My program sought to build a habit of exercising. Having assessed my health, I considered that it was within my best interests to put up a behavioral change program that would facilitate maintenance of a healthy weight as well as keep up with a good shape. Over the course of eight weeks that were set out for the program, I did not meet the targets as I had intended. The program specifically incorporated an exercise session of between one hour and one hour and half each and every day. I targeted to lose at least ten pounds as well as reduce the fat in my lower extremities and particularly the legs. The period of eight weeks could have been enough to meet the goals and objectives of the program but there were several challenges that threatened the actual pursuance of the elements of the program. With my program falling within the physical dimension and with a need to have a healthy body, I was supposed to be the active player.
As at now, I consider to be in the preparation stage of the Transtheoretical Model. In the preparation stage, an individual is described as having already regarded their behavior as problematic and began taking small steps towards rectifying the behavior (Prochaska, 2013). I have participated in two gym sessions every week which is an encouraging starting point. However, I have failed to sustain the program and the participation in the gym sessions due to a busy work schedule as well as activities that have forced me to be out of the house for a significant period of time. However, having begun the program, I feel that I still have a source of motivation and a starting point which gives me awareness of what I should expect in the program going forward. As with most behavioral change programs, there were several challenges that I encountered which I presume to have had a significant impact on failure to meet the goals.
Apart from the busy work schedule that forced me to quit the critical aspects of the program, I noticed that I could not run for more than thirty minutes within any given session. I experienced significant strain over the sessions that involved running which implies that every time I would be forced to quit the session to early. The shortened participation in the running exercise may have impacted negatively on the ability to lose weight especially because even after the continued participation, I did not notice any signs of increased endurance. On the other hand, I found it hard to wake up in the early mornings to take part in the morning exercise which implies that I may have lost focus and consistence which are key elements within any behavioral change program.
Despite these hardships, I still believe that I have a strong foundation based on the efforts I have shown in my preparation phase, I have also devised new strategies to overcome the range of obstacles I identified in the initial session. On one hand, I seek to integrate my boyfriend to accompany me in the sessions so that we can work together as a source of moral support and actual motivation to build on my endurance. Secondly, realizing that I have a problem waking up in the early mornings, I will set several alarms which will be constant reminders for me to come out of bed and take part in the sessions. Further, to help track my progress and determine any necessity for review, I will have a record of my weight every weekend. This record will indicate signs of progress or stagnation and will be helpful in the evaluation as well as review of the program. In the next program, I seek to integrate dietary planning as well as appropriate choice of diet as part of the behavioral change process considering that nutrition is a critical element of health and particularly based on the targets I have set (Prochaska, 2013).
References
Prochaska, J. O. (2013). Transtheoretical model of behavior change. InEncyclopedia of behavioral medicine (pp. 1997-2000). Springer New York.
