Most of us know what we should do to be healthier: eat better, move more, sleep well. The real challenge? Actually following through.
On today’s show, I talk to behavioral psychologist Amantha Imber, author of The Health Habit, who argues that the missing piece in most health advice isn’t more information — it’s learning how to bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
Amantha first outlines four “habit hijackers” that sabotage your best-laid plans and shares practical, research-backed tactics to overcome each one. We then dive into some specific health habits that will give you a lot of transformative bang for your buck. We discuss how restricting your sleep can help you sleep better, the truth about the popular 10,000 steps a day recommendation, the underrated power of an after-dinner walk, and more.
Resources Related to the Podcast
- Hijacker Survey Link
- Related AoM Podcasts:
- Related AoM Articles:
- Unlocking the Science of Habits
- The Science of Drive: 5 Theories of Motivation
- The Power of Temptation Bundling
- The 10 Best Ways to Make Exercise an Unbreakable Habit
- The Importance of a Good Start: Using Temporal Landmarks to Achieve Your Goals
- AoM “Sleep” archives
- AoM “Habits” archives
- The Power of Implementation Intentions
- The Digestive Power of an After-Dinner Walk
- The Existential in Red Dead Redemption 2
- Sleep Restriction and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Study: Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym
- Study: “I Don’t” vs “I Can’t”
- Study: The Fresh Start Effect
- Study: Designing More Effective Goals by Using Emergency Reserves (“Hall Passes”)
- Study: Untapping the Health Enhancing Potential of Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA)
- Study: Reduced exertion high-intensity interval training
Connect With Amantha Imber
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