Dienstag, 30. Dezember 2014

Goals for 2015

Never look back








Wow... Another year has passed again and so many things have happened...
I moved together with me lovely boyfriend, I found a new passion, started poledancing again, experienced my first competition-preparation and had a fantastic first competition-season. I don't regret anything of 2014 because it helped me to become who I am and know what I want in future time.

2015 is already knocking on the door, and just as everyone else I contemplated about the next year. I already made a big step in the world of the grown-ups , but I will make another big step as I am entering the work-world...Yep the time has come to leave the couch and get busy. Besides this, there are still some things that I want to accomplish in 2015.

As far as I am concerned, I don't call it 'New Year's Resolutions' but rather ' New Year's Goals', simply because I think that if you set a goal you are more likely to stay motivated and reach them as if you just set up some good intentions.
Here a small list what I want to change and some goals I want to reach in 2015:
  1. Spend more time with my family
  2. Walk my fluffy ball Mumble more often
  3. Get a better shape than 2014
  4. Get a satisfying placement at the 'Top de Colmar' (France), Powerfood's J-M.B Open (Luxembourg), Miss FIBO Power Beauty (Germany), West-german Championship (Germany) & maybe qualify for the World Championships in Warsaw (Poland)
  5. Be more organized  
  6. Be more positive
  7. Save more money (very original I know haha)
I am convinced that by the end of 2015 I will have tallied almost all the goals on this List. The 4th resolution may be the most difficult one, but I believe in myself. I want to represent out team with my best possible shape at the Powerfood's J-M.B Open and if I get the chance to participate at the world-championship in Warsaw I don't want to just be part of the event. I am going to compete. 2015 is GAME TIME.

I wish you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS, wonderful moments with your friends and family and a HAPPY New Year! May all your wishes come true and may everyone of you reaches their goals. ( Have a look at my GUIDE to keep up your good intentions)

at my first show in Rheinbach (Germany) 
first competition, 2nd round: bikini, Rheinbach
in Eupen, 1st round: evening dress
in Eupen, 1st round: evening dress
in Rheinbach, my first competition this year
before the 2nd round at the UNIVERSE competition
@Miss&Mister Universe
after the show in Eupen
Backstage, the moment before the first round in my new evening dress
@Miss&Mister Universe
@Miss&Mister Universe
being all exited before stepping on the UNIVERSE stage
Right after I placed 3rd at the 'Grand-Prix des trois frontières' in Eupen (Belgium)
Happy after competing at the Miss&Mister Universe in Hamburg (Germany)

Montag, 29. Dezember 2014

Nike Free 5.0 TR Fit 4



I hope you all had some great holidays and enjoyed the time with your beloved family. Mine were fantastic and even if the snow arrived a day later, I really felt the christmas-magic at home. As I already mentioned in an earlier post, I enjoyed the festive days to the fullest, but without indulging too much. On Christmas Eve we had a meat fondue, therefor I was able to eat very healthy, before the give-away of our presents. And guess what I got... a new pair of Nike Free 5.0. , I couldn't be any happier right now. (Thanks a lot mum.)

The colors are so bright and they perfectly match the pattern of the outer material and the laces. While the shoes are mostly pink, I think that the white and violet details give them the perfect touch and along with the NikeID 'Train Dirty' they bring out a flawless pair of girly-tough training shoes.

Of course I already tried my new babies for my leg-session today and as per normal, the shoes speak for themselves. I definitely don't have to waste any words about the comfort... Everyone who ever trained in Nike shoes knows how comfy they are and how it feels like to train with them.
Now I really get into a conflict every time I hit the gym. Should I wear the green/blue Flyknit or the super fancy pink Free-Run? #firstworldlifterproblems... I got such a hard furrow to plough, don't I ?

Have a great new week fitfam.
Get them HERE

Freitag, 26. Dezember 2014

New Year's Resolutions Guide



Lose weight. Do more sports. Eat healthier foods. Workout regularly.Be active.
These are one of the most popular new year's resolutions along with 'Spend less money.Save more money and quit smoking'
I am convinced that everyone of you has already made at least one of those pledges during the annual New Year's Day ritual of resolving to improve your health and lifestyle. It's a great decision and a great first step, but what does it looks like a month later? Have you held true to your good intentions?

