I remember learning about the Five Stages of Change in health class. When taking on a job as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, I started to see people transitioning to each stage (especially taking Action) when it came to health goals.

It’s amazing how many people we can come across in our lives and what stage they may be in for a wellness journey.

5 Stages of Behavior Change

1. Pre-Contemplation

Meaning some haven’t even thought about their own wellness yet! I imagine this person having a superb metabolism and not ever having to worry about foods they eat and regular exercise. These are the just healthy people–the standard, perhaps? Well, I’ve never met a person like this, but I do imagine they are out there. But, unfortunately, most ‘pre-contemplators’ probably need some sort of change for their health to have better quality of life. They just don’t realize it yet.

2. Contemplation

Should I get healthy or no? The answer is always YES. Easier said than done. Or in the contemplation stage: easier thought about than done. It’s a shame that to get to the contemplation stage, most need a major event to happen in their life. For me, I have to re-evaluate when my clothes aren’t fitting right!

3. Preparation

With search engines and social media, the preparation stage of looking for more information and motivation can be tricky. It can either leave us inspired to get to the Action stage; or it can leave us with more questions than answers.

The use of a qualified coach is super helpful in coming up with a solid plan to reach health and fitness goals.

4. Action

To make the plan work, you’ve got to work the plan. Whatever preparations that have been made would be totally pointless if the plan were incredibly hard to stick to. Key points to make it out of the Action stage and not backslide back into Contemplation:

• Adherence
• Consistency
• Patience

Finding changes you can adhere to combined with consistently putting it into practice will yield the best results while providing the best quality of life. Have patience to see through the trial and error of what works and trust the process because lasting results take time! (A health or Nutrition coach can help see through these processes as well 😉)

5. Maintenance

The hardest stage to reach. It’s okay to rinse and repeat Preparation and Action stages. Getting to the maintenance stage takes a lot of patience, and is a place that once you’re ‘there’ you are not guaranteed to stay there. This is why it is important to have a solid plan through Steps 3 & 4 to help make a Stage 5 stay longer and easier.

Are you ready for some change?

Fill out the form below for help moving through these Stages of Change: