Week 4: Back n' Better

Week Four! It has come to the end of my behavior change journey. Am I converted? Am I now a routine jogger? My answer to that my friends is still up in the air. My schedule changes like the weather, due to work, and school. I will say this, I now know how easy it is to take time out of my day to go out for a session of running, especially since I already have a perfect route in place to follow! Now with a stay at home orders in place due to the Coronavirus, and no need to physically attend school, I have more time on my hands to do a routine. This all depends o my will power, but I know that I can only reap health benefits if I am consistent so I will surely continue this routine.

Weekly Chart Update.

Week # & Date	Recorded Time I Ran the Mile in Minutes	Did You Reach Your Goal?
Week 1: March 27, 2020	15min 20 secs	NO
Week 2: April 3, 2020	12 min 9 secs	YES
Week 3: April 17, 2020	11min 42 secs	YES
Week 4: April 24,2020	11min 27 secs	YES

Bar Graph 

 

This graph represents my progress throughout my journey. It conveys that I improved as the weeks progressed. My theory that my highschool running skills would return proved right!

THEORIES 

 The Transtheoretical Model of Change 

The transtheoretical model of change is the theory that people endure six stages of change when trying to change their behavior. The first stage is precontemplation. At this stage, the individual has no intention or awareness of their behavior. Before I decided to begin my journey, I did not feel that I needed to go on runs. I felt that I got enough cardio when I walked from class to class each day. The second stage is Contemplation, which is when the individual now knows that they need to change their behavior but have not committed yet. This stage occurred to me when I realized how exhausted I was walking from class to class, then understood that I was out of shape, and needed to build my stamina further. The next stage is preparation, at this stage individuals begin to plan to change their behavior and decide to commit to it. This stage occurred to me when I was asked to do this vlog assignment. I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to commit to a running routine and document my progress. The Next stage is the Action stage. At this stage, the individual has implemented the intended behavior modifications in an effort to change their behavior. This stage what the entirety of my choosing to go out each week during the four week period and execute my goal to run a mile under 15 minutes. The Next stage is Maintenance and this is the stage that I am currently in. The Maintenance stage is where the individual maintains their desired behavior to avoid relapse. It is now up to me to continue to run each week and make running apart of my weekly routine. 

In conclusion, this experience turned out to be more about my self-confidence than achieving the goal of running a mile under 15 min. I found that the more I ran, the more stamina I built. None of this would have been possible if I didn't have the self-confidence to try. I want my journey to inspire those who do not think they could run in public. I surely have experience in running fo sport but once you try that first time you will find that it isn't as nerve-wracking as you assumed. Upon finishing you will find that you are much bigger than the nerves that stunted you in the first place!

Good Luck