Let me tell you this: planning and preparation is the key. 
Making a resolution is the first step, but you need a specific plan and a healthy dose of motivation and discipline if you want to succeed. It is difficult to change old habits like smoking, stop drinking alcohol. Simply telling yourself you are about to change something is not enough, you need a concrete plan that plays into your strengths and avoids distractions from your goals by your weaknesses.

Here are some very useful tricks to held true to your intentions:

1. A realistic and healthy eating-plan: 
As I always advise, set up an eating plan that is rich in variety, still not too complicated, interesting and tastes good. If you want to learn more about good carbs, healthy fats and carb-cycling, have a look at my older posts.

2. Have faith in yourself:
Seeing is believing. Once you see results and see that you are capable of making changes in your behavior, you will become more confident and motivated. Just ask yourself the question if you believe in yourself that you can change the one or other habit for two weeks, months or even years. If you are answering with 'NO', re-evaluate your goal to make it more doable for you. Break down your goal in smaller steps, it will make it easier for you to gain the belief that you can do it.

3. Avoid negativity:
Research has shown that social support is very important, especially after the first weeks when your motivation seems to fade away. Avoid negative people, search for online support groups or get a gym-buddy who works out with you. As for my part, I prefer to train on my own, therefor you may need a little time to find which kind of support suits you best and helps you during tougher times

4. Work out all the details:
If you want to lose weight or hit the gym more frequently, you would be well advised to set up a sensible plan for your grocery-shoppings, cookings and workouts. Get a solution for your cravings without depriving yourself from food you love.

5. Set smaller goals: 
If you want to lose for example 30kilos, you will be more motivated to succeed if you celebrate every 5kilo you lost. (similar to #2). Look at your success as lots of 'mini steps' strung together... Rome wasn't built in one day either... You are more likely to reach your goals by setting attainable, realistic goals.

6. Prepare yourself for cravings:
Normally cravings are caused by swings in your blood sugar. Therefor, avoid quick boosts like sweets, soda or every other simple carbs. If you eat every 3 hours and include lean protein from nuts, meats or beans, you will satisfy your hunger for fewer and healthier calories.

7. Control your surrounding:
Eliminate tempting and fattening treads from your environment by stocking the pantry and refrigerator with healthy foods. If you don't have 'bad food' at home, you can't eat them. For the first weeks, it may also be best for you if you surround yourself with people, places and things that will HELP you change and not tempt you.

8. Change:
It is not enough to diet, instead you have to replace the unhealthy foods with more nutritious foods. You need active behavior by changing your eating habits, just dieting and cutting down on everything is non-sense and not healthy at all.

9. Treat yourself:
Every time you reach one of your 'baby goals' ,you can reward yourself with anything you want, like flowers, new gym clothes, a cute jewel or even a sweet treat (in moderation). Figure out what works best for you and reward yourself if you achieved another goal.

10. Setbacks are inevitable:
It is totally okay if you have a setback, what matters is that YOU can control it. You have to learn to 'recover' from slips. You have to be strong, and remind yourself that you are strong and that you can do it. You shouldn't see a setback as a failure and use them as an excuse to give up.

That said, I wish you a happy new year my loves.

New Days, New Time, New Moments and New Motivation
Ahead are waiting for you,
May these 365 days light up your life,
Happy New Year 2015.


Dienstag, 23. Dezember 2014

Fitness 2.0



Hands up who's guilty : You enter your gym, while tying your nikes you check-in on Facebook, take some gym-selfies in the changing room and upload them straight into your Instagram and Facebook wall. Then you spend some more minutes looking at your social media to see if you received a new like or comment and then you're read to go hard... seems pretty normal to you, doesn't it?
May I call this fitness 2.0?

