How to Make Behavior Change Last

http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article-detail.php?issue=issue-12&article=how-to-make-behavior-change-last[8/2/2010 4:10:46 PM]

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Healthcare Reform

How to Make Behavior Change LastMichael White

Jul 8, 2010

One in five of American adults smoke. Half of the smoking population tries and fails to quit each year. Two thirdsof us are overweight or obese and 95% of our diet plans fail. The medical community tells us that 70% ofpremature death and aging is lifestyle-related – a result of our bad health habits. Changing behavior is not easy. We keep trying, but, in most cases, we fail. It is robbing us of happiness, health, energy, and life.

Threats and enticements are external forces that can lead to short-term changes. Changes that result from outsidepressure, whether it is a “carrot” or a “stick”, often do not last. Such pressure causes reactionary behavior that isnot sustainable. When the carrot is no longer enough, or when the stick is no longer threatening to us, we revert toold behaviors. “Lasting” change requires more than a carrot or stick approach. Lasting change requires aconscious choice.

How to Make Behavior Change Last

http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article-detail.php?issue=issue-12&article=how-to-make-behavior-change-last[8/2/2010 4:10:46 PM]

A Workplace Wellness “Learning” Experience

Creating lasting behavior change in the workplace, to increase the happiness, health, and productivity of theworkforce, is not an easy task. A company that I recently worked with learned just how hard it can be. Thecompany had implemented an in-house wellness program for its 70 employees. Half of the workforce was obeseand a third used tobacco products. Health care claims and costs, as well as employee sick days, were rising. Management came up with the idea to offer a carrot to employees who were willing to make an effort to be morefit and healthy. It rewarded people with a cash incentive, of up to $40 per month, for doing things like: notsmoking, getting at least seven hours of sleep, drinking 32 oz. of water during the work day, and doing some formof aerobic exercise – all aimed at improving health, and increasing energy and productivity on the job.

Participation was over 90% the first month. For those that stuck with it, incredible gains were made. Someemployees lost as much as 60 lbs. Other people were taken off medications by their doctors when cholesterol andblood pressure numbers improved. However, by the end of six months, only one third of employees wereparticipating and weight loss was beginning to reverse itself. What happened? The carrot was no longer enough. New habits went away and old habits returned. Behavior change did not last. Failure to produce lasting change inthe workforce encouraged management to understand how such change occurs, or new habits develop, beforeconsidering a new wellness initiative.

Understanding Behavior Change

Stephen Covey, in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, suggests that three things have to be present toform a habit: 1) desire – the “why to do”, 2) knowledge – the “what to do”, and 3) skill – the “how to do”. Coveyfurther explains that change “has to be motivated

by a higher purpose, by the willingness to subordinate what you think you want now for what you want later”.

Let us look at a change in diet as a habit-forming example. You recognize that you do not eat a well-balanceddiet. The pleasure you find in your current eating habits is outweighed by health concerns, declining energy level,and a bathroom scale that will not lie! These concerns provide a higher purpose to take action. The “desire” to eathealthier is joined with“knowledge” of “what” good nutrition is, and the “skill” of “how” to shop for and preparehealthy foods. All the ingredients of forming a new habit are present: desire, skill, and knowledge. How successfulwe are in making this behavior change last will be mostly influenced by how powerful the desire is.

The initial desire is easy. Sustaining it is the challenge. Too often, we think of the change process in a negativeway. We want a quick fix. We are not patient with the process of creating “new normals” in our lives, which iscritical for lasting change to occur. We will walk that mile per day for a week or two, but, when the weight does notdrop precipitously, we revert to our former sedentary ways.

Chicago Life Coach, Sara McIntosh, offers advice on how to avoid this. Sara says, “We need to change ourthinking. We need to nurture a belief that our life is better with the changes that we are making. As we seeprogress and experience success, the new habits will powerfully enhance our lives and perpetuate a desire tocontinue. It becomes more important to remain at our new normal than to return to old behaviors. When we thinkthis and believe this, we can sustain lasting change.”

Lasting Change = Lasting Benefits

The majority of employees who returned to old behaviors in the first few months of the in-house wellness programdid not have a powerful desire to change. The carrot offered by management did not sustain changes in behavior. Without sufficient desire, employees became discouraged and returned to comfortable old behaviors.

How to Make Behavior Change Last

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The employer came to recognize that, to be effective, employees must be motivated by change that is personallymeaningful and rewarding. Once the “why, what, and how” of lasting behavior change was understood,management realized that attempting to entice employees to become “less of a health risk” was satisfyingmanagement’s desire – not the employees. A new approach seeks to engage employees in a process that startswith what each person wants to achieve and then helps them make step-by-step improvement. This approachallows employees to make conscious choices that lead to lasting change – lasting change that promises lastingbenefits to the employer!

About the Author

Michael White is an entrepreneur of “well-being”. His passion is to help people andbusinesses to become happier, healthier, and more productive. Michael is Founder andPresident of WELL Street, a Chicago-based wellness program that combines an innovativeonline program with life-changing local wellness resources that lead to lasting behaviorchange.

Michael J. White

WELL Street

65 East Scott Street, Suite 5P

Chicago, IL 60610

Office: 312-846-6615

Email: michaelw@wellstreetusa.com

Website: www.wellstreetusa.com

Blog: www.wellstreetusa.blogspot.com