Letting the fun continue.....!

      I started this blog as a class project and have decided to continue with it.  I think it may be a good stress reducer. So to any of my classmates who still have me on your reading list, beware....hehe.  I warned you.  
     I inherited my dad's house and moved in a little over a month ago.  This is the first time I have owned a home, I have always rented.  I am excited and nauseous at the same time.  No more calling the landlord and having it fixed. Now I have to fix it.  Good thing I am pretty handy.  I can handle the minor stuff, well except plumbing and electrical.  Have a healthy respect for electricty!!

Unit 10

The topic of our last blog is to review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas. How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

I went back and pulled my responses from Unit 3 and Unit 9 and compared them. I was surprised to find that my scores had dropped. I believe this is due to me being actually aware and honest with myself as to how I am feeling.  In unit 3, I knew I was stressed, I just was not actually being upfront with myself on just how stressed I am.  Even thought the score has dropped I am on a better path to controlling this stress and hunting out the causes to resolve them. The physical is slightly better, I have lost a little weight and am making marginally better food choices, it is a work in progress and it took years to put the weight on and it won’t come off overnight.

unit 3

 A - my physical well being I would have to rate at a 5. It is not great and there is definitely room for improvement, but I am not bad enough to be on any medication yet. I am overweight by about 60 pounds and have started eating better and after the move, plan on starting a regular daily exercise routine.
B - Spiritual well-being I would rate a 6. This is one area that needs improvement. I need more balance, but I think this is common after the loss of a parent.
C - Psychological well-being, this would be 7. I feel I am in a pretty good state of mind. I realize the issues that are on my mind can be helped by improving my health. I need to work on creating more healthy eating habits and take better care of myself

     unit 9

In order to assess my health in each domain, I have to look at how I feel as a whole. I realize I am not sleeping well, my diet has been horrible, and I am short tempered and have no energy. I scored my spiritual health as a 4, I am a believer, but I don’t have a solid foundation. Physically I scored myself at a 4.5. I am fifty pounds overweight, I am pre-diabetic, and have arthritis and back issues. I scored myself the highest psychologically at a 6. Even with all my other issues, I am still a positive person. All my other issues are still in a controllable stage and I realize that now is the time to make some changes.

In reviewing the goals I had set for myself, it is safe to say that I have not made any great strides toward accomplishing these goals.  I have taken baby steps so I am moving in the right direction!

I have implemented a couple of the activities from Unit 9’s goals. I am doing some form of exercise at lunch. The last week I will work in the yard or play ball with my dog. I have not been able to get the morning meditation on track but have been doing a relaxation exercise in the evening.

I have really enjoyed this class; it has been very eye-opening! I have also learned how to help deal with my stress.  I loved learning the different forms of meditation.  It has given me a better understanding of how everything in your personal universe affects everything else in your universe.  I believe you have to be able to help yourself before you can help others!

Unit 9

Hello all! We are almost at the end. It will be bittersweet. Hope everyone has a great last week of class.....=)

            

 

               I.                   Introduction:
Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

It is important for a health and wellness professional to be on an integral health path to direct others along the same path.  Psychologically I have improved greatly over the last couple of years. I am heading in the right direction. The loss of my father a couple of months ago made me realize life to short to worry about things you have no control over. Change the things you can change and strive to be a better person.  There is still work to be done but I believe as I achieve other goals dealing with my spiritual and physical health these will be attained. Spiritually I need to find a direction. My physical health has been of great concern and this is where I need to make my biggest changes.

                II.                   Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

In order to assess my health in each domain, I have to look at how I feel as a whole. I realize I am not sleeping well, my diet has been horrible, I am short tempered and have no energy. I scored my spiritual health as a 4, I am a believer, but I don’t have a solid foundation.  Physically I scored myself at a 4.5. I am fifty pounds overweight, I am pre-diabetic, and have arthritis and back issues.  I scored myself the highest psychologically at a 6. Even with all my other issues, I am still a positive person.  All my other issues are still in a controllable stage and I realize that now is the time to make some changes.

