Welcome Friends!

Hello again,
And I was just wondering what your new classes will be at Kaplan this next November term?
Mine will be: #HW499-01: Bachelors Capstone in Health and Wellness
with Professor Maryanne Oleksowicz and #NS430-02: Whole Foods Production.
Will anyone else be in these two classes with me as well? I hope so.
We just finished two great classes in health and nutrition.
Kudos,
JD

Welcome friends

Hello again fellow bikers and class mates from Kaplan University! My two classes are coming to an end, and a new adventure will begin again. Food Science with Lab with Nanna Cross is closing in one week and Nutritional Counseling with Tamara Hein is too. These were very interesting class and I would recommend them to anyone. The labs were kinda tedious to write and some of the foods did not turn out the way I had expected, and one of my meat thermometers melted, but, all in all, I did learn quite a bit. Did you know that if the label says hydrogenated on the label, like Crisco shortening, and it says it does not contain any trans fats, that it really does, it contains like .5 % of trans fat. That is one thing I learned. Can you believe that? I can't.
Did you know that you can learn an awful lot about diet just by going to the website ADA? That is the American Dietetic Association, there are a lot of cool videos to teach you stuff there. Check it out.
Well, I hope I get to stay in contact with my classmates from that class, we had some very interesting discussions on the discussion boards. On line learning is good for fitting schooling to your schedule, but bad for seeing and getting to know your classmates. Also, it is kinda hard to get a little boost to your self-confidence when you are not there in person from your professors. Never the less, it has its advantages. I can still work and go to school and have a family life, somewhat, when I am not studying with my head in a book or on a computer.

FATZ CAFE is so yummy in Pooler GA off 95- Ribs YES!

Hello friends,
As I was coming back to FL on a trip from my Aunt's 70Th birthday party in South Carolina, my husband and I were on Highway 95 in Georgia. We saw a new restaurant FATZ, and dropped in to visit the new restaurant in Pooler, Georgia near my old stomppin' grounds where I used to go to school. We tested the food and I just wanted to give a quick Restaurant Review for you.

The ribs at FATZ, my ultimate favorite, were incredible, tender, drop off the bone, with an awesome ole time hickory smokin' slap-you-in-the-face good taste! The chicken strips are really tasty, yummy to my tummy! The tri-colored lettuce house salad was scrumptious with a toss of real bacon crumbles on top.

If you are ever in that area of the South country, rolling along on highway 95, kinda near the line of Savannah, GA and Beaufort, SC. Wow, it was worth the stop. The manager, David, is really nice, friendly and accommodating as well. I asked for a special sampler taster platter not on the menu and he was very helpful and hospitable. Service with a Southern smile! I guess they say the South is very hospitable and they were right! Check it out.

The restaurant name again is FATZ Cafe, in Pooler, GA. The atmosphere is cool, casual and nice. The size of the restaurant is comparable to Chili's or Applebees and the inside is clean, neat and relaxed. Again the people, inside are very friendly and helpful.
If you want to put it into the GPS here is the address: 400 Pooler Parkway, zip 31311. Enjoy!

Unit 10 Creating Wellness-Mark Maule HW420 final class blog

Unit 10 Creating Wellness-Mark Maule HW420
In unit 3 on my personal assessment, I scored the 3 areas of personal assessment with the following scores on a scale of 1-10 and 10 being the best score:
Psychological: score of 8
Physical: score of 8
Spiritual: score of 5

Now in Unit 10 these scores have change somewhat, as improvement has been made and my new scores are as follows:
Psychological: score of 9, up one point from last assessment.
Physical: score of 9, up one point from last assessment.
Spiritual: score of 8, up 3 points from last assessment.

Psychological Area: One of the goals and one of the activities in the psychological area of my life will be I hope to research the brain more as it is very intriguing to me and this class has brought it to my attention from reviewing all the brain research studies about it. I agree with the Bible that what we think has a lot to do with our success in life and with other people and in our physical, mental and emotional balance. It states, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Just think how good the world would be if everyone thought about those things constantly, daily. Wow, what a wonderful world this would be! It is my goal; to try to do more of this kind of thinking daily to make others and mine lives better.
(The Bible. Philippians 4: 8)

I have implemented one of the activities I have chosen for my mental and emotional well-being in the psychological area of my life by posting a Blog site, exchanging ideas and thoughts with others, learning from their ideas and thoughts, and journaling weekly in that blog.
Another activity I have started with others in a social group is the study group I joined on Wednesdays, to pass ideas, share ideas, learn new ideas and discuss problem areas that need to change and resolve to find ways to improve.
Another psychological goal: I also plan to join a ladies group for fun, games, and social connections at my church on Saturday’s.

Physical Area: The goals & activities in the physical area of my life are ongoing. I have not met the goal of loosing enough weight yet.
One goal I have made and have started to meet is eating more fruit. For the last year my diet has gone down hill, that is, before this class started. Since, I have realized this is a major part of my physical balance, and nothing should interfere with the personal goal I have made. Even if all the people in my family do not agree, or practice good eating habits, I can make my own a priority. This class has made me realize I need to make my health and it’s balance a priority, regardless if others whom I care about do not do that. I hope to eventually influence them instead of heretofore, the opposite. I can be mentally strong, and imagine this strength in visualization, until it is totally realized.
I have implemented one exercise activity since unit 3, I have chosen for my well being in this area of my life. I have started the CD exercise program with Sean T. and begun working my new abs workout routine. I will soon add weight lifting to this activity as well.
Another diet goal is to replace one or two meals a day with health shakes to enhance weight loss in the near future.

Spiritual Area: Some of the goals in unit 3 for spiritual areas have been met, and are ongoing. I have started to read my Compass to life/Bible more, gaining some success in the spiritual area. The activities in the spiritual area of my life are improving, as I have not only started reading my spiritual guidebook/Bible more, but have started a new class and the booklet that goes with it is helpful towards my goals. Other goals/activities are I need to balance living life for my self and others. This class has brought up the fact that I need to take care of myself or I will not do a quality job taking care and helping others. I need to take that special time every day to get in a quiet place to foster my own integral growth, but, I need to think of others in that time as well and how I can input love, compassion, mercy, and grace into their lives as well. As the Bible, my compass for life, says, "Do unto others the way you would have them do unto you." I need to have it as a personal goal to love others like I love myself. I know this is much easier said than done, but it does not hurt to have a goal. I must first take time to balance myself in order to know how to be able to balance others.

I have implemented one activity goal set in the spiritual area of my life by being in a new “Celebrate Recovery” study group that I go to on Wednesday nights and it helps me and others overcome all their hurts, habits and hang-ups that keep them from progressing in life. We have just started that journey last week and daily do homework for the class.
Other goals and activities I will observe, investigate, customize and possibly use are the approaches discussed in the Dacher book: witnessing mind, calm-abiding, and sensorimotor awareness.

I have not implemented all the activities I have set as my new goals for myself in life, but am starting on that path and working towards the goals I have chosen for my well being in these different areas. I have implemented some of the activities. I am starting step-by-step and increasing the intensity, and frequency of the planned/steps laid out for myself. Inch by inch I will move forward to my desired goals, and hopefully never go stale or backwards, but always moving positively in the on position and forward direction.

My personal experience throughout this course has opened my mind to a new realm of study and research that I will continue to investigate to better the clients I too will work with and share with. I do not know for certain what field I will be working in as of yet, but this class has brought to my mind that staying balanced and knowing how to get that way is a very important priority and invaluable in my and others’ lives as well. I may be working in education with children and they need this information to start life out right with good life habits for mind-body-spirit aspects of their life.

Activities, mediation practices/techniques/studies I may study, examine, customize and possibly use are: Olympian mental fitness visualizations, Loving-Kindness, Silence and Stillness, Meeting Asclepius, the subtle mind, The Crime of the Century, The Rainbow Meditation, The Witnessing Mind, Calm-Abiding, Unity consciousness, Visualization, Mental training, Contemplative work outs, Universal Loving-kindness, Integral practices: nature, creative arts, and grace.

I have developed and improved my own well being from learning new techniques and ways to stay mentally, physically, and emotionally focused, balanced, calm, and peaceful.
The most rewarding part of the course has been realizing the many avenues of inner peace and being introduced to all the new research available to learn from in the recent past.
The most difficult part of this course has been finding meditation practices without Buddhist backgrounds, as these are not my ways and beliefs.

The experience of taking this course will improve my ability to assist others by the simple fact that I can now approach my future jobs in a more balanced, holistic, integral, flourishing way especially with regards to inner peace. I have some new tools, techniques, information to investigate to learn and hopefully stay balanced in all areas.

Interesting Brain Research Studies

1. List three research studies from our readings or other sources which you have found interesting. Briefly summarize the study and discuss why you consider the study important.

I am very intrigued with the brain. My first and favorite research studies in psychology heretofore are the neuroscientific studies of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), scientific exploration that examines the relationship between the mind and the body’s immune system. At the University of Rochester, around 1970, Dr Robert Ader, Professor of Psychosocial Medicine at the University of Rochester found a breakthrough, with an experiment involving rats, saccharine-sweetened water mixed with a nausea-producing drug Cytoxan. These rats learned to relate the drug water with the nausea it produced. When the drug was removed the rats still got nauseous. Now the drug was not the source of the nausea but now it was a mentally learned response. It was started by the taste of the sweet water. It is like association. This equals that, even though it did not for real. It was all in the mind. It was a learned response, a mentally learned response, triggered by taste. It was all in the rats’ mind. Then next they began dying of infectious disease. (Cytoxan is an anticancer drug designed to suppress the immune system. The rats mind had learned to reproduce the nausea, but they were capable of mentally altering their immune systems. This is something never before thought possible. For humans, it means our consciousness can self-regulate our immune system. This is astounding. Our mind can make a difference in how sick we are or are not. We need to think good healthy thots.

The study by Ader, just confirms what I thot all along that our minds are very powerful and when we make up our minds, it is going to come true, kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. So, we need to have faith that the best will happen and not the worst. We need to control our thoughts big time! Even manipulate them into thinking positive, staying light hearted and humorous.

Further, my second favorite study was in the 1970’s by Elmer and Alyce Green. They discovered that by using mental imagery, the mind could have an effect on many of the physiological functions of our body with the help of biofeedback machinery. We can also train our minds to voluntarily control our blood pressure, pulse, muscular tension, skin temperature, bowel motility and a lot more activities. They found even a mental image or a thought or an awareness itself can be translated into a physical experience. It would seem that yes the mind was speaking to the body. Our mind is powerful. We should use our mind to have a healthier, better life.

Yes, the autonomic nervous system controlling the automatic physical mechanisms of the body, and the central nervous system has something to do with moving our muscles in our body as well. Both of these systems depend on nerve connections between the brain and body. The brain action matters. We should use our brains to our advantage.

The third study, in the seventy’s Candace Pert, research professor at Georgetown University, discovered proteins/neuropeptides that circulate thru our body constantly, caring messages. This is one more communication system/a mobile one, made by the many cells in the body that act on other cells and our entire system. This is how the brain talks to the immune system, the heart, the kidneys, the glands, each cell and so on, creating a process of full interconnectedness of all systems. Then, Candace Pert found that (thoughts, feelings, visual images) our minds could produce specific detailed neuropeptides that can change our body-part functions/physiology to a specific mental state; a mental event can lead to a physical one. For example if we could control give out and change the negative emotional mindset, then we could do the reverse. Further, we could also then change our mindset from unhealthy and negative to one of health, happiness and wholeness. We must then focus on our inner life development. Mental activity affects depression, or the lack thereof. A nervous mind makes a nervous stomach and a clam mind makes a calm stomach. Dr. Pert even went so far to say that “The mind is the body, the body is the mind” (Dacher, 2006). The condition of our body is a reflection of the condition of our mind. Our thoughts, feelings, attitudes and internal images can change the body and functions and disposition. We need to use our minds to our advantage, and keep a positive success focused mentality to be in good health and balanced.

Peter Schnall, from University of California, Professor of Medicine, has research studies showing that unrelenting stress of negative emotions caused permanent changes in their baseline physiology and the structure of their bodies. (Dacher, 2006 p.18). So, if we have unrelenting, constant stress in our lives, we need to change something, even make a major change if we have to in order to stop damaging our brain and bodies. Get help, get counseling, and find a better way than constant stress. Constant stress can lead to cancer and Alzheimer’s, so don’t let this happen, change your life.

Source:
Dacher, Elliott S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

A plan to apply concepts learned holistic plan...

