SELF-BEHAVIOR

CHANGE PROJECT

Denielle Saitta
Georgia Southern
University
Dietetic Intern

PROJECT INTRODUCTION
Behavior change is a theory-based method for changing one or
more physiological determinants of behavior. Over the course of
this semester I have been implementing my own behavior change
project. I chose to change my workout regime by training for a halfmarathon. I have always been physically active and have taken
care of my body, but have never been much of a runner. I knew
there were many health benefits of running but have never been
able to run a mile.

THE SKILLS OF SELFDIRECTION

After thinking about different steps or changes that I could make to spice up
and enjoy working out more I decided on training for a half marathon. I am
not a fan of long distance running and do not typically enjoy the amount of
time spent in having to run to long distances. I look forward to the
challenges that this training will present and hope to see how my body will
be able to push itself. The half marathon I have signed up for is April 30th
and takes place in Nashville, TN so I have lots of time to train and prepare
for the long run.
I have found an online training schedule that lists an amount of miles to
run each day as well as days off. I'll be using this as a guide to help increase
my mileage week by week. A few of the other changes I thought of making,
did not seem as though they would be realistic with my school and rotation
schedule.

FORETHOUGHT: PLANNING
FOR
SUCCESS
My Goal: My goal is to be able to run 13.1 miles by my half-marathon April 30th.
Anticipating Obstacles: Since I am an intern, I have class assignments and
rotations that take a lot of my time during the week which will present
challenges. When I skip a run or am unable to go running due to the weather or
previous obligations, I will make plans to go to the gym where I will run on the
treadmill or use the elliptical. I will have to learn how to balance my training
schedule with my student workload which will be the biggest obstacle for myself.
Planning ahead will be one of the more important parts of my training.
Sub-Goals: Run 6 miles without stopping to walk, run 4 days a week outside,
drink more water throughout the day, stretching before and after each run.
I believe that each of these sub-goals will help with my overall goal by helping to
make my body healthy and stronger.

SELF-KNOWLEDGE:
OBSERVATION
&
RECORDING
After observing myself for a week, I noticed that planning and preparing for my

runs will be the most important part of my behavior change. By using a training
schedule as a guide, I am able to estimate how far I need to run every day. I also
had to take into account my rotation schedule as well as school workload and
the weather when planning. To keep track of my progress, I have created a chart
to track how far I run every day, my average mile time, and will also comment
onMonday
how I felt Tuesday
during theWednesday
run that day.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

Run:
Ran:
Ave. Mile:
Feeling:

THE PRINCIPLES OF SELFDIRECTION: THEORY & PRACTICE

The stimuli that control my behavior are inclement weather, time of day,
internship workload, as well as my energy level.
If the weather conditions are not ideal then this prevents me from running
outside
Since I have to travel for my rotations, sometimes I do not get home in time to
run because it is to dark outside and not safe.
Being a student means I have class assignments I have to complete, and sine I
am gone all day for my rotation I must do it when I get home rather than
running.
The most important part of my training is to stay on top of my school and
rotation work load, be proactive and watch the weather forecast. I also need to

ANTECEDENTS
Since I have started this behavior change I have had a great support system of
both friends and family who are all near and far. The ones who are far cheer me on
and encourage me via phone calls or text messages, while the ones who are closer
help motivate and push me to keep running. I have be fortunate enough to have a
few workout partners who help me stay on target and keep up with my training.
The biggest factors that hinder my behavior change are my workload from
rotations, my energy level at the end of the day or early morning, or the weather.
Some of these things I can work on myself like my energy level and workload.
Current Social Support Systems

Supportive of My Goals

Detrimental to My Goal

Sources of support chart.

