How to start a healthier life?

The head already knows where to go: we want to do sports more often or at all. Feed us healthier. Be rested. And yet we fail with many of these intentions again and again. “And not because we are weak-minded,” says self-management coach Caroline Theiss. “But because we are not just mind-driven beings, but also have an unconscious feeling evaluation, so behavior can only be changed in the long run, if it feels good.”

But we should also analyze what we have failed so far: Was it just a logistical problem (the gym is too far away), or we had no desire, because we just do not like to sweat together with others? Because not only the intent, but also how we want to reach him, should suit us.

And finally , when formulating the goal, the “magic of language”, as the trainer calls it, “I go jogging three times a week” does not last long, but “I take a break three times a week and take care of the movement that I enjoy “already feels different. Caroline Theiss herself quit smoking this way 15 years ago: “I did not say ‘never again’, but: I take a break now, until statistically I can no longer extend my life with no smoking At the age of 70, it’s time to start again, so I can afford it. “

“Ten pounds are down”

Tania Tavernese, artist:

“After the second pregnancy and a lot of work stress, it was slim with a shocking 87 kilos indicating the scale, with a height of 1.73 meters, not an extreme overweight, but I got problems with my knees and especially with my own dainty feet. too bad it was to some favorite clothes that did not fit. I then a cabbage soup diet started. but I do not particularly soups and had all the time to abandon the feeling.

It was the same with low-carb . I lost a few kilos, but it was not fun. And often enough I had cravings attacks on cheese bread or pasta huge mountains. Most of the time I did not give in to them, but the weight in the next stress phase was suddenly above the 80 mark again – and my mood in the cellar.

The change came from a friend who had lost weight with interval fasting. She explained the method like this: do not eat for 16 hours at a time, all I want in the remaining eight hours. And anyway, only three to five days a week anyway. I just followed it that way and completely undogmatically.

The good thing about it: Intervall fasting fits great in my everyday life. In the evening with the children I eat at 19 o’clock at the latest. In the morning, I only drink coffee with oatmeal, and then real food is available only in the late morning. The 16 hours in between is no problem for me. My body has adjusted to it completely relaxed. I sleep better with a light stomach and feel fitter in the morning. Over a year, I was over ten pounds lighter. In the meantime I take a break from interval fasting from time to time. But if I want to reduce my weight again and again, I always sprinkle a phase. “

That’s what the expert says

Body Mind Physician Anna Paul:

“Intervall fasting is not a diet, it’s a healthy way of life, because it’s physiologically equivalent to our system when the body keeps regular food breaks, then it can be healthier again and work optimally, it’s good for the gut and repairs it Cells, and during the long break, little insulin is released, so that the body can reduce fat from the depots over time.However, it is important that you eat in the eight-hour meal phase, fully and well balanced In practice, I observe my patients that they become more resistant to stress through interval fasting and consume more consciously. “

“The pain is gone”

Meike Dinklage, BRIGITTE chief reporter:

“I carried our broken dishwasher into the car with my husband, I lifted, dropped off – and felt a dull ache, iliosacral right.The orthopedist felt my back, he said: little musculature, shoulders too far forward – you need strength and power Erecting I did it off, how to deal with 40 things that just do not fit into the self-image.Of course it did not get better.Her repeatedly, after less and less demanding movements, the back hurt, dull, pulling, lingering, almost always Sometimes the orthopedist changed his mind, sometimes pain-drops and wait-and-see helped, but every time the doctor said: weight training.

I did not want to, I had to. I went to a studio that was cheap and that I had heard was more rehabilitation than Muckibude. No music, no smoothies, just the machines and me. The counselors were nice, telling me that you had to go to the limit to build muscle, so the training was short but intense.

First, they gave me equipment for the big muscle groups, later the training went on the finer strands, up to the muscles on the ankle. At the beginning I allowed myself a piece of cake after each workout. At some point I did not need that anymore, the training was self-rewarding. After about half a year, I noticed how my body slowly restructured. I felt muscles I had not known about; Most of the time it was felt, you can not see it, I’m naturally equipped with little muscle mass. But on the whole, I felt stronger, armed, and realized that I could feel more and more exactly how relaxation and relaxation work together in my muscles.

Since then, I have been training two to three times a week, ten devices, each for a maximum of two minutes. Everything does not always feel good; Sometimes I tug at a device because not every part of my body has the maximum tension. Sometimes I make some devices just to move through. I think I have a feeling for the machines now, I can train them the way they suit me. That is a small victory. The big one: I really did not have any pain for a long time. “

That’s what the expert says

Sports scientist Ingo Froböse:

“Because 80 to 90 percent of back pain are based on muscle, it is important that we do this with our allies. Strength training we reach especially the outer major muscle layers, which enable us to be able to carry larger loads. However, sufficient The flexing and stretching of the muscles that we do with many strength exercises is not enough, and controlled rotational movements are also important, because they stress the small, deep muscles that move diagonally from vertebral body to vertebrae – and these are responsible for posture and posture Proper positioning of muscles and joints, as well as good mobility, is important for the health of the back: muscles, fascia and nerves. “

“I can finally fall asleep well”

Dagmar Penzlin, journalist:

“When my triplets were the first year of kindergarten, she and I had one infection after another, and by the end of the winter, I knew that now I have to do something for my body and defenses and sleep more! On the contrary, falling asleep became more and more tense, because I know that sleep is so important , and I was always awake, even the whole night I tried valerian and progressive muscle relaxation – both did not help much, and when I got tired during the day, I took a nap.

At some point I came in a sleep forum in the network on the method of sleep compression. It is about artificially scarifying the resource of sleep, so consciously only being in bed six hours at a time, always at the same time, and not lying down during the day, so that the sleep pressure returns. The fact that it is okay just lying awake was a relief for me. I noticed how unenthusiastic I was at the time with the topic and how much I messed up my sleep rhythm. A sleep protocol, as intended by the method, I did not then long.

It did not take me eight weeks to regain my original sense of sleep: lie down, pause for a moment and fall asleep. The sleep compression continues to help me. For example, during the holidays. If I have slept about two or three times longer and notice that I’m falling asleep, then I remain completely relaxed and just set the alarm clock. “

That’s what the expert says

Thea Herold of the Sleep Academy Berlin:

“The sleep shortage is a medical-therapeutic measure and actually requires the careful supervision of a specialist Important for those who find that they sleep worse: Stay relaxed because tension and sleep are mutually exclusive Evening and evening decide our body and mind When we get tired, sleep pressure, sinking body temperature and hormones like melatonin make us ready for sleep, and contemporary sleep hygiene or sleep rituals can be a great way to help you fall asleep, and nobody needs to feel guilty about sleeping off on their days off . “