Unit 9

Introductions:

Health and Wellness is the basics of human life.  Many people strive to achieve this complete health and wellness, throughout their lives.  For a professional in the health and wellness field the need to practices the areas of psychological, spiritual, and physical.  This creates a relationship between professional and client.  A relationship of trust, a bond of understanding, and respect. 

I believe that I will need to continue on this path for the rest of my life.  That each day learning more about me and those around me will create my own happiness and my own peace.  Participating in yoga classes, meditation sessions, physical exercises, and nutritional consciousness. 

Assessment:

My own health in each of these domains, I would score at a 5 (on a scale of 1 to 10).  I say this because I know I need to grow in each of the categories (psychological, spiritual and physical).  I feel as though we never really done learning about ourselves, our lives, and our bodies.  There is always room for improvement. 

Goals:

Physical:  To become physically fit and finally lose the weight I have struggled with for the last 10 years.

Psychological:  Continue to flourish.  To develop into a women who I and my family can be proud of. 

Spiritual:  To become in touch with my Angels, who are guiding me down this path of wellness.  To learn how to see to the signs and messages they provide to me.  To pass those messages along to who they belong to.

Practices and Personal Health:

I want to begin running again.  I enjoy being alone out in the park with just my thoughts (and my ipod).  Seeing my physical accomplishments as each day I run a little longer a little further.  Creating a clean eating environment will help to cleanse my body of processed foods and unwanted chemicals.  Participating in yoga classes, allows my mind and body to sync together.  Stopping and seeing the beauty of the day and how glorious it truly beautiful this Earth is.

Commitment:

Over the next six months I plain on taking it one week at a time.  Scheduling time alone for me.  Alone meaning, my time at the gym, or my time in the kitchen (baking healthy treats), or my time at the park.  Accepting that it is ok for “me” time.  Excepting that I am not “super women”, that I cannot do ever all I have placed on my own plate.  Sometimes less is more.      

Week 8!

I have to say that the practices that we have tried, that I find to be beneficial are Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind.  For me it is easy to do the Loving Kindness.  I am the person and smiles at you at the grocery store.  Perhaps its to make you wonder why I am smiling at you, or make you wonder what I am up too.  Here in New Jersey, people don't often smile without a reason.  So I guess its just me screwing with others minds (LOL).  But maybe they will pay it forward, and smile at the next person.  As for Subtle mind, I have a little harder time doing, but I do it.  It just doesn't come naturally.  But I continue to think positive, and try to make all things have a positive outlook.

I know that I have changed since starting this class.  Yesterday afternoon, my car broke down. Of course I was 40 mins from home, husband at work, and the kids needed picked up from school.  Rather then have a complete stress meltdown. I called the husband, who was able to come and rescue me, I text my oldest who was planning on walking home from school anyway (our district doesn't provide bus service), and he was more then happy to walk to his sister school, and bring her home for me.  Everything fell into place.  Prior to this I would have cried and screams, and been all sorts of depressed.  Amazing how much a person can grow is such a short amount of time.

I found this mediation very hard to do.  I have a hard time with mental visualizations.  My mind’s eye doesn’t work, perhaps it needs glasses.  I throughout my week will do breathing meditation, where I release stress and anger through exhaling out it.  Which seems to work for me.  Or I do what I call healing mediation.  Where I can exhale out the pain from my body.  For these techniques I learnt from Doreen Virtue.

The line “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself,” means so much to me.  In simplest terms;  You can’t tell someone else how to do something without having been there themselves. 

    For me this mean (as working towards a degree in nutrition), I can not advise someone on their nutrition intake, if I am sitting there eating pizza, and burgers, and drinking a beer.  That just is not fair.  Although it sounds yummy (and probably comes with a tummy ache too).  I can’t say to someone to replace junk food with fresh fruit and veggies, if I don’t do it myself. 

Week 5

I enjoyed both of the Loving-Kindness and the Subtle Mind Exercises.  Having experienced both of these I became more aware of how I  think about things in my own life.  I was able to relax my body and my mind during this exercise easier then the Loving-Kindness exercise. 

v During the Loving-Kindness I was able to think of different aspects of my life.  During this one (subtle mind), I was able to relax (almost fell asleep).

v I found out that it is easier for me relax, during a guided meditation.  I have recently tried to do my own meditation, who ever, I find the mind chatter, is to load.  

Since I began working out again on a regular basis, and meditating 3 days a week, I have found myself to be almost stress free.  I find myself not reacting to certain situations that I know I would have blown up in the past.  Which is a good thing for me.  I am not short tempered, but I felt myself over reacting to quickly.  Not I have the ability to step back, think, ponder my reactions, weigh the outcomes.  Then choose a path that is good for everyone. 

Week 4, and feeling pretty good

I have taken this whole new year new you to heart.  I have been really watching what I am eating, and I have been working out, atleast once a day (which reminds me, I still have to get todays workout in).  I have begun meditation at night (in bed), which has allowed me to sleep peaceful, and wake rested.  I am trying to get my cousin (who suffers with insomnia) to try it. 

Here is what I learnt this week in class.  What do you think?

1.           Describe your experience.

1.     Did you find it beneficial? I have been able to stop and see a point of view through another’s point of view. I was able to see that much of the nagging that comes from the husband comes from the heart.  That he wants me to be happy, and therefore, him nagging me to go to the gym, means he wants me to be happy with myself.  And I my current weight I am not happy.

2.     Difficult? In the beginning it was a little difficult (because we are creatures of habit), but after a day or two, I was able to see the ease of this. 

3.     Why or why not? I know that for the most part I need to take in consideration other peoples thoughts and feelings.  The same way as I want them to consider my thoughts and feelings.

4.     Would you recommend this to others? I most certainly would recommend this to others.  It’s not a hard thing to do, and it doesn’t cost any money.

5.     Why or why not?  There would be much less fighting, and more love in this world.  Isn’t that want we all want,  to be loved?

2.           What is the concept of "mental workout"? The ability to have your brain work in a fashion that helps to prepare or re-boot the body.  Such as the ability help an athlete prepare for a big match, or prevent a training slump.  Help to re-boot the body, from food cravings, or insomnia, or anxiety.

3.           What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? It shows that having the mind prepared for an occasion, or a distraction.  You are less likely to give up or fail at that time.  For example.  In high school I was in the color guard.  Before every competition, we were instruction to visualize our performance and the music in our mind.  This gave us the ability to perform perfect in our mind and perfect on the field (btw, it lead us to be champions my senior year). 

4.            How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?  By practicing the four steps of Psychospiritual development and mental workouts, a person has the ability to be joyous, and stress free. 

Week 3

This is the final day to our holiday.  Back to school tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.  As much as I love my husband and kids, I love my own time.  During this week I wasn't able to do as much mediating as I wanted.  But I did get a few nights in (at bed time).  I did however, just upgrade to an IPhone, so I have downloaded a few meditation sessions on it and hope to listen to it tonight. 

I also jump on the wagon of diet and exercise as planned.  I did not eat to bad over the break, but not as good as I should have.  So I am hoping that with determination and luck, I will reach my goals, both physically, mentally, and emotionally, but the end of the term.