Blog | Dr. med. Barbara Hendel

The 5 best strategies to achieve a goal

Whether we achieve our goal does not depend primarily on our mind, but on our subconsciousness and our feelings. Even if we are not aware of this, 80 percent of our decisions are manipulated by our feelings, even if we believe that we have made the decision rationally and reasonably.

The key to success is our feelings. Rarely does our conscious self dominate a decision. In satisfying our needs and desires, older and deeper brain regions play a central role and they want immediate gratification. Of course one can consciously contradict this desire, but in the long run it cannot be sustained. This is why you have to develop strategies to tune your brain to be "well-intentioned," so to speak.

Woman gets a cramp in her foot while jogging

Athlete alert! Magnesium now available for external use

Anyone who wants to achieve peak athletic performance -- and everyone knows this by now -- can not ignore a magnesium substitution. In principle, this applies to all athletes, but especially to those who require endurance. Whether runners, track and field athletes, or soccer players, everyone can make the most of themselves if the body has enough magnesium.

Young woman with mobile phone having breakfast

The food log: The basis for successful weight loss

Those who want to lose weight successfully, at least at the beginning, can not avoid keeping a food log. Because most people cannot estimate how many calories they actually consume. "I do not know why I am overweight," they say, "because I don't eat much!"

Little snacks, sweets and soft drinks slip on into the menu. Even a glass of iced tea or a banana -- no matter how healthy it may seem -- contain calories and influence the energy balance. The calculation is quite simple: Whoever burns more energy than he or she eats, loses weight and vice versa. How many calories a person burns per day depends on age, current weight, metabolism and, of course, exercise. Exercise is not only about the calories consumed, but also the activation and production of the enzymes needed to burn fat. If the body is never challenged, it has no need to reach into its fat reserves and "forgets" about burning fat. That is why regular exercise - at least every other day for 30 minutes - is so important.

Setting the right goals

Again a new year has begun and like every year, the first days are full of good intentions. Beyond "quitting smoking," "losing weight" is at the top of the wish list. Over Christmas, dietary sins were committed and in the new year everything should get better. And the pounds will disappear fast, preferably in a few days.

But that is not how it works and failure is inevitable. As a famous TV chef once said, "Weight gain does not happen from Christmas to New Year, rather from New Year to Christmas!" And that is correct. Anyone who wants to control and maintain weight loss on a long-term basis cannot avoid a permanent change in diet.