Select a wellness-related behavior you think you might like to change. Examples are smoking cigarettes, eating candy bars every night, and not wearing a safety belt.

Target behavior

Use your health journal to collect information about your target behavior—what leads up to it and what follows it. By tracing this chain of events, you'll be able to identify points in the chain where you can make a change. The partial behavior chain below shows a sequence of events for a person who wants to add exercise to a daily routine—but who winds up snacking and watching TV instead. By examining the chain carefully, you can identify ways to break it at every step. After you review this sample, go through the same process for a typical chain of events involving your target behavior; use the blank behavior chain on the next page.


Sample Chain of Events   Strategies for Breaking Chain
 
Come home from class You plan an afternoon walk as part of your exercise program.
   
Feel tired, not like exercising Tell yourself you'll feel better and more alert after working out.
   
Look for walking shoes; can't find them Put shoes and clothes for exercise in an obvious place the night before.
   
Feel annoyed Remind yourself of your program goals, and tell yourself that you can stick with it.
   
Go into kitchen, see food, and feel hungry Stay out of the kitchen unless you will be fixing or eating a planned meal or snack.
   
Grab a soda and a bag of chips Have a glass of water or a preprepared healthy snack.
   
Turn on TV and sit down Turn on the radio instead; listen to news or music while you get ready to exercise.
   
Eat chips, watch TV If you like afternoon TV, work out in the morning or exercise in front of the TV on a stationary bike or treadmill.
   
Feel guilty Even if you do have occasional lapses, don't beat yourself up. Think positively about how you'll resume your program the next day.


Chain of Events   Strategies for Breaking Chain