Lose weight and get in better shape – That’s how you’ll succeed – 2024-04-03 13:47:22

Lifestyle change often falls into overly ambitious goals. A personal trainer knows that Maiju “Leppis” Leppäluotowho advises in this story how to make a lifestyle change permanently and sustainably.

The key to lifestyle change is persistence, Leppäluoto emphasizes. It’s not just about diet and exercise, but success is influenced by a wide variety of factors.

– Doing things routinely is what it’s all about, says Leppäluoto.

1. Set clear goals

It is good to start a lifestyle change in a situation where you can truly commit to the goals. According to Leppäluoto, the biggest stumbling block is unrealistic goals.

– A big factor in failure is that too big a piece is hawked at once, Leppäluoto says.

The first step in planning a lifestyle change is a needs assessment: Leppäluoto recommends listing your goals and sources of motivation in writing. He reminds that both goals and starting situations are very individual.

In addition to the goals, there must be a clear understanding of how to reach the goals. When the goals are clear, changes start from very small things.

According to Leppäluoto, it can take even more than a year to learn new routines.

– Many times those who lose weight would like everything right away. Human nature is a bit like that, that everything should have happened yesterday.

2. Accept help

The success of a lifestyle change is also influenced by previous experiences and the current life situation. If the background is, for example, problematic eating behavior, professional help may be necessary when starting the change. In addition to starting a lifestyle change, the client can also benefit from therapy.

– The success rate is probably higher when there is someone doing the trick, says Leppäluoto.

In turn, an already difficult life situation can undermine concentration. Leppäluoto urges you to think about whether right now is the right time to start.

– On the other hand, exercise and healthy lifestyles bring a lot of good to the rest of life as well.

The support of others is of great importance to someone making a lifestyle change, Leppäluoto reminds. According to him, especially a person suffering from weight yo-yoing can benefit from some kind of coaching.

– Especially if you don’t get support from home, the coach’s support is extremely important.

3. Activities one at a time

Leppäluoto emphasizes adopting new routines into everyday life one at a time. According to Leppäluoto, a typical stumbling block is that new habits are integrated into life all at once.

So what is the best way to add exercise to everyday life? Leppäluoto gives a typical example: a middle-aged working person has not done any kind of exercise for years. In a starting situation like this, you should mark in the calendar, for example, one walk per week.

– In such a situation, walking is the best option.

When the walks start to flow, you can take swimming or light gym training along with them. Accordingly, it is worth increasing the activity when the new routines become part of everyday life.

– When new things start to become routine, only then will other things be included, says Leppäluoto.

4. Regularity in eating

When changing your diet, the first step is often learning to have regular meal intervals. If there has been room for improvement in eating habits for years, even small changes are important.

– If you are used to putting two slices of cheese on the bread, you can put just one. It’s all about such small things, says Leppäluoto.

Leppäluoto has noticed that customers typically eat too little, for example only once a day. Then the goal can be to try eating twice a day. Alppäluoto reminds us that patience is also an asset when it comes to eating.

– Regularity is often delayed for quite a long time. After that, we focus on food quality and macros.

Many people who are considering a lifestyle change may wonder whether, for example, they should give up treats altogether. Not necessarily, says Leppäluoto.

– For some, a reduction is enough, and for some, a total refusal is a good solution.

If there are challenges especially with eating, it is worth practicing away from it gradually.

– If it’s a habit to indulge every day, first you can try going without one day a week, then two days and so on, says Leppäluoto.

5. Track your progress

It is good to monitor the progress of the lifestyle change in some way. In the best case, motivation increases when concrete development begins to be noticed gradually.

– It’s individual how closely you want to monitor different things, Leppäluoto says.

He teaches his own customers to visually monitor, for example, the amount of protein and carbohydrates in food and to look through the product information of food products.

If you wish, you can monitor your weight, for example, monthly using a scale or measuring tape.

– There is no need for fanatical monitoring. The mirror pretty much tells you enough.

However, if development does not happen despite the efforts, Leppäluoto urges you to think about whether you are being completely honest with yourself.

– I emphasize to my clients that it is not on anyone, except the clients themselves, if they are dishonest or do not acknowledge the facts. However, lifestyle changes are made for oneself and no one else.

6. Moving forward from the back

Lifestyle change inevitably also includes setbacks and momentary feelings of failure. Leppäluoto urges you to approach yourself with gentleness and to look forward despite the setbacks.

– The most common perception is that everything is ruined because of one slip-up. People’s thinking is terribly black and white.

According to Leppäluoto, the most important thing is your own attitude. It would be important to try to learn to get rid of black and white thinking.

– Everything starts from there in your own head.

However, you shouldn’t worry about back packs. Going forward, it also helps to list your own motivations again.

– They are different for everyone. When your own motivators are strong enough, things usually happen.

Leppäluoto emphasizes that when making a lifestyle change, it is, as the name implies, about new ways of life, the learning of which always requires persistence.

The most challenging part is often taking the first step.

– Postponing things is a fairly common habit among us people. The beginning is always the most challenging, but it’s worth starting right away, and not just waiting for tomorrow, advises Leppäluoto.