The Healthy Bride

Physical Activity Stages of Change Questionnaire

Take this brief test to see what stage you are in. For each of the following statements, please circle Y or N. Please be sure to read each statement carefully and to answer truthfully.

For the two statements, being physically active includes activities such as walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, swimming, or any other activity in which exertion is at least as intense as these activities.

1. I consider myself currently physically active.                                                         Y     N
2. I intend to become more physically active in the next 6 months.                   Y     N

For the next two statements, for physical activity to be “regular,” it must add up to a total of 30 minutes or more per day and be done at least days per week. For example, you could take one 30-minute walk or three 10-minute walks for a daily total of 30 minutes.

3. I currently engage in regular physical activity.                                                   Y     N
4. I have been regularly physically active for the past months.                         Y     N

Scoring
Now look at your responses to the four statements and identify which stage matches you. Read the section of text in the following pages that applies to your stage.

Precontemplation: Statement 1 = no; statement 2 = no
Contemplation: Statement 1 = no; statement 2 = yes
Preparation: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = no
Action: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = no
Maintenance: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = yes

Which stage are you currently in? ___________________________

Source: Adapted from Marcus, Banspach, Lefebvre, Rossi, Carleton, and Abrams 1992.

Definitions and more information about your stage of change:

Precontemplation
If you are in this stage, you are probably not too interested in this book and may just be glossing over it. Maybe this book was a gift from a cruel but concerned family member or friend. But as long as I have your attention, let’s put together a quick list of the pros and cons of exercise. Physical activity yields so many benefits that to not do it really is to ignore your health. Many people could improve their health, spirit, energy, and quality of life if only they would exercise.

Here are pros and cons of exercise I generally hear from the brides I work with:

Pros
I feel healthier
I have more energy
Exercising helps me reduce stress
Exercising helps me sleep better
I can move more easily and have more flexibility
I am stronger

Cons
I don’t have any time
I hate all forms of exercise
I don’t like to sweat
I’m too old
I’m too out of shape
I have no energy for exercise

As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons. With help, support, and encouragement, the precontemplative person can move to the contemplative stage. For those who “hate” exercise or feel they may be physically limited to doing it, there are forms of exercise for all levels of capability, whether it’s rowing, walking, gardening, kickboxing, belly dancing, or ballroom dancing. Exercise does not have to be a daunting, painful experience that means maintaining a sweating, lung-burning 45 minutes to give you results; even moderate activity can make a tremendous difference. Every 10 minutes counts, and starting out slowly is smart.

Furthermore, I don’t buy the “I don’t have time” argument because people seem to have plenty of time in their lives for television. Take some of that TV time and turn it into something productive. It’s about setting priorities and including activity into your daily life. Before you know it, your exercise and healthy eating program will be making a difference in your life.

Hopefully you’re now motivated enough to enter the contemplation stage. Go on and read the next section. You’ll feel better about yourself.

Contemplation
If you’re at this stage, that may be why you picked up this book. Thank yourself for being here. You have probably made a list of exercise pros and cons and are wondering what to do next. You are the ideal reader for this book and the reader for whom I outlined the Level One stage in Chapter 4 of the fitness section. After reading the remaining chapters in this part of the book, you should begin your exercise program by turning to the fitness section and reading my recommendations.

Start slowly and try not to take an all-or-nothing approach to your new exercise program. If you miss a day or two, don’t worry. Just keep marching forward. Do what you can, experiment with various modes of exercise, and find which activities you like best. Small changes count. Make sure you reward yourself for the little victories such as taking the stairs instead of an elevator and walking further to work each day from your bus stop. Keep setting small, achievable goals, keep telling yourself that doing something is better than doing nothing, and hang in there.

Sometimes the best way to ensure you stick with it is to find a workout buddy. Social support and accountability make a huge difference in people’s ability to stay on track with their exercise program.

Preparation
Congratulations to you if you fall into this stage. You are well on your way to a lifetime of fitness. Although you are still trying to get into your routine, you understand the benefits of exercise. Two words of advice: Don’t stop! Keep exercising, and stay focused on your plan and on the activities you like to do. Your goal should be to do more of what you’re currently doing.

