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Sustainable behavior change is not easy to achieve, especially when it comes to making significant lifestyle changes that require commitment and perseverance. But just because it may be challenging, doesn’t mean that success can only be achieved by a small number of people. Whether it’s adopting a plant-based diet, quitting smoking, or exercising regularly, creating sustainable behavior change is a complex process that requires more than just willpower. In this article, we will explore some of the challenges of creating sustainable behavior change and offer tips on how to overcome them. By understanding these challenges and implementing effective strategies, we can help patients or clients create sustainable behavior changes that will improve their health and well-being in the long term.
Start With Education
One of the most effective ways to create sustainable behavior change is to provide education about the benefits of the behavior in question. In the case of a whole food, plant-based diet, this could include information about how this way of eating can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, as well as improve overall health and well-being. Providing clear, compelling information about the benefits of the behavior specific to the individual’s immediate and pressing needs can help motivate people to make changes and stick with them over the long term.
The Plantrician Project’s Quick Start Guides are the ultimate tools to kickstart a journey towards a healthier, plant-based lifestyle. These comprehensive guides are perfect for anyone looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet and reap the countless benefits that come with it. The Quick Start Guides provide practical tips and resources that will help people begin to make important changes to their dietary pattern. With delicious recipes and expert advice, these guides are the perfect companion to help your patients and clients achieve optimal health and wellness.
Find the Patient’s “Why”
Finding the patient’s “why” is one of the most important aspects of creating long-term behavior change and it is a powerful motivator that adds resilience and determination. By understanding the patient’s why (or helping them discover their own why) healthcare professionals can provide more personalized support, education, and resources to help them make sustainable behavior changes. This approach can help patients feel more connected to their goals, which can lead to greater success and a greater sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Use Social Support
Humans are social beings and thrive on positive social interactions. Having the support of family, friends, and even healthcare professionals can make all the difference when it comes to establishing lasting changes. Healthcare professionals can help patients build a support system that includes not just their loved ones, but also other people who are going through similar experiences. This support system provides patients with essential encouragement, accountability, and a sense of belonging, all of which are critical for creating sustainable behavior change.
Healthcare professionals can help patients build a support system by connecting them with support groups or online communities that focus on the specific behavior change they are trying to make. For example, if a patient is trying to quit vaping, healthcare professionals may recommend that they join a support group that meets regularly to discuss their experiences and provide mutual support. Similarly, if a patient is trying to adopt a plant-based diet, they could be encouraged to join an online or local community where they can connect with other people who are also trying to make the same change.
In addition to connecting patients with support groups, healthcare professionals or a member of their healthcare team including dietitians, nurses, or health coaches, can work with family members and loved ones to provide them with the education and resources they need to support the patient’s behavior change efforts. For example, if a patient is trying to improve their diet, healthcare professionals can educate family members on the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet and provide them with recipes and meal planning ideas that support the patient’s goals.
Set Realistic Goals
One approach to setting realistic goals is to use the SMART framework, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework can help healthcare professionals and patients develop goals that are more likely to lead to sustainable behavior change. For example, a SMART goal for a patient might be to eat a plant-based breakfast five days a week for the next month. This goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to the patient’s desire to eat a more plant-based diet, and time-bound. By using the SMART framework, patients can break down large goals into smaller, more manageable steps, which can help them feel more confident and motivated to make sustainable behavior changes. Research has shown that when these “bite sized” steps are viewed by the individual as “almost too easy” they are more likely to successfully implement the new change than if the change appears to be more challenging.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Celebrate every small success. Positive reinforcement is another powerful tool for creating sustainable behavior change. When people receive positive feedback for their efforts from others, they are more likely to continue with the behavior. In a clinical setting, this could involve providing patients with positive feedback and encouragement when they make healthy choices, such as congratulating them on trying a new plant-based recipe or praising them for making it through a social event without giving in to unhealthy temptations.
Address barriers
Finally, it is important to address any barriers that may be preventing people from making sustainable behavior changes. In a lifestyle medicine setting, this could involve providing patients with information on how to overcome common barriers to eating a plant-based diet, such as time constraints, budget concerns, cooking skills, or lack of knowledge about healthy food choices. It takes time and repetition to break a habit. In fact, studies have shown that it can take around ten weeks to form a new healthy habit and habits can be formed more quickly with more successful repetitions. Remind patients that it will get easier as time progresses.
Conclusion
Creating sustainable behavior change can be a challenging task, but by implementing the strategies outlined in this article, practitioners can make a real difference in the lives of their patients or clients. It’s important to remember that behavior change is a process and not a quick fix, and that it takes time, effort, patience, re-casting the vision, and commitment to achieve lasting results. However, with the right approach and support, people can adopt healthy habits that will improve their physical and mental health, increase their quality of life, and reduce their risk of chronic diseases.
References
Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA. Advocating for Behavior Change With Education. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 Dec 9;12(2):113-116.
Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Greger, M. (2015). How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. Flatiron Books.
Gardner, B., Lally, P., & Wardle, J. (2012). Making health habitual: the psychology of “habit-formation” and general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 62(605), 664–666.
