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

CM 068: Michelle Segar on Exercise for Life

Curious Minds at Work