Assess

Assessment Instructions

Therapeutic Lifestyle Change can be summarized in 3 Basic Elements using only 5 words:
  • Eat Less
  • Move More
  • Relax
It seems so simple! Why should anyone need a year-long TLC Program (12 weeks Action + 36 weeks Maintenance) to make these basic changes? We hear the answers to this question in the frustration of our new participants: I need help...
  • I can't control my eating.
  • I can't get off the couch.
  • I don't know how to relax.
These statements do sound pathetic, but they are said repeatedly by nearly everyone, and the statements are true! It is all because of our sinful natures. Left to our own inclinations, we willingly destroy ourselves!
Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know (understand) it?
Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end (results) thereof are the ways of death.
Is it any wonder our "healthcare" has been reduced to disease management?
The OptiHealth TLC Program is designed to help you achieve and maintain a healthier lifestyle by faith -- by miraculously changing through the grace of God your human nature to have more noble goals and the power to achieve them. This spiritual "heart transplant" naturally changes your lifestyle to one that improves your health, prevents or even reverses chronic disease, and enhances the quality and quantity of your life.
Psalms 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Assessing your Therapeutic Lifestyle Change allows you to witness (in slow motion) the fulfillment of this promised miracle. It is a miracle. We may know what happens in the transformation, but we do not really know how God makes it happen.
To Assess the effectiveness of your TLC Program (and then to modify your Plan accordingly), you need to track both:
  1. Your Efforts, and
  2. The Results of your efforts.
You (and your Coach) will Assess your TLC Program:
  • Every 7 days (weekly) during your Action Stage.
  • Every 28 days (monthly) during your Maintenance Stage.
Frequently assessing your progress helps ensure your success, because each assessment:
  • Holds you accountable (your results are a reflection of your efforts).
  • Motivates you along the way (more consistent efforts produce better results).
Assessing Your Efforts
During your Action Planning Appointment with your OptiHealth Coach:
  • You set the Start Date for your TLC Program to begin on a Sunday.
  • Your TLC Program is designed to develop in weekly cycles (Sunday-Saturday) for 12 weeks.
  • Your Program's TLC Score Card for Week #1 included only the Basic 3 Elements plus the Faith Component.
  • A new Component will be added each week over the first 7 weeks of your TLC Program for a total 7 Components.​
  • Each Sunday, your completed Score Card will reflect your efforts for implementing the Components of your TLC Program.
  • ​You will use your weekly TLC Score Card to assess your efforts during the previous​ week.​​
Each Sunday:​
  • Review your Daily Component Scores to Assess your adherence* to each Component day-by-day.
  • Review your Total Weekly Scores (right column) to Assess your adherence to each Element for that week.
  • ​Review your Grand Total Score to Assess your overall adherence to your TLC Program.
  • Compare your earned points to the possible points for each Element.
  • Determine how much progress you have made in changing your lifestyle.
Changing your health choices changes your health behaviors (lifestyle) and results in achieving and maintaining your Optimal Health. This is why your TLC Program revolves around your TLC Score Card.
Assessing Your Results
Since all the different, specific Elements of the 7 Components of your personalized TLC Program are designed to help you achieve and maintain the 3 Basic Elements of a healthier lifestyle, there are only 3 Results that need to be assessed (measured) week-to-week:
  • Your Weight
  • Your Fitness Level
  • Your Stress Level
Use the forms linked below and follow the instructions to measure and track your results for the 3 Basic TLC Elements:
1. Weight Measurement:
  • Every Sunday morning, measure your Weight at the same time using the same scale.​
  • Determine your change in Weight and record it on your Progress Chart & Graph.
  • Optional: Take an identical full-length photo of yourself in similar clothing each week.
2. Fitness Measurement:
  • Every Sunday, do the 50-meter Shuttle Walk/Jog for 10-minutes at a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) of 6.
  • Be sure to count your laps and measure your Distance accurately.
  • Determine your change in Distance and record it on your Progress Chart & Graph.
3. Stress Measurement:
  • Every Sunday, calculate your previous week's Stress Index by using the form linked below.
