No Sweat: How the Easy Science of Motivation Can Carry You a Lifetime of Health

Finally, a book with a solid plan for sustaining and enjoying fitness
As a couples/intimacy therapist, clients ask for book recommendations regarding many parts of life, so I read a lot, always on the lookout for truly useful books. I have already recommended No Sweat to two clients in the last week alone (both specifically interested in weight loss). Even though Dr. Segar’s program is clearly not designed around weight loss (her point is to build intrinsic motivation for fitness), her clients often lose weight over time as a byproduct of implementing a successful and sustainable fitness program, and some people may especially appreciate this book for that reason.No Sweat is an easy read that calls out and responds to the dark side of the exercise/weight-loss industry. Many fitness programs result in a successful impact upfront, but studies widely report that too many programs don’t help people long-term as claimed.But this book actually presents a well designed fitness plan designed for the long term. In sum, this book will 1) help you identify and prevent the obstacles that otherwise derail the best of exercise intentions and 2) provide you concrete, easy assignments to help you develop an entirely new foundation for exercise so that you can keep doing it.No Sweat will invite you to think deeply about how you exercise, what it means for you, and when it feels joyful (and when it doesn’t). The author’s goal is to help you do more of what works well for you and less of what doesn’t so that fitness becomes a natural part of life. Many clients will appreciate her down to earth tone. I love how the author is an exercise motivation scientist who openly shares that she dislikes going to the gym and, yet, she clearly loves fitness.

Good book, but better in print than eBook
Confession: I don’t especially like to work out. I like how I feel after I work out (most of the time), but doing the actual work out is not my favorite thing in the world. I think this shows in my work-out history. I’ll get to the gym several times a week for a month or so and then retreat to a sitting position at some place in my house for a few months until I start all over again.I am, in fact, the perfect reader for this book. I have spent my life telling myself that I had to work out to be healthy, lose weight, and all the other usual reasons. Segar argues that thinking just doesn’t work–because that is not how humans are wired. Instead, we need to look for the more immediate reason–such as feeling better or having more energy–and that will motivate us.Now, before you think I just gave away the entire book, rest assured that there is much more to it than that. Segar takes the time to go into the neuroscience–but in a way someone as unscientific as I am can understand–and goes through the research. For readers who like sources, this book is very well annotated. This is not a case of “try this and see if it works” but rather “this is what the research supports.”Segar also takes the time to explain exactly how to change your thinking. So many of us have spent years with the “wrong whys” that it just isn’t possible to decide to think differently. She includes exercises and worksheets to help the reader figure out their own “right why” and how to use that to make a lifestyle change.I do have one word of warning, that really has nothing to do with the book itself (and did this not factor into my opinion of the book). I read this as an ebook and I really wished that I had a print copy instead. There are a number of worksheets that I would have liked to fill out and refer back to. Also, and I don’t completely understand why this is, but the worksheet sections of the book seemed to be formatted as something other than text so that, when I tapped on it in my kindle, it wouldn’t advance. But, as I said, that is no fault of the book and I only bring it up to encourage readers to buy this book in print.We hear a lot of making a lifestyle change and Michelle Segar shows us exactly how to do that. I would recommend this book to everyone from the couch potato to the marathon runner.

I stumbled upon No Sweat at my local library. After reading the first few chapters I knew I needed my own copy. I’ve worked in the health and fitness industry for over 12 years and have read many books on self-help and motivation. I have not found very many that compare to this book. I like how clearly Dr. Segar explains how to motivate people to move. I especially appreciate the images, client stories, simple explanations and thought provoking questions Dr. Segar includes throughout the book. I reference this book regularly, have dog eared many pages for both my own use and when supporting my clients. It’s a must read!!Kristy Ware

C’est un Must Have en psychologie, en neurosciences et dans la science comportementale, livre écrit par une pratiquante qui sait de quoi elle parle avec un background derrière? Je l’ai littéralement dévoré et me suis dit que tous les autres livres motivationnels de self improvement dans le domaine du sport ou autres étaient complètement à côté de la plaque. Sa façon de nous conduire à travers ce livre est surprenant, on se laisse guider pour comprendre à la fin, le pourquoi du comment. Je ne peux que le recommander!