Dienstag, 31. März 2015

Top de Colmar 2015

#thatpostshowselfie


Woow... that was an exciting and exhausting weekend guys. 

We hit the road at 6 in the morning and arrived at 10 am. in Colmar at the competition-facility.
Actually I thought that it would be easy to enter, register and instal our little camps. But no... there was already a huge queue in front of the entry. After more than half an hour, I could finally register and install my little camp next to my fellow team mates. Since the backstage area was quite large, it wasn't very difficult to get a good spot for everyone. 

Then the waiting started as the prejudging didn't start until 13.00 with the Men's Physique category. I had to wait longer because my turn was only at 16.00, it became a little strenuous, but the good atmosphere within our team made it much more pleasant. To my surprise the event was very well organized and they only had a delay of 10 minutes, which isn't very much if you have such an incredible number of athletes, around 30-50 per class.

When my big moment came and I stepped on stage, I was overwhelmed by this huge stage and the great audience. There were more than 40 bikini-athletes, so they had to split us up in 4 different rows. Each row was called out for the posing and afterwards asked to step back in the background so that the next row could step forward for the posing.
At the end of the first round I was so sweaty because of the spotlights. It felt like sunbathing at 30° , but a lot more exhausting as you still have to smile, strike your poses and look good even if you feel like s***.

The finals were in the early evening and my final round was at  22.00 which gave me plenty of time to cuddle up in my fluffy blanket and take a good nap of an hour. Sounds comfy, but remember that I was only lying on 2 yoga mats... on the floor...
After my snooze, I first entered the audience area and realized that it looked somewhat like a fitness exposition with different stands from different brands.Well, I knew that my coach had a stand too, but I didn't know that there would be so many and when you're standing on stage you are not likely to check out the background of the audience, plus you don't even see it because you get blinded by the lights.

But let's get over to the interesting part now...
To make it quick: I didn't place top5 nor top10.
But I am still satisfied with myself and with my performance. I knew that the level would be very high and that I probably wouldn't have the shape to get a Top10 ranking, but I rather prefer not to get a Top10 placing and share the stage with great athletes, than to place Top10 while the level isn't high.

If you've made the decision to participate in such competitions, you have to be a fair 'loser' because you will get it in the neck more than you expect before you can finally develop the physique to qualify or even get a Top10 ranking. This kind of sport is about developing yourself and about overcoming yourself... Okay I know it's great when you place well, I experienced this myself, but it's even greater if you can compare yourself to the prior season and realize that you improved and that you made it once again. 

If you manage to step on stage with your own, best possible shape, then you are already your own winner. A good ranking is just like the cherry on the top.

To see more pictures, checkout my  Facebook-page this evening.

In hopes to see you on Saturday on my second competition, the J-M.B Open, have a great week.
Getting my tan done by my wonderful boyfriend
Olivier F. (Men's Physique) , Me, Jean-Marie B. (my coach) 

Donnerstag, 26. März 2015

Fairy goes to 'Top De Colmar'

SHOUROUK for Sephora, color:teal


Today the real preparation for my first competition started, and like mentioned yesterday, I am NOT talking about my training and diet... I've spammed you way enough with that already...

So here we go for the more interesting and exciting part, getting that stuff done that makes you shine bright like a diamond on stage. 
I started my day off with , yes chicken and tomato, but then I headed to the ItBar, which is a cute small NailsBar that opened a few months ago in Luxembourg City.  I wanted my nails to match my suit, so teal they will be. But I thought this would be too mainstream so we added some fairy dust to my nails as well... et voila.

I took the opportunity of being in the city for once to check out Sephora. And what I found there was simply amazing and I couldn't resist it: an eyeshadow with exactly the same color as my nails, so teal with fairy dust...and it's from the Shourouk collection for Sephora. I bought two other colors as well to create beautifully sparkling smokey eyes for my big moment and some fake eyelashes will help as well.

Then, as I always start the tanning 2 days prior the show (click here for Tanning Tips) , I went to a painting store to get a painting set. I know it might sound a little weird, but we made the experience that it's the best way to put on a flawless tanning without stripes, without a huge mess and, best part, without dirty hands since the tanning is liquid. 

