Essay Sample on Losing Weight with Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Introduction

The health behavior theory that I will use in losing weight is the self-determination theory (SDT). The theory states that people are inherently proactive and every individual has a strong desire to grow. According to SDT, three psychological needs are required to regulate human behavior, they include autonomy, competence, and social relationships (Ryan, & Deci, 2017). Autonomy means, “I am in charge". The person wants to have the power of choice and his/her decision making has a meaning for him/her. Competence means, "I can deal with new challenges". It is when one challenges him/herself to become better at something. Relationship means, “I am part of a group". The person feels that what he/she does is important to the other people involved.

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SDT is divided into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is linked to the environment, which is another factor that, according to SDT, strongly influences motivation, which is described by actions and activities carried out in response to something external, aiming at obtaining rewards, obedience to orders or even, to escape sanctions and punishments (Ryan, & Deci, 2017). That is, it is less autonomous because it is regulated externally, by rules, which makes it independent of its values. Intrinsic motivation is linked to activities that an individual can control. Intrinsic motivation will have a greater influence on task motivated individuals since they take part in it for the enjoyment of the activity.

Three Behaviors/Thoughts that Will Help Me

Several behaviors will help me in my exercise plan of fast pace walking. The first activity will be incorporating some exercise into my daily routine. For example, instead of taking the elevator, I will be climbing the stairs. Rather than using the bus, I will be cycling or walking. I will ensure that I transform any repetitive movement or activity into an exercise routine.

The second behavior that will help me is making my exercise less boring my listening to music as I walk, this will help me to focus less on the distance to be covered. It will be easier to walk for longer distances without getting bored. The third behavior that will help me is starting slowly then progressing as I become more used to fast pace walking.

Physical endurance is not acquired overnight. Patience is important, and it is not advisable to do sports in excess, especially if one is just starting, because it is normal for one to tire very quickly and even injure oneself (Diehr & Hirsch, 2010). If, for example, one wants to start jogging, the technique should be simple; start with 15 minutes or less, but doing it constantly and without over-demanding oneself. The body should dictate the rhythm (Murtagh et al., 2005). They can be three days a week, every other day or every day, but one should set daily or weekly goals and little by little., the person will get used to his/her body to improve their resistance.

Three Behaviors/Thoughts that will Sabotage my Plan

Committing to physical activity is not an easy task and there will be several challenges that one faces (Brannon, Updegraff, & Feist, 2018). The first challenge is saying that I do not have time. This is a common excuse that people use, adding that other activities such as jobs and school consume all time and there is hardly time left to engage in physical activities.

The second challenge I will face is my thoughts telling me that it will be an expensive undertaking since I will have to buy shorts, shoes, and a watch among others. The third challenge I will face is being discouraged when I do not see any changes. A mistake when starting any physical routine is hoping to get the perfect body after a short while and when this does not happen, one gets frustrated and loses motivation.

Three Reminders/Placements

For the days that I will be exercising, I will have several reminders. First, I will set my phone alarm to ring 20 minutes before I start exercising. The 20 minutes will help me prepare, wear my gear and warm up a little bit. Secondly, I will have a calendar in my room and I will mark all the days that I have to exercise. I will mark with a red pen to ensure it is easily visible. Thirdly, I will ensure I have sticker notes on the fridge. The sticker notes will have reminder messages of when I will be exercising and the benefits that I will get from exercising. I will be replacing the stickers at the beginning of every week.

Two Possible Rewards

There are several ways that I will reward myself for sticking to my exercise routine every week. Once every month, I will be treating myself to a wellness gateway or an active vacation program that will include fun activities such as hiking. I will get to interact with other people who are also exercising and other than enjoying myself, it will also be a great source of motivation. My second reward, which I will be getting at the end of every wake, is having a relaxing massage. A massage has several benefits, it improves blood flows, makes one feel good, and relieves sore muscles.

Conclusion

For fast pace walking to be effective, certain rules must be observed. First of all, I will have to walk at a faster pace than I usually do. It is then necessary to maintain this pace over time, at least 30 minutes, an hour ideally. At this rate, fast pace walking is almost as effective as jogging for losing weight (Rodriguez-Hernandez & Wadsworth, 2019; Popkin, 2009). Indeed, it allows the heart rate to reach the threshold allowing burning a maximum of fats. Thus, an hour of fast pace walking by following these rules will allow me to burn more calories. Besides weight loss, fast pace walking offers the same benefits as running (Serwe, Swartz, Hart, & Strath, 2011). It is excellent for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, and much less painful for the joints. Fast pace walking also prevents the buildup of bad cholesterol while promoting the good, which helps keep arteries healthy and fight hypertension. As can be observed, fast pace walking has many advantages and it will be highly beneficial to me.

References

Brannon, L., Updegraff, J. A., & Feist, J. (2018). Health psychology: An introduction to behavior and health (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. https://duranbooks.net/shop/health-psychology-an-introduction-to-behavior-and-health-9th-edition-ebook/

Diehr, P., & Hirsch, C. (2010). Health benefits of increased walking for sedentary, generally healthy older adults: using longitudinal data to approximate an intervention trial. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences, 65(9), 982-989. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920578/

Murtagh, E. M., Boreham, C. A., Nevill, A., Hare, L. G., & Murphy, M. H. (2005). The effects of 60 minutes of brisk walking per week, accumulated in two different patterns, on cardiovascular risk. Preventive Medicine, 41(1), 92-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.10.008

Popkin, B. M. (2009). Fifteen-year longitudinal trends in walking patterns and their impact on weight change. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89(1), 19-26. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2008.26147

Rodriguez-Hernandez, M. G., & Wadsworth, D. W. (2019). The effect of 2 walking programs on aerobic fitness, body composition, and physical activity in sedentary office employees. PloS One, 14(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210447

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-04680-000

Serwe, K. M., Swartz, A. M., Hart, T. L., & Strath, S. J. (2011). Effectiveness of long and short bout walking on increasing physical activity in women. Journal of Women's Health, 20(2), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2010.2019