Change Academy

There’s clearly no shortage of good intentions in the world, and most of them actually have to do with health. People want to get into shape, they want to eat better, they want to lose weight. Unfortunately, very few of these good intentions get converted into reality.

Believe it or not, there’s a technical term for this: It’s called the intention behavior gap. And in this episode, I want to share with you some research-based strategies for bridging the gap between good intentions and healthy habits.

Key Takeaways
- We waste a lot of time problem-solving issues that aren’t really what’s getting in the way.
- Clarity on goals and strategies is more important than how much time or money we have to spend on something.
- Willpower does not exist in a vacuum. It is supported by a range of other behavioral attributes.
- Even more important than planning is flexibility when things don’t go according to plan.

Mentioned
30 Day Nutrition Upgrade program - https://nutritionovereasy.com/upgrade

Careers are one of the ways that we find meaning and purpose in our lives. Not the only way, of course. But what if you wake up one day and realize that your true purpose might be better fulfilled by doing something other than what you originally trained for. Now what?!

Design thinking offers tools and processes that can help us both imagine and then execute big shifts in our lives.

Lisa Waltuch and her business partner, Jen Sullivan, are co-founders of Encore Retreats, where they host transformational getaways and events. Lisa also has her own practice as a Life Coach through Thrive Coaching, where she uses design thinking to help her clients imagine and then inhabit really big changes. I thought she'd be the perfect person to talk about this with.

Takeaways
-Your true purpose might be better fulfilled by doing something other than what you originally trained for. Instead of asking “What did I train to do?” ask “What impact do I want to have?”

- You are never too old (or too successful) to choose a new path. You can make bold changes at any life stage.

- Don’t let yourself be shackled by what has come before. Ask yourself, “How do I want my life to unfold or evolve from here?

- Some of your values may have shifted throughout your life. Mind-mapping can help you explore your current values, which can help you design a life of great happiness and satisfaction.

Mentioned

8 Things You Need to Create Lasting Change (listening guide)

Encore Retreats

Mind Mapping Exercise

I was recently exchanging emails with someone who was struggling to change some unhelpful behaviors.

He wrote: “I do really well for a couple of days and then I go totally off the rails again. It’s such a vicious cycle. I just need to be be more disciplined.”

And if there is something that you are struggling to change, you’ve probably thought the same thing. But I don’t think summoning up more discipline is necessarily the answer.

In this episode, I’m talking with someone who found a better way to create positive change and momentum–which led to dramatic improvements in her health.

As you listen, think about how the specifics of her translate into whatever you’re working on and the kind of effort you are applying to that work.

Key Takeaways

• Instead of focusing on the behaviors you’re trying to change, take a look at the thoughts and beliefs that are driving these behaviors.
• When it comes to lasting behavior change, self-awareness will get you a lot further than will power.
• If you are frustrated with your results, ask yourself if you are happy with the effort that you are putting in to create them.
• Being able to ask for (and accept) help or support is an under-rated super power
• Offering support to others is a great way to access wisdom and insight that can be applied to your own situation.

Mentioned
Find out more about Weighless Program

I’ve decided that my special word for 2024 is Reboot.

Much of my last year was consumed by the reboot of the Weighless program–a coaching program that I launched with Brock Armstrong 7 years ago, and which has now been now relaunched in a new format that I think is its best version yet.

The Change Academy is not about weight management, per se. My goal in this podcast is to give you tools that you can apply to create positive change in any aspect of your life. But in this episode, I want to talk more specifically about the Weighless Program and take you behind the scenes of our recent reboot.

If that is not of interest, you might want to check out our introductory series The 8 Things You Need to Create Change, or the more intensive series called the 50,000 Mile Tune up. There are free listening guides available for both of them and either one of them would be a great way to charge up your batteries for your own reboot, or whatever else 2024 has in store for you.

Mentioned

Weighless Program enrollment details

See exactly what’s in the Weighless curriculum

Listen in on a Weighless Office Hours

Listening Guide for 8 Things You Need to Create Change

Listening Guide for the 50K Mile Tuneup

This is the last of a special 5-part Mindset Reset–a little bonus series to help us get our mindset tuned up as we head into the New Year, and into whatever new projects and objectives we’re hoping to tackle. This last mindset reset is really the key to any change you are working on: Remembering that we are all works in progress.

Whether or not you're thinking about joining the Weighless Program, I hope you've found this special Mindset Reset series helpful. Our program members often tell us that these mindsets positively affect other aspects of their lives: their relationships, their work/life balance, how they spend their valuable time, the environment they create for themselves, and their overall life satisfaction.

And if you are considering joining us, we delve much MUCH deeper into mindset (and so many other things) in the program. We have a new group starting on January 1st.

Learn more about the Weighless Program

We have reached the fourth installment our special 5-day Mindset Reset series and this reset is a juicy one. Many of us have learned the unhelpful habit of moralizing our food choices. Here's a more helpful way to think about the choices we make.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Weighless Program, from which this series is derived, go to https://weighless.life. We have a new group starting on January 1st and if you could use some support with weight management in the New Year I’d love to have you join us!

Learn more about the Weighless Program

This is the third installment our special 5-day Mindset Reset and we're talking about balancing our approach to food as a source of both nourishment and pleasure.

As with most of the things we talk about here in the Change Academy (and in the Weighless Program), the real payoff is in the implementation. So, don't just listen. Make sure some rubber is meeting the road.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Weighless Program, from which this series is derived, go to https://weighless.life. We have a new group starting on January 1st and if you could use some support with weight management in the New Year I’d love to have you join us!

Learn more about the Weighless Program

This is Part 2 of our special 5-part Mindset Reset series–a little bonus series to help us get our mindset tuned up as we head into the New Year. In this reset, we're talking about how we recover from setbacks.

Because this series was originally developed to accompany the Weighless Program, the examples here focus on typical dieting behaviors and mindsets. But even if that’s not what you’re working on, I bet you can translate these insights into whatever you are working on.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Weighless Program, from which this series is derived, go to https://weighless.life. We have a new group starting on January 1st and if you could use some support with weight management in the New Year I’d love to have you join us!

Learn more about the Weighless Program

For this last week of the calendar year, we're departing from our usual format to bring you a special 5-day series called the Weighless Mindset Reset.

The New Year is a time when many people resolve to eat healthier. Unfortunately, those resolutions have typically crashed and burned by the second week of January. By taking a little time to tune up our mindset, I think we can greatly improve our chances of converting our New Year resolutions into more lasting behavior change.

This series was originally developed to give people who were interested in the Weighless Program a taste of the kind of work we do in that program. (Mindset of course is only one aspect of that program, but it’s an important one.)

We'll be sharing a new Mindset Reset every day between now and New Year’s Eve. If this series resonates with you and you're ready to take the next step, our next group program begins on January 1st.

Learn more about the Weighless Program

There are apps and devices that help us what we eat, weigh, spend, save, how much water we drink, how many steps we take. But what is all of this tracking doing for us? Are we using these tools and this information to improve our wellbeing or have we succumbed to the tyranny of tracking?

Joining me on the podcast is registered dietitian and workplace wellness consultant Cassie Christopher. Tracking is a a topic that comes up a lot for each of us in the coaching work that we do and in this episode, we explore what tracking offers, where it often goes wrong, and how we can leverage the benefits without it becoming an unhealthy or unhelpful practice.

I’m also excited to share that the Weighless Program is once again accepting new members! The next group begins on January 1st. All the details are at weighless.life/enroll.

Mentioned
Learn more about the Weighless Program
Learn more about Cassie Christopher’s work