Events | February 12, 2018

It is not dangerous to get out of breath!

As part of the #passionforperformance activities, Roschier invited Baba Lybeck, sports enthusiast and chief judge on the quiz show Uutisvuoto in Finland, to share her tips for a healthy and active lifestyle. Baba visited Roschier’s Helsinki office last week and gave an energetic presentation to Roschier’s staff. For those of you who did not attend, we have summarized Baba’s best tips below. Enjoy!

The basics are very simple:

  1. Get enough sleep
  2. Eat healthily
  3. Exercise 3-5 times a week

All this sounds easy in theory, but how can you make it work in practice when you are faced with the realities of day-to-day life? Start small and make it a routine! Here are Baba’s three tips to get going:

  1. Excercising is like brushing your teeth: Make it a habit!
  2. Decide which days are your exercise days and mark them in your calendar.
  3. Even 15 minutes exercise is better than nothing.

The first step towards a healthier lifestyle is to create routines and think about how you spend your time. Decision-making consumes both strength and energy, so make sure you have a plan regarding when and how you exercise and channel your energy into more important decisions than choosing your sportswear. Don’t spend an hour on the preparations every time. Instead, use your time efficiently and don’t procrastinate even if it means that dishes, laundry or other housework has to wait. Some say it takes 21 times to form a habit, so be kind on yourself: Start small, create routines, and gradually increase power and frequency.

When exercising has become a habit it is time to set your goals. Goals must be SMART:

  1. Saavutettavissa – Achievable and realistic
  2. Mitattavissa – Measurable
  3. Ajallisesti rajattavissa – Time-phased
  4. Räätälöity – Tailored to your ability
  5. Tärkeä – Important

When setting your goals, it is recommended to have a number of short-term goals in addition to your main, long-term objective. Also, sometimes reaching the goal is not what’s important, but rather the journey towards it. As someone once said: The joy is in the journey.

You have created routines and set your goals. Where can you get the power and speed you need? In reality, there is much more strength in your body than you could ever dream of. So, “think again” and “you can do much more than you think” are actually also excellent tips for areas of life other than excercising. You can run a half marathon without a leg, you can learn to swim at the age of 45, and you can cycle up a 2500 m high mountain – if you believe in yourself. Testing and challenging your limits can be rewarding, but it is good to keep in mind that your body also needs rest to improve physical fitness. And to be able to exercise you need fuel. As with exercising, it is important to eat regularly as well. Eating more frequently but less is the way to keep the blood sugar at the optimal level.

On the topic of rewarding oneself, Baba personally sees the excercise itself as a sufficient reward. In her world, if exercising is viewed as a duty that needs rewarding, then the entire idea of taking up a healthy and active lifestyle will most likely fail. Baba’s final tip: Find your own way of exercising, but make sure it is something that gives you joy and makes you feel good.

“My name is Baba Lybeck. I’m addicted to sports and proud of it.”