More Related Content
Sparking Healthy Habits
- 1. Sparking Healthy HabitsCreatingan Action Plan for Family WellnessMegan Coatley, M.A., BCBAFounder & CoachSPARK Behavior Solutions, LLCsparkbehavior.comSurvey – Planning – Action – Results – Knowledge
- 2. goals for today’sworkshopUnderstand how our actions are affected by natural consequences.Find out how natural consequences are compromising your family’s healthy habits.Identify the gaps that are harming your family’s health and wellness. Use strategies from behavior science to defy natural consequences and create an effective Action Planfor family wellness.Megan Coatley, MA, BCBA ● info@sparkbehavior.com
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6. Have more energy,focus and attentionWhat youcan ‘take’ is a closer look at your habits and behavior patterns!
- 7. what are YOUmade of?
- 8. you ARE whatyou DO!Megan Coatley, MA, BCBA ● info@sparkbehavior.com
- 9. healthy actions fallvictim to natural consequencesNatural consequences control our actions.
- 10. We have super-easyaccess to unhealthy foods and effortless transportation.
- 11. Commonconvenienceshave stacked thedeck against behaving in healthy ways!
- 12. Immediate pay-offs of unhealthy behaviors, and theeffortof healthy behaviors are against us.
- 13. immediate, natural pay-offscontrol our actionsUnhealthy behaviors have immediate pay-offs.
- 14. Sweet taste ofice cream, buzz from coffee or a cigarette, comfort of a soft, warm bed…
- 15. What’s the immediate,natural pay-off for one of your unhealthy habits?Pay-Off
- 16. effort controls ouractionsHumans are built to take the path of least resistance.
- 17. In the past,adapting to our environment meant that we could conserve energy to hunt, gather and survive.
- 18. Now, we’ve createdSO much choice and convenience that unhealthy habits are too easy!It takes more effort to prepare nutritious foods and plan for daily family exercise.
- 19. negative consequences arenot enoughThe negative consequences are grave, but they’re Too far off - Too unpredictable - Too sneakyOvereating causes obesity, but…
- 20. Smoking causes lungcancer, but…
- 21. Without immediate, powerfulnegative consequences, we’ve got no urgent motivation to commit to healthy habits!Megan Coatley, MA, BCBA ● info@sparkbehavior.com
- 22. conquering thenatural consequencesYourfamily is in a constant tug-of-war against natural consequences.We can’t make negative consequences of unhealthy habits immediate, powerful or guaranteed… So what canwe do?To change behavior: Change the EFFORT Change the PAY-OFFS
- 23. to change behavior:changethe effortChanging the amount effort involved in easiest way to increase healthy habits!
- 24. Set up theenvironment to make it easy:
Editor's Notes
- #5 Typically, when we describe someone, we list several personality traits.
- #6 But, when you look closely, you can see that these traits are actually made up of patterns of behavior.Behavior science is the study of how and why our behavior changes over time. It is based on the principle that ‘you are what you do’.In behavior science break personality traits down into specific behaviors that are easier to change.Can you think of another example of a personality trait?
- #7 Natural consequences that deter healthy behavior include: - The fat, sweet or salty taste of processed foods.- The physical effort and exertion involved in exercise.
- #8 I love a nice glass of red wine on a chilly evening. Obviously, the payoff is that peaceful, easy feeling.I am also a sun-worshiper – I like the feel of the warmth on my skin even though I know I’m flirting with cancer, wrinkles and age spots.
- #10 Degenerative diseases occur because we act in unhealthy ways.The negative consequence of 2 cans of soda = up to 30 extra pounds per year! If you gained those 30 pounds immediately after one sip, you’d never pop open a can of Coke!But it is spread over a long period of time and you can rationalize your way around it (I’ll bike to work, etc.).
- #12 Cook on Sunday and freeze for the weekSet out your workout clothes the night before
- #13 Yes, the pay-offs are arbitrary at first. But they get you to start those healthy habits!Soon, the healthy behaviors become habits and you’ll keep them up without as many extra pay-offs.Example – Running was never fun for my husband, he used to dread it. He started rewarding his weekly running mileage with a piece of new gear and, after a few months, he found his motivation increasing.
- #14 Behavior to increase - Taking kids to the park after schoolNatural consequence – Less time to prepare dinnerFirst decrease the effort – Pack or pick-up a healthy dinnerThen choose a pay-off – If you go to park 3x/week, spouse watches kids on Saturday
- #16 Let’s brainstorm some pay-offs that might work for you, your spouse, your children…Choosing an Incentive Manager can be tricky! It might be better to ask someone outside your family be responsible for following up on your progress.With the convenience of social media, you can even post your progress online and contract with a Facebook friend!
- #18 A friend at the gym was complaining because she was paying for a popular weight loss program and wasn’t losing weight.I asked her how they measure progress and she said she went to weekly weigh-ins – in the evening, any day of the week. Though her clothes were fitting better, she had gained ½ a pound over the past few weeks and the staff frowned when they gave her the results.There are a few problems with this approach:Our weight fluctuates daily from 1-3 pounds, mostly due to hydration.This program wasn’t giving my friend any other positive measurements to go on.My friend was doing all sorts of healthy behavior that can’t be shown on a scale, but she was getting no pay-off from the staff.Measuring progress is an important part of your Action Plan because it increases motivation to change and helps your family see how far they’ve come.
- #21 High in pesticides:Apples, apricots, peaches, pearsRed raspberries, strawberriesSpinach, peppers, celery and potatoes
- #22 SPARK Behavior Solutions offers free 45min consultations for interested customersYou’re welcome to follow-up with me to review your Wellness Self-Assessment or get tips for troubleshooting your family’s action plans.
- #23 Hand out Presentation Feedback form