Final Project

Introduction:

            Throughout this course I have been able to learn just how important it is for health and wellness professionals to develop themselves as a whole.  By learning how to approach health on not only a physical level, but also spiritual and psychological, we are able to fully understand what life is supposed to feel like.  Development in each area fosters the other, making it imperative to continue improving in all three in order to truly understand what health means.  When a health and wellness professional develops their own health physically, spiritually, and psychologically, they are then able to lead their clients by example and can speak from personal experience when helping someone to pursue their wellness goals.  This can make it much easier for a client to relate to their wellness coach, knowing that they may have experienced some of the same obstacles when first attempting their overall health. 

            In order to achieve my own wellness goals, I must continue improving my health in all three areas.  As a nutrition major, I am always working on improving my diet as I learn more and more through my courses.  This will help me to improve physically when I am eventually able to adopt the right diet specifically for me.  I believe my psychology and spirituality have already begun to improve through taking this course and learning about what I can do differently in order to foster this development.  Finding new ways of meditation and achieving quietness will help me to further my growth in these two domains as I continue on my path to wholeness.

Assessment:

            A few weeks ago we were asked to assess our health in each domain, one being least developed and ten being highly developed, and I rated myself a seven physically, an eight spiritually, and a nine psychologically.  Because this was not too long ago I would tend to say I am probably around the same in each currently.  I assessed myself based on how often I address each area and how “whole” I feel when I think about what I do to keep that domain “fit”.

I have still scored myself lowest in physicality because I am still working on getting back on track regarding diet and exercise.  I still have trouble sticking with a schedule because I never really have and I think it’s going to take a while to actually adapt to one.  This affects my being able to eat at the appropriate times and to incorporate exercise daily for the proper amount of time, but I am constantly working to improve this! 

I am still an eight in spirituality, but I believe this number will soon grow as I have been opening myself up a lot more and exploring different ways of becoming more spiritual.  Recently I visited a Baha’i temple in Illinois and in the silence of the empty worship area I felt a deep spiritual sense of myself that I have never experienced before.  Since then I have been trying to discover new ways to feel that part of myself even more. 

My psychological standing is still a steady nine because although I feel I am pretty developed in this domain, I would never rate myself a ten in any area because I believe there are always ways in which I can improve even more.  This area is most developed because I think it’s probably the domain I pay most attention to and have been able to improve over time through experiencing different situations and learning how to handle them in the appropriate manner.  I can easily stay calm and positive in pretty much any bad situation and am working on developing this even further.

Goal development:

            Goal setting is the key to constant improvement in any aspect of life and is no different when dealing with your personal health.  Since beginning this class, I have been trying to set goals in each integral health domain so I could truly experience what the class was about.  Physically, I am still working on developing a schedule for meals and exercise that I can easily adjust to considering my not so constant work hours.  This one is an ongoing process for me because I have been trying to achieve it for a while, but still have not been able to reach full success.   I am hoping with the knowledge I have gained through this and my nutrition courses, I will be able to address this more attentively.  Spiritually, I want to set aside more reflection time.  I currently am only active in this domain probably once or twice a week.  I would like to schedule a time daily to devote an allotted amount of time to just sit in the silence and think about nothing but the integral journey I am on.  Psychologically I would like to focus more on quieting my mind.  I have noticed through practicing the exercises from this class, it is very hard for me to remove myself from all of the thoughts I have flowing through my mind throughout the day.  I want to be able to step out of the jumble of thoughts in my head and just see them being let go and floating by so as to allow myself a much needed break from the fast paced everyday life we tend to get stuck in.  This will allow me to focus on the real issues and address them in a healthy, peaceful way.

Practices for personal health:

            In order to improve my physical health I plan to make a weekly meal plan I can actually stick to and schedule at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.  My nutrition courses are helping me learn to plan proper meal times and healthy foods to incorporate into these meals, so continued focus in class will help me to make an appropriate meal plan for myself.  Using a tracking system like Super Tracker provided through the USDA website will help me to stick with these goals as I can easily track my food intake and exercise through the tools they provide on the website. 

