Whats in your FOOD! Dirty Secrets

Follow the link below :)

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a126/

Whats in your FOOD! Dirty Secrets

Unit 10 Blog Completion

Unit 3 – Scores

-          Physical – 7

-          Spiritual – 7

-          Psychological – 7

Unit 9 – Scores

-         Physical– 8

-         Spiritual – 7

-         Psychological – 7.5

As you can see I have changed some, mostly physically and psychological. This and another class left little time for me outside of my main responsibilities to my family and work. I can say without a doubt that the concepts and methods in this course helped me grow and achieve some of my personal goals. I am still smoke free and am working out as I had stated in Unit 3 and I have also lost fourteen pounds of the twenty five pounds I gained while kicking the habit.  My spiritual and psychological health was relatively good when I first started and I have not made much of a change to those aspects in my life. I still intend to go to Worship Service and Sabbath School more often. Let’s hope that I can make more time after this term ends!

I met over half of my Unit 3 Goals as I lost more than half  of the weight I gained from quitting smoking and I am journalizing my stress, physical and nutrition habits daily. I feel quite confident in my integral health journey and I am sure that my “Happy Trails” are just beginning!

Final Project (In the famous lyrics of Barry Manilow) "Looks Like We Made It"

Part I

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?

     
As health and wellness professionals it will be important for us to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically in order for us to fully develop profound aspect of health and happiness (Dacher, 2006). As we develop our inner lives we have an opportunity to alleviate the suffering of others and heal their wounds (Dacher, 2006). We must fully examine each aspect of health or otherwise we neglect to fully treat each patient as a uniquely complex individual (Dacher, 2006). To do this, we must focus on each person’s distinct individualization and focus on their unique physiological, spiritual and mental needs (Dacher, 2006).  “Health and healing must address the needs of the individual rather than the approaches and perspectives of the practitioner” (Dacher, 2006). Patient’s lives and health are invariably diverse and cannot be made to be a one size fits all method; as such our integral healing needs will need to be individualized without any bias or prejudice (Dacher, 2006).

I must continue to develop all of the aspects of my wellness to achieve the goals I have put in place for myself. The main aspects I need to focus on are my physical and spiritual wellness goals as these are the areas I have found to be lacking in my life. I have recently found that journalizing is helping me make better dietary and physical fitness decisions. I started Weight Watchers as a way to keep track of what I am doing physically and nutritionally. In doing this it has shown me that I need to be held accountable for my actions and need to be more mindful of how I make choices when under stressful circumstances. This has helped me in tracking what I am doing throughout the day and how often I am exercising throughout the week. I have increased my cardio exercises to bring about better health since I started this class. I have lowered my blood pressure tremendously and have greater strength and leanness within my body also. This has been important to me as I have been working with my physician to bring about healing to my body naturally without the use of prescription drugs. I also need to focus more on my own spiritual healing so that I can make a stronger connection between my physical body and mind. I need to learn to slow down and breathe, meditate and pray. This is hard for me as my schedule seems to be harried and chaotic, which in turn becomes a cycle for more stress and disorder in my mind and body. Achieving calm through the subtle mind exercises has taught me the valuable lesson slowing down and enjoying life.

I am usually a very positive person and psychologically I am well adjusted. My home and family life can be a bit much as all of my children and grandchildren live with me. My daughter moved in three and a half years ago bringing with her a husband and two children. They will be moving out of my home in a month and I may need to readjust my goals at that time. I am hopeful that the change will bring a greater peace of mind and tranquility in my home, so that I can concentrate more in meditating as it will be a much calmer place to do so.

II.                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.

To promote my psychological growth and mental fitness, I plan to utilize the subtle mind exercises. Mental Fitness is crucial to whole health (Dacher, 2006). The benefits of developing our higher consciousness are pain control, reduction of blood pressure, lowered pulse rate and muscular tension reduction, all of which I believe to be important to my flourishing health (Dacher, 2006). I plan on utilizing Dachers book and the audio to assist me. When under stress or deadlines that are pressing on me psychologically and physically, I will use the exercise to help calm my inner and outer self, notice the thoughts and then set myself free towards greater health and mental wellness.

