How to start a lifestyle change? What should be considered? How can lifestyle changes be successful? and how to make changes permanent?
A lifestyle change means a new beginning and starting from scratch for many. It is a time for learning new habits and making changes. The dream is often a permanent and sometimes rapid change, but how should one approach making a lifestyle change? How to avoid losing enthusiasm after the initial excitement? Or working hard at the gym without seeing concrete changes? How to succeed in the change and how to track it?
You might think, “Okay, I know, I’ve let myself get into a terrible condition.” However, determining your starting point helps motivate you when you start noticing changes after getting started. Tracking changes further motivates you. Seeing good results concretely, for example in numbers, helps you understand how much progress has actually been made!
You can determine your starting point by examining indicators of your body’s condition through laboratory tests. The Puhti laboratory package includes several indicators that reveal the current state of the body. The research also supports tracking dietary changes, not just exercise.
Improving the quality of your diet will also show results in vitamin or mineral levels, for example. Dietary changes are usually felt in the body; when levels are right and nutrients are sufficiently obtained from food, energy flows and energy levels rise. This, in turn, helps you cope with exercise!
Tracking blood values that indicate the body’s condition can be more pleasant than, for example, tracking body weight. If the thought of stepping on the scale is distressing, it is not mandatory.
For some, tracking muscle mass may also be recommended, especially if your goals are related to improving muscle fitness.
An obstacle to a lifestyle change can be prolonged fatigue, where there is certainly no energy for training and self-motivation. If resources have been depleted for a long time, it is worth first determining whether there is a deficiency in some nutrient. Iron deficiency, among other things, can affect coping.
Deficiencies are most often corrected by modifying the diet, and in certain situations, supplements are justified.
There is always a reason behind prolonged fatigue, lethargy, and lack of initiative. Sometimes it is physical, sometimes psychological. Whatever the situation, there is usually always a reason and the right help.
From dreams to plans: we often learn to set realistic goals with the help of a coach. However, this can also be practiced independently. If we set a goal of, for example, four workouts a week, even though the starting point is close to zero, achieving the goals is almost impossible. The first week may succeed, but very quickly reality hits hard. This is experienced as a failure, resulting in quickly giving up on the lifestyle change after starting.
Weekly goals and plans should be so easy that you are sure you can achieve them even after several months. (Of course, you can do an extra workout if you feel like it.) Can you promise two guaranteed workouts a week instead? Set that as a goal and focus on regularity and perseverance.
The plan should also be concrete. “Lose 15 kilos.” is not a concrete plan; it is a goal or dream. Instead, a concrete plan is, for example: “Do two 45-minute workouts a week and cook a large batch of healthy food four times a week.”
What kind of concrete and realistic goals can you set for yourself now? Write them down and leave them visible, for example, on the refrigerator door. It helps remind you of the plan, and you can use the chart for weekly tracking.
If you no longer stick to the original plan for several weeks, change it. Adjust weekly goals instead of throwing away the plan and dreams due to a few bad weeks.
A comprehensive lifestyle change is, admittedly, difficult. However, it is not impossible. It is worth being kind to yourself. It is good to understand that setbacks and dips are part of the journey. It is not even realistic or purposeful to dream of a perfectly healthy life, as such does not even exist. Consider what is sufficient for your goals. Praise and thank yourself whenever you reach your goals.
Criticizing yourself for failures does not motivate you to continue, nor does it create healthy self-esteem that would help in the change. Speak to yourself in an encouraging tone instead of criticizing. You can influence your internal dialogue. Encouraging, positive self-talk keeps your mood high and encourages you to continue—despite small failures along the way.
Improvement of the body and internal changes can sometimes be difficult to feel or observe externally. Weight settling closer to normal or feeling more energetic are certainly very desirable, good results. However, not everything can be assessed externally.
Changing your diet to be healthier and increasing exercise also improve cholesterol levels, which cannot be observed based on personal feelings. It is good to track these values indicating body health through blood tests.
It is popular to track your values at certain intervals, for example, every two to three months at the beginning of a lifestyle change. Later, the interval can be extended to six or 12 months when lifestyle changes have become permanent and it has been checked that values have changed in the desired direction. It is a sign of the body’s recovery, and you can trust that what you are doing is sufficient. Then you can continue with the same plan.
If, on the other hand, values have not changed in three or six months, even though you have changed your lifestyle, it is a good time to stop and assess how the weekly plan regarding exercise or diet could be changed. At the same time, it is worth remembering to give enough time for rest, recovery, and sleep. Sleep disturbances, lack of sleep, or stress can be effective obstacles to change.
Tests Support Lifestyle Change
Explore Puhti’s research packages suitable for tracking the body’s condition during a lifestyle change.
Puhti laboratory package includes many different tests that give you a wide range of information on how your body is doing. It includes blood count, cholesterol, blood glucose, vitamin D, ferritin, inflammatory status and tests of the functioning of the thyroid gland, liver and kidneys.
The package designed for active individuals includes, in addition to the Puhti laboratory package, important metrics for those who exercise. It includes tests important for performance and recovery, such as iron and vitamin D levels, magnesium, vitamin B12, and potassium related to fluid balance.
The package designed for active individuals includes, in addition to the Puhti laboratory package, important metrics for those who exercise. It includes tests important for performance and recovery, such as iron and vitamin D levels, magnesium, and also vitamin B12, potassium related to fluid balance, and free calculated testosterone.
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Article updated:
23 April 2025