Welcome back my fellow readers!  I hope that you all have taken the time this week to think about which health behaviors you would like to improve on and focus on!  Deciding which health behavior needs the most focus and recognizing why this is important to your health is the first step in having a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Where do I start?

                I am going to cover the necessary first steps that you need to take and what you need to be aware of if you are deciding to make a change in your lifestyle.  When we are in the process of making a change in our lifestyle, we often use what is called the “Stages of Change Model”.  In order to even begin making a change, you must choose a behavior that affects your lifestyle in a negative way, or a behavior that you feel you can improve upon.  Realizing that you need make a change is one of the hardest steps in this process, and it is known as “contemplation”.  This is when an individual realizes that their behavior is a problem and has thought about making a change, but has not carried it out.

How does self-efficacy play a role in behavior change?

 First and foremost, if you or one of your peers plans to make a change or improve on a certain health behavior, you must be aware of the term “self-efficacy”.  Self-efficacy is one’s belief and strength in one’s own ability to reach goals.  This is crucial when it comes to making a change because if you do not believe in yourself and your ability to make changes for the better, then who will?  It all starts with YOU!  If you are personally not willing to stay dedicated and make a change then it will not happen!  

How do I reach my goals?

                Dedication, commitment, and patience all play a key part in this role of self-efficacy.  If someone were to stay committed to a high intensity work out and were willing to try and stick with this goal, this would be considered high self-efficacy.  Someone with low self-efficacy on the other hand, would be someone who would write the challenging task off as impossible and would not stay dedicated for very long (Bandura A.,1977).

                As we can see, it is important to really want what you are trying to work towards.  This week I really want you to focus on staying dedicated to the behavior that you want to change, and write down reasons why this can benefit you in the long run!

                Next week, my blog will begin to cover how you, as an individual, will be benefited from this behavior change and we will begin to turn our focus on the importance of health programs!

References
 Bandura A. (1977) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. APA PsychNET, 84, 191-215.