A Time for Change: Final Stage – Maintenance

This may be the most important stage of them all.  You have now made the change in your life and your healthy behavior is starting to become normal rather than something that you HAVE to do.  At this point you have been doing your new activity or have changed your behavior for at least six months.  Your focus now is to stick with this activity indefinitely, at least in some form.  You need to be very vigilant at this time as you may fall back to old habits as you start to take advantage of the great change you notice in your life.  The more you are tempted by how good you look, how great your feel, or how others may comment on your attitude the easier it will be to think it will always be this way.

This being said, it is normal to have setbacks at anytime, even years after your initial change.  “But the longer you let them continue, the more likely it is that little setbacks will grow into big ones.”¹ As time passes you will feel more confident in your change and it will become routine, something you may not even need to think about. 

Enjoy the benefits you have gained over this time frame.  If you continue to focus on the positive change in your life you will succeed in your new behavior.  Along with this, you are ready to be successful the next time your lifestyle needs some change.

If you need any help with this process of change, especially if it is regarding pain that you have or your current fitness level make sure to visit Hayashida and Associates for a jump start.

Reference: http://www.arthritisselfmanagement.com/newsletter/12-15-2011/time-for-a-change/?page=all

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