To promote my spiritual growth, I plan on utilizing the Loving-Kindness exercise and make it a part of my weekly, if not daily routine. I spend four to five days on the treadmill at the gym and I will use at least one day to incorporate a walking meditation technique. “The practice of walking meditation can also be fitted in to the gaps in our lives quite easily” (http://www.wildmind.org/, 2013).  This practice will enhance both my spiritual and physical health at the same time.

III.             Goal development: 

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

My physical goals are to continue to improve my strength training, cardiovascular exercises and increase my endurance. In the past sixteen days I have decreased my time to miles ratio, meaning I can now walk three miles in forty eight minutes. At one time I was barely able to walk at a pace of 3.0 miles per hour and was only able to complete one and a half miles due to fall I took last year which greatly injured my right hip and hamstring. It is important for me to remain agile and limber as I age gracefully into my golden years. I go to the gym between four and five times a week and workout for about an hour and fifteen minutes at each session. I want to continue this and also continue to be mindful of my diet. I am also grateful for the time spent in this class helping me to gain insight on the more important things in life.

My spiritual goals are to pray and seek peace of mind. I plan on going back to Sabbath classes and worship service. I want to change the fact that I have not been attending church as often as I would like and I would like to make that more of a priority.

My psychological goals are to increase the time I spend being mindful and be in the present moment.  I will need to meditate more often as I find that meditation calms my body, mind, and soul, thus helping ensure that I can be present at all times.

Final Project....(In the famous lyrics of Barry Manilow) "It looks like we made it"

Part II Continued

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.

My strategies to foster physical growth will be to dedicate at least five mornings to my physical fitness.   I have increased my strength and endurance in the past seven months and I plan to continue to increase my physical health by pushing myself to beat each of my personal benchmarks. I have been recording each one of my successes and this enables me to see how much I stronger I am every week and this give me great encouragement. I have also dedicated myself to eating at least fifty-one percent of my diet to raw foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Also I am also juicing and increasing my use of green leafy vegetables which also enhances my level of energy.

My strategy for spiritual health is to also take a portion of my morning to commune with God and nature.  In the quiet time before my children or the phone starts ringing is the best time to do my devotionals. I plan on using a women’s daily devotional that has a year’s supply of miraculous moments with God. This will help guide me on my spirit filled journey.

Lastly for my psychological journey I plan to use daily affirmations and positive quotes on my day board to help keep me focused on the beauty in my life. I will also practice relaxation and breathing exercises as I know this helps keep me relaxed and in balance.

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?

“When we start a fitness program or change our diet, we identify the changes we wish to make, set goals, affirm our intention and commit ourselves to this change” (Dacher, 2006). To assess my progress or lack of growth, I will look inward in regular contemplative practice to recognize if I am holding myself accountable. I will use my journaling and keep detailed progress notes on myself to see how well I have been developing.  I will commit myself to being conscious of my goals so that I will not forget the importance of reaching my full and flourishing potential.

I will begin by writing out a list of goals I want to accomplish. With each success in accomplishing my goals I will check mark it and also date it. Every three to four months I need to go back and verify that I have been maintaining my goals as we all know we can fall short and some objectives may have fallen to the wayside. It will be important for me to periodically go back to keep myself accountable with my progress and changes. I may decide that my goals have been met and have therefore have changed and need to be upgraded or adjusted. As we are all unique and ever changing, our lives will be in need of constant personalized self development goals and modifications throughout our integral health journey. We just need to be aware of this for our continued success.

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health-The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

http://www.wildmind.org/. (2013, March 28). Retrieved from http://www.wildmind.org/: http://www.wildmind.org/walking/overview

Last Years Pallet Garden in Standing Position

Last years Pallet Garden...

