27 Ways To Get In Shape For Summer
With only about 6 weeks until summer officially kicks in, it’s time to get movin’! We all want to enjoy summer 2015 by looking at our best. There is a lot you can do in 6 weeks if you’re disciplined enough to stick to the next 27 steps. Who’s with me?
- Find your Why (Motivation) If you have a motivation to get in shape, which is your personal reason why you want to get healthier and fitter, you are most likely to pursue it. If your WHY isn’t convincing enough you are most likely to give up when things get hard. So figure out your WHY and if you like, share it with me in the comment section!
- Make a plan Planning is everything. Stick to a certain meal plan/pattern, and make a workout schedule. If you have it written down in your planner, you will have to move towards actually doing it. If you know what you have to eat, you will make proper arrangements (grocery shopping, cooking) to make it happen! As with everything, Good planning = Success!
- Love yourself & Believe in yourself You are beautiful, worthy, and lovable and you can do anything you set your mind to! Say it with me! This comes before everything and is regardless of how you look and how much you weigh!
- Patience: Remember there is NO easy way As easy as it is to put on the pounds, it’s not that simple to lose them. You have to keep in mind that you will really have to WORK, the fat is not going to magically disappear in a day, unless you still have the metabolism of a 16 year old (oh how I miss those times!). There are no magic pills, so be patient, progress takes time.
- Replace all of your drinks with H2O & Drink yourself skinny Water is the only liquid your body needs, and contains zero calories, so by replacing all your other soft drinks, juices, coffee (in excess of 2 cups a day) and other (sport)energy drinks with water you can cut out all unnecessary calories. Just by doing this you will notice immediate difference in your waistline. In case you find water a bit dull you can spice it up by adding a little bit of fresh mint, lemon or other fruit. My favorite summer drink is sparkling water with a slice of lemon, refreshing and healthy!
- Don’t forget the Royal part of the day You can skip meals (though you shouldn’t), but one you should never skip is breakfast! Breakfast, which is the meal you have within an hour after you wake up, is essential for starting your body’s engine. Research has shown that people who eat breakfast burn more calories throughout the day than those who don’t. Plus breakfast is the most fun meal of the day, because you can have a little bit more of everything since you will burn it off throughout the day anyway. Breakfast tip: Make sure it’s protein rich.
- Eat something (Healthy) every 2 hours By eating something every 2 hours you increase your metabolism, which is your bodies mechanism to burn calories and fat. It’s similar to an engine, fuel it up with gasoline and it get’s rolling. Keep your body kicking constantly to burn more calories (even when not active) by eating regularly.
- Divide your Meals into 6-8 small portions a day If you eat every 2 hours, it means you eat 6-8 times a day. Make sure you plan out your meals, so instead of 3 big portions a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), you make it at least 6 smaller portions, so yet get hungry when 2 hours have passed. In the beginning, when you’re not used to eating smaller portions yet, you might still feel hungry after eating a meal. In this case drink loads of water after your meal to give you a full feeling.
- Prepare Your Meals and Snacks to avoid grabbing Unhealthy stuff. Preparation is essential to successfully eating healthy and clean. Without preparation you will grab the next best thing available when hungry and I bet you 100 euro’s that it isn’t close to healthy. Plan and prepare your meals before you start your day.
- Limit your stock of yumminess (or don’t buy at all) If you’re like me and you lack discipline and self-control, the best thing is to make sure you just don’t have any yumminess in the house. That way you can avoid cheating and binging when you’re not supposed to.
- Know the difference People often mistake the feeling of being hungry with actually being thirsty, moody or just feeling like a snack. If you know you just had a meal, your body is probably in need for hydration. Emotional eating is a common reason as to why people are overweight. If you’re feeling down, talk to a friend, go shopping, or best, go workout, but whatever you do, don’t get comfy on the coach with a can of Pringles.
