Vitality is such a great word! It conjures up images of feeling alive, it can be described as feeling enlivened and energized, and leads to overall health and feeling of wellness. I think vitality can be experienced on both a physical as well as a psychological/emotional level. I believe another important component is appreciating what you have and being content with it, instead of always yearning for more, since I feel that is a setback to feelings of vitality. Also, the freshness of a new experience can help you feel vigor and liveliness.
When thinking of vitality, the first thing that comes to mind is my grandparents. They stayed active and sharp well into their seventies. What I remember about them is their zest for life and their enthusiasm. They were always smiling, chatty, and either active with taking care of their grandchildren or getting together with friends. They were always full of stories that I soaked up and they made my childhood special. I would definitely use their example to help define vitality!
In our last class we once again revisited the topic of play. As I sat in class listening to everyone’s comments, I had vivid memories of my childhood. My family had a weekend house at the foot hills of a mountain close to Belgrade. I would spend my summers playing with the neighboring children as well as going on walks with my grandparents. We were an active bunch of kids, hiking, playing soccer, hide and seek, and various other games to fill our summer days. When we were done, we would enjoy yummy snacks laid out by one of our grandmothers. There is one night especially that stands out in my mind, when all the children gathered for a feast at dusk and we stayed on the porch, much later than usual. It felt like a magical night and I can still bring back the tasty of the juicy watermelon, warm homemade donuts with homemade jam and other treats. Looking back on it, I think the full day of play and the specialness of the experience combined to bring feelings of vitality.
Kids are naturally playful, curious, and free and there are no rules. That is great way to approach life, but as adults we lose these feelings and become more constrained and guarded in our actions. I invite everyone to remember their favorite childhood memory and to rediscover the child within them I believe only then can we be closer to feeling full vitality!
Monday, 2 December 2013
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Happiness in Flow
I have been toying with the concept of flow over the course of the semester. It is definitely a concept that has resonated with me; maybe it’s because it’s because of my interest in psychology, but I was immediately drawn to it. Flow was developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihayli and describes “a mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity”. Therefore, one could say, the individual isn’t necessarily focused on the outcome of the activity, but the process of getting there and they are completely absorbed in what they are doing. “People are happiest when they are in a state of flow” – I couldn’t agree more. I feel that this can lead to joie de vivre!
Components that constitute the flow experience, as described by Csikszentmihayli are:
1. Intense and focused concentration on the present moment
2. Merging of action and awareness
3. Loss of reflective self consciousness
4. Sense of personal control or agency over situation or activity
5. Distortion of temporal experience
6. Experience of activity as intrinsically rewarding
Csikszentmihayli also describes that both the challenge level and skill level need to be high in order to achieve flow. On the other end of the spectrum, if challenge level and skill level are low, apathy and boredom can set in. Also, intrinsic motivation is what drives the flow activity. Studies have shown that intrinsic motivation leads to an increase in overall happiness of the individual. This is understandable, since an individual can feel in control and not doing something because they have to or to achieve extrinsic goals.
Flow can be applied to various situations, but originally it was observed in artistic expression. Watching various artists or performers you can tell that they are completely immersed in the moment and fully enjoying it. However, I feel that it can also be applied to professional situations. As the concept of flow was introduced in class, my first association was my colleagues at Woodstone Residence, a treatment facility for youth suffering from eating disorders. I have the privilege to work with such an amazing team! Everyone is so dedicated and goes over and beyond to make the biggest impact for our residents. There is such a cohesiveness among the team, but watching my colleagues, I feel that they are also individually in a state of flow – not doing things because of their job description, but because they genuinely care! I think flow in the workplace is important for employee satisfaction as well as optimal performance. I came across a tool based on Csikszentmihayli’s research, “Happiness at Work” that is used to asses for the presence of flow in the workplace.
Now, I am writing my final paper, and I catch myself getting excited about my topic, so I may be in a state of flow as well! When I finish with this state of flow, I would like to do more research on flow itself :)
Components that constitute the flow experience, as described by Csikszentmihayli are:
1. Intense and focused concentration on the present moment
2. Merging of action and awareness
3. Loss of reflective self consciousness
4. Sense of personal control or agency over situation or activity
5. Distortion of temporal experience
6. Experience of activity as intrinsically rewarding
Csikszentmihayli also describes that both the challenge level and skill level need to be high in order to achieve flow. On the other end of the spectrum, if challenge level and skill level are low, apathy and boredom can set in. Also, intrinsic motivation is what drives the flow activity. Studies have shown that intrinsic motivation leads to an increase in overall happiness of the individual. This is understandable, since an individual can feel in control and not doing something because they have to or to achieve extrinsic goals.
