7:05 PM Ignite the Fire!

What an awesome term. I feel very accomplished and proud of my progress. Looking back on my previous assessment, I rated myself as a 5 in all areas (psychological, physical ad spiritual). I was just feeling pretty blah about things. Since then I have committed time to improving all areas of my life. As I am typing this I am so sore from my workout and I have been really eating a healthy diet. I am feeling good in that area. I would even say I improve my physical wellness score as a 7. I have a long way to go, but I realize I am very healthy. I have a desire to be so and I also have a desire to help others.

I would also say that my psychological well being has improved also. I would say it is more of a high 6. I love the time I have set aside for myself and the way it is improving my frame of mind. The one thing I notice most is my feeling about getting up in the morning. I want to get up and start working on my life, I want to live, I want to improve and grow. It's exciting! I am a high 5 in the spiritual area of my life. I also considered this to be my weakest area, and still have a lot of work to do! I am moving in the right direction and it feels so good!

I am working on my goals, which is why I am improving. I am making time for myself and my improvement. I have been working out daily, and I am feeling it! I am eating healthy and having a positive mindset about life. I am making time to meditate and visualize to help my mind and heart. I have my bible out and read a little every day.

It is difficult at times. I am still adjusting to the new tasks on my to do list. Every day it seems a little more natural and I have less resistance. I am proud of the progress I have made I look forward to upgrading my goals a upgrading my life.

10:03 AM Personal Application of Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing.

As a health and wellness professional, I have a responsibility to provide my clients with appropriate and effective care. I have to understand what issues they are having, know how to correct it, and how to educate them about maintenance and prevention. It goes far beyond that, however. As a wellness professional I need to live the life I promote. I need to be the example of why it is so great to do what I recommend. I need to show them it is not only possible, but the benefits of leading a lifestyle that promotes integral health far outweigh the negative sacrifices.

            I need to improve physically, spiritually, and psychologically.  I have already started my journey and set my goals. I have started a nutrition and exercise plan to help me lose fat, gain muscle and get in great physical condition. I am also incorporating meditation into my daily life to clear my mind and become psychologically strong and connect spiritually with God. In my routine I have also included yoga, just once a week for now, until I become better and have become firmer in my routine. By adding these changes to my life I believe I will become closer to achieving integral health and wellness.

            I have rated each area of my health as a 5. I am in the middle of the road, and I may have underestimated the number. I have plenty of room for improvement. I rated my physical health as a 5 because I know how I can be and I am not there. In a recent biometric screening I had awesome numbers (blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, triglycerides ect.) I am just a bit over weight. I love the fact that I am healthy and I know I have control over my health.

            I rate my psychological health as a 5 because I feel it is having a direct impact on my physical health. I have been inconsistent with diet and exercise and I feel there are reasons I keep making bad choices and by adding visualization and meditation exercises I will be able to see these issues clearly, and take the necessary action steps to correct my habits.

            My spiritual health is a 5 because I feel like I have never really gotten spiritually involved at any point in my life. I have questioned my faith many times, but I have never lost it. I am going to make the effort to connect with God and find greater spiritual development.

            My physical goal is to gain lean mass and lose body fat. I am going to do so by eating lean protein sources slow digesting carbohydrates and drinking lots of water. I am going to avoid all unhealthy foods, sodas, alcohol and sweets. It will be hard but it will be worth it.  My psychological goal is to gain greater confidence, make better choices and stronger in my conviction. Clearing my mind will allow me to see through clouds and quiet the noise. My spiritual goals are to gain a better spiritual relationship through prayer and meditation.

            I have started my exercise and nutrition journal to keep track of my progress. I have joined a group to provide me with motivation, inspiration and keep my on my toes. I have always wanted to compete in a bikini/figure competition so I am going to sign up for one to really set the bar high. It was a dream of mine when I first started training and I never did. I want to be able to say I did, so that is a long -term goal and a strategy I am using to make myself commit. This also helps in the psychological domain.

            I have mentioned before the exercises I am currently using to foster my psychological health. They are working for me so far. I am taking time in the morning and the evening to clear my mind and visualize. I am also listening to audio while I sleep. So far I feel there has been some improvement because I certainly feel more relaxed and have a clearer mind. I am able to make clearer decisions and focus better.

            My spiritual development is going to require more effort since it is the least developed area of my life. I am looking for a church for my family to join. I am also finding time to read our bible each day. Even if it is just one passage I am taking the time and effort to gain greater understanding and love for my faith.  Finally, I am searching for mentors for all areas of my development. I am looking for someone who has accomplished what I want to accomplish in each area and look to them for guidance, as I will do for someone else some day.

            Integral wellness is a journey not a destination. It is a lifestyle and not a quick fix. It changes with you and it changes you. It fosters humanity, love, compassion, kindness, altruism and passion within us. I have several goals set in place to start my journey to integral health. This is just the beginning and as I become closer to my goal I may have to change my goals to provide room for more growth. I may also have to change my strategies. I look forward to the journey and the change that comes with it.

10:17 AM Taste the Rainbow

One of my favorite exercises is "The Crime of the Century". I love the visualization I love the way it made me feel and it made me feel centered and in touch with myself. It was emotional for me and I really like doing it. There are times when I need something more relaxing so I might do the Subtle Mind exercise. The great thing about the variety of exercises is the adaptability to what you need at that time. I feel these two help me focus on the areas I need the most improvement at this time in my life. I feel I get the most from them and I love the way they make me feel. I still incorporate them into my routine. The Crime of the Century I tend to do more in the morning and the Subtle Mind I do at night to get my mind calm before bed. It just depends on how I feel. I also started playing meditation music and positive messages while I sleep. I am hoping these messages are getting into my mind while I sleep. 

I am making a conscious effort to observe my emotions in the moment and let the negative ones slip right out. When I do let my emotions get out of control, I do find it takes a lot less time to regain control and become centered. I still have a long way to go and will continue to practice on a daily basis. As I said earlier, first thing in the morning is a good time for me and right before bed. I also like to do  mini session right before a workout. I find the effects help my workout, and carry on for a longer time when I workout (kinda like boosting your metabolism after you workout, I feel like my mental abilities are stronger as well for a period of time after a workout). 

As I am getting older I am becoming more aware of the importance of my mental and physical health. I also feel I have to show my daughters a better way to live. This class has brought so many important issues to my attention. I plan on showing myself loving kindness and improving my overall wellness on my journey to integral health. I wish you all the best as we start to wrap up.

Brandy

5:36 PM Digging Deeper.

I have made a serious effort to make time for meditation and relaxation exercises in my life. I have some apps on my phone I use when I am on breaks at work. The 15-20 minutes of centering really gets me refreshed for the next shift. I have also started playing guided meditation, inspirational and motivational items as I go to bed. I have found when it is playing while I sleep I find myself aware of it when I wake up, but also rested, calm and ready. I feel like I am really wanting to get deeper. I am not sure if I am making any gains, but I am certainly trying. I am trying to confront the things that are causing stress in my life and get rid of them. Some of them are not that easy, like debts. I am just trying to look at it in a different way and not stress about it.

I think it is very important as a professional to have a developed mind, body and spirit. I think clients can relate and appreciate you when you have overcome obstacles to get to where you are. We are all looking to someone to guide us in the right direction. We all want someone we can relate to. I don't think a professional can lead you to integral health if they themselves do not follow the steps to achieve it. They can only get you so far anyways. My mom was seeing this psychologist and she said there was something off about him. One day when she was on her way to her appointment she was surprised to see him being escorted out in handcuffs. We don't know what happened, but he couldn't help her settle her issues because he had so many of his own to deal with.

I am just starting my journey of growth and I understand I have a way to go. I will look to others to help me along the way and I may be able to help others get started on their journey.

