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It’s not the What , it’s the Why : Motivational Strategies for Health Behaviors

It’s not the What , it’s the Why : Motivational Strategies for Health Behaviors. Dr. Diane E. Whaley Colby Sawyer Exercise & Sport Sciences & Athletics Symposium March 21, 2011. http://curry.virginia.edu/academics/areas-of-study/educational-psychology.

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It’s not the What , it’s the Why : Motivational Strategies for Health Behaviors

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  1. It’s not the What, it’s the Why: Motivational Strategies for Health Behaviors Dr. Diane E. Whaley Colby Sawyer Exercise & Sport Sciences & Athletics Symposium March 21, 2011 http://curry.virginia.edu/academics/areas-of-study/educational-psychology

  2. Lots of people intend to quit smoking, exercise, eat right - but many don’t - WHY?! • Changing behaviors, particularly those related to health, takes motivation!

  3. Motivation Defined • Motivation includes: • the preference for choosing exercise or other health behaviors over other choices • the persistence one displays in sticking with an activity • the intensity one exhibits when participating in the activity

  4. Motives for participation must outweigh barriers!

  5. Strategies for meeting these motives: • Relate exercise specifically to the potential health benefits (future-oriented goals) • Enhance enjoyment - provide variety and high involvement • Allow participants some control • Increase opportunities for social interaction • De-emphasize body image issues • Teach self-regulation

  6. But is it that simple? Extrinsic – have to Extrinsic – want to Intrinsic – for the joy of it What motivates us to do things?

  7. Theories of Motivation • Many theories exist, but a few concepts cut across most of them: • Have to feel capable of the behavior in question • Have to feel that the behavior achieves some purpose; that is, it’s important or relevant • Have to feel like you have some control over the behavior or the environment

  8. Theory of Planned Behavior(Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) How do we make sure of this link??

  9. Keys to Behavior Change • Intentionmust be converted to action! • First step in behavior change is recognizing what we do, what we don’t do, and what we think about those behaviors • We call this self-awareness • Self-awareness in turn leads to self-regulation • CRITICAL for helping to maintain behaviors over the long term!

  10. Self Regulation is… • Regulating our own thoughts, feelings, & behaviors over time and contexts • Cyclical process – with health behaviors, have to continue monitoring for changes!

  11. Example of Self-Reflection: My Health Behaviors

  12. The Forethought Phase: Planning for Change • Goals are an important tool for behavior change • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Time-contingent

  13. Goal: “Exercise More Often” • Make it SMART! • “I WILL GO TO THE GYM 3X THIS WEEK AT 4PM FOR 1 HOUR” • What might be barriers to achieving this goal? • What strategies can I use to help me maintain this goal over the longer term?

  14. Are Goals Enough?Listening to Our inner dialogue • Sometimes, we can be our own best friend OR worst enemy when it comes to behavior change. • What we say to and about ourselves - our self-talk, can either support or thwart our plans. • Again, the first step is awareness • Do you know what you say??

  15. Irrational or distorted self-talk (“I must/have to…” statements) • Perfectionism (“I must do this perfectly”) • Catastrophizing (“I missed my exercise session – I knew I couldn’t last”) • Personalization (“If I had just made that goal, we would have won”) • Blaming (“If there were better food in the dining halls I would eat healthier”)

  16. Techniques to improve self- talk • Thought stoppage - consciously recognize negative thought (trigger - i.e., snap fingers) • Changing negative self-talk to positive or instructional self-talk • Countering assumptions - necessary when you still believe the negative thought. Uses facts to counter negative thought • Reframing – creating alternative frames of reference - change your perspective!

  17. ST Restructuring Exercise “It’s over if I eat this piece of cake” • Countering: • I had a small piece (fact), and I walked at lunch today (fact) • Reframing: • Yes, I did slip, but I will walk an extra mile tomorrow (admit problem and propose a solution!)

  18. Take Home Messages • Any behavior change takes work, and health behaviors may take the most thought • Behavior change over the long term only happens if we learn/teach self-regulation • We can learn how to self-regulate and teach this to others to be effective agents for change!

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