Behaviour change is the process of modifying your actions, attitudes or habits to improve your well-being or performance. These changes can be temporary or permanent. In order to succeed long term in your health and fitness goals, you need to adopt new habits and behaviours.
There are five stages of behaviour change and although change isn’t easy, understanding the change model can help you understand the process and make it a little easier.
- Precontemplation – often ignoring or denying the problem
- Contemplation – weighing up the pros and cons of making a change
- Preparation – deciding what to do to make the change
- Action – taking steps towards the goal, modifying behaviour
- Maintenance – Working to prevent relapse, sticking to it for the long term
Once you have established the changes you want to make and how you will go about making them you need to start small. Making small changes or creating new habits attached to old ones is the best way to start making small changes that will be sustainable. Once you have developed one new habit consistently, then you can add another.
It’s also important to understand that there are often relapses on the journey, so finding ways to avoid temptation to relapse and/or understanding that a relapse doesn’t mean the end of your journey is super important. Blips happen, it is how you respond to them, that is key.
Remember, you have never failed unless you give up forever. Keep going!
