The Blackboard
(December 2003)

 “Changing for Good”
By Ron Jones, MS 

This is the time of year when many people try to change their lives to be healthier and more fit.  New Year’s resolutions, new hopes, new visions, and thoughts of something better.  Change is a product of action; however, too many times people fail to truly change a behavior towards becoming a healthier person.  As a licensed wellness coach, I can tell you that many people fail because they don’t spend enough time thinking about how they will design, implement, and stick with their plans, and many people fail because they simply do not understand how to successfully perform these steps if they do think them over.  Changing your life to eat better or be more fit is not about emotions and “getting pumped up” to go to the gym or eat rice cakes for two months.  Changing your life, or really your behaviors, is a carefully thought out process that involves certain specific actions.  Let’s see if I can help with some wellness coaching tips. 

There can be many obstacles to changing your behavior.  Each obstacle is worthy of a strategy or “plan of attack.”  You need to know what to do to navigate around your obstacles.  For example, as a teacher, I know of the pitfalls of the teacher lounge food selection.  Donuts, cakes, cookies, sodas, candy, and the highest fat and highest calorie foods abound!  If your weakness, or obstacle, is snacking each morning in the lounge as you check your mailbox and make your copies, what can be done “before” to help you make a healthier decision regarding food every morning?  If you aren’t eating breakfast at home no wonder you are hungry and tempted by donut overload!  A good strategy then would be to eat healthier foods in the morning at home.  When you get to school you’ll already be full and won’t be tempted by hunger.  I would also coach a person in this scenario about proper portion sizes and substitutions in the lounge for replacing unhealthy foods with healthy food choices.

Wellness is a life-long journey for optimal health--not a quick fix.

Other people fail in changing for good because they don’t understand the importance of goal setting.  It is virtually worthless to just say, “I’m going to start exercising and eating healthier at New Year’s.”  Why?  Because this goal is too vague and has no plan of attack or specific action attached.  At Wellcoaches.com we use something called SMART Goals for all of our clients’ weekly goals.  SMART stands for: Specific and Small; Measurable; Action-Based; Realistic; and Time Line.  For example, say a person wants to start exercising at New Year’s.  This person is 45 years old, sedentary, overweight, and unfit but has doctor’s approval to begin an exercise program.  As a wellness coach, I would run down the checklist carefully helping the client to create a custom fitness goal for their first week using the SMART Goal guidelines. 

S: They need to start with small changes.  I would coach them into very specific small steps too like just walking around the neighborhood for ten minutes per session, etc. 
M: People need accountability—this adds a positive stress to perform or achieve.  Measuring gives valuable feedback and accountability.  For the above walking example we could measure by minutes per session, blocks completed, or steps taken per session, etc. 
A: Talk is talk but ya gotta do the walk!  Changing behaviors is about action!  These actions move you closer to achieving goals.  The “action” in this example is “walking.” 
R: Being realistic is the most important part of goal setting from what I have seen as a trainer and wellness coach.  Going from zero to 60 in one day is NOT realistic!  How many times have you heard about someone going to the gym on week #1 of a new exercise program and having some bozo trainer give them 3 sets of 12 reps on 8-10 different exercises?  I’ve heard this so many times it is redundant!  Result—pain, agony, and usually more failure within a few weeks.  Changing health behaviors is a “process” not a quick fix.  It takes at least six full months to permanently change a behavior.  Think about changing for wellness as changing for life.  It’s not going to happen in a week.  If you force change unrealistically you are setting yourself up for yet more failure.  Be patient.  Be smart.  Be consistent and change will happen. 
T: Setting a time line for your goals is important.  Again this creates some of that “positive” pressure or accountability.  We set weekly goals in multiple areas for wellness coaching all specific to the individual client, their specific needs, obstacles, and in line with their long-term goals. 

So…if you plan on changing this coming year for better health and wellness—think it through first.  Come up with a plan to navigate obstacles.  Set SMART Goals to facilitate success instead of failure.  Use your head before you use your body!  As Jack La Lanne says, “If the mind can conceive, the body can achieve!”  Good luck, have a great and healthy holiday season, and see ya next year! 

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