The Key to Lasting Behavior Change
May 21, 2020When I, Coach Kasey, tell people I got a Ph.D. in mindset and health behavior change, it sounds made up.
The terms mindset and behavior change feel very abstract and floaty.
Science is the opposite. Science is concrete and logical.
But there’s a science to this floaty stuff, and it’s kind of my life goal to explain it to the world.
And it’s not just social science (my Ph.D. is in psychology) but neuroscience too, which is why so many people come to us at KJO Coaching.
We take the social side of things, like looking at your current lifestyle and what’s sustainable for you and combine it with neuroscience to help you implement changes that will make a significant and lasting impact on your life.
If you want to change your behaviors to improve your physique, health, and fitness, you need to implement some behavior changes.
As the old saying goes, nothing changes if nothing changes.
How to Make Positive Behavior Changes
So you’re ready to start making positive changes to achieve your goals and optimize your health.
That’s fantastic!
But before you blindly walk into this, it’s essential that you understand the various elements of behavior change. If you don’t, you’ll just end up spinning your wheels, getting frustrated, and giving up.
The first thing you need to know is that behavior change starts with an objective.
Throughout this post, we’ll use the example of fat loss.
In order to achieve the said objective (in this instance, fat loss), you then require a process—because we all know what happens when you want to make a change but have zero plan in place to take action.
Your process may mean that you will adjust your environment, figure out where new behaviors fit in your schedule, work through mindset blocks, and maybe hire a coach to guide you.
The last and most important element is that you need to identify your “why;” your purpose.
Note: your purpose is not the same as your objective.
Your purpose might be that you’re the best version of yourself when you’re healthy, fit, and active.
Breaking Down Behavior Change
Here’s how we can break down the elements of behavior change on the less floaty side of things.
Objective
Your objective is your rational thought process and involves the neocortex part of your brain.
For example, “fat loss is the objective, and achieving that will determine my success.”
The objective is straightforward—cut and dry.
You either do, or you don’t achieve it.
Process
When you move on to the process, you’ll notice more systematic thoughts that mainly require your prefrontal cortex. That is the planning powerhouse of your brain.
You’ll ask yourself, “how will I change my daily environment to make my goal pursuits easier?”
More cognitive effort is required here. This is the “how” of achieving your goals and changing your behavior, and if you can find some enjoyment in this part, that’s major!
Maybe you find a community of like-minded people to spend your Friday nights with rather than going out to the bars and drinking all night every weekend.
If these are people whose company you enjoy, you’ll be more likely to continue spending time with them and engaging in behaviors that create an environment that’s conducive to achieving your fat loss goals.
Purpose
As much as we like to think we are logical beings, this emotional stuff typically plays the most significant role in successful, sustained behavior change and is housed in an entirely different part of your brain: the limbic system.
Your purpose is the part when you ask, “why does this actually matter to me?”
Finding your purpose often requires the unearthing of the deep shit, as I discuss in this post.
In short, it requires alignment between your values and your actions. If those are misaligned, you won’t have the purpose you need to achieve your goals.
Implementing Behavior Change
Try working through these elements now that you understand where your thoughts and brain come into play for behavior change.
Next, use the image below to make your own behavior change chart.
You can also take this free quiz to learn more about what’s holding you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.
This quiz will help you identify your roadblocks so you can build muscle, increase your energy, and improve your relationship with food.
Click here to take the quiz!
If you’re interested in making a deeper commitment to behavior change, KJO Coaching would be thrilled to help you!
Our coaches have extensive advanced training and education, which we use to help you create sustainable positive change that will help you make long-term change.
We will teach you how to navigate challenging situations and create healthy habits without relying on a coach forever!
Click here to learn more!
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