Today’s guest is Michelle Segar. Michelle is a PhD and is an award-winning lifestyle coach and sustainable behavior change researcher at the University of Michigan. For nearly three decades, she has pioneered methods to create sustainable, healthy behavior change that are being used to boost patient health, employee wellbeing, and gym membership retention. She's an advisor to leading global organizations and frequently interviewed in major media outlets like the New York Times, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal.  

We talk about how to effectively create a positive habit, the strategies to make lasting behavior changes, the odds of forcing physical activities that feel punishing, why health-related motivations don’t work long-term, and so much more! 

Thanks to this episode's sponsor:

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What to Listen For:

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:17 Misconceptions about how to form a new habit
• 03:07 The habit loop
• 05:29 The importance of mindfulness in stopping behaviors
• 10:27 What motivates the change?
• 14:10 Health-related reasons are poor motivators
• 19:37 Don’t pick physical activities that feel punishing
• 24:02 We all need a compelling reason to keep going
• 27:12 Staying in the path of lasting change
• 33:34 It’s better to bend than to break
• 37:46 Eating healthy can be very challenging
• 41:39 Sustainable healthy eating habit
• 47:45 Is there a timeframe for behavior change?
• 52:13 There are nuances in behavioral change 

Episode Resources:

• Michelle Segar | Website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Books

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