GCU Behaviour Change in Terms of Meditation Questions

Writing this Assignment

Write in first person and provide specific details for each of the required components. Remember to type your paper in 12 point, black font, and use double spacing.  Your name and date should be in the upper right or left-hand corner.  A title should be centered at the top.  Please keep items numbered but do NOT write directions.  Write complete sentences in first person. DO NOT make a weight loss goal, fruit/veggie smoothie goal or dietary supplement goal – you will receive no points for goals related to any of those 3 things.  

Design a contract that you can follow to make a healthy behavioral change. This class provides only a beginning to this journey – a stepping onto the path.  I want this to be an area of wellness that you continue to work on.  Research shows us it can take many months (6 months maybe) to make a true lifestyle change.

Choose only ONE behavior to improve. It needs to be a healthy behavior change that you can attain at least twice per week.  You may not make a daily goal (no 7-day-per-week goals) as they do not allow for flexibility; it does not allow you to take a day off without feeling guilty – so no more than five or six days per week.  DO NOT make a weight loss goal.  Do NOT make a juice/smoothie goal.  Do NOT make a goal that includes protein powder or other supplement. – you will not receive points for a goal related to any of those 3 things. Design a goal where you add or practice a healthy activity.  Do not think of this as having an end date; this is the beginning of a lifelong change. Try not to make a negative goal (unless you are trying to quit smoking); try not to write “I will never…”  Those goals are too rigid and don’t help one implement healthy behavior.  Instead, design a positive goal, “I will…”  This way you add a healthy behavior that helps reduce the incidence of an unhealthy one.  For example, if someone wants to eat less fast food, they should write a goal that helps them do this: “I will make and eat a homemade lunch four times per week.”  “I will make a homemade dinner four times per week.”

The 8 Points to Address in the Paper

Write one SMART goal. (double check its SMARTness) Include the reassessment date.

Identify the behavior to change. Write one specific and measurable goal. I know you are excited but you may only choose ONE (1) goal for this project.  (This is such an important point that I will take off points for you over-achievers.) Examples: I will walk for twenty minutes, three times per week….or…I will meditate for twenty minutes four times per week…or…I will floss my teeth five days per week…or…I will eat a healthy breakfast (define this) four times per week and reassess this on …or…I will prepare a homemade dinner 3 times per week and reassess this on …or…I will eat 4 servings of vegetables 5 days per week and reassess this on …or…I will sit down at the table and eat a homemade lunch 5 times per week and reassess this on… I will consume at least 30 grams of fiber from real foods (not supplements nor heavily processed foods) at least four days per week. Include the date to reassess this goal or the date it will be attained-this date should be right before the Behavior Change Part II Wrap-Up is due.

Why did you choose to change this behavior? 

Use the information in this module to find out about the Stages of Change Model.  What stage are you in?  Please explain. 

Use your textbook to review the Health Education Standards.  Which standard is your goal related to?  Why? (

Use your textbook to answer this question.  Explain how your goal is a protective factor and briefly discuss how it helps reduce risk for a major health issue. Careful with this one!  Stay with information from reliable resources.  

Eating more vegetables is a protective factor against the development of heart disease.  This goal helps reduce the risk of heart disease because vegetables contain fiber which fills me up and helps me consume less overall calories (weight maintenance) and less high-fat foods which can help keep plaque from building up in my arteries. 

What is your plan of attack?  What strategies will you incorporate in order to be successful?  When will you prepare for and practice your new behavior? 

What are at least two of your barriers to change and what are two ways to beat each of them? 

Will you have a support group or person?  Who? 

How will you keep track of progress? You must keep track of the new behavior all semester as you will receive points for submitting it with the Behavior Change Wrap-Up paper.  You will be asked to submit it electronically in just one file. Try to keep track on a calendar or on a log.  I want to see that you check off the days on a calendar when you attain your goal.  You can do this with checkmarks or by keeping track of your goal.  For example, if your goal is to walk for exercise, then every time you get back from a walk, you record the number of minutes that you walked that day.  I want to see that YOU kept track of this; I do NOT want to see the records from an App. You want to be able to easily look back at your progress and see days you attained or didn’t attain your goal. 

How will you reward yourself?  

Choose a reward that is healthy.  Don’t just write: “Attaining a healthy life will be reward enough.”  Blah, blah, blah…I want you to choose a healthy reward (music, library book, trip to the beach) that you can look forward to.   Do NOT design a junk food reward; better yet, do not use food as a reward at all.  None of these are acceptable rewards because they are not rewards to your body nor do they support the healthy changes you are making:  no “cheat days”, no “off days”, no Starbucks, no fast food, etc.   This needs to be a healthy and appropriate reward.  For example, if you want to start eating more vegetables, do not write that you will reward yourself by going for a Big Mac.  That is unhealthy and counterproductive.