At home my boyfriend and I started to clean up our little home , because I simply hate it when we are off for a few days and return to a messy flat... I want a 'home sweet home' feeling when I get back from the competition and not a 'aarghh we have to clean up'... (yep I am a little cleaning maniac... #sorrynotsorry)

To end the day I hit a backshoulder/back session followed by a cardio session and a relaxing hot shower at home.

By the way, in case you didn't get the 'news'... you have to stay tuned for Sunday evening or Monday morning. I will create a 'Follow me around' movie to give you a glimpse on what a competition-trips look like and what's going on backstage. It's going to be super interesting I promise

Enjoy your evening , I am now off to put on the first layer of my tanning.
Dark Powder Foundation
Eyebrow set
Different Eyeshadows for the perfect Smokey Eyes
False Eyelashes

Mittwoch, 25. März 2015

Spring Season 2015



So today I had another checkup at our coach's along with Alix, another team-mate and good friend,who will start her very first season next weekend with the J-M.B Open as a Bikini-Shape athlete. 
The last week prior a competition I always have a checkup almost every two days because over the last days, your body can make huge changes, it's really amazing... You wake up, look in the mirror and recognize another transformation. 

All in one, my coach was very satisfied with my form as we are focusing more on the J-M.B Open competition and the Miss FIBO Power Beauty contest which take place the weeks to follow. The 'Top de Colmar' is, as far as I'm concerned, just a great opportunity to do a first water depletion, so I can reach a better physique for the upcoming shows to qualify for the World Championships in Warsaw (Polen). 

Just like the last season, I am not making big expectations because this will only lead to disappointments, and that's totally NOT what I want. I know that I did my best so far and that ,at that point, will step on stage with my best possible physique. Even though I am a little excited as I heard that it's one of the biggest contests in Europe with A LOT of awesome athletes... Last year they counted almost over 300 athletes, female and male. 

Beside from that, I thought it would be a cool idea to give you an insight on how such a contest preparation works. I am not talking about the training or diet... But more about all the things you have to think of, what you have to pack for your stay and how everything works backstage. Therefor I decided to create a 'follow me around' movie which will be published on my YouTube Channel either on Sunday, when I am not too tired as we will return home early in the morning, or on Monday. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 
How my daily menu looks like
Get your tickets at the Powerfood's J-M.B Shop in Kahler. 25A Rue Principale L-8376 Kahler (Koler) Luxembourg

Montag, 23. März 2015

Stop being A Slave To Sweets



If you have gone through an older post of mine (here) about the side effects of sugar and sweet stuff, you should already know that sugar can be as addictive as heroin. 
Well, not that far, I mean I have never heard of someone committing a crime because he didn't get chocolate or candies...But you get my point, right? 

If you are not in a preparation for a contest, I think that you don't really have to give up all the sweet stuff, just enjoy it in moderation and maybe as a cheat-meal. Sweet things don't always have to be junk-food or other processed food, you can also make your own sweet stuff with natural ingredients like a chocolate cake, cookies or whatsoever.

When I entered this new lifestyle, I had a lot of cravings for sweets as I love chocolate, cookies and cakes. So it was quite crazy-making, and the main problem was that I was cheating so much before this all started as I knew that I will have to skip sweets for a long time now (until the first cheat-meal). 

But I was also feeling better after a while and I never thought that cutting down on sugars could have such a great impact on my health and well-being. I had more energy, a better sleep, my skin definitely looked more glowing and I was craving more the healthy stuff than the sugary foods.

You know that you don't have to be a slave to sugar and starting various diets to get on the healthy side of life won't help you either. You can learn to enjoy sweet foods occasionally without feeling guilty and still live without constant cravings. Of course it takes a lot of effort and motivation, and yes there will be situations where you have to overcome your cravings.... I know how hard this can be, I have been there too.

