Big fitness goals aren’t typically achieved with one workout, and lasting change rarely occurs from a single, inspired decision. Change of any kind takes time and effort. And it tends to involve a multistage process of thinking, stepping forward, stumbling backward, and, sometimes, starting over.
Typically, the weeks, months, and even years dedicated to a goal will lead to a choice: Keep going — staying diligent and consistent with new habits, even in the face of obstacles and unanticipated challenges — or give up.
Starting is often considered the hardest step in behavior change. But “the decision to persist,” says Life Time Mind director Brie Vortherms, MA, LMFT, “is where the real work happens.”
This phase of behavior change is known as maintenance. It comes after you’ve started acting toward a goal but before your new behaviors have become habits.
It can be a tricky step to work through. Experts share some tips to help you improve your chances of success.
Stuck in the Middle
Maintenance is the fifth stage in the transtheoretical model of change, or TTM, a process conceived by psychologists James O. Prochaska, PhD, and Carlo DiClemente, PhD, ABPP. To understand why this challenging phase is so important, it helps to grasp the stages that come before and after it: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and termination (see “The Stages of Change” for a closer look at the six parts of Prochaska’s stages of change).
Precontemplation is characterized by a lack of desire to change or a state of denial. For example, you may have fallen out of your fitness routine and are ignoring how this makes you feel.
In the contemplation phase, you’re thinking about change but remain on the fence about getting started. You might not know where to begin or don’t feel quite ready to take on the challenge.
During the preparation phase, you feel motivated to make a change and are formulating a plan. You might research some health clubs or gyms, gather supplies and gear, and maybe even recruit a workout buddy.
The action phase is when you implement your plan: You join a gym, meet with a trainer, maybe attend that first group fitness class.
This phase is juicy, exciting, and full of potential. It feels like a fast track to the sixth and final stage, termination (a.k.a. adoption), when the change simply becomes a habit. A lifestyle.
We’d all like to jump from action to termination, but first we have to make it through that critical fifth stage: maintenance.
Shifting Gears
During the maintenance phase, there’s less chance of giving up on a new behavior than when you first took action. But there’s still a chance.
Stress, grief, boredom, loss of support, a progress plateau, or a major life event can all derail your progress. Think back to a time when you felt well on your way to realizing a goal but got sidelined. Chances are at least one of these factors was at play.
Yet maintenance isn’t about creating a life free of obstacles. It’s the training ground on which you learn to navigate them without giving up on your goals. “It’s not ‘either my goal or the rest of my life,’” says Vortherms. “This is your chance to find how you can have both.”
That requires shifting your mindset from doing to being, she explains. We all have a manager part of our personality — the part that makes plans, sets goals, and pushes us to achieve them. “Without a new goal to pursue, that part can feel lost.”
Instead of constantly chasing the next milestone, your primary objective during the maintenance phase is to focus on embodiment.
This means stepping into the version of yourself who doesn’t simply do an activity but is active. It’s a subtle but powerful difference.
“Let the manager rest,” she advises. “Protect the investment of hard work with grace.”
What follows are three practices designed to help you succeed in the maintenance phase — and embody the movement goals you’ve worked so hard to reach.
1.
TWEEK YOUR INTERNAL NARRATIVE.
Habits are more than muscle memory. For them to be sustainable, your internal narrative about yourself has to catch up with your external experience.
Affirmations are a useful tool here. They fill your mind with positive thoughts and can help reshape your beliefs about who you are.
“The mind has a powerful effect on the body,” says Vortherms. “Your thoughts can dictate which neurochemicals are released, creating different cascades with distinct effects on your mind and body.”
Try repeating affirmations that align with who you want to be: “I am strong and healthy.” “I am capable and good at change.”
The right affirmations are unique to the individual, Vortherms notes. Spend time finding the words or phrases that inspire and support you.
2.
SEE IT TO BE IT.
Visualization is a mental-training technique that involves picturing yourself engaging in your chosen activity. Visualization, like an affirmation, can help bridge the gap between what you do and who you are. (See “How to Use Visualization to Reach Your Fitness Goals” for more.)
Mental rehearsal may activate the visual cortex, even while you’re doing something else. This can dramatically improve your performance, says Vortherms, and it can help your changing identity settle into your body.
Try tapping into your senses with the guided-imagery technique:
• If you’re a swimmer, imagine the smell of chlorine.
• If you’re a gravel cyclist, think of the sound of riding over crushed rock.
• If you’re a dancer, feel your weight shift in your feet.
Conjure these sensations while doing laundry, walking to work, or lying in bed.
3.
KEEP IT FRESH.
Once you have a routine in place, seek out opportunities to take on new challenges and expand your skills. This might mean signing up for a race or athletic event, jumping into a dynamic group fitness class, learning to use a new-to-you piece of equipment, or challenging yourself to master, say, a handstand.
“Look for something that will keep you engaged in your fitness journey without falling into the ‘change for change’s sake’ trap,” suggests Kristin Green, CPT, a fitness instructor in Boulder, Colo.
For scratching the novelty itch, Green likes group fitness classes. In addition to being dynamic and exciting, the classes have the benefit of a built-in support system. (Learn more about the power of working out in a group at “The Power of Working Out in a Group.”)
The trick with maintenance is finding variety without losing consistency and purpose. Remember: These suggestions are side quests on the way to your final destination, the phase known as termination. When you reach that stage, the behavior you’ve worked so hard to adopt is integrated — no longer something you have to do, it’s now just who you are.
This article originally appeared as “Be the Change” in the March/April 2026 issue of Experience Life.
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