Flow can be applied to various situations, but originally it was observed in artistic expression. Watching various artists or performers you can tell that they are completely immersed in the moment and fully enjoying it. However, I feel that it can also be applied to professional situations. As the concept of flow was introduced in class, my first association was my colleagues at Woodstone Residence, a treatment facility for youth suffering from eating disorders. I have the privilege to work with such an amazing team! Everyone is so dedicated and goes over and beyond to make the biggest impact for our residents. There is such a cohesiveness among the team, but watching my colleagues, I feel that they are also individually in a state of flow – not doing things because of their job description, but because they genuinely care! I think flow in the workplace is important for employee satisfaction as well as optimal performance. I came across a tool based on Csikszentmihayli’s research, “Happiness at Work” that is used to asses for the presence of flow in the workplace.
Now, I am writing my final paper, and I catch myself getting excited about my topic, so I may be in a state of flow as well! When I finish with this state of flow, I would like to do more research on flow itself :)
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Integrating a Design Thinking Paradigm
The Design Thinking Paradigm is an interesting concept that Jacquie
introduced us to at the beginning of term and that we have recently
revisited. I was quite intrigued by this idea and it has got my creative
side going. As I was reading the "Introduction to Design Thinking", I
could not help but compare it to the the Logic Model for nutrition
education that I learned about during my undergrad. The model includes inputs, outputs, and outcomes and the particular steps in the model are 1) analyzing the needs and behaviors of the population
2) identifying relevant potential mediators 3) selecting theory,
philosophy, and components 4) stating educational objectives 5)
designing theory based strategies and activities and 6) designing
evaluations.
Even though the Design Thinking Paradigm can be applied to many different settings and disciplines and the logic model I mention is more narrow in application, I could not help but draw parallels between the two. I feel that #1 and #2 can be linked to EMPATHIZE, #3 and #4 can be related to DEFINE and IDEATE, #5 would be PROTOTYPE, and #6 would be TEST. The first step of empathize is a very important one since it's not only important to understand the needs of an individual or group but also to have empathy for who they are and what is important to them in order to design interventions that will be most effective for them.
As I worked on my final paper, I explored the ideas in the following article: Food and eating as social practice - understanding eating patterns as social phenomena and implications for public health. Even though this article can't be exactly molded into the Design Thinking Paradigm, I will attempt to follow the flow of the paper through this paradigm.
EMPATHIZE The article talks about the subject's needs through a review of some of the current literature and theories; however, I do not think that the authors truly empathize with the subjects well being or make and emotional connection with the reader. The paper was more scholarly and I felt it read a bit like a call to action. It talks about the importance of a sociological perspective to changing population patterns as being more successful than behavior based nutrition education approaches. Even though the obesity crisis has been linked to obesogenic environments and social trends, interventions so far have mainly focused on the behaviour of individuals.
DEFINE The article defines eating as a behavior versus eating as a social practice. The article then goes on to discuss Anthony Gidden's Structuration Theory and linking social structures with social interaction. Gidden addresses dualism in social theory, where there are two orientations for the explanation of social life - either the product of actor's voluntary action (agency) or as a product of structure (social processes) determining agency. Specifically, the authors look at family feeding practices and how feeding a family is central to family life.
IDEATE The article uses a theoretical framework to analyze a study about youth feeding practices at school and how different groups of students interact differently with the rules and resources of the school context (for example, the school lunch program and the students that participated in it, versus the habits of the students who could afford to go an buy lunch outside of the school). The article proposes application of more theoretical frameworks in public health to guide understanding of population eating patterns.
PROTOTYPE As mentioned, the article applies the theoretical framework to study feeding practices. The intent of the paper is to apply social theory to population healthy, specifically in the area of obesity; however, even though the paper recommends applying this frameworks to public health it does not go through the design of a specific intervention program, but merely provides the background and reasoning for it.
The article quotes Patricia Crotty writing that "the act of swallowing divides nutrition's "two cultures" the post-swallowing world of biology, physiology, biochemistry and pathology, and the pre-swallowing domain of behaviour, culture, society, and experience". I actually quite liked this quote, so the question remains how do we bring the two cultures together?
