Running Header: In Pursuit of Good Health

Behavior Change: In Pursuit of Good Health

Sydney Moretto
EXHS 155 Health & Wellness
College of Western Idaho
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Table of Contents
Definition of Health ............................................................................................................... 3
Behavior Change .................................................................................................................... 3
Problem I Am Solving ............................................................................................... 3
SMART Goals and Plan............................................................................................. 3
Identified Barriers/Triggers and Counters to Overcome Them .................................4
Accountability/Reward System ................................................................................. 4
Why This Change is Important to Me (Egoism Viewpoint) .................................................. 4-5
Three Ethical Viewpoints on My BCP .................................................................................. 5
Virtue Ethics .............................................................................................................. 5
Kant’s Categorical Imperative ................................................................................... 5-6
Utilitarianism ............................................................................................................. 6
References .............................................................................................................................. 7
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Definition of Health

Health is the state of being able to function well physically, mentally, socially, and

spiritually in the environment you live at your full potential. Looking closer at each factor

of health, physical health is the overall physical condition of one’s solidity of the body,

freedom from disease, and the condition of wellbeing. Mental health can be defined as

one’s psychological capacity of health to make it possible to function effectively with

yourself and others. The level that a person interacts effectively with their social

environment is social health. Spiritual health is the inner strength and/or energy of

aspirations and ideals to do everyday life activities. The effect of external forces upon

yourself and other living things within your surroundings is environmental health.

Behavior Change

Problem I Am Solving

By committing myself to my behavior change to work out four times a week, I’m solving

my problem of not wanting to work out despite the positive affects it has on my health.

SMART Goals and Plan

My main goal is to work out four times a week. My goal for week 1 is to get a gym

membership on Monday so I can hold myself more accountable to go workout. My goal

for week 2 is to create a workout log to keep track of the days I work out throughout this

process. My goal for week 3 is to find an exercise partner to help motivate myself. My

goal for week 4 is to work out four times a week for four weeks.
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Identified Barriers/Triggers and Counters to Overcome Them

To be successful in reaching my behavior change goal to work out four times a week, it’s

important to identify barriers and solutions to overcome them. My lack of motivation to

workout is the first barrier that I need to overcome. I often find myself wanting to work

out, but I don’t have the motivation to push myself to do it. Finding someone to workout

with, will help keep me motivated to go workout. It will also make working out more

enjoyable and fun, which will motivate me even more to workout. The lack of time I have

to work out is the second barrier I need to overcome. Writing down my schedule for

school and work in a planner will help me visualize the time slots I would have available

to workout. I can then add my workout times to my planner to help me stay on track with

working out four times a week. Identifying solutions to barriers that would keep me from

reaching my goal will help me be successful in my behavior change.

Accountability/Reward System

I will hold myself accountable to my behavior change by writing the times I need to go

workout in my weekly planner. By doing so, it will give me a visual reminder that I need

to go. Also, I will log my time spent working out and the workouts I did in a journal. This

will help keep me motivated to improve and to keep track of my progress throughout this

process. I’m going to reward myself with a cheat day every Sunday. My cheat day will

consist of treat foods, no working out, and relaxing. This reward will be my reset day

before I start the process over on Monday.

Why This Change is Important to Me (Egoism Viewpoint)

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This project is important to me because the outcome is going to make me a better person.

Identifying a behavior to change is easy but it isn’t as easy to actually change the

behavior. It is giving me the motivation and tools to change a behavior. Changing my

behavior to work out four times a week will benefit me in more ways than one. Being

successful in changing my behavior will make me feel like a better person than I was

before.

Three Ethical Viewpoints on My BCP

Virtue Ethics

Virtue ethics focuses on becoming a good person and by acquiring morally desirable

traits, it will allow me to do the right thing. My viewpoint of virtue ethics would find my

behavior change project as morally right. Virtue ethics focuses on becoming a better

person. I’m focusing on improving my overall well-being and health by changing my

behavior to work out four times a week. Successfully changing my behavior will make

me a better person moving forward. Virtue ethics theories ask questions like, “How

should I live?” and “What is good for my life?” (Wrenn, n.d.). When asking myself those

questions and relating them to my behavior change, I’m doing what is morally good for

me.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative

The objective of Kant’s Categorical Imperative is to motivate everyone to act out of duty

(Gonzalez Vallejos & Molina Canto, 2018). The viewpoint would find my behavior

change to work out four times a week morally right. My behavior change is going to
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benefit my overall health and wellbeing, so I’m doing myself a duty. Kant believes that,

humans know what they should do, even though that is almost always the opposite of

what they want to do. This viewpoint relates to my behavior change of working out four

times a week because of my moral conflict with the need to work out. I know that I

should work out because it is good for my overall wellbeing and health, but I would

rather not work out.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism focuses on the greater good for everyone, individuals act morally when

their actions produce the best possible outcome for all concerned. My behavior change

would be morally right based on this viewpoint. Working out is proven to have beneficial

effects on physical and mental health outcomes (Penedo & Dahn, 2005). Physical activity

releases good endorphins in the brain and reduces stress. Being in the right state of mind

due to good mental health, would be beneficial to those around me at work and at home.
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References

Gonzalez Vallejos, M., & Molina Canto, E. (2018). The Subject Before the Law: Consciousness

of the Moral Law and Faktum of Reason in Kant. 275-297.

Penedo, F. J., & Dahn, J. R. (2005, March). Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and

physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Current Position in Psychiatry,

18(2), 189-193.

Wrenn, C. B. (n.d.). Virtue Ethics. Retrieved from The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

https://www.iep.utm.edu/virtue/