Therefor I wanted to share a short list that can help you curb your cravings: 
  • Protein breakfast:
    If you already start your day with something sweet... well I'm sorry but then you're already doomed. Rather opt for something rich in protein that keeps you full and satisfied until the next meal.
    E.g: 4 eggs (only 1 yolk) with 5 rice crackers and a handful of berries (rich in antioxidants)
  • Set Standards:
    If you are vigorously craving for something sweet, try to chose something that's like a true indulgence by savoring only small amounts of it.
    E.g: dark chocolate (70-80%) instead of a whole cheap sugary kind chocolate bar; a freshly baked slice of cake in a cafe instead of hand-stuffing a processed-supermarket-wannabe-cake on your couch
  • Focus:
    Cravings will happen and you have to try to ignore them. Yeah I know... not that easy... BUT if you don't react to your cravings, you will have the power to overcome them from time to time. Of course it's a challenge at first, but always keep in mind that the less sugar you eat, the less you will experience cravings and the less effort you have to take to get rid of them.
  • Stay real:
    I know this situation pretty well... 'just one bite, I swear'... It normally never stops at one bite. And remember that this 'one bite' won't help you to overcome your craving (cf the previous point). Far from satisfying you, this little tiny bite will just keep you frustrated.
  • The right diet:
    Don't get me wrong now, I am NOT saying that you should do a diet. When I am talking about 'diet' I am basically talking about eating habits. If you eat in order to get all the nutrients you need, you will find yourself less with cravings for sugar... Believe me. The first 2 weeks were very hard for me but after I had no problem sitting next to someone who was eating chocolate or candies because my body had all the nutrients it needs

I hope that my tips will be helpful for you to overcome your cravings and your addiction to sweets. I am not saying that it's going to be easy (hell no..) but if you try to stick to those tips, you'll see that sooner or later you won't be a sugar-slave anymore. Your body will thank you. 
Don't let temptations ruin your progress


opt for healthier versions for your desserts


Some say sugar can be as addictive as heroin. I’m not sure I’d go quite that far. I haven’t heard of anyone robbing their families blind or ending up destitute to fund a Haribo habit. But, as I’m sure everyone reading this will know only too well, sweet stuff is incredibly moreish.P1020879
My mantra is “mostly healthy, most of the time” and the approach I take is that it’s not necessary to give up sugar entirely in order to shed fat. A dessert or sweet snack a couple of times per week is not going to scupper your progress if you’ve spent the rest of those seven days eating unprocessed, wholesome foods.
Often, imposing a total ban on any particular food only serves to make it all the more appealing and trying to cut out all sugar at all times would be pretty crazy-making for most of us, myself included.
However, reducing the amount of sugar in the diet and learning to handle cravings so sweet things can be happily enjoyed as occasional indulgences, rather than experienced like a guilty addiction several times per day, has been nothing short of life-changing for a lot of people I’ve worked with.
Besides the many health benefits of cutting right down on sugar and the massive difference it makes to their fat loss results, my clients report all the same benefits I’ve experienced personally – much higher energy levels, better sleep, improvements in skin tone and more of an appetite for healthier foods.
Discovering that you can get to place where, not only can you cope with the urge to eat sweet things without caving in, but that those cravings actually fade to almost nothing is a liberating experience. You don’t have to be a slave to sugar. You can learn to enjoy sweet foods occasionally without compulsively eating them every day. And you can live a life free from constant cravings. It takes effort, especially at first, but it gets easier and it’s worth it. Believe me, I’ve been there.
Here are some of the things that helped curb my cravings whilst I was kicking my old several-times-a-day sweet-hit habit.
Protein-rich breakfast
If you’re looking to cut down on sugar, one of the worst things you can do is eat something sweet for breakfast – it’ll simply set you up for a day of stinking cravings. Choose something savoury with a lot of protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied as well as nourishing your body. Eggs are an ideal breakfast food.
Setting Standards
When you are going to eat something sweet, make it feel like a true indulgence by savouring a small amount of something very high quality, like 80%  cocoa chocolate instead of a big bar of the cheapo sugary kind. Or enjoy eating a slice of freshly baked cake with a fork in a nice café or restaurant instead of hand-stuffing a slab of supermarket cake into your mouth on the sofa or at your desk.
Ride the wave
Sugar cravings will happen. You need to expect that. You also need to know that if you ignore them, they will pass. It will seem at the time like the only way to get rid of that urge is to put something sweet in your mouth, but you will find that it abates if you refuse to give in. This is a challenge at first, but as you experience how cravings pass if you don’t act on them it gets a little easier each time. Always keep in mind that the less sugar eat, the less you’ll experience cravings and the less effort it will take to ride them out when they do occur.
Take a Bite of Reality
…On the flipside, when you do eat sugar it makes you crave even more sugar. So anytime you think to yourself “oh, I’ll just have a bite”, remember that having that one bite is only going to make you want another bite all the more. Let’s face it, when do you ever stop at just one bite!  Far from satisfying you, that little taste is most likely to leave you feeling all the more frustrated.
Intermittent Fasting
Fasting helped me to shed fat and take control of my diet in various ways as I’ve talked about in previous posts. I believe IF really helped my body to regulate blood sugar better, which reduced sugar cravings and the general appeal of sugar for me. Right now, I’m maintaining my current body fat level, so I only do a couple of 16 hour fasts per week, but being in the habit of regularly going 16 hours without eating anything still helps me to know that every time I think about a certain food, doesn’t mean I have to eat it.

