Better in the end!

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?

Health and wellness professionals need to develop integral health for credibility. For a client or a patient that looks to a professional for advice they want to see that the professional practices what they preach. For a professional to never experience their own teachings they would not be able to fully understand how their advice works or perhaps does not work.
Personally I need to develop my spiritual and psychological areas a bit further. This class has provided much growth in these two areas. I find myself more easily able to quiet my mind and I now feel that I have a purpose in my life. Of course I would also like to continue growth in the physical aspect of my life, but this is an easier area for development for me because I enjoy it so much. I will continue my daily practice of quieting the mind, meditation on feeling connectedness with the environment and my surroundings, and acknowledging my personal gifts by helping others by using those gifts.

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

When assessing my spiritual health I go by the loving kindness I feel towards others. If I start worrying about myself and start being judgmental I know that my spiritual health needs more practice. My physical wellness is assessed mainly by how energetic I feel and by if I start to lose interest or feel “drained” throughout the day. If I’m not feeling myself I need to focus more on my physical wellbeing. My mental health is assessed by how much chatter is swarming my thoughts. If I sitting down reading the same paragraph over and over because my mind is wandering I know it’s time to focus on my psychological health. Being able to quiet the mind gives me an indication that I’m doing well with this area of my wellbeing.
On a scale of 0-10 (10= the highest level of wellbeing and 0= that of not being practiced at all) I score a 9 on my physical wellbeing, an 8 on my spiritual wellbeing, and a 7.5 on my psychological wellbeing. My spiritual and psychological scores have taken a drastic rise since the second week of this class. My physical wellbeing is at the same level because I feel that I do very well in this area even though there is always room for improvement.

III. Goal development
List a goal for yourself in each area of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Physical health= I will be able to run a 7:30 minute per mile pace for an off-road half marathon by the end of November 2010.
Mental health= I will take 15 minutes daily to focus on breathing and quieting the mind. At the beginning of September of this year I will practice the same technique but for 30 minutes daily.
Spiritual health= I will compliment at least 3 people daily with purpose and true feelings towards my compliments.

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 exercise or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

Physical, psychological, and spiritual strategies that I can implement to improve integral health include: Loving kindness, quieting the mind, and leading a healthy lifestyle. To practice quieting the mind I can (A) focus on my breath, or (B) get up early to spend time with my dog, petting him and focusing on the rise and fall of his chest. To practice loving kindness I can (1) be aware of my judgmental thoughts and change them to a positive appreciation way of thinking, or (2) meditation- feeling the connectedness between myself and the surrounding environment and people. To practice leading a healthy lifestyle I can (I) choose organic food over non organic foods, and (II) exercise on a regular basis.

A) Focus my breath- take 15 minutes each day to quiet the mind while focusing on my breath.
B) Spending time with pet- every morning (before family awakens) I will energize myself by quieting the mind through focusing on my dogs breathing.
1) Being aware of thoughts- I will notice my thoughts, understand why I may think like that, then change them to a positive loving thought.
2) Meditation- When I start to feel as though I need help in my spiritual development I will put aside 20 minutes to meditate. I will focus on the relationship and connectedness I have to everything else… everywhere else.
I) Food selection- I will only buy organic food and local food when grocery shopping.
II) Exercise- I will exercise at least one hour daily 6 days a week.

V. Commitment
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next 6 months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices of health and wellness?

I will assess my progression just as I have been BUT at a higher standard. As we practice we should continue to gain knowledge and move forward to a more fully developed integral health. I know that at all times we are able to slide backwards on our development in any of the domains, so when noticing this fall back I will work on improving that domain that is needing help. I can also assess my progress by measuring it compared to my set goals that I have made over the 6 month period. Strategies that I can use to maintain my long term health and wellness practices are the following: Continue to study and learn about different health and wellness methods (this will keep me excited and wanting to continue to practice), surround myself with people that feel the same way as I feel about health and wellness, and keep updating goals to improve in my health and wellness. I am sure there are many strategies that would work, but these 3 strategies fit me well as an individual:)