But let's go back to the early 2000's...
People hit the gym and the only thing they worried about was the quality of their training-routines. A fully-charged mp3 or mini-disc and headphones were a bonus.
A bottle of water, a towel and gym-clothes were the only thing a sports-bag contained. People didn't worry about their gym-outfit back then, even if it was the same from previous workouts because 'I will sweat anyway'--- What mattered was that it was comfy and somewhat functional.

These days, the tights are perfectly matching the sneakers,the ear-buds are color-coordinated with the smartphone-case and the neckline of the guys' tank-tops are lower than the ones teenage girls wear to go out at night.
Tracking workouts, meals and simply the everyday-life on the phone has become a routine to many.  Let's turn to the  #firstworldfitnessproblems :  You forgot to start your running-app while you worked your butt off on the treadmill, damn, how are you supposed to share this on Facebook now...?
Never mind, let's take a post-workout selfie instead, this will get you some likes anyways. 

Isn't it insane how our behavior has changed over the years?
Marketing and PR agencies found a new niche to sell all types of fitness-related items, because after all fitness has become a trend. And as we know, people automatically spend more money on something if it's considered popular. Entire gym-outfits, fitness-apps, accessories, eating- and training-plans are sold more than ever before. Just look around you :no matter what and where, there is ALWAYS a 'sports-edition' Even McDonald's now has a 'sports menu' which I find to be absolutely ridiculous.

However, the only difference between now and then is, once again, social media.
Back in the days, you didn't know if your friend was working out in the same gym as you until you met him there. Today, you can 'check-in' at your gym and let people know when and where you are hitting your sessions. You can even tell them through your phone how many reps you did.
In fact, the fitness-lifestyle has always been there, but it has become way more popular and exposed over the years.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if people consider this kind of 'exposure'  good or bad.
Fact is: As long as it keeps you motivated, it serves its purpose. You can have the best training-program and the healthiest nutrition, but this doesn't help you if you are not motivated at all. Motivation is the key that helps you reach your goals.
Of course, there are always people that want to see you fail, but I am sure that you have friends that celebrate your success and push you with the one or other like or comment?

I don't mind if people like this current trend or not, because anyway, it has a very positive impact on everyone of us.
I am happy about every single one of you who works out and wants to get a healthier life. As long as social media helps you to keep going and stay motivated, go ahead.
While we're at social media: Don't forget to use pumpingfairy to find the motivation you need.

let's go for some gymselfies


Montag, 22. Dezember 2014

Review: Nuxspreads


I have something very extraordinary and new to review today. It's called Nuxspreads. 
You certainly wonder what Nuxspreads is, right? 
To give you a hint, it's something very healthy, delicious and made in Luxembourg... Still no idea? 
Okay, I stop putting you on the rack. 

Nuxspreads is, like already mentioned, a luxembourgish product, which is very new on the market and therefor not availabe in any other shops yet. To put it simple: Nuxspreads are spreads made of 100% nuts, hence the compound word 'Nuxspreads'. What a clever idea, isn't it? 

I accidentally came accross their profile on Instagram, and when I saw it was produced in Luxembourg, I was already nosy. It's a big plus that they are 100% natural, meaning that you don't have any additives in it, except that the one or another flavor also contains chocolate, honey, cinnamon or coconut. I mean, if that doesn't make you go nux... (got it?)

Of course, before ordering or buying something you have never heard of, you surely want to know how it tastes and how you can use it. Well, to be honest it's totally delicious. If you like peanutbutter for example, you will certainly be a great fan of the 'peanut break' which is mixed with 85% dark chocolate. Allowedly, the other spreads are great too, it just depends on your nut-preferences. As I love peanuts and almonds, needless to say that those two are my favorites, but it's beyond debate that the other are excellent too. 
You can either use the spreads for your toasts in the morning, include them in healthy recipes or simply frost your christmas cookies for example. If you have no idea how you can include them in a healthy recipe, I highly advise you to checkout their Instagram account or Facebook-page.