- Keep it Balanced Keep your plate balanced by adding the right amount of healthy carbs, fats and proteins. The closer you get to summer, the lower you go into your carbs, while you add in proteins and healthy fats. Never cut out healthy carbs completely, it’s an essential fuel to your body. Keep away from refined and processed sugar (your body doesn’t need sugar, ever!). For more regarding nutrition, read here.
- Don’t Count Calories There are many people who will disagree with me on this, but in my experience, counting calories doesn’t really have any added value. If you eat the right things in the right proportions and you exercise, you will be fine. Counting calories only makes you overly self-conscious and takes way too much time. Instead of looking at the amount of calories a product contains, look at the values of fat, protein and carbohydrates to get an indication of whether it is right to eat or not.
- Don’t Dare to step on that Scale It’s a big mistake to measure your progress by weighing. Your body weight is composed of many things, and thus might fool you and lead to frustration and even giving up.
- Measure your Progress by taking Measurements & Pictures. You can measure your progress best by taking your measurements, taking pictures, measuring your fat% and just by looking in the mirror or referring to your belt. Your eyes are in this case more reliable than your scale. Read more here on why.
- Find an Activity/Sport you like A few of the points I’m mentioning below are fitness related, because fitness is my go to sport, but to be able to keep the fun and consistency in it, it’s important you find an activity that you really enjoy. It can be from dancing to any kind of sport, as long as your heart rate goes up. Some ways of exercising are more effective than others (in the long term), which is why I personally prefer Fitness.
- Make a Workout Schedule of at least 3 times a week, preferably 5-6 Make a regular workout schedule and stick to it. Make sure you break some sweat at least 3 times a week, but preferably 5-6 times if you want to achieve more progress fast. It’s a commitment, but it will be worth it. Make sure that these workout sessions are never shorter than 25 minutes and never longer than 75 minutes. Honestly, anything less than 3 times is nice, but will not get you in shape within 6 weeks.
- If you do cardio, always do HIIT Cardio Lots of you love to go running, spinning or do other forms of cardio. What most of us lack is time, but if you want to burn a significant amount of calories, you have to spend a lot of time doing cardio right? WRONG. The most efficient and effective way is to do HIIT Cardio, you will burn more calories (even later on when you’re not working out anymore) and you can do it in just 20 min. Read more on HIIT Cardio here.
- Build in Rest for your Muscle groups For those who do choose to lift weights, or do anything that really builds muscle mass: Your muscles need rest to repair and grow, so make sure you have 48 hours in between before training the same muscle groups again. Tips on Weight training & Exercises can be found here.
- Snooze or you Lose Sleep is one of the most important ingredients to a fit and healthy body. In some cases it can be even more important than exercise. Sleep abbreviation can lead to increased cortisol (stress hormone) levels and cortisol makes your body store fat. So snooze it for at least 7-8 hours/night!
- Get a Workout Buddy One of the best known motivations is having a workout buddy, who encourages you and dares you to get your booty off the couch and out of your comfort zone. Challenge each other, set goals together and have fun! (Only not too much fun & chatter, you do actually have to put in the sweat!)
- Make a Music Workout Playlist The right music can literally push you through your workout. Make a playlist (or different ones for different kinds of workouts). Find the songs that get you pumped up and motivated. Another thing I love about my music is that it drowns out every other noise, so I can focus on the exercise and the music.
- Workout in Style My favorite source of motivation! Hip, Stylish, Funky and Comfy workout clothing is a great motivation. Especially if it’s Wulterkens haha! You get to ‘’dress up’’ and sweat in style, which is a must for every fashionista. Knowing you look great, makes you feel great, and makes the process of working out more fun.
- Don’t compare yourself to others This one is so important! We are being flooded by pictures of beautiful abs and booties on Instagram and other social media. You don’t know their story, so don’t compare yourself to others. Every body type is different and some fitness models aren’t achieving their looks in a natural way. This can lead to you overtraining or starving yourself to achieve something that is not naturally possible. The thigh gap trend is another example. Just focus on yourself, be consistent, work hard, eat healthy, be patient and you will see results.
