Behavior Change: How to Get Started & Make it Last

What is behavior change?

Behavior change is the means to change a habitual way of life. In life, we create habits - common repetitive actions that are often second nature. These habits can be both positive and negative for our health and well-being.

For example, Jacob has a habit of minimally moving throughout the day. His activity levels are significantly low. I would categorize this as only being active when walking to the car, walking to the bathroom, or having a low heart rate for 90% of the day. This is a habit that would not positively impact his health and well-being. The body is designed to be active. Jacob’s inactivity has resulted in the onset of some undesired conditions: becoming overweight, back and neck discomfort, fatigue throughout the day, etc.

Why is behavior change important?

Behavior change is possible at any point in our lives. We are able to make changes, re-structure habits, and change our lives for the better. Research shows that making the correct and necessary changes in your life can increase your longevity, your quality of life, your mood, your success, everything!

Why does behavior change sometimes fail?

Like anything else in life that requires work, the attempt to change a behavior is not always successful, or as immediate as we might like. Why is this? To answer the why of failure, let’s dive into why you start. People often start trying to change behavior for the wrong reasons.

People often begin attempting to change out of:

• Guilt or Shame - which includes negative self talk, allowing other people to influence how we “should” feel. We focus on our weaknesses, we feel shame, and begin this road to avoid those feelings and negative connotations. If these negative feelings are what motivate the beginning of the journey, they can linger throughout the entire process.
  

• Negative Focus - we hear a lot about self talk, self view, and self love. But what does that have to do with behavior changes? Well, it has everything to do with it! We all have a sense of identity, that is shaped from childhood, adulthood, or someone in our lives; there is an identity that drives who we are, decisions we make, and how we think. If that identity is self-loathing, negative, or unkind towards ourselves, this can begin a never-ending spiral of excuses and negative thoughts.
  

People will incorporate into their behavior change attempts:

• ALL OR NOTHING or Unrealistic Expectations - this includes fad diets that cut out almost or all carbs, workout challenges that have extreme regimens, and a belief that we need to meet a certain goal in an unrealistic time frame, such as losing 30lbs in 1-2 months.
  

• Negative Punishments - this is a favorite amongst many millennials and older generations. I have experienced it in sports, along with applying it to coaching methods in my early years of coaching volleyball. It’s referred to as negative reinforcement and is the outcome of a mistake - or “slip up”. This integrates fear and negative connotations to our process. Although it may produce better performance, at what cost? I understand not everything is peace signs and rainbows in life and the importance of accountability, but the balance of both negative and positive input has to be considered. The proper balance is essential to establishing a healthy sense of self worth.
  

When You’re Ready to Make a Change:

Understand what change you want to make. Ask yourself why you’re wanting to make this change and identify what the path may look like. Utilize goal setting graphic below (SMART). Be patient with yourself - you are capable of anything. In order to succeed, a strong structure will help you work towards your goal bit by bit. Identify what your strengths are in aiming for this goal, along with potential barriers to reaching this goal/change, and a plan for how to cope and adjust with this barrier. Most important, celebrate your successes. Intentionally build on small changes within your big goal/change so you can see and celebrate your progress!