Why Knowing What to Do Is Not the Same as Being Able to Do It

How Motivational Interviewing Helps You Stick With Health Goals

Written by: Dr. Madeleine Clark, ND MSCP

Most people who come into our clinic already know what supports their health.

They know sleep matters.
They know movement helps.
They know stress plays a role.
They know certain habits are no longer serving them.

Yet knowing and doing are two very different things.

If health behaviour change were simply about education, most people would not struggle to follow through. The reality is that information alone rarely leads to lasting change. This is where Motivational Interviewing offers a more effective and compassionate approach.

Struggling to Stick With Goals Is Not a Motivation Problem

One of the most important things we normalize in our clinic is this: difficulty with follow-through does not mean you do not care about your health.

More often, it means you are navigating real-life constraints such as time, energy, stress, competing priorities, or past experiences that shaped how change has felt before. Many people have already tried to rely on willpower alone and have learned that this often leads to frustration or self-blame.

Motivational Interviewing starts from a different place. Instead of asking why you are not doing more, it asks what is getting in the way and what actually matters to you right now.

This shift reduces pressure and creates space for more sustainable change.

What Is Motivational Interviewing and Where It Comes From

Motivational Interviewing, often abbreviated as MI, is an evidence-based approach designed to help people strengthen their own motivation for change and their belief in their ability to make that change.

This approach evolved out of addictions counselling, where practitioners recognized that lecturing, scare tactics, and pressure often increased resistance rather than supporting recovery. Over time, MI proved so effective that it expanded far beyond addiction medicine.

Today, Motivational Interviewing is widely used across health care settings to support behavior change related to chronic disease prevention, mental health, lifestyle medicine, and long-term health goals. It can be used even in brief appointments and continues to show strong outcomes across many areas of medicine.

Why Being Told What to Do Rarely Works

Most patients already understand the basics of health.

You likely already know why sleep matters, why movement is important, and why stress affects your body. Being told these things again rarely creates meaningful change.

Motivational Interviewing works differently. Rather than focusing on why you should change, it focuses on why you want to change.

Research consistently shows that internal, personally meaningful reasons are more powerful than external advice, even when that advice is evidence-based. You are the expert on your life, your capacity, and your priorities. This approach respects that reality.

Motivation Is Personal, Not Prescribed

Lasting behavior change is not driven by rules or pressure. It is driven by meaning.

Motivational Interviewing creates space to explore:

• What feels most important to you right now

• What you hope will feel different if this goal is supported

• What has made change difficult in the past

• What kind of support actually fits your life

When motivation comes from within, it tends to be more flexible, resilient, and sustainable over time.

Turning Insight Into Action

Three Questions to Help You Stick With Your Health Goals

Motivational Interviewing is not about being talked into change. It is about hearing your own reasons more clearly.

If you are working toward a health goal right now or thinking about restarting one, these prompts can help.

1. What do I want this goal to support in my life?

Instead of focusing on the behavior itself, zoom out.

• What do I hope feels different if this goal is supported?

• How would my energy, mood, or day-to-day life change?

• Why does this matter to me right now?

Goals connected to values tend to last longer than goals driven by external expectations.

2. What has made this hard before and what can I plan for differently?

Struggling in the past is not failure. It is information.

• What consistently got in the way?

• When did motivation tend to drop?

• What felt unrealistic about previous plans?

This question shifts the focus from self-criticism to strategy.

3. What is one small step I feel confident I could repeat?

Confidence builds through consistency, not intensity.

• What feels doable most days?

• What is small enough to fit into real life?

• What would still feel like progress during busy weeks?

Sustainable change starts with steps that do not rely on willpower alone.

Why Support and Accountability Still Matter

While these questions can be powerful on their own, many people benefit from working through them with a supportive health care team.

Accountability does not mean being monitored or corrected. It means having support that helps you:

• Clarify your motivations

• Break goals into realistic steps

• Anticipate barriers before they derail progress

• Adjust plans without judgment

• Stay connected to your values over time

In this approach, accountability is collaborative. You are not being told what to do. You are being supported in figuring out what works for you.

I often joke with patients that, our appointments and follow ups are likely one of the only places where someone asks them how their nutrition goals, exercise regimen, sleep habits and boundaries with work are going. They know when they come to the follow up, I will always ask about them, and it gives us the opportunity explore what helped them be successful, or what was challenging.

You Are Not Unmotivated You Are Human

If you have struggled to stick with health goals in the past, it does not mean you lack discipline or commitment. It may mean the approach did not match how change actually works.

Health behavior change is complex. It is influenced by biology, stress, environment, history, and capacity. Motivational Interviewing offers an evidence-based, patient-centred framework that respects this complexity.

Sometimes the most supportive step forward is not more information, but the right conversation.

The Next Step

If you find yourself setting the same goals repeatedly or feeling stuck despite knowing what would support your health, working with a health care provider may help.

At Crafted Balance, we use collaborative, patient-centred approaches to help patients clarify what matters most, develop realistic strategies, and build accountability that feels supportive rather than restrictive.

You do not need to be told why your health matters. You deserve support in figuring out how to move forward in a way that fits your life.

Not Sure Who to Book With?

If you are looking to support behaviour change across multiple areas of your health such as sleep, stress, nutrition, or long-term prevention, starting with naturopathic medicine is often a good fit.

If your main focus is physical support such as pain, injury, or movement limitations, chiropractic care may be the better place to start.

If you are unsure, our team is happy to help guide you.