you're doing all phases. More importantly, you should feel more energy within 2-3 weeks.

CHECK-IN:
Let's talk in 2 weeks to see how Phase 1 is going. We'll adjust from there.

Remember: You don't have to be perfect. You have to be consistent. Three packed lunches beats zero. A 10-minute walk beats skipping it because you can't do 30.

Your Preventive Health Checklist

You're 52 and generally healthy. Let's keep it that way. Here's what you need, in order of priority.

HIGH PRIORITY - Do These Soon:

1. Mammogram (OVERDUE)
Why it matters: Your mother had breast cancer. This puts you at higher risk. You should be getting mammograms every year, not every 3 years.
Action: Schedule this month.
What to expect: Takes about 20 minutes. Some discomfort but not painful for most people.

2. Colonoscopy (OVERDUE)
Why it matters: At 52, you should have had your first one at 45-50. Colonoscopies find polyps before they become cancer. Colon cancer is preventable if we catch it early.
Action: Schedule within the next 2 months.
What to expect: The prep is the hard part (clearing your system the day before). The procedure itself is done under sedation.

3. Quit Smoking (CRITICAL)
Why it matters: At 10 cigarettes a day for 20 years, you have significant lung cancer risk. You also have higher risk for heart disease, stroke, and a dozen other problems. Quitting now still significantly reduces your risk.
Action: Let's talk about options. Medications like Chantix or nicotine replacement can double your chances of success.
The hard truth: This is the single most important thing on this list.

4. Lung Cancer Screening
Why it matters: With your smoking history, you qualify for annual low-dose CT screening. This catches lung cancer early when it's treatable.
Action: We can order this. It's a quick, painless CT scan.

MODERATE PRIORITY - Schedule This Quarter:

5. Flu Shot (Overdue)
Why it matters: Flu can be serious, especially as we get older. You haven't had one in 2 years.
Action: Get this at your next visit or any pharmacy.

6. Shingles Vaccine (Due)
Why it matters: At 52, you can get the shingles vaccine. Shingles is painful and risk increases with age.
Action: Two doses, 2-6 months apart. We can start today.

7. Tdap Booster (Check when last done)
Why it matters: Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis protection needs a booster every 10 years.
Action: If it's been more than 10 years, get this updated.

ROUTINE - Ongoing:

8. Blood Pressure Check
Do this at every visit. Yours has been normal.

9. Cholesterol Panel
Should be checked every 5 years if normal. When was your last one?

10. Blood Sugar Check
Given your age, we should screen for diabetes every 3 years.

11. Pap Smear
If you've had normal paps and are not high-risk, every 3-5 years is fine at your age. When was your last one?

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES:
• Mother with breast cancer: You may benefit from genetic counseling to see if BRCA testing makes sense.
• Any other family history I should know about? Heart disease? Diabetes? Colon cancer?

SUMMARY - YOUR ACTION LIST:
□ Mammogram (this month)
□ Colonoscopy (next 2 months)
□ Smoking cessation discussion (today)
□ Lung cancer screening CT
□ Flu shot (this visit or pharmacy)
□ Shingles vaccine (start today)

Your Sleep Improvement Plan

The Problem: You're in bed by 11 but not asleep until 12:30-1:00 AM, then up at 6:30. That's barely 5.5-6 hours of actual sleep. No wonder you're tired.

What's Working Against You:
1. Phone in bed (screens suppress melatonin and keep your brain active)
2. Caffeine until 3 PM (still in your system at bedtime)
3. Racing mind (common with work stress)
4. Weekend naps (throw off your sleep rhythm)
5. Too much time awake in bed (trains your brain that bed = awake)

YOUR PLAN - Phase by Phase:

WEEK 1: The Big Three

1. No caffeine after 12 PM (noon)
Why: Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours. Your 3 PM coffee is still 50% active at 9 PM.
How: Switch to decaf or water after lunch. You'll adjust in a few days.

2. Phone out of bedroom
Why: You said you scroll until tired. But the blue light and mental stimulation are keeping you awake.
How: Buy a cheap alarm clock. Charge your phone in another room.
If you need something to do: Read a physical book (something boring is fine).

3. Get out of bed if you're not sleeping
Why: Right now, your brain associates bed with lying awake. We need to retrain it.
How: If you're not asleep within 20 minutes, get up. Go to another room. Do something quiet and boring (no screens). Return to bed only when sleepy. Repeat if needed.

WEEK 2: Add Structure

4. Set a consistent wake time (even weekends)
Why: Your body clock needs consistency. Sleeping in on weekends makes Monday harder.
How: Wake at 6:30 AM every day. Yes, weekends too. For now.

5. Skip the weekend naps
Why: Napping reduces your sleep pressure at night.
How: If you're exhausted, a 20-minute power nap before 2 PM is okay. No long naps.

