UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT 1

Unit 4 Assignment
Tiffany A. Fisher
EF310: Current Trends in Exercise and Fitness: Aging Well Across the Lifespan
Professor Mark Maule
February 20, 2016
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Unit 4 Assignment: Sally Case Study

Sally is a 65-yr old female who is an administrative asst. (Brown, 2015). She spends most

of her day sitting at a desk. She has an additional job, working in a local retail store, where she

spends all of her time on her feet. She is the head of her household, taking care of her disabled

husband and grandson. Her favorite past-time is to relax while knitting and participating in

church functions. She has type II diabetes and has recently been told she will soon be required to

take insulin injections (2015. She has a fear of needles and does not see this as an option. Sally

has never been interested in fitness or sports. She has tried many different exercise programs and

didn’t find enjoyment in a one. Sally currently weighs 218 lbs. and is 5’6” tall. Her BMI is 33.1

and is considered obese. Due to her obesity, her doctors urge her to lose weight and improve her

diet (2015).

Sally’s current stage in The Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change is

Precontemplation. She has not made any decisions or attempts to change her current fitness

and health. Sally has not made any preparation plans or commitments. She has an attitude of

resistance towards fitness. At this time, she sees no benefit of exercise or believes it is too hard

(2015). This client has very-little self-motivation to implement this change. In her biography,

she states “she does not look forward to beginning a new fitness program but she knows she

will hate it (2015).” Additionally, in her audio interview she states she “needs some direction”

and is “intimidated by the gym” (2015). Because of these reasons, she doesn’t have the drive to

start it on her own, she will need a push.

Everyone going through a change in behavior can have real or perceived barriers that

prevent them from doing something different. Some people create these barriers to keep
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themselves from achieving what is hard or difficult. Some barriers are real and can be due to

work schedules, financial situations, and home life. Sally has a very busy life with being the head

of the household. Caring for a spouse and child is demanding, while working two jobs. The little

time she has, she wants to relax. As the sole source of income, finances may not allow her to

spend money on a home fitness system of a gym membership. There is a gym on campus where

she works but due to her insecurities, she doesn’t feel comfortable going.

Motivation and follow-through is key to any successful venture. Sally needs to overcome

her barriers to improve her fitness and health. Motivation can come from many sources.

Depending on the person’s temperament, one may feel motivated by a drill-sergeant personality

type and others can feel discouraged or feel upset by the same behavior. In Sally’s case I would

use techniques explained in an article written by Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, and a few others.

The explained, motivation driven by engaging in an enjoyable activity is called intrinsic

motivation and integrated regulation in which the activity aligns to their persona (Thøgersen-

Ntoumani, 2016). Because Sally doesn’t know where to start, I would suggest activities close to

her interests and likes. Sally enjoys activities with her church, I would empower her to research a

fitness or walking group based out of her church. If one has not been established, I would

suggest for her to start one. Since she enjoys knitting and relaxing, I would suggest looking into

a beginner’s yoga class or look into private lessons if offered on campus or on a video or internet

site. Setting goals for another person does not have the same effect as the same person setting

them for themselves. They would be more likely to reach their goal if it is their own. According

to Gill Furze, clients with more than 2 goals should determine how important the goal is and rank

them in order of importance (Furze, 2015). This activity can be done a piece of paper or a

template. I would have Sally describe what she would like to improve the most and develop
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goals from there. I would have her write them down and post them in her bathroom to see and

visualize her goals and aspirations. Since Sally spends most of her day at a desk, she has little

time for exercise which leaves her with little energy and motivation to exercise. By starting small

and decreasing the amount of sedentary time, she will start to improve her health. Replacing 30

minutes of sedentary time with 30 minutes of light to moderate activity will drive an increase in

insulin sensitivity by 5-18% depending on the intensity (Henson, 2016). While at work, sally can

take a 5-minute walking break every 55 minutes would decrease her sedentary time by 40

minutes in an 8-hour day. Over time, she can increase her time. By doing this, it will increase her

energy and small steps can help her achieve her goals and keep her motivation.

In the Precontemplation stage, Sally might not be ready to start the change. She knows,

she will need to improve her fitness if she wishes to decrease her chances of being dependent

upon insulin shots. By finding enjoyable activities, setting attainable goals and decreasing her

sedentary time, she will stay motivated. With the right education and motivational strategies, she

can take the steps to improve.

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References:

2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Be Active, Healthy, and Happy! (2008).

Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Brown, J. (2015). Biography-Case Study Subject Sally. Pages 1-2. Kaplan University.

Brown, J. (2015). Script-Unit 4 Assignment. Pages 1-2. Kaplan University.

Furze, G. (2015). Goal setting: A key skill for person-centred care. Practice Nursing, 26(5), 241-

244.

Henson, J., Dunstan, D. W., Davies, M. J., & Yates, T. (2016). Sedentary behaviour as a new

behavioural target in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes/Metabolism Research And Reviews, 32 Suppl 1213-220. doi:10.1002/dmrr.2759

Howley, E. (04/2012). Fitness Professional's Handbook, 6th Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved

from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781450471077/

Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Shepherd, S. O., Ntoumanis, N., Wagenmakers, A. M., & Shaw, C. S.

(2016). Intrinsic motivation in two exercise interventions: Associations with fitness and

body composition. Health Psychology, 35(2), 195-198. doi:10.1037/hea0000260

Henson, J., Dunstan, D. W., Davies, M. J., & Yates, T. (2016). Sedentary behaviour as a new

behavioural target in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes/Metabolism Research And Reviews, 32 Suppl 1213-220. doi:10.1002/dmrr.2759