🎙️ New Episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast

Guest: Dr. Michelle Segar, University of Michigan

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Michelle Segar, NIH-funded scientist, author of No Sweat and The Joy Choice, and internationally recognized expert on sustainable behavior change. With more than 30 years of research and coaching experience, Dr. Segar has advised organizations like the World Health Organization, Kaiser Permanente, and Walmart on how to create lasting lifestyle change.

What we cover:

• The “lightbulb” moment: Dr. Segar discovered early in her career that even cancer survivors who benefited from exercise stopped once a study ended. This sparked her life’s work—understanding why people quit and how to help them stick with movement for good.
• Why people don’t stay active: It’s rarely “lack of time” or “no motivation.” These are smokescreens. The real issues often include guilt about prioritizing self-care, choosing exercise they don’t enjoy, or linking exercise only to weight loss.
• A better approach: Her coaching model blends three pillars:

1. Pleasure & positivity – helping people actually enjoy movement.

2. Permission for self-care – reframing exercise as fuel for life, not a selfish act.

3. Flexible strategies – building a toolkit of options so people can adapt when life gets busy.

• The power of the “why”: Long-term motivation comes from immediate benefits like energy, stress relief, and feeling better now—not distant goals like weight loss.
• Changing mindsets, not just behaviors: Sustainable activity starts with shifting beliefs about what exercise means. Dr. Segar calls it liberating people from cultural “brainwashing” around exercise.

Key takeaway:
If we want people to sustain physical activity, we must help them discover ways to feel good while moving. Enjoyment, permission, and flexible strategies—not shame, rigid goals, or generic prescriptions—are what create lifelong habits.

📌 Dr. Segar will also present an MFA webinar on October 7th: Reframing Exercise: Why our approach to exercise counseling causes harm and what science shows is a better way. She will also be leading a pre-conference workshop at the ACLM annual conference in November.

Connect with Dr. Michelle Segar:

• Website & newsletter: michellesegar.com
• Email: available via her website contact page
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelsegar/

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🚨 New Episode Alert: The Brain Health Opportunity 🚨

We just dropped a powerful episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast featuring Ryan Glatt, Senior Brain Health Coach and Director of the FitBrain Program at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute Foundation.

Ryan’s path into brain health is anything but ordinary—starting with childhood concussions, video games like Dance Dance Revolution, and eventually pioneering how exercise, cognition, and technology can come together to improve brain health.

🎙 In this episode, Ryan shares:

• Why dementia rates are projected to double by 2050, and how exercise is the most powerful “neuro-polypill” we have
• How dual-task training and clinical exergaming are changing the way we approach medical fitness
• Success stories from senior living communities and medical fitness centers implementing brain health programs
• The new MFA Brain Health Program Accreditation and how it will empower facilities to lead in cognitive wellness

👉 Whether you’re a clinician, fitness professional, or simply want to protect your own brain health, this episode highlights the massive opportunity to bridge neuroscience and fitness.

📲 Connect with Ryan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-glatt-ms-cpt-nbc-hwc-50ba3664/
• Instagram: @glatt.brainhealth

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🚨 New Episode of the Medical Fitness Podcast! 🚨

This week, we sit down with Simon Matthews, a psychologist and global leader in health behavior change coaching. Simon has nearly 30 years of experience helping people bridge the gap between mental health, physical health, and lifestyle medicine.

In this episode, we cover:
✅ Why clinicians often struggle when patients present with hopelessness and helplessness—and how to prevent burnout when faced with it.
✅ The Common Factors Theory and why the patient–clinician relationship and fostering hope often outweigh any single tool or method.
✅ Practical strategies clinicians and fitness professionals can use to strengthen trust, empathy, and coaching skills.
✅ How small affirmations and helping patients recognize their own resources can create powerful momentum for behavior change.
✅ What true interdisciplinary care could look like in the future—and why lifestyle medicine may be the key to breaking down silos in healthcare.

Simon also shares insights from research on empathy, his approach to coaching healthcare leaders, and a preview of his upcoming ACLM pre-conference workshop on supporting patients who feel “stuck.”

🎧 Tune in now to learn how to apply these lessons in your own practice and better support patients and clients in making meaningful, lasting change.

👉 Follow Simon Matthews:

· LinkedIn: Search Simon Matthews (the one connected to Jeff Young & Thomas Hammett)

· Website: www.simonmatthewsconsulting.com

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