I studied biology before I became a physio. My goal back then was simple: understand behavior. I wanted to know what drives animals, especially dogs — and humans too. Why do they act the way they do? How do they learn? It was endlessly fascinating.
But somewhere along the way, that fascination faded. My lecturers steered me away from it, research funding felt impossible without begging for money, and I lost sight of that spark.
Now, as a physiotherapist, that early curiosity has come roaring back. It turns out humans learn just like any other animal. And the more I dive into dog training, the more parallels I see with my patients.
Okay — that sounds weird. But hear me out.
Healthy habits — working out, eating well, sleeping enough — all start with learning. Some people learned them as kids. Lucky. Most of us didn’t, so we have to learn them as adults. And that’s a process: figuring out what to do, how to do it, what works and what doesn’t, and how to make it stick.
Before you start working out, you need to learn which exercises help you reach your goals. You might need to learn how much load you need to actually make progress or how to schedule your workouts so they actually happen. Same with diet — what are calories, what do macronutrients do, how does eating fit into my daily life? The plan forms only after some learning; it evolves, gets discarded, starts over, changes shape. Every failure becomes data.
And nothing happens without thinking first. Without at least a vague plan in your head, action stays a dream. That plan is built on knowledge — and knowledge comes from learning.
Here’s where the dog training stuff fits in.
In dog training, when someone calls a dog “stubborn,” the dog usually isn’t. The dog either doesn’t understand what you want, or it doesn’t see the value in doing it. Just because something is easy for your brain doesn’t mean it’s easy for theirs. Or worthwhile.
If a dog has something in their mouth and you tell them to drop it, why would they? They’re losing something they value — and getting nothing in return. Sure, you can teach drop or stay without a treat every time. But if there’s no reward eventually, the behavior doesn’t hold. You have to make it worth it for the dog. Offer a toy of equal value. Offer something better. You can delay the reward to build expectation — but a reward still has to come. That’s how learning works: behaviors that get reinforced tend to stick.
That idea — worth it vs not worth it — applies to us too.
What if we stopped talking about losing weight and started talking about gaining strength?
Instead of “lose weight,” think “gain muscle.”
Instead of “give up treats,” think “fuel my body better.”
Instead of “waste time at the gym,” think “gain endurance and mental clarity.”
Instead of “go to bed early,” think “gain better mood and sharper focus.”
Framing things as gains makes your brain see the positive outcome instead of a loss. This simple shift — from loss to gain — has a real psychological basis (It’s called the Framing Effect). How information is framed influences our choices, even when the outcomes are logically the same.
Our brains are wired to seek reinforcement. Just like a dog learns best when the behavior is rewarding, we are much more likely to follow through on habits that our brains see as valuable.
The behaviors we build — in the gym, in the kitchen, in our sleep routines — are learned, reinforced, adapted, repeated until they become what we do instead of what we think about doing. Habits don’t just appear; they are shaped over time with consistent reinforcement.
So the lesson that ties it all together? Learning and behavior — in dogs, in humans, in ourselves — aren’t separate mysteries. They are processes. They require context, value, reinforcement, and time.
Behaviors don’t change because we should. They change because we’ve learned new patterns and chosen to make those patterns more valuable than the old ones.
And that’s where real change begins.
🧪 Let’s Experiment
If your brain sees change as a loss, it will resist — but if it feels like a gain, it will cooperate.
So instead of forcing discipline and hoping motivation magically appears, let’s make your next habit feel worth it — like a reward, not a punishment.
🎯 Try This:
Pick one habit you’ve been struggling with (workouts, sleep, nutrition, rehab exercises — anything).
Then do these 3 steps:
- Change the narrative – rewrite your goals from “losing” to “gaining”
“I need to lose weight” → “I want to gain strength.”
“I should stop snacking” → “I want stable energy.”
”I have to go to bed early” → “I want to wake up clear-headed.” - Choose a reward that fits your brain.
It doesn’t have to be huge — and it shouldn’t interfere with your goal. Choose something immediate and realistic, like:- after your workout → your favorite podcast episode
- after meal prepping → a hot shower + cozy tea
- after rehab exercises → mark it off on a tracker (yes, dopamine counts)
- Track the gain, not the sacrifice.
After you’ve done the habit, write down one sentence using this template until it becomes second nature to look for the positive:
“Because I did X, I gained Y.”
Examples:- “Because I went for a walk, I gained a calmer mind.”
- “Because I did my exercises, I gained trust in my body.”
- “Because I went to bed earlier, I gained a better morning.”
🧠 Final Thought:
You don’t need more willpower — you need your brain on your side.
And since your brain hates losing, stop framing change as giving something up — and start focusing on what you gain.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.
Take care,
Carina 🦊