ACE Personal Trainer Practice Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The maintenance stage in behavioral change is primarily characterized by the ongoing effort to prevent relapse into old behaviors. During this stage, individuals have successfully made significant changes to their lifestyle or habits but must actively work to sustain these changes over time. It involves developing strategies to avoid returning to previous habits and ensuring that the new behaviors become a permanent part of their routine.

In this context, preventing relapse is crucial because it indicates not just the presence of a new behavior, but the individual's commitment and ability to maintain that behavior in the face of challenges or temptations. This stage follows the action stage and requires continuous self-monitoring and assessment of progress to stay on track.

The other options reflect important aspects of behavioral change but do not precisely define the maintenance stage. Starting new habits correspond to the earlier actions involved in initiating change, while collecting data for analysis is typically more relevant during the preparation or action stages. Setting new fitness benchmarks aligns with goals and motivation but does not specifically address the core of maintenance, which is about sustaining the changes achieved.