Michelle Segar

Michelle Segar, a behavioral science researcher and health coach, dives into the common pitfalls of diet and exercise habits. She argues that focusing solely on motivation can lead to failure, as understanding obstacles like temptation and perfectionism is crucial. Segar introduces a three-step decision tool to overcome these disruptors and encourages embracing imperfections in health journeys. By highlighting the joy of flexible, enjoyable choices, she empowers listeners to redefine their relationship with diet and exercise for lasting change.

Hey! On today's ep I'm interviewing the incredible Michelle Segar. Michelle is an award-winning, NIH-funded researcher at the University of Michigan with almost thirty years studying how to help people adopt exercise and physical activity in ways that bring meaning and joy, and can be sustained within the complexity and unpredictability of the real world. We talk about self-control, good “whys”, how to get motivated to workout, flexibility in behaviour change, reframing shoulds and how to enjoy exercise. TAKE THE TRAP QUIZ - https://michellesegar.com/joy-quiz/ RECCS OF THE WEEK ✨ The Joy Choice by Michelle Segar - https://amzn.to/3v9QuT2 ✨ No Sweat by Michelle Segar - https://amzn.to/471AxMj ✨ Elastic Habits by Stephen Guise - https://amzn.to/3RkvDEh ✨ The Life Map - Part eBook, part digital workbook. Use The Life Map (2.0) to create your most incredible year yet ⇢ https://www.muchelleb.com.au/the-life-map SHOP ✨ The Intention App - Manage Your Mind to Create a Life That Feels Good ⇢ ⁠https://www.theintentionapp.com/⁠ ✨ The Life Map - Part eBook, part digital workbook. Use The Life Map (2.0) to create your most incredible year yet ⇢ https://www.muchelleb.com.au/the-life-map CONNECT WITH ME 🧚 On Instagram ⇢ ⁠@muchelleb⁠ 🧚 TikTok ⇢ ⁠@muchelleb⁠ 🧚 Website ⇢ ⁠http://muchelleb.com.au/⁠ 🧚 Get Product / Service Support ⇢ ⁠https://muchelleb.com.au/get-support⁠ 🧚 Collaboration Enquiries ⇢ ⁠https://muchelleb.com.au/work-with-me CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Michelle Segar and her research on sustainable habits 02:49 The limitations of using reasons like health and weight loss as motivation 06:36 Reframing shoulds into more helpful and meaningful choices 09:29 Immediate and noticeable changes that sustain motivation 11:44 The importance of flexibility in behavior change 16:25 The research behind flexibility and its adaptiveness 20:32 Developing flexibility and making it a part of your identity 22:47 Using flexibility at choice points and reframing unworkable plans 25:14 Noticing rewards and practicing mental flexibility 30:53 Feeling unmotivated as a smoke screen for deeper reasons 38:05 Tips for neurodivergent individuals and practicing flexibility 43:56 The time it takes to embed the habit of mental flexibility 52:33 This weeks recommendations 53:24 Mini moves segment

This week I was privileged to welcome Michelle Segar to the show to discuss her new book The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise. Michelle is a researcher at The University of Michigan who studies sustainable behavior change and the science of habits. In this conversation Michelle unpacks the science behind our choices and explains how thinking around behavior change has often made the mistake of an all or nothing approach to changing our habits and lifestyle.The Joy Choice offers a fresh, brain-based solution that turns the old behavior-change paradigm on its head. This groundbreaking book liberates you from the self-defeating obligations and rigid requirements of past diet and workout regimens and reveals what emerging research suggests really drives the consistent choices that power sustainable change.Michelle Segar, PhD 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 changes that are being used to boost patient health, employee well-being, and gym membership retention.  Website: https://michellesegar.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Context heavily influences our behavior (regular listeners of the show know our “context matters” mantra well!). Sometimes, because of what life throws at us, we have to re-evaluate our options. The best choice isn’t always the perfect choice. For instance, in an ideal world, we might be planning a 5 mile run after work. But instead we need to collect our sick child from school early and have to settle for a 2 mile run on the treadmill in the basement, or some dancing in the kitchen while we unload the dishwasher. It’s the perfect, imperfect choice, or what our guest, Michelle Segar calls The Joy Choice. Michelle Segar PhD 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 well-being, and gym membership retention. “My approach to creating sustainable change is fundamentally grounded in changing people's mindsets.” ~ Michelle Segar PhD In this episode, we are lucky enough to talk to Michelle about her new book, “The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise”. We discuss why Michelle steers away from habits as a way of framing behavior change, the role of the executive function, and of course, how music influences her life.   Topics (3:20) Welcome and speed round questions. (7:31) Why we all need to find The Joy Choice. (14:26) Why do we beat ourselves up about missing exercise and diet goals? (17:35) How our identity can motivate our behavior change. (20:22) The shortcomings of the habit loop. (25:10) The role of the executive function in our decision making. (30:45) To what degree do mindsets, belief systems and branding play? (35:58) How the TRAP and POP models help us with selecting The Joy Choice. (43:36) How Michelle finds joy in music. (48:02) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim on The Joy Choice.   © 2023 Behavioral Grooves   Links Michelle Segar: https://michellesegar.com/  Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelsegar/ Michelle on Twitter: @MichelleSegar   “The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise”: https://amzn.to/3GTve6m  It’s Time to Unhabit and Think Critically About Whether Habit Formation Has Been Over Valued as a Behavior Change Strategy Within Health Promotion: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08901171221125326f  Episode 277, No Regrets? Really? Why Regrets Actually Bring Us Hope | Daniel H. Pink: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/why-regrets-bring-us-hope/   Episode 327, A Proven Way Expectations Can Unlock A More Positive Life | David Robson: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/why-regrets-bring-us-hope/  Episode 307, Groove Track | Mind Over Milkshakes: Why Expectations Matter A Lot: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/mind-over-milkshakes-groove-track/ Zingermans in Ann Arbor, MI: https://www.zingermansdeli.com/  Musical Links  Earth, wind and fire “September”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk   

