Progress and Change

There is this thing called “change’’...we’ve all been there, wanted to change something about ourselves; wanted to change the way we act, we behave, etc.  Have you ever sat down and thought about what goes on when working through a behavior change or better yet how to make a change more attainable?  Today I am going to talk to you about a theory of change that I find most relevant and useful.

There are many different theories of changing behaviours, the one I am going to talk about today is the Transtheoretical Model or just Stages of Change.  According to this model there are 6 steps a person goes through to change their habits and behaviours and integrate these changes into their lives.  With a better understanding of how we go through change we can ultimately better understand our own barriers and enablers to change and the influence our behaviours have. 

Step One: Precontemplation

-> Not interested in change, no intention of change

-> Tend to avoid information, discussion, or thought about change

-> Resistant to change, unmotivated

Step Two: Contemplation

-> Awareness of problem and need to change

-> Starting to thing about making some changes, recognizing problem and should do something to make lives better

-> Weighing the pros and cons 

Step Three: Preparation

-> Motivation to make a change

-> Change is about to happen, decision or commitment to change has been made

-> Gathering information, making plans

Step Four: Action

-> Initial adoption of new activity or behaviour

-> Real and over changes or lifestyle modifications have been made

-> Relapse and temptation may be strong

-> “Willpower” stage, benefits from short-term rewards to sustain motivation

Step Five: Maintenance

-> Working to consolidate any changes in their behaviour by maintaining and preventing relapse or temptation

-> Maintenance of new activity and integration into lifestyle

-> Coping strategies put in place and working

->Important to remind oneself of progress already made

Step Six: Transcendence

-> Former behaviours are no longer desirable

-> Can have element of advocacy

This theory can be applied to a wide variety of behaviours and situations.  For example, to name a few: stress management, depression prevention, weight management, smoking cessation, and exercise program initiation.

So now that you’ve read through and have somewhat of an understanding of the stages of change…try and incorporate a change you’ve made to your life through these stages.  Maybe you are motivated and wanting to make a change, so try to track your progress through each of the stages.

“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living.  Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope.  And out of hope, progress.” – Bruce Barton

Cheers, 

Lindsay 

The Importance of the Heart Rate

First of all let’s start by defining your resting heart rate.  The Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is your heart rate when you’re at rest; lying down, awake, and not having recently exerted yourself.  RHR is pretty simple to find.  First, find your pulse on the inside of your wrist, just below the thumb, using two fingers to feel the pulse.  If it cannot be felt hear you can check it on your neck over the carotid artery (just off the centre of your neck).  Count the beats once you feel your pulse, counting the first beat as zero and count for 15 seconds.  Take this number and multiply it by 4 and you’ve got your resting heart rate in beats per minute.  The normal range for a resting heart rate is between 60-100bpm, although some don’t always fall in this range.  Many athletes have resting heart rates between 40-60bpm and elderly individuals often have higher heart rates.  A few tips to ensure accuracy: be well rested, avoid stimulants (e.g. caffeine), and ensure you are well hydrated.  

 

Generally speaking, the lower the number the better, the lower the number the more fit you are.  Why?  Simply, because the more blood your heart can pump with each beat the less times it has to beat each minute to supply adequate blood flow to the body (i.e. a larger heart capacity).  How can you lower it?  Again, the simple answer, by engaging in regular aerobic exercise. 

It is important to note that everyone’s RHR is different and there are several factors that can affect it.  Some of these factors include: caffeine (increases), how well rested you are (lack of rest can increase), dehydration (increases), and even overtraining.  The last one may be surprising, but a rising resting heart rate could indicate that your loading on too many high intensity workouts causing your body to fall behind in repairing itself, leading for poor performance and injury

What’s the relevance?  It can be used to calculate Target Heart Rate (THR) zones for training.  This is done through the Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or Karnoven method (about the most accurate we can get when prescribing training zones).

How do I calculate?  Using the formula below:

THR = (HR Max – HR Rest) x % Intensity + HR Rest

HR Max = 220 – age

E.g. For a 20yr old with a resting hear rate of 55bpm wants to work at 60% of his HRR.

60% Intensity THR   = (220 – 55) x 0.6 + 55

                             = 175bpm

What should your target HRR training zone be?  Well that really depends on what you’re training for and the intensity your looking to attain.  Here is a general breakdown of the different training zones and intensity according to the HRR method.

<20% HRR	Very Light
20-39% HRR	Light
40-59% HRR	Moderate
60-84% HRR	Intense
>85%	Very Intense
100%	Maximal

As a general recommendation for aerobic training working between 50-85% HRR (moderate to intense) is a good guideline.  Anything lower than this you are going to have a hard time seeing results, and anything higher is going to be incredibly difficult to sustain.

Ultimately, having an understanding of your resting heart rate, and what happens to your heart rate when your exercising can be a very helpful training tool.  Try out a heart rate monitor the next time you go for a run and see for yourself!  Side note of caution: Don’t rely on the heart rate recordings on cardio machines.  If you’re going to measure your heart rate invest in a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap for more accurate readings.  You can pick one up for anywhere between $100-200.

That’s all for now,

Lindsay

“Repetition is based on body rhythms, so we identify with the heartbeat, or with walking, or with breathing” – Karlheinz Stockhausen