Get Healthy for Life: Part 4: Making Changes

It's time! You can't put it off any longer.

Whatever your reasons, you have decided to make changes to your diet and physical activity, but where do you start?

Should you attempt to change both at the same time, or if not, which should you change first. How do you get started?

There are many "self-help" books to choose from which are specific to making nutrition and physical activity changes, as well as books which attend to behaviour change in general. 

There is a wealth of psychological research which supports the many "methods" for behaviour change which have been devised, but which one will work for you?

Do you have the time (and money) to review all the material that is available?

If you can afford the cost, registered dieticians and accredited personal trainers are trained in behaviour change counselling and can provide you with individualised guidance to get you started.

In the long term you will be your own motivator and counsellor so how can you get yourself started?

What are the key factors that you need to know about when you embark on your lifestyle changes? Before you start making changes you need to "know yourself".

Some key factors to knowing yourself include: 

• Understand your reasons for making changes
• Understand your strengths and limitations for making changes
• Understand your goals
• Understand your expectations

Understanding your reasons for making changes

Understanding your reasons for making changes can provide a foundation for planning your strategy for change.

A good place to start is to write down all of your reasons for making changes to your eating and/or physical activity practices.

Do you want to make changes to improve your health...link to the full article to learn more.