Without revealing too much of my paper, an idea that I would like to propose is the following. In order to help bring social interactions, education, and personal choice together, I think it would be beneficial to make an addition to the secondary school curriculum. All high schools have a foods or cooking class and I think this class should be made mandatory for all students in perhaps grades 9 or 10. I feel that reworking the curriculum for this class to include more than just cooking would be beneficial to the overall goal. Some of the additions I propose include introducing a nutrition and food origins component to the class as well as discussion of food industry and media influences. Other components could be taking care of a school garden and picking vegetables from the school garden for the recipes that will be made for class, as well as grocery shopping together for the needed ingredients. Stay tuned for more of my ideas and their reasoning :)
Even though the Design Thinking Paradigm can be applied to many different settings and disciplines and the logic model I mention is more narrow in application, I could not help but draw parallels between the two. I feel that #1 and #2 can be linked to EMPATHIZE, #3 and #4 can be related to DEFINE and IDEATE, #5 would be PROTOTYPE, and #6 would be TEST. The first step of empathize is a very important one since it's not only important to understand the needs of an individual or group but also to have empathy for who they are and what is important to them in order to design interventions that will be most effective for them.
As I worked on my final paper, I explored the ideas in the following article: Food and eating as social practice - understanding eating patterns as social phenomena and implications for public health. Even though this article can't be exactly molded into the Design Thinking Paradigm, I will attempt to follow the flow of the paper through this paradigm.
EMPATHIZE The article talks about the subject's needs through a review of some of the current literature and theories; however, I do not think that the authors truly empathize with the subjects well being or make and emotional connection with the reader. The paper was more scholarly and I felt it read a bit like a call to action. It talks about the importance of a sociological perspective to changing population patterns as being more successful than behavior based nutrition education approaches. Even though the obesity crisis has been linked to obesogenic environments and social trends, interventions so far have mainly focused on the behaviour of individuals.
DEFINE The article defines eating as a behavior versus eating as a social practice. The article then goes on to discuss Anthony Gidden's Structuration Theory and linking social structures with social interaction. Gidden addresses dualism in social theory, where there are two orientations for the explanation of social life - either the product of actor's voluntary action (agency) or as a product of structure (social processes) determining agency. Specifically, the authors look at family feeding practices and how feeding a family is central to family life.
IDEATE The article uses a theoretical framework to analyze a study about youth feeding practices at school and how different groups of students interact differently with the rules and resources of the school context (for example, the school lunch program and the students that participated in it, versus the habits of the students who could afford to go an buy lunch outside of the school). The article proposes application of more theoretical frameworks in public health to guide understanding of population eating patterns.
PROTOTYPE As mentioned, the article applies the theoretical framework to study feeding practices. The intent of the paper is to apply social theory to population healthy, specifically in the area of obesity; however, even though the paper recommends applying this frameworks to public health it does not go through the design of a specific intervention program, but merely provides the background and reasoning for it.
The article quotes Patricia Crotty writing that "the act of swallowing divides nutrition's "two cultures" the post-swallowing world of biology, physiology, biochemistry and pathology, and the pre-swallowing domain of behaviour, culture, society, and experience". I actually quite liked this quote, so the question remains how do we bring the two cultures together?
Without revealing too much of my paper, an idea that I would like to propose is the following. In order to help bring social interactions, education, and personal choice together, I think it would be beneficial to make an addition to the secondary school curriculum. All high schools have a foods or cooking class and I think this class should be made mandatory for all students in perhaps grades 9 or 10. I feel that reworking the curriculum for this class to include more than just cooking would be beneficial to the overall goal. Some of the additions I propose include introducing a nutrition and food origins component to the class as well as discussion of food industry and media influences. Other components could be taking care of a school garden and picking vegetables from the school garden for the recipes that will be made for class, as well as grocery shopping together for the needed ingredients. Stay tuned for more of my ideas and their reasoning :)
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
The Mane Event
This weekend our class attended the "Mane Event" to watch the "Trainer's Challenge" where three trainers had the task of training three unbroken colts during a series of clinics over a few days. As other classmates have commented, it was as if we were in a different world quite unknown to us; us "city-folk" had wandered into the equestrian world where even some of the language was unknown to us.
