Getting Started

	Getting Started Stages of change: where are you? 1. Not Ready for Change 2. Thinking About Change 3. Preparing for Action 4. Taking Action 5. Maintaining a Good Thing When is a medical evaluation necessary?

The victory is not always to the swift, but to those who keep moving.

So, you already know that regular physical activity can do great things for your health and well-being. And when you pair that with good nutrition, your body is sure to thank you! But isn't getting started the hardest part? Like any change in your life, knowing where you are and where you're going is important.

Have you ever noticed that what works for some people when they make a change in their life may not work for you? Most people move through a series of five stages of readiness as they change behaviors. What helps someone in one stage may not work for someone in another stage. Look at the graphic below to see where you fall in the stages of change.

 
Stages of Change in Adding Physical Activity Into Your Life-Where Are You?

These stages represent a spiral path to adopting regular physical activity into your life. Each stage takes a period of time to acquaint yourself with new behaviors.

Effort and commitment is needed in all stages. You will move through each stage as you are ready to change. The interesting part of this model is that is recognizes you may not always move forward in a straight line. There will be times when you lapse, going back to an earlier stage. Then the time will come when you are ready to advance forward. This is expected and part of the process of adopting new behaviors. You will progress when you are ready. 

For more information on the stage you're in now, click on the appropriate link below. The ideas and suggestions you'll read are designed just for where you are.

• Not ready for change
• Thinking about change
• Preparing for action
• Taking action
• Maintaining a good thing
• When is a medical evaluation necessary?

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This page last updated February 06, 2003

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity