Personal Improvement Project

1. Personal Improvement Project By: K F Spring 2005

2. Problem Description • Poor Diet • No Exercise • Both of these issues have led me to gain weight and lose muscle mass. This in turn has decreased my energy levels.

3. My Goal • First, to begin an exercise routine that will increase in volume and intensity as I become more fit. This will result in increased muscle mass as evidenced by increasing weight load. Resting pulse rate will also decrease. The exercise will also assist in decreasing body weight related to excess fat. • Second, to change my eating habits to food lower in fat and sodium and higher in complex carbohydrates and protein. Also, to decrease total caloric consumption daily. This will result in a decrease in body fat as evidenced by a decrease in body weight.

4. Current Lifestyle Challenges • Working 12 hour night shifts three times per week. • Enrolled in three classes at school. • Club duties • Preparing for LSAT • Housework • Feeling too tired or too busy to exercise or eat a proper diet.

5. Exercise Before Intervention • No set schedule. Workouts were fit in at any time I felt motivated enough to do it. • Frequency of exercise varied from once to three times per week. • Intensity of Exercise varied from 15 minutes to 60 minutes. • Weight lifted was not measured.

6. Diet before Intervention • Diet consisted of mostly canned, frozen or restaurant food. This resulted in a diet heavy in salt and fat. • Eating times were also sporadic. This usually resulted in two very large meals a day with snacks heavy in salt and fat in between.

7. Wake up and get ready for work. Go to work at the hospital for 12 hour shift. Drive Home Eat before going to bed. Watch TV before going to bed. Go straight to bed. Hospital Work Routing 3x/week

8. Wake-up and shower. Eat Breakfast Watch TV Exercise School Work Club Work House Work LSAT Work Day-off work routing 4x/week

10. Plan of Action • Environmental Move a TV into the basement in front of the stationary bicycle. Stop purchasing frozen food and canned soups. Reduce Hospital shifts from 3 to 2 days per week. Change shift time from night shift to day shift. • Personal Purchase low fat and low sodium foods. • Equipment Set-up exercise equipment in the basement. Set-up food scale in kitchen.

11. Schedule/Lifestyle Change • A bench press with cage, dumbbells, stationary bicycle, EZ bar, and punching bag were set-up in the basement with a TV placed in front of the bicycle. A food scale was placed in the basement. • My hospital shifts were cut down to 2 days per week: Saturday and Sunday. My shifts were changed from night to day 3 weeks later. • My process owner affects my eating habits because he does most of the shopping. I have instructed him to stop purchasing frozen food and to stop purchasing canned soups. I have begun shopping for items to replace those items. • Data was collected for 10 weeks.

12. Total Calories Total Caloric intake did not exceed the UCL after the CQI intervention period began. Although, there were four occasions when daily total Caloric intake exceeded the limit set in the goal. Also, prior to the intervention there was a significantly high daily caloric intake as evidenced by the UCL being crossed.

13. Total Sodium Total daily sodium intake did not exceed the UCL after the CQI intervention began. However, there is one occasion noted when the limit set in the goal was exceeded. Before the intervention began there was a significantly high amount of days exceeding the limit as evidenced by the UCL being crossed.

14. Percent Fat Goal • Daily percent fat intake did not exceed the UCL after the CQI intervention period began. Although there was one occasion at which time the percent fat daily limit was exceeded. However, there was a significantly high percent fat intake period prior to the intervention as evidenced by the UCL being crossed.

15. Exercise Frequency The exercise frequency goal was achieved without failure after the CQI intervention began as evidenced by the UCL not being crossed. However, there was a significant number of missed days prior to the intervention period as evidenced by the UCL being crossed. Also, after the intervention period began there were six occasions of missed periods of exercise; although, none were significant.

16. Elliptical Exercise Machine The above chart depicts the trend in exercise intensity on an elliptical machine during the course of the CQI intervention. The elliptical machine is used for cardiovascular training and weight loss.

17. Bench Press Weight The above chart depicts the trend in the amount of weight lifted on the bench press. As can be seen, there is an upward trend in weight lifted from the start of the CQI intervention.

18. Body Weight Trend The above chart depicts the trend in body weight from the start of the CQI intervention. As can be seen, there is a downward trend.

19. Resting Pulse Trend The above chart shows the trend in resting pulse since the CQI intervention. As can be seen, there is a downward trend in resting pulse after the intervention began.

20. Results and New Goals • The first nine days showed failures in meeting the goals of exercise and diet; however, there was improvement in every category with no significant failure after day nine. • My main interventions began after day nine. This is the point were I transitioned from working 3 twelve hours shifts per week to working 2 and from working night shifts to working day shifts. • The best change was the transition from working nights to days. This improved my sleep dramatically which resulted in more energy for exercise and preparing a proper meal.