We observed the clinics on the second day where the trainers had already had a chance to meet the horses and to start forming a bond. It was quite interesting to watch since even though each trainer had a very different approach they were all working towards a similar goal and within a series of criteria set out for the final competition. I do think it's safe to say that each trainer was in a state of flow for that one hour as they were completely immersed in what they were doing. The first trainer had a soft approach where he did not push the horse too much; he offered the horse much reassurance through constant stroking and pausing between challenging moments to let the horse "regroup". The second trainer was quite different as he pushed and challenged the horse more and was able to accomplish more with the horse as well. It was quite interesting to see the trust this horse had in his trainer, since you could tell that fear was present (especially when the the blue tarp was present), but he persevered and followed his trainer with trust. The third trainer, I felt was more focused on describing to the audience exactly what the was doing and his full reasoning behind it, that I felt it took away from the actual horse training. To me, personally, it was a little distracting since I wasn't able to fully focus on the horse's reactions and motions. I have always admired horses, as beautiful, smart, and majestic creatures and marveled at their feats in shows such as Cavalia. However, this was a much different experience since I was able to glimpse the beginning of the journey and the pedagogical relationship that gets established between man and horse.
The trainers' approaches got me thinking to my relationships with my patients and clients. I advocate a "soft" patient-centered approach where I don't push or force them too much and listen to their needs; however, since the relationship and trust is there, I feel that I would be able to get them more out of their comfort zone and see bigger results if I demanded a bit more from some of them. As Hugh McLennan stated "There is a fine line between creating resistance and creating curiosity". In my instance, I wouldn't necessarily call it curiosity, but the drive to move forward that will help patients with motivation for behavior change. The non verbal communication of the horse and the interactional setting that we were asked to look at, is much like body language of a patient where you need to recognize the clues, in that what they are saying may not be what they are actually thinking or feeling based on their body language.
We observed the clinics on the second day where the trainers had already had a chance to meet the horses and to start forming a bond. It was quite interesting to watch since even though each trainer had a very different approach they were all working towards a similar goal and within a series of criteria set out for the final competition. I do think it's safe to say that each trainer was in a state of flow for that one hour as they were completely immersed in what they were doing. The first trainer had a soft approach where he did not push the horse too much; he offered the horse much reassurance through constant stroking and pausing between challenging moments to let the horse "regroup". The second trainer was quite different as he pushed and challenged the horse more and was able to accomplish more with the horse as well. It was quite interesting to see the trust this horse had in his trainer, since you could tell that fear was present (especially when the the blue tarp was present), but he persevered and followed his trainer with trust. The third trainer, I felt was more focused on describing to the audience exactly what the was doing and his full reasoning behind it, that I felt it took away from the actual horse training. To me, personally, it was a little distracting since I wasn't able to fully focus on the horse's reactions and motions. I have always admired horses, as beautiful, smart, and majestic creatures and marveled at their feats in shows such as Cavalia. However, this was a much different experience since I was able to glimpse the beginning of the journey and the pedagogical relationship that gets established between man and horse.
The trainers' approaches got me thinking to my relationships with my patients and clients. I advocate a "soft" patient-centered approach where I don't push or force them too much and listen to their needs; however, since the relationship and trust is there, I feel that I would be able to get them more out of their comfort zone and see bigger results if I demanded a bit more from some of them. As Hugh McLennan stated "There is a fine line between creating resistance and creating curiosity". In my instance, I wouldn't necessarily call it curiosity, but the drive to move forward that will help patients with motivation for behavior change. The non verbal communication of the horse and the interactional setting that we were asked to look at, is much like body language of a patient where you need to recognize the clues, in that what they are saying may not be what they are actually thinking or feeling based on their body language.
Monday, 28 October 2013
Housing and Hunger in BC Symposium
Hi everyone,
As a follow up to our Food Insecurity and Housing presentation last week, I would like to share the following symposium information with you. I received the email right around the time we were planning the presentation, so I found it quite fitting. The BC Non-Profit Housing Conference is a three day event, but I believe you can register for the symposium only and it may be of interest to some of you:
"Housing and Hunger in BC: A symposium linking lived experience, policy, research and programming
Nov 20, 2013
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond, BC
You’re invited to a special day-long symposium exploring the connection between social housing and food security on November 20, 2013 in Richmond, BC. Housing and Hunger in BC: A symposium linking lived experience, policy, research and programmingis presented by BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health and the Food Security in Social Housing Working Group. Our long-term goal is to facilitate systemic change by identifying housing policies, programs, infrastructure, and design that will improve and sustain food security for social housing tenants.