6. Create a wind-down routine (30 minutes before bed)
Why: You need to signal your brain that sleep is coming.
How: Same routine every night. Examples: dim lights, brush teeth, read, light stretching. No work emails. No stressful conversations.

WEEK 3: Fine-Tune

7. Consider a later bedtime temporarily
Why: You're lying awake from 11 to 12:30. That's 90 minutes of frustration.
How: Try going to bed at 11:30 or 12:00 for now. As you fall asleep faster, gradually move it earlier.

8. Deal with the racing mind
Options to try:
• Brain dump: Write tomorrow's to-do list before bed. Get it out of your head.
• Worry time: Set aside 15 minutes earlier in the evening to think about stressors. When thoughts come at night, tell yourself 'I already handled that.'
• Breathing exercise: 4-7-8 breathing (inhale 4 seconds, hold 7, exhale 8). Repeat 4 times.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Week 1: Might be harder before it's better. You'll miss your phone.
Week 2-3: Should start falling asleep faster.
Week 4+: Target is falling asleep within 20-30 minutes consistently.

WHEN TO CALL US:
• No improvement after 4 weeks of consistent effort
• Significant daytime impairment (falling asleep driving, can't function at work)
• New symptoms: loud snoring, gasping at night, leg movements (may need sleep study)

Medication: Let's try these changes first. Sleep medications are a last resort and don't fix the underlying problem.

Your Stress Management Plan

What You're Dealing With:
• Work: Tax season is brutal. Long hours, high stakes, no flexibility.
• Family: Caring for a parent while managing your own life.
• Home: Tension with your spouse, probably made worse by everything else.

How It's Showing Up:
Tension headaches, jaw clenching (probably at night), poor sleep, irritability. Your body is carrying this stress.

What You're Doing Now:
• Wine to unwind: Understandable, but alcohol disrupts sleep and can increase anxiety the next day.
• Comfort food: Same pattern. Feels good now, doesn't help tomorrow.
• Venting to friends: Actually helpful. Keep doing this.

YOUR PLAN:

IMMEDIATE RELIEF (When Stress Spikes)

These take 2-5 minutes. Use them when you feel overwhelmed.

1. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
When your mind is racing: Name 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you can touch, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. Forces your brain into the present.

2. Cold Water Reset
Splash cold water on your face or hold ice cubes. Sounds weird, works fast. Activates your vagus nerve and calms the stress response.

3. 90-Second Rule
When you feel anger or panic rising, set a mental timer. The chemical surge lasts about 90 seconds. If you can ride it out without reacting, it passes.

4. Progressive Jaw Release
You're clenching. When you notice it: Open your mouth wide, hold 5 seconds, release. Let your jaw hang loose. Repeat 3 times.

DAILY HABITS (10-15 Minutes)

5. Morning Body Scan (3 minutes)
Before you get out of bed: mentally scan from head to toe. Notice where you're holding tension. Consciously relax those areas. Sets a better baseline for the day.

6. Movement Break (10 minutes)
You said you're open to physical activity. You don't need the gym.
• Walk around the block during lunch
• 10 minutes of stretching
• Take calls while pacing
Movement burns off stress hormones. Sitting in tension makes it worse.

7. Evening Transition Ritual (5-10 minutes)
Replace the wine-and-scroll habit with something that actually helps:
• Change clothes when you get home (physical signal that work is over)
• 5 minutes outside, even just standing on the porch
• Listen to one song you like before engaging with family

The wine can wait until after dinner. One glass instead of starting at 5 PM.

WEEKLY (When You Have More Time)

8. One Thing Just For You
Schedule one hour per week that's not work, not caregiving, not spouse. Coffee alone, bookstore, walk in the park. Protect this time.

9. Phone a Friend (You're Already Doing This)
Venting is helpful. Keep it up. Make sure it's people who listen, not people who pile on.

ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES:

Work: Tax season ends. You know this. The question is how to survive until April.
• Can you delegate anything? Even small tasks?
• Are there boundaries you can set? (No emails after 9 PM?)
• Block 15 minutes of 'buffer' time between meetings.

Caregiving: This is hard, and it's not going away.
• Are there resources you haven't tapped? (Siblings? Community services? Respite care?)
• Caregiver burnout is real. You can't pour from an empty cup.

Marital tension: Stress makes everything worse at home.
• The best thing you can do for your marriage right now might be managing your own stress better.
• Consider: When things calm down after April, would couples counseling help?

WHEN THIS ISN'T ENOUGH:
If you're feeling hopeless, can't function, or having thoughts of harming yourself, that's different. Let's talk about counseling or medication.

These tools help manage stress. They don't replace professional help if you need it.

START HERE:
Pick two things from this list. That's it. Try them for 2 weeks. We'll talk about how it's going.