HW 420 Final

1. 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?
One of the key issues today is knowing exactly how to look after yourself, and that does not
mean steering clear of all kinds of excesses that you know are bad for you. It means knowing the
many subtle and sophisticated ways in which the body works, which are largely ignored by
conventional medicine. This is where it’s important for health professionals to “practice what
they preach”. For example, if I was seeking a health and wellness professional to help in the
nutrition aspect of my life and I walked into their office only to see them eating fast food, I am
pretty sure I would walk out of their office and find a new health and wellness professional to
help me. “To become agents of more expansive health, we must begin with our own life”
(Dasher, 2006). Well-being occurs when the mind and body work in harmony, energy and
enthusiasm are abundant, the body functions efficiently, and the mind is alert. I feel that I am
strong in all three aspects of my life, of course there is always room to improve, but overall I feel
that I am a pretty balanced person.
Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually,
physically, and psychologically? After assessing my health in each domain on a scale from 1-10,
I “scored” physical 8, psychological 8, and spiritually 9. Physically, I feel that I take good care of
my body both inside and out. Physical activity is a major part of my life. I do my yoga practice in
the morning and this is how I start my day. Depending on what I have planned for the day, I
make a trip to the gym and I work different muscles on different days. I have days that I just do
aerobic exercise, and I have days that I just swim. My kids love exercise so we make sure in the

2. summer that we do different activities that boost physical health. For mental health, I enjoy
meditation. The state of meditation can be interpreted in various ways. It describes the condition
in which the mind focuses on a thought or image, to whatever enters the mind, a state of relaxed
awareness, or one in which the mind is empty. All involve withdrawing from external reality and
achieving deep relaxation and increased mental clarity. I enjoy meditation and practice it in my
daily life. I use mediation to relax and escape the world for a few moments in time. I take care of
my spiritual health by being involved with the church attend. I work in the Women’s Ministry
and the Children’s Ministry and practice my faith in each aspect of my life.
Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health)
and Spiritual. The goals I have for my physical health would be increasing my endurance and
strength. I feel that I am in pretty good shape, but I would like to be able to go for longer periods
of workout and increase my muscle strength. The goals I have for psychological health would be
to practice ways of identifying and eliminating stress in my daily life. The goals I have for
spiritual health would be to take more time each day to practice my faith and show others
through my actions.
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 fitness requires cardiovascular
endurance, muscular endurance, and strength and flexibility. How I implement this into my daily
life: I normally get 20 to 30 minutes aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times a week, this brings definite
health benefits. I work on cardiovascular endurance by vigorous aerobic exercise, such as

3. jogging, sustained for at least 12 minutes without taking a break. I work on muscular endurance
by repeated exercising of large muscle groups, normally I choose circuit training or swimming. I
work on muscle strength with rotating weights on different days of the week. I achieve
flexibility by stretching muscles, this keeps connective tissue from shortening and tighting and
prevents muscle pulls and tears, relieves pain, boost muscle tone, and helps to prevent injury.
This in important when actively exercising, you must release the muscles after working them.
For both mental and spiritual health I practice meditation, this can be interpreted in various ways.
It describes the condition in which the mind focuses on a thought or image, to whatever enters
the mind, a state of relaxed awareness, or one in which the mind is empty. All involve
withdrawing from external reality and achieving deep relaxation and increased mental clarity. I
practice this in my daily in my life. As stated above, I use mediation to relax and escape the
world for a few moments in time. Mediation has been shown to reduce the effects of stress and
this is why I practice it daily. Since practicing mediation, my stress levels are low and I am able
to cope with different situations. This gives me a chance daily to spend time with me. For
spiritual health, I spend time daily reading my devotionals and different scriptures.
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? I believe
over the next six months I will make progress towards the goals I have set. The main thing I will
need to do is to remember to take time daily for myself. This will enable me to help the people
around me better. Taking time for each physical, mental and spiritual health.

4. References
American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) - 1st Step Booklet - HealthWorldOnline.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://ahha.org/ahhastep.htm
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:
Basic Health Publications.
Seaward, B. L. (2009).
Managing stress: strategies for health and well-being (6th ed.). Jones and
Bartlett, MA: Sudbury