Unit 10 Blog Recap

After reviewing my Unit 3 Blog entry and my personal assessment of my psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being that I rated at a 7.5 on physical fitness, a 5 on psychological fitness and an 8 on spiritual fitness I have observed the following:  After taking this course I continue to rate myself the same in physical fitness and spiritual fitness however I have improved on psychological fitness and rerated I have myself at a 7 as I am still a work in progress.  The scores in my spiritual and physical aspects did not change as I have taken great care of myself in those areas.  My initial mental fitness was lower than I wanted at a 5 as I allow things to create disharmony and stress in my life.  Through this class and the practice of meditation I have improved this aspect by developing some inner peace and by rearranging my priorities.  I have made progress towards my goals as I have used the treadmill while completing my textbook readings for my three classes.  I feel much better for accomplishing that and spiritually I have decluttered my desk at work and some things in my home.  I will continue to work on that area.  Psychologically and spiritually, I am meditating daily in the morning and before bed and I have found myself experiencing joy when I least expect it!  I am also sleeping better at night.  I feel that I have not only implemented a strong program of health and wellness in my life but during the course I have seen proof of the program’s effectiveness.  The most difficult part of the class was learning to quiet my mind during the meditation however when it was explained that the noise I was hearing was actually because I was paying attention at the moment the sounds in my head.  They slowly subsided and I was actually able to have quiet periods in my mind that were extremely peaceful and joyful.  I believe this experience will help me to become a better nutritionist as I will be calmer which will improve my listening skills and I will be able to impart the information that physical health is not achieved only by eating correctly and exercising but also by integral health and the improvement of the psychological and spiritual aspects of life.

Holistic and Integral Health and Wellness

During this semester I have been privileged to have the opportunity to learn the concepts regarding holistic and integral health and how it relates to my personal life and professional life.  I have also learned how to grow spiritually, physically, and psychologically (Dacher, 2006).  This has been an ongoing process of trial and error as I have learned about the different aspects of meditation and mindfulness practices (Dacher, 2006).  Additionally, this process taught me the wellness concepts of mind body connectedness and how important human flourishing is to our enjoyment of life and our overall health and that of our patients (Dacher, 2006).  This process has also taught me that this is indeed an ongoing lifestyle that needs constant attention and nurturing and will be used as an example for others to emulate (Dacher, 2006).  I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and the following is a recap of the processes and a plan for my future ongoing development.

I Introduction:

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically in order to understand the methods and techniques that are available in holistic integral healing and then to further implement these into the care and nurturing of patients (Dacher, 2006).  The health and wellness professional also works to develop each aspect of life including the psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly aspects (Dacher, 2006).  They start by developing the outer most level, working to the inner level and finally developing the innermost level (Dacher, 2006).  The purpose of this ongoing development is to become a holistic integral healer (Dacher, 2006). 

A holistic integral healer is also a compassionate human being who has developed the skill of listening with empathy, asking non-threatening evocative questions and then working with the patient to involve them in their choices of treatment (Schlitz, M. & Amorok, T. 2005).  True health, all encompassing integral health, is a matter of making choices with positive intentions (Schlitz, M. & Amorok, T. 2005).

My own level of wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually are in need of work as you will read in the following assessment!

II Assessment:

I was doing well in the physical aspect of my health up until March of this past year when I started full time college along with full time work.  I would say I am currently at a level of 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.  I eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, eggs and dairy, nuts, flax seed and nutritional supplements.  The area I work on consciously is adding to the category of grains.  I am gluten intolerant so I cannot eat regular products like whole grain breads or pastas and I just got used to not including them in my diet.  I have made a conscious decision and have added whole grain rice products in the form of crackers, pastas and breads and this has worked well.  Additionally, I have added gluten free oatmeal to my morning meals.  When I started school I no longer had time to work out which I was doing five times per week.  I have decided a change was necessary as I have become winded when walking, weak when I lift certain items and I am not sleeping as soundly. 

I would like to say that the psychological and spiritual aspects of my health were as good as my physical health.  Spiritually, I spend time in the morning and my lunch hour listening to speakers that develop spiritual paths and principles in my life so I would rate my overall spiritual health as an 8.  However, as I age, I believe true peace and happiness come from spiritual principles and not from the trappings of possessions, as I did when I was younger.  I want to boost my spiritual health to 10 as that is how important I think it is in the scheme of life and overall integral health. 

