Final Assignment

 It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because being able to understand the process from an emotional, physical and spiritual standpoint is more effective than just having the knowledge.  To try to teach and instruct anything on book knowledge alone without having practiced or experienced the personal benefits is possible but not as effective as instructing something that has been personally practiced or experienced.  If we teach health and wellness and do not follow what we teach we may be considered less reliable to the learner.  We look at healthcare professionals as being role models for us. If the professional has never experienced any of these practices in their own life; they cannot truly be mindful in helping others obtain that feeling of well-being. I believe you need to know what the person you are trying to help is going through and trying to accomplish, and this way it gives a deeper understanding in the element of guiding a person to a new level of wellness.  We need to set an example and be living proof to our clients that living a healthy lifestyle will bring results.  We need to represent success in our field within our self.  The health and wellness professional will not be viewed as a credible source if they don’t ‘walk in the shoes’ they are demonstrating or giving advice about.  I believe a professional who does integrate wellness practices in his/her own life will be more passionate, believable and successful when assisting others.     

  I know that I have more than one area in my life that I need to develop.  They fall in areas of all four areas of psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, and worldly.  On a scale of 1 to 10 these are my ratings on myself:

Physical well-being- 8.  I am still currently working on achieving my personal fitness goal.  I strictly manage my diet and incorporating exercise is very important to me.  My biggest battle is fining the time to workout as many days as needed to change my body as I want to. 
Spiritual well-being- 8.  I have always found it important to go to church every week.  However, I have never read the bible and don't really know that much about it besides the basics.  I am currently going to a bible study once a week and I have really been enjoying it.  With this class I desire to build a stronger relationship with God and grow in my faith.  I am still a work in progress.
Psychological well-being- 8.  I have been going to therapy for a few months to help me "get past my past".  I think I am getting better but not 100% yet.

  I am still currently working on achieving my personal fitness goal.  To reach my goal I strictly manage my diet and incorporate exercise daily.  My biggest battle is finding the time to workout as many days as needed to change my body as I want to. 

There are a few things I can do to foster greater development in this area.  I think it would help if I reread the books that inspire me.  I also need to get back to planning and cooking my meals ahead of time.  I think it would be a great help if I had the company of other people with the same beliefs in eating healthy as I do.  A goal I have in the area of psychological development is to incorporate meditation on a daily basis.  Meditation or time for myself coupled with stress management is the most difficult integral health practices for me to maintain. One of the best things I can do to foster greater development in this area is to simply commit to meditating regularly again. I can do this if I schedule a time to meditate just as you would an appointment then I know I will actually get around to doing it.  I can also go to yoga class at my gym.  To develop my spiritual wellness I can have a goal to read from the bible each night for ten minutes and increase that amount in time.  I can also continue to go to church each week; this will help me grow in my faith.  Lastly I can sign up for future bible study groups at my church.   

             I will assess my progress in within the next six months by using “Smart Goals”.  S- Specific- A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal.

M- Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.  When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

A- Attainable – You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. 

R- Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. 

T- Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. 

(Top Achievement, 2011).

 Strategies I can use to assist in maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness would be to have a secondary assistance avenue by having someone hold me accountable in maintaining my goals.  Another way is to track myself in a daily journal.  Not only would this monitor my daily performance but will generate trends in my success and or areas of improvement.  I can use my heart rate monitor during exercise to access my calories in and out to track my weight loss goal.  Lastly, if I could have someone with the same goals to team up with me we could encourage each other, push each other, and hole each other accountable.