Family
LocalFriends
SocialMedia
Specific Areas of DieteticInterns
ParentsandRelatives
Influence

F
F
V
F
F&V

Workload
Energylevel
Weather
Rotations
Rainy/DarkWeather

F
F
F
F

Key:

Virtual

Sources of
General
Influence

Face-to-Face

BEHAVIORS: ACTIONS,
THOUGHTS,
AND
FEELINGS
Since the start of this project I have been impressed with my motivation and drive
to continue this change. I have followed my workout schedule and routine weekly
and adjusted it to fitting my busy rotation schedule and workload.

One thing I have changed from my original plan is that during my days off I make
sure to relax. When I relax I am either watching a movie, hanging out with friends,
going for walks, or taking part in a yoga session. This has helped me focus more
on my school work during days off but also look forward to my runs and workouts.
I am able to imagine my running more often now also.
I have also modified when and who I work out with. Prior to this change, I would
only workout Monday through Friday, and now I have incorporated working out
during the weekend days also. I have also been training for the half-marathon with
my friends and they have been great motivation and support.
I have noticed my body become stronger and feel the different in my lungs from
the beginning of my change to now. I hope to keep following my schedule and

CONSEQUENCES &
REINFORCEMENTS
When I run I know I am getting stronger and am gaining more confidence in myself to
complete the half marathon. When I skip a day or running I know there are consequences
to these actions. Some consequences may be short term while others are long term
consequences. Some short term consequences are lack of energy, falling into the habit of
skipping workouts, or getting behind on my training schedule. Long term consequences
would be the inability to perform during my race, I would not be as strong, and will be
more winded when I get back into running.
With this new behavior I have learned the importance of positive reinforcement. For this
behavior change I have incorporated several different types of reinforcement to help keep
me motivated. I give myself 20 minutes of relaxation after each run, treating myself to
new workout gear, positive self-talk, and have many training and running partners to
help.
It is all of these consequences and reinforcements have so far made me successful in my
behavior change. I am confident in myself and body that I will be able to run this race.
Change is never easy, but by believing in yourself and having others to believe in you too
then anything is possible.

DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL
PLAN
My goal is to be able to run 13.1 miles by my half-marathon April 30 . I plan to
th

accomplish this goal over a series of weeks. In order to do this I have set a few
sub-goals for myself to help my overall goal. These sub-goals are: run 6 miles
without stopping to walk, run 4 days a week outside, drink more water throughout
the day, and to stretch before and after each run. Currently the farthest I have ran
is 7 miles. I have been very good about following my running schedule and
planning my runs.

Overall these sub-goals and rules help to keep me on track with my overall goal of
running 13.1 miles. At times it is harder to motivate myself to run and follow my
running schedule or rules, but I just am staying positive and realize that this is
what I want to do. I want to feel the change and empowerment of running a halfmarathon.

PROBLEM SOLVING AND

RELAPSE
PREVENTION
Overall throughout this assignment I have been successful in working on my

behavior change, however there are a few things out of my control that make it
hard to perform my target behavior such as the weather or my busy internship
schedule and assignments. To avoid any scheduling conflicts and to make my plan
more effective I will continue to plan my runs out week by week and will also
check the weather for any issues that there may present.
I do believe that I have implemented enough techniques to make my behavior
change work. I have consulted with friends and family members to help motivate
me and keep me accountable to not skip my runs or to keep running during a long
day. Having this support has been the most helpful part of my behavior change. I
have also kept up with scheduling my runs and documenting each run.
Since the start of the project I have been fortunate enough to not suffer any
relapses and stayed on track with my running and training schedule. I have been
very good and remember what is at stake and that my final product will be
running 13.1 miles at the end of April. This has been a constant motivator for

