PHP Review by Debbie & Albert
After completing the first portion of the Personal Health Project, I realized that my goal of getting stronger isn’t exactly specific. I know I improved upon it by changing it to being able to do a pull up, but I still don’t feel as if this is correct. I think the ability to do a pull up is a physiological goal; and I’m not sure that this one weight bearing exercise is really that pertinent to the concept of health. I think that is why I suggested Albert study/intervene/understand my ventures into mindfulness in the next PHP component. As part of a 2 credit class I am taking, I am aiming to practice mindfulness at least 30 minutes a day, increasing to 1 hour per day by the end of the 8 week course. I have struggled to find the time and have been hesitant to practice mindfulness when I am inundated with assignments as stress can be the motivator to get tasks done.
Setting my first PHP towards acquiring a physique for Spring Break was a somewhat daunting task, and from a goal-oriented perspective it seemed a bit to general. Debbie instructed me to maintain a log of my lifting progress, aerobic activities, and she also had me measure my baseline levels of body fat and weight. Utilizing these techniques, my goal shifted from a qualitative desire into a tangible and quantitative objective. On several occasions, I fell victim to lethargy but Debbie’s persistent texts and measurements she had me log daily created a sort of empowering motivation to go to the gym. That being said, my next PHP goal that I have asked Debbie’s help with is watching TV. I’d like to cut down on the amount of TV I watch (aside from college hoops), in order to free-up gym-time and sleeping time in my schedule.
After Albert’s wonderful data visualization for the PHP part I presentation, I think I have lots to learn from him.
We’re still working to figure out what the implications of Albert’s new goal, to decrease the time watching TV, will be. I hope to gather data on how much TV he watches, on what platform, the dates/times I intervene, and the things he wishes he had done with the time he spent watching TV. In a way I am encouraging him to practice mindfulness, in that by having him reflect on the potential better usages of his time he may be more mindful of his time. This data collection will then act as an intervention in itself!
Initially, I have some ideas to assist with Debbie’s mindfulness goals. I would like to track her time spent meditating each day and the number of hours of sleep she gets that evening. Probing her for more information, I was able to discern her interests in mindfulness as a method of stress relief. Therefore, I have asked Debbie to track her overall mood via a simple survey (scale from 1 to 5) in her daily data log. As I begin to analyze Debbie’s meditation goals, I may have her employ different methods to help her reach her mindfulness goals. I look forward to this second PHP project and working alongside my new motivational partner Debbie.
We hope to work with each other more, through increased contacts via text or face-to-face meetings in order to get a deeper understanding of these PHP targeted health goals.
Debbie and Albert the PHP team to beat
BME Design 