Meet ADKAR

Behavior change theories can be applied to your goal to make the process easier.  Pick a behavior you’d like to change as we dive into the five elements of the ADKAR model of behavioral change. 

1. Awareness: For many, awareness can be the hardest step. Look for areas in your wellness routine that might need improvement and decide if you are ready to make a change.  If so, you have taken the first and hardest step! 

Acknowledge what is going right; focus on positive habits you already have like walking your dog or eating regular meals and build on these habits. Approach change from an empathetic self-love perspective instead of a self-critical perspective. 

2. Desire: In order to implement the new changes, you have to want it! Maybe you want more energy to keep up with your kids. Maybe you’re prediabetic and you want to stay healthy. The most important thing is to have the desire and motivation to change. Focusing on internal (lowering cholesterol for heart health) over external (fitting into societal norms) motivators can make it easier to achieve your goals.  Remind yourself of your motivators frequently. 

3. Knowledge: It can be difficult to know where to start. Reflect on what’s prevented changes from occurring previously and ask people for help as needed. Where do you lack knowledge? The dietitians at Chesapeake Nutrition Company offer education,  guidance, accountability, and meal plans to make the process easier.

4. Ability: Having the ability to make significant change requires that the goal you’ve set is reasonable to achieve. Maybe you realize that jogging hurts your knee and you’d rather walk. Setting a SMART goal is especially effective. SMART stands for: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timebound. When the set goal meets the above criteria it can easily be completed. For example: “I will walk 45 minutes on lunch break three days each week for one month.” 

5. Reinforcement: Reinforcement is important because it keeps you accountable to your commitment. Some people have a time-based goal such as losing weight for a trip that reinforces the habit changes.  Being accountable to someone else (workout buddy, your partner,etc) is another type  of reinforcement. Many find it helpful to keep routine appointments with one of our Registered Dietitians to stay on track.

Author: Ginny Cooper (student intern) with Shannon Svikhart, RDN