Final Project Unit 9
It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because of the need to have a balanced life in those three areas of their lives. The need to have a balanced flourishing healthy life to model and help other people along their road in life to find the same flourishing path is important. Practitioners need to be able to show others the way in the journey, guiding and showing them how we did it. One need is to display wisdom and knowledge. Professional practitioners need to acknowledge that a balanced life is a successful life, and it can work and is working for us very well with our health, emotions, and mental attitudes about life in balance, peace and harmony.

I wish to develop the psychological area in my life in more depth as my brain has a hard time getting rid of mental chatter. I will aspire to exercise my brain with mental training: Biofeedback, humor, brain books, music, creative visualizations, relaxation techniques, writing poetry, games e.g. chess, learning how to calm and still the mind, observe its activities, quiet them, focus on a focus point, and concentrate at will.

I hope to increase the physical area of my life by expanding to new areas of physical exploration for exercise, strength, flexibility, and an array and variety of recreational pursuits, since currently I only bike ride.

In the spiritual area of my life I yearn use prayer as a medicine, as I have not been doing enough evidenced by lack of internal peace and contentment. Prayer can bring improved health as a spiritual practice, reducing personal stress and increase my coping abilities. I will use prayer to meditate and contemplate on my relationship with the Divine Healer. I will offer gratitude for life and wellbeing and enhance informal conversation with God about dad-to-day matters, seeking guidance and counsel. I will increase my Bible reading to gain wisdom and direction as well.

II Assessment:
I personally need to increase my development in all three areas: psychological, spiritual, and physical as I am lacking and deficient in each area.
My personal self-assessment scoring will be from numbers one through five. The values/meaning of the scores will be as follows:

1. A score of one is: as close to humanly ‘perfect’/complete/ultimate success as much as humanly possible. Potential is reasonably high, vibrant and working well. Inner peace and balance is working with flourishing integral health present.
2. A score of two means: moving closer to goal of ’perfect’ strong, healthy, full of energy, forceful, working earnestly, vigorously, toward the ultimate goal of reaching a score of one of success, inner peace, and balance.
3. A score of three indicates mediocre progress of ordinary, moderate quality. The working/moving towards the goal, somewhat struggling with best way of making a faster headway, organizing, but head way/action is still happening, slowly progressing, and not stagnant.
4. A score of four means, motivation is barely there and almost gone, low twenty five percent of potential. Attitude not as positive as it needs to be, behavior is in need of improvement, not given up, but potential to give up looming. I am still slowing grasping and trying to move forward but it is hard.
5. A score of five is: motivation is almost not there, maybe one percent left, no flow of activity, give-up mode has set in with a defeated attitude, unsuccessful actions, in a rut of negative behavior, needing help/counseling/

intervention from a friend needed to come along to help and encourage me to come out of the rut in the area, and in need of overhaul and much improvement. Potential success seems out of reach. You have a total negative attitude present in this area of your life.
Since I need more in the psychological/mental/emotional state of my life I give myself a score of three in this area.
My assessed score for my physical domain is two.
A score for the spiritual area of my life is three.

III. Goal development:
It is my goal and hope to daily and progressively, strive to improve my self-development.
In the psychological area, my goals are to become familiar with many different meditation practices, make a list of them, review them, and make some new ones (not based on the religion of Buddha) but, based on Christianity and my core beliefs. Another psychological goal would be to investigate and visit a biofeedback clinic and see the machine first-hand with a demonstration.

An additional goal in this area is to daily change negative emotions to positive emotions with prayer being the main medicine to accomplish this goal. The goal of keeping a positive attitude and mental outlook in the replacement of a negative one as a new life practice forever.
I will use music as a mind and emotion practice to calm my spirit. Singing, playing my piano and writing new original music as poetry to vent my feelings and calm my mind will be used.
Developing a Humor Journal, tracking my favorite jokes and short funny stories to lift my spirits and share with others will help in this area as well.

In the physical area, the first goal is to start doing the new CD program I just received in the mail a few days ago. Getting started is the hardest thing and it is a goal to start within the next week.
A second goal in the physical realm would be to start doing arm curls with my dumbbells, and light squats with my empty bar. To start out slow and work up to higher weights is part of the longer-range goal.
Thirdly, in the physical area, I would like to add simple stretching exercises from my exercise book, and enlist my husband to do them with me as well.


In the Spiritual area, my first goal is to begin to pray more consistently and regularly with my husband at breakfast, then, after my husband leaves for work, read the Bible for fifteen minutes before I begin my school studies.
I would add to that, after the reading, I will add meditating on what I read, and on the goodness of God, his attributes, His compassion and loving-kindness to all mankind and me.
I will then choose to pray for at least one suffering individual that comes to my mind in the morning and throughout the day.

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.
In the Spiritual area, one strategy I will increase my mental focus on the spiritual foundations I believe, increase prayer and reflection time in the same way.
I will use positive and creative visualization to focus, breathing to relax, and my own compassion and loving-kindness meditations to go inward for health and healing. I will make up my own meditations to parallel my Christian beliefs. I will sing spiritual hymns in worship and meditation, and play the same songs on the piano as I reflect, meditate and visualize compassion and goodness. I will use this time to set my mind in a mode of deep compassion and a giving attitude.

In the physical arena, I need to focus on variety; stretching, arm strength, and abs strength training will be the new focus. I will begin to do Beach body’s CD workouts called: Hip-Hop ABS, Fat Burning Cardio, AB Sculpt, Total Body Burn, Secrets to Blat ABS, Last Minute ABS, and Hips, Buns, and Thighs and journal my activity, diet and routine times.

In the Psychological area, some examples I will investigate, tweak, and integrate are: Silence and Stillness, Skillful Action, Loving-Kindness, Renunciation, ‘Meeting Ascelpius’, Witnessing Consciousness, and Calm Abiding. I will look into and research and incorporate brain mental training methods and information form psycho numerology into my mental and emotional psychological learning and strategies.

Further, in the psychological area, I will purchase and read the book called the Power of Prayer, to investigate the healing power it can give.
I will investigate pets/animals in their use to psychological development as well.
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?

I will access my progress or lack of progress in the next six months by measuring the stress levels in my new job (or lack of a job). I will look at the date on the calendar marked “Life self-check” and access my progress then, ask my husband what his rating would be from one to five since we got married a year ago, (one being no stress and 5 being totally stressed).

