So I guess this is our culmination exercise how do we apply everything that we have learned and apply it to our own lives, after all how could we help anyone else if we are severely deficient?

  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?

It is so very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically in order to help others to develop themselves. It would be near impossible to help develop something that you do not possess yourself. For example if one was to walk into a gym and want to hire a personal trainer would they not look for someone in good physical condition? Do you ask for advice from someone you feel has poor judgment? Personally I feel like I can work on all three aspects in my own life, no one is perfect and in each of the three categories there is always room for improvement.  I feel pretty comfortable in my skin, my pants size doesn’t bother me, but I have had times in my life when I was stronger or had more endurance so I could use a few miles on the road or hours with the weights. Spirit is something that always needs refreshing and development, in my life I get to a point of smooth sailing and slack off my development then BOOM something crazy (helloooo its just life) happens. Psychologically I feel pretty resilient, but that is through work so again I have to continue to work on it, (life and all the crazy things that just happen remember?).

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

I assess my health in the domains by how I feel when I am being brutally honest with myself, which is not always easy. I hold to the idea that I can always improve, for example I feel like I have pretty strong spiritual convictions but could always take a boost in my faith (or when I get really mad my language). My physical body is well headed down the natural path, the one that Ben Franklin is quoted to have said is one of life’s two certainties. I look pretty good (ha ha that’s funny in print) on the outside, and try to eat right in order to prevent things like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, but know that I need a little more exercise and will power to be at my peak. Psychologically I am in a good place, I have seen death, destruction, and stupidity (the worst of these is stupidity); I have seen birth, progress, and wisdom. I have felt pain and real joy, but I have something that keeps me going- confidence and a support system so I can bounce back. (Turns out that rubber and glue thing had some precedence, who knew?)

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

Goals would be to complete and place highly (don’t have to win- I can leave that glory for the kids) in a Warrior Dash or Tough Mudder like event (BP is typically 100/60, RHR 58, Cholesterol 170ish but I would like to push myself a bit); get through a whole month without losing my cool (bwahahaha I have 3 kids, and 33 “not kids”), my spiritual goals include a full month remembering to pray AND have yoga sessions.

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

For physical growth I think I might switch gyms, my old one has taken a direction that I don’t like- something about the atmosphere has changed or maybe its me, I just don’t look forward to going anymore. I need to be challenged, but in a semi-wholesome environment, where going to the gym means getting sweaty not getting hit on. (Married, mommy, not interested.) Psychological growth will take lots of contemplating, deep thought and doing some of the resiliency training that the Army offers (global assessment tool and exercises). I plan to give a little more time to reading my Bible every day to foster spiritual growth- especially after this week! (I only have one class next term so I can use the time I have been spending reading the text for my second class on my spirituality instead).

                   V.                      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 can use this actual assessment to see in six months if I have accomplished or even made progress toward any of my goals. For physical checking my run times or how out of breath I am after a good sweat session would be good indicators. Spiritual and psychological growth would have to be assessed by my happiness level, I know when I am in a better or worse place mentally and spiritually- there is a pleasure in simple things and stress level that change when I get out of whack in either of these areas.