Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research

Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014

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Action Research Report: Walking for Good Health

Kimberly Pollak
EDUC 526 Capstone Experience in Digital Teaching and Learning
Professor Matt Hixson
Azusa Pacific University: Murrieta Regional Center
June 7, 2014










Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of an Action Research is to document changed behavior over a period of
time. The main goal is to improve a behavior about yourself. I had been feeling bad about how I
looked and felt so I decided to eat healthier. My goal for this assignment is to lose weight by
eating healthier.
Section 1: Introduction
The purpose of this action research was to help me improve my health and wellbeing. I
am choosing to eat healthier for the following reasons: to feel better, overall good health, gain
energy, lose weight, lose the bloat, look good and prevent disease. After starting college six
years ago I had not been taking care of myself, as I should have. Taking care of my family, work
and homework took over my life. Fast-forward 6 years; I am out of shape and not feeling good
about myself. For the past couple years I have noticed that my stomach had been hurting on and
off after I ate. I felt bloated, fat and out of shape. At that point I had not been keeping track of
what I ate but knew that something had to change. I decided that I needed to get serious about
my health and this assignment was the perfect solution to get me started. Now all I had to do was
get in the mindset to change everything, which was not easy but I knew it was possible
There is a lot of research about why we should maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some of the
reasons are to prevent disease, replacing bad foods with good foods is the easiest way to lower
calorie intake, healthy foods provide long lasting energy, and junk food creates a big spike in
energy levels followed by an equally big crash. Eating healthy will help me get the right balance
of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It will also help me handle stress better.
Some of the reasons I had not been eating healthy and taking care of my self were
because of my busy schedule and pure laziness. Eating healthy is more work than one would
Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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think. I hadnt been intentional in my habits because eating out is just faster than preparing food
from scratch. The consequences of this behavior had a negative effect on my health. I had gained
weight, I had low self-esteem, fatigue, and my clothes were getting tight.
Section 2: Implementation
I knew I needed to be conscious of what I was eating to be successful with my new
healthy lifestyle. I decided that to eliminate high allergen foods from my diet to figure out what I
was allergic to. I would then reintroduce one food group at a time. My goals were to get my
stomach to feel better, to continue eliminating food groups that make my stomach upset, and to
slowly reintroduce healthy food groups. The action research plan was implemented over a course
of a 21 days. I started collecting data on the first day of implementation to chart what I was
consuming on a daily basis. Each day I would drink 64 ounces of water, then chart what I was
having for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I find that I eat less and healthier when I write down what
I am consuming.
During the course of the month I was strictly sticking to my clean eating in an effort get
my stomach to feel better. For the most part I ate a lot of salads because they were easy to make
and I could take them to class with me. I chose not to eat out during this time. Here were my
guidelines:
Eat more vegetables
Eat unprocessed food
Drink more water
Dont stress eat
No bread products, milk, peanut butter, soy, artificial sweeteners, corn
Take vitamins
Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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Section 3: Results
Date Water Breakfast Lunch Dinner
April 21 64oz Protein Shake Chicken salad Chicken, Rice,
Asparagus
April 22 64oz Protein Shake Chicken Gyro, Salad,
Italian dressing
Cheeseburger,
Grilled onions,
April 24 42oz Oatmeal, Toffee Nut
Latte
Two Rolled Tacos,
cup rice, cup
beans, cup tortilla
chips
Cheeseburger,
grilled onions,
tomatoes, lettuce,
French fries
April 25 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Salmon and salad
April 26 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Salad, chicken,
cucumbers, roasted
peppers, walnuts,
dressing
April 27 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Carne Asada Burrito Nothing
April 28 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
BBQ Chicken,
Broccoli,
April 29 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Salad, chicken,
cucumbers, roasted
peppers, walnuts,
dressing
April 30 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Chicken club
sandwich, French
fries
May 1 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Salad, chicken,
cucumbers, roasted
peppers, walnuts,
dressing
Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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May 2 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Salad, chicken,
cucumbers, roasted
peppers, walnuts,
dressing
May 3 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Bean Burrito,
Tostada
May 4 42oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Chicken, Rice,
Beans, Veggies
May 5 42oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
mixed berries
BBQ Chicken,
Broccoli, Noodles &
rice
May 6 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein powder, 1
cup coconut milk, 3
frozen strawberries
Lettuce, cabbage,
roasted peppers,
cucumbers,
artichoke hearts,
walnuts, candied
pecans, balsamic
vinaigrette, shrimp
May 7 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Tostada, bean &
cheese burrito
Lettuce, rice,
avocado, salsa,
black beans
May 8 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein powder, 1
cup coconut milk, 3
frozen strawberries
Lettuce, cabbage,
roasted peppers,
cucumbers,
artichoke hearts,
walnuts, candied
pecans, balsamic
vinaigrette,
avocado, chicken,
shrimp
May 9 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Lettuce & Dressing
May 10 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Lettuce & dressing
Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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May 11 42oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Chicken Nuggets,
Sweet potato fries,
Fruit
Steak & Shrimp
May 12 42oz 2 eggs, hash
browns, sausage,
juice
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
mixed berries
Chicken
Enchiladas,
margarita, chips &
salsa
May 13 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Lettuce, Chicken,
Cucumbers,
Walnuts, apples,
roasted peppers,
dressing
May 14 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Chipotle salad Lettuce, Chicken,
dressing
May 15 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Protein shake, 1 cup
coconut milk, 1 cup
strawberries
Chicken & Rice,
Hummus, rice
crackers
May 16 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Chicken Quesadilla Grilled Bratwurst,
Bun, Sauted
Onions
May 17 64oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup mixed berries
Grilled Bratwurst Pulled pork
sandwich, beans
May 18 32oz Protein shake, 1
cup coconut milk, 1
cup strawberries
Nothing Pulled pork
sandwich, beans,
coleslaw, chips
May 19 2 eggs, 2
hashbrowns, 1
glass lemonade
Pulled pork
sandwich, coleslaw


Section 4: Conclusion
I had to follow some strategies to be able to stick to my new way of eating. I had to stick
to a plan or food schedule, eat an easy breakfast daily; positive self talk and more importantly
Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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remember how I felt when I ate poorly. As a result, two weeks into the plan my stomach felt
better. I had no more bloating, my clothes felt better, I slept better, my skin was clearer, my
thinking was sharper, and I had no mid-day slump.
Eating healthy was a big learning curve for me. I had to get my mind in the right place to
start my new eating habits. First, I had to get sick and tired of feeling lousy.
Now that I am eating healthier, I feel amazing! I dont know why it took me so long to change
my bad habits. I have not gone crazy, I still have my goodies, but now I have them in
moderation. I am more in tune with the foods that make my stomach upset and try to keep them
out of my diet.
I also realized that I should never deprive myself of foods that I have cravings for; moderation is
the key!
Ive starting exercising this week. Ive decided that I deserve to take time for myself. I plan on
exercising to continue my healthy lifestyle plan.
Section 5: General Comments
This action research plan was designed for me and my specific needs to help me improve
my life. Although it does not directly relate to education, I need to be in the right state of mind
and feeling well to be able to teach effectively. The part of this assignment that I like the best is
that I finally found out why I wasnt feeling well for so many years. I pinpointed what I needed
to change in my diet to life a healthy life for years to come. Ultimately, I had to eliminate gluten
and diary from my diet. As a result, I feel better than I have in years.



Kimberly Pollak EDUC 526 Action Research
Murrieta Regional Center Spring 2 June 2014
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