7 Methods that lead to a healthier and more successful lifestyle

Author: Anne-Catherine Kieschnick

Estimated reading time: 7 min

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Introduction

This article serves as a motivation and thought-provoking impulse to deal more with yourself and your health, both physically and mentally. A combination of the individual methods can be beneficial but does not have to be compulsive.The article is based on our experiences and the related views we have gained in the course of our lives. Of course, it is possible that the methods we propose may not work for everyone and may not lead to the sense of achievement we describe.

“Lifestyle the consistent, integrated way of life of an individual as typified by his or her manner, attitudes, possessions, etc. also written life style of or having to do with a lifestyle or lifestyles; specif., of or promoting a healthy, fashionable, or affluent lifestyle.” LoveToKnow Corp. (2018) There are many ways to lead a healthy lifestyle. Many advisors and supposedly experienced people who are constantly trying to put you on the right track and support you in losing weight and above all in remaining successful. Not to fall back into old patterns and to keep working on yourself.

A lifestyle usually reflects a person’s attitudes, lifestyle, values or world view. A lifestyle is therefore a means of developing self-awareness and creating cultural symbols that resonate with personal identity. Not all aspects of a lifestyle are voluntary. Surrounding social and technical systems can limit the individual’s lifestyle and the symbols he/she can project to others and to the self. (Spaargaren, G., and B. VanVliet, 2000)

But what is the goal and what is the actual solution?
You have to follow a long-term plan to be able to talk about success at all.
Success should be permanent and not just last for a moment.

What you should know about health care

The health sector is a sensitive issue. There are thousands of recommendations, tips, warnings, and much more…But how do you know which ones give you an advantage and actually help you? When exactly do you start talking about success? Solutions must be found. But first and foremost, you have to address the problem and find the will to change things yourself. Health Care means Self Care and should be treated as the existential cornerstone of a better life for every person. It must be taken seriously and should be spread around the world more than ever.

The 7 Methods

From many tips, we have presented the 7 best and most realistically implementable methods to create a healthier and more successful lifestyle.

“Without help from outside, it is almost impossible to make targeted changes to the personality on a large scale,” brain researcher Gerhard Roth says. If people want to change their lives radically, as a study by scientists at Harvard University showed, “New Year’s Eve resolutions” are not enough. Major behavioural changes are often linked to serious illness, divorce, job change or a new reference group — they happen when the context changes. Those who strive for change have the best chance at these moments. If you have big goals, it also helps to divide them into small steps — and reward them each time. One should widen the intervals between the rewards and vary them so that they do not become habitual and thus useless. Even small successes are a driving force and can help you get over a difficult beginning. With eating habits, for example, scientists assume that it takes at least three years before the new behaviour is stable.

It is somewhat easier to establish a new habit than to get rid of an old one. The recipe for success is that the desired behaviour has to be linked to a clear trigger and then be reinforced by rewarding it. Thurn recommends keeping a list on which a tick is placed each time the new habit is exercised, and after ten hooks there is a reward. Gerhard Roth advises in addition to pressure from outside.

For example, make an appointment with someone to meditate — formulate the goal clearly for yourself. A so-called »if-then-plan« is also very helpful: If something unexpectedly comes between your intentions, try to find an alternative solution in order to completely give up the practice of your new habit. Once you have cleared the first hurdle of establishing a new trigger, the habit becomes a self-runner. People who go jogging regularly will sooner or later be forced to go outside.

Being able to awaken a desire in us is also a tempting prospect for companies — they have long since discovered the potential of habits for themselves. Human resources departments, laboratories of product developers and entire floors of management are now dealing with their mechanisms. (Katrin Zeug, 2013)

Social pressure and recognition help.

1. Accept the need to change
“The only person that can change your life is you.” (Jeanette Jenkins, 2012)
Each one of us will come to the clue at some point in our lives where we realize that we have to change something. That the way of living life does not work or no longer works. That a new chapter has to begin because it is time to go further. You want to make more out of your life!
If you’ve already been to that point, then just keep going.
If you are still finding yourself, then go on as well.
You have to be intrinsically motivated. During the change process it is important to remember the original motivations again and again. A vision board for example is considered to be particularly effective and can not only help to achieve your goals more consistently, but also to maintain motivation at all times.

2. Set yourself a goal …
that you can always strive for without losing yourself. — The way is the goal!
E.g. You want to go running everyday. Make a list and put a checkmark behind the day every time right after the run. After about 10 days, reward yourself with an ice cream or some healthy snacks.

3. Get inspired
Create a positive atmosphere — surround yourself with people who encourage and inspire you.

If you don’t have people who support you, try to make new connections. Join a sports club, go for a run each day and check out who shares the same passion like you, and so on. Inspiration is not always visible, but it accompanies every step of your way. Stay open-minded and be awake for new experiences to come.

4. Make the essential connection to honor your mind, body, and spirit as a whole
Search for a good work-life balance. “You must learn to listen to your body (recognise the signals it gives you) and take the time necessary to reclaim your balance. If you keep going on auto-pilot, ignoring the signals (e.g. trembling of the eyelids-a form of stress) that your body gives you, then you’ll end up sacrificing your health and happiness.” Discover the problem — don’t ignore the signals, or it will develop into a huge health problem such as a burn-out, a heart attack or even a stroke can be triggered by a too high stress level.
“When you take care of yourself first, you will be stronger and more capable of taking care of everyone else.” (Jeanette Jenkins, 2012)

5. Get active
You can start by making a short plan for the first month to develop a habit. Move your body! Especially during a normal working day at the office, your circulation will slow down. This causes fatigue and at the same time, the body is under strained and has the urge to be “used”. Make sure you get up regularly by setting a timer — that works super well! And if you are not a fan of sports activities, at least take a few steps to boost your circulation.