- Balance with a Cheatday (Yeah baby!) Proper nutrition counts for 70%, which is why they say abs are made in the kitchen. I do, however believe in moderation, so I believe that if you stick to a clean, healthy diet, you can enjoy a little bit of goodness every day. Or, as most fitness athletes do, schedule one day in the week, when you eat whatever it is you want. Pizza, Nutella pancakes, whatever it is, you can eat it, but only on that significant day. You don’t have to feel guilty about it, a cheatday can actually boost your metabolism, plus it keeps you sane during the week, because you know you have something to look forward to.
- Stop stopping Make a plan and stick to it. Don’t stop, because every time you do, you need to start all over again, and starting is the hardest part!
- Stick to a Healthy Lifestyle during and after summer Keep your meals healthy and stay active, during and after summer to avoid gaining the weight again very fast. Try to balance your cocktails and late night dinners with exercising the next day. Please don’t starve yourself the next day, since this will slow down your metabolism, and your body will store more fat. Make it your lifestyle to eat several small, healthy & balanced portions a day, with the occasional cheatmeal/day, exercise 3 times a week, sleep well, and drink lots of H2O. you will feel great and look great all through the year.
Good luck ladies! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask in the comment section. And remember, good things come to those who sweat!
Love, Nadira
Outfit: Wulterkens SS15 Sport Collection.
- Published in Health & Fitness, Written Archives 2013-2018
24 Things 2014 Has Taught Me
The sound of birds tjirping as if they wouldn’t have a voice tomorrow, a dog occasionally barking, a light breeze of wind through the many plants and trees….I look outside and I see the sun and I can feel the wind on my skin…yes, I’m home! Checking in from Paramaribo, Suriname, South America, where I was born and raised until 18.
As much as I am enjoying it now, this was the first time in my life that I actually dreaded going home. Since I’ve been living in the Netherlands, I’ve been going home for Christmas and New Year’s every year, because my parents still live in Suriname and it’s always nice to be together during the Holidays. Every year when I had to go back to the Netherlands in January, I couldn’t wait until it was December again so I could go back home.
But this year, it was different. I think I’ve finally reached a point where I am content with the life I am living. I finally don’t have the need to “escape” to home. I didn’t want to go, because I didn’t want to leave my business to my partner alone. And I didn’t want to leave my partner, who is my partner in business, but also in life. Last year he came along with me, but this year things are too hectic, which is a good thing of course, it means things are going very well…But I was so sad to go.
Now I’m here and I am happy to be home. I am enjoying the little things mostly, like the weather and just being home, catching up with my mom and dad and some friends who live here. Oh and the food, can’t forget the food! Especially the fruits and veggies, everything is so fresh and natural.
More than anything, I’ve learned this year that you have to find your happiness in the little things.
As I’ve mentioned in my latest post, we’ve learned a lot this year, it’s been full of great things and lots of growth, but we also made some less smart decisions that became wise lessons for us, business wise, but also in general. I’ve decided to put the things I’ve learned this year in this last blog for 2014, mostly for myself, but maybe it’s a little help to you as well, a source of inspiration, to start the new year fresh and motivated. Some of them might be very obvious, but in practice they are often forgotten.
1. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. Count your blessings, not your problems. Attitude of gratitude = the best attitude!
2. Always trust your intuition/gut feeling, it’s always right!
3. Business wise: Impulsive decisions can be good in the short term, but hurt you just as much in the long term.
4. If you already work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week like me, it’s not about working harder anymore, but about working more efficiently.
5. Believe more in yourself….You can do/be so much more than you think…All Limits are self-imposed!
6. Everybody pretends to be doing better than they actually are. The grass is always greener on the other side, don’t let this distract you from your goal. Focus on yourself.
7. Clear Communication & Good planning = More efficiency.
8. You’re only as important as your network.
9. Visualize, Visualize, Visualize! If you can dream it, you can do it!
10. Invest in yourself, whether it is by working/studying /exercising. Each minute that you invest in your own physical or mental well-being is a valuable investment that will definitely pay off. Try to learn something every day.
