Final Project

           As a health and wellness professional it is important to make sure that you develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically.  We have to lead the way down the path for our clients to follow.  We need to experience it for ourselves to know what each step feels like, to know what we feel like when we reach the next level.  The area where I personally need the most work is developing physically.  I will finish with my degree in nutrition in May of 2013.  I think that my road to a career in nutrition will be much easier traveled if I reach a healthy weight before I graduate.  I am not too far off, so that is an attainable goal as long as I can stay focused on it.  I thoroughly enjoy all of the aspects of a health and wellness lifestyle I just have to make more time in my day for it.  I love to exercise and challenge my body, I enjoy meditation, prayer and quiet, and I love to read and learn new things.  I will keep working towards my goals, and set new ones as I accomplish these.

            I have assessed my health in each of the three domains of health and wellness.  My lowest score is my physical score, which I have given myself a 6 on the scale of 1-10.  Since my major is in nutrition, I will need to look the part so that people will easily be able to see that I can apply my skills to my own life.  I have dropped 20 pounds off of my frame, and if I can drop 20 more before May of next year I will be at a healthy BMI.  I am on the right track making healthy food choices and monitoring my portions.  I have also been spending time at the gym on both cardiovascular exercises and strength training.  Since the weather has turned warmer I have also been walking around the neighborhood more.  I would love to see my score at an 8 or 9 early next year. 

My spiritual score I have rated an 8.  I talk to God daily, to thank him for the wonderful life that he has given to me.  I have a strong belief systems and strong values which do not waiver.  I believe in the connectedness and the interdependence of all beings and that all things have energy. 

My psychological score would also rate an 8 on the 1-10 scale.  I ranked it this high because I am very comfortable with who I am and approach things with a ‘fearless” mentality.  I know myself, and how I typically react and respond to situations, and have been making changes and corrections to the way I handle certain instances.  I do however have much room for improvement.  I need to schedule more time in my day for yoga and meditation to escalate to the score of 9.

            I have set goals for myself in each of the three areas of health and wellness.  The goal that I have set for myself is to reach my goal weight by then, which is a realistic goal.  I have always carried extra weight in my lower body, and want to be fit so that I can lead others towards a healthy life.  Psychologically I have set a goal for myself to spend more time in meditation and visualization techniques, and to challenge myself to always keep learning something new.  Spiritually my goal is to spend more time in quiet peace.  To schedule more time for self-reflection and prayer.

            There are some growth-fostering strategies that I can use to improve myself in each of the three domains.  For physical growth, I will schedule time to make sure that I get enough cardiovascular exercise in during the week.  Another strategy that I can use for my physical growth is to track my eating in an online food diary.  I will implement these by using scheduling and tracking and will meet my goals making me a much stronger person.   For psychological growth I will use meditation.  To implement this I will schedule it in my day to make sure that I have allowed myself time to grow.  Another strategy that I will use for psychological growth is to continue my education even further.  This will ensure that I keep up with the latest information in the nutrition field, and help to stretch my mind up to the next level.  To implement this I will apply to a dietetic program and pursue becoming a Registered Dietitian.  To grow spiritually I will begin practicing yoga.  To implement this I will sign up for a beginning yoga class at the YMCA.  My second growth strategy is to spend more time in both prayer and silence.  This leads to a better feeling of connectedness and oneness.  To implement this I will start getting ready for bed 20 minutes earlier each night so that I have some time alone to spend with God.

            I will assess my progress after 6 months by re-evaluating myself and seeing where it is that I score.  For my physical assessment I will recalculate my BMI with my current weight at that time to see how far I have gotten and how much further I will still have to go.  To track my growth spiritually I can begin recording in a journal the nights that I spent time in prayer and monitor the increase.  To monitor my growth psychologically I will have my school grades to measure.  The more that you incorporate these practices into your life the easier it will be to maintain them.  It will become second nature, and it will be a regular routine.  Reaching goals that you set for yourself will also work to motivate you even higher to achieve more.  The higher the level that you yourself reach the more helpful you will be to others.