Before leaving now, I just wanted to give my profuse thanks to Marianne from Nuxspreads for this early and awesome Christmas-gift. Enjoy your week and the most beautiful days of the year. 
The perfect Christmas-gift-box
heavenly
Frosted star-cookies
In collaboration with Nuxspreads

Freitag, 19. Dezember 2014

#pumpingfairy

I had so many things to do this week, and it seems like you guys have been very busy as well. When looking for this week's favorites, I couldn't find as many fitspirational pictures as the past weeks. 
Have you become a little lazy people? To be honest, I can totally understand you...

Christmas is almost knocking on the door and there's still so much left to do before the big day, right? Luckily, I'm already done with all that christmas-gift-shopping, phheww. On the one hand I'm very looking forward to Christmas , but on the other hand I don't feel like sitting in restaurants the entire afternoon or a whole evening, even if I love spending time with my family. How about you? 

Another good thing about Christmas? The food! As always I want to be a 100% honest with you. I will try to enjoy these festive days to the fullest, as it's my favorite season of the year, but still without indulging too much. 
I will stick to my eating-plan as far as possible, but I am definitely not going to give up all the delicious christmas-cookies, yule log or waffles. If you indulge in moderation, you don't have to worry about anything at all. Enjoy the festive days and the quality time with your beloved ones and get back on track afterwards. 2015 is also the perfect occasion to start from the beginning, but don't set your goals too high (more about new year's resolutions after christmas) 

Oh, and before I forget... I thought about making a special #pumpingfairy Christmas-edition for next week. As the merry days will be over by friday, hashtag all your yummy and delicious christmas-food with #pumpingfairy too, even if it's not healthy at all.
I want us to get united for the feast of love as we are all part of a huge fit family. 

Enjoy your weekend.

1. urbanvalyou has some delicious Powerfood's J-M.B Pancakes for breakfast
2. pia_fit03 is gett tougher slowly but surely
3. dowhatyoulove_loveyourlife was happy that she finally made it to her training session
4. carolegoerend takes a post workout selfie, doesn't she look cute?
5. b_lume enjoys her veggies with some whole wheat pasta after a great swimming workout
6. caro_rouge training on the stair-master with a pretty pair of sneakers
7. the.lovely.four and laura told us in a great post how to stay motivated during the winter season
8. aline_janie just got her package from MyProtein
9. alexscastle having a pre-workout snack before hitting a great arms and shoulder session

Donnerstag, 18. Dezember 2014

Review: Flavor God Seasonings



I have been following FlavorGod seasonings on Instagram for a long time now, and two weeks ago, Ken and I finally decided to give them a try. We both love to spice our meals, and as we try to eat low-salt, these seasonings seemed pretty perfect for us. Further, I have read a lot of positive reviews on athlete's profiles who also use these herbs to spice their plates.
When I saw the current offers they had, it was of course beyond dispute that we benefitted from the Pizza Combo Set offer. What comes in this combo are 4 different spices along with a PIZZA spice... Just imagine if your chicken steak or your broccoli tasted like pizza... heavenly.

You may wonder what's so special about these seasonings as you get so many different ones in your local grocery store?
Flavor God seasonings are chemical and filler free, low-salt and sugar-free herbs and spices, created and invented by Chris Wallace. Plus, what matters most to him (and the company) is the health of people and the food we eat on a daily basis, therefor sacrificing the nutritional value has never been an option for them.

The shipping took a little longer than expected, but the waiting was totally worth it.  I can't picture myself buying any other spices anymore. I literally put these seasonings on anything you can think of. Just comparing what you pour out of that bottle to what you would buy at a grocery store, you can experience a huge difference in the ingredients for the better. The seasonings are of a great quality, and the bottle is a lot larger than comparable spice blends. Even if they are low-salt, they pack plenty of flavor. Another plus of this brand is that the seasonings are made by a hard working person who gained popularity from inventing seasonings that are natural, low in sodium, and targeted at the health conscious. That's one of the things I mind the most when I buy such things , especially when I discover them on a social media like Instagram. 

