In December, I introduced Holly and her huge successes with my concierge wellness program. Not only did she lose the pounds, she gained stress resilience, got control of her calendar, and learned to say "no." I thought Stylebook readers would like to hear how Holly has been doing since her transformation. Here it is! Enjoy!

One of the first things that I learned in the Alexandria Wellness Concierge Program was the importance of my schedule.

When I began my wellness journey, I expected (and wanted) my coach, Adrien Cotton, founder of Alexandria Wellness, to tell me exactly what to eat and how often to exercise. I thought I needed a “prescription” to lose weight and to get fit.

To my surprise, Adrien didn’t give me a restricted food or exercise plan. Instead, she asked me about my daily schedule. I knew that my schedule was extremely overbooked. What I didn’t know was that focusing on it would be the first step of my journey to wellness, and the added bonus of losing more than twenty pounds.

Adrien taught me to focus on what’s most important. Before I embraced this, I thought everything was important and that there weren’t enough hours in the day. Adding time for wellness and exercise was literally impossible, so I thought. Focusing on what’s most important and letting go of the rest created valuable space to take care of myself. Before joining the Concierge Program, I never had time for exercise, now I plan my day around it.

My “to do” list used to be a mile long and stressed me out every time I looked at it. I thought that I would forget to do something unless it was “safely” on my list and likely spent more time creating than actually doing. Adrien taught me to instead, focus on three top priorities each day. So, I cleaned up my list and began adding longer-term items to my Outlook calendar, scheduling a specific day and time for completion. (It’s hard to forget to do something when the appointment pops up on your electronic calendar!) Instead of an endless “to do” list, I now have a daily “must do” list, aiming for only three. This strategy keeps me laser-focused on the top things that must be completed today.

One of the many unique benefits of the Alexandria Wellness Concierge Program is the special community that it has generated. The strong group of lovely ladies train together, share strategies, and encourage each other to stay on track and maintain focus. This valuable resource has not only been enjoyable, but also tremendously helpful to me as I continue to grow in my strength and on my journey to wellness.

Adrien taught me how to focus on wellness. She taught me valuable strategies and good habits (and the science behind them) like getting at least seven hours of good sleep, daily exercise for my mind and body, healthy food, and lots of water. Without a doubt, just as she said it would be, my schedule has been the key to achieving these essential things.