PRIORITY STRESSOR
I chose poor dieting as a priority stressor I would like to change. I am aware of the existence of a direct relationship between dieting, exercise and the body’s level of risk for disability and diseases. That is, my poor eating behavior would be the primary cause of ill health. Presently, my diet mainly involves an indulging in fast foods and processed products. Items that make such a menu include French fries, sausages, burgers, and pies. Therefore, I need to reduce my intake of such products to reduce my risk of developing coronary heart disease and obesity.
RATIONALE
I am a full-time worker and student who struggles to balance between work, the classroom, and home environments. As a result, I barely take the time to fix decent meals and will mostly rely on fast food joints and the local drive through. The health risks that this behavior presents to me include coronary heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. My family is also at risk of suffering from the similar illnesses over and above poor life expectancy. I recognize that my life plan requires radical changes evidenced through the prioritization of proper dieting and exercising for overall health improvements.
STAGE OF CHANGE
I am about to move from the contemplation to preparation stages of change. During contemplation, I have had time to envision my better self with an appropriate lifestyle. I even went to a level of keeping a memo on the change I would like to accomplish. Some of the hindrances to an early progression include limited knowledge, confidence, and the necessary skills to implement change. However, time has come for me to make a transition. I have learned about nutrition and consulted a specialist to help develop a realistic dieting goal. It is time to adapt permanent life change that will allow me to make this active change.
MY SU.PE.R S.M.A.R.T GOAL
I know I have a nutrition issue, and I wish to change this through proper nutrition and regular exercising over time in the next three months.
Su: I understand I can control what I eat and how I exercise to reach my weight and disease risk reduction goal.
Pe: I will make my goal public by telling my best friend and family about it.
Reward: I will treat myself to a small size burger once per fortnight as a reward for sticking to my new routine. However, I intend to reduce this reward to non-food related items over time.
Specific: In the coming 12 weeks, I will no longer order from fast food restaurants. I intend to substitute this behavior with a nutrient-dense diet that serves more fruits and carbohydrates. As a way of cutting my calorie intake, I will no longer load my morning coffee with brown sugar. Instead, I will replace the sugar with fruit and honey. I also intend to implement a 20-minute indoor exercising on weekdays and 45 minutes early morning runs on weekends.
Measurable: I will measure my nutrition habit by tracking the time it takes to go through a small bowl filled with brown sugar. If the bowl that used to last only a couple of days now lasts over a week, I will be on the right track to success. I will use a similar tactic to measure my performance with other food stuff. I will also measure my exercising goals by tracking exercise and running performance. For instance, I could compare the time taken to go through splits and running exercises on different days. I will document these differences as a measure of performance.
Attainable: The brownies by the coffee table at work are usually too tempting to resist. I will come prepared with a nutrient-dense post-lunch snack to serve as a distraction from the coffee table. Also, I have the ability to jog for about 15 minutes without feeling tired. I will add an extra 5 minutes every week to until I attain the 45 minutes weekend worth of jogging.
Realistic: Given my busy schedule, I can only spare about 30 minutes a day on exercise and a few hours preparing a decent meal. The things that work for me, however, is that I live close to a running track and five minutes away from a renowned grocery. So I can run as well as shop for healthy food with ease. I will be doing most of my morning exercises at home to save on the time needed to prepare for school and work. I may require assistance from a family member to do some the house chores so that I can dedicate ample time to this plan.
Time-bound: This plan will commence on March 28, 2016, and end on May 28, 2016, a time I hope to have achieved my objective.
BENEFIT
The overall benefit of this plan will be the achievement of better health accompanied by a feeling of happiness. I also believe that I can be less dependent on fast food restaurants. I hope that I have the required patience and strength to see me through this challenging plan during and after the three months. I know that the achievement of this goal will reduce my risk of obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart diseases.
ACTION PLAN
BARRIERS
Differences in school and work schedules will interfere with trying to keep an appropriate routine.
Restrictive pressure from friends and family
SOLUTIONS
I will carry snacks and packed meals to work and school to help stick to my timetable.
I will reschedule some of my morning exercises to evening hours.
I will talk my friends and family into helping with some of the chores and giving me time off during exercising.
My support person will be my best friend who will keep witness my progression from the biweekly action plan above.
CONTRACT OF COMMITMENT
Icommits to spending adequate time between 5 AM and 9 PM for exercising and eating healthy over a period commencing March 28 to May 28, 2016. I will be following the action plan as stated designed to see me through this commitment. My best friend agrees to be my witness by helping score the chart during our fortnight meetings. She also agrees to watch out for changes in my feeding pattern, weight, and general flexibility.