6. Engagement — be committed
Whatever you do, as soon as you bring full commitment by working together with other people and achieve a kind of healthy pressure which boosts you discipline and team spirit so your chances of success will be more than good! Everybody loves healthy commitment and total dedication. This principle is known as “the power of preventive self-regulation”.

7. Keep educating yourself
“The more you learn the greater your healthy tool box will be to help support your healthy lifestyle.” (Jeanette Jenkins, 2012)
Book recommendation: Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book helps you to understand how important it is to create new habits and most importantly, to get to know exactly an idea of the way you can achieve your goals step( by step.

Examples of successful Start-ups in the Health Care Sector

The Greatist Team, 2014

MyFitnessPal
“… is a tool for just that purpose, letting users track their daily activity (and calorie burn) and food intake (calorie consumption)”

RunKeeper
“… lets users track distance, length, and calories for their workouts and then share and compare stats on social media. The company recently released a sleek redesign that allows for easier photo sharing and faster updates.”

Food52
“… set a goal to create an entirely reader-sourced cookbook in 52 weeks (hence the title of the website). Through online recipe contests, they soon had enough recipes for a book, which was published in 2011. Even better, they created a community where home cooks could be appreciated and interact with each other, discuss food news, and, of course, exchange recipes.”

Greatist
“It’s all about making one better choice every day, whether that’s chowing on some superfoods or taking a minute to meditate. A community of Greatists around the world is working on spreading the word about health and fitness, and how easy it can be when there are resources like guides to bodyweight exercises and ways to beat anxiety.”

The health industry — especially in the medical field is important and can be very tough for start-ups. In the business of hospitals, pharmaceutical producers, and manufacturers of medical equipment, there is not only a lot of money involved but also long development times and a vast amount of legal regulations. After all, in the end, it is always about human lives. Start-ups in the medical field, therefore, need above all staying power and the motivation to work their way through all kinds of regulations. (Founders Foundation, 2017)

Reference to GründerAtelier

We can proudly say that we are very much concerned with the topic of self-improvement and creating new habits for a more successful lifestyle. Whether at work or privately — it is independent of the area of concentration. Much more the topic depends on how ready you are to go through change.

Currently, we have introduced a Meditation Challenge, which is intended to motivate and strengthen every single employee, to give them peace and concentration, and to provide an ideal balance.

We want to challenge ourselves, not only during the job but also in our private thoughts, to free ourselves and let ourselves be guided by the peace and positive energy that comes from meditation. A form of freedom is created and gives new strength and energy to get the best possible performance out of oneself, to exploit one’s potential and to have the first feelings of success.

What Do We attach Importance to?

With a healthy team spirit, we want to make sure that we are doing well. That we feel well and WANT to rise above ourselves! A base must be created, a platform that extends far beyond the so-called comfort zone. Because without a reasonable base, you cannot demand a promising result. And therefore success would be out of sight. Everything is interrelated. You just have to find out how far you want to go to establish each link, or whether you just want to follow certain principles and work them out until they fully fit you and thus make a successful lifestyle possible.

Resumé

Finally, there are probably millions of “methods” that are appropriate and ensure you a healthy and successful life. But this is not always possible, especially if you do not pursue this goal of your own accord. If you can’t get inspired or motivated, the first thing to do is to define your own goal. To find out exactly that: Who am I and who do I want to be? What gives me pleasure (what inspires me) and what drives me (what motivates me)? With this, you have already achieved the largest part of self-discovery. Now you have to follow the path that you have not only defined but also created. Good luck in running- never give up before you have reached your goal.

Reference

American Heart Association (AHA). (2011). 7 Steps To Living Healthy In New Year. Retrieved from:
http s://new york.cbslocal.com/2011/01/07/7-steps-to-living-healthy-in-new-year/

Jeanette Jenkins. (2012). 7 Steps to Make Healthy Living a Lifetime Habit. Retrieved from: http s://ww .huffpost. com/entry/ healthy-living_b_1177880?

Margaret Rouse. (2013). lifestyle business. Retrieved from: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/lifestyle-business

Founders Foundation. (2017). Health Startups. Retrieved from: https://foundersfoundation.de/stories/10-erfolgreiche-health-startups/

LoveToKnow Corp. (2018). Lifestyle. Retrieved from: https://www.yourdictionary.com/lifestyle

Spaargaren, G., and B. VanVliet. (2000). Lifestyle, Consumption and the Environment: The Ecological Modernisation of Domestic Consumption Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_(sociology)#cite_note-4

Katrin Zeug. (2013). Mach es anders! Retrieved from: https://www.zeit.de/zeit-wissen/2013/02/Psychologie-Gewohnheiten
The Greatist Team. (2014). The 50 Most Innovative Health, Fitness, and Happiness Startups. Retrieved from: https://greatist.com/health/most-innovative-health-fitness-and-happiness-startups#22