The Moment of Realization

For about 30 years, I never asked myself how to keep a healthy body. But around 30, being overweight and having a kid made me realize I wanted to change. If I continued like that, I wouldn't be the dad I wanted to be. I wouldn't be able to run with my kid or play without being out of breath. This realization pushed me to get in shape. As a geek, I used some apps and frameworks from psychology.

Motivational Interviewing

The framework that helped me most was motivational interviewing. It’s a field of psychology that the reason people are not changing, is not that they have an information or knowledge problem. No. They have a motivation problem, they are ambivalent.The goal is to help people express their motivations for change. Often, saying something out loud makes it real for us.

I took an introductory course on motivational interviewing from Psychwire, created by the founders of the field. I also used an exercise book by another psychologist who adapted the approach for self-help.

This really helped me explore my motivations for big changes in my life.

Fitness Apps: Apple Fitness + Apple Watch

On the app side, Apple Fitness was crucial. It introduced me to fitness in an easy-to-understand way with various trainers and workout lengths. The Apple Watch tracking my daily runs kept me motivated.

For me, doing a tiny bit of sport every day is easier than planning weekly workouts. If I miss a day, it's okay; missing a week would be harder.

Nutrition Understanding: Noom

Noom was another important tool but this time for understanding nutrition. It's super expensive but using it for six months helped me grasp different types of food and have a more healthy relation with good. It's very psychology and evidence-based with helpful nudges and exercises.

Mental Health: Headspace

Headspace has been part of my routine for a long time. I've been interested in mental health longer than physical health. Even though Apple Fitness offers meditation sessions, I prefer Headspace for its guided meditations that allow more time for reflection. The lack of music in Headspace helps me concentrate better on meditation exercises and the "guide" speaks less which is also something I prefer.