Recently, I saw this bumper sticker as I had just left my studio from teaching a class and training a client! Now, we know how much people love to put the 13.1 or the 26.2 stickers on their vehicles because they are proud of the races they've run! But what about the person who can't even think about running 1 mile and just the thought of trying to change their lifestyle is a "marathon in their mind?"
To be honest, when I first saw this bumper sticker, I laughed out loud! It is funny on the surface, but the deeper meaning of it can be tied to something more serious! The truth is that whether it is running a marathon, a mile...or heck, just walking through your neighborhood, it can seem like too big of a mountain to climb!
The warning alarm is set off in your mind and your brain is telling you to evacuate even the thought of making a healthy lifestyle change such as walking or jogging! It's as if you are defeated before you have even started! This reminds me of something I learned back in Sport and Exercise Psychology class that I took in college. We learned of a process that many go through mentally when it comes to considering and making a change.
First it is pre-contemplative which basically means that they are just starting to think about flirting with the idea of maybe making some type of healthy change such as incorporating some exercise activity into their lives or eliminating processed foods, etc. Unfortunately, many get stuck in this phase and never progress. It's like they saw a picture of a mountain that is in "driving distance" and had the passing thought, maybe I could attempt to climb that one day. Their passing thought just remains potential and often comes and goes like the wind!
The next phase is contemplative which means you have now gotten over the wishful thinking and have now been considering "taking a trip" to actually go and "see the mountain!" You have decided to attempt to flirt and show some real interest in the idea of "climbing this mountain." You have thoughts of actually scheduling the trip to "go to the mountain" to check it out!
The distance between the contemplative phase and the next phase, which is preparation, is a long ways because you have reached a point where it now requires action! At this point, you have now scheduled/planned the trip to the mountain so you can physically see it and then consider a REAL decision! It has now turned into something a little more serious in your brain, but still far from a reality! It's like you have moved from thinking about asking someone out to now setting up a specific time to ask them on a date to explore the possibility of a commitment!
Here lies the great divide! It's the place in the mental journey where you now get out of your head and into reality! It is the ACTION stage! It requires you to now follow through with what you have been mentally preparing for and make a move that shows you are not kidding yourself anymore! This is where you not just get to the mountain, but also DECIDE TO CLIMB! It's where you not just make the phone call or meet someone in person, but also where you ask them on a date and then FOLLOW THROUGH! It is a foundational step that hopefully leads to the next action (climb further up the mountain; go on another date, etc.) Enough action steps then leads to a lifestyle!
Once you make it a lifestyle, then you now dwell in the "maintenance phase!" This is the phase where you now know you can "climb mountains" and have a desire to do it or have now gotten engaged/married and you have established that you are now in it for the long haul!
All of these phases make up the stages of change model! For many, it is a real mental marathon they have to run before they even get to taking some kind of action! They have done a lot of running in their mind, but are still at 0.0 miles in reality! The question is, how many 13.1's or 26.2's do you want to run in your mind before you actually log some REAL miles? We have a choice to stay on the hamster wheel of running in our thoughts logging countless miles or we can CHOOSE TODAY to get off the mental wheel and start taking some physical, tangible steps! Do you want to be a mountain climber or a "fountain dimer?" (Someone who likes to throw coins in the water and make wishes without ever taking action)
Your Defeat The Fat Coach,
Clayton
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