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
A Ship In A Harbor Is Safe…But That’s Not What A Ship Is Built For!
They say that the magic is happening at a place way out of your comfort zone. If you want to be part of that magic, you got to grab your guts and move out of it.
This is so easily said (and written), I know. It’s been almost a month since my last blog post and also my first one this year. I spent the holidays with my loved ones in my hometown Paramaribo, capital of Suriname, located in South America, right above Brazil.
It was 2,5 weeks of getting my mind off work and enjoying being home, spending time with my loving parents and friends. At the same time, I realized that with a new year, comes new things, new opportunities, challenges and lots of growth. While I think constant growth and improvement are one of the most important things, it’s still a fact that with growth come more responsibilities.
It’s scary, yes, very scary. I think my fellow entrepreneurs will understand. Along with that excitement and all those opportunities that you are pursuing is that little voice that makes you doubt everything, including yourself and your abilities.
But as the title of this blog post says…You can play it safe, but then you will never leave the harbor and you will never grow. And one my biggest fears is to stand still. I always need a new challenge, even if it scares the hell out of me.
So this year started out amazing, super busy with our fitness line and sale, but the great news is: We found a beautiful venue to finally create an official showroom for our fashion brand Wulterkens. We’ve been working from our home office ever since we started 1,5 years ago and we’ve been wanting to take it to the next level for months, but somehow it didn’t work out. Do you believe in coincidences? I don’t. I think we weren’t ready. And now we are. We looked around, saw 3 different places and then this one and the moment we saw it we knew it was perfect….pricey, but perfect.
Again with the risks, in this case a financial one, but my intuition is screaming that we have to do this in order to grow to the next level, put our brand in the market on a different scale. If you do something, no matter what it is, do it at the best of your abilities. So we’re doing it and I’m super excited!!
Another thing to be excited about (yes you too, in this case), the new collection of tshirts will be launched beginning of March! New exclusive tshirt designs and also new fitness wear, this time more for the gentlemen as well!
This February is going to be super hectic with moving the office, designing the showroom, new collections, refreshing new look of the website etc., so I probably will not be able to write as much as I would like to. I promise I’ll make it up in March!
Bottom line…don’t be afraid to take (calculated) risks, challenge yourself! I like the way Peter Drucker formulated it: ‘’People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year’’. You will not die from a mistake, you can only learn and when you learn, you grow. Never a failure, always a lesson.
I think this entrepreneurial, risk-taking, adventurer, go-getter, goal-digger – side of me is growing, I am starting to like the ‘’rush’’ and I am very grateful for these scary beautiful opportunities coming towards us!
Lastly, ask yourself this: When we become comfortable, do you know what happens around us?
Answer: Absolutely nothing. Each day becomes just like the one before. We do what we have always done, therefore we get what we have always gotten.
That’s definitely not who I am, and what I want for myself…How about you?
Love,
Nadira
P.S. It’s winter, and although it’s not as cold as it usually is around this time a year it’s still hard to do nice posts in the cold, did my best with this one, hope you like it, the location is my beautiful garden/back yard!
Outfit details: Leather skirt: H&M, Boots: ZARA, Blazer: MANGO, Tanktop: Wulterkens (Basic collection, will return soon!) for more check out the SALE on www.wulterkensclothing.com. I don’t remember where I got my hat, I think it’s from one of the local department stores in the Netherlands.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life ~ Muhammad Ali
If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories ~ Richard M. Nixon
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone ~ Neale Donald Walsch
We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are ~ Max DePree
Courage is about doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared ~Eddie Rickenbacker
I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough ~Marissa Mayer
- Published in Business & Entrepreneurship, Written Archives 2013-2018
That Power I Got
The past few months I’ve been pushing myself mentally more than I ever have before. Since we started with our t-shirt brand Wulterkens around February 2012, we’ve been so busy and focused on success and growth of the brand that we failed to acknowledge basic, but extremely important things, like our health. My partner and I both gained quite some weight due to our unhealthy lifestyle, with lots of stress, little sleep and no time for proper cooking.
And suddenly we just realized, that if we would jeopardize our health consistently, we will eventually not even be able to focus on the success and growth because we would be sick and fat. And of course, since we’re operating in the fashion industry, we do really want to look good!
So around mid-august, we started our Fitness journey with training and eating healthy unprocessed, freshly cooked veggies, lean meats and proteins, good carbs and fruit, 6 times a day. And lots of water! It took a lot of discipline, we really had to make the time, for the grocery shopping, cooking and training. We even set our alarm clock every 2 hours to make sure we don’t forget to eat.
For the first time, I started with Fitness, lifting heavy weights and kickboxing. It was all new to me, and in the beginning I thought fitness was really boring, until I finally got into it. I experienced the intensity at which you can push your mind and body and believe me, when training at THAT intensity, you don’t have a second to think of anything else, let alone be bored.
We really did our research on what to eat, and how to train and it’s working! We’re looking great, feeling great, much more energy and are much more productive. I really feel that my body is thankful for doing this.
I’m realizing while going through this journey that basically everything in life comes down to one thing: Mental Power. In the beginning it is so hard not to give in to sugar and bad carb cravings, but if you can manage your mind, eventually you train your mind into not needing any of it. I am so proud to have mastered this (It took me 2 months though, so be patient and stay strong!).
Another thing that has been happening a few times to both my partner and I has confirmed the power of the mind as well. While lifting weights, we mistakenly took a heavier weight than we thought it was. And while we could feel that it is very heavy, we had in our head ‘’this is 30 kg, I did this last week, so I should be able to do it now, I guess my body is just tired’’. But it actually was 50 kg. And still we were able to push ourselves to do the amount of reps that we wanted to do with 30 kg, while normally if we would be conscious of the weight being 50, we would probably not have been able to do half of the reps.
This means that it is extremely easy to trick and train your mind to be able to do amazing things. If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it. While most people think with sports or lifting weights you have to be physically strong, it actually comes down to your mental strength. This mental power will allow you to break boundaries and thereby grow stronger both physically and mentally.
The power of my mind that I am getting to know during this fitness journey is astonishing. I am implementing this in every other aspect of my life, especially with work and it’s really making a lot of difference.
Henry Ford brought to life the saying ‘’Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right’’. This is so true. Say to yourself you can do it, and no matter what, you will, if you keep your focus and don’t give up. Say you can’t and you won’t. It’s as simple as that.
Lastly, I would like to share with you my personal affirmation:
‘’I am extremely powerful! Whatever I set my mind on having, I will have.
Whatever I decide to be, I will be. The evidence is all around me. I have taken the actions to create my current reality. And I have the power to change it into whatever I want it to be. With the choices I make, I am constantly fulfilling the vision I have for my life’’.
And so can you!
Love,
Nadira
P.S. This pictures were taken exactly a month ago. I am wearing my own beautiful Wulterkens Signature Studded Sweater. ZARA ripped jeans & heels from LolaShoetique.
‘If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought” – Peace Pilgrim
”Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true” – Napoleon Hill
”And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high” – Ayrton Senna
”Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought” – Blaise Pascal
- Published in Self-Discovery & Growth, Written Archives 2013-2018