Why do we fail?

Even on maintenance, there is always room for failure. In order to stay successful, I made a plan. I stick to my plan. I don't think about it, I just do it. I have made my plan a lifestyle. Enjoy this article by John and decide where you are at, then make a plan and stick to it! You can do this.

Health Related Lifestyle Changes- Why Do so Many People Fail?

By: John Bottoms, BSPH

One of the main reason’s that people do not chose to begin on the journey to a health change is the have tried over and over again and cannot seem to be successful so they adopt the attitude of failure. This article is designed to remind you that YOU CAN DO IT! Plus, I will give you a few tips on how to be successful.

First of all, the main reasons why most people do not succeed is they set unrealistic goals they cannot obtain, they try to accomplish things that they really do not understand, and they are trying to reach a goal not focusing on a total lifestyle transformation.  Let me give a couple of examples. When people look at their diet, they know that they need to eat healthier, that’s a given! However most people start trying to maintain a diet or choose foods based on things the do not really understand. Somewhere they read on a website that they should stay away from trans-fats and partially hydrogenated oils, and then they watched a documentary on TV that was all about staying away from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and then their friend told them that they should only eat organic veggies, and they heard on an infomercial that juicing is the way to go! Who wouldn’t be confused?! I am finishing a Master’s Degree in Public Health and already have a Bachelor’s degree in both Public Health and Human Physiology and all of that can be confusing for even me! Here is the secret. Keep it simple. As the saying says, “How do you eat an elephant.. one bite at a time!” Don’t try to swallow the elephant whole but keep it simple and keep taking small bites and before you know it you will reach your long-term goals.  Don’t overwhelm yourself!

Now let’s talk about how to make that lasting change in your health behaviors. In order to make that lasting change it will help you to understand a couple of public health concepts that are used to guide people into long term change. The Transtheoretical  Model is a great model to look at to help you understand this. In the model, there are 5 stages and as your read the information try to determine where you are on the scale and how are can get through the next stages. The stages are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Take a look at the graphic to the below. Before we discuss each stage understand that as you move down the chart you are progressing in the process of making that health related change but as you relapse you start moving in the other direction.

Precontemplation is the stage in which people are not intending to take action in the foreseeable future, usually measured as the next six months. People may be in this stage because they are uninformed or under-informed about the consequences of their behavior. Or they may have tried to change a number of times and become demoralized about their ability to change. Both groups tend to avoid reading, talking or thinking about their high risk behaviors. They are often characterized in other theories as resistant or unmotivated or as not ready for health promotion programs. The fact is traditional health promotion programs are often not designed for such individuals and are not matched to their needs.

Contemplation is the stage in which people are intending to change in the next six months. They are more aware of the pros of changing but are also acutely aware of the cons. This balance between the costs and benefits of changing can produce profound ambivalence that can keep people stuck in this stage for long periods of time. We often characterize this phenomenon as chronic contemplation or behavioral procrastination. These people are also not ready for traditional action oriented programs.

Preparation is the stage in which people are intending to take action in the immediate future, usually measured as the next month. They have typically taken some significant action in the past year. These individuals have a plan of action, such as joining a health education class, consulting a counselor, talking to their physician, buying a self-help book or relying on a self-change approach. These are the people that should be recruited for action- oriented smoking cessation, weight loss, or exercise programs.

Action is the stage in which people have made specific overt modifications in their life-styles within the past six months. Since action is observable, behavior change often has been equated with action.

Maintenance is the stage in which people are working to prevent relapse but they do not apply change processes as frequently as do people in action. They are less tempted to relapse and increasingly more confident that they can continue their change.

Again, the main thing here it to find out where you are and make a well organized plan to move forward. Don’t just think about it. Write it down! Share your plan with someone else so they can help you to stick to it. Be specific and for each action item write down how are you are going to measure it. You can do this!

As always if you have questions about anything here or would like help in making your change plan. I am available!

-JB