I would say that the psychological and worldly aspects of my health have diminished to ratings of 5 as I have become somewhat of a hermit while I have been attending school.  I feel this especially as I am becoming shyer when I am around other people or in a crowd.  I am happiest when I have social interactions with others. 

III Goal development:

Physical Goals –

I have borrowed a treadmill from a friend and I now complete my numerous reading assignments while walking on the treadmill.  I have also set a goal to walk on the beach every Saturday morning.  This is not only a physical aspect of developing my health; it is also a psychospiritual aspect, as I feel free and close to my creator when I am walking beside the water.  I am also signing up for a course in tai chi which develops not only the physical body but also the mental and spiritual aspects of my health.

Specific – Gain physical exercise benefits by walking on a treadmill when I read coursework.

Measurable – Will be measured if all reading is done on the treadmill.

Attainable – The treadmill is my resource and it has been borrowed, delivered and set in place for use.

Realistic – This is a realistic goal as I have to read and I can walk and read at the same time.

Timely – This is a realistic time frame for walking as I would be sitting reading for the same period.

Psychological (mental health) Goals –

I will make a conscious effort to go out socially with friends by working a breakfast or lunch date or a nice walk with a friend into my schedule.  Additionally, interactions with other people are also important in developing and honing the necessary people skills that I will use on a daily basis as a health and wellness professional.

Specific – Making a weekly commitment to breakfast each Saturday with a friend after my morning beach walk.

Measurable – Will be measured weekly Saturday at 10 AM.

Attainable – The resources are in place as I have asked a few friends who will meet every Saturday at 10 AM at Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant.

Realistic – This is a realistic goal in my life as I will be taking this time to walk, and then eat with friends and then I will come home and study.  It is a good and reasonable way to start my day off from work.

Timely – This is a realistic time frame because it is before my other responsibilities start for the day.

Spiritual Goals -  

In the past I have dabbled at meditation and have never been good at it as I have a busy mind but this is where I am going to place my focus.  During this semester I have had an opportunity to change and grow using the meditative practices we have been taught.  I am committing to myself to spend 15 minutes per morning just being still and quiet meditating using the loving kindness practice to focus outwardly on treating others with loving actions and empathy.  I am also committing to myself to meditate in the evening before bed using a quieting technique or the human flourishing technique. 

Specific – Gaining meditative practice each day in the AM and then in the PM.

Measurable – Will be measured daily as they are completed.

Attainable – I have the resources for meditating in place, a comfortable chair that I sit straight in to promote proper breathing, a CD player and several meditation CD’s that promote loving kindness and human flourishing practices.

Realistic – This goal is realistic in my life because I rise early for spiritual work and I also complete spiritual work before bed so it is already a habit.

Timely – This is a realistic time frame as it encompasses 15 minutes scheduled in the AM before anything else occurs and 15 minutes scheduled in the evening before bed.

IV Practices for Personal Health:

The strategies I can foster to grow in the physical domain will be to add a weight lifting program to my schedule and I will arrange to return to Curves for a whole body work out.  I will also schedule a tai chi class for physical, mental and spiritual benefits.  Both of these strategies will require scheduling changes in my life.  I will develop the psychological domain by meeting with friends and socializing, going to a play once per month, completing self esteem exercises and volunteering to help others once per week teaching and using what I have learned about holistic integral health.  The strategy for spiritual growth has already been laid with mediation practices and a possible visit to a Shambhala for meditation training.  Additionally, my lunch hours are spent reading or listening to various CD’s on spiritual training or psychological training.

V Commitment:

I will assess my progress or lack of progress in the next six months by keeping a weekly journal of my goals for eating, exercising, and psychological and spiritual training and volunterring.  If I find I have been remiss in one area then I can make immediate plans to reintroduce them into my routine.  I will also include my friends and boyfriend in this process of accountability and use their encouragement and reminders to stay on track. 

The strategies that I will employ to assist me in maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness are routine, routine, routine.  I have found that the daily repetitive action that brings the desired physical, mental and spiritual changes into affect is the best reason to stick to a positive health plan.  The feelings of human flourishing are beyond describable as they provide a sense of happiness and health that come from somewhere deep inside.  This sense of health and wellness is a form of human flourishing that is not swayed by outside circumstances such as other people, places or material items.

