Are You A 7 Out Of 10?
To lead a healthy lifestyle, you need to have what it takes
Your friend commits to losing 15 pounds and ends up 20 pounds lighter. Your spouse tries the Whole30 diet and keeps it up months later. Your coworker does a Couch to 5K and begins 10K training after that.
Sometimes it may feel like everyone around you is surpassing their health goals, while you struggle to accomplish any real change. Why is it that some people succeed in adopting healthy habits and behaviors and others do not?
One answer is motivation – but not just any motivation. To make meaningful lifestyle change, you need to have a special type of motivation, and just enough of it.
Not all motivation is created equal
Psychologists Richard Ryan and Edward Deci describe two main types of motivation: extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation refers to performing an activity for an external outcome, such as earning a reward or avoiding a punishment. Intrinsic motivation refers to performing an activity for personal enjoyment or satisfaction.
For example, say the activity is to drink less alcohol. If your reason to drink less is because you are worried about what your partner thinks of your drinking, you are extrinsically motivated. On the other hand, if your reason to drink less is because you want to support your own weight loss efforts, you are intrinsically motivated.
It is not hard to guess which of the two types of motivation gives you better results. When you are extrinsically motivated, you are less likely to perform an activity because you feel pressured or forced to do it. When you are intrinsically motivated, however, you are more likely to perform an activity because it resonates with who you are. Behavior change is less of an uphill battle when you are intrinsically motivated.
A simple gut check to see where your motivation is coming from is by asking yourself “Why?” Doing so helps you uncover the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are driving your decision to change. If you find that you are not intrinsically motivated, that is your cue to reprioritize your reasons for taking action.
The Rule of 7’s
Tapping into your intrinsic motivation can set you up for success in achieving your health goals. But how much motivation does it take to get started?
Stephen Rollnick and William Miller, founders of the counseling technique Motivational Interviewing (MI), suggest using a ruler to find out. The ruler is a subjective rating that helps you determine your readiness to change. You start by asking yourself a basic question (such as “How ready am I to make this change?”) and then rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 based on the following scoring:
1 to 3: not ready to make change
4 to 6: uncertain about making change
7 to 8: ready to make change
9 to 10: already making change
If your score is 7 or higher, you are ready to move forward and are more likely be successful in making change. Variations of the question may also be helpful, such as “How important is it for me to make this change?” or “How confident am I in my ability to make this change?”
Gauging where you are on the scale also can help with goal setting. Let’s use the drinking example from above. If you give yourself a 5 out of 10 for completely abstaining from alcohol, you are not likely to meet that goal. But, if you give yourself an 8 out of 10 for having one less drink a day, you are more likely to meet that goal. Setting realistic and attainable goals gives you the momentum to keep going.
Making change is never easy, especially when it comes to your health. The good thing is that it is within reach – as long as you look within yourself.