CM 068: Michelle Segar on Exercise for Life

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

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes – your ratings make all the difference. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening!