Where are you in your journey?
Photo by Chris Curry on Unsplash
Yesterday, I taught someone to stand on their head. It went well. She got up on her first try. I keep asking myself, “Why did it go so well?” Thinking of the two of us as a student-teacher team, there were a few factors in our favor. She was generally in good physical shape, though she had some concerns about her balance and wrist issues made an entry level variation I had been considering teaching her out of the question. It took me years to learn how to do a headstand. The result of that is that I have some clear ideas about what you need to understand to do one and helped me make decisions about what to teach and how to teach it. While all of that is true, the most significant thing working in our favor was that she had been thinking about how much she wanted to do a headstand for a long time. There was no doubt. Whether the two of us had been successful yesterday or not, she would have continued working on it. She was ready to make a change.
Moving ourselves from one state to another isn’t as simple as waking up and deciding we’re going to kick ass. The stages of change model taught by the American Council on Exercise identifies 4 stages people go through as they move from being a sedentary person to an active one.
Precontemplation: Someone in this stage isn’t even considering an activity program and doesn’t see physical activity as relevant to themselves. I think I spent 9th grade in this stage.
Contemplation: Someone in this stage is still sedentary. However, they have started to see how becoming more active might help them and have probably made some observations about how being inactive is affecting them. I can think of several people I know who I think are here. Maybe you do too.
Preparation: In this stage, people are starting to move, though they tend not to be consistent. Even though activity is sporadic, those in the preparation stage are ready to increase their activity level. I know people that I think are in this stage.
Action: Those in the action stage are participating in regular physical activity and have been doing so for less than 6 months.
Maintenance: Regular physical activity for longer than 6 months.
Where do you think my student was in terms of her headstand? Where are you in terms of your fitness goals? I always love to hear from people. Use the form below to let me know.
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