The Symposium is a special, stand-alone component of BCNPHA’s Annual Non-Profit Housing Conference (Nov 18-20). Symposium sessions will explore a broad range of topics, weaving together research, practice, and lived experience. Registration for the Symposium opens on August 15th.
Sponsorship for this initiative has been generously provided by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Metro Vancouver.
Save the date and share the invitation
Mark November 20, 2013 in your calendar and share this invitation with your colleagues and networks. Please post the Symposium on your organization’s event calendar.
http://conference.bcnpha.ca/
As a follow up to our Food Insecurity and Housing presentation last week, I would like to share the following symposium information with you. I received the email right around the time we were planning the presentation, so I found it quite fitting. The BC Non-Profit Housing Conference is a three day event, but I believe you can register for the symposium only and it may be of interest to some of you:
"Housing and Hunger in BC: A symposium linking lived experience, policy, research and programming
Nov 20, 2013
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond, BC
You’re invited to a special day-long symposium exploring the connection between social housing and food security on November 20, 2013 in Richmond, BC. Housing and Hunger in BC: A symposium linking lived experience, policy, research and programmingis presented by BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health and the Food Security in Social Housing Working Group. Our long-term goal is to facilitate systemic change by identifying housing policies, programs, infrastructure, and design that will improve and sustain food security for social housing tenants.
The Symposium is a special, stand-alone component of BCNPHA’s Annual Non-Profit Housing Conference (Nov 18-20). Symposium sessions will explore a broad range of topics, weaving together research, practice, and lived experience. Registration for the Symposium opens on August 15th.
Sponsorship for this initiative has been generously provided by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Metro Vancouver.
Save the date and share the invitation
Mark November 20, 2013 in your calendar and share this invitation with your colleagues and networks. Please post the Symposium on your organization’s event calendar.
http://conference.bcnpha.ca/
Friday, 18 October 2013
To balance or not to balance?
Good afternoon everyone, on this mysteriously foggy day!
There's something both peaceful and intriguing on days like this and it's got me reflecting on the past month and a half. Wow, what a whirlwind it has been; I can't believe we're well into October!
In class, we've had extensive discussions on what health and wellness means to us. I find that the describing word I always come back to is balance; it's my golden rule for everything! But what exactly is balance and how can one measure it? Everyone has their own interpretation and just like Daniel Stern states that everyone has a "vitality signature", I would like to propose that everyone has a "wellness signature" and "balance signature" as well. Let me elaborate.
To me, balance is finding the time, after busy work and school schedules, to be able to spend time with my loved ones, have some fun with friends and also find some time for myself. In this flurry of activities, I also want to make sure that I eat properly, exercise, and have just a little bit of time to "do nothing" :) I need that alone time to best recharge and I find that if I am constantly on the go, I tend to get cranky. Therefore, I need to have time for all of these activities, but how much is enough? I can't exactly explain it, it's just something that I feel internally.
On the other hand, another person's idea of balance may be completely different. I have definitely come across individuals who function best when they are at extreme end of the spectrum and to them this is "balance", almost and all or nothing approach.
Back to me... I appears that I may have piled things a little too high for myself lately. In addition to going back to school, working two jobs and my weekly commute to Galiano Island, I also moved in September. Therefore, my back to school month was coupled with unpacking and lots of organizing (still haven't really gotten around to decorating), as well as establishing a daily routine with my wonderful boyfriend
As I sat drinking my tea this morning and looking out into the fog, I finally felt a sense of serenity and that I am close to being "balanced out" again!
There's something both peaceful and intriguing on days like this and it's got me reflecting on the past month and a half. Wow, what a whirlwind it has been; I can't believe we're well into October!
In class, we've had extensive discussions on what health and wellness means to us. I find that the describing word I always come back to is balance; it's my golden rule for everything! But what exactly is balance and how can one measure it? Everyone has their own interpretation and just like Daniel Stern states that everyone has a "vitality signature", I would like to propose that everyone has a "wellness signature" and "balance signature" as well. Let me elaborate.
To me, balance is finding the time, after busy work and school schedules, to be able to spend time with my loved ones, have some fun with friends and also find some time for myself. In this flurry of activities, I also want to make sure that I eat properly, exercise, and have just a little bit of time to "do nothing" :) I need that alone time to best recharge and I find that if I am constantly on the go, I tend to get cranky. Therefore, I need to have time for all of these activities, but how much is enough? I can't exactly explain it, it's just something that I feel internally.