STAYING IN CONTROL
Following the happiness checklist I went through and pick two areas that I think would best benefit
me and my behavior change or any future behavior changes I do. The two points I decided to work
on were reducing negative thoughts and feelings and to stop ruminating or worrying. I think these
are some of my biggest flaws that I should work on.
In order to accomplish this I will stay more positive. I think that if I am able to stay more positive
that I will have the ability to reduce negative thoughts and feelings. I will ensure positive self-talk
about any future behavior change as well as when I run. I will remind myself at how far I have
gotten throughout this whole training process. My body has done things I have never imagined
possible and that thought gives me happiness chills.
I usually stress and worry more about something than I need too. I am very organized and
sometimes this helps with the anxiety but then sometimes it makes it worse. I will take steps to
correcting that by taking deep breaths and relaxing. Sometimes it is best to just step away from
the thing that is stressing me out to give myself some clarity. This has always been a flaw of mine.
I am not sure why I get so worked about but I will stop this. I know I can make a huge change and
conquer my worst fears. It is all a mental game. I will no longer worry about the distance but rather
how I have been able to surprise myself in getting as far as I have. For future behavior changes I
will stop thinking about what could happen but instead go for a new possibility.

FINDINGS
Data for the project was collected from February 1st to April 24th and are
presented in the figure to the right.
The data shows that when my running started I was running at an average
around an 11:50 mile. I was also running about 16 miles a week. Mid-way
Average Weekly Time Compared to Weekly Mileage
through the behavior change my average mile went do to about 10:57 a
mile and was running about 24 miles a week. However, by the twelfth
35
12:14
12:00
week, I was running about 22 miles a week and had slowed down to
30
11:45
running a 11:54 average mile.
25
These changes could be accounted to several different factors such as
the amount I was running, how I was feeling during the run, or my energy
level. Since I was increase my mileage each week, this could have
affected how fast I was running and messed with the average. Because I
was running more I had to learn how to better pace myself to keep up with
the distance. My feelings during the run that day could also be a factor in
my time. If I was discouraged during my run or was in pain then I know I
would slow down or walk. In ways this is not a bad thing but rather just
helps me understand my body cues better. After a long day at my rotation
or class load, I may have been more tired and slowed my pace down. I
have always preferred to work out in the mornings but with my rotation
schedule this is not always feasible so I have to schedule it after my
rotation which makes for a long day.

11:31

20

11:16

Weekly Mileage 15

11:02

10

10:48

10:33

10:19

Weeks

Average Mile

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

Overall this behavior change has been hard on both my body and mental game, but I have been able to keep up
with the training and been able to run. I have also been into working out but running has never been of
interested to me, at least until now. I have mostly surprised myself and my body with the distance and ability and
love the feeling I get when I do not have to stop during a run. I guess there is that runners high feeling. This
project has shown me that I can make a change and even though there are obstacles anyone can persevere with
help and guidance. For myself personally, it was important to have to social support. I had many friends and
family members who encouraged me throughout the whole process and cheered me along throughout. Having
people there to lean on helped me stay on track and kept me going.
It has helped me see what it would be like to help counsel a patient into making a change. I have been there, I
know the struggle and wanting to give up but you do not you keep going. I would extend this learning experience
into my work as a dietitian by being able to relate better with my client since I have also followed this model and
made a behavior change. I can pull from everything I have done and use this in my field. It is easier to relate to
someone when you know the feelings and factors that can stop you from making a change. During motivational
interviewing this will also help me because I will be able to use the reinforcements and steps as a guide with my
client. The behavior change theory steps act as a great way to conduct a session with a client. I can also use this
experience by being able to relate better with my client and letting them know I have been there and used this
process and have seen it be successful. I can help offer way to keep my patient on track and offer positive
reinforcements. Motivational interviewing is a very important part of behavior change when working with a client.

THE BIG RACE

This past weekend I participated in
the Nashville Rock n Roll Half
Marathon in Nashville, TN. I was
incredible nervous before the start
of the race but with the help of
friends and my great family I was
able to start and finish.
I managed to run the entire race
and crossed the finish line with a
time of 2:36. This time is better
than I ever anticipated and am
incredible proud of myself. I have
already signed up for two more
races this year and look forward to
keep pushing my body!

REFERENCES
Watson, D. L., & Tharp, R. G. (2014). Self-directed behavior; selfmodification for personal adjustment (9th ed.). Monterey, CA:
Cengage Learning.