I will use these strategies of leading my family and friends in spiritual meditations I have come up with and see if it helps them in handling relationships within their life stressors. I will determine if my family and I have moved closer to a loving, serving, calm, healing attitude in daily life more than we were six months previous. I will note if our family has come to love unconditionally, and openly in the last 6 months giving consistent hugs and saying, “I love You” before departing each other. I will ask my husband to access on a scale of one to five if these noted areas are closer to one or five. My husband and I will rate our family on attitudes and behaviors that promote peace, health, happiness and wholeness to/for others and we.
My husband and I will rate our family in a listening scale from one to five for a deep unconditional way to each other. We will access how close from one to five scale if compassion and charity are the gold thread running thru the middle of our family.

The strategies I plan to use in maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness are: develop a daily routine in the morning to build a foundation and keep building on it. I will strengthen the inner mind. I will stimulate brain functioning, exercise, prayer, Biofeedback, humor, brain books, music, creative visualizations, relaxation techniques, writing poetry, games, Sudoko, cross-word puzzles, witnessing mind, chess, learning how to do calm abiding, and still the mind, observe its activities, quiet them, focus on a focus point, and learn to concentrate in my inner mind at will, and use
Christian-centered and (not Buddha-centered) meditation practices. I will daily do something to train my brain. Not only will I daily work our muscles, I will work out my brain muscle as well, reading, writing, and contemplating.
Source:

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

The Five guiding principles of Dachers' Integral Map

J.DePalma-HW420-03-U-9The Five guiding principles of Dachers' integral Map, (166, 46, 37) which characterize integral health and distinguish it from all other current approaches to traditional health and healing.

The principles of Dachers' ‘Integral Map’ are: Holistic, evolutionary, intentional, person-centered, and dynamic.

1. Holistic: Recognizing the relationship between the parts that make up a human and these parts working together balanced, to make one balanced whole human being. The integrating and recognizing that all the parts of the humans needs, of the whole person as a complete system rather than one part or the other part of a person working separately. Considering the psychological, physical, social, emotional and spiritual parts all as one whole all working together in harmony and balance, not separate. Viewing the whole being as in holistic. All the parts considered as to its effect on the whole being. E.g. In considering heart disease in someone, what are all the aspects of ones life that caused the illness? It was not just physical, but mental, emotional and spiritual as well all aspects of each area was combined to cause the disease, not just one area caused it. It is a four-part issue, as is everything in our health. We must address all aspects of our life to heal and prevent sickness and disease and have radiant health and life.

2. Evolutionary: Human life moving thru a number of stages, a developmental process kind of like a developing embryo in a mom to a higher level of development. It is a sequence of events, advancing with increasing complexity, actively moving forward toward greater potential of personal growth in knowledge, wisdom and higher levels of capacity in mind, body, and spirit, even going beyond what we can imagine.

3. Intentional: Human growth, change and development characterized/done by conscious proactive design, knowingly, deliberately, with intention, determination, and purpose. It can relate to the capacity of the mind, (to refer to different kinds of objects, existing only as the object of some mental attitude rather than in reality). It can be planned, designed, purposed, calculated, willfully premeditated, or prearranged. Being intentional is a mental ability to choose to act, and to direct our life. The idea is not reactive, but proactive, not to let something happen but make it happen. Instead of just letting it unconsciously happen or letting someone else control it we choose to control our mental activity.

4. Person-centered: This idea focuses on the individual’s needs and uniqueness: sincere, honest, caring, and open listening by the practioner, talking with, expressing feelings, goals, desires, concerns, being understanding, sensitive to feelings, hopes, dreams, and needs. Considering all: personal style, age, disposition, life circumstance, background, capacities, level of development, approaches to life and perspectives and considering personal uniqueness as central to tailoring a unique approach to the healing process and specific needs. Person centered is the use of unconditional, positive regard, with no judgment, just acceptance for each individual’s uniqueness. There is no such thing as one size fits all in person-centered health and healing. The practitioner is considering how each aspect of the individual’s life contributes to suffering and can contribute to healing, and identify potential areas of future growth and development.

5. Dynamic: The effects of ones’ life forces on the path/motion of human life; people tending to change or to encourage change, a condition of changing in life stages, pertaining to or manifesting force in life’s circumstances, relating to energy or to objects or people in motion, tending to produce change and characterized by continuous change, activity or progress, marked by intensity and vigor. One’s life is like a note played as from a musical instrument, a sound, going out from the instrument, it changes the quietness with sound moving into the air.

Sources
Dacher, Elliott S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

Farlex. (2010). The Free Dictionary.http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dynamic

The Power of Prayer.

Not only is Creative Visualization a practice I use for human flourishing, but, my most favorite exercise for a sustained level of health, happiness and wholeness can only emerge through the power of Prayer. I meditate on God, I pray to Him, I thank Him for all His goodness He has supplied to me. I thank Him for letting me live, breath, and do. I think Him for my family and friends. I ask for His help for myself, needs, to limit suffering, assistance, and for my family and friends the same. He is there for me at all times and hears my prayer. I meditate on all His attributes. He wears many hats. I think about that. Prayer can lift spirits, calm my soul, give me a sense that it is all taken care of and I can stop stressing or worrying. I pray to God, I leave stress, hurt, sickness, confusion to God, He can handle any situation or emotion. Prayer is a comforting practice.

The Golden Rule Visualization Practice Exercise.

Directions for your Blog:
1. 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.

A christian form of loving-kindness and compassion practice starts with the mind. The mind can observe and let the crazy stresses of life take over, at which point one needs to realize it is regroup time, slow down, or stop time.
Visualize a different way. Practice a fun visualization exercise to get the mind off problems and current stressful encounter. One can pray and ask for help and wisdom, sing, or choose to laugh, listen to music, meditate on something good, like all the things God has given to all and done for everyone. The mind becomes more in tune with what is going on in the outer world.
Creative Visualization of a clam beautiful place or time, and meditation helps stop the craziness and helps one calm down. To practice this kind of self control can help one become in-tune with what signs of the body. The body could be showing signs of high-blood pressure, signs of diabetes, signs of stress, heart pain, or mental confusion; to realize and become aware of a better way to handle everyday struggles could save our lives. We cannot hear high-blood pressure, we cannot hear diabetes symptoms, but, we can hear our mouth getting louder or talking fast or talking angry, or crying or moaning and then we can stop and remember we have a choice. Knowing there is an alternative, like immediate deep-breathing to calm down our nerves can help us stay in control and focus on what is important again. Doing a 20-30 minute visualization exercise can remove the body for the moment and act as a good mind-body-emotion stabilizer.
Personally, making the Creator happy and pleased, by keeping a stable,peaceful in-control, calm, happy mind, with a positive spirit, being kind to myself and others is reaching a higher level of mental and spiritual fitness.
Our Creator said to Love your neighbor as you love yourself". So, we are to love both, our neighbor and love ourselves. If we all practiced that practice, this world would be a better place and our minds would be more at ease in peace and serenity. Love is what makes the world go around.
That is called the Golden Rule Practice Exercise.

On the bicycle trail today in Punta Gorda, Florida

Punta Gordas' down-town Lashley Park was beautiful today. It was a perfect 88 degrees in the warm sun sinking into my tanning skin as I rode through the park beside the water in the gulf of Mexico, otherwise known as Peace River. It was definitely a peaceful setting. Park benches by the water, palm trees swaying and lining the sidewalks, fish jumping, birds catching the little jumping minnows, dolphins surfacing, and the wind slightly blowing through my blond hair as I rode along the lapping water, taking in the wonderful salty breezes on my face. Children were playing in the background in the common water park, sprinklers flowing overhead on the brick pavers on looked by the watchful parents on the colorful cement bleacher-type resting places in the shade. The parents rested, watched and looked across to the boats in the harbor. I passed by on the outskirts by the water, taking it all in. What a great place to bring the kids, ride a bike and get cooled off.

Enhancing our own Personal growth...

How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?
Search for the answer. Then, I have some ideas...
There is a new science called psycho-nummerology that deals with the study of the brain.
Finding ways to enhance our brains ability to control our body, balance our emotions, and actions are what this type of study is based on.

Enhancing our brain, training our mind to do what we want it to do, to control our emotions and our health are goals we need to aspire to reach. Brain training is still in its infant stages. But, we can use practices and therapies in the meantime, while waiting for the perfect brain exercises to be discovered. We can search the web for the latest research. There is no right answer. You must do your own due diligence on this subject. There are many options that can really help. They are really quite easy. Look for them.

Learn how to balance your emotions, brain, body and soul.
I balance my psychological and spiritual growth in my life by exercising regularly to keep my emotions and body in check, and then by prayer, Bible reading, music, meditation on God and His creation, attributes, names and His character and further, by mental imagery on nice places like the beach or a walk in the woods, up a mountain and visualizing a source of water. Humor is a favorite way for me to make things lite when they are heavy, like imagining the opposite.

A few practices to get you going and check out for yourself are the following.
--Practice of Prayer
--Bible reading
--Music Therapy
--Humor Therapy
--Diaphragmatic Breathing
--Mental Visualization
--Brain games
--Physical exercise
--Nutrition education/enhancement for body balance and health
--Contemplative practices
--Meditation
--Yoga
--Stretching
--Replace negative with positive
--View beautiful pictures

The fields of the mind-body-soul are old and new in many ways, and wide open for searching for your perfect methods, practices, plans and programs. Do investigate this on your own to enhance your mental, emotional, and physical health. There are many angles, find your own unique angle or make it up to fit you. Come up with your own unique detailed daily program. You deserve to live a balanced life. Find the one/ones that are right for you. It really is quite quick and easy and very rewarding.

Obligations as a health professional...

As a health professional, we have an obligation to ourselves and to our clients to be progressively developing and maintaining our own health and wellness psychologically, physically, and spiritually. We need to be well-rounded, balanced, and healthy. We cannot describe the picture of health we would like for our clients to be, if we infact do not live by our own rules, standards and suggestions. If we try to explain why our clients/patients should do this or that for their health, and we don't do it ourself, our words are invalid. If our recommendations don't work for us, they won't work for them.
It is like telling our clients not to drink soda or smoke a cigarette, but, they see us doing that same behavior on our break at the picnic table behind the building. We loose all credibility if that is the case. It would be an outrageous thing to do. All respect would fly away, be lost and they would think we were a hypocrite of the highest degree with no integrity whatsoever.
As a health professional, if we cannot walk the walk we ask our clients and patients to walk, then we need to go back to school, major in another profession, and change our occupation. Just go do a non-health profession in which it does not matter if we were eating sugary-candy-bars, junky-no-nutrition-snacks, and drinking sugary-soda kinda-job all day -- going down a heart-attack-hill, high-colesterol clogging bogging-us-down quick-sand road, cancer-causing, imbalanced-hormone-neurochemical-transmitting-hang-gliding out-of-wack, gastrointestionally complicated track, with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus kind of imbalanced path that would not matter to our clients anyway. A path just like most people already choose. Why be different just join the crowd on the spiral downward sickness pit path.
No, no, no, a health professional needs to be different. A health professional needs to rise to the occasion, know where they are going, and where they should be headed, into the journey of the highest attainable health possible. Ever searching for better answers to life's quest for better health. In this journey, they travel far and wide, practicing and developing their own growth in all areas of psychological, physical and spiritual growth to effectively lead others the same way, telling the great success stories of vibrant health along the way to encourage and motivate and help others do the same. Health professionals need to live what they tell others to do, what is right and good for their health, what they know and will soon find out in their quest for better health journey.

Leading another...

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone" ...
Well, I suppose if you gave a map to your friend to the same place you were going, you could lead them to a place you have not gone, with a copy of that same map. The journey could be different for each of you, depending on where you stopped along the way. However, the destination would be much easier to describe in detail if you had been there in person yourself already. You could offer hints of where to stop along the way, things to do, and people to see to make the trip more interesting. But, each person is unique, and values different things, so we must all make the trip in our own way to the final destination.
To put this idea into professional practice, if I were going to help someone loose weight to improve their overall health and life, I would like them to know that I had been somewhere near where they were, so I could tell them about my journey and where I had been and how I had gotten to a better place. It would be more comforting and they could relate it to their coming desire to do the same and make it their own version. This would give them motivation and hope that if I accomplished this feat, so could they. It is doable.
An example, I used to wear my mothers clothes, size 12. I decided one day, I did not want to look like a size 12 when I should be a size 4 or 6. I was dressing into the next generation up, and did not belong in that generation of dressers. So, I started on a journey to loose the extra pounds I had picked up in the last couple of years. I went from a size 12 to a size 2, and had much difficulty finding clothes small enough to fit me in the ladies department of any store. Telling about this journey would be a good way to describe to another or lead another to where they wanted to be, by the example of the journey I had gone myself. To visualize this journey to another would help inspire and motivate and prove to them that I had been where they are and it is possible to leave that place and go to a better one, the way I did. A place where you will love and respect yourself, and feel oh so much better health wise in body and mind. Further, if I did go on that journey, they too could go there and be successful as well.

"Meeting Aseiepius" or "Meeting my God"

A short review of the "Meeting Asciepius" is as follows. I changed it to my version as "Meeting my God" Let the mind seem like a waterfall loud and raging, then with practice it seems like a running mountain stream, then like a lazy river or like calm abiding, then progresses to a slow flowing river, that reunites with the still deep stable ocean like unity consciousness. Aiming at inner freedom is one goal to seek.
In meeting Asciepius or our subtle mind, we visualize a very wise and loving man. God is the choice of my skillful teacher whom I respect and feel a special sense of connection to, because I know Him. He is stabilized in front of me, in my imagination, and I am trying to carefully observe Him. We are made in His image. He is my inner healer, not my subtle mind, but Him. I reflect on His qualities, characteristics, peace, wisdom, compassion, and His joy. His image and qualities are my focal point. The ocean waves are a nice calm sound. A strong beam of white light from his head to my mind as purified my thoughts and images, transforming my thoughts to be like His, so I can understand how He wants me to think and understand life. To serve others, and understand that love is the greatest of all.
Next, I can imagine and envision another beam of light coming from His throat to mine, and it makes my speech become wise like His speech. Finally, I see the final beam of light coming from the heart of this wise person, to mine, bathing and purifying my heart with kindness, love and compassion, transforming it into a heart of living-kindness and wisdom. Wow, this is just what I need, a new heart! I think I love this exercise. If I do this every day, I may get closer to this heart as I would like to do and maybe even keep this heart and spread and share it with others! This is my favorite contemplative meditative practice yet. I try to experience my purified heart and emulate Him. I do not want to become this person, for then my job would be too big and I would never get any sleep. Further, He is much better at His job than I. My brain is like a dot compared to His.
The entire image of this wise on is like a big bright light and it comes into me and make me wise like Him. It feels overwhelming. I love to feel the love of the inner healer, in mind, speech, and heart. This person is God and his son Jesus. I welcome them into my life. I hope He does make my inner heart to mirror His, full of love and compassion for myself and others. (Asciepius is not my God, nor ever will be, for I serve a true and living God who is real and alive today, His name is Jehovah or I Am). The natural essence of my heart and mind knows Him.
I have customized this practice to make it my own.
This practice helps to heal my body, mind, and spirit, to a calm mental stress-free state, and gives the gift of wholeness with a trained inner mind. God is my guide, healer, inner essence, and gift giver. I will continue to contemplate on Him for peace. To know Him is to know wisdom.

After silencing my mind and focusing my full attention on the four quadrants of the integral map, I began a personal mental inventory of the four aspects of my life. I realized there was a lot of work to do. I think this assessment is a tool of motivation for me and others to realize our current level of development lapses. It really makes you think about what you can improve in your life when you 'see 'the big picture of yourself. For me I will always need to improve the psychospiritual area. This
would probably be my main area of development that needs attention causing the balance to be uneven. Praying more often is a way I can develop this area more. Reading the Bible and meditating on it, and thanksgiving and compassion is another practice I can increase.
My second area needing more attention is the biological aspect of nutrition. I know what I need to do, but doing it is the hard part. Eating raw more often than not is the key for me. I can start adding a spinach salad a couple days a week and add raw spinach to the home-made quiche I make. I can seek spinach recipes on the web as well to motivate myself. Adding raw broccoli and carrots on the days I don't spinach is another option I can start to practice.

The "UNIVERSAL LOVING-KINDNESS",(p.93), in my opinion, unlike the authors', does not apply to intimate romantic relationships other than the one I am in with my own husband. I do not agree with this author-of-the-book, Integral Health, or his ideas about sharing my physical intimacy and even my emotional intimacy with all my relationships, strangers, and even my enemy's. This to me is not normal, it is not moral and it has no integrity whatsoever associated or connected with this kind of behavior.
Saying a 4-sentence chant over and over for 10 minutes, wishing no more suffering, health, happiness and wholeness on all people is a nice thot, but, does not really expand my mind or heart. I already have a big heart and expanded mind. This 4-sentence chant just reminds me of doing kind deeds for others who may be suffering, to help them be happier.
I have already read in the Good Book, the Bible, which happens to be the most popular book in the world, to love my neighbor as I love myself, which I try to do. Did you ever hear of the golden rule? It has been around for a long, long, time. I think repeating the golden rule for 10 minutes would be a better option, until it was in our heads real solid.

Birds, turtles, fish, water Lilly's and wind were the main attractions on the 18 mile bike trail today. What a serene way to settle my emotions, calm my mind and enjoy the great outdoors! I calm my mind by reeving it up first, then cooling it back down; somehow, that works great, not to mention the physical workout that is an added benefit to riding a mountain bike all those miles in the great outdoors!

Today on the bike trail, I saw 3 vultures teasing an alligator. Who wanted to eat who was still a mystery. I think they were both trying to manipulate the other to a point of figuring out how to get a good bite in, but it did not happen. One of the vultures was hopping up and down with wings spread, toward the gator, teasing "try to get me, I dare you" so the gator inched closer and closer, but, the vulture just kept backing up as he hopped, laughing I'm sure. The gator finally went back into the canal and gave up. They were both just as determined to get each other, but, both lost! Did those vultures really think the gator was just going to lay down and die so they could eat him? Ha!

I almost ran over two black snakes on the trail as well, one was half up and had its head up like it was going to strike, I just barely saw him at the last second and turned, barely missing running over his tail. Wow, that was close. If it truly was a black snake, it was not poisonous, no worries.

The subtle mind is all about breathing. In the subtle mind if you still the breath you still the mind. A peaceful breath is a peaceful mind. The first concentration is to use your breath as your focal point, although, I find it so hard to keep a focus on the breath. My mind runs all over the universe. I tried to settle into the natural ease of my body, returning my mind back to the breath or my anchor/focal point, when my mind or thoughts would wander, but it is hard to keep taming my busy mind. It is a process like the CD said, and it will be something I must get used to. Being patient and not so much reacting to everything. I am supposed to witness things without reacting to them. In our witnessing consciousness or healthy psychology, we can stop, see, understand, make choices about our thoughts and feelings and have clearer intentions (but no quick reactivity anymore).
We can see it/things/thoughts/feelings/images, whats in our head rolling around, our mental activity, but not grasp it, just see it. We can still our mind. Not hold on to the mental activity, just see it and let go of it and let it fade away and just witness it come and go. We can control the mental chatter, shut it down, turn it off and be in stillness again focusing on breath only.
This is how I understand the Subtle mind. It is really a control of my emotions not grabbing a thought, especially a disturbing thought, and running with it. I can see it, acknowledge that disturbing thought or image, and let it go. It is like I am in control. My thoughts do not control me anymore, I control them. I don't react.

