Taking One Step at a Time

By Team Beachbody

According to behavior researcher James Prochaska, Ph.D., successful change has a number of stages. In your own attempt to change your behavior in an effort to lose weight or get in shape, a slow and steady pace may get you there faster than trying to change overnight, and will create a more lasting result.

Most people know what they need to do to live a healthier life (eat better, get more exercise, improve flexibility/posture, etc.), so why aren't they successfully changing their behavior to make better lifestyle choices?

According to Dr. Prochaska, successful lifestyle change evolves through 5 stages.

For a lifestyle change, the internal dialogue a person might go through to successfully change includes:

1. Pre-contemplation: "My body feels fine, but I sometimes wonder if I could get a 6-pack stomach like I see in magazines."
2. Contemplation: "I think it would feel good to have flatter abs, but I'm not ready to invest any time to try something yet, especially if it means the possibility of failure."
3. Preparation: "I'm talking to people to see what they do to 'tighten up' their abs and considering options. I'm starting to do crunches at home or the gym, but I'm not quite sure what to do to commit to the goal. But I am starting to be motivated by my progress."
4. Action: "I'm working my abs in a complete routine with the goal to have them completely transformed within 60 days. I can already feel how much stronger my back and stomach are."
5. Maintenance: "I take a few minutes a few times a week to maintain my flat stomach because it makes me feel good about myself, plus it makes all other activities that much more enjoyable because of my core strength in my abs."

Since action, or "acting out" the new behavior, doesn't come until the fourth stage, there's a lot of groundwork to be done before change is implemented. That's why successful change usually doesn't happen overnight. It's essential to develop what Dr. Prochaska calls "motivational readiness to change."

His advice is simple: Take small steps toward the goal. Let long-term change be a gradual process, and if you have a vision of where you want to go those small steps will get you there with less upheaval than a big jump. The results, such as feeling better about yourself, will last.