What comes in this combo, beside the pizza spice , is a 'Garlic Lover's' , 'Lemon & Garlic' , 'Everything Spicy', and 'Everything' seasoning. Mainly I spike my fishy meals with the garlic seasonings, I really like the lemon&garlic seasoning along with the salmon, it tastes just heavenly.
As I don't really like spicy food, I don't use the 'Everything Spicy' that often, however Ken thinks it's just delicious along with his beef steaks. I prefer the normal 'everything seasoning' for my chicken, turkey and beef. Not forgetting that you can also spice up your vegetables with these seasonings.

I would highly suggest following him on Instagram if you want some tasty and healthy recipes. I am so thankful that he invented such amazing flavors, that are definitely worth their prize and also worth a try. Seriously, I think I am never going to buy any other seasoning in a grocery store, they definitely can't keep up with Flavor God Seasonings at all.
All the seasonings
1 tbsp is already enough to spice your meat
Using 'everything seasoning' for my green beans and turkey steak
Yumyum!

Mittwoch, 17. Dezember 2014

Nike Addiction



On Monday and Tuesday we were on our traditional Christmas-shopping trip in Düsseldorf (Germany) and Roermond (Netherlands). Talking about 'we' I mean my sister, her boyfriend David and my lovely boyfriend Ken. It's always fun when we are on the road, especially during our little city-trips (pictures below).

On Monday we hit the road in the early morning so we could explore Düsseldorf's shops to the fullest. Luckily it stopped raining in the early afternoon, but it was still freezing cold, therefor we spend most of the time in the shops and took all the time we needed to find fancy clothes. I tried to eat the healthiest possible, but to be honest, that's not very easy if you cross all those beautiful little Christmas-markets the whole day. Therefor I treated myself with a traditional potato-dough with shrimps in the evening and that one or another cup of mulled wine. Usually I don't drink alcohol, but at least once a year I think I can make an exception. 

On Tuesday we visited the McArthur Glen Fashion Outlet in Roermond and I was so damn looking forward to buying new fashionable workaday clothes as I am starting to work in 2015.
But you know what?There was this Nike-store, and you know how much I love Nike...

There was that one pair of tights that leaped my eye straight away, but sadly they didn't have my size anymore. Therefor I was more than happy when I saw this simple black sports-bag which had the perfect size and a very modest price. I definitely needed a new bag as my current gym-bag is already 10 years old. (Yes, keep on justifying yourself Jenny...)
Then it happened, I was in a frenzy and I also got myself two colorful sport-bras... because you can never have enough sport-bras. And of course a new hoodie... Nobody wants to get cold on the way home after a great gym-session, right?

Honestly, I wouldn't mind going to work in my gym-clothes...
Get them HERE

Get a similar one HERE

Definitely my favorite picture for the moment. 
Ken& I, and David photobombing haha

Goofing around in Roermond

Freitag, 12. Dezember 2014

#pumpingfairy-Friday

It's #pumpingfairy-time again...weeehhh...
I am happy that I scheduled this day on Friday because I always forget what day we have haha because currently,this is what my days look like: 
  • Monday= Legday
  • Tuesday= Backshoulder/Backday
  • Wednesday= Pumpday 
  • Thursday= 2nd Legday
  • Friday= 2nd backshoulder/backday
  • Saturday= Poledanceday
  • Sunday= Restday
The gym has become such an important part of my life, and I am glad about that. I don't understand those people who lack motivation and ask people for help how to stay motivated. Get your sweet little butt up and go to the gym, that's it. Yes, sometimes even I don't want to hit the gym at all, yet I pack my gym-bag, take my pre-workout booster, get into the car and hit the road for the gym. It's as easy as that. Once your are there, the motivation will come. And believe me when I tell you that I always had the best gym-session when actually I wasn't motivated at all and didn't even want to go to the gym because I was 'too tired'.

Therefor hats off to these 9 fit-fairies that spoiled me with so many fitspirational posts on Instagram. If you also want to become a part of our gym-army, just hashtag your gym-related posts with #pumpingfairy the next time. I would be delighted if you joined us.



