Re-structuring your life for More Exercise & Diet Farrokh Alemi Ph.D.

How? Interested in weight loss? Lost weight and gained it right back? Want to exercise more? Joined the gym but never went to it? By end of this lecture you will learn how to diet and exercise in a fashion that is sustainable across time

An ecological approach regards weight gain and lack of exercise as a normal response to an abnormal environment. Based on workplace process improvement

Evidence Cocaine and heroin addiction cured through change of environment Elderly patients who made life style changes

Not More Effort but More System Change Personal improvement that relies on motivation requires constant effort & optimisms in face of failures Changing the environment makes success more likely –Failures are opportunities for problem solving –Environment pushes for success despite wavering motivation

Fooling Yourself Your motivation waivers You need an environment that forces you to act according to your resolution despite yourself Ponzi Scheme in which you are the manipulator and the victim

System Solution not More Effort More personal More system oriented I will exercise more I will prepay my club fees I will make a standing appointment in my calendar to run with a work colleague I will buy the equipment and arrange for the shower so that I can bicycle to work I will sell my car and have no choice but to bicycle to work

Step By Step to Environmental Changes Coming up

Personal Improvements 1.Make a resolution 2.Put together an improvement team of process owners 3.Study your routines 4.Engage in cycles of problem solving 5.Gather data & focus on delaying next relapse to poor habits

1. Make a Resolution A habit that you have not been able to change A repetitive event

2. Put together an improvement team Not buddies but process owners Do not work on relationships Focus on problem solving Meet regularly –Agenda –Time –Postpone discussions –Make lists

3. Study your routines Table 1: List of Routines and Periods of Reoccurrences Activities that repeat on or near daily basis Activities that repeat on or near weekly basis Activities that repeat less often than weekly Time of day Description of activity Day & time of week Description of activityPeriod Description of activity 5 a.m. 6 a.m. 7 a.m. 8 a.m. 9 a.m. 10 a.m. 11 a.m. Can also do flow charts

4. Select cycles of improvement Make a list of solutions Identify which ones are more based on your initiative Identify which ones can be parceled into other existing daily routines Identify which ones are more likely to have an impact Select several improvements all at once Thinking Is Hard

5. Gather data & think again Measure time to relapse Focus on increasing time to next relapse Plot your data Share your data

Examples Putting up signs in bathroom to reduce compulsive obsessive behavior Lower house temperature Raising a desk to loose weight Joining a car pool to loose weight

Loosing Weight By Joining a Car Pool

Time to next junk food

Mary Looses Weight Through Exercise

Who Eats? Are we responsible for our actions?

Summary of Experience with Our Advice Data from 12/5/2001 to 3/24/ students in graduate level classes –George Mason, Vanderbilt, Case Western Reserve universities Not graded on success Followed for 15 weeks, required to provide data for claims of success 6.43 years of education post high school –May not generalize to general population No controls, findings may be an artifact

Summary of Experiences of 196 Participants Resolutions varied: 33% to change diet, 16% to exercise & rest other Participants had tried 3.12 times before but failed After 15 weeks: –92% made a measured improvement –41% made a measured and significant improvement –Participants who changed their environment were 2.39 times more likely to make a significant improvement than those who relied on motivation

Was it helpful in learning work place process improvement? 87.3% said “Yes” or "a lot helpful”