The processes we have learned during this course have instilled in me the knowledge that this is indeed an ongoing lifestyle that needs constant attention and nurturing (Dacher, 2006).  I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and look forward to my future ongoing development and its use when working with future patients.

Dacher, E., (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health

Publications, Inc.

Schlitz, M. & Amorok, T. (2005). Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body

                Medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

Unit 8 Blog Entry

The Loving Kindness meditation is valuable in developing a loving attitude for others and can be used as a way to start your day focusing outside yourself and on how you can experience your day building loving relationships with the people you encounter.  I found the results of this meditation to be especially helpful in traffic while driving to and from the workplace.

The second meditation was the Subtle Mind practice and I found this especially useful to relax and quiet my brain.  I accepted that I have a busy mind and I am continuing to work on keeping a small amount of time each day focused only on my breathing.  This may sound strange but I believe this break has opened a door deep within me that is allowing happiness to spring forth that I always keep under wraps.  I have found myself giggling at times when before I would have been too busy to enjoy the moment.

The final practice of Visualization is my new favorite as it combines the whole self in the process.  The mind, body and spirit in the form of visualizing your happiest moment, your best health and your most connected moments in life.  When you concentrate on these, all at the same time, they become empowering and fill your being with a radiating health and happiness. 

In order to provide mental health fitness I believe these meditations need to be practiced consistently on a daily basis.  I will start each morning continuing with the loving kindness practice so that I continue to start my day presenting myself to the world in a loving fashion.  I will end each day with the visualization practice to provide my body, mind and soul with the healing affects of these wonderful memories and to help myself sleep better.  Although I am recommending these two practices as the main two I will be accomplishing on a daily basis, I will also add the Subtle Mind meditation at various times during the week to ensure growth in the witnessing mind, the calm abiding mind and the unity consciousness mind.

Visualization Meditation

Using the process of creative visualization you are able to experience human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).  Human flourishing is the ability to feel and be your most happy mentally, your most whole and connected spiritually, and experience your best health bodily (Dacher, 2006).  This can be experienced and developed by using the meditative process (Dacher, 2006).  The meditative process begins by becoming comfortable in a sitting position in a place where you cannot be disturbed and then begin relaxing and becoming peaceful (Dacher, 2006). 

Then the experience begins by developing a taste of happiness by thinking of a time when you were radiantly happy and dwell on this (Dacher, 2006).  Next focus on that situation and visualize what it looks like, how your body feels and on any sounds or smells that you remember (Dacher, 2006).  Next you focus deeper and remember the quality of your mind, did you have a sense of self feeling spacious, harmonious, and a connectedness in your spirit (Dacher, 2006)?  Once you have explored all these feelings and sensations then turn these feelings on even higher and concentrate on them and let them fill your entire body (Dacher, 2006).  During my experience in this process I thought of the days when I birthed my children as these were the very happiest times of my life.

The next step is developing a taste of wholeness by thinking of a time where your felt connected spiritually with everything around you and dwell on this (Dacher, 2006).  Next focus on that situation and visualize what it looks like, how your body feels and on any sounds or smells that you remember (Dacher, 2006).  Next you focus deeper and remember the quality of your mind, did you have a sense of self feeling spacious, harmonious, and a connectedness in your spirit (Dacher, 2006).  Once you have explored all these feelings and sensations then turn these feelings on even higher and concentrate on them and let them fill your entire body (Dacher, 2006).  During my experience I focused on the times when I was younger and I would drive my VW through the back roads in the woods, along lakes and streams all by myself for hours.  I would feel so high with connectedness and so close to God.

Next move on and remember a time when you felt extremely healthy and begin to dwell on this (Dacher, 2006).  Next focus on that situation and visualize what it looks like, how your body feels and on any sounds or smells that you remember (Dacher, 2006).  Next you focus deeper and remember the quality of your mind, did you have a sense of self feeling spacious, harmonious, and a connectedness in your spirit (Dacher, 2006).  Once you have explored all these feelings and sensations then turn these feelings on even higher and concentrate on them and let them fill your entire body (Dacher, 2006).

Finally let all three of these experiences fill your whole being and relish in them; this is what human flourishing feels like (Dacher, 2006).  Wow, this was an amazing feeling and experience and it was all done in my mind yet it produced great feelings throughout my entire being; physically, mentally and spiritually.  I can definitely see this practice helping future patients and I will continue this practice myself. 

