BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Change from A
t some point in life, most people change something, whether that’s career, relationships or lifestyle habits, for example. The determining factors for successfully carrying out that change
• Their motivation and readiness – how much they want it are likely to include:
• Their perception of the diffi culty – if they think they can handle the change
• Their resources and energy – emotional, mental, physical
people who want help and support in making lifestyle changes to improve their health and
• The available help and the extent to which this assistance is person-centred
Health clubs and personal trainers are often consulted by
In the first part of our new series on behaviour change, Debbie Lawrence looks at helping people build motivation, and whether we actually need to see the individual – rather than the coach – as the expert
WITHIN
fi tness. But how helpful is the support generally provided by clubs, and does it respect the barriers people face?
Barriers When the desire to change arises, an individual will weigh up the benefits and sacrifices. Their inner processing may include: ‘Why should I?’, ‘How much do I want this?’,
‘What’s in this for me?’ Feelings of fear or excitement may also arise, and the extent to which these feelings are perceived as manageable will be a key motivational factor. These intrinsic decision-making processes and feelings
continue throughout the process of change. People will be continually reminding themselves of the extent to which they can, can’t, want or don’t want change. On the one hand they see benefi ts:
If motivation gets you started, does habit keep you going? People develop habits
because they have a high capacity to
learn. Some reports suggest it takes just 21–28 days for new habits to become automatic; others
suggest it can take anything up to around 254 days
‘That would be wonderful’. On the other hand are fears: ‘Can I handle this?’ The power given to these feelings may determine their choice: to stay in their comfort zone or move forward.
Expert as expert Health and fitness professionals have expertise in their field, and knowledge provides the know-how to get things achieved. This is of course helpful. However, if well-meaning advice is delivered as warnings – ‘find time to exercise or find time for illness’ – or in an expert- directed or controlled way – ‘do this, don’t do that’ – this may evoke resistance from your members. It may also trigger feelings of blame, shame and helplessness, which reinforce any negative beliefs the person holds about their worth: ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘no-one can help me’. The more ‘not OK’ the person feels, the greater will be their need to resist help and defend their self-concept and behaviours, lowering their motivation.
Experts who move conversation with the client too
quickly towards the ‘how can I?’ rather than exploring the ‘why should I?’ are not actually being helpful.
The individual is always their own best expert, knowing why they choose certain behaviours
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‘How’ conversations place the focus on change; ‘why’ conversations place the focus on motivation. The expert’s enthusiasm (external motivation) may fi re the person up in the short term, but this will often burn out quickly. What’s
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital May 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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