t change? Many of us already know that we need to
improve our state of well-being in order to extend our lives as
we age. Making changes are traditionally difficult, but the
good news is that it’s never too late to make changes for the
better. The first step is to understand what’s important to
you, and then determine the choices and decisions that
represent where you want to be. Maybe you want to start a new
career, lose weight, stop smoking or start exercising. Whatever
the change is, be sure you understand why you want to make the
change.
Take a moment to think about a time in your life when you made
a successful change or developed a new habit. What was your
motivation for the change? What was your attitude at the time?
What obstacles or barriers did you have to overcome? Your level
of readiness to change will determine how successful you are,
and how much time it will take. Once you make the decision to
change, you must practice that new behavior one day at a time
until it becomes a habit – a lasting change.
What allows some people to change, while others don’t?
According to Dr. James Prochaska, developer of the “Stages of
Change Model,” people cycle through a very distinct set of
stages when making changes in their lives – from not being
interested in making any changes, all the way through to
maintaining a change after it’s already been made. This is the
real challenge for everyone, because resistance is always the
initial response to making a change. Sometimes people don’t see
the positive side of change until it’s shown to them (or until
they are forced to realize it on their own). Change is a
choice. It’s something we decide to do. The same goes for
wellness – it’s a choice, and once you have decided to change,
you’ll feel better.
Embracing the concept of change is a big thing, because
interestingly, many people think they don’t have a choice when
it comes to change. Why? For some it’s fear, guilt, love, pain,
time management or even a court order. What motivates one person
may not be the same thing that gets another person to act.
Everyone reacts differently to changes weather voluntary or
mandatory.
To start making a change, let go of certain assumptions or ways
of doing things, to make room for new ideas. Work on this one
day at a time until you feel comfortable. This often comes into
play when I work with sedentary people to increase their
activity level (people who work a lot and don’t have a lot of
time to exercise). One of my clients’ complaints was, “I don’t
want to take an hour or 30 minutes to walk.” My solution was to
suggest several two-minute intervals that would equal 30 minutes
throughout the day =F3 just stand up, walk around and visit people
throughout the office, for example. The result was successful.
He exercised and actually became more sociable as a result!
Once he became comfortable with walking, I got him up to
10-minute intervals three times a day. Now he’s walking 30
minutes at one time and enjoying it. This all took place over
the course of a few months.
To make a lasting change, you start wherever you are and
stretch a tiny bit more each time. If you fall off the wagon,
or experience resistance, identify the cause or circumstances=F3
who you were with, where you were, or your emotional state. The
key is to get up and get back on the path again. You may go back
and forward a few times because making a lasting change is hard.
Your level of readiness to change will determine how successful
you are, and how much time it will take. But you need to be
ready, able and willing to make change happen.
About The Author: Diane Randall is the President of Life
Accelerated and Certified Wellness Coach. She helps women in
technology reclaim what they want out of their lives. Diane
speaks and writes about a variety of health and wellness
related topics affecting women. Visit her online at
http://www.LifeAccelerated.com.
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