Behaviour Change is BOTH Easy AND Hard…….

If you are trying to lead a more active lifestyle or add any new behaviour to your routine, are you maximizing the “easy” part of behaviour change?

That is, behaviour doesn’t happen in isolation. A particular behaviour occurs because there was a CUE or a TRIGGER that told you it was time for that behaviour. AND the behaviour which occurred in response to that cue was reinforced by a reward.

This is the “easy” part of behaviour change that you must make sure you are maximizing. Cue = behaviour = reward.

If you want to move more, you must identify WHAT the specific movement is (the behaviour of walking, for example), as well as choose the cue that will remind you it’s time to move. And then, finally, decide on the reward you will get from completing the behaviour.

Too often we just expect that we can add 15 mins of walking in our day, but we forget to create a cue that will remind us it’s time and we forget to reward ourselves once we’ve completed the behaviour (who doesn’t love a good ole’ sticker chart?!).

Another helpful step is to look at the behaviours you want to begin to replace with your new movement habits. Let’s take watching too much TV, as an example. What is the cue that tells you it is time to sit down and watch TV? And what is the reward that you get from TV watching? Remember, all behaviour that gets rewarded, gets repeated. Your current TV watching is giving you something pleasurable (or helping you avoid something else). That is, there is a reason you continue to do it.

Sometimes it is helpful to start by looking at the behaviour you want to replace because too often, we try to plug in new habits and behaviours, without thinking about what we are replacing. If you are watching TV because it finally gives you time to sit down and relax after a hectic day, the reward is relaxing. Do you see why it would be hard to plug in something like a high-intensity workout in place of TV watching? You are looking for some relaxation, not intense movement and loud noise.

Use this process when you are trying to add AND replace behaviours. This can help maximize your success, because, at the end of the day, behaviour change is hard. Why? Beyond the Cue > Behaviour > Reward process, is life, previous programming, previous experiences, emotions, just to name a few. Tough stuff.

So, that is why I want you to maximize the “easy”, that way you’ll set yourself in a better position to tackle the “hard” stuff.

Cheering you on!

Deanna