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Change is necessary for growth especially when your health is at risk. But there are so many times when people are trying hard to make changes that won’t happen. What could be the reason for that? Let’s look into this question by focusing on the stages of change by understanding the transtheoretical health model! 

In this blog post, I will specifically discuss the stages of change in terms of living a healthy lifestyle and the other areas of life (such as financial or relationship issues) that won’t be included here.

Health-behavior Models

Last time I was discussing the role of the health coach, but I want to emphasize that there is a way to coach yourself if you want to save money by understanding your behavior and the legacy of the health behavior models.

Health-behavior models are concerned with the question of what factors will influence someone to make a behavior change in order to improve his or her health and wellness situation.

These models suggest that without the right behavior the change might not happen. Therefore it is crucial for you to understand the motives that drive your behavior right now in order to find out what you can expect of yourself in terms of making lifestyle changes.

Transtheoretical Model Of Behavior Change

One of the most popular health-behavior models that could help you move further with your healthy lifestyle goals is the transtheoretical model of behavior change. 

As the image of alignedholistics.com shows according to this model there are six stages of changes: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance (1.).

In order to pursue your health and fitness goals, it is important for you to be aware of which stage you are at now!

So the purpose of this blog post is to describe these 6 stages and to help you to make changes the smart way.

1.Precontemplation

This is the stage where your journey will likely begin. At this point, you could still be unaware of the importance of the health problem you are encountering and you also feel it might not be solved. According to a study, 40% of the people are at this stage (2.).

What are the goals at this stage???

Well… Since the main issue of this stage is that you are not completely aware of the issue you need to solve you should increase your awareness by looking into the major risks if you don’t make a change. You could also benefit from success stories of people who have already been through this process and have made changes. 

The best strategies to follow here!!!

After increasing awareness, you should think through what scenarios could happen if you don’t make the change. Is there any option to make the change in a way that won’t clash with your values?

Let’s take an example: You are trying to lose weight!

What is the goal here: To get to know the major health risks of being obese or overweight, such as heart disease, diabetes 2, or the risk of cancer. The other goal is to get to know people who had the same weight-loss problem that you are experiencing and read about them or even talk to them. 

Strategy: Write down on a paper what could happen to you if you don’t make the change and think about a way of change that won’t disturb your value system or your current lifestyle very much. For example, if you are at home with a baby and you are too busy, try to find options where you can exercise with a baby or look up healthy recipes for busy moms.

2.Contemplation

The second one of the stages of change is contemplation. At this stage, you understand the health issue you are having and weighing the pros and cons to make the lifestyle change. You also have some ideas about how you will make the change. You are not quite at the stage of making the change, however, the light is visible at the end of the tunnel. According to the study that was mentioned above the other 40% of people were at this stage (2.).

The goal here is to explore all the options you have and make notes about them. After exploring your options, evaluate whether you are ready to make the decision about the change.

Staying at the weight-loss example as a new mom, you looked up all the options, you realize that you are ready to make a change and you decided that you will change. For example, you have found a great blog of easy and healthy recipes that you could start making.

If so, you are ready for the next stage!

3. Preparation

20% of people are usually at this stage and there is a reason for that: Without preparation, it is very hard to make smart changes. You need this initial step before you actually step into the field of doing. Because you should be aware of what you are about to do, especially if you are about to do something you have not really done before.

So the goal at the preparation stage is to evaluate the opportunities you were seeking at the previous stage, make a plan preferably with baby steps that you know you will be able to pursue.

So let’s stay at our weight loss example!

In the previous step you decided that you are ready to make a change because you have found a very informative blog about healthy and easy home-cooked dinners. You also noticed that this blog has a Facebook group for a minimal amount ($5/month) where you can ask questions and have the chance to be a part of a community. So you are ready, but you still have to make a plan how you will incorporate making these recipes into your daily schedule. Making the plan and deciding that you will stick with it will give you the power to be ready for the next step.

4. Action

One of the hardest things is to make it to this stage! So you should be really proud if you are at this stage. Here you basically start fulfilling the plan you made at the previous stage.  First of all, it could be a great idea to establish a self-monitoring system that will hold you accountable. And the second thing is to be aware that there could be lapses, so it is important to think about how you can cope with lapses effectively.

Staying at the weight-loss example, setting up a monitoring system could mean that rewarding yourself on a weekly basis with something if you stick to the plan. This could also set you up for handling the lapses because if the reward is going to an Italian restaurant and having your favorite pasta meal that could actually help you feel more enthusiastic about the whole process and avoid lapses.

5. Maintenance

After being at the previous stage for at least six months you will be at the maintenance stage of your progress. This is the last and the hardest one of the stages of change beside the action.

It is so strange that we often hear that starting is the hardest part. However, it is not necessarily quite true. In the case of this health-behavior model, the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages (which is actually the beginning of the whole process) seemed to be the easier parts since most people are at these two stages of change.

That being said the biggest goal at this stage is to maintain the interest and avoid burnout or boredom. The best strategies for that is to

• reevaluate the current strategies you follow
• and think about transition options in case of experiencing boredom or lack of interest.

As I said before, for growth some change is kind of needed. So think about that and be prepared for potential lapses in your case by making notes about other potential options. 

Regarding the weight-loss issue, you should also consider visiting an online workshop about making keto-friendly recipes or going to a restaurant with a friend that has keto-friendly, paleo, or vegan meals if you want to give up meat. 

So I hope this blog post gives you an idea of the stages of change and to find out which stage of change you are at and what you should be doing in order to proceed.

Since I am about to become an ACE Certified health and weight-loss coach I am taking on weight loss coaching clients for testimonials for a limited amount of time. Write an email to eszter@wellnesswitheszter.com now in order to learn more about the opportunity if you are interested in weight loss coaching to improve your health and fitness!

Stay healthy and safe,

Eszter

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