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

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself”

 This is a very apt saying for someone studying to become a health and wellness professional.  I personally feel that you must practice what you preach in order to lead by example.  I also feel that I have an obligation to my clients to work on developing my health psychologically, physically, and spiritually. This is because I need to be as wholesome as possible to guide others towards the gift of integral health.  I am implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by eating well balanced meals, exercising consistently, meditating, praying and listening to spiritual readings.  I am also learning how to choose my thoughts and make them positive.  When you change your thoughts and attitudes you can change your feelings.

“Meeting Asciepus” Exercise

During this exercise I used Jesus as my spiritual example on which to focus my attention.  This was very strange for me as my vision of him has always been abstract, not a physical being.  After I got past that obstacle I really enjoyed the exercise and could feel great strength emanating from him to me via the head, the neck and the heart.  I have noticed an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness during these past weeks.  I have developed a vision of my spirit being a direct connection to God and my mind and body on the sidelines.  As I meditate I am keeping the spiritual side strong by staying closely connected to that strength and afterwards I observe how long it takes me to get back into the flesh and listen to my stomach or my feelings.  It has been an eye opening experience.

Unit 6 Blog Entry

The aspects of my life that are the most significant sources of distress are in the Psychospiritual development.  The greatest possibility for growth and development are also in this area along with developing my potential to interact socially in the community and in social activism.

Psychospiritual Lines of Development

Conative – My source and character of motivation is often fear and I can be reactive so I score a 2.

Cognitive – I also need to work on my behavioral patterns and develop positive thought patterns instead of worry so I a score of 2.

Emotional – I am reactive by becoming defensive and fearful and I would love to be more grown up, ha! A score of 2.

Interpersonal Lines of Development

Personal – I work on personal development daily and I give myself an 8.

Family – I try to stay in close contact with my family at all times again an 8.

Community – I am very bad at socialization with my community as I isolate so I give myself a 2.

Biological Lines of Development

Fitness – I am not a guru but I am consistent and committed so I score an 8.

Nutrition – This is my major field of study and I am focused on this area so I score a 9.

Self-regulation – I am very disciplined so I give myself a score of 9.

Worldly Lines of Development

Work – I score a 9 as I am very committed to my job and my relationships there.

Social Activism – I score myself at a 2 in this area as it is not an interest for me.

Generativity – I scored myself as an 8 in this area as I love to teach people what I have learned and watch them get excited to learn.

In order to develop my cognitive skills I will study a book I have that focuses on practices to restate life events in a positive way and to relive them using this new insight and it is supposed to foster better self beliefs. My conative work will be spiritual in nature as I am meditating I am already finding a peace and a sense of security that comes from feeling assured that everything is as it should be at this time.  As I continue to work on the loving kindness meditation I will also develop community skills by focusing on others.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By9y71O2vgnQOGRlMjdlZTAtZWEwMy00MTljLTk2M2YtNmMyZjk5NzdlMDAz&hl=en

Spiritual/Mental/Physical Fitness

The connection of spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness in my life has been an ongoing development.  This connection has grown, developed and waned throughout my life depending on where my focus lies at that period of time.  When I was young, Sunday school was very important to me and I placed a high priority on it.  I wanted very much to be the little girl in the picture praying with her hat and gloves and pretty little dress.  I would sing my little heart out during the song and worship time.  The mental and physical wellness was also fine, as a child, because I was a healthy youngster and very active.  During high school, I found some aspects of my life challenging and started having trouble coping with all that was going on around me.  I sought God, I sought nature and I also ate a lot.  These were my coping mechanisms.  Physically, I was still healthy although I could go two or three days without sleep if I was bothered by something.  My life has gone through times of physical wellness/illness, mental wellness/illness and spiritual wellness/illness in varying degrees.  I believe what we are learning on earth is how to have a healthy balance in all these areas of our lives and to find the ability to enjoy the gift of life and to help others as much as possible.

Unit 5 Blog Entry

In Unit 5 we practiced the subtle mind exercise.  The practice had us focus on our breath, whether breathing through our nose or on the rise and fall of our chest.  I found this meditation very soothing and a few times I felt the concept of the witnessing mind where I was almost outside of myself observing what was going on.  The times that I found my thoughts drifting it was very easy to refocus on the breath until my mind was calm and without thought.  In comparison with the loving kindness practice I found this more relaxing and in a strange way more spiritual even though I was not thinking of or speaking to God.  It was just a deep abiding inside of me.  The loving kindness practice was fun at the front end thinking of my loved one and sad at the end thinking of all the suffering people.  The loving kindness practice is practiced to reduce self-centeredness.

