Change Is Difficult. You Must Really Want It

Today’s topic might seem boring to some, but it is a conversation that we must have. Here at Granite Fitness, we have always emphasized that becoming healthy and remaining healthy requires permanent change. Ask anyone who has succeeded in that journey and they will say that it took a lot of effort, a paradigm shift, as well as knowing that there would be a lot to do.

The most difficult thing about making changes is the negative emotions felt when you do not see the results early in the process. We all think change is an event with specific milestones, but this is far from the truth. It is well known that changes do not occur in a straightforward manner – obstacles and mistakes are part of the process. A person who will eventually succeed will be quick to recognise that as a step to learning what mistakes to not commit again.

While this has been studied a lot, one of the most known models of change is known as the transtheoretical model (TTM), which has five stages, which will be described as follows:

One: Precontemplation, when the person does not know that change is required.

Two: Contemplation, when the person knows the importance of change, but is unwilling.

Three: Preparation, when the person starts making plans to change.

Four: Action, when the person puts the plan to place and starts moving.

Five: Maintenance, when the behaviour becomes a routine.

Quite comprehensive, isn’t it? If you wish to make a change for the better, you have to identify where on the journey you are and take action to get to the next level. Ideally, you should at least be at stage two, because then an increased awareness can move you towards step three. To be honest, step three is very difficult. If your aim is to lose weight but you are constantly bombarded by food everywhere, you really need to think about how to overcome it.

Well, step four is also hard because that is when it becomes active and you kick your system into gear. This is where you really must go all guns a blazing and have everything well in place for you to succeed. However, if you do experience a bit of success, it can really snowball into something big. Once you have gone past this stage, the most important is stage five. If you fail to do that, bad habits will start creeping in again.

There are a lot of resources out there that are focused on the psychology of change, how to go about it, what the challenges are likely to be, and what strategies can be used to overcome them. One such resource is the Winning Psychology Manual, which has helped a good number of people lose weight and keep the weight off. Of course, some of it can be applied to other areas of your life too. Check it out today, or get it as part of the Granite Fitness Masterclass, which is for those who are dead-serious about losing weight.

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