Unit 9: Final

1. Introduction:

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because we will not be able to help others until we have gone through the process ourselves. If we are psychologically, spiritually or physically fragile how could we possibly help others with their problems?

Personally, I will need to develop psychologically to achieve the goals I have set for myself. I have already worked very hard to become physically fit through exercise and nutrition. I also continue to grow spiritually each day through reading the Bible, praying, and meditating. The problem psychologically though is that I need to develop my confidence as a health and wellness professional. Because this field is new to me I have a tendency to second guess myself and sometimes I come across as uncertain in what I am saying.

 I want to be a successful and knowledgeable personal trainer that people can come to get the help they need. I want my client’s to know that I know what I am talking about and they can trust me that I can help them get the results that they want. To do this though, I must develop my confidence. I know this will come in time with continued training and opportunities to speak about what I have learned.

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

Throughout this course I have been able to asses the spiritual, physical, and psychological aspects of my life through prayer and guided meditative practices. The practice which has helped me the most was the Integral Assessment which revealed that I had some areas in my life where there was some unnecessary stress and suffering.

            On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my physical well being around an 8. I am healthy because I exercise regularly and I eat healthy foods. I would also give myself a 7 or 8 for my spiritual well being. I maintain my spiritual health daily through prayer, meditation, reading the Bible, going to church (this one is bi-weekly not daily), and having spiritual conversations with others.  I would give myself a 5 or 6 for psychological well being because I do have some issues where I do not perceive myself as those around me do. I suffer from mild depression and self doubt.  For any of these categories I would never give myself a 10 because I feel that there will always be room to grow as priorities and goals will shift and change in life.

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

Physical: Increase my work outs (to 3 days strength training & 4 – 5 days cardio) to hit my weight loss goal of 10 pounds. This will be the grand finale in my weight loss journey (almost 65 lbs lost). It will also be a launching point in my career as a personal trainer because I will have my degree in health and wellness and I will be at my “ideal” weight.

Spiritual: Daily Quiet Time

Psychological: To feel more energy using the meditative practices I have learned this term.

4. 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.

Physical

Goal: 3 days strength training & 4 – 5 days cardio:

 I will need to wake up each day at 4:30 so I can get my workout in before I meet with my clients, because I know that I will not get it in if I wait till later in the day.

Spiritual

Goal: Read my Bible and Pray Daily

I will set my Bible and devotional book on the table where I eat breakfast. This way I will not have to go look for it and I will be more likely to read my Bible first thing in the morning.

Psychological:

Goal: Exercise 5-6 days per week, take my vitamins, and pray and meditate.

In conjunction with the pre-described goals for physical and spiritual I will also incorporate a healthy diet and adequate supplementation of vitamin B, multivitamins, and vitamin D. All of this together will aid in my psychological progress.

5. 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?

I will place a copy of these goals and activities in my journal so I can reevaluate them monthly to ensure that I am making progress. If something is no longer working I will replace it with a new goal or new activity to ensure that I keep moving forward. I will also seek out a mentor who has accomplished my goals to help me stay motivated and accountable.