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A potential stage 1 dweller!

Creating a new fitness lifestyle is filled with all sorts of little pit falls. It may be your busy season at work, or the kids are about to be home all summer long, you have a vacation planned and your in-laws are coming over for dinner and your dog needs surgery and the basement just flooded and yada yada yada, you just don’t have time. There are a ton of excuses why someone may not want to start up a new exercise program, but the biggest of them all, in my expert opinion, is that many simply do not want to do it because change is hard. This is such a common reason that ACE (American Counsel on Exercise) has come up with a Stages of Change model that explains what some of you may be experiencing when it comes to fitness and bringing more of it into your lives. (Maybe you see yourself in one of these stages?)

There are five stages and they are:

Stage 1 – Pre-contemplation. No way, no how, no chance in hell. You are not moving and there is nothing nobody can do about it. Pretty harsh stage. Someone in this stage is not about to make any drastic changes even though they know they should be exercising. What would it take at this point to get them to shake a tail-feather? A negative prognosis of some sort at which point it becomes imperative that they begin an exercise program. Not a good stage indeed and one that I hope no one reading this is in.

Stage 2 – Contemplation. Those rusty gears are in motion here. You’re actually starting to price things out like a gym membership or a personal trainer; maybe you’re thinking of buying some equipment for the house. You’re getting your mind and body warmed up to the idea, but you’re still a long way off. This stage can last for months and possibly years. (If it’s taking you years, may I ask, what in the name of the almighty are you contemplating about for so long? Quit thinking about it already and get to it! Just think of what you can accomplish in a year by doing instead of contemplating.)

Stage 3 – Preparation. Now you’re talking! At this point, you’re finally starting to move a little. You’ve taken up walking or jogging, you’re taking the stairs instead of the elevator or you’ve got some buddy system lined up which will help to keep you honest. Maybe you’ve even made a call to set up an appointment at the gym or with a trainer. Go you! You’re on your way to making a change. Don’t stop now.

Stage 4 – Action. Now you’re working it. At this point you’re counting out your calories, you’re exercising and your motivation is at its highest. You feel like a rock star. But just like any rock star, your fall from grace could be close at hand. Your chances of relapsing back to your old, sedentary ways are huge at this point, more so than at any other stage. Seriously. So you need to be uber-conscious. Get a strong support system around you, stay motivated and keep generating new goals for yourself. Don’t back down now, you’ve wasted enough time contemplating and dissecting and tallying to go back. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep moving towards it!

Stage 5 – Maintenance. YEA! You did it, you have officially changed your lifestyle for the better and you’ve been at it for more than a year. Fitness is a way of life for you now and missing a session is no longer an option. You feel great, you look great, your confidence has skyrocketed and you’re working your swagger like never before! Congrats! (Hopefully every one of you is at this stage, but if not, don’t fret, with a little hard work and determination you’ll get to this point in no time—as long as you quit with the contemplating that is!)

Clearly there is a lot of mental preparation that goes into making a lifestyle change as seen here, but a change nevertheless can be made. So even if you’re just starting to think about bringing more fitness into your life, save yourself some time and just get to it. Excuses just muddle things up.