Instructions:

Personal Assessment: Diet Quality and Physical Activity Status

You will complete an exercise using the SparkPeople food and physical activity tracking system. SparkPeople is a free online tracking system which will allow you to assess your current diet and physical activity levels. If you are already using another tracking system like Myfitnesspal, you can also use that software for this assignment.

Instructions for using SparkPeople:

1. Go to http://www.sparkpeople.com/ and click “Register for Free.” If you already have an account with SparkPeople, please log in at this point and skip steps 2 and 3.
2. Choose a username, enter your email, and create a password. Click “Create your FREE account.”
3. Click “See Your Recommended Goals.” Click “Choose Membership Type.” Then click “Get Basic Membership” and check any boxes that pertain to your health conditions. Click“Save & Continue.”
4. Click “My Trackers” near the top of the SparkPeople website and click “myNutrition.” Type in the food eaten and click “Search.” Enter the food eaten and the amount, and then click “Add Food to Tracker.” Enter all foods eaten for three days. After 3 days of foods have been entered, click “My Trackers,” then click “Reports.” Choose one of the Nutrition Reports and paste a screen shot of your 3 days of foods eaten directly into the Unit 1 Assignment Microsoft Word Document.
5. Click “My Trackers” and click “myFitness.” Type in the activity you completed and click “Search.” Select the activity completed and indicate the amount of time it took to complete it. Click “Add Exercise to Tracker.” Enter all activities you completed for three days. After 3 days of activity has been entered, click “My Trackers,” then click “Reports.” Choose one of the Fitness Reports and paste a screen shot of your 3 days of activity directly into the Unit 1 Assignment Microsoft Word Document.

In the same Microsoft Word document that contains your screen shots, write a 1-page paper answering the following questions:

How does your diet compare to the current USDA Dietary Guidelines? The USDA Dietary Guidelines can be found at the following website: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.

What were the major influences on your food choices and your physical activity? For example, were you influenced by family, the media, reasons, etc.?

What improvements could be made to the Dietary Guidelines to help consumers overcome barriers to choosing healthy foods and engaging in regular physical activity?