Using ABA to Build Better Health and Fitness Habits: Session 303 with Michal Pollack

The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria

Michal Pollack joined me to discuss how she uses her training in Behavior Analysis to help her with her personal health and fitness goals.

Michal is a Clinical Director at Apollo Behavior. In this episode, we talk about:

• How she got her start in Applied Behavior Analysis.
• How she found her way to Apollo, and what she enjoys about working there.
• How she realized that getting fit doesn't require playing team sports, or being an athlete more generally.
• How spending time abroad during a gap year motivated her to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
• How going to the gym regularly helped her improve her emotional wellbeing.
• How she developed grocery shopping habits that helped her eat healthier meals.
• How she doesn't weigh herself frequently, and the rationale for this practice.
• We both talk about the pros and cons of wearable devices, and how I use The Whoop Strap (note, this is an affiliate).

I want to make clear that during this podcast, it's important to note that neither of us are health or fitness professionals. We're not attempting to provide specific advice for listeners that's outside of our scopes of expertise.

Instead, a better framing of this episode is to consider this a conversation between two BCBAs talking about how they apply behavior-analytic principles in their own lives.

As such, if you're looking to make changes to your fitness, please consider working with a credentialed professional, with the input of your primary care provider.

You can follow Michal on TikTok or LinkedIn here and here. If you'd like to learn more about working at Apollo, you can read about them here.

Articles and resources mentioned:

• Camp and Hayes (2012). Assessing and Increasing Physical Activity.
• Donaldson and Normand (2009). Using goal setting, self-monitoring, and feedback to increase calorie expenditure in obese adults.
• Hustyi, Normand, and Larson (2013). Behavioral assessment of physical activity in obese preschool children.
• The aforementioned Whoop Strap.

This podcast is brought to you by:

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• CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here.
• HRIC Recruting. Cut out the middleman and speak directly with Barbara Voss, who's been placing BCBAs in great jobs all across the US for 15 years.
• Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Don't forget to use the coupon code, PODCAST to save at checkout!
• Apollo Behavior. If these Apollo Series podcasts have you wondering about what it's like to work there, check out their current job openings in the greater Atlanta area and beyond!