That first step. The one that is so straightforward to take but still sometimes so hard to get off the ground. It may be something that has been weighing on your mind for a while or it may appear by itself when the time is right. No matter how, when or why that feeling of a need for a change arises, you have to listen and act. It may be something important that your body, or someone else, is trying to tell you.

“Listen and act.”

The feeling of needing to make a change comes from an internal or external factor.

The internal factor is based on your own insight. Something needs to be done. You may feel that you ought to get started with some exercise and / or maybe start thinking about your eating habits. It may be based on you not feeling the energy and joy of everyday life that you once did. You find yourself becoming sick more often, feel more stressed, you get tired faster, your muscles feel weaker and your fitness is not at the level you know it usually is. These are just a few examples of things that the inner factor affect: How you feel within and what that does to your well-being.

Being influenced by an external factor means that, through someone or some- thing, you come to the conclusion that you should make a change. Sometimes people around you realize that you need a change in your life well before you do. It could be a friend, partner, doctor or other person who tells you that you should make a change. Perhaps the most common external factor is when your old jeans start telling you that, “No, we haven’t shrunk in the wash again. It’s time to start doing something about this now!”. Another external factor that may play a role can be the media.

Social media can have a tremendous effect on many people. They can provide a very good kick-start in evoking a change, but can also be one of the more “dangerous” guides to follow. It all depends on how the person in question has been influenced and what lies behind the urge to take a step towards change.

Example of a good social media influence:
“Sture, 46, is inspired when he sees on Facebook that Kalle, 58, lost 16 kilos by starting to cycle to work three times a week and every two days replacing his regular sweet buns for a healthier snack.”

The next day, Sture dusts off his bike and cycles to work. Note that he is wearing a helmet on his head. He stops and poaches some apples from Stina’s tree along the way. With a burst of adrenaline he smiles and cycles on.

Examples of a slightly worse social media influence:
“Niklas, 16 years old and skinny as a reed, reads about Gösta, 63 years old, an experienced old school bodybuilder who competes in the veteran category and has a body like a Trojan warrior. Gösta says that he trains twelve times a week and eats only chicken and salad. “

Niklas immediately starts exercising and eating like Gösta.

No criticism directed at Gösta here, he sounds dedicated and has worked hard to achieve his physique. Also, what Gösta talks about is probably the final stretch of competition preparation and if that works for him, hats off. But given Niklas’s starting position of being skinny as a reed, training twelve times a week and adopting a diet of only chicken and salad will not give him the results he thinks he should get. For many, this would be obvious, but it wasn’t for Niklas.

Internal and external factors can also work against you. They can create an obstacle for you to get started on your lifestyle change. You may have a feeling that you need a change, but are afraid to leave the comfort zone where everything is safe and snug. External factors, some of the ones I mentioned earlier, can sometimes try to slow you down when you have chosen to take that first step toward a healthier life. You can, if you want, explain to them why this is important to you. When they see that it is important to you, they will understand. If not, well, then you do it anyway. This is your journey and not theirs.

For me as a personal trainer and also for you in the role of client, or if you are doing this on your own, it is very important to establish the basics at an early stage. Where does your urge for change come from?

So, you’ve been given a little push, from an internal or external factor, to signal that it’s time to do something? Is it time to make a change for the better? Great! What do you do next?

When this feeling comes creeping up, it’s time to hook on to it and do it fast. Ideally I want to tell you to put on your shoes and take a walk or go to the gym right away! Now! Pronto! Go! Do it! Although it’s okay to wait until tomorrow too, but not longer than that! Why? From experience, I know that the “hamster wheel” (your everyday life, your job and everything around you) that you might be in right now easily silences this little whisper that says “it’s time to get a grip on this … maybe a walk? The gym? Group workout? ”. It may take weeks, months or even years for this whisper to reappear, at worst it may never happen. Listen, act and go!

Go for a walk, jog, run, cycle, swim, go to that group workout you’ve been thinking about, go to the gym and lift some weights or contact someone who can help you. Right now I don’t care what you do as long as you do it! Take the step!

“Take the step!”

It is important to know the factor or factors that influence you to begin your lifestyle change as well as how to deal with them. It is also exactly right here the eBook “The Little Book for Great Results – How to Succeed at Your Goals” begins. From the starting point, from where everyone starts their journeys, towards the goal and beyond. This blog post is not only the first post I write on our newly launched website, but also the first chapter of the e-book.

During my work with clients and competing athletes, I have always got to the root of what their background looks like, where we currently stand and where we are going. The latter, I would say, is the most important thing. For each client and athlete, I have carried out an evalua- tion of what went well, which alterations that turned out to create great progress and great results when implemented, as well as various adversities and difficulties that emerged during the journey. The difficulties have concerned both external and internal factors that affected the client amid the lifestyle change and during the journey towards their goal. Yes, even the choice of words and pep talk techniques have been carefully evaluated to create the inner feeling that is needed to carry out an effective change. It is from these evaluations and experiences that I have constructed and created this “little book for great results”.

Subscribe to the newsletter now, get the eBook for free and take advantage of the rest of the parts you need to bring with you on your journey towards your goals and great results. Funny enough, you will also find out how things went for Niklas and Sture mentioned earlier in the post. They are two of my clients and some of many that I tell you about in the book. I have been told their stories, their starting points and goals. The best part is that I also got to be part of their journey towards a healthier life and great results.

Change is not always easy, no one has said it is, but it is worth it. I believe in you and your chances of succeeding in this.