            To improve my psychological well-being I plan to include meditation in my daily routine and to read more thought-provoking books.  I want to continue using the exercises that we were provided in this class, as well as finding some new ones on my own to use.  Even giving myself just 15 minutes a day will help me improve in this area.  I think reading will help because it in a way exercises your mind and you are able to entertain yourself without the use of current technology.  I think phones, television and internet eat up a lot of people’s days now, including my own, so by only allotting certain hours to technology and spending more time in peaceful meditation or enjoying a good book I will be able to “flex” my mind and allow myself to learn more.

            Spiritually, I think I can improve by continuing my exploration of the Baha’i faith (which I’ve become very interested in since visiting the temple) and by dedicating more time for outside activities, like walking the dogs or just enjoying nature overall.  I’ve learned that the Baha’i faith is accepting of everyone (including all other faiths) and I really felt at peace when visiting their temple as I stated earlier, so I think pursuing my interest in them will help broaden my spiritual horizons.  And spending time outside is very peaceful for me because I live at the beach and have always felt a connection to the ocean.  Taking a walk with my dogs on the beach will give me time to reflect on things and understand more about why these things take place.

Commitment:

            Over the next few months if I see I have made no strides forward in developing physically, spiritually, or psychologically, I will sit down and develop another “plan of action” in order to make my goals more reachable.  I think the best way to make sure I continue on my path to wellness is to consult with someone who is either on the same journey or has been on their own journey once before.  Using a guide who knows what I am going through will definitely help me to not give up.  If something is not working for me, they may be able to advise me on changes I could make to make my journey easier and goals more attainable.  Making check points to assess myself every few months can also help me to continue towards my ultimate well-being.  By taking the time to “check in” with myself every so often I can make sure to notice what progress, or lack thereof, I have made, and whether or not to change things up a bit to make my goals more achievable.  

What Meditation Methods I Like Best

I think Loving-Kindness has probably been my favorite exercise I've learned through this class mainly because once I was actually able to focus, it came the most easy to me.  Like I said previously, I already try to wish the best for others and just in general feel a strong sense of love almost all the time so it was easy for me to follow the directions of the exercise.  I think my other favorite method is probably visualization.  I'm pretty artistic and imaginative so I think this may be why I like using visualization.  When I'm directed to "picture such-and-such" it usually doesn't take too much effort to do so which makes it more beneficial for me.  I think using visualization when I'm feeling stressed out would help to bring me back to a relaxed state and just scheduling the Loving-Kindness exercise in at least once a week could help to promote my mental fitness to a higher level.

Aesclepius

Well, this has been a rough week for me so the Meeting Aesclepius meditation was hard for me.  I lost a very good friend on Thursday, so when doing this exercise I found it hard to empty my mind of thoughts of him. As a result, he kind of mixed in with my visualization of a great healer.  I was able to picture his smiling face alongside my other healing guide (just what I had in my head, no one specific).  I think this ended up being successful though, because I was really able to visualize the light beams from each person's head, throat, and heart combining in with my own.  I just kept seeing his side send me love and the healers side sending understanding, if that makes sense.  Learning about how to meditate and stillness of mind is going to help me get through this and other life situations that may arise.  I think it was at least able to relax me a little bit thinking of him in this way.  

I think the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is basically another way of saying to practice what you preach.  It is much easier to lead the way if you actually know where you're going (from experience).  As a professional, I think clients would respect your opinions more if they see the success you have achieved through the same process you are suggesting to them.  This could also help a first time client/skeptic to be more open-minded about trying an alternative approach to healing.  

Erin 

Unit 6

When doing this weeks exercise, I actually kept messing up what I was supposed to be saying for the first couple minutes, trying to remember exactly what I was supposed to be repeating! lol Eventually I got it though and felt the exercise was fairly successful for me. The main reason I think it was successful is that I usually already wish these things for people. I am lucky to have always been a pretty compassionate person, so I am always thinking of how others actions will make someone feel. This affects me so much that even when I'm watching those shows like Ridiculousness where an old person falls or something, I can't even laugh because I feel bad for how embarrassed that person is! lol This even happens watching the not top 10 on ESPN because I know how embarrassed those guys must feel when they miss a completely open basket or something like that. (and yes, my boyfriend always laughs at me about it lol). Anyway, that pretty much shows you that I'm always hoping the best for others so they don't have to be embarrassed or sad about anything!

When assessing myself I felt that I am most lacking in the physiological sense because I can't seem to get on a steady diet and exercise regime. I think this has a lot to do with my job as a server because I have a crazy schedule. We are always working different hours, and of course most are during when regular people would be eating meals (obviously) so it's hard to just eat a small meal and not snack on whatever is around. This also affects my scheduling a normal exercise time, too, as it would have to be different every day. Granted, I've never really been good at keeping a schedule, I think now I would do better if I actually had a job that allowed it.

I think I could probably figure this out with a little extra focus and on a week to week basis since that is how far in advance I know my schedule. I think every week when I get my schedule, I should be able to sit down and plan my meals and exercise around my work schedule. Totally doable, but I just have to actually do it!

Erin S.

Loving-Kindness vs. Subtle Mind

Hey guys!

I think I liked the loving-kindness exercise better than subtle mind from this week.  I think I probably would have liked them equally, but I kept falling asleep during subtle mind which was frustrating.  I literally tried to do it three times back to back and fell asleep within like 5 minutes every time! lol  I've decided that I probably am doing these exercises at the wrong time of day (which is usually at night after work) and in the wrong position (laying down) for myself because I'm relaxing too much which isn't letting me get the full benefits of the exercises.  I think the main thing I liked about last weeks exercise was that I felt like I was actually able to send love and kindness to everything in my body, like the recording suggests.  In the beginning it says something about letting love flow out like from a faucet and I actually felt I was able to do that and it kind of gave me like a warm sensation all over if that makes sense.  Anyway, of course this weeks I don't have much to say for thanks to my tiredness, but I'm going to try it again today (and sitting up lol) to see if I get all the way through it.

Spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are all intertwined.  I honestly think it would be very hard to fully accomplish any one of these areas without having the others to back it up.  By combining all three we are able to achieve the real meaning of health.  I think I use it most when I'm running.  Like Dacher said in this weeks reading, when doing physical exercise, try to concentrate on specific things.  When I am running I try to concentrate on my breathing pattern.  This is because the more I can control my breath, the better I can run.  If you just let it go and start panting all over the place you're probably not going to make it very long, right?  Anyway, when I focus on that one thing, I am exercising my mind and the control it can have over different aspects of my body, if I let it! :)

This is a picture I really like called "Deep Breath"

(thought it fit well with this weeks discussion :) )

Loving-Kindness

Once again when trying to do the loving kindness exercise this week, I found it hard to concentrate and relax enough to get the full benefits of it.  I think it's mainly because I've again been very busy and not any kind of organized, which is making pretty much every day seem crazy!  I can't stop thinking about other stuff long enough to fully get through this exercise yet, so I'm going to continue to try it out through the rest of the week (since that's what the book suggests doing) and then I'm going to update my blog about it.  I will say that the second day I tried it I was able to focus just a little more than the first day so I assume it will get better by Tuesday!  I would actually recommend others trying this exercise, but you really do need to take the authors advice and make sure to schedule it in like you do everything else in a day to make sure you actually have time to do it without worrying about what you have to do the rest of the day!

Mental workout basically means spending as much time making your mind fit as you do for your body.  This is done in the opposite way, however, using silence, reflection, and meditation as opposed to most intense exercises we do to keep the outter parts of us in shape. Research shows that benefits from these workouts can yield short and long term effects on the brain and can reflect in our health and overall well-being.  Taking time for daily meditation is probably the best way to reap the benefits one can have from these workouts.

My Well-Being

Hey guys!

When reflecting on my well-being this week I decided that I was a 7 in physical, 8 in spiritual, and 9 in psychological.  I chose 7 for physical because I eat fairy healthily and try to incorporate at lease some form of physical activity every day.  Currently, I am trying to improve upon my health because I kind of slipped for a while there and need to back on track (which is the reason for nothing higher than a 7 here).  Next, I chose an 8 for spiritual because I try to make sure to stay in tune with my spiritual self by insuring that I have time to reflect on thoughts and decisions I've made, as well as anything that may be coming up in the future.  I do this mostly by taking walks in nature to get that "silence" you can only have when walking a nice trail on your own! :)  And finally, I ranked my psychological well-being as a 9 because I tend to be able to stay pretty positive no matter what the situation.  The power of positivity has become very apparent to me working in the food industry because I've noticed if I am able to stay upbeat about a bad situation, my peers are able to do the same by following my example.

For goals in each area, I'd like to incorporate more intense workouts into my daily routine (which I am currently working on), as well as learn to balance my diet a little more specifically to me (which I am also doing through learning as much as possible through my nutrition courses) for my physical, spend more time meditating in silence for my spiritual, and try not to react (negatively) to quickly in stressful situations for psychological.

In order to make these improvements a reality I could make myself a workout schedule and eating plan and actually stick to it to improve physically (I have a time management issue lol), spend more time outside in nature and using relaxation exercises like the ones we've been doing in class for spiritual, and make sure to stop and think about consequences before reacting to situations.

When I did the relaxation exercise this week, I honestly wasn't very focused on the exercise because I had a lot of things on my mind (I've been really busy this week!) so I don't think I got the full benefits from it.  I was able to get the jest of it and it did relax me slightly.  I think the main part that I was focused on was the orange, which stood for centered.  When I had my eyes closed during that point, I could literally only see the color orange which I thought was odd since I wasn't focusing very well otherwise!

Journey On Exercise

So, last night I tried the Journey On relaxation exercise; another first for me.  I found that I did feel that I was able to redirect my blood flow into the suggested body parts and felt a significant difference in warmth when I did so.  It was able to make me relax at least a little, as well.  This wasn't surprising to me because I already know that so much can be controlled just by altering your state of mind.  Just think about a time when you've been trying to push through an extremely difficult workout.  Just as you start to give up, your brain kicks in with a pep talk and you convince your body that you can do it.  Some of us need outside encouragement to help us change our mental process (trainer, therapist, etc.), and I think I was one of those who needed coaching to relax, like the kind provided in this exercise.  Honestly, I think it's helpful for me to have encouragement from an outside source, just because I am always thinking about a million things at once.  Even during the exercise,  I found my mind wandering to what I still needed to do last night, what I was going to make for dinner, etc. However, I was able to redirect my thoughts each time there was a direction given, which helped me to actually focus on the exercise.  Overall, the exercise was a success for me, aaaand I'm done rambling for now! :)

(An awesome picture I took on a cruise.  THIS is relaxing! :) )

Intro

Hello everyone!

This is my first time with blogging, so sorry if it's kind of boring at first! :)  My name's Erin and I'm 27 living at the beach in South Carolina for now.  I'm working on my nutrition degree at Kaplan and I'm expecting to graduate in early 2015.  I love traveling and find it very relaxing.  I think this is largely due to my growing up a military "brat."  I know many people aren't too fond of change, but I love and welcome it!  Another couple of things I like to use for relaxation are nature and music.  Sitting outside or taking a walk around the lake and getting fresh air is so refreshing.  If for some reason I don't have that option, I can always escape with music.  I work as a server at House of Blues for now and when setting up the restaurant, I put in headphones and listen to my favorite songs instead of listening to the random gossip my co-workers may be passing around.  And, of course, laughter is always a good cure for anything!

I am excited for what I will learn through this class this semester and look forward to learning it with all of you!