If I were to compare the Loving-kindness(LK) practice, with the subtle mind exercise, I like the first one more. In the loving-kindness practice, it is enjoyable to think of a loved one, and open my heart to their thots. I do not like to think about the bad sensations, as it suggests, but, I try not to grasp at it, as the CD says. This will take me more time to learn for me. It is easier to give the good thots and images more attention. Letting a loved ones suffering come into my heart and body is hard for me. I would rather think it than breath it. I would rather think of help and joy for them than breath it in and out of my heart and body. This is a whole new concept, not easy or sure I can do this. Imagining a circle of strangers and taking in their suffering is hard. I can imagine someone I know better. I can do it if I imagine a flood, or landslide and get sad for the people on TV that this happened to. (I do cry when I see things like that on TV, does that count I wonder?)
Observing and not grasping. Loving myself, feeling a natural rest, ease, and openness is hard for me, but necessary according to the LK practice. I have thot of others more in my life and turning it to myself is harder for me.

Both practices do not allow grasping the thots, feelings and/or images of the mind, but, just observation. The natural home is awareness of and not the grasping of what we observe with our mind.

I take the mind-body connection to mean that we need to keep our mind stable, not upset or stressed, but under complete control. Our body and the way we treat it, needs to be controlled. If we don't control what we eat, we will end up weighing 400 pounds. If we do not eat healthy, we could get cancer or die of a heart attack, or high blood pressure could lead to a heart attack. Our exercise, diet, habits, all need to be balanced with our mind and emotions to have a flourishing life. I personally ride a bike many miles a day (26 today) to keep a mental and physical balance. I feel successful and productive after I have done my routine. This makes me feel balanced and keeps my body balanced.

The Loving kindness CD by Elliott Dacher, was new and yes, beneficial to a point. The waves crashing on the beach shore were nice soothing and inviting me to the beach.
Trying to think of stillness, peace, and loving-kindness in my heart, was calming. As the narrator said, welcome it and let it be. I loved thinking about my loved one. It brought me pleasure and happiness.
Some of the content seemed a little weird, and odd, like taking an inbreath of a loved ones suffering, and all I had to do is breath it into my heart, then breath out on out breath giving health and joy to the suffering one, (like that would really happen for real if we believe it). Taking in the suffering of strangers was kinda odd to. It was a new-worded experience I was not expecting.
Embracing enemies, taking in their suffering, and giving out health, happiness, and wholeness was a challenge for me as well.
The constant lapping of the waves on shore, were calming, the solo flute was curious and compelling. The peaceful sounds together and actually put me to sleep before the CD was over.

Greetings fellow exercise enthusiast bikers,
How many miles have you walked, run or ridden today? This is the question. These actiities will make you feel like WOW! You should try it, today, no, now. Get up. Go around in a circle, go somewhere, ride down to the next mailbox, look for a bird, turtle, dog, cat, zebra? Say hi to your neighbor, do something, go somewhere, make your blood run thru your body! Wash those veins out of toxins and tarter, and gunky junk! You will feel better! Do it for YOU!
Seriously, it is for you. Love yourself that much!
This morning I rode 15 miles. At the end of my route, I had to go around the block to kick it up to 15miles after my normal route. [(I wanted to end on a whole number not a half point. Crazy I know.) I am funny like that.] Anyway, it was an exhilerating ride. I had to beat the rain before it came in. It was a wonderfully relaxing, yet vigorous ride. I saw a lot of wildlife.

On my bike ride I saw a long-legged yellow-feet Snowy Egret. Continuing, I glanced left to catch a quick view of several white ibises with orange-red bills, face, and legs looking for insects to eat. I startled two adult and one baby Mallard hens swimming as I peddled by, then they were flying away from me. I saw a few duck-like American coots, so cute and sound funny. Zooming by at fifteen miles an hour, I caught a glimpse of a couple Muscovy ducks who with red on their faces, were rocking back and forth under a big oak tree; oh, are they so ugly. I saw a large red-headed Sandhill Crane. I interrupted several foraging Tri-colored Herons with blue, gray, and white colors, one seemed like it had very rare colors of gray black and white. Not today, but several days ago, I ran up on what I thought was a small funny looking snake, but, it in fact it was a long earthworm looking kinda lizard thing about a foot long that is actually called a Florida worm-Lizard. I have seen two of them in the last month, and they are kinda slimy, creepy looking. I did not know whither to stop and touch it or run, I mean ride faster away from it.
Peddling next to the water, I saw a good many turtles poking their head and nose out, some swirling and whirling under the water when I startled them going by. On the path between the grass, there were many lily pads in the water and beautiful whitish flowers on some of them. I love to see these lilies, they are magnificently brilliant and beautiful.
On the trail by the water, I saw about a three-foot alligator sunnin' himself on top of some roots in the water. But when I came back through on the way home, he was gone from that spot. A little apprehensive, I was waiting for him to come chasing me out of the bushes, weeds, or brush, and grab my foot, but, I got away without an attack, thank goodness. Leaving the trail just before crossing the road by the big wooden fence, I smelled a wonderful addictive smell, something like honeysuckle or gardenia. Wow! That should be put into a perfume or a candle! I love that smell, I just took a great big whiff of that yummy smell! Aahhh!
Off the trail and continuing on my ride today on the road around the block closer to home now, I saw a friendly, quiet, large, dark green, blackish, Gopher Tortoise, just sitting in the the edge of his burrow, minding his own business and avoiding the heat of the morning. On the next street, I went by some common Southwest Florida seagrapes or same as Buckwheat trees with rounded leaves. By the way, the fruit on a seagrape tree is edible, in its raw state, and it can be made into juice, jelly or wine. Try some next time you are in Florida, if you are brave.
I could spend a lot of time taking pictures of all this, if I only had a good working camera right about now, which I don't. On a students salary, it is not so easy. Wait, students don't work, they go to school. But, I will just have to resign to take all this beauty in for myself today, and enjoy each little new thing I see, and smell, tucking it into my memory.
It was a wonderful day for an early morning bike ride in Southwest Florida! Let the sun shine in and on! :)

Concerning my wellness Professor,
scale 1-10, I would rate my ...
A- Physical Well being: as an 8
B - Spiritual Well-being: rated at a 5
C - Psychological Well-being rate is 8 as I have not arrived mentally, nor ever will. No one is brilliant until they die and God gives them a new body, then they will be. I do read and study for hours everyday so I am exercising my brain and adding knowledge to it.