Attached by an L clamp  and zip ties (unseen and almost invisible) 

on my wrought iron pool fence. 

This is a side view of the pallet garden against the fence...

I love gardening and am so happy it is spring 

and the sun is shining once again :)

Watch My Garden Grow

Just completed this springs newest herbal (3 kinds of basil and chives)

 pallet garden....I love re-purposing :) I have to be patient 

and wait 3 weeks before I can stand it up

....it is so hard for me as I am not known for patience...

I should meditate on this :)

 

Ariana (my one and half year old granddaughter) helping me garden

A Natural Peace of Mind and Body

I believe that there will always be solutions to the problems we face; the key is in finding ways to solve our issues with a flourishing peace of mind along with a healthy body, naturally.  After much thought and consideration I believe that the Subtle Mind and Loving Kindness Exercises were most beneficial for my mental mindset and I feel that I can utilize these best in my personal life.

I have utilized a similar meditation to the Subtle Mind and its breathing exercise for many years and know that it works to calm me in times of negative stress and when I am emotionally off kilter. The Subtle Mind exercise helps me as I focus on breathing, I used this when my mom was dying and I would have extreme panic attacks while driving. I had to pull over to the side of the road and focus just on breathing which gave me peace as I cleared my mind from all negativity and irrational thoughts.

The Loving Kindness Exercise is simple for me as I am at my core a very intuitive person and have always felt great empathy for others, whether they be strangers, friends or family. I can easily place myself in others shoes and feel their load of sadness or deep grief. This has given me a sense of oneness with mankind. When I taught I had the ease and capability of connecting with my students very easily and it helped me greatly in my professional life when I also worked with high risk patients that we case managed. The ability to practice compassion and love just comes naturally to me and I believe this is a God given talent.

My plan is to continue using these particular practices and apply them as needed. The subtle mind is especially helpful when I have had an aggravating day and need to take a break from my mental brain chatter or negative thoughts. “We will be able to choose and apply the most appropriate integral practice toward our goal of needless suffering, enhancing recovery from disease, and promoting authentic well-being”(Dacher, 2006).  The ability to hone in on when I am having issues and when to apply the practices will definitely need to worked on as my brain has all sorts of extracurricular activities happening within as I am pretty hyperactive.  Right now I am working on this and feel that I have made great strides since the beginning of this course.  Being in the moment and paying attention will most definitely be my course of action and I believe I can make some great positive changes with these exercises.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health-The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Beauty Within

As usual I find the exercise calming to my body but my mind resists and does not allow a deeper connection with my wise mentor. It is not that I do not believe in my inner wise one, I just have a dilemma with choosing to become someone other than myself. I love myself, the issues I have overcome, the problems I have faced, conquering my past and its lessons (believe me I have been through some really tough and agonizing moments). In every attempt to become this wise one, I felt I did not love my own uniqueness and heart (God made each of us special) so I decided that the wise one would be God. That made my final attempt a little easier. However I still could not be made God and then had an even worse dilemma. In the end I made myself the wise loving healer with the help of my higher power (Jesus Christ) as he has always been in my heart (changing it for the greater good), even when I have not been following him as I should. My faith jumped out at me and convicted me (this was unusual as I have not been going to worship and Sabbath school for a bit). In the end I just decided to listen and allow my mind to be quiet, thus allowing intention and mindfulness (my subtle mind calmed me).   

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Marilyn Sclitz, 2005). This statement rings true and brings to mind the fact that we must walk in the ways we are being taught in integral health. Meaning we should walk the walk instead of just talking about it. If you cannot make those changes yourself you are not credible in the eyes of your clients, patients or yourself. That is why I quit smoking and decided to live my life in a manner I respect and now love wholly. My mind and body thanks me for being true and authentic.

Marilyn Sclitz, T. A. (2005). Consiousness & Healing - Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicien. St. Lousi: Elsevier.

