Make many small changes over a longer period of time instead of big changes quickly if you want them to last. This is some of the best advice you can follow when starting a new work out routine or diet. Often times, usually around New Years, people make big resolutions about changing their lives, getting fit and eating better. The gyms are packed all through January and then it tapers off around March. Why is that? It’s because large lifestyle and habit changes can’t be made all at once. It becomes overwhelming and you are bound back slide no matter what you’re doing. Often it’s at this back sliding phase that people give up. They don’t have the support or energy to continue and it’s easier to do what they know and are used to.

To understand this better let’s look at the Transthoretical Model of the stages of change. It’s important to note that these stages are cyclical, meaning you may move back and forth between any stages. Once you progress to stage 5 doesn’t guarantee you’ll remain there forever. The stages are as follows 1. Pre-contemplation 2. Contemplation, 3. Preperation, 4. Action 5. Maintenance.

In the pre-contemplation stage you aren’t thinking about changing anything or aware there might be a need to change. The contemplation stage is where you are now aware a change is needed/wanted and are thinking about it. Once you’ve thought about it hopefully you move into the preparation stage. Here you will begin getting ready for your change. You might get a gym membership, look up healthier recipes, or buy any equipment you will need. This is an exciting stage, you are full or hope about your new beginning.

Now comes the hard part, Action! In this stage you begin doing what you’ve set out to do, exercise and eat healthier. You go to the gym, and make healthy new meals and everything is going great. You are healthy and glowing!! Then after 2 weeks it you’re sore and your kale veggie burger with a side of seaweed chips isn’t quiet filling you up, you walk into Wal-Mart and buy a bag of Oreos and order a pizza on the way home. And they taste sooo good! And then you skip the next day at the gym. Now you feel guilty and wonder why you even tried in the first place. Did you fail? Are you destined to never be able to get healthy? No! Remeber that these stages are cyclical. People in the action stage are at the highest risk to back slide. You moved back but you can also move forward again!  It takes 21 days of doing something consistanly to form a new habit so the first month will be the hardest but keep going!

The action stage generally lasts for 6 months. The new activites are being done consistanly and you are seeing the positive outcomes of your hard work.  After that you move into the maintenance stage! Here the new habit or activity is well ingrained into your life. Although backsliding is possible at any stage it is much rarer once you’ve come this far!

Making lifestyle changes can be stressful. This is why it’s important to make small changes one at a time. Say you want to eat better. That’s all encompassing and not very specific. Its a great goal but you need small specific goals to get there. So say for the first month you want to stop drinking soda and drink at least 3 glasses of water a day. To do that you make a plan of how much soda you will drink and have it taper off until by the end of the month you aren’t drinking any soda.  You increase your water intake as your soda consumption decreases. That’s more specific and reasonable. When you first start drinking water it can taste bland. To help add some flavor add 2 drops of Doterra Lemon oil. Cutting soda out of your diet contributes to your end goal of eating healthier with out being too overwhelming. Once you have soda out of the picture you can pick a new area of your diet you want to work on. These small changes will over time lead to major lifestyle transformations.

Remember small step climb mountains!