It
important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically,
spiritually and physically so that we are able to not only teach these things
but also live them. As we have covered extensively a health and wellness
advisor should be incorporating wellness throughout their own lives as well as
those in their care. All aspects of my own personal health and wellness could
use improvement; as could everyone’s I believe. If I had to pick one though it
would easily be my spirituality that needs the most improvement.
My own
wellness assessment is one that is constantly changing. Physical well being has
always been one of my strong suits, but I have tried to improve my nutrition
habits in recent years. My exercise habits come and go but I usually maintain
above average physical fitness. Physiologically my wellness is pretty stable. I
am in my second marriage and my wife is very supportive of me going back to
school. Her support makes it much easier to stay focused and mentally sharp in
school and all other facets of life. Spiritually I am afraid my score is a
negative. I am not religious, nor do I meditate or do yoga. I have no real
spiritually fulfilling activities in my life either such as charity work or
volunteer work.
My Physical goals are not quite as
high as they used to be, however they are practical. As slowly approach age 40
I hope to get down a few pounds and keep myself in the low 170 pounds (I’m only
about 175 now). I alter my workout routines from time to time, but mainly the
key to my goals is frequency. Nutritionally I have a goal of continuing to
learn new and healthy options to not only maintain my weight but also stay
healthy. Psychologically my goal is to stay focused on my school work and also
take care of my family. As a stay at home dad with several small children,
taking care of them is the main priority right now. But equally important
looking ahead to the future is for me to achieve my scholastic goals. These two
things together require a lot of mental focus day in a day out. The end goal
would be an advanced degree that leads to a career and kids that at least make
it to college. Spiritually I have a hard time setting a goal because I am not all that enthusiastic about
spirituality. I guess my goal going forward would be to be more open-minded and
to try out new things that might lead to a spiritual breakthrough.
To foster physical growth I think the main
strategy for me will be working with others more. This could include workout
partners, structured group activities, and also hopefully using some of the
knowledge that I am learning in my degree plan with others. I find that I can
focus more on my own nutrition and workouts when I am helping others because my
focus is on that more than it would be just by myself. Fostering Mental growth
will require a strategy that incorporates time management. Time management is
something that seems to get more and more important the older I get, but also
more difficult. It is a lot easier to stay mentally focused and on task when
time is managed as best as possible. Spiritual growth will again take working
with others I think; perhaps trying out a few group meditation classes or yoga
classes. By using the knowledge and experience of others perhaps I can find an
outlet that works for me.
In the
next six months it should be very easy to assess my physical results. Not only
by losing a few pounds, but overall performance. This will be the easiest to
judge. Psychologically the results should reflect directly in my grades as well
as the quality of life in my home from day to day. Spiritually it will be hard
to tell, but if I at least try to develop spiritually then I would think that
alone would produce healthy results. I think a continued pursuit of my degree
in health and wellness and a long career helping others achieve their goals
will ensure the long term success of my own wellness.
No comments:
Post a Comment