Courtesy of www.polyvore.com

Have you ever wondered why it takes you or someone you know so long to make a change that will improve their health or their current situation?  I know I need to eat healthy, exercise, get my finances in order, etc., but in some of these areas I stay in the vicious cycle of “I am going to __________(fill in the blank)!”  You ever hear smokers coughing up lungs and wonder why they haven’t quit smoking with all the ads out here telling us how bad it is.  Well this morning I am putting on my public health hat in order to share with you the theory behind the stages of change we go through when we make up our minds that it is time to make a change.  James Prochaska, Ph.D. developed the Six Stages of Change Theory.  After you read this post, let me know where you are and how you plan to move to the next stage. 

The ultimate goal of #DeathToTheMuffinTop is to make healthy eating and exercise an integral part of my life.  So where am I right now?

The Six Stages of Change

  1. Precontemplation — Precontemplators have no current intention to change.  They may have tried to change a particular behavior in the past and given up, or they may deny the reality of the problem.  They may be demoralized, having dismissed the possibility of ever changing.
  2. Contemplation — Contemplators acknowledge they have a problem and are willing to think about their need to change.  While they are open to information and feedback, they may remain in this stage for years, realizing they have a problem but unable to generate the energy to change.
  3. Preparation — People in this stage are on the verge of action.  They are generally developing action plans and may even have made small changes.
  4. Action — People in this stage are following the action plan they have developed.  The better developed this plan is and the more attention they have given to the work of the contemplation and preparations stages, the more successful they will be.  (Opinion of Kate Larsen, PCC)
  5. Maintenance — Maintainers have been continuously engaged in their change process for at least six months.  While ” just doing it” feels more natural in this stage, overconfidence and life stresses can lead to relapse.
  6. Termination — In this stage, the new behavior has become an integral part of daily life, so much so that the likelihood of relapse is essentially nonexistent.  Some professionals question whether people ever reach this stage, although Prochaska and colleagues say it is possible for a small percentage of individuals.

I think I am constantly going back and forth between Contemplation and Preparation.  I must admit that I have dabbled in Action many times but somehow, someway, I always experience the RELAPSE.  Where are you in the stages of change?  If you wanted to change jobs, improve finances, deepen your spirituality, improve relationships with others….what have you done to move from inaction to action?  We want to hear from you.  If you are one of the soliders who living in Maintenance or Termination — share what you did to get to this place! 

As one of my favorite men in the whole wide world, Barack Obama, oftens says — We have to BE the CHANGE we WANT to SEE.  Let’s Move!

Be Happy. Be Healthy. Be The Change You Want To See.

~Diva T