On the other hand, another person's idea of balance may be completely different. I have definitely come across individuals who function best when they are at extreme end of the spectrum and to them this is "balance", almost and all or nothing approach.
Back to me... I appears that I may have piled things a little too high for myself lately. In addition to going back to school, working two jobs and my weekly commute to Galiano Island, I also moved in September. Therefore, my back to school month was coupled with unpacking and lots of organizing (still haven't really gotten around to decorating), as well as establishing a daily routine with my wonderful boyfriend
As I sat drinking my tea this morning and looking out into the fog, I finally felt a sense of serenity and that I am close to being "balanced out" again!
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
New beginnings
My name is Jovana and I am a Registered Dietitian living
in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. I am excited to be embarking on a new
chapter in life as I start my Masters of Education in the Health Education and
Active Living (HEAL) cohort. I will use this blog to document my experiences and reflections
as I journey through the program. Also, since I am a big foodie you can expect
my musings on nutrition and yummy treats :)
A little bit about me
I was born in Belgrade, Serbia, a beautiful city ripe with history, culture, and architecture. Since the age of eight, I have been proud to call Vancouver my home, but my Serbian heritage plays a big part in who I am. I have fond memories of family gatherings in which home cooking had an integral role and I enjoy keeping our traditions alive. I have had the fortune of spending my childhood summers with family in the countryside where they had a farm with a variety of crops as well as different animals, so I was able to appreciate our connection to food from an early age. I enjoy traveling, making scrapbooks, walking by the seawall, yoga, cooking and baking, and spending time with friends and family. Professionally, I have been practicing as a dietitian for three years. I enjoy educating others about the benefits of healthy eating and helping them improve their quality of life. I especially enjoy “seeing the lightbulb go on” when I am talking to clients. It’s very rewarding to be able to make a difference in someone’s life, however small it may be, even if it’s motivating them to make one small change that may impact much more than they think at first.
I was born in Belgrade, Serbia, a beautiful city ripe with history, culture, and architecture. Since the age of eight, I have been proud to call Vancouver my home, but my Serbian heritage plays a big part in who I am. I have fond memories of family gatherings in which home cooking had an integral role and I enjoy keeping our traditions alive. I have had the fortune of spending my childhood summers with family in the countryside where they had a farm with a variety of crops as well as different animals, so I was able to appreciate our connection to food from an early age. I enjoy traveling, making scrapbooks, walking by the seawall, yoga, cooking and baking, and spending time with friends and family. Professionally, I have been practicing as a dietitian for three years. I enjoy educating others about the benefits of healthy eating and helping them improve their quality of life. I especially enjoy “seeing the lightbulb go on” when I am talking to clients. It’s very rewarding to be able to make a difference in someone’s life, however small it may be, even if it’s motivating them to make one small change that may impact much more than they think at first.
The mind/body relationship
As literature has shown us, there is a strong connection between the mind and the body. I have always believed the mind to be very powerful and have been fascinated by the field of psychology. I think we as individuals need to learn to be more in tune with our internal signals, since only when both our mind and our body are taken care of will we achieve optimal health.Mindfulness is something I advocate in all areas of life and I believe with it comes a great deal of self-reflection. I enjoy practicing yoga and enjoy the calmness it brings me as well as appreciation for the strength my body can exhibit. I would like to explore this connection further and will be focusing some of my entries on this.
Why HEAL? Expectations & Contributions
My motivation for entering dietetics has always been health promotion
and disease prevention.
I believe that education is one of the cornerstones for behavior change,
since it is difficult to motivate people to change if they do not understand
the issue at hand or the reasoning behind it. I knew I wanted to pursue
graduate studies, and the HEAL program seemed like the perfect fit for me to
further my skills and knowledge. I am passionate about health and active living
and I look forward to learning and developing into the best educator I can be.
I educate my clients on a daily basis; however, I would like to be able to
reach people on a larger scale through the development and dissemination of
nutrition education programs.
I find the acronym for our program quite powerful since there are many
ways one can heal (just like we discussed the many ways one can define health);
hence the play on words in my blog title (I apologize for the corniness :)).
I look forward to getting to know my fellow cohort members and
professors and I know we will have a great time learning from each others
diverse experiences and perspectives! I
hope to contribute my experiences from my healthcare background and training,
as well as my positive attitude and zest for enjoying life!
Cheers!
I just wanted to share a photo from my recent visit to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain which left me in awe of its history and magnificent architecture and gardens!
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