By Graham Kingma, HCA Registered Health Coach™ (Health Coach Alliance). Not a doctor or dietitian. About Graham
Ever felt like you keep starting your health goal changes over and over? A New Year's resolution, a fresh start on the first of the month, a promise to yourself that this time will be different. It goes well for a while, and then you're back at square one, wondering what went wrong.
It often isn't about willpower. Each part of the stages of change needs something different.
The stages of change model, sometimes called the transtheoretical model or TTM, explains how people modify behaviour. "Stages of change" is simply a name for the steps most people go through when they change a habit. I'll put a link in the show notes for those that want to understand the psychology behind TTM.
Want to talk about where you are? The free discovery call is 15 minutes, by video, with me. No pressure. If you've started over more times than you can count, this call is for you.
So why don't our New Year's resolutions and attempts at habit changes last? Why do we seem to fail at them so often?
In my opinion, two things trip up most New Year's resolutions and other big habit promises we make to ourselves.
First, the plan usually belongs to somebody else. It came from a magazine, an app, or a friend, and it was built for someone else's life, their schedule and their tastes, not yours. It could even be a professional that is making sound recommendations, but that plan does not fit into your plans. In my opinion, a plan is easier to keep going when you're in control of it and it fits your life and schedule.
Second, people jump straight into doing it, the stage called action. I'll talk more about that in a bit. They skip the thinking it over and the getting ready, so there's no plan that fits their own week. Then the first hard week shows up, and it feels like a personal failure when really the plan was never built for them.
The stages of change help explain why. Doing it is only one stage of five.
A quick map of the five stages
People usually move through five stages when they change a habit: not thinking about it yet, thinking it over, getting ready, doing it, and keeping it going.
Two researchers first described these stages in people quitting smoking on their own. Later work by the same team looked at many other habits too.
Often, the most useful thing about the map is this: each stage needs something different.
I'll go into more detail about each stage on a future podcast series. In the meantime, here's an example to show how the stages can look in real life. Picture a man in his 50s who doesn't think he has a problem with his weight or his blood sugar, until his doctor tells him. His story isn't about blame. It's about what each stage needs. Here is that man going through the stages of change:
Stage 1. Precontemplation
In plain words: not thinking about it yet. His wife mentions his weight and his wheezing up the stairs, and he brushes it off. This can sound like "it's fine for now," or "I'm tired of trying." Some people genuinely do not believe they have a problem. Some people have tried before, maybe more than once, and stepping back can make sense to them after it didn't work. It isn't a character flaw. What helps is good information, without pressure. You decide what to do with it, and when.
Stage 2. Contemplation
In plain words: thinking it over. Then his doctor mentions pre-diabetes and blood pressure medication, and this time he takes notice. This is the back and forth. Part of him wants to change, and part of him can list every reason it's hard right now. One large study looked at a dozen different habits. The reasons for changing tended to grow first, and the reasons against tended to ease later, closer to taking action. Thinking it over is a real step, not stalling.
Stage 3. Preparation or Planning
In plain words: getting ready. The man in his 50s starts to think about how he could make changes that would fit his own life. This is the stage most resolutions skip, and it's where a coach comes in. You might run a small test, pick a start date, or think through the week ahead. It's also where if then plans come in: if this moment comes up, then I'll do this. For example, a plan someone might choose: if I get home late and tired, then I'll take a ten minute walk around the block before I sit down. A large review of hundreds of tests found that people who made plans like these tended to follow through more than people who only set a goal. In my opinion, some work on mindset at this stage can help you bounce back faster after a hard day.
Stage 4. Action
In plain words: doing it. The man in his 50s has a plan and he's ready to start. In my opinion, this is where a lot of people jump in, often with someone else's plan, a plan that wasn't well thought out or no plan at all. It doesn't fit their week or their experiences, and it doesn't plan for the triggers that make us give in. When the first hard week shows up, that can feel like a personal failure. It isn't. The plan was never built for them. Expect a few bumps along the way. They don't mean you did it wrong. They show you which parts of the plan need a little more work. Those moments where you reach for a food you'd decided to cut back on aren't failures. They're information. A good coach can show you ways to turn that information into action.
Stage 5. Maintenance
In plain words: keeping it going. With the right plan, the right execution and the right support, the man in his 50s may reach maintenance. Once something is working, the job shifts to protecting it. You already know a lot of your own pitfalls: travel, holidays, a busy season at work. Keeping it going is about planning for those ahead of time. Maintenance is when your new habits have started to replace the old ones, and the change starts to feel like your normal.
Slips, and going back a stage
The researchers who built this model found that many people cycle back through the stages before a change lasts. Going back a stage is common. It's part of how change works, not a sign that you did it wrong. A slip is information. You look at what happened, and you fold what you learned into the next version of your plan.
Which stage are you in today?
If you'd like, ask yourself three questions:
- Am I thinking about changing something in the next few months, or not right now?
- Have I taken any small steps yet, like a test run or a start date?
- Is there something I've already changed that I'm working to keep going?
"Not right now" may point to precontemplation. "In the next few months" may point to contemplation. A test run or a start date that hasn't come yet may point to preparation. Small steps you've already begun may point to action. Something you're working to keep may point to maintenance.
There's no right answer, and no wrong stage. You decide where you are, and you can be in a different stage for different habits. Not sure which one fits? That's a good thing to sort out on the free call. Bring your answers, and you and I can look at one next step that fits where you are.
An honest note
The stages of change are widely used, and they're also debated. Programs built around the stages haven't always beaten other approaches, especially for physical activity. I use them as a useful map, not a law.
How coaching fits
Good information helps, and the choices stay yours. As your coach, I help you get clear on where you are and build your own plan, one that fits your busiest week, not your best one. Then I check in with you weekly as you go.
If you go ahead, sessions are weekly, 50 minutes, one to one, by video.
Want help with the next step?
Not sure which stage you're in, or what would help next? The free discovery call is 15 minutes, by video. No pressure. You tell me where you are today and what's been getting in the way, and I'll tell you honestly whether I think coaching can help, and what one next step could look like. You'll also get the take home paper "Why Going It Alone Is the Hard Way".
This week on my show, It Was Never Willpower, I walk through each stage: listen to this week's episode.
Coaching is education and support, not medical care. Medical decisions stay with your healthcare team.
More on each stage is coming
This is the quick tour. A future episode will cover each stage in more detail. If you'd like those episodes to show up in your feed, follow or subscribe to It Was Never Willpower wherever you listen. It's free.
Studies mentioned
The same studies are listed in the episode's show notes.
- Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC. Stages and processes of self change of smoking: toward an integrative model of change. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1983;51(3):390 to 395. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.51.3.390
- Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC, Norcross JC. In search of how people change: applications to addictive behaviors. Am Psychol. 1992;47(9):1102 to 1114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.9.1102
- Prochaska JO, Velicer WF, Rossi JS, et al. Stages of change and decisional balance for 12 problem behaviors. Health Psychol. 1994;13(1):39 to 46. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.13.1.39
- Prochaska JO, Velicer WF. The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Am J Health Promot. 1997;12(1):38 to 48. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-12.1.38
- Adams J, White M. Why don't stage based activity promotion interventions work? Health Educ Res. 2005;20(2):237 to 243. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg105
- Sheeran P, Listrom O, Gollwitzer PM. The when and how of planning: meta analysis of the scope and components of implementation intentions in 642 tests. Eur Rev Soc Psychol. 2025;36(1):162 to 194 (published online 27 Mar 2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2024.2334563