Unit 6 Continued - My focus of growth and development

The areas I need to focus more on are biological and pyschospiritual. I know I need to focus on the weight I gained from quitting smoking and this will be a positive experience because I choose for it to be that way. My second area of focus is the psycho-spiritual aspect. I have a very hard time meditating and I need to learn to sit still and actually see what is motivating me.

My growth will be mindful and purposeful. I will meditate with the subtle mind as this exercise works well for me and I will also commit myself to walking 5 days a week  and incorporate more weights into my program. I will be more mindful of what I eat and create a food journal to use daily.

Unit 6

The exercise was calming to me and gave me a natural sense of serene openness. In allowing the suffering of others into myself, dissolving and breathing out health, happiness and wholeness I felt serenity. This exercise would have given me the peace I have sought when I had taken care of my parents in hospice or when I worked with dying patients and their families.

The loving kindness exercise is understandable for me. Love and compassion is easy to express to others whether they are family, friends or strangers. Place yourself in their shoes and feel their feelings. I once took an assessment as part of my career and development plan when I taught at Kaplan College called Strengths Quest.  My main strength out of five major strong points or character strengths was “Empathy”. “People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations” (http://www.strengthsquest.com, 2013). I believe this gives me the ability to practice love and compassion naturally, almost to the point that it hurts. Have you ever felt a stranger’s pain to a point that it made you cry? Well, that is me and this is the main reason why it is hard for me to work in certain departments in the hospital.

This exercise might have benefited me when I worked with high to moderate risk patients in Utilization Review and Case Management. Most of my patients were extremely ill and it always hurt my feelings and it was extremely disturbing to my heart. If I could have just observed and given them peace and gentleness flowing from my heart, it might have been calming to my mind and soul.

In assessing myself, I know I have issues relaxing my mind, but none whatsoever with regards to the loving kindness portion. I always want humankind’s suffering to end. That was the easy part, unfortunately I have an overactive brain and have been known to be a little ADHD. It is hard overcoming my brains inability to sit still. I choose however to believe that if I continue to practice I may have a glimmer of hope!

I must say the best experience in all of these exercises so far has been the subtle mind practice and its breathing exercise. I feel that if I can be successful in this exercise, I can incorporate this and be successful with the above exercise. It is important that I continue with all of these practices so I can catch a glimpse of these temporary states that Dacher speaks of and be able to apply health promotion and gain an understanding of all human possibilities (Dacher, 2006). “We will be able to choose and apply the most appropriate integral practice toward our goal of needless suffering, enhancing recovery from disease, and promoting authentic well-being” (Dacher, 2006). My progress will be in incremental steps towards the full peak experience; I will just continue to work at it and just believe.

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health-The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

http://www.strengthsquest.com. (2013, March 10). Retrieved from http://www.strengthsquest.com: http://www.strengthsquest.com/content/cms.aspx?space=SQ&ci=144437&title=Brief-Theme-Report

The Importance of Mental Fitness and Its Implications to Physical Wellness PowerPoint

LishaVecchiarell2 HW420 Section Unit5project by

My Subtle Mind Wants to Sleep

This practice reminded me of the nights I spend in bed when I cannot turn my brain off.  I usually end up doing breathing exercises that are exactly the same as this practice. My mind frees itself from the chatter and visuals, and then eventually within a short period of time I am sound asleep.  I almost fell asleep and had to stop the practice. I was extremely relaxed and peaceful.

Upon comparing the “Loving Kindness Exercise” to the “Subtle Mind Exercise” it is clear that the latter is easier for me to do as I am familiar with clearing my mind, however staying awake would prove to be an issue as I get way too languid and peaceful for this to be successful. I could be wrong and will try it again this evening after my brain has been awake for more than just one hour.

I can tell that my physical body was completely at rest and it seemed as if all physical pressure had been lifted, as if I was floating. This might be a good exercise for me to try after a stressful occurrence and could possibly help to lower blood pressure and pulse rate. I know when I am upset and stressed out my blood pressure spikes, so this could be the ticket for me to ensure spiritual and  physical wellness as I am definitely a Type A personality.

