ACE Personal Trainer Certificate Ch. 3

Behavior change, in general, is complicated by the following factors:

• Environmental influences

• Behavior change is an ongoing process, rather than a single event

• Behavioral intention and action are not the same.

A personal trainers goals should be:

to empower each client to adopt a life-long habit of regular physical activity.

health belief model

people's ideas and underlying emotions about illnesses, prevention, and treatments may influence health behaviors and decisions about changing (or not changing) health behaviors

two components of health belief model - health threat

perceived susceptibility (perceptions of how likely they are to develop the illness)

perceived seriousness (people's perceptions regarding the short- and long-term severity of the illness)

two components of health belief model - health behavior

People may perceive both benefits and barriers to taking action with a specific health behavior

lived experience of illness

over time can alter perceptions of the benefits and barriers for health behaviors, the process of making decisions about health behaviors is dynamic and complex.

self-determination theory

which posits that different types of motivation (i.e., intrinsic versus extrinsic) influence the extent to which a person will seek out new activities and persevere

Self-determination theory examines two basic types of motivation:

autonomous motivation (people feel as if they are behaving of their own free will) and controlled motivation (doing something because they feel pressured by demands from external forces)

intrinsically motivated

a person is engaged in a n exercise activity for the inherent pleasure and experience that comes from the engagement itself.

controlled motivation often results in people being physically active because of some external factor

people being physically active because of some external factor and may lead to feelings of tension, guilt, or pressure related to participation

self-determination theory says that:

people have innate psychological needs, and when those needs are met, the conditions are favorable for supporting intrinsic motivation

three needs of self-determination theory

competence (self-perception that a person can successfully perform a task, which is enhanced when they receive positive performance feedback), autonomy (an individual must feel that their behavior is self-determined), and relatedness (belongingness and connectedness).

Personal trainers can create environments wherein their clients' basic psychological needs are met by:

(1) creating opportunities for mastery experiences with appropriately challenging exercises and consistent positive feedback, (2) including the client in aspects of goal setting and program design, (3) encouraging a sense of camaraderie among the client and others

motivational climate

indicates that an exerciser's self-determination for physical activity is low when motivated by external factors and, conversely, is high when motivated by internal factors , and supportive others play a critical role in fostering the development of increased self-determined motivation

task-involving environment

promotes a focus on individual effort and improvement where everyone is made to feel valued and welcomed and cooperation is fostered among everyone in the setting.

ego-involving environment

highlight the most skilled or fit participants and rivalry is encouraged where members may feel embarrassed if they do not know how to do something

caring environment

a caring climate is associated with higher enjoyment, greater commitment to the activity, and higher empathic concern for others

Creating a Caring, Task-involving Climate

emphasize process goals, not comparing, celebrate accomplishments, promote feelings of belonging

Social-support Strategies

find partner, ask friends and family to be encouraging, ask for reminders, create fun contests, add a social element, find enjoyable activities

Stages of Change Model (Transtheoretical Model)

• Stages of change

• Processes of change

• Self-efficacy

• Decisional balance

Stages of change model - stages of change

• The precontemplation stage is the stage during which people are physically inactive and are not even intending to begin an activity program.

• The contemplation stage consists of people who are still inactive but are thinking about becoming more active in the near future (within the next six months).

• The preparation stage is marked by some engagement in physical activity

• The action stage is comprised of people who are engaging in regular physical activity but have been doing so for less than six months.

• The maintenance stage is marked by regular physical-activity participation for longer than six months.

Stages of change model - stages of change - precontemplation tools

Precontemplation Unaware or under-aware of the problem, or believe that it cannot be solved

Increase awareness of the risks of maintaining the status quo and of the benefits of making a change

• Focus on addressing something relevant to them

• Have them start thinking about change

• Validate lack of readiness to change and clarify that this decision is theirs

Encourage reevaluation of current behavior and self-exploration, while not taking action

• Explain and personalize the inherent risks

• Utilize general sources, including media, Internet, and brochures. to increase awareness

• Explore the client's personal values

Stages of change model - stages of change - contemplation tools

• Aware of the problem and weighing the benefits versus risks of change

• Have little understanding of how to go about available options

• Support cues to action and provide basic structured quidance upon request from the client and with permission

› Collaboratively explore

› Validate lack of readiness to change and

clarify that this decision is theirs

• Encourage evaluation of the pros and cons of making a change

• Identify and promote new. positive outcome expectations and boost self-confidence

Stages of change model - stages of change - preparation tools

• Seeking opportunities to engage in the target behavior

• Co-create an action plan with frequent positive feedback and reinforcements on their progress

• Verify that the individual has the underlying skills for behavior change and encourage small steps toward building self-efficacy

• Identify and assist with problem-solving obstacles

• Assist the client in identifying social support and establishing goals

Stages of change model - stages of change - action tools

• Desire for opportunities to maintain activities

• Changing beliefs and attitudes

• High risk for lapses or returns to undesirable behavior

• Establish the new behavior as a habit through motivation and adherence to the desired behavior

• Use behavior-modification strategies

• Empower clients to restructure cues and social support toward building long-term change

• Increase awareness of inevitable lapses and bolster self-efficacy in coping with lapses

• Support clients in establishing systems of accountability and self-monitoring

Stages of change model - stages of change - maintenance tools

• Empowered, but desire a means to maintain adherence

• Good capability to deal with lapses

• Maintain support systems

• Maintain interest and avoid boredom or burnout

• Reevaluate strategies currently in effect

• Plan for contingencies with support systems, although this may no longer be needed

• Reinforce the need for a transition from external to internal rewards

• Plan for potential lapses

• Encourage reevaluation of goals and action plans as needed

Cognitive processes result in new ways :

of thinking and reinforce a client's motivation to change.

