Sustainable Behavior Change with Michelle Segar [Podcast]

Why do some people exercise through stressful times and others stop? Why does one mom put her self-care at the top of the priority list while another puts everyone’s else needs first?

For a quarter of a century, Michelle Segar has tried to crack the code on why some people lose motivation for healthy habits, and others don’t. She’s not interested in helping people change their behavior. No, she wants to help people sustain health-oriented behaviors. In part 3 of our behavior series, we get into the psychology and science of motivation.

Michelle Segar, Ph.D., MPH is a behavioral sustainability scientist and author of No Sweat! How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness. She is Director of the Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center (SHARP) at the University of Michigan. Michelle has devoted her career to creating sustainable behavior change and she is a recognized pioneer in the field. For the last 25 years, she has been conducting research and coaching individuals in her three-part system.

Based on her extensive research, coaching, and personal experience, Michelle shares the secret ingredients for making healthy behaviors lasting.

Highlights from the Show

Michelle’s definition of motivation and why quality is more important than quantity.
The problem with “should-do” motivation and why it’s like a bad seed (and the most prevalent type of motivation).
How culture plays a role in the type of motivation individuals gravitate towards and what to do about it.
Why people aren’t motivated by distant goals like health, weight loss, and healthy aging but are motivated by this.
The right and wrong “whys” for starting and sustaining health-oriented behaviors, and how the wrong “whys” create a vicious cycle of failure.
The limits to relying solely on habits for behavior change and how to instead create behavioral resilience.
Why it’s vital to for people to be mindful of their relationship to behaviors, which is at the core of what keeps them going or stopping.
How to spark lasting motivation in kids (and some good book recommendations)

Quote from the Show

If we can craft a holistic way that’s really about bettering our feelings and functioning in the daily life, we can create a new paradigm for ourselves and our children. — Michelle Segar