11. Love! Sometimes it’s easy to get carried away in your business or whatever it is that you are focused on. Don’t forget to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones (those that actually love and appreciate you).
12. Time is our most precious asset! Only invest your time in those that are worth it. Otherwise you lose, big time.
13. Walk your Talk, otherwise don’t talk at all.
14. Balance. Now this one is something I’m still not getting the hang of, but I really do hope to master in 2015. Balance is everything, if you are able to do it well; life becomes a lot easier and much more pleasant.
15. Set goals, but also lay out the steps to achieve them. A lot of people set goals, but have no idea on how to actually make them reality. It’s a step by step process.
16. Every time you were convinced you couldn’t go on, you did….The universe has a funny way of operating, but all you need to believe in, is that everything is going to be alright. So when things get tough, just hang on, keep going, keep fighting and don’t worry, everything is going to be amazing!
17. Trust the timing of your life. Everything happens for a reason. Accept, learn and go on.
18. No guts, no glory. Great things never come from comfort zones.
19. Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you’ve ever been to stand up taller than you ever where (Never a failure, always a lesson).
20. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity, find it!
21. To be able, at any moment sacrifice what you are, for what you will become.
22. It’s always impossible, until it’s done.
23. You’ve got to create your own luck.
24. She/He who dares, WINS.
Of course there is a lot more, but I consider these the most basic, fundamental and important. The rest is mostly in the same line of the above. Plus, we don’t have all day right!
Just like last year, my resolution is to keep on growing mentally, physically, spiritually…Just in every sense. Become smarter, better, stronger than I am now. And I want to love more, and give back more! What are your resolutions?
2013 was practice, 2014 was a warm-up, 2015 is Game time!
Thank you so much for following my life and experiences, I hope they have been and will continue to be an inspiration to your journey. Wishing you all the best in 2015!
Lots of love & Blessings,
Nadira
Outfitdetails: Heels & Co-oordinate (So in love with this color!): Missguided ; Clutch: Zara; Earrings: Swarovski.
*Pictures are taken in my beautiful garden in Suriname by my lovely Mom*
The Past, The Now, The Future
As Fall arrives in the Netherlands and it’s getting colder, I’m reflecting on our summer. For me and my partner it was a working summer mostly. Despite the fact that we live in a recreation area, by a big beautiful lake and we have a lovely boat, we didn’t even make one boattrip on the lake during the whole summer, which I do regret, to be honest.
At the same time, when I reflect on the growth and progress we’ve made with Wulterkens, I know it was worth it. Building an empire, requires lots of time, work, sacrifices, blood, sweat, tears.
It’s easy to get carried away in your future plans. Basically all we do every day is planting different seeds and watering them in the hope they will sprout in the (near) future. This is a must if you want to live a life on another level, however, constantly focusing on the future might make you miss the Now. The Now is just as important as the future, because it’s the only thing you have with 100% certainty. The future is not certain, you never know if you get another tomorrow.
So as I am writing this, it’s also a reminder to myself to enjoy the Now more. Luckily I am a person who enjoys the little things, and I am grateful for everything in my life now, even if I am not yet where I want to be in life. I know every day I am one step closer, but only because I am healthy Now and constantly developing my skills, intelligence, knowledge, resources etc.
One positive thing in my case is that I do what I love, so I am enjoying my work everyday, but in chaos of the work I sometimes forget to for instance, plan some free time for myself, to be social (with the very few people still around), to plan a date night with my partner etc etc. And just like the summer flew by, the weeks fly by, and life flies by and I don’t want to regret things in life.
So I guess the key word is Balance, finding balance in life to be able to work hard and efficient towards the Future, yet still be able to enjoy the now to the fullest. Still working on this, though, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
As for the past. The past is not something to dwell on yet is full of wise lessons that we can use to make a better Now and a better Future.
