If you struggle with exercise, Michelle Segar has a secret for you: Stop blaming yourself! Blame the system!

After years of studying the science of motivation, Michelle Segar, Ph.D., Director of SHARP -- the Sport, Health, and Activity research and policy center at the University of Michigan -- has created a framework for rethinking exercise that swaps out prescription for meaning. Filled with practical tips and strategies, Michelle’s bestselling book, No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness, is informed by years of putting these findings into practice with people just like you.

Some of the things we discuss in this interview:

How systems determine our success in sustaining physical activity

Why exercise is about so much more than weight loss

Why finding the right whys make all the difference in our health and wellness

How reflecting on how we feel when we move can help us sustain activity

Why relying on willpower is such a short-sighted strategy

The important role of emotions and decision making in activity for life

Why meaning trumps should every time when it comes to changing our behaviors

How we approach eating following a workout we enjoy versus a workout like work

How exercise recommendations became so prescriptive

Fewer than 1 percent of American adults know how much exercise is recommended

How small of a role logical and rational behavior play in our choosing to exercise

Why we need a new kind of fitness prescription based on how we live and feel

How we help others when we prioritize our self care

How a go-to activity resource prevents us from wasting time and energy

Why reflecting on the immediate benefits of physical exercise fuels us long term

The importance of finding exercise we love

Getting past the idea that movement only counts when we sustain it for periods of time

How awareness of our current situation empowers us to take ownership for what we want it to be

Why negotiation skills can reap big benefits in helping us create time for physical activity

Episode Links

@MichelleSegar

http://michellesegar.com/

Paulo Freire

Dan Ariely

Behavioral economics

Reward Substitution

Self-determination theory

No Sweat Resolutions Quiz

2015 USA Best Book Awards

SHARP at the University of Michigan

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