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Twenty years ago, psychologists James O. Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente observed that it’s hard to change a health habit. To alter lifelong patterns driven by human needs requires a level of commitment that not everyone is ready to give. As a result, they developed the "Transtheoretical Model of Change," which today is used widely in health behavior change programs. Stage 1 – Precontemplation. You may be in denial, so even if you do have a health problem, you don’t believe it and you resist any information that contradicts your belief. You may not understand the consequences of your health habit, or you may have tried to change before unsuccessfully and have given up. Whatever the reason, at this point you have no commitment to change. Stage 2 – Contemplation. You’ve recognized that you have a problem, and you’ve become concerned enough about your health that your commitment to change is growing. You’d like to make a change sometime in the future, and you’ve started learning more about your condition. But you’re weighing the costs of change, and at this point, you haven’t made up your mind. Stage 3 – Preparation. Maybe your problem has started to cause problems, or maybe your doctor scared you with straight talk. Now your commitment is strong enough that you’re ready to invest in your change journey. You plan to take action in the very near future, and you take first steps to evaluate your condition, set goals, decide what you’re going to do and make arrangements for following through. Stage 4 – Action. You’re fully committed and carrying out activities designed to establish new health habits. You monitor progress and work towards your goal, dealing with setbacks and making adjustments. Stage 5 – Maintenance. You have already achieved your goal, and you’re committed to making the change permanent. As you continue making a conscious effort to establish your new health habits, you gain confidence and have fewer setbacks. This five-stage model helps you see that changing your health habits is a journey, not a single event. So a setback along the way doesn’t mean failure. You accept this event as a predictable part of the process, quickly get back on track and keep moving forward until you succeed. Also, seeing where you are in the process can help you appreciate what lies ahead.
Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com
Dennis E. Coates is CEO of Performance Support Systems, author of MindFrames, a brain-based personality assessment system (www.initforlife.com) and co-founder of the Train-to-Ingrain alliance (www.train-to-ingrain.com, info@train-to-ingrain.com, 800-488-6463), which delivers a reinforcement-centered approach to learning and development that achieves permanent, measurable improvements in workplace behavior and positive impacts on business results.
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