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.