2:46 PM The Subtle Mind.

I like this exercise a lot. It is less guided and lets you sort through your thoughts as they come. You drift back and forth between your thoughts and your breath. It is actually very relaxing and you naturally get to a clear mind, even if it takes a while. The first time I did this I was put to sleep by my breath. This exercise, to me, was the most relaxing and quieted my mind the most. I am going to do it again tonight.

I feel the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit can be strengthened through mental practices and physical exercises. The power of the mind far outweighs the power of the physical body. When we train the mind we train the body. Having control over our thoughts and emotions allows us to control our health. We can use spiritual practices such as prayer, yoga, meditation, or visualization techniques to help us gain spiritual and mental strength. When you stop working out, your body starts to lose muscle and gain fat, becomes less flexible and there is a decrease in strength. Once you have reached a higher consciousness there is no turning back. It is very important to have the mental strength to face the challenges in life. It is our foundation. It is our purpose.

11:39 AM Mental workout and Loving KIndness

 I still find this exercise challenging. I can feel the love as she tells you to, but after a minute or two my mind begins to wander. I am going to keep trying until my focus becomes longer and longer. I love the idea of sending love to yourself and sending love out into the universe. When I think of someone I love more than anything, I think of my children. The love I feel when they are lying in bed with me, holding my hand and breathing softly. I cherish those moment more than anything and it really makes me feel love, caring, kindness, tenderness and joy. That is what I tried to send into loving myself, and it is hard. I guess because we know mistakes we made and sometimes it is hard to totally just feel love for yourself without judgement (well for me anyways). I am working on it!

 The part of the exercise I did really enjoy, was breathing in someone's pain and suffering and letting it dissolve into you then you breathe it out. This reminds me of "The Green Mile". I would love to be able to take away someone's pain that easily, or even my own. Just breathe it in, let it dissolve and breather it out. After a lot of practice I bet it would be about that simple.


 A mental workout is something that works your mind. Something that challenges you, something that makes you grow. There are many ways we can train our minds and that depends on our individual needs and areas we need to grow. Training the mind is not too different from training your body, if fact they are tied together. When you train your body, your muscles grow, you lose fat, gain stamina, become stronger, your body functions more efficiently and you basically change your physiology. Training your mind has similar effects on your mind and your body. You become more focused, have clearer thoughts, better control over your emotions and thoughts and in turn have a positive effect on your physical health.

 For me, working out brings that mental push I really need. I feel so great about the world after a great workout. I really want to foster a greater calmness in my life though. I will mediate more and try to connect with the world in a different way. Visualization exercises seem to work best for me so I am going to incorporate that into my routine more. I also like to write in a journal. I am going to start a journal about psychospiritual development and growth. I want to tap into the depths of my mind and challenge myself to grow. I hope you can all do the same.

Have a great day.

"If it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you" ~ Fred Devito

6:33 PM Holistic Personal Inventory

Physical Wellbeing - 5
Spiritual Wellbeing - 5
Psychological Wellbeing - 5



I have not been to the gym like I want to be and my diet is not where I want it to be. It's that simple. So my goals for my physical wellbeing include to get to the gym 5 days a week consistently by the end of the term. My diet will include plenty of vegetables, lean protein sources, and lots of water. I am actually going to kick this off with a juice fast, starting next Monday the 28th. So you are all more than welcome to follow me on my journey to wellness and getting back in shape! Yay!

My goals for my spiritual wellbeing is to set more time to pray everyday. I want to take time to thank God for everything I have.

My goals for psychological wellbeing will be doing more of what makes me happy and less of what doesn't make me happy. I am going to make enough time for me to meditate, to write in my journal or just relax. I would also like to get into yoga a little more.

The crime of the century was very emotional for me. I think with each light shining out, all the negative energy went with it and I tried to get each light to shine as bright as possible. I love this visualization exercise. I could really see the colors and I felt relaxed after. I am going to do this one many times. I really enjoyed it.