Discussion Template

Due No Due Date
Points 5
Submitting a discussion post

Purpose

As introduced in our module overview, we will be working through how to develop a holistic health and fitness plan. I found that when I started doing initial consultations with clients that I began to see deeply held values and personal identities that affected their relationship physical health. From my experience, each initial consultation with a client will be unique, and it is important to work with empathy since the start of the process for the client can contain emotional challenges that will need to be addressed or considered before we begin physical training. In some case you might be able to easily relate to your client, others may be a challenge to find common ground and will require more energy to build rapport. In the spirit of that process I want us to share as a group some of the ways our personal identity might be intertwined with our perceptions of health and fitness. My hope is that this will allow you to better navigate some of the complex emotions and feelings that might surround your initial consultation and better tailor your plans to your client.

Task

For this assignment we will be responding to question prompts in the form of a discussion to expose you to the diverse experiences you might encounter in future consultations. Please answer the following prompts in your initial post. For this discussion you will not be required to respond to a peers post. I instead will ask you in a later reflection assignment to pick out important themes from our responses.

For your initial post, I would love for you to share the following:

1. What does it mean to be healthy to you? What do you think helped contribute to your perspective?

Example: "I have always struggled with the idea of health. I think it's something I strive to have but am unsure wether I am or not. I look at social media and the visual portrayal of health seems to be associated with a certain body type. I don't think I fit that model and I think that might be making it difficult for me to hone in on what it means to be healthy. However, I wake up in the morning feeling good. Maybe to me, health is feeling physically well as a result of my lifestyle choices? I have members in my family that have had health issues in the past and just being able to have the life I want without being negatively affected by my lifestyle seems like a good marker for health..."

2. What does fitness mean to you? What do you think helped contribute to your perspective?

Example: "I grew up in a family that was VERY into volleyball. I always saw my older brother and sister practicing in the volleyball pits at the park. Watching them jump and move so athletically has always really stuck in my mind. When I think of fitness I imagine movement, coordination, strength, and power. All these elements being used to complete a goal..."

3. Based on your previous definition, do you have any health goals or do anything to improve your health? Why did you start doing it?

Example: "Currently I eat a vegetarian diet. I grew up vegetarian for religious reasons but when I got older I stopped. A couple of years ago I was told I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol so I actually switched back to being vegetarian and it helped me get my numbers back in check. I have heard from others that they miss certain foods but maybe because I had grown up this way it wasn't as hard for me? Keeping my blood pressure and cholesterol in check is enough of a motivator for me.

4. Based on your previous definition, do you have any fitness goals or do anything to improve your fitness? Why did you start doing it?

Example: "I have always enjoyed being active and when I was younger I really, REALLY enjoyed competitive sports, As I got older and had the opportunity to train in the weight room I LOVED it. When the Olympics were in Rio in 2016 my family got together to watch and that was the first time I saw Sara Ahmed weightlifting. I saw her wearing her hijab while she competed, and when she won the bronze medal I was so excited. I always had trouble finding sports that allowed me to wear my hijab, but seeing her compete sparked something in me. Right after that I found out more about weightlifting, found a coach and have been competing in weightlifting ever since! I am hoping to enter into a competition in two months so I am training for that currently..."

Criteria for Success

This assignment will be graded complete or incomplete based on wether you address the four prompts. There are no correct answers here, I am just genuinely excited to hear your perspectives and know they will help your classmates begin to conceptualize how we approach our work in this module.