Why You Don’t Follow Through on Your Health Goals — and How to Fix It
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode of The Art of Manliness podcast, host Brett McKay interviews behavioral psychologist Dr. Amantha Imber, author of "The Health Habit," about the psychological barriers that prevent people from following through on their health goals. (02:22) Dr. Imber argues that the missing piece in most health advice isn't more information, but rather learning how to bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. The conversation explores four key "habit hijackers" - motivational, relational, environmental, and cognitive barriers - and provides research-backed strategies to overcome each one. (05:56) They then dive into specific health habits that offer maximum transformative impact, including sleep restriction therapy, movement strategies like VILPA (vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity), and simple nutrition changes that support gut health.
• Main Theme: Using behavioral psychology to overcome the gap between health knowledge and consistent action through systematic identification and elimination of habit hijackers.Speakers
Brett McKay
Brett McKay is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Art of Manliness, a popular website and podcast focused on helping men develop character, skills, and knowledge. He has been running the site since 2008 and has interviewed hundreds of experts across various fields including psychology, fitness, and personal development.
Dr. Amantha Imber
Dr. Amantha Imber is a behavioral psychologist and author of "The Health Habit." She is also the host of the podcast "How I Work" where she explores the rituals and strategies of highly successful people. Dr. Imber specializes in applying behavioral psychology principles to help people bridge the gap between knowing what healthy behaviors they should adopt and actually implementing them consistently.
Key Takeaways
Identify Your Personal Habit Hijacker
Before attempting any health change, you must first diagnose which of the four "habit hijackers" is sabotaging your efforts. (05:56) Dr. Imber identifies motivational barriers (feeling like you have to but don't want to), relational barriers (social norms working against you), environmental barriers (physical spaces not supporting your goals), and cognitive barriers (stress and mental overwhelm). The key insight is that different habits and life circumstances may trigger different hijackers, so a one-size-fits-all approach won't work. Understanding your specific barrier allows you to deploy the most effective counter-strategy rather than relying on willpower alone.
Use Temptation Bundling for Motivational Barriers
When you know you should do something but lack motivation, pair the undesirable activity with something inherently pleasurable. (08:52) Research shows that people who could only listen to audiobooks while exercising went to the gym 50% more often than those given cash incentives. Dr. Imber personally applies this by only watching The Bachelor while on her exercise bike, transforming a dreaded cardio session into anticipated entertainment time. This strategy works because it leverages our natural desire for immediate gratification to support long-term beneficial behaviors.
Transform Self-Talk from Statements to Questions
Replace commanding self-talk with question-powered alternatives to boost motivation and follow-through. (12:42) Instead of saying "I need to exercise today," ask yourself "Will I exercise today?" This simple linguistic shift tricks your brain into feeling autonomous and in control of the decision. When we perceive choice rather than obligation, we're significantly more likely to take positive action. This technique works because humans are naturally motivated by autonomy and resist feeling controlled or forced into behaviors.
Disrupt Environmental Defaults
Your environment should make the desired behavior the easiest default choice while adding friction to unwanted behaviors. (26:30) Dr. Imber explains that if your phone charger is on your bedside table, your environment is setting you up to fail at better sleep hygiene because scrolling becomes the default choice. Moving the charger to another room disrupts this automatic behavior. Apply this principle broadly: keep healthy snacks at eye level, put exercise equipment where you'll see it, and hide or remove triggers for bad habits.
Implement Strategic Hall Passes
Build resilience into your habit formation by planning for imperfection with predetermined "hall passes." (25:28) Research shows people who were given two hall passes per week for their daily step goals were actually more likely to hit their targets and bounce back faster from failures. This strategy prevents the "what the hell effect" where one slip-up leads to complete abandonment of the goal. By planning for occasional lapses, you maintain psychological safety and long-term consistency rather than falling into all-or-nothing thinking.
Statistics & Facts
- People who bundled audiobooks exclusively with gym time exercised 50% more often than those given cash incentives, demonstrating the power of temptation bundling over financial motivation. (10:10)
- Individuals who incorporated 3-4 daily bursts of VILPA (vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity) were 40% less likely to die early from preventable diseases. (40:06)
- The optimal daily step count for reducing mortality risk is 7,500-8,000 steps, not the commonly cited 10,000 steps, which has no scientific basis and originated from a Japanese marketing campaign. (43:13)
