Most people know they should eat more vegetables, exercise and sleep at least 7 hours a night but unfortunately, knowledge doesn’t equate to behavior. Research suggests we tend to make daily health decisions based on emotions and in the moment instead of according to logic. We’ll make the choice based on how we feel.
Today’s guest is Dr. Michelle Segar, a motivational scientist who has been studying what motivates people to choose and maintain healthy behaviors, particularly around exercise. She believes that motivation isn’t the cause. It’s actually the result.
In this interview, we discuss what a motivational scientist actually does, how we can shrink the goals we’re asking people to achieve (at least at the beginning) and reframe exercise from a chore to a gift.
Michelle gives her thoughts on external motivators like gift cards and financial incentives. She leaves us with a tangible tip to assess the reasons we give employees to participate….are they based on logic?
Links mentioned:
Join me at the Wellness Council of Wisconsin in September! Click here for more info.
Brian Wansink study about exercise fun vs walk.
White paper health promoters stop promoting – can request via this webpage
Website: http://michellesegar.com/
For links mentioned in today's episode visit: http://bit.ly/Redesignpod