              III.                   Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

The first goals I am setting for myself are for my physical health. I am going to start using my exercise DVDs, start tracking what I eat each day and to make healthier foods choices. The second goal is for my spiritual growth, I am going to start exploring my spiritually.  The third set of goals is for my psychological health. I plan on incorporating meditation into my daily routine and doing something just for me.

              IV.                   Practices for personal health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

To achieve my goal of using my exercise DVD’s I am going to use the 10 minute ones to get a quick workout in at lunch. I work from home so this should not be a problem.  I joined Spark People over a year ago and have never really been serious about keeping track of my exercise and eating. I am going to download the application for my Kindle and phone, so I will always have the ability to track what I am eating.  I am hoping that the act of accountability and seeing the results in black and white will help me to make better and healthier foods choices.  They also have tons of great recipes and articles to educate myself on making more informed choices. To achieve my spiritual goal I am going to explore different beliefs and religions. I am also going to explore the different churches in my area and pick a new one each Sunday. I am hoping I will be able to find a good fit. I am also going to talk to friends I have that I know have a strong faith in their beliefs, I am hoping they can help give me some direction.  For my psychological goal I am going to make a relaxation exercise part of my night routine. I am hoping this will help me to sleep better and in turn help with some of the stress.  I will also get up 30 minutes earlier each day and do a loving kindness meditation. I enjoyed that exercise and it gave me a good attitude for the rest of the day. I believe this will help maintain a less stressful work enviroment.

                V.                   Commitment:
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

 

The physical goals can be tracked by the website and the scale. I think my overall progress in the spiritual and psychological areas could be tracked by my stress levels and my overall ability to handle the day to day stressors.  I also believe I will not be able to achieve my physical goals of losing weight and becoming healthier if all areas are not improving.  That is the whole concept of integral health, isn’t it?  In order to maintain my goals, I will utilize all the modern conveniences available to me.  I will set reminders on my phone and in my calendars on my home and work computers. I think for the weight loss part I may pull a buddy in to start working out with also.

Unit 8

Hello everyone! The end is near!!  This class has gone by fast, the ones I enjoy always seem to.  This week we were to review the practice sessions and choose two were thought were the most beneficial to us.  I chose Loving Kindness and visualization.  I enjoy the visualization/meditation. I like to do them at the end of the day to kind cleanse myself of the stress. I enjoy the universal loving kindness or the loving kindness in the morning. I feel it starts me off in a positive frame of mind. Those two exercises always leave me feeling warm, fuzzy and happy.  I am looking forward to exploring other types of meditation exercises. I think I will stick with the guided version for now, because my mind tends to wander a bit if I don’t have something to focus me.

Unit 7 - Meeting Aesclepius

The exercise this week was very relaxing, I loved the sound of the waves. Unfortunately I was not able to do it everyday.  The flute or pipes, whatever they were, were slightly annoying but over all it was enjoyable.  The person I used was my 92 year old grandmother. She is an inspiration! Focusing on her for this exercise made me feel closer to her.  I am trying to get a more solid schedule in place for meditating, but cannot decide if morning or evening is better. 

I agree with the statement, "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself".  You can guide or point someone in a direction, but you cannot take them there or overcome obstacles if you are not familiar or experienced it yourself.  I would rather take advice from a professional who has actually done the exercise themselves and be able to share experiences.  Also, how can you help someone who is having problems, if you have not been there with the same or similar problems.  I have implemented a spiritual yoga program into my schedule and have found it helpful, my boyfriends sister made the video. It is nice to have the teacher available for questions! 

Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Unit 6

Hope everyone had a wonderful week! Mine was good, no more moving boxes....whoo hoo!  Now just have to finish the unpacking, it never ends!

I really liked the universal Loving Kindness exercise.  I found it very relaxing and felt wonderful at the end of the 10 minutes. This is something everyone needs to do! One of the other classmates discribe her results when she did this standing in a line and how it lowered her stress and made the time fly by.  I can totally see me using this exercise in the same manner.