It has been about thirty minutes since I did the exercise and I still feel extremely relaxed, almost to the point of still wanting to take a nap. I am now questioning if the exercise worked too well and is this natural response. Let me know what you think! 

Pondering the Witnessing Mind

Did you know that "Silent" and "Listen" use exactly the same letters? Food for thought :)

Okra & Health Promotion

Wheat Grass Shots from my Juicer...

God gave me a healthy body and in gratitude, I take care Good of myself.

My Experience With The Loving Kindness Exercise

The Loving Kindness Exercise was much easier for me than the other meditative exercises. I enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing, the visualizations and the relaxed breathing. The only portion I had a hard time with was the suffering of a loved one, however hard it was I believe it helped heal me and my heart also. I have not had to think about the suffering of a loved one in some time and the only person that came to mind was my mom who I lost to breast cancer at the age of 51 years old. I stayed home and helped care for her during her last few months on this Earth, before and during hospice care. I brought my mother into my mind and arms as I could think of no one else regarding the portion “think about about a suffering loved one”.  I was able to experience this while resting comfortably and I let my heart heal from the wounds of losing her. I gave myself loving kindness and healing and am grateful. I breathed in the suffering of others, dissolved it within my heart and gave them back health, wellness, peace of mind and the happiness I felt inside my heart.

Mental Concept Workout

I believe this was beneficial to me and could be to others if they so choose to experience it. I am much more accustomed to working out my physical body than my mind, however this exercise truly opened my mind and opened a door that I thought had been closed and sealed shut. 

The idea of the “mental workout” happens through continued, mindful and thoughtful practice. We improve our mental competence, abilities and train the mind. With positive thinking and loving kindness we can change not only our minds but our physical health also.

The conscious mind along with our perceptions is an influential tool which we can utilize to impact and shape our personal experience.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes” ~ Mahatma Gandhi .

Daily Affirmation

I create positive habits in my life. Habit is a pattern of behavior that is an automatic response or action. This happens after doing a particular routine for a length of time until it becomes natural. I have had many habits in my lifetime. Today, I choose to create constructive and positive habits.

Getting Inspired...with daily affirmations!

I LOVE MYSELF-BODY, MIND, AND SOUL.

When you are at peace with yourself and love yourself, it is virtually impossible to be self-destructive.

The Relaxation Exercise

Well to be honest I had a hard time concentrating or allowing myself to relax for the exercise. My kids and grand kids were being loud and it is very hard to relax when everyone is home. I should have tried the exercise previous to the holiday since we would not have had a full house. I am going to try the exercise later on today or tomorrow while everyone is at the gym and I will let you all know how it goes.

Happy Trails!

This is my reflection and analysis with the purpose of rating my my own level of wellness in the areas of physical, psychological, and spiritual health. The following rating is based on a scale of 1 - 10 (ten being optimal well-being): 

I - Physical Well-being – 7:

  My physical well-being is decent as I have good habits when it comes to my diet and activity levels. I mostly eat organic fruits and vegetables when they are available and I am aware of the dirty dozen and the list of the 2012 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce and use this knowledge to help me decide on the best and cleanest produce to purchase (http://www.ewg.org, 2013). I also am currently on a gluten and casein free diet which is naturally helping me to deter my allergies during a season in which I usually end up having to have breathing treatments. I also workout three to five times a week for thirty to forty-five minutes and have lowered my blood pressure naturally due to this. However I have gained some weight from kicking the smoking habit and I really need to focus on shedding the pounds at this time.

II – Spiritual Well-being – 7:

Currently my spiritual well-being is lower than usual as I have not attended church in a while. However I do pray and believe in a higher power. I have grown up in church as my grandfather was a minister and also my husband is a director for a global ministry and we lead a life of spirituality with regards to doing good unto others and believe wholly in loving kindness and generosity to man. Recently since I started this class I have started having some alone time to meditate in the morning with prayer and have decided to have my morning talks with God again.