Unit Four Blog Entry - The Concept of the “Mental Workout”

The concept of the mental workout is the ability to practice a consistent, daily routine of mental exercises that develop the psychospiritual aspects of our health.  This mental workout can be implemented by developing an expanded consciousness and its healing capacities.  The two types of practices that expand consciousness that I am currently learning will be the loving kindness technique and the subtle mind technique.  (The loving kindness technique is described in my post titled loving kindness.)  The subtle mind technique is achieved first by calming our minds of the never ending chatter that goes through it and by slowly developing a still, calm mind.  Research has proven that the benefits of a mental workout provide psychospiritual flourishing by developing an open heart, a calm mind and a peaceful spirit.

Loving Kindness Technique Practice

This week’s exercise was to listen to a loving kindness practice and to participate in the experience.  At first we were instructed to mediate on a person that we felt strong loving feelings for and to concentrate on them and those feelings.  I found that after a time my face was aching terribly and I realized I was smiling so much from these concentrated feelings of love that my face hurt!  Next we were instructed to turn those same loving feelings inwards towards ourselves and I found this okay, but the experience was not comfortable.  I do believe that taking time to do this on a daily basis would be constructive and that this practice would become more comfortable each day.  Next, we were instructed to focus on a loved one that was suffering and to breathe in their suffering and breathe out loving kindness and healing toward that person.  That was very comfortable for me to do as I am basically a people pleaser.  The next step was to focus on a small group of people and then on a large group of people who are suffering and to breathe in their suffering and breathe out loving kindness towards them.  I found this more difficult.  The small group was comfortable and I could tolerate the ensuing feelings.  The large group was uncomfortable for me as I pictured a cross section of Floridians who I see suffering, i.e., street people, poor people, neglected children, people using substances who are in despair, etc. all standing in a large group in front of the Washington Monument!  (This is the visual that came to my mind!)  I then tried to breathe in their suffering and did to a degree but I found it overwhelming and when I felt overwhelmed I found myself feeling thoughts that were negative and critical as to why they were there in the first place.  I believe these critical thoughts were a form of self preservation to deflect the feelings of their suffering.  I breathed out as much loving kindness as I could muster.  This part of the exercise will take work and opened a window into my soul as to how I subconsciously judge people.  I did not enjoy seeing this negative behavior in myself as I like to think of myself as a sweet person.  I found this exercise to be beneficial as it has shown me a part of my character that I need to work on.  I also would like to start the day meditating on loving kindness so that I will continue to treat others as I would want to be treated and to be patient with people who may be slower than I am. I would also desire to be more understanding of others actions and believe that their actions are the best that they can do at that moment in time.  I would highly recommend this exercise to anyone who wants to expand their growth as a human being.

The Crime of the Century Relaxation Exercise

I thoroughly enjoyed the crime of the century relaxation exercise.  I enjoyed listening to the speaker's soothing voice and I enjoyed visualizing the colors of the rainbow.  I relaxed through the breathing techniques felt the tension leave my body and I also felt rested and energized when it was over.  I will definitely use this technique in the future.

Unit Three Blog Entry – Person Centered Health

Currently, in the field of health there is very little encouragement for an individual to share their personal levels of physical, psychological, or spiritual health with their practitioner.  An emerging field in health care is integral health which encompasses not only the biological aspect of health but also the psychospiritual, interpersonal and worldly aspects of an individual’s health care needs.  Each of these areas in an individual’s health effects the others for example, if you are stressed in your daily life this stress will produce chemicals in your brain that are dispersed throughout your body and affecting each cell.  Stress can also affect the amount of food you eat and the amount of exercise you choose to complete.  When you have too much going on in your life you are less likely to take the time to stop and smell the roses or to meditate or spend time focusing on all the things you have to be grateful for in this life.  Ignoring this psychospiritual aspect of your health also causes stress levels to increase and eventually your body will react by becoming diseased, for example you may develop high blood pressure.  Your ability to cope in your interpersonal relationships may also become compromised as stress can cause a person to react inappropriately with those around them and to snap their head off so to speak!  All of these things areas affect the world around you so I thought I would use myself as an example of how to evaluate behaviors and make positive choices to place your life back on track. 