If you like this post, please pay it forward by clicking one of the share buttons.
If you’d like more of my advice on fat loss and fitness my best selling book, ‘The Fat Burn Revolution: Boost your metabolism and burn fat fast’ is available now on Amazon UK, Amazon USA and in stores across the world.
I’d love to hear your experiences of cutting down on sugar too, feel free to leave a comment below, it’d be great to hear from you.
- See more at: http://www.juliasfitnessblog.com/blog/2014/04/04/sugar-cravings-ruining-your-diet-how-i-stopped-being-a-slave-to-sweet-stuff/#sthash.cTRiLe81.dpuf
Some say sugar can be as addictive as heroin. I’m not sure I’d go quite that far. I haven’t heard of anyone robbing their families blind or ending up destitute to fund a Haribo habit. But, as I’m sure everyone reading this will know only too well, sweet stuff is incredibly moreish.P1020879
My mantra is “mostly healthy, most of the time” and the approach I take is that it’s not necessary to give up sugar entirely in order to shed fat. A dessert or sweet snack a couple of times per week is not going to scupper your progress if you’ve spent the rest of those seven days eating unprocessed, wholesome foods.
Often, imposing a total ban on any particular food only serves to make it all the more appealing and trying to cut out all sugar at all times would be pretty crazy-making for most of us, myself included.
However, reducing the amount of sugar in the diet and learning to handle cravings so sweet things can be happily enjoyed as occasional indulgences, rather than experienced like a guilty addiction several times per day, has been nothing short of life-changing for a lot of people I’ve worked with.
Besides the many health benefits of cutting right down on sugar and the massive difference it makes to their fat loss results, my clients report all the same benefits I’ve experienced personally – much higher energy levels, better sleep, improvements in skin tone and more of an appetite for healthier foods.
Discovering that you can get to place where, not only can you cope with the urge to eat sweet things without caving in, but that those cravings actually fade to almost nothing is a liberating experience. You don’t have to be a slave to sugar. You can learn to enjoy sweet foods occasionally without compulsively eating them every day. And you can live a life free from constant cravings. It takes effort, especially at first, but it gets easier and it’s worth it. Believe me, I’ve been there.
Here are some of the things that helped curb my cravings whilst I was kicking my old several-times-a-day sweet-hit habit.
Protein-rich breakfast
If you’re looking to cut down on sugar, one of the worst things you can do is eat something sweet for breakfast – it’ll simply set you up for a day of stinking cravings. Choose something savoury with a lot of protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied as well as nourishing your body. Eggs are an ideal breakfast food.
Setting Standards
When you are going to eat something sweet, make it feel like a true indulgence by savouring a small amount of something very high quality, like 80%  cocoa chocolate instead of a big bar of the cheapo sugary kind. Or enjoy eating a slice of freshly baked cake with a fork in a nice café or restaurant instead of hand-stuffing a slab of supermarket cake into your mouth on the sofa or at your desk.
Ride the wave
Sugar cravings will happen. You need to expect that. You also need to know that if you ignore them, they will pass. It will seem at the time like the only way to get rid of that urge is to put something sweet in your mouth, but you will find that it abates if you refuse to give in. This is a challenge at first, but as you experience how cravings pass if you don’t act on them it gets a little easier each time. Always keep in mind that the less sugar eat, the less you’ll experience cravings and the less effort it will take to ride them out when they do occur.
Take a Bite of Reality
…On the flipside, when you do eat sugar it makes you crave even more sugar. So anytime you think to yourself “oh, I’ll just have a bite”, remember that having that one bite is only going to make you want another bite all the more. Let’s face it, when do you ever stop at just one bite!  Far from satisfying you, that little taste is most likely to leave you feeling all the more frustrated.
Intermittent Fasting
Fasting helped me to shed fat and take control of my diet in various ways as I’ve talked about in previous posts. I believe IF really helped my body to regulate blood sugar better, which reduced sugar cravings and the general appeal of sugar for me. Right now, I’m maintaining my current body fat level, so I only do a couple of 16 hour fasts per week, but being in the habit of regularly going 16 hours without eating anything still helps me to know that every time I think about a certain food, doesn’t mean I have to eat it.

If you like this post, please pay it forward by clicking one of the share buttons.
If you’d like more of my advice on fat loss and fitness my best selling book, ‘The Fat Burn Revolution: Boost your metabolism and burn fat fast’ is available now on Amazon UK, Amazon USA and in stores across the world.
I’d love to hear your experiences of cutting down on sugar too, feel free to leave a comment below, it’d be great to hear from you.
- See more at: http://www.juliasfitnessblog.com/blog/2014/04/04/sugar-cravings-ruining-your-diet-how-i-stopped-being-a-slave-to-sweet-stuff/#sthash.cTRiLe81.dpuf

Freitag, 20. März 2015

#pumpingfairy

Only one week and one day left until this year's season starts with my first competition in France, the 'Top de Colmar'.

I can't wait for this season to start, since I am so grumpy all the time and feeling weaker and weaker day by day... I noticed it already on Monday during my leg-workout. But I think this was also because I was sick the week before, so maybe my battery wasn't fully charged by Monday. 

For almost every exercise I had to decrease my usual weights and really had to force myself through the reps. Same goes for Tuesday, which is also one of my favorite days as it's back-shoulders and back. 
You remember when I told you the first season and prep will be the hardest? Well, I guess I was totally wrong because I don't remember that I felt like sh** during my first contest prep. Which is actually a very good sign because, as my coach always states: 'the worse you feel the better your physique will be' and that sounds pretty comprehensible and logical to me.

On Tuesday I also realized that I have some baby veins that are slowly popping out, I know some girls think it's ugly but it's a good sign that your shredding phase is working and it's , for me at least , some kind of treat for the hard work in the gym and the strict diet over the last weeks. 

I am already looking forward to tomorrow as I will have a refeed day again, the last one probably. But this also depends on my shape on Saturday's checkup. If my coach is satisfied I can have my usual carb day and I will be a sweet gismo gremlin... If not well, you know what happened to the other gremlins in the movie, don't you?

But even while I am on my shredding phase I am still happy and I love to checkout how healthy my fellow pumpingfairies are eating and how consistently you are working out, just like my 9 favorites of the week. 

If you haven't joined us yet, simply use the hashtag #pumpingfairy on your Instagram account , for your fitness-&health related post like gymselfies, your cheatmeals, workouts, transformations, new gym clothes or whatsoever.

Keep up the good work people.

1. bonditobrazil having dessert time
2. caro_rouge and her new 'friend' the bosu ball
3. adrianamendes9 pumping in the gym
4. retnaz_claire532 hitting the gym
5. jimmy_nutella 's first meal on a plate since several weeks. I feel you!
6. sarah_48612 's transofmration, she lost 20kh, you can be so proud of yourself. Kepe up the good work!
7. alain_greiveldinger doing some cardio
8. xxbeliieberxx flexing her arms
9. m.egan__ 's epic delicious cheatmeal. Enjoy!

Mittwoch, 18. März 2015

Gymselfies: Fitspo or Shitspo?

some weeks ago
Ever since social media became even more popular, there has been an explosion in the use of taking selfies, and, in my world, especially gym-selfies. 

