They typically have already taken some significant action in the past year. They are ready for action-oriented programs. Action is the stage in which people have made specific overt modifications in their lifestyles within the past six months. Maintenance is the stage in which people work to prevent relapse, but they do not apply change processes as frequently as do people in action. They are less tempted to relapse and increasingly more confident that they can continue their changes.
Termination is a sixth stage that applies to some behaviors, especially the addictions.
This stage may not be appropriate for some behaviors, such as cancer screening or dietary fat reduction. Using this information, your next step is to decide what behavior you might like to change. Start by picking just one behavior that you would like to change. Decide which of the above stages you are in for the behavior you wish to change. Be realistic as you think about the behavior, yourself and the stages.