If I think back to 5 years ago, I was a student at the Technical University in Eindhoven, living in a small ”box” (student dorm, in the form of a box of 18 m2) on the university campus. I was studying Innovation Sciences, which I didn’t enjoy at all, but I was smart enough so I thought, ok let’s just get through these few years and then we will see. I didn’t have my driver’s license, I wasn’t exercising, eating a lot of unhealthy stuff, not in shape, no work, lots of sleeping, watching tv series, lots of ”empty’ friendships, basically living a typical student life. I had just met my partner, who at the time was managing an Italian restaurant for his friend in a very boring little town, he had a boat, but no car and no driver’s license. We were both not happy with the situations we were in.
Eventually, I decided to stop with Innovation Sciences, because it just wasn’t what I wanted to do and I took half a year off, got myself together, moved to the Hague (and then to Utrecht) and signed up for International Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. I got my driver’s license, which gave me so much more freedom. My partner decided to make changes as well, he started his own company/website selling funny, but handy gadgets, he bought a car, also got his driver’s license. This all happened within a year, maybe a year and a half. We both used to live in big buildings that were empty. In the Netherlands we call it ”anti-kraak”, which is basically to prevent people from claiming the buildings. There used to be a Dutch law that stated that if a building was empty for more than 6 months, anyone can claim it and live in it. So to prevent that, they let people (like me and my partner) live in the buildings (for very low rent) and watch over them.
It was a really cool phase in our lives, it was adventurous and in one of the buildings my bedroom only used to be like 100m2, which was very luxurious, but also a pain in the ass to clean.
Two years later, and during the last year of my Bachelor IBA, my partner and I decided to start our own clothing line together (I skipped a few less important parts, because otherwise this post will be way too long). This lead to me having to do an extra year of my Bachelor, because it’s simply not possible to start your own business AND do a full time university study at the same time. We started with some crazy t-shirt designs in 2012, which we launched on a beautiful catwalk with 9 male models in the middle of Amsterdam City Center during the Amsterdam Fashion Week in July 2012, and the rest is history. We also moved into a ”normal” house where we live now for 1,5 years already, with a gorgeous lake view.
So now in 2014, when I think back to our lives and that moment when both my partner and I weren’t happy with the way our life was going, but we didn’t have any idea what we wanted to do; and to see where we are Now, in the Wulterkens Office, with a beautiful showroom, It’s just amazing what can happen in 4-5 years. I could never have thought that I would be having my own fashion brand, let a lone in sportswear, while I was developing a particle accelerator for particles with a certain density (yes I used to be a big nerd). Let alone a bachelor degree in International Business, being highly active in Fitness, and doing a part-time Master study in Marketing.
I am so excited, when I think of where we will be in the next 4-5 years. When the seeds we are planting now will be trees, growing taller and taller. Anything can be done. You just have to be brave to make certain decisions and take steps towards changing your life, even if they are small steps at a time. Eventually all things will fall into place and you just have to follow your path to live your dream.
I am so lucky and grateful to have met my partner. I don’t believe in coincidence, I truly believe we are meant to be, and Wulterkens, as a brand, is meant to be. From the beginning we supported each other, we literally inspired each other and lifted each other up to become more, to become better, to grow. Without him, I wouldn’t be co-owner of Wulterkens and without me I’m not sure he would have taken the steps to create ”Wulterkens”, which is his last name, as a brand.
I will be doing another reflection in 2016 and 2018, I think it will be nice to look back again to today. There is so much that can happen in 2 years. Life is constant growth, and constant change; it’s up to you to steer it in the direction you want to grow/change in. Make the most out of the now, make every day, every hour, count, and it will pay off in the future. Remember every Pro was once an amateur and every expert was once a beginner. Dream big, start now, make it happen.
Love,
Nadira
Outfitdetails:
Top: BBarbarella, my favorite boutique in Hilversum City (The Netherlands)
Jeans: Nastygal
Sandals: Zara
Hat: Don’t really remember!
Earrings: Gift from a lovely friend
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth, Written Archives 2013-2018