How ready are you really?

You are starting to think about beginning your journey to a healthier lifestyle. But before you start taking action, your thoughts about this change can make or break your success.

Research suggests that you not only need to think about WHY this change is important to you, but also be ready for HOW it will change your life on a day to day basis.

Take a look at your motivation and readiness to change, to understand what stage of change you are at. Also what will it take to move through the different stages of change until you achieve your goal.

Take the quiz below and find out which stage you are in and what to do next.

1. At this moment, the idea of losing weight/ getting healthy seems

   1. Distant
   2. Confusing
   3. Doable
   4. Real

2. These thoughts come to mind when I think about losing weight/ getting healthier

   1. I don’t want to think, talk, or even read about it
   2. Undecided, I know there is a problem, but I don’t feel ready to commit yet
   3. Determined, I want to find out what it involves
   4. Excited, I am committing to start within the next few days

3. How prepared do you feel when you think about the changes to come

   1. I am not sure I really need to do this
   2. I don’t know where to start
   3. I know what needs to be done
   4. I have already started to take small steps to prepare

If your answers are

mostly a’s, you are in Precontemplation stage

mostly b’s, you are in Contemplation stage

mostly c’s, you are in Preparation stage

mostly d’s, you are entering Action stage

Stages of Change :

In pre-contemplation, you do not yet believe that you need to change and there is either neglect or unawareness of the problem at hand. You are here because others around you are pushing you into taking action. They may be your family, friends, doctor or even your employer. You may have tried in the past to change but have not seen benefits and may have given up now to begin again.

Next Steps: Lower your defences and find out more about the consequences of your lifestyle choices. Be aware of what it could lead to and really try to understand if there is merit in others advising you to become healthier.

In contemplation, you are aware of the problem and possibly what you need to do, however, you are not ready to walk the path yet. People can be stuck in this stage for years. You know something has to change but you are not quite ready.

The anxiety about changing their lifestyle and facing the possibility of failure if they are to take action, keeps many people in this stage of indecisiveness for years.

Next Steps: Make it real for yourself. Start formally tracking your problem areas, whether it be over consuming calories or being sedentary. Track exact calories you are consuming, instead of recalling. Gather more information about your problem and compare it to your own situation.

At this stage, it also helps to understand why you engage in a particular behaviour, i.e. raise your awareness about your values or thoughts that lead you into behaving a particular way.

ProTip: Use the FITTR Tools to track your Diet, Steps and Workouts. Post in the ‘Community’ to get answers to any questions.

In preparation, you are close to committing and you have the belief that you have what it takes to successfully change. You are possibly gathering detailed action steps to begin your journey.

Next Steps: Take smaller steps, set a date and declare your intention. When you go public with your date of change, you can share it with your friends and family for their support.

In the action stage, you are actively in the middle of change. You need to have reminders and cues towards normalising your new behaviour. Control your environment and seek help from your family and friends to get through this stage. Even small progress is good progress. It is helpful to be part of community who is in the same process as you.