1. pia_fit03 has some new babies: UnderArmour Sneakers for the gym
2. nillesjulie had prawns with bell pepper, avocado and rice for lunch
3. caro_rouge also has new trainingshoes
4. t.vani08 has done a 5k run in the morning with her fluffy ball and had some oats afterwards
5. flouwelsch was in the newspaper, congratulations again!
6. carolegoerend took a 10km-run-selfie
7. lauragetsfit.14 tried out my coconut-macaroon recipe and enjoyed them as a little evening-snack
8. dariareiter I welcome you to our little army!
9. b_lume enjoyed a super healthy turkey sandwich. Looks so delicious! 

Sonntag, 7. Dezember 2014

Fairy's Christmas Wish-List

It's that time of the year again, the most beautiful and festive of all months; december. I totally love the last month of the year because everyone is in a joyful mood, the stores are festively decorated, you can open a little door on your advent calendar everyday as christmas is almost knocking on the door. 

I really love to make presents to my beloved family and friends and I already contemplated a little bit about it. This year I will try to get the presents a little sooner... isn't it too hectic the week just before christmas when all the late-boomers are frantically searching for a gift? 

Therefor I am floating some ideas if you don't have the foggiest idea yet and don't want to be super late and give away a super shabby gift. I also brought in some of my wishes, most of them are for the gym but I would also love to have some fancy everyday-life stuff to look fancy outside the gym. Yes I also have a life outside of the gym haha.

Freitag, 5. Dezember 2014

#pumpingfairy movement

Fitfam, you made it through another week... weeeeh. 
Have you planned anything special for your weekend?
As for me, I am taking two pole-dance workshops tomorrow with the beautiful Véro Vegas. She used to live in Luxembourg but moved to Innsbruck (Austria) some years ago to open one of the first pole-dance studios. I can't wait for her classes tomorrow morning, 3 hours of pole dancing, that's insane.

When browsing Instagram the past days, I realized that quite a few people joined our fit army again. I am happy to welcome you and I invite every woman or man to enter our growing community. It's such a pleasure to see how you guys keeps fit even during December, because usually people skip the gym during the festive month because it makes no sense to them anyway due to Christmas eve, Christmas, Sylvester etc. 
I feel confident that over the next week more than a few will meet in our gym-army to whom I would accord a hearty welcome.

1. xeniia_93 proudly presents her transformation. She lost 22kg, we congratulate you!
2. dowhatyoulove_loveyourlife loves her salad at her favorite pub.
3. veronique_xxx transformed too, great work!
4. nillesjulie had chicken,broccoli, carrots and rice-noodles for lunch along with sriracha.
5. alexscastle takes her workouts to a new level.
6. b_lume has a delicious salad for lunch.
7. sophieja96 kicks us with a motivational butt-kick!
8. the.lovely.four have a new post on their blog: healthy apple sauce muffins.
9. flouwelsch has done a great cardio workout.

Always remember to dig deeper and enjoy your weekend!

Donnerstag, 4. Dezember 2014

Protein Coconut Macaroon



What's the best thing you can do on a december afternoon, except being a couch-potatoe watching television...? Exactly, smashing a fast and healthy baking session for the festive days.

I think that coconut macaroons are quite christmasy, but unfortunately the original ones are way too unhealthy for us as we want to stay fit and look sexy as a fox. So I changed the recipe to a healthier version. This is definitely one of the easiest and fastest recipes I've ever shared with you. 
All you'll need
Beaten egg-white
dough-blobs
form little balls
that's how they look when they're ready

Ingredients: 

  1. 100gr shredded coconuts
  2. 2 egg-whites
  3. sweetener (to taste, I didn't use sweetener)

Directions:

  • Beat the egg-white until stiff
  • Add your shredded coconuts to your egg-white in a bowl
  • If you want your macaroons to be sweeter, add your sweetener
  • Mix until you get small dough-blobs
  • Take a spoon to form little balls and place them on your baking tray. (Feel free to do the same thing with your hands if this is easier for you)
  • Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes at 175°c until they get a golden layer
You see...you don't need a lot of ingredients to create a healthy but festive pastry. So while other people are serving those fatty christmasy cookies and cakes, serve those light and easy digestible protein coconut macaroons and I reassure you that your people will love them and ask how you made them.