Challenges of a Sustainable Lifestyle Change

In Western societies, more and more people are suffering from overweight and are developing metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. A sustainable lifestyle change, based on exercise and balanced nutrition, can prevent the onset of a disease, alleviate its course, or promote recovery. However, those affected find it difficult to sustainably change their lifestyle. Often, intervention programs are not aimed at sustainable behavior change and do not sufficiently take into account the motivational factors of individuals. As a result, those affected often revert to old patterns after some time. The applied research project “Lifestyle Change” deals with the question of how sticking to a healthy lifestyle can be supported from the perspective of motivational psychology and service management. This book focuses on the maintenance phase, which is central to the sustainable success of the lifestyle change.