Making The Change
When it comes to sticking to new year’s resolutions, it is important to recognize your preparedness for change. When it comes to behavioral change, in our case health related behavioral changes, there are stages that are established by The Transtheoretical Model that identify where you are in behavioral changing process.
Stage 1: Precontemplation (Not Ready)
Stage 2: Contemplation (Getting Ready)
Stage 3: Preparation (Ready)
Stage 4: Action
Stage 5: Maintenance
When people are in the precontemplational and contemplational stages, their risk to engage in the problem behavior is significantly higher compared to individuals who are in the action and maintenance phases. This is why it is so easy to relapse or put off pursuing a new goal. Research has shown that utilizing personal trainer, fitness coach, or other health care professional to assist in obtaining a desired behavior has a significant effect in stage progression and helps to prevent stage regression.
In other words, regardless of what stage you are in to begin, utilizing a health care professional will increase the likelihood that you achieve and maintain your goals while preventing the likelihood of regression. For maximal, long-term results, your process should focus on self-efficacy and should be tailored based on the process of behavioral change. This ensures that changes that are made can be self-managed with the assistance of your health care professional rather than being dependent upon your health care professional.
Consistency is key when making long-term health changes. When an individual uses an exercise regimen that is tailored to them specifically, they are more likely to perform the prescribed exercises. A tailored exercises program is written with a specific goal in mind, which is often accompanied by a subset of goals, which allows progress to be easily tracked. This is beneficial in reinforcing the desired behavior.
Don’t let another year go by wishing that you would have stuck to your health resolution. Make and pursue goals and when you feel like you have reached a plateau, need assistance figuring out how to reach your goals, or just need a little extra motivation contact a professional. We, at Luminosity Physical Therapy, would help you help you reach your goals, develop life-long habits, and improve your overall health and quality of life.
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done” – Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States
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References:
Jordan J.L., Holden M.A., Mason E.E.J., Foster N.E. Interventions to improve adherence to exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD005956. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005956.pub2.
McClaran SR. The effectiveness of personal training on changing attitudes towards physical activity. J Sports Sci Med. 2003;2(1):10–14. Published 2003 Mar 1.
Noar, S.M., Benac, C.N., and Harris, M.S. (2007) Does tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 4, 673-693.
The Transtheoretical Model. Pro-Change, Behavioral Systems Inc. Website https://www.prochange.com/transtheoretical-model-of-behavior-change. Accessed January 3, 2020.