  • Add your Daily Stress Ratings, divide the total by 7, and multiply by 100 to get the weekly Stress Index.
  • Determine your change in Stress and record it on your Progress Chart & Graph.
Stress includes both Eustress (positive) and Distress (negative) stress.
Eu·stress /ˈyo͞oˌstres/ - a positive form of moderate or normal psychological stress from pleasant experiences having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and well-being that elicit positive emotions, such as: contentment, joy, peace, and love.
Distress is when someone has deeply unpleasant feelings and/or symptoms (nausea, trembling, loss of appetite, insomnia, poor concentration), or unpleasant experiences having a detrimental effect on health, motivation, performance, and wellbeing that elicit negative emotions, such as: anger, anxiety, and/or sadness,
Humans need a certain amount of stress to function properly. It gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. ​
  • A stress level of 5 may be considered healthy, where you can most fully experience the "joys of life.".
Daily Stress Rating: At the end of each day throughout your TLC Program:​​
  • Estimate the range of distress you experience away from your healthy stress of 5 each day.
  • Use a scale of 0-5 to estimate your highest levels of Anger, Anxiety, and Sadness during the day.
  • Add your Anger & Anxiety levels to your Baseline of 5.
  • Example: Baseline 5 + Anger 2 + Anxiety 1 = Stress Range of 5 + 3 = 8.
  • Subtract your Sadness level from your Baseline of 5.
  • Example: Baseline 5 - Sadness 1 = Stress range of 5 - 1 = 4.
  • Your Stress Range for this example is 4-8 on a scale of 0-15.
  • Also indicate where in that range you spent most of your day.
  • Example: 5.5
Even though you had a relatively rough day, if you are able to regulate your emotional responses to resolve stressful situations quickly and appropriately, you can maintain balance and appreciate the little ups and downs that make life more interesting and meaningful.
4. Nutrition Measurement:
  • Starting Week #4, you will use the form linked below to determine your Nutritional Status and track the results from changing  your food choices.
  • Determine your change in Nutritional Status and record it on your Progress Chart.
Optional Measurements
Body Composition Measurements. If your TLC Program includes Weight Loss as a secondary goal, you may want to measure the results listed below each month.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Waist Circumference
  • Waist:Height Ratio (WHR)
  • Percent Body Fat
Free Assessment Services
Functional Fitness Measurements. If your TLC Program includes Functional Fitness (beyond basic aerobic fitness), you may want measure the results of your enhanced Fitness Component each quarter (every 3 months). 
  • Functional Capacity (4-minute Shuttle Jog/Run)
  • Muscle Strength Tests (Legs, Core, Arms)​
Medical-Fitness Technician Fee $15
includes a personalized Exercise Rx
Medical Tests. If your​ TLC Program is to help manage (reverse) a lifestyle-related Chronic Disease, you doctor will probably measure the results listed below periodically. (These test results can be included in your Progress Reports.)
  • Blood Pressure
  • Fasting Blood Glucose (sugar)
  • Fasting Lipid (cholesterol) Panel (Total, LDL, HDL, TG, Total/HDL Ratio)
  • Carotid Vascular Ultrasound
  • Coronary Angiogram
Medication Use. If a goal of your TLC Program is to reduce or eliminate your need of  Rx & OTC Medication, you may want to closely document the changes in your doctor's treatment plan for your health condition(s).
  • List all your current, on-going medications and specify:
  • Medical indication  (Why your doctor prescribed the medication for you.)
  • How long you have been using the medication.
  • Current dose and frequency.
  • Cost of the medication.
  • Effectiveness of the medication.
  • Adverse "side" effects that you experience from using the medication.
Over the course of your medical treatment:
  • Indicate the date and the Rx change for each medication.
TLC by Faith Witnessing Opportunity: Keep all your Assessment Records. Towards the end of your Maintenance Stage you will have the opportunity to create a short testimonial video (with our assistance if needed) for you to share on your social media platforms. Candid photos of your transformation and your journal entries are very helpful in the creation process.