My Story of Behaviour Change

Move more, feel better. That’s the slogan I chose for The Move More Institute™. 

Just get up and move - that’s all I’m asking. As soon as you do, your body and brain will feel better. 

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And they’ll start to crave the movement. Trust me, I know.

Let me explain…

It’s been about 8 years since I switched gears professionally and jumped into the world of fitness. I’ve always been in the business of helping people: 

• 2 social psychology degrees
• 10 years in health promotion research
• a brief stint (4 years) in human resources

You get the idea. I deal with humans - helping them improve their lives.

Well, about 4 years ago, I decided I needed to teach more Essentrics® classes in Ottawa. You know, get the word out, help people feel better in their bodies.

Ottawans are fortunate in that there are MANY fitness options in the city. And many fitness centres. So much so, that most people want fitness-on-demand: the class they want, at a time that suits them, near their home or office. 

You get the idea.

I rose to the challenge and tried to start up as many Essentrics classes in as many locations that would have me. Starting up a class takes time. And a lot of computer time as well: 

• researching fitness centres and their current classes
• looking for openings in the schedule
• contacting the fitness directors to pitch your class
• finding spaces to rent to run your own classes
• marketing, marketing, marketing

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I got to the point where I was teaching 15 weekly classes in 8 locations. And spending A LOT of time on my computer in the interim. I hurt my shoulder and entire right side of my torso from too much “point and click”.

It made me realize how damaging it can be to sit at your computer too much. I was incredibly fit - 15 classes a week! - and yet I still go injured. At my computer.

I started to look into the research on physical inactivity and office workers. And I was astounded at what I discovered.*

More than bootcamps and gym memberships, people needed real help to relearn how to use their bodies in normal, everyday ways.

So, I went back to my earlier roots in health promotion research and psychology to work on a solution. Out of that work, The Move More Institute was born. 

On the continuum of physical activity, I’m targeting the basics. 

Your life is busy; you’ve got lots of people counting on you every single day. The thought of having to add one more location change - i.e., one hour at the gym, 3 times a week on your own, or once a week with a personal trainer - is making your head spin. 

That’s why The Move More Institute™ comes to you: short segments  delivered online to your home or office, when it works for you. And you don’t need to commit to a long-term training schedule. My goal is short-term coaching for long-term results.

Think about it: A 1-hour weekly personal training session accounts for less than 1% of your waking hours. I want you to get active and stay active every day of your life. If we only rely on that “less than 1%” block of time to change your behaviour, how successful do you think you’ll be? (Psst: rhetorical question alert)

The Move More Institute™ can’t make your life less busy, but it can make your life better by teaching you how to add natural movement to your busy life. What does “natural movement” mean, exactly? It’s a very literal term - it’s not deadlifts or pistol squats, glute bridges or planks. It’s about non-exercise activity to fuel your body and make you feel better. 

And I’m living proof that it works. I teach group fitness classes and deliver personal training sessions in my professional life. In my personal life, I apply behaviour change models - the habit loop and nudge theory - to be more active during the day:

• post-it notes to remind me to get up and move
• lock screen on my phone that says “Get up and move”
• making my desk setup a little bit more inconvenient so everything is not within arm’s reach

I could go on, but it’s time for me to take a break from my computer. It’s time for me to move more.


*You can refer to earlier blog posts for more information.

The physchology behind The Move More Institute