Blog 10

1.    Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas. How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

a.   Physical well-being:  8 – I still stand by this rating because I am still training and will always be trying to improve myself.

b.   Spiritual Well-being:  7 – I am still strong in spirit and always living life to the fullest

c.   Psychological well-being:  7 – on 21 February I attempted a 24 hour ruck march and had to withdraw after 7 hours due to injuries so I am battling with that in my head.  So this weekend I will do another ruck march for 12 hours to build back up so that I can do another 24 soon.

2.    Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

As long as I’m still training I am making progress.  There is always something out there that I am working toward involving the body, mind and spirit

3.    Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

I am always implementing something new to see if it works.  And if it does work I will maintain what works

4.    Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

 

The course has open other areas that I will pursue in attempt to gain more knowledge and experience in different exercises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Am I

And

Where am I going?

HW -420

Scott Fagan

 

 

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 important for any professionals to continue to grow and develop in all of aspects of their life.  It is more important for professionals that have to interact with people on a daily basis.  Health and wellness professionals have to continue to grow in order to be able to help their clients.  That must be up-to-date in their subject matters.  And Health wellness involves the total body, mind and soul.  The health and wellness professional must knowledgeable in the body and how it works physically.  They must know how the muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones work and what exercises are good for each part on the body.  They must know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises and the benefits and limitations of each.  They must know the difference between the cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory systems.  They must also need to understand human behavior and the hormonal balance in the human body.  And they must understand the human spirit and what drives a person to push their self above and beyond.  Humans are constantly changing and evolving so it is necessary to keep up-to-date

     I need to keep trying to improve in all areas.  I’m in great physical shape for my age and after all that I have put my body through over the years.  Psychologically, I am happy with myself and what I am doing and where I am going in my life.

II.    Assessment:

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

To start off with I always have room for improvement in all aspects of my life.  I will stop learning only after I’m dead. These areas will be rated on a scale of 1 to 10; 10 being the strongest.

Physically (08) - Physically I am constantly doing something.  I feel that I am like a shark; I have to keep moving or else I will die.  I try to go to the gym 6 days a week.  I do physical training (PT) on Mondays with my cadets.  The training varies weekly from aerobic to anaerobic exercise.  Fridays I do sports with my cadets also.  I will do a 3 mile Spartan Race and a  3 mile Warrior Dash also from time to time.  I also do GORUCK Challenges about every 2 months.  The GORUCKs are 10 hours long and you carry at 30 pound rucksack and assorted items for about 20 miles.

Psychologically (08) – I am pretty good here also. I have experienced many things in my life while serving in the military for 20 years and being involved in 5 known conflicts or some would call wars.  I’ve seen the worst and the best in people.  I’m thankful for my life and the people in my life.  I have been very fortunate.  Maybe because of the things I’ve seen and been through, I am at peace. I always know that it could be so much worse.

Spiritually (06) – I’m not a big spiritual person as it is concerned with religion.  I believe in good and evil and I always try to do my best and not at the expense of others.  I always try to look on the bright side of things.  There is good and bad in everything; it just depends on what you are looking for at that time.  

III.   Goal development:

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

My goal is always trying to improve at all things.  There is always room for improvement and knowledge to be found.

Physical – My goal is to keep training and keep competitive until the day I die. 

Psychological – I will always continue to learn and grow mentally.  My immediate goal is to complete my Health and Wellness degree.  Strong mind – Strong body

Spiritual – I will always keep an open mind and look at all things in a positive way.

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.

Physical – My strategy to foster growth in this area is to continue to challenge myself with Spartan Races, Warrior Dashes and GORUCK Challenges. 

Psychological – I will continue to study and expand my knowledge in things in life.  I will share my knowledge with my friends, family and anyone else who wishes to hear.  I always self motivate.

Spiritual – I think that I will find a good yoga instructor and really get back into it and look at better and stronger meditation. I also think that good meditation exercises will help in this area also.

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?

Physical - Every time I finish a Spartan Race Warrior Dash or a GOUCK Challenge, I earn a medallion or a patch signifying completion.  Of course every day that I can still workout is a sign of progress and movement forward physically.  I keep track of training and diet with Android apps Cardio Trainer and Noom on my phone

Psychological – Earning passing grades in my studies will be a sign of progress.  Playing strategy games or memory games can also help in this area.

Spiritual – When I find a good yoga place and start doing yoga and more meditation then that will be a sign of progress.  If I can get my wife to join be then that will be just that much better.  It is easier to do hobbies with a buddy.

Unit 8 BLOG

Unit 8 Blog

Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course. (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

I think that the two things I can use most are visualization and the meditation.

Both of these things can be down almost anywhere with no need for electrical support.  I think that is important especially with the fast paced world that I live in.  And I can do these anytime and anyplace.  I can even do them on a moments’ notice.  I don’t have to plan ahead.  I just take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me.  During my planning period at work I could just sit in my classroom and do either of these.  And when I have to travel with MY Raider Teams for competition, I could do either of these in between events. 

Unit 7

Complete the Meeting Aesclepius mp3 (located in the Doc Sharing area). Describe your meditative practices for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

When the exercise said to focus on a person, my Dad was right there.  Of course he is always there even though he died 2 years ago.  He has always been my guide.  While taking in the light, there did seem to be some sort of surge.  Not sure how to explain the surge but it was there and it was comforting.  Once again one it was over, I did seem more relaxed.  It is weird how a few moments of meditation, yoga, etc. will relax the body and mind.  That is when it seems like life is going to get hard I just relax and think happy thoughts.

 

Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477). How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

I’m a true believer that a person must lead by example.  How can a person teach what they do not know?  This is way a person must always be growing.  There is never enough knowledge.  A leader will always find new ways and explore new possibilities.

Unit 6

1.  Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93.

2.  Complete the Integral Assessment discussed in chapter 11 (p.115).

3.  Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

To be honest, it is very hard to do the exercise and assessment.  My life is so hectic right now with projects, exercises, work, family, etc.  I can sit and listen to a cd or recording much better.  I do know that my personal relationship is an issue in my life right now.  I’m torn as to what I should do.  I know what my mind tells me but I also know what my heart tells me.  It will take a little more time and some and some other issues to fall in place.  I am keeping the peace and not being brought down by negativity.  I have a job and a mission in life that I must maintain.

UNIT 5

1.    Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

Maybe it is because I do these exercises at night after a long day of work but I always go into a semi sleep state.  I still know what is going on around me but I am at rest in my mind.  I loved the sound of the waves and when I first heard the flute I thought I was hearing things.  I have done yoga before and it is amazing how a little meditation can make you feel like you have slept for a few hours.  The only frustration is that I wish that I would make more time to really get deep into the meditation.

2.    Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

Strong in mind, body and spirit is a goal.  I believe that when you are at peace with your inner self then all things are possible or more easily accepted.  Every person has their limitations.  Most people never want to face the fact that they have weaknesses.  If a person can accepted their weaknesses not as a dead end but more as a challenge to overcome or adapt then it promotes growth. These 3 things are like dominos. The body develops then the mind and finally the spirit.

Unit 4 Blog

Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?

 

I found it very relaxing.  I've done yoga before and just something about a person whose voice can relax you so much.  It is almost like a dream state and when you come out of it you feel like you have had good nap.  I also recommend things to people that has helped me.

 

 

What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

 

Mental workouts can help a person to be prepared for upcoming events.  We used to run through mission prep from just speaking to each other and it was amazing that you could picture everything in motion.  That is when you knew you had the mission in your head.  If you can think it then you can do it.  Where the mind goes the body shall follow.