True health, all encompassing integral health, is a matter of making choices with positive intentions.  My own level of wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually are in need of work!

I was doing well in the physical aspect of my health up until March of this past year when I started full time college along with full time work.  I would say I am currently at a level of 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.  I eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, eggs and dairy, nuts, flax seed and nutritional supplements.  The area I work on consciously is adding to the category of grains.  I am gluten intolerant so I cannot eat regular products like whole grain breads or pastas and I just got used to not including them in my diet.  I have made a conscious decision and have added whole grain rice products in the form of crackers, pastas and breads and this has worked well.  Additionally, I have added gluten free oatmeal to my morning meals.

When I started school I no longer had time to work out which I was doing five times per week.  I have decided a change was necessary as I have become winded when walking, weak when I lift certain items, I am not sleeping as soundly, etc.  I have borrowed a treadmill from a friend and I now complete my numerous reading assignments while walking on the treadmill.

I would like to say that the psychological and spiritual aspects of my health were as good as my physical health.  I would say my psychological health has diminished to a 5 as I have become somewhat of a hermit while I am attending school.  I feel this especially as I am becoming shyer when I am around other people or in a crowd.  I am happiest when I have social interactions with others.  I will make a conscious effort to go out socially with friends and work a lunch date or a nice walk with a friend into my schedule.  Spiritually, I spend time in the morning and my lunch hour listening to speakers that develop spiritual paths and principles in my life so I would rate my overall spiritual health as an 8.  However, as I age, I believe true peace and happiness come from spiritual principles and not from the trappings of possessions, as I did when I was younger, that we seem to collect while we are here living life.  I want to boost my spiritual health to 10 as that is how important I think it is in the scheme of life and overall integral health.  I also want to declutter my life of some of my possessions to promote a more peaceful feeling in my home and also to have less upkeep.  I mean really, possessions take work!  I have dabbled at meditation and have never been good at it as I have a busy mind but this is where I am going to place my focus during this project.  I am committing to myself to spend 15 minutes per day just being still and quiet and to focus outwardly on treating others with loving kindness.  I would like to get through the day being able to drive in traffic and not become upset!

Reflective Statement

A portion of my assignments for the second week in my class Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing, was to listen to and describe my experience in a reflective statement of a relaxation lesson called Journey On.  The audio lesson had a calming backdrop of soft music and the speaker had a soothing voice.  He asked us to loosen our clothing and remove any restrictive items such as a watch to further induce relaxation and to settle into a comfortable position and for a moment just feel the blood flow throughout our body. 

Of course being the Nutritionista, what fascinated me most was the narrator’s information that when we are at rest 80% of our blood flow in is the center of our body.  The center of our body contains the GI or gastrointestinal tract which fills our blood with nutrients from our food intake and is used to nourish and strengthen the rest of our body.  The other 20% of our blood flow is to our limbs or our arms and our legs when we are at rest.  The narrator brought us through the steps to feel the blood leave its concentration in the GI tract and to feel it fill our arms and fingers and thus promote a feeling of heaviness and relaxation.  My fingers felt like fat sausages, ha, and my arms felt very heavy.  My breathing slowed and I felt a sense of peace and comfort.  This exercise showed me how the power of visualization in our minds and concerted breathing can control our stress reactions in our bodies.

Welcome Statement

Welcome to my blog, Nutritionista-Nutrition for Life. I have never blogged before and would not have taken this upon myself except that it is an assignment from my instructor at Kaplan University where I am studying for a BS in Health and Wellness. This assignment is for a class called Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing. After attaining my BS at Kaplan I will further my education to include a Masters in Nutrition and eventually a PhD.  I cannot wait to become a nutritionist although I still have a long way to go!  Last semester one of my final projects was to design a supplement to cure or ease the symptoms caused by the disease of my choice using three vitamins and minerals and two herbs.  Additionally, we were to design a supplement label and I must admit the process was wonderful and I was actually giddy with excitement.  I know I have found the profession that I can become so lost in that I lose all track of time.

I feel a bit like I am participating in the movie, Julie and Julia, which was about a blogger cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking!  My blog will include cooking; however, it will focus mainly on the many aspects nutrition plays on the health and wellness of people in their mind, body and spirit. 

Welcome to my blog!!!