III. Psychological Well-being – 8:

Currently my psychological well-being is higher as I have incorporated more down time for my mind and spirit to achieve oneness which helps me relax and find ways to bring internal and external joy and happiness to my world around me.

The following are activities and exercises for my personal implementation so that I can be able to move towards my goals:

Physical Well-being  Incorporate more time for exercise class in my week.  I also need to focus on the weight I gained when I quit smoking.

Spiritual Well-being  It has been on my mind and I feel it is important for me to go back to my loving church family and attend Sabbath Worship Services and Classes.

Psychological Well-being  I would like to start posting daily affirmations along with reciting them during meditation as I believe this will help me focus on the positive. I have also decided to keep a journal to help my stress levels. “Writing about stressful events has long been known to cause improvements in health and psychological well-being” (http://www.apa.org, 2013).

I am a relatively happy, well adjusted person that tilts a little towards having a “Type A” personality. I have learned at forty five years old, well almost forty five as my birthday is in three days, not to stress about the really small stuff. But that is a relative term isn't it. What is small or large to me might be different for you as in this life it is all about our own personal perspective and it is very subjective.  In the end what makes me happy, healthy and wise may not float your boat. That is okay as we are all individuals on our own journeys in this life and I look forward to all the twists and turns. Good, bad or indifferent. It is what it is and I am willing to make my own personal changes for me, not for you. I wish you all well in your goals in finding your own personal health and wellness. Happy Trails!

Just Relax

Let me say this first, I am have been likened to whirlwind of activity and sitting down to relax is hard for me unless I am reading a good book or I am doing homework. My mind is usually racing a mile a minute and I am always thinking of what needs to be done and how to get it accomplished in a timely manner, so turning my brain off is very hard for me.

I listened to the soothing voice in our exercise activity, took off my shoes and lay on my bed. I had a very hard time focusing at first because both of my grand kids were home.  My oldest grandson, Stryder who is turning five years old next month is autistic and he yells and stomps about  quite a bit.

I closed my eyes again after a couple minutes and continued to breathe deeply and allowed the commentators soothing voice to help me focus on my blood flow from my core. My hands grew from cold to warm before it was mentioned as a side effect of generating blood flow to my limbs and hands. However my fingers remained ice cold. I am glad I felt the warmth before it was mentioned during the exercise and I could just say that this was just “Power of Suggestion” rather than an actual occurrence. I do not feel influenced by suggestion; however I feel I need to work on this a little more as I could not get my mind to fully turn off due the ruckus occurring outside of my bedroom door.

The exercise was very relaxing and I will continue to do this as often as my mind will allow for down time. 

Welcome Change and It Will Welcome You!

Welcome to my blog! Life is such a strange and wonderfully winding road with many twisting turns, forks and u turns. My life has not gone about as I expected it would, things change and I allow for that because I believe all things happen for a reason. Up a little over a year ago I was an Instructor at Kaplan College for four years and was laid off. I was attending Kaplan University's "Health & Wellness Program" earning my Bachelor of Science degree for free on an employee scholarship. Happily I was grandfathered into the program and am able to complete my education for free until I complete it this September 2013. 

This has been one of the happiest times I have experienced. I am able to go to school, watch my children grow into loving and capable adults along with watching my grand babies grow out of whining and diapers. This is not to say that life does not have its up and downs. It is all about perception. "Happiness is not the absence of problems; but the ability to deal with them."

My garden grows and abounds with love, family and this little one Ariana my grand daughter :)

Building another pallet garden this year!

I like to take stuff and recycle them into usable pieces...This was my first attempt last year.  

Happiness is a Journey…Not a Destination

When the world seems so out of focus and destined for chaos and discontentment at times, I am at peace because I believe there is a purpose in everything. In my home, in the cocoon that I have woven so tightly together, my family and I will leave behind memories, echoes of love, laughter and smiles that I want to last a lifetime for my children and their children to come.