Michelle Segar, a behavioral scientist and author of No Sweat, shares insights on transforming exercise into a sustainable habit. She reveals that traditional motivators like weight loss often fail and emphasizes the need for immediate positive experiences. Segar introduces her MAPS framework—Meaning, Awareness, Permission, and Strategy—to help change perceptions of physical activity. By prioritizing enjoyment and flexible decision-making, she encourages listeners to redefine their relationship with exercise for long-term success.

Michelle Segar, an award-winning researcher at the University of Michigan and author of 'No Sweat,' delves into the complexities of sustainable behavior change. She discusses 'choice points' as critical moments influencing health decisions, urging conscious awareness in shaping habits. Segar challenges the 'motivation bubble,' stresses flexibility over rigidity in eating and exercise, and introduces the 'joy choice' framework for aligning health choices with personal values. Her compassionate insights provide a refreshing perspective on making lasting lifestyle changes.

What is the key to lasting motivation? Motivation is a topic that comes up a lot in our community. You want to eat right, read more, exercise daily, and meditate regularly. But talking about making a change is often easier than achieving long-term follow-through. I’m excited to have Dr. Michelle Segar on our show today to talk more about this topic. She’s an award-winning motivation scientist and researcher at the University of Michigan. She’s the author of No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness and she’s here to talk about her new book, Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise. There’s a difference between reaching a goal and sustaining that behavior over time, and many of the paradigms and beliefs you might hold around habits are likely outdated or oversimplified. Listen in, as Dr. Segar dispels the many myths around habits and talks about her model for creating lasting change and sustained motivation. *** Do you want to stay up to date with every new episode and get my brand new Kwik Brain Accelerator Program? Go to www.KwikBrain.com/podcast to get instant access. ***See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michelle Segar, an award-winning researcher at the University of Michigan and author of "No Sweat," shares transformative insights on lasting behavior change. She discusses the importance of conscious awareness in making healthier choices and introduces the concept of the motivation bubble. Listeners learn about the 'POP' decision tool that helps navigate choices. Segar emphasizes the 'Joy Choice' – a flexible approach to eating and exercise, harmonizing personal values with sustainable habits.

Have we put habit formation on too high a pedestal?  Dr. Michelle Segar is an NIH-funded researcher who has spent close to thirty years studying how to create healthy behaviors. that can survive the complexity and unpredictability of the real world. We talk about why healthy behaviors are often particularly resistant to habit formation, and what may work better.Things to Listen For02:17 Common misconceptions about habits06:33 Why complex behaviors defy habit formation14:40 The unrecognized influence of memory and emotional associations in determining our behavior20:11 The role of self=control and willpower22:17 Why building health behaviors around identity and values (rather than habit) is a better strategy.27:37 The value of questioning assumptionsMentioned:The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise, by Michelle Segar, PhDIt’s Time to Unhabit, by Michelle Segar (American Journal of Health Promotion)The 50,000 Mile Tune-UpWeighless Program Interested in having Monica present at your next live or virtual event?  Learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this engaging episode, Michelle Segar, an award-winning researcher and health coach from the University of Michigan, shares her insights on sustainable self-care. She discusses the POP principle, which encourages mindful decision-making to enhance health. Segar highlights how to navigate barriers to joyful self-care, emphasizing compassion and flexibility. She also presents the 'joy choice' concept, promoting manageable wellness routines. Listeners will learn how simple, enjoyable changes can lead to lasting transformations in both personal health and environmental well-being.