I want to change! ...I think...

Whether you want to make a change in your eating habits or help someone else do so, it's no secret that having motivation to change is key. What is often not spoken about are the 3 parts of motivation: being ready, willing and able to change.

HOWEVER, wanting to change is not the same as being ready to make that change, being willing to do what it takes to change or having the ability to make concrete changes.

Being able to change or having the ability to change means you have the needed skills, resources, and confidence to make the change. For example, imagine a person who wants to eat more vegetables. Their ability to eat more veggies can be enhanced by knowing where to buy them, having the resources to buy them and how to prepare them. Giving tips on knowledge to help people be able to change used to be the main tasks of dietitians and other health professionals however that role has evolved.

Being willing to change is intertwined with the importance you place on changing—how much a change is wanted or desired. For example, imagine this person knows where to buy veggies, has the budget to purchase them and they have a few good recipes on how to prepare vegetables. They just don't find it worth all the effort to eat more veggies.

Being ready to change is usually the final step in which you decide to change a particular behavior. It involves making this change a priority in your life. Let's continue with the example of our friend who wants to eat more vegetables. They have all the info needed to have vegetables available to them more often. They have decided that its worth the effort to prepare them and eat them more often at meals. Being ready to make the needed changes a priority is the last step. Making this change and the necessary actions a priority such as taking an extra 5min at supper to cook the veggies rather than read the paper or prepare veggies for tomorrow;s lunch rather than watching tv, would be an example of being ready.

Usually, motivation to make a change evolves naturally in the order of ability, willingness and being ready- contrary to the well known saying!

So next time you feel stuck trying to make a change to your habits, remember to explore your ability, willingness and readiness to make that change. If you aren't, why not chose a different habit to change and go back to that one at a later time? It could save you energy and be more efficient.

Get 'er done!

Most of the time we know WHAT we should do to improve our health. It may be to drink less wine, take a walk regularly after dinner or eat more fruit- the point is, we don't need to be told/reminded/finger-pointed at by doctors or dietitians. What most people need is a plan to help them move from thinking about the change, to actually carrying out the change- an action plan! I have spoken about goal setting in the past, but it is so important (and often overlooked) that it warrants another blog.

Most people are familiar with SMART goals. Goals that are specific (eat healthier = eat fruit everyday), measurable (eat 2 fruit per day), attainable (there is a fruit shop just around the corner that I pass on my way home from work), realistic (I said 2 not 4) and timely (for the next 2 weeks, I will eat 2 fruit per day).
This helps people move towards their med-long term goals with a sense of direction. However, there is more to it than SMART goals. The new emerging trend in nutrition counseling is "Implementation Plans". Plans that not only include the goals you want to undertake but the actions you will carry out to "get 'er done".

Implementation plans ask where, when and how you will, for example, eat 2 fruit per day. As the name suggests, answering these 3 questions will help implement the goal or plan. So, where will I eat my two fruit? at work, at my desk. When will I eat them? One at breakfast and one as a snack at 3pm. And how? I will bring 2 fruit in my lunch to work.

What happens if something gets in my way? Planning for barriers can help you over come the problems before they start. For example, if I do not have any fruit in the house to bring in my lunch, I will go to the store at the corner (during lunch) and buy some fruit.
If I don't have time to eat my 3pm snack, I will eat a fruit as dessert after supper.

Making changes to our habits take some effort. Taking a few minutes to plan out the changes we want to make over the next few weeks will increase your chance of actually changing (not just thinking about it!)