The area I have chosen to focus on is my weight.  I know my weight is starting to affect my entire health.  I am not hugely over weight losing 60 pounds would make a huge difference in my health. It is time to get serious about this issue.  I joined Sparkpeople a year and a half ago and have never gotten serious with it. In my last session we had to use that program or one like it to track what we ate for a week.  I was appalled at how high areas I had never thought about where.  I am taking advantage of just having moved and my cabinets are already cleaned out, to change my eating habits.  I no longer have cable TV and plan on using the Wii fit everyday. Not only will my body feel better, but I believe it will also help with the stress. Feeling better will lead to better sleep and less stress.

Have a great week all!!

Just because....=)

power point for unit 5

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7MKZl0RPS0BQkVSck5uMm80TjQ/edit

Unit 5 Subtle mind

Hello all!! This week we are supposed to "Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc." I am going to have a hard time doing this, because I was not able to get into the exercise this week at all and could not even make it through the first few minutes.  I moved this past week, had a huge rummage on Saturday, and am trying to get my rental house cleaned up by this Wednesday. Combine that with work, not being able to even find the toothpaste ( had to go buy a tube!!) and you will understand why I am totally unable to relax! It has been hectic week.

The second part of the assignment was to, "Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life."  I am a walking example of this right now.  If one is off balance the rest will become off balance.  My mental health has been severely challenged this week. As a result from all the mental stress, I am not sleeping well which will lead to getting headaches. Of course the stress causes me to feel like I can't get anything done in a timely manner.  I am hoping that getting boxes unpacked this weekend will greatly reduce my stress, which in turn I will get better sleep and this will help be feel better and have a more positive attitude!

Unit 4 : Loving-Kindness

The loving-kindness exercise was interesting. I enjoyed it for the most part, and had no problem sending out healing and kindness.  I wasn't quite able to take in the suffering.  I am going t try doing this exercie on a regular basis, (after I am moved) and see if I can improve.  Yes,  I would probably recommend it to others on an individual basis.  I did find it very beneficial and felt all warm and fuzzy with sending out healing. 

A mental workout could be anthing that challenges your mind.  Trying new ideas and practices. The loving-kindess would be considered a mental workout.  I also work on a websitecalled Luminosity which is supposed to keep your menta faculties sharp. It makes you use skills that are dormant like math, memory, observing and other mental activies.  It is supposed to help keep your mind young and well tuned. Doing mental workouts like these make you feel better about yourself and sharper.

Reflections of week 3

Hello classmates!

I hope everyone made it through the week. I really needed the relaxation exercise this week! I am in the middle of moving and I am starting to feel the stress!  I enjoyed the exercise.  The frustration I have with these exercises is that I am very out of practice in letting the day go and being able to really get into it and reap the full benefits.  Practice will definitely help! 

How do I rate my A-physical well being, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being?

A - my physical well being I would have to rate at a 5.  It is not great and there is definitely room for improvement, but I am not bad enough to be on any medication yet.  I am overweight by about 60 pounds and have started eating better and after the move, plan on starting a regular daily exercise routine.

B - spiritual well-being I would rate a 6.  This is one area that needs improvement.  I need more balance, but I think this is common after the loss of a parent.

C - psychological well-being, this would be 7.  I feel I am in a pretty good state of mind.  I realize the issues that are on my mind can be helped by improving my health. I need to work on creating more healthy eating habits and take better care of myself.

Have a great start to week 4 everyone!!!

Journey On relaxation exercise

I liked the exercise. I have done something very similar to this before.  It was a nice little vacation during my lunch time.  I will have to remember this for those stressful days at work, especially since I plan on quitting smoking as soon as my move is done!! 

Hello everyone!!

I have never really blogged before, I friends who are big into it.  I am a single mom, well technically, my daughter is now 20.  We have a dog and a cat, and are in the process of moving.  We lost my dad about 3 months ago and my stepmom moved closer to her daughter.  So my daughter and I are moving into their house.  I am having to clean out two houses, can you say stressed.........lol.  I am looking forward to this class, I like what I have seen of it so far. Good luck everyone.....=)