The Fitness section of this book contains workout plans and schedules that may help you (you can also find some in our bridal fitness section on our website). You are the best person to determine what level of exercise you will fall into in our exercise section. Start from where you are today, and don’t push too hard. For example, if you are exercising three times per week but are not doing any resistance training, continue with your three days and add one day of resistance training. Review the exercise programs in this book, look for the schedule that most closely matches your current exercise program, and progress from there. Stay on the path you feel comfortable with, and don’t do too much. The key to your success is to set small, measurable goals and to celebrate your successes when you achieve them.

Action and Maintenance
If you fall into either of these groups, you’re in that 25 percent mentioned earlier. Good job! The key word for you now is maintain. You are doing very well and it’s important you keep going. Be sure you are setting and resetting your goals at approximately six-week intervals. Make sure you are working hard enough to keep your body challenged.  Mix things up.  Whatever you do, don’t get too ambitious and push yourself beyond your limits.

In addition, think ahead to how you will maintain your workouts during vacations, illness, and boredom. You already are doing great and just need to practice some positive self-talk down the road in the event that you encounter any bumps. Congratulations for prioritizing exercise in your life. Now the trick is to focus on keeping it a priority in the long run.

I hope this excerpt from The Healthy Bride Guide: Fit and Fabulous from this Day Forward helps make the changes you are embarking upon a bit easier and less stressful.  Change is hard, and as a bride you have plenty of it in your life right now, but embrace the challenge and go forth!

You are about to embark upon a new life. Things are changing all around you, and now is a great time to begin a new healthy lifestyle make over. Are you ready?

Let’s take a look at the stages of change and what it takes to really make a long lasting shift in your lifestyle. Then you can decide if you are really, truly ready to embark upon a healthier lifestyle….from this day forward.

The key to a lifetime of fitness is consistency. Getting started with a regular fitness program, or if you have started one, staying with it can be a challenge. You are not alone. Only 25 percent of American adults participate in the recommended levels of physical activity,which is certainly not a good statistic. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in this country, and for many people, this tragic life experience is avoidable.

Let’s get clinical

Let’s take a look at the stages of change and help you determine where you fall in “The Stages of Motivation Readiness for Change Model continuum”.

We will ask you to take some tests and to look deep into yourself to determine whether you are ready to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  Next, we will review your current state of health using our wellness and risk factor inventories.

Take your time, be honest, and be thoughtful. What you end up writing down may surprise you.

According to The Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model, individuals move through a series of stages as they adopt and maintain a new habit (Prochaska and DeClemente 1983). This model was determined after researchers studied groups of people participating in smoking and alcohol cessation programs and monitored how they moved through the behavior change process. The model has been validated and applied to a variety of behaviors, including smoking cessation, exercise, contraceptive use, and diet.

Behavioral change is rarely a casual, single event. The Stages of Change model shows that, for most people, a change in behavior occurs gradually (you didn’t decide to get married overnight, for example), with the person moving from being uninterested, unaware, or unwilling to make a change (known as the precontemplation stage) to considering a change (the contemplation stage) to deciding and preparing to make a change.

Making a change in life requires purposeful, determined action. This does not come without planning, dedication, effort, and a great desire. Relapses are a normal part of change and should not come as a surprise; they are just part of the change process. Many people find themselves moving cyclically through these stages before the change becomes established.

Let’s look at the stages and determine where you fall. Specifically, these stages, as applied to exercise, include:

1. Precontemplation. You are not even considering exercise, let alone scheduling it in your weekly routine.

2. Contemplation. You regularly consider beginning to exercise, but you make no effort to incorporate exercise into your schedule.

3. Preparation. You are working out, but not at recommended levels. Your exercise times are also inconsistently scheduled or not scheduled at all.

4. Action. You are exercising at recommended levels, but have done so only for less than six months.

5. Maintenance. You have been exercising regularly and on schedule at recommended levels for more than six months.

Most people move through these stages at different points in their lives. The movement tends to be cyclical rather than linear; you move through the stages in an orbital fashion.

You can also look at these stages in the context of maintaining healthy eating habits. Because the two topics go hand in hand, when you examine your fitness program, you also should assess your eating habits. Otherwise, you’re not going to be as healthy as you could. Looking at both areas of your well-being will give you a truer picture of where you stand today. In fact, you may find you score better in one area than the other.

Before you move on, go back through the previous list, substituting “healthy eating” for “exercise” throughout to determine what stage of maintaining a nutritious, healthy diet you are in. This will also prepare you for the questionnaire to follow on Monday.  See you then!

(The abouve is an excerpt from The Healthy Bride Guide:  Fit and Fabulous from this day Forward by Christi Masi available on Amazon.com)