The holistic approach to fitness

Put Eefje, my very Dutch name, next to the powerful word‚ leven’ (Dutch verb‚ to live’) et voila: there is l-eefje. I simply like to live a little! I am turning 27 in one week, however I celebrate life way more often than just on my birthdays. After winning the‚ Fit Body Award’, powered by Women’s Health last fall, I started to write and share more moments in life, which are mainly about feeling good and living life the way I want it to be: happy, energetic and healthy!

Learning
Everyday we learn. This is what intrigues me and sends me out into the world, eager to meet a new day. I think, being curious is a great way to live your life. Last year was an adventurous and quite curious year for me. I decided to put more focus on things that I love to do and which am good at. Things I feel that should be put into the world, by me.

I started to ask myself, what do I really like? What am I good at? At a young age, I found out I am a caring person. During my social and environmental and resource management studies, I came across that character trait again. I needed this to make more sense, to something that was more me. Besides that, I always felt quite some responsibility. Towards the earth, people around me, and to myself. Not running too fast, by figure of speech. 'Hearing the music, before the song is over:'. That sort of thing.

Healthy bakings for all
A hobby that I picked up after my studies was baking. Spending time in the kitchen gave me peace of mind, and using my own hands to make something felt good. Because I have an incredible sweet tooth, and I did not have that many people to feed at home, I started to think: baking can probably healthier than the traditional recipes tell us! Last year I started‚ 'eefje baksels’: healthy bakings for all!', in Amsterdam, to share my love for healthy food. I love the smell of hot ovens, so baking became my priority. From there, food became an increasingly important subject in my life and I learned loads by reading, experimenting and by simply doing my groceries more mindful. Trying out new things, like going one month without sugar, made me very aware of how crucial your food intake is for the way you feel, think and behave.

Sporty spice
I have always been 'the sporty spice' of the class. Yes, when I was 10 years old I often walked around in a sport 'bra' trying to imitate Mel C. I was doing gymnastics everywhere I could, climbed everything there was to climb, swam all the time, jumped trampoline, and practiced many different sports. I just love being active. It made me realize that I wanted to learn way more about how our bodies function and how we stay away from pains and aches by not moving your body the correct way. This can happen after repetitive movements or as a result of poor posture. How we keep our body moving without experiencing pain, and feeling fit and powerful, has become my main research question since last year. Obviously, this does not only apply on how we look, but also on how to stay fit from the inside out.

The holistic approach
From all my experiences in life, including my travels, I learned that nothing is for sure, nothing should be taken for granted and everything keeps changing. From there, I observed my own habits more closely and started to change little things; like what I eat in the morning, observe the way I stand and sit, how I ride my bike, how feel when I get up in the morning. And taking bigger steps, such as banning sugar, loaded foods and drinks out of my kitchen. In order to approach life the way I see it, I needed to listen better to myself, my body. So that’s what I started to do, this is what keeps me inspired and motivated to #movemore #movebetter #eatcleaner #laugheveryday! Holistically approaching ‘fitness’: from head to toe, taking everything into account that makes me feel good.

Fit Body
Last fall, I was chosen to be the 'Fit Body’'2014, for Women’s Health NL. An incredible recognition for life that I live and the things I stand for. Check out the Women's Health video they shot backstage at the photoshoot. I also blog for Women’s Health on topics like baking and lifestyle, so feel free to have a look.

So what do you do?!
Last year, I started to create business out of my baking activities. This year, the focus will be more on smart movement and lifestyle coaching. Creating my own dreamjob, which I think will be more than rewarding, fun and a neverending experience. I also work for a Swiss-based company, to which I travel monthly, to spread the word about BLACKROLL: self-massage tools which can be used for therapy and functional training. I will write more about this way of taking care of your body in a future blog! So much to share on this topic! Quite exciting stuff.
Furthermore, I am studying to teach ESSENTRICS: a full-body fitness workout which contains elements from tai-chi, ballet, physiotherapy and dance. This is my favourite way to stay lean, flexible and strong! On top of that, I’m learning all there is to learn about anatomy and our body’s functions while I'm working. I’m simply loving what I do!

Food, travel, intelligent and therapeutic movement are my main interests which I write about in a open, honest and inviting manner. I hope that through this blog, the contributions on my own website and following my life on Instagram, you'll get inspired to make healthier and more fun choices for yourself  in order to create the lifestyle you want.

To finalize, my favourite hashtags: #neverstoplearning #movemore #movebetter #weetwatjeeet

I invite you to connect with me! Until the next one.
Love, Eefje