You're in the Precontemplation stage for regular exercise. This means that you're not intending to start exercising regularly within the next six months.

We all know that exercise is good for us, but thinking about fitting it in can make it difficult. Thinking about the benefits of exercise is one way to help you move forward.

For example, did you realize exercising regularly can help you be:

• More confident?
• More energetic?
• Happier?
• Healthier?

Exercise can also help you maintain a healthy weight, sleep better, lower your cholesterol, and help you manage stress. What benefits of exercise are important to you?

You intend to start exercising regularly in the next six months. That means you're in the Contemplation stage.

An important strategy to help you move toward a healthier life is to make a commitment. Over the next week, try taking at least one of these small steps:

• Tell a friend about your intentions to start exercising regularly.
• Park farther away from your destination to add a little more walking to your day.
• Think about different times and ways you can add exercise to your life.

Taking small steps can help you move ahead.

You're in the Preparation stage for regular exercise. That means you're ready to start exercising regularly within the next month.

One strategy to help you move forward is to make a commitment. Here are some steps that can help you start:

• Tell friends and family about your plan.
• Pick a date to start exercising regularly.
• Write down your commitment to exercise and note why it's important to you. Put it in a spot you see every day, like on your mirror.

Taking small steps will help you get closer to making exercise a regular part of your life.

Great! You're in the Action stage and have begun making regular exercise a part of your life.

One of the most important strategies you can use to maintain your progress is to replace old habits and ways of thinking with new ones.

For example:

• Instead of thinking about reasons to skip exercise, try talking yourself into exercising. Think of all the benefits, like how good you'll feel afterward and how much more energy you'll have.
• Instead of missing a day because of bad weather, find an alternative exercise that you can do inside.
• Instead of telling yourself that you don't have time, remind yourself that exercise is your time to take care of yourself and your health.

You're in the Maintenance stage for regular exercise. You've been exercising regularly for more than six months. That's fantastic!

The most important strategies now are the ones that keep you from slipping back, such as:

• Staying committed: Remind yourself that you're committed to a healthy lifestyle. This includes exercising regularly even when you're busy, traveling, or the weather is bad.
• Rewarding yourself: Take time to think about the physical and emotional rewards you get from exercise.

You're not intending to eat at least 4½ cups a day in the next six months. This means that you're in the Precontemplation stage.

An important strategy in this stage is to notice your reaction to stories about how eating enough fruits and vegetables each day has affected others. How do you feel when you read the following story about Jon, a 48-year-old carpenter?

At my last physical, the doc told me that I'm at risk for heart disease because of my family history and my high blood pressure. She suggested that I change my diet. I've heard lots about eating low-fat foods, but she said that it's also important to eat at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day. She gave me a pamphlet about all the good things eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can do for me, like helping to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol. It can even help prevent some kinds of cancer. That was the first time anyone told me that I could add something to my diet to be healthier. I like that idea.

Being worried about the potential health risks of not eating enough fruits and vegetables—or being inspired by the health benefits of eating at least 4½ cups a day—will help you think more about how to include enough fruits and vegetables in your life.

You're intending to eat at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables per day in the next six months—you're in the Contemplation stage.

An important strategy for this stage is to make a commitment. That means:

• Promising yourself that you will try to find ways to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Believing in your ability to keep that promise.
• Taking some small steps such as eating one fruit and two vegetables a day, or adding lettuce and tomato to your sandwich.

Building your commitment will help you get ready to make eating enough fruits and vegetables a part of your life.

You're intending to start eating at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day in the next month—you're in the Preparation stage.

Building your confidence is an important part of getting started. You've probably already made some changes to the way you eat. That's great!

Keep building on those successes to improve your confidence even more.

• Have you added ½ cup or more of fruit to breakfast?
• How about adding a small salad to lunch?
• Have you replaced an unhealthy snack with a piece of fruit?

Being successful with smaller goals makes you more confident that you can reach the goal of eating enough fruits and vegetables.

You've been eating at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables per day for less than six months—you're in the Action stage!

A key strategy for maintaining your new healthy behavior is finding ways that society is changing to make it easier to eat 4½ cups a day.

Have you noticed these helpful trends?

• Fruits and vegetables are more available—even Wal-Mart has gone organic!
• More stores are selling vegetables in travel size, ready to eat, or ready to heat containers.
• Farmers' markets are cropping up everywhere offering the freshest produce at reasonable prices.

It will also help to notice how many national organizations are encouraging people to eat at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day. You can feel proud that you're already meeting that goal!

You've been eating at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day for six months or more. This means you're in the Maintenance stage. Terrific!

In this stage, we recommend strategies to help you keep up your healthy habit. One of the strategies that we've found most helpful is seeing yourself as a person who values being healthy and eating enough fruits and vegetables.

Don't take your habit for granted. It's important to take a moment now and then to think about what a great choice you're making for your health.

• Remind yourself how important it is to you that you eat at least 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day.
• Reflect on how this healthy eating habit is part of who you are.
• Tell yourself that you're a person who takes charge of his or her health by choosing to eat fruits and vegetables.