171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
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June 2008
ARE YOU READY? Stage Your Change!
Have you heard? Achieving optimal weight for health is all about balancing the energy or calories in food with exercise. Usually, this means increasing exercise and decreasing high calorie foods such as sugared beverages, fried foods, and sweets. We know this but discover barriers to actually embracing change in behavior for many reasons (favorite excuses). The time bomb is ticking. The choice is yours. Is now the time for you? Are you ready to change?
There are six stages to change which include the following:
- Pre-contemplation is the stage of denial. "I'm doing just fine. There is no problem." Now, I believe we all have areas for improvement. Personally, my weakness is cookies!
- Contemplation is the stage of acknowledgement. "I know there is a problem, but I just don't want to do anything about it right now. Perhaps in six months." I'm still at the stage where I have never met a cookie I didn't like.
- Preparation is the "call to action" stage. I've stood on the scales and I see a number tipping me to say to myself, "giving up cookies for a while just might be worth it!"
- Action is the stage of changed behavior. In the grocery store, my mantra has become "I will not buy cookies. I will not buy cookies."
- Maintenance is the stage of perseverance and can be the most difficult of all. It's when you carry through with the change for about six months. Saying "no" to cookies on one occasion is very different than saying "no" on a consistent basis.
- Termination is the habitual stage. This is when the behavior has become second nature.
Now, let's suppose I stop buying cookies. Does that mean that I can substitute cookies with cake or does it give me an excuse to give up exercise? The answer is simple - no. Negotiation will be ongoing as you confront your weaknesses, evaluate your current behaviors, and set new goals for yourself. Your goals must be reasonable, specific, and measurable.
Understanding the stages will help you to identify behavior changes that offer true benefits. You will gain insight into what motivates you. You can give yourself credit as you move along the continuum to improved health through lifestyle change. So, what changes can you identify that would improve your health? Do you want to exercise more? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to break the fast-food habit? Do you want to dump the sugared beverages? Do you want to eat more fruits and vegetables? Whatever your goals are, set your priorities and begin to experience the benefits. Change is a process and can oftentimes be difficult but when you finally reach your goals, it is well worth hard work.
The Lean Team is a partnership between MUSC's Adolescent Medicine and Charleston County School District CCSD. Our goal is the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
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Mary Joan
Lean Team |
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