Behavioral processes involve:

action-oriented learning where clients experience the behaviors and adopt those that work for them

Stages of Change Model (Transtheoretical Model) - Processes of change

Consciousness raising

Dramatic relief

Self-reevaluation

Environmental revaluation

Self-liberation

Helping relationships

Counter-conditioning

Reinforcement management

Stimulus control

Social liberation

Stages of Change Model (Transtheoretical Model) - self-efficacy

the degree to which an individual believes they can successfully perform a given behavior. as people learn behaviors, they are influenced by (1) cognitive and personal factors (2) behavioral factors, and (3) environmental factors

Social cognitive theory supports:

the importance of having positive outcome expectations, goal setting, self-monitoring behavior, prompting intention formation (helping clients make a decision to change), and planning

Self-efficacy in the exercise context is the belief: in

in one's own capabilities to successfully engage in an exercise program.

research points to self-efficacy as:

the strongest, most consistent psychological correlate of physical-activity behavior

self-efficacy acts as:

both a determinant and an outcome of behavior change.

The relationship between stage of change and self-efficacy implies that:

by increasing self-efficacy, a person may progress through the stages more efficiently.

Personal history of physical activity during adulthood:

is a clear correlate of current physical-activity status

Sources of Self-efficacy

Past performance experience, Vicarious experience, Verbal persuasion, Physiological state appraisals, Emotional state and mood appraisals, Imaginal experiences

people with high self-efficacy will:

choose challenging tasks, set goals, and display a commitment to master those tasks

Stages of Change Model (Transtheoretical Model) - decisional balance

the evaluation of pros and cons about adopting and/or maintaining an activity program

The natural shift in decisional balance that occurs as people progress through the stages of change suggests that:

influencing clients' perceptions about being active may help encourage them to start an activity program.

An important strategy for dealing with a lapse is to:

address it before it happens through conversation with a client.

How to manage lapses:

Collaborating with clients on what to do in obstructive situations and enhance social support

feeling connected to others who are physically active:

reduces the likelihood that a client will relapse to a pattern of sporadic activity and/or sedentary behavior.

A review of the literature on self-control and decision-making abilities has shown that:

willpower is inherently limited and self-control depletes willpower in much the same way that exercise temporarily depletes physical power.

the adoption of physical activity is a complicated process that requires:

replacing unhealthy, inactive behaviors with healthy, active behaviors.

Operant conditioning is the process by which:

behaviors are influenced by their consequences.

More specifically, operant conditioning examines the:

relationship between antecedents, behaviors, and consequences and behavior chains that lead to the engagement of certain behaviors and the avoidance of others, taking into account the consequences associated with each behavior.

According to the principle of operant conditioning, behaviors are:

strengthened when they are reinforced.

In the personal-training context, using positive reinforcements means that:

positive or healthy behaviors have consequences that are going to increase the likelihood of the behavior happening again.

Antecedents are:

stimuli that precede a behavior and often signal the likely consequences of the behavior.

The influence by antecedents on behavior is called:

stimulus control, that shows antecedents can be manipulated in the environment to maximize the likelihood of desirable behaviors.

Negative reinforcement, which:

increases the likelihood that a behavior will reoccur in the future, consists of the removal or avoidance of negative stimuli following a behavior.

Extinction occurs when:

a positive stimulus that once followed a behavior is removed and the likelihood that the behavior will reoccur is decreased.

cognitive distortions reinforce:

irrational and potentially harmful thought patterns that interfere with their well-being

Common cognitive distortions

Jumping to Conclusions, Magnification (Catastrophizing) and Minimization, All-or-nothing thinking, Overgeneralizing, Labeling, Personalization and Blame

SMART goal guidelines

specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound

Self-monitoring is:

a cognitive process of self-regulation, which describes an individual's evaluation of their thoughts and feelings and how that information is then used to shape goals and behaviors and encompasses self-control and involves resisting impulsive behavior and making choices that align with one's values and vision.

exercise adherence refers to:

a client's voluntary and regular active involvement in an exercise program.

The potential determinants for physical activity can be broken down into three categories:

• Personal attributes

• Environmental factors

• Physical-activity factors

Personal attributes that determine physical activity:

Demographic Variables, Health Status, Physical-activity History, Psychological Traits, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs,

Locus of control is a:

belief in personal control over health outcomes and is a consistent predictor of physical activity among healthy adults

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS for determinants for physical activity:

Access to Facilities, Time, Social Support

PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY FACTORS for determinants for physical activity:

Intensity, Injury