If I were going to say how I would improve in the above areas:
Diet for the physical, as I have some weight to loose to get back down to my size 4.
Spiritual improvement: I don't read my guidebook, that is, my Bible often enough which I can condsider doing more in the evening and possibly after I wake up with my coffee in the morning. Nor do I spend enough time praying daily. There is room for improvement in this area and I can start praying more when I awake and ask for blessings for my day and send up some grateful words to my Maker.
Psychological improvement could be made by I don't know. I read so much, I don't know how much more I could read in a day. I guess I could play some mind games, chess or cross-word puzzles possibly. I will look for something to do with my mind to improve it.

As far as the Relaxation MP3 "Crime of the Century" relaxation site you gave us to listen to online in Seminar, it was great. It did do its' job by relaxing me.
A quick review:
The nice relaxing male voice asked me to get into a comfortable sitting or laying position, and as it was playing nice slow guitar music I think, asked me to focus all my attention on my breathing, taking deep belly breaths, exhale, relax. think of a rainbow. The Rainbow meditation is was I think. We had to imagine our body had a beam coming to it and has 7 rays coming on different spots on our body, with different colors and light beams coming into our body, one at a time, as we took deep breaths, focused and saw the light beam coming and the color, and said a few words. For example: It was kinda like this:[ (You can do it again while you read this if you want to try it): imagine the voice in your head]
This calm male voice with calm music background saying...imagine a bright red box on your lower back area, see a beam of red coming to it, take a deep breath, focus on the red box, now say "I feel grounded", take a breath deep again, say it again. Now imagine an orange circle area just below your belly, see a bright orange light beam coming to you there say " I feel confident" breath deep again, repeat phrase. You should feel very relaxed right now like I did.
Now imagine an oval on upper stomach area with a bright yellow beam coming to you there and say "I feel centered" take another deep breath and say it again. Now imagine an emerald green circle on your upper chest above your heart, you see a bright emerald green beam coming to you now say "I choose to love, I have the ability to share love, I choose love" then take a slow deep breath and say it again. Now imagine on your throat area, an acqua blue colored circle, say I feel that I have a meaningful purpose in my life" breath, repeat phrase, you should feel very relaxed right now like I did. Eyes closed. Imagining still in your head. Now imagine a circle on your forehead and in front of you ther are all the colors that look like beams of ligt projecting out in fron of you, there is an indigo blue circle on your forehead, say " I feel balanced" deep breath, say it again. You should feel very relaxed right now like I did. Do you see all the colors coming to your head like a rainbow? Finally, the crown of your head, it has a big circular window on top and a beam of violet light is shining on that spot and coming out and you say "I feel very connected to the universe, my family, my friends, and all the beams join together to feel connected. My body is calm and relaxed" Lock this phrase into your memory! You are calm, energized, and your body is in a state of homeostasis or balance. you should feel very relaxed right now like I did and full of energy, and at peace with yourself and others. :)
we move to the crown of your head
we move to your throat

Hello today June 24, 2010. It is 91 degrees in SWFL @ 1:39:55. My bike ride to the mall (7miles) was great. I saved fuel riding my bicycle to pay my cell phone bill. Good ole sweat equity, I saved $$ yea! I worked out my muscles, I lost more pounds on my diet, I got vitamin D from the sun on my hair, arms, legs and face! I had a sense of accomplishment, and lost more weight! What a good deal I got today on my bike! But, the policeman in the mall did not like to see me riding my red bike in the mall, I told him I was leaving!! That was awesome!
I came back past my home and kept going to my daughters home to play with my 3 grandsons for a few minutes and read them a story book and eat a few scrambled eggs. Went home, ate watermellon and am writing now here, before I start reading text for class and get on discussion boards. I feel refreshed from my bike ride! I think I am addicted to bike riding! I love it! I love my bike. It is nice. (P.S. You have to have a real good bike to love bike riding.) A good bike is worth saving for!
Animals I passed today: a colorful orange diamond snake.
Happy Blogging!

I found an awesome song. It is a must hear. Check this out if you like calm piano music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X8U6am5iX4

Welcome to my blog again! June 24, 2010.
It is a beautiful day here in South West Florida! Blue sky, green grass, palm trees, no wind good day for a bike ride! It is only 87 degrees, good time to go take off on my bike. Let me go check the tires to see if they need any air, grab my phone, my frozen water in my water bottle, hat, gloves, and off I go! I must go while it is cool. Biking in 95 degree weather is not as fun. Good Day to you!
Do you know a good joke? (clean).

Hello fellow wellness creators,
The Journey on relaxation exercise site via Kaplan was very relaxing. The voice, the music, the suggestions to get comfortable and let the blood flow in all parts of my body and just think and say "relax" did hellp. The power of suggestion is real and it worked in this case.
This autogenic training technique is effective for its purpose.
Thinking about circulating your blood to your arms, feet, hands, head, heart, and all around is a new concept, but, if we can really make our blood circulate by thinking about it, that would be amazing. Just the suggestion of it makes us relax, calm our mind, and keep it focused on something other than worrisome thoughts.
After hearing the guys nice voice and calm background music for a few minutes I was ready to sleep. (I must be careful not to listen to something like this in the morning so I will want to get busy and do my work). This would be a good tape for the end of a very hectic day, say between 8-11 pm. I would recommend it to anyone who needs to relax.

Hello,
Welcome to the new blog of "On the bike trail with Julia"!

How many miles did you ride your bike yesterday?
I rode around about 10 I am guessing. (I forgot to set the odometer back to 0).
Today none so for, studying, and getting the truck repaired is the agenda so far.

What about you? What have you done on the trail yesterday or today so far? Any bike riding or walking? Any exercising at all? (House-cleaning counts). Let me know if you have moved a reasonable amount today yet?
One hour a day will keep the doctor away, hopefully!
Did you work enough today to sweat?
Exercise is preventative medicine!

What is your goal? Do you have a daily exercise goal?