Introduction
As a health and wellness professional it is important to develop your psychological, spiritual and physical being. This is because “one can not lead another where he has not gone himself.” There is not much truth in what you are preaching if you too are not living it and owning it. For myself during this nine-week course I feel that I need to work on my spiritual, physical and mental aspects. All of these aspects of being human can effect how “well” you actually are. Stress, being out of shape and having mental instability can affect your immune function, your heart and many other aspects of well being (Dacher, 2006).
Assessment
In order to get a better understanding of where my spiritual wellness, physical wellness and psychological wellness I utilized the integral assessment from chapter eleven in our text; this assessment helped me really take a long hard look at myself and let me determine where I really stand health and wellness wise (Dacher, 2006).
During my assessment I determined that for my spiritual self I am a four, I don’t ever really think about religion or spirituality, but after this class I realize that believing in something more can be very beneficial to your health and wellness. Physically I rate myself at about a seven I feel that I do my best to get the proper amount of exercise every day. Last but not least psychologically I rate myself at about three, after careful consideration I know that I have a lot of random endless chatter going on constantly in my brain, the only time it shuts down is when I sleep, and like a computer I need to reset myself daily and not just through sleep (Dacher, 2006).
Goal development
My goals for my physical well being is to schedule myself for one hour to thirty minutes of exercise every day, I would also benefit from keeping a food diary to help me track my food intake, this will help me lose some weight. As for my spiritual well being I think that just taking a few minutes to do one of the relaxation exercises that have presented to us in this class can help me become more aware of how I feel spiritually, I would also like to further look at my belief system and find a fitting religious group to attend. Lastly my psychological well being I would like to find ways to become less worried about things that I have no control over and also find better ways to cope with things that make me anxious. For this last goal I can use meditation practices like the loving kindness or even a body scan exercise to help me relax and rejuvenate this will help me focus on what is really important in life and this will cause less worry.
As I mentioned in the above performing one hour to thirty minutes of exercise daily will help me reach my weight loss goal as well as keeping a food diary. For the spiritual aspect I will perform thirty minutes of deep relaxation sequences to bring me closer to my spiritual self. And last but not least I will practice deep breathing and meditation to help me stop worrying so much and help me with my stress and anxiety.
Practices for personal health
Some strategies that I can use to foster the growth in each of the above-mentioned areas are to practice the subtle mind and loving kindness exercises everyday, this will ensure that I am getting better at focusing and emptying my mind. I will use the loving kindness exercise every morning before I begin my day; I have it written in on my list of things to do. I have also scheduled myself in for one hour of exercise everyday doing cardio, weight training and flexibility. Three days a week I participate in yoga, which helps me learn to move fluidly through the day and helps me learn to breathe through my stressors. I have been ending my day with the subtle mind exercise it helps me unwind after a long day. All of these practices can help me grow psychologically, spiritually and physically (Dacher, 2006).
I have implemented all of these strategies by setting aside time in my hectic life for myself. I have it all scheduled out from day to day and I do not vary from the schedule. I have also teamed up with some girlfriends from work who have common weight-loss goals and general health and wellness goals. This gives me a sounding board to go to whenever I have an off day or am feeling discouraged, someone to turn to who may be experiencing the same things as myself.
Commitment
The most obvious thing that I will be able to track with simple weight and measurements and specific fitness tests is my physical well-being. Simply by tracking my weight loss and shrinking waistline I can see how well my strategy is working. As for the other two areas that I need work in I can always come back to the integral assessment tool, this tool will allow me to see how far I have come and where I need to focus more attention.
As I mentioned before having a support team, people to lean on who are in the same boat as myself can encourage me to stay on track for the long term. I also plan on using certain reward systems, like getting a massage when I have mastered each level of consciousness or just patting myself on the back for staying calm under pressure. Just the benefit of knowing that I am doing all that I can to be a better, healthier person is enough to inspire me to continue on for the long term.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your final project. I think your plan is very solid. Some nutrition advice is to eat lots of whole grains; such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice. These choices will keep you satisfied for a long time. Also enjoy as many berries (raspberry, blackberries, blueberries) as you would like, most are merely 1 calorie a piece and besides being filled with antioxidants they are rich in vitamins and fiber. Lastly, if you like walnuts eat them, they are so good for you, second best are pistachios. My favorite snack is a couple handfuls of berries with a handful of pistachios, very filling.
You sound like you are on the right track and have a great plan. Keep up the great work and intensity.
Be Well,
Kayla
I really enjoyed reading your post. I know you can expand each of these domains in your life just like all of us can. I think you are on the right road and can achieve anything. Keep up the hard work and stick to your goals. I think you have a great plan as far as exercise and think spiritually you can grow as well. Remember they all go together hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteCristina Holcomb
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that stress can affect us physically as well. I know I stress so badly that I get physically sick and I need to learn how to handle that. Thats good that you used the integral assessment that is in the text because I could not find it. I think your goals are realistic and it sounds like you have a good plan set out for yourself. Good luck to you and your development.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that you did a wonderful job on your final project/blog. You did a great job on the information that you provided and I definitely enjoyed the thoughts and emotions that you put into your project. The goals that you have provided for yourself are great starter points to overall wellness and you are well on your way to being a healthy and happier person. I believe with the determination and goal setting characteristics that you have you will accomplish your goals. I also think that the exercises and strategies that you have implemented into your everyday life is just another step to achieve your accomplishments. Do you believe that you will continue to do this exercises and strategies after the course?
You have done a great job throughout the course and I want to wish you the best of luck with the rest of courses. Keep up the amazing work and stay focused on goals throughout personal and professional life.
What I like about your assessment was the effort to include your improvements on your daily schedule. It is too easy to just say "oh yeah, I'll start doing these exercises soon." Without making an effort to put them in our day, we will never have time for them. Hopefully after a while, they will become second nature to us, just another part of our day. Until then, I guess it may be a bit like pulling teeth!
ReplyDeleteDear Bobbie:
ReplyDeleteNice job on setting your goals to your personal assessment. I feel by making goals to your assessment that are practical and achievable, you will not be disappointed and can gradually make the changes a little everyday. You have committed to these changes and I give you credit for doing so.
Making time to incoprporate exercises each day is one step to becoming healthier and relieving the daily stressors that tend to build up in our lives and minds. Exercise will help alleviate some of or maybe all of these issues.
Look forward to seeing you in other classes in the future.
Yours in health,
Andrea