Food & Fitness

Changing habits is hard to do.

You may not be read to make a change.

Download the Changing Habits Assesment or use the asessment below to determine if now is a good time for you to try to change your habits.

Changing Habits Assessment: What Stage Am I In?

Instructions: Check off the statements below that are true for you.

Stage 1

• I think a change would help but I’m not ready to change what I do.
• I think a change would help but I’m not interested in doing anything new.
• I think that it would be too hard to make a change.

Stage 2

• I’m thinking about making a change but not right away.
• Right now, the costs of making a change outweigh the benefits.

Stage 3

• I’m ready to make a change and would like to do it in the next month.
• I’ve thought about what I’d like to do.
• I’ve made a realistic plan.
• I’ve gotten what I need to carry out my plan.

Stage 4

• I’ve taken action and started my new plan.
• I’ve started my new plan but sometimes I’m tempted to slack off.
• I’ve started my new plan but sometimes I go back to my old way of doing things.

Stage 5

• I’ve stuck with my new routine for more than six months.
• Now I’m used to doing things differently.
• I find it hard to imagine not sticking with my new habit.

Scoring your quiz

Here’s what your results mean:

If you’ve checked items under stages 1 and/or stage 2:

You’re not ready to change your habits yet. Try this exercise:

Think about how a change in habits could benefit you and your family. For example, being more active could help you be healthier. Fill in the blanks below.

• My new habit might be: _________________________

• The benefits would include: _________________________

• What part of this change would be hard for me? _________________________

• Why haven’t I made this change before? _________________________

• How can I work around these problems? _________________________

If you’ve checked items under stage 3:

Congratulations! You’re ready to make a change.

• Choose a date to start and write it here: _________________________

• Think of a weekly reward for yourself for carrying out your plan and write it here: _________________________

If you’ve checked items under stage 4:

Good for you! You’re on the road to a healthy new routine. If you slip up once in a while and go back to your old habits, don’t despair. One slip doesn’t mean you have failed or that you should revert back to your old habits. You can start fresh tomorrow.

To help you stick with your new plan, think about roadblocks that might come up. Write your answers below.

• What things might get in the way of carrying out my plan? _________________________

• What can I do when those things happen? _________________________

• How can I set up things around the house or in my neighborhood so it’ll be easier to stick with my new habit? _________________________

If you’ve checked items under stage 5:

You should be proud of yourself and what you’ve done!

• Keep track of your efforts by writing down what you do every day.
• Vary your routine to keep it interesting.
• Think about another change you might want to try.
• Making more changes will continue to help with weight loss and can improve your health!