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?

Here is what I wrote in Unit 3: "A- I rate my physical wellbeing at an 8 out of 10. Fitness is extremely important to me; I lift weights and run on a regular basis.

B- I would put spiritual wellbeing at 5. I don't put as much into it as I should.

C- I would also put psychological wellbeing at a 5, simply because my stress levels are out the roof on a regular basis, and I don't take the time to nurture my own wellbeing in the ways I should."

 

I honestly score myself the same at this point. I now KNOW what I need to do to change this, but I'm bad about "knowing" but not "doing". It is so tough to actually take the time to nurture my own wellbeing when there is no other adult around to help nurture the kids. That may sound like an excuse, but raising 3 small kids alone isn't exactly a recipe for self-nurturing. Lol.

Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

In Unit 3 I said, "Physical- Since I already exercise on a regular basis, I'll set strength goals: 200 lb squat, and 150 lb bench press.

Spiritual- To pray on a regular basis and attend church more.

Psychological- To begin meditation and learn to manage my stress levels better."

 

I have made progress towards my physical goals: my last bench press was 130#. I feel like I am praying more as well. I still haven't begun active meditation.

Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

 

From Unit 3: "Physically, I can up my game at the gym and work harder with my training partners to reach my goals.

Spiritually and psychologically, it is harder. The goals alone are activities, and I simply need to set aside the time to do them."

 

Physically I am good. Spiritually and psychologically, I still struggle with setting aside the time. It just doesn't seem to happen.

Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

I have learned a lot through this course. I guess you could say that I am in a "Contemplative Stage" on it.....I now know what I need to do, but I haven't yet established a clear plan as to how I will implement the things I have learned. I think above all I loved that we studied into actual case studies that showed how much of an impact meditation, etc has on the physical body. It amazes me. It definitely gives me a lot of good info to pass onto clients. Once I figure out how to actually make it work in my own life, I'll have personal experience to give to my clients, which is the ultimate testimony. I'm very thankful that I had the chance to take this course. It was definitely one of the best I've experienced.

Unit 9 Project

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?    

As health and wellness professionals, we play a somewhat delicate role in the lives of many individuals. We are privy to information that clients most likely don’t share freely. We are trusted with this information, than often looked to for answers or advice.

            In order to be equipped to give our clients sound advice that can truly help them, it is vital that we ourselves are prepared in every sense: psychologically, spiritually, and physically. We need to ask ourselves questions like these: how can I possibly give a client advice on stress management if I am not able to handle the stresses in my own life? How can I guide an individual towards meaningful meditation if I have no personal experience in this area? How can I teach physical fitness if I don’t have the knowledge and discipline to keep myself fit? In order to be a trusted, believable source of guidance and information for my clients, I first must learn and apply these principles in my own life.

            My personal goals include more focus psychologically and spiritually. Physically, I am able to guide my clients with confidence. But I realize that I have the tendency to use exercise as an “all-inclusive” outlet in my life, meaning that I use it not only to keep myself physically fit, but I also use it as my only source of stress management. I neglect meditation and spirituality and find myself just coping with stress rather than managing it.

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

            Throughout the past 9 weeks of this course, I have spent a lot of time looking deeper into myself and assessing my personal strengths and weaknesses. I draw comparisons of myself up against the different passages from books and articles that we have read; as well as friends and individuals in my own life that have character traits that I admire and aspire to pattern myself after. Spiritually, I realize that I need to do a LOT of work. I have definitely strayed far from where I wish to be. I was raised in a God-honoring environment, and I want to aspire to spend more time in prayer and spiritual meditation. So in this area, I would score very low according to my standard of ideals. Physically, I rate myself fairly high. I exercise on a regular basis, focusing on both running and weight lifting. I absolutely love it, and it is something that comes easy for me. I try to eat balanced, nutritious meals that compliment my physical goals. This is definitely an area of my life that reflects my personal strengths. Psychologically I again score lower than I care to admit. I don’t manage my stress well, and I have a tendency to just bury my emotions rather than acknowledging and taking action to better them. I have a very difficult time disciplining myself to take the time to meditate and focus the way I know I need to in order to attain the psychological benefits that I know are there waiting for me.

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

            I love goal setting. In the past 2 years I have really discovered that when I create goals and write them down, it makes a huge difference in actually achieving them. Physically, I want to bench press 150# and back squat 200#; and I want to reach these goals by June of this year. My psychological goal is to implement daily meditation into my life. After taking this course, I fully believe that meditation is my key to managing the incredible stress that I feel on a regular basis, and I believe that the benefits will affect many areas of my life. My spiritual goals include attending church more often, and practicing prayer and spiritual meditation on a regular basis.

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.

            I’ll begin with the physical element here, because I have (in the past, and currently) experienced a lot of success with my methods. I have several consistent workout partners, and we schedule our workouts and hold each other accountable. I am very self-motivated when it comes to physical health, but having the added accountability really helps on those days when I need the extra nudge to keep going. I also write down fitness goals at the beginning of each month. I make them very attainable, yet make sure that they involve something that I have not yet achieved. It gives me something to work towards that is very possible, yet will take work to reach.

            My psychological growth is going to take more work on my part, simply because I am not as motivated to achieve the results. Since I respond well to written goals, I believe that it will help me to add “Focused Meditation” to my list of goals I want to achieve in the month. (I try to write a new list every month, and I tape the list to my closet door where I can see it every day.) I also need to research an app that one of my personal trainer friends told me about. It is a meditation app, and comes highly recommended. This would be a great place for me to begin actually implementing meditation into my life, and learning what types of programs I respond to.

