Posted: March 23rd, 2023

Goal Setting

Statement of the Short Term Goals

1. To make a 20-minute daily walk, up from the current 10-minute walk, by the end of six weeks starting Feb 2018.
2. To increase the servings of fruits and vegetables from the current 0.5 cups daily to one cup for each by the end of six weeks starting 1 Feb 2018

These goals are important to me because of my resolve to remain healthy and live a life without lifestyle diseases. I have read and seen the dangers of not maintaining a healthy body. There are many people around, including family and classmates, who are obese and I am trying to avoid the same fate. Accomplishing the goal set will have major implications for me. I would like to ensure that my entire life is set on a strong foundation, which is not too late to establish. I believe that on forming the healthy lifestyle behaviors and habits now, I will be able to have a future that is more focused on the same. I will be healthier in the long term if I start today. Also, I will not spend a lot of finances in treating lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cancers among others.

Statement of the Strategy for Measuring the Goals

Measuring the achievement of the goals is a plan that is already in place. From the very beginning of the efforts to achieve them, I will take a record of the number of minutes I will walk and the amount of vegetables and fruits I will be consuming on a daily basis. I will be putting down the information for each day during the six weeks of the challenge. For the walking, I am hoping to begin increasing the number of minutes from the current 10 up to 20 by the end of the program. The same will apply for the diet. I will measure the achievement every end of the week by calculating the average. For example, the total minutes walked in a week will be divided by 7 to get the average of daily minutes. I will do the same for the cups of vegetables consumed. The information will indicate any need for change in order to achieve the overall goals.

Statement of Setbacks and Strategies

I have a plan to download apps on my smartphone that will support me in achieving the goals. Active 10 App is an example of the available applications. The app will be useful in encouraging me to take part in active daily walking. For the diet, I will use Fruits and Vegetables app, which will improve my intake of the healthy diet. The apps will play an important role because they come with inbuilt reminders and trackers to enhance compliance. In addition, I will join the group of individuals taking the same challenge for more support.

Among the setbacks that I am likely to encounter is time. I already have my education program, which I will have to balance with my personal life. Getting the 20 minutes for the daily walk might be a challenge, but I am willing to make the time. I might also have other academic assignments that will demand my attention. However, I will deal with the challenges of using the available time to walk, such as at the end of the school day when I can spare 20 minutes.

Statement of Rewards

I will reward myself for achieving the goals each week.  The endeavor will be made possible using the money I will save from the snacks that I used to consume. Eating fruits and vegetables saves a lot in terms of the cost of food. I will use the savings to buy for myself some of the things that I desire but have not accumulated enough resources to buy. Each week I purchase something trendy, including clothes, wallet, watch or anything else new in the market that I can afford. At the end of the program, if the goals are achieved, I will get a phone that I have admired and have not had the chance to buy. In case the goals are not achieved, I will not buy anything until such a time that I am able to meet them. The negative reinforcement will also play a role in meeting them.

Specific Start and End Dates

The start date of the challenge is 2/1/2018. I understand that meeting the goals will be a process that will take time and effort. I also know that to achieve effective behavior change I will have to put the efforts for at least 6 weeks. Therefore, I will undertake the challenge for that time, although I will be evaluating at the end of every week, I will complete the challenge on 6/2/2018. At this time, I will carry out a summative assessment. If I will have met the goals, I will continue with the new behavior, but if not, I will change the goals to more achievable ones or change the strategies towards achieving the same ones. I expect to achieve complete behavior change towards a healthier life.