Motivating Sustainable Fitness and Behavior Change
Michelle Segar, PhD, MPH creates systems and protocols that lead to the sustainable motivation and consistent decision making that underlie fitness, health, and well-being. She is a University of Michigan behavioral sustainability and motivation scientist, the Associate Director of the Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls, and a Health Policy Fellow at the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation.
Widely quoted in the media, and consulted as an expert by major publications like The New York Times and government agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Segar’s fresh insights on creating sustainable behavior are informed by three synergistic perspectives. As a:
• Fitness motivation and behavioral sustainability researcher
• Health behavior program development and evaluation specialist
• Physical activity and lifestyle coach to women
She has pioneered wellness systems, protocols, and methods that motivate individuals to prioritize and sustain physically active lives and other health behaviors. Her award-winning research challenges the status quo within the health promotion and health care industries by showing that logical rewards like “health” and “weight loss” do not motivate people to sustain behavior as well as immediately-experienced and emotional rewards such as “well-being.”
Dr. Segar translates complex science into real-world solutions. She advises visionary organizations and software developers, trains health behavior professionals, and speaks internationally. Grounded in research on culture, motivation, and decision making and refined through almost 20 years of coaching individuals, she created a comprehensive-but-simple motivation architecture that builds behaviors to last a lifetime. Learn more about her easy-to-use Behavioral Blueprints here.
Her provocative and evidence-based ideas generate accolades from prestigious organizations such as the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, North American Menopause Society, among many others. She has a PhD in Psychology (focused on goals and motivational processes) and Master’s Degrees in Health Behavior/Health Education (MPH) and in Kinesiology (MS) from the University of Michigan.