            Spiritual growth always seems to be something I put on the back burner. I want to begin making it a point to not get out of bed in the morning before I take the time to have a few minutes of prayer. I believe that this will be an excellent place for me to begin bringing depth back to my spiritual development. I also used to keep short devotional books beside my bed, and read them before I went to sleep at night. I plan to begin doing this again, and in this way I am beginning and ending my day in spiritual meditation.

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?

            As I mentioned, I respond best to written goals. I always keep the papers that I write my goals on; and I think that the best method for me to assess my progress (or lack thereof) in the next six months will be to write out a six month goal sheet in addition to my regular monthly goals. That way, I have specified exactly where I plan to be in six months. Life is pretty simple when it is written in black and white, and it is pretty hard to deny whether or not you have achieved goals that are clearly written out. I believe that my best strategy for success will be to create the long-term (six month) goals; then sub-divide those goals into monthly goals that I refresh every 4 weeks. Taping them to my closet door has really been one of the best things I ever started doing, because I see them multiple times a day, every day. It has really helped me in the past, whether it’s been financial, career, or physical goals. I have no doubt that this strategy will also be beneficial in reaching my psychological and spiritual goals as well.

Unit 8 Blog Assignment

Ahhhh this one is hard for me! Lol! I'll have to go with the LovingKindness and Subtle mind practices, but as I've said all along, none of them really hit home for me simply because I was so stressed about completing my assignments by deadline. However, I DID take away some good points from these; and every time I think about the LovingKindness practice and envision someone I hold dear, my son's little blonde head always pops into my mind, and it makes me smile and feel so at peace.

The most specific thing I can do for myself to implement mental fitness is to simply take the TIME to meditate on a regular basis. I feel so much better when I do. Throughout this class, I have definitely learned to relax a little; and I find myself taking a deep breath and consciously relaxing when stressful situations occur. I want to continue to implement these practices in my life, and work on nurturing a deeper level of spiritual and mental fitness.

Unit 7 Blog Assignment

I have to admit that I have the same reaction to this assignment as to the previous ones....it is VERY difficult for me to achieve the desired response when I'm in a hurry to complete my assignments for the week and really not putting my heart into it. However, overall, mindfulness/meditation has been very beneficial to me. I've found that I put a lot more thought into the deeper parts of myself; and I find myself doing little things like driving slower to work and not minding when I get behind a car that is poking along! I'm more patient with my kids as well. It's pretty cool seeing the results of mindfulness, even though I don't have a lot of time to put into specific meditation.

 

The saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" has to do with leading by example. It's just not possible, long-term, to truly teach another something that we don't have personal experience with. This applies to me as a personal trainer in the sense that if I don't live a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and eating properly, I can't teach my clients the way they need to be taught. I believe that the more I develop my psychological, spiritual, and physical health, the more whole and complete I AM, therefore the greater example I will be to them. Taking the time to nurture myself, both physically and emotionally, is a huge key to all of my interpersonal relationships, including my relationships with my clients.

Unit 6 Assignment

I LOVED this weeks assignment. As usual, I am rushing to complete my homework by deadline, so I can't put the quality time into this that I would like; but I'm going to go back and re-read the book at a slower pace once this class is done.

The Universal Loving Kindness exercise brough tears to my eyes. The first thought I had was, what a different world it would be if everyone practiced this! Then I realized that I can make a difference in MY world--in my children's world-- if I begin practicing this on a regular basis. This was one of the best assignments we've had yet, in my opinion.

The second assignment definitely left me thinking hard. In the past 2 years I've delt with a divorce that was very bitter and nasty for almost a full year of that time. Thankfully things are MUCH better now, but in the wake of all that pain and anger, I've spent a LOT of time pondering on these very things. I've wanted to grow from the pain and become a better person. At this point in my life, I feel that moving forward is my biggest challenge, and that is definitely the line of development that is the most essential for me at this point in time.

Unit 5 Assignment

1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

 

I'm disappointed with my reaction to this exercise.....mainly because I couldn't relax at all. I waited too late in the week to get it done, and I ended up doing this while on a time limit to go pick up my daughter from school. Thus....not a good experience at all. Last week, I was able to relax quite a bit, and even noticed that the pain from a gym injury was relieved temporatily.

1. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

I truly believe in the benefits of spiritual wellness. I know that personally, when I am more spirtually centered, I am able to deal with the stresses of life more effectively. Personally, I believe that this is because I can essentially "let go" when I'm actively living in faith (for me, spiritual wellness is directly connected to my relationship with God.) When I am less stressed out, I'm also healthier. Two summers ago, while I was going through my divorce, i was under more stress than I've ever been under before. I was sooo sick during that time....just random different colds, flus, etc. I have no doubt that the stress compromised my immune system and left me with no defense.

Unit 4 Blog Assignment

1)My experience with the Lovingkindness exercise was interesting. I was really relaxed; I couldn't even feel the pain from a shoulder injury I got in the gym this week. I found that pretty cool.

I had a  hard time envisioning the things that we were supposed to envision/feel. So basically it turned into more of a relaxation exercise for me than anything. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this exact exercise to anyone, because I guess I didn't get out of it what I was supposed to; but I definitely recommend relaxation/meditation exercises in general.


2) Mental workouts work the mind just as physical workouts work the body. Mental workouts enable us to dig deeper than we normally would, and come to understanding and enlightenment on things about ourselves. They allow us to be more relaxed; manage stress better; and even improve our IQ. Personally, I need to implement meditation on a regular basis in order to manage my stress better. I also need to do more extensive studying and reading in order to expand my knowledge and understanding.