Michelle Cleere: Winning Mind Games

For Dr. Michelle Cleere fitness is as much about having the right mindset as it is about being active. “Life is more mental than it is physical,” says the clinical psychologist who specializes in breaking emotional patterns that hold people from achieving their physical goals. “If you’ve tried to lose weight and stick to an exercise several times and have been unsuccessful, it’s because you are being blocked mental and emotionally from being able to get to where you want to go. You can be successful once you’ve worked on and overcome those mental and emotional obstacles,” she says.

Dr. Cleere shares her advice on Sharecare, answering questions about topics such as how to develop an exercise plan that works and how to find the motivation to make changes.

We talked with Dr. Cleere about New Year’s resolution tips and the mental side of fitness.

Day job: A therapist who specializes in working with athletes on peak performance and people struggling with emotional eating, weight loss and sticking to a regular exercise program.

Weekend job: “To have FUN!”

Tips on making New Year’s resolutions:

• “Don’t focus on what everyone else is doing but focus on what you need to do.”
• “Think about what you want to change”
• “How are you going to get there; what weekly, monthly, 6 months and 1 year goals do you need.”
• “Don’t forget to make all your goals realistic and be flexible if you need to change them.”

Favorite quote: “Nothing is impossible, the world itself says, “I’m possible”! – Audrey Hepburn

Proud of: “…having found a way to overcome my mental and emotional obstacles to weight loss and life to be where I am today.”

Favorite activity: “Working out”

Health mission: “To look 50 when I am 90.”

What’s always in her fridge: “Greek yogurt and peanut butter”

One healthy thing she does every day: Work out

Passion: “Helping other people overcome their mental and emotional obstacles to emotional eating, weight loss and sticking to a regular exercise program so that they can have a healthy and active lifestyle.”

Weight-management secret: “This is not easy for anyone, and most everyone has struggled to some degree, but once you have the right information (for you) about healthy eating and exercise and are able to develop a program that works for you and your lifestyle you will be able to change the old, unhealthy patterns, and IT WILL become more automatic and ingrained in you to the point that it feels involuntary.”

What she loves about Sharecare: “Wow! I love Sharecare for so many reasons. I am honored to be a part of a national movement to help people live healthier lives in a format that is convenient, reasonable priced and where people have access to any kind of support professional a person could really need or want.”

File under: Fit Friday