Many people in America need to change in some way or
another. Americans have become unfit,
unhealthy, overweight, have high stress levels, and deal with pain and
disability on a daily basis. We all
could use a little help with changing our daily routine, our diets, and our
other health habits to live healthier and more comfortable lives. Everyone out there has some room for
improvement. The new year always comes
with its ‘resolutions’ but the majority of people do not hang on to these for
the long haul; this is part of the reason we need to have new resolutions each and
every year. “If you try to make a change
but fail to stick with it, you may feel as if there is something wrong with you
and your determination”1 But
there isn’t!
Almost everyone has trouble keeping the change in their life. “Otherwise we would be a nation of calm thin,
salad eaters.”1 We need to
understand that making change is an ongoing process. In the late 1970’s a psychology professor
found that in order to completely change, especially lifestyle changes, we need
to go through five distinct stages.
Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
"Precontemplation is the stage at which you don’t
intend to change a particular behavior in the foreseeable future. In the
contemplation stage, you first start considering change, but you are still
undecided about when to undertake it. That’s followed by the preparation stage,
during which you make firm plans to change your behavior soon. Next is the
action stage, when you actually begin exercising, dieting, or adopting some
other healthy behavior. Finally, you reach the maintenance stage, by which time
you have kept up the new behavior for several months. At this point, you are
working to make your new habits permanent and trying not to backslide."1
Does your physical therapist keep telling you that you need
to correct your posture? Does your physician
tell you that you need to change your diet in order to decrease you blood
pressure or control your diabetes? Have
you been thinking about losing weight?
Are you having a hard time joining or going to the gym? If so, you are ready for change. Let's do it!
Over the next couple blog posts we will talk about each of
these steps, what they entail, what needs to be overcome and how to move to the
next stage.
