Unit 9

  I have always been a fan of practice what you preach.  I think that for anyone in the health industry,  it is important for them to be actively on their own journey to health and wellness, to be able to be credible, understand where their clients are coming from, have empathy for what their clients may be facing on their journeys and to be a positive role model.   Every person’s journey is different, but we all face a lot of the same or similar  struggles in getting there. 

   As I have gotten older and hopefully more wiser, I have come to strongly believe that our lives are a constant journey, never ending until we die and until we reach that point, we should embrace the journey (both the ups and downs).  And we should never stop trying to learn,  better ourselves or grow in some way.  If we do that, we are really not living life to the fullest.  So I think that I still need to work on all of these as an ongoing project. 

   I really do not regularly do a formal assessment, although I probably should, but internally, I am always taking notes on my wellbeing and am pretty in tune with myself and am aware of when I am in distress or need, whether it be physically, spiritually of emotionally, the biggest problem is whether or not I listen to what my mind and body are telling me.  As the numbers are ever changing,  right now, I would give myself a 7-8 out of 10 in all categories.  Physically, I am working out at least 3-4 days a week, usually more as long as time permits.  I will say, that I miss my yoga as I am not doing it as much recently since I have switched to a more strength based workout in an effort to gain more muscle and increase my metabolism  to lose these 20 pounds that I am tired of carrying around.   But I will get back to it more regularly as I make progress in my weight loss.   As I am reflecting, maybe I should have rated myself a little higher on the emotional aspect.  That is not to say I do not have my moments, but there is a certain situation that has taken a huge emotional toll on me for the last 5 years, and even though I still offer encouragement and support, I have actually been able to take a major step away from the situation and while I am not happy with this persons choices,  I know that they are not my choices to make and have no reflection on me personally, so I think I have grown emotionally to be able to do that.   Spiritually,  I think that both the physical and emotional come together to allow me to have peace within myself .  I am not convinced that there is a “God” and believe that the spiritual is an essence inside all of us to discover, our own personal energy.  That is my “truth”, but I do not have a problem with others that need to have a higher power outside of themselves to believe in to help them achieve that ……I respect others beliefs ….it is all about what works for you. 

  My goals physically are to continue to work out regularly, at least 4-5 days a week minimum to reduce stress, build strength and lose these 20 pounds.  Emotionally/Psychologically, I want to work on reducing my inner chatter and increasing my inner calm.  I tend to have an over active mind, constantly thinking about and overanalyzing everything.  My goal is to be able to look at a situation, decide if there is anything about it that is actually in my control and if not, let it go.  Spiritually, my goal is to continue to build both peace and strength inside my self through mediation and to be the best person that I can by embracing loving kindness towards others.   By working on all of these goal, I am also  striving to be the best role model that I can be for my kids, giving them these tools at a young age, giving them a head start on total wellness.  Physically,  I will use yoga to build strength, flexibility and inner peace.  While I only do it every other week or so now, I will get back to this something I do 3 times a week very soon.  Also high intensity strength training to build lean muscle while also getting in a cardiovascular effect on three days each week, and also cardio(elliptical) once or twice a week, to change things up and also be able to not really have to think much, just burn off stress.  Emotionally , I will use meditation every night before bed to learn how to find my inner calm, happy place with no distractions.  The more I practice this, the easier it gets to go there when I need a break away from the chatter and stress around me.   I will also use Loving Kindness techniques daily, every chance  I get, not only towards myself, but others, because by enhancing others daily lives/interactions, I am helping those around me even if it is a very small part of their day.  Spiritually, I go back to the yoga(eventually 3 times a week) and meditation(daily), these practices both help me to get in touch with my inner strength, calm and peace.  They are both  practices that have multiple purposes and benefit me immensely.  With both, the breathing helps to center and calm yourself, allowing you to not focus on other distractions, just want is happening right here and now. 

   I will assess my progress probably monthly to see if there are any areas that need to be changed up and to make sure that I am meeting my needs.  As I have mentioned, I am doing more strength training now to build up muscle so that I can lose some weight.  Once I am at or close to my weight goal, I will not abandon the weight training, but will not make it my focus and will go back to doing more yoga as it is something that I enjoy more. I also think that by involving those around me in these practices as much as possible will help to keep them as a major interest and it is always a lot more fun to do things with the ones you love.   Having integral health is an ongoing practice that will always need to be revisited, to make sure the things you are doing are still the things that you need now as our needs are ever changing.   By making these practices a priority and scheduling them into my day instead of making them an option if I have time, it will make it harder to make excuses to not find time for them or saying that I am too busy.  Eventually , they will become second nature to my daily routine, just like brushing your teeth or showering.