Table 1 Exercise Counselling Protocol
Weeks | Process of change | Exercise Counselling framework: Examples of skills and techniques used |
|---|---|---|
1–2 Cognitive | Consciousness Raising | a. Review first session: |
• How did it feel? Was it difficult/easy? | ||
• Did you enjoy it? | ||
Dramatic Relief | • Importance of exercise, why do we need to warm up & cool down | |
Decisional Balance | • Heart rate monitoring, what to wear, what & when to drink | |
• What to expect in the coming weeks. | ||
• Any questions | ||
b. Healthy eating | ||
• What is it? | ||
• When should I eat? | ||
• What type of foods are good/not so good? | ||
• Hand out standard dietary information sheet | ||
c. Benefits of exercise | ||
• How often? | ||
• How hard? | ||
• Where and when? | ||
3–4 Cognitive | Self Re-evaluation | d. Which physical exercises do I prefer? |
Decisional Balance | • Previous exercise experiences, why this worked / failed. | |
• What other exercises might you like to try? | ||
Consciousness Raising | e. Do you know? | |
• Benefits of exercise | ||
• Importance of healthy eating | ||
f. Are you enjoying the sessions? | ||
• What do you like? | ||
• What do you dislike? | ||
• What would you change? | ||
• Is it what you had expected? | ||
g. Active and healthy living | ||
• Food groups, choices, portion sizes. | ||
• The breakfast challenge | ||
• Review healthy eating card. | ||
5–6 Cognitive and Behavioural | Self Re-evaluation | h. Evaluate sessions so far |
• How do you feel about exercise now? | ||
Goal setting/Self-regulation | • How comfortable do you feel exercising? | |
• Which exercises do you enjoy the most? | ||
Social Support | i. Introduce goal setting | |
• What is it? | ||
• How might it help? | ||
• Set one exercise goal and one healthy eating goal for the week | ||
j. Findings support for exercise | ||
• Thinking of others who might encourage participation in exercise | ||
• Finding someone to talk to when exercising is difficult | ||
• Consider ways in which to exercise with other people | ||
7–8 Behavioural | Goal setting/Self-regulation | k. Review goals |
• Did you achieve them? | ||
• If yes then well done! | ||
Stimulus Control | • If not then why not? What can we do to help change this? | |
Reinforcement Management and Self-Liberation | l. Cues for action | |
• Thinking of tasks that might prompt participation in exercise | ||
m. Thinking about moving on from the programme | ||
• Home programme phase | ||
• Future exercise options | ||
n. Looking and planning ahead. SWOT analysis | ||
• What will help me to exercise in the future? | ||
• What will stop me? | ||
o. What have I achieved so far | ||
• Review exercise | ||
• Review healthy eating | ||
• What do I want to achieve from here? | ||
• Thinking positively and taking positive action | ||
• What has been learned |