Planning your life
Introduction
Everyone needs to ensure that they have planned their life this way, it becomes possible for them to achieve overall wellness. Through this course, I have learned the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout one’s life. I also came to understand that there are changes I need to make to improve my lifestyle. As far as lifestyle plan is concerned, I plan on improving my emotional wellness. I consider myself to be emotionally unstable because stressors in life usually have a great impact on my emotions even when they should not. My nutritional plan has improved ever since I commenced taking this course but I learned that there are things that I need to change to achieve my lifetime nutritional goals. I have been exercising for about two years but I learned that my fitness plan also needs some modifications to ensure that it is more inclusive than it is currently.
Behavioral changes to make
To achieve my lifestyle, nutrition, and fitness plans, there are behavior changes that I need to make during this year and the next year. One of the changes I need to make is to keep a journal about my current issues and how I am dealing with them. This way, I will ensure that my emotions are stable as I will have a plan to deal with the current stressors I am experiencing. I prefer to keep a journal on my phone as it will be private. Another behavioral change I need to make is to cook my meal. I have struggled with the love of junk food but this is usually an issue because most of the time I eat out. Moreover, when I am experiencing high levels of stress I tend to binge eat but slowly I am managing to get over this habit. As far as fitness plans are concerned the only behavioral change I need to make is to engage in muscle training. My cardiovascular levels are splendid as I am a frequent jogger. However, my muscle strength is low. I plan to join the gym once the COVID-19 threat has ended.
Why I want to make those changes
The main reason that is driving me to make this change is to improve my overall quality of life. I believe that I should be happy and I should live a fulfilled life. My idea of such a life is being healthy both physically and emotionally. By making the behavioral changes, and ensuring consistency, I will ensure that I live the best life as I will be able to understand my current conditions and know how to handle them without being overly stressed.
Barriers that might hinder my goals
One of the main barriers to my goals is the lack of consistency. Naturally, when starting on a new behavioral change, I am usually hyped and I tend to carry the behavior through for at least a week but then if I become too busy, I tend to postpone the achievement of the goals and slowly my new healthy behavior dies. Another barrier I experience is the lack of sufficient time to carry through my fitness and nutritional plans. I realized that my morning workout is usually energetic and it does not require much of my time. However, muscle strength training can be quite draining and it requires more time. I am however busy with work, studies, and family and this can affect my ability to exercise. Moreover, most of the time I prefer to cook my meals but because of inadequate time, I end up eating out. There are no economical healthy options, something that is detrimental to my nutritional plans.
Process for making the behavioral change
To ensure that I make the changes and establish consistency, I will start slow. Currently, I am constantly consuming healthy meals although cooking is still an issue for me. I also commenced muscle strength training but I ended up injuring myself because of overdoing the training. As far as lifestyle plans are concerned I will establish a journal and write in it at least three days a week. This way, I will not feel the burden to write it daily. I will also keep on reviewing the journal and noting the influence it has had on my life. Concerning nutritional plans, I will start by looking for healthy recipes that are easy and economical to prepare. I will then cook at least two meals per week and increase the frequency with time. Concerning the fitness plan, given my time limitation, I will trade my morning run for my muscle strength exercises for three days a week. I will also start slow, exercising with no weights, and as I progress I will include weights in my exercise regime. This way, I will not experience any muscle strain. Through this small milestone, I will be able to establish consistency and from there it will be possible to larger milestones without relapsing to the old behaviors.
Smart goals to lose weight
Although I have already achieved my ideal weight, I intend to use SMART goals to maintain my weight by ensuring the following:
S (Specific): I will ensure that I eat less than 3000 calories a day. I will also exercise for at least 4 days a week and engage in muscle strength training for 3 days.
M (Measurable): I will ensure the achievement of this goal by confirming that my weight is not changing.
An (Achievable): To achieve this goal, I will look for an exercise partner, one who shares the same goal with me.
R (Realistic): The fact that I have been exercising for two years consistently makes this a realistic goal.
T (Timeframe): Basically, the goal should last a lifetime but after one year, I will review my progress and probably adjust my goals.
Conclusion
Overall wellness is essential in ensuring that one has a quality life. Being emotionally stable creates the base of achievement for all other goals. When one is at a good state emotionally, they can make prudent decisions concerning their life. The type of food one consumes also affects their overall health. Having healthy meals will not only increase one’s energy but will also ensure that my immune system is up and that I can achieve my fitness and lifestyle plans. Lastly having a good exercise regime creates the much-needed energy to deal with everyday stressors. Moreover, one gets the stamina to carry out other activities without getting tired. Exercise also improves body immunity against injury or diseases, something that will improve my overall wellness.