Behavior Change Goal Report

My goal for the Behavior Change Project was to work out, starting with 3 times a week and eventually building up to 5 times a week. I didn’t want to gain the stereotypical “Freshman Fifteen”, so this was the perfect goal for me to have. Coming into my first semester of college, I knew that I would struggle maintaining a healthy diet and daily exercise, so I thought this would be the perfect time to push myself and make myself better physically and mentally. My goal affects the physical aspect of the dimensions of health. Working out has many benefits. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can help: control your weight, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, reduce your risk of some cancers, strengthen

For the most part, I followed my plan to start out with exercising three days a week and building up off of that. My end goal was five days a week, and honestly, that was just unrealistic. Four days a week was a lot, too, but it was manageable. A strategy that really helped me stay on track was getting a workout buddy. I have three different friends that I would usually go workout with at the Rec, but sometimes it was nice to just go by myself. A big setback was me just being lazy and not wanting to go, and my friends would always push me to go. A big benefit to all my physical activity is my overall well-being. I have felt more energized and just felt better about myself. A behavior change is so hard because you are trying to alter what you’ve already been doing. I learned a lot about myself. I learned what my strengths and weakness are and how to manage and improve them. Hopefully, I can take this motivation and carry out my workout routine through the end of Freshman year and beyond, to improve myself physically and