Are You Ready For Change? - HealthSteps Rx

At HealthSteps Rx, we know that promising you an improved outcome by guiding you through the “steps” needed to promote a healthier and happier life, does not guarantee your motivation for long-term change.

We understand that the behavioral change process is a complex one, and we are here to support you through this process.

However, it is important for both you and us to understand what stage you are at in the process of change. For most people, a change in behavior is gradual with one moving from being either uninterested or unaware or unwilling to make a change (the precontemplation stage), to considering a change (the contemplation stage), to deciding and preparing to make that change.

In addition, you may or may not follow the stage of change in order, and you may be like most people who accomplish some of the stages but then relapse into a previous stage. Relapses are inevitable, but become part of the process
of working toward a life-long change.

Precontempation Stage:
If you are in this stage, you are not even considering making a change. If you are a smoker, you may be in denial and think that the advice to quit doesn’t apply to you. If you have a high cholesterol level, you may feel immune to potential health complications. If you are overweight or obese, and have tried unsuccessfully in the past to lose weight, you may have completely given up.

Contemplation Stage:
If you are in this stage, you are feeling ambivalent about change. You may feel a sense of loss instead of a perceived gain by giving up something you enjoy. When in this stage, you look at the barriers (such as time, fear, expense, hassle), as well as the benefits of change.

Preparation Stage:
You are preparing to make a specific change if you are in this stage. You might be experimenting with small changes and are determined to continue to make changes. For example: you might be deciding to switch from using whole milk to 2% milk in your long-range goal to use only skim milk. Or you may be thinking about decreasing the amount of soda you are drinking.

Action Stage:
This is the stage healthcare professionals would like to see you in. However, action itself is not enough if you have skipped over the previous stages, as what occurs often with failed New Year’s Resolutions. However, if you are taking action in some manner, this demonstrates your desire for a lifestyle change.

Maintenance and Relapse Prevention:
This stage involves incorporating your new behavior into your lifestyle on a permanent basis. When referring to food and activity patterns, that doesn’t mean you can never “slip.” It only means that you have decided that your lifestyle will evolve around healthy behaviors, the majority of the time.

For example: You unconsciously make certain decisions about how you want to live your life, such as “I will provide aide to abandoned animals.” You don’t wake up everyday saying that to yourself, but you know how you will act if you are in that situation. Well, now you have made another decision (which will eventually become an unconscious one), which is to pursue and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Before the change becomes truly established however, it is not uncommon for people to lapse and go through the stages of change several times. Don’t view yourself as a failure, as this is normal. It only becomes failure if you choose not to reenter the process. It could take several months or years for new behaviors to become habits.

Failure in developing new healthy behaviors, often occur because you are trying to move before you are ready. Small “steps” in this process are the key for long-term success.

At HealthSteps Rx, we want to be the professional that you turn to and
ask for directions on your road to change.

* Based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, originally developed by James Prochaska and colleagues.