Have you wanted to start a new healthier habit, but never seem to get it to stick? Do you become frustrated and have feelings of self-doubt? Well, we're going to go over what it takes to create a new habit and maintain it long enough until it becomes a natural part of you daily routine.
The Stages of Change.
Before we dive into how to begin and maintain a new habit, let's go over the different stages of change and how to navigate through them.
1. Precontemplation: In this stage, a person is unaware that there needs to be change in the first place and does not intend to make any changes in the near future (usually in the next 6 months). People in this stage often undervalue the benefits of a change and focus on the cons if change is to occur.
EX: "I don't need to change my eating habits or exercise, I'm completely fine the way I am."
2. Contemplation: In this stage a person is aware that change does need to occur and is intending to make a change in the foreseeable future (usually in the next 6 months) but is still weighing the pros and cons of making the change.
EX: "I know I would like to eat healthier and move more, but is it worth it?"
3. Preparation (Determination): In this stage a person is getting ready to make a healthier change in the next 30 days and believe that this change will lead to a healthier life.
EX: "I will make more health-conscious food choices and move more!"
4. Action: In this stage the change has been enacted (within the last 6 months) and intends to keep moving forward with their new behavior. This can be done by modifying the problem behavior or acquiring new healthier behaviors.
EX: I have been eating more whole foods with most of my meals and am walking for at least 30 minutes every other day."
5. Maintenance: In this stage, people have been consistent with their new behavior (for at least 6 months) and work to prevent any relapses in this new behavior, and maybe even build upon it.
EX: I have been eating little to no processed foods and am now working out 2 days a week and would like to start up a yoga practice."
By moving through these stages of change you can begin to understand where you are when enacting a new healthier habit into your daily routine. If at any point you fall off the wagon, look back at what stage of change you finished at with your new habit, and attempt to get further down the chain the next time you try to implement that change. If you seem to have trouble making a specific change, try a new approach or try something else. The trick is to find something YOU can keep consistent and turn into a habit.
How Long Does It Take for a Habit to "Stick"?
This is one of those questions that is not a "one size fits all", it is dependent on the person and the degree of difficulty of the change that is being pursued. For example, if you wanted to have chocolate with your first meal every day, I imagine that wouldn't take long at all to become a habit. Now for someone who is new to exercise, getting up and exercising for 30 minutes every other day may seem a bit more challenging and more difficult to form into a habit. A great way to set yourself up for success is to start with a S.M.A.R.T. goal (click the link to learn more about S.M.A.R.T. goals SMART goals for you and Fido too! (choosetoliveengaged.com). In a nutshell, S.M.A.R.T. goals are seemingly smaller goals that you can keep consistent and lead you to your larger goal. For example, if someone wanted to make more health-conscious food choices, their S.M.A.R.T. goal would be..."I want to have a serving of vegetables with at least 2 meals for 3 months.
Kommentare