Are You Ready To Change?

Wanting to lose weight or quit smoking or step up your exercise routine are often resolutions made at the beginning of a new year. But the calendar is not the deciding factor. Your key to success is whether you’re ready to make a change.

“Readiness to change is a big factor,” said Meg Baker, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham employee wellness. “Based on the stages of change model: precontemplation (unwilling to make a change), contemplation (considering lifestyle change), and action, you have to want to change your lifestyle to successfully improve your health.”

To help prepare for any lifestyle change, Baker offers some tips:

*  Develop small, short-term goals that will fit into your schedule. Make them realistic.

*  Consider the benefits and reasons for the change.

*  Talk to a family member, friend, or coworker about goals. Doing this can increase the likelihood of your staying committed to a new gym regimen or smoking cessation plan, and they may want to join you.

Baker said starting with small changes increases the likelihood of success. Find a form of exercise that you love, make small nutritional changes such as packing a lunch or cooking dinner at home. Use tracking systems and apps like those offered by the American Heart Association, Smokefree.gov, and the United States Department of Agriculture-or tap into your company’s wellness programs.