On Instagram you get an infinity of results once you enter the specific hashtags that lead to #gymselfies. You get to see muscular, healthy and defined people of all ages who are proudly sharing their amazing body with you.
Personally, I am happy to post such selfies to share my excitement about another transformation of mine, which is basically standing for the work I put into myself at the gym over the last weeks. So the main idea behind gym selfies should be to inspire and motivate other people by showing that if you can reach that physique, everyone can reach the shape you desire.

I also love to scroll though my Instagram or Facebook news feed and have a look at all the amazing bodies from people that trained like hell in the gym and stuck to their diet, which I know can be very tough at some point. I think it's very inspirational if you look at 'normal' people that have reached an amazing physique, people like you and me. The only thing that differs them from everybody else is their dedication and motivation that keeps them going to get what they want. 
But can such gym selfies also harm us? Or even discourage us? 

As several psychologists showed in a research, fitness selfies can lower our self-esteem and we can easily become obsessed with our own appearance as we are constantly striving for perfection instead of progress. Although, this also depends on your character... if you get intimidated easily, well, then I would advise not to look at fitness selfies, because there's a risk that they might lead to a loss of your self-image and get you to go the unhealthy way in order to reach the physique of your role model. 

Actually fitness, or progress, photos exist for as long as personal trainers exists since they also take pictures of their clients from the first week, the 4th week and so on... but with another aim. They take these snaps to make their clients see the progress and to keep them motivated.

So while you are logging your progress, remember also to take before&after pictures. I do it myself and every time I see another transformation it simply motivates me to keep pushing. 
What are your thoughts about fitness selfies? Do they motivate you or discourage you sometimes? Or do you think that it's nonsense and annoying?

Montag, 16. März 2015

Back On Track

The view from the 22nd floor of our building, simply fantastic. The other side is even better, more natural

Here I am , filled with energy and motivation.
Maybe you've noticed that I was absent the entire past week as I caught a very bad virus, which deprived me from working out and from being overall active.

I was lying on the couch, wrapped up like a burrito in my bathrobe and a cozy fluffy blanket, watching my series all day long. The only time I moved was when I had to prepare and cook my breakfast, lunch or dinner... For the rest I remained the blanket-burrito. 

Some of you might think that it's not THAT bad to stay home, sleep longer and don't have to work. But for me it was a nightmare because I couldn't workout either and that made me quite grumpy since the first competition is in two weeks now.

But now my battery is fully charged ; and so I got back on track during today's lunch break as I lost an entire week of training. I put on my workout clothes, my nikes, power-beats, selected my bad-ass hardcore play list while walking down the stairs of the skyscraper (which has 24 floors) I am working in and hit a nice cardio session. 

I ran up and down all the floors from -2 to 22 four times , which counts up to 960 stairs up and 960 down. Although I was totally done when I arrived the 4th time at -2 , I still had to go upstairs to the 13th floor again to get out of the staircase without releasing the alarm. So this equals 1.090 stairs up and 960 down and a LOT of sweat. 
After a good hot shower I went back up again from -1 , but this time with the elevator. After all I didn't take the shower to sweat my office-clothes afterwards. 

And guess what, in the early evening I still have to train my legs and hit another cardio session . The next 4 weeks are going to be the toughest I will ever experience in my life I think. Last season I only did 3 competitions with a 'break' of 2-4 weeks each time. But this season I have 3 competitions within 3 weeks, followed by a 'break' of 3 weeks, then 1 competition and afterwards again a 'break' of 3 weeks and hopefully  finish my season with the world championships in Warsaw, Poland. 

Let's train for the best. 
Have a great week.
I definitely had to lay down for that one or another minute after this insane workout

Freitag, 13. März 2015

#pumpingfairy

Some people hate Friday the 13th because they hink it's a cursed day and only bad things happen on such a day...

Sometimes I can also be a little superstitious, but not for Friday the 13th while 13 is my lucky number. It has always been my lucky number, and guess what happened on a 13th... I met my lovely boyfriend with whom I am in a relationship for 2 years and 9 months already. So why should I be afraid of such a day if it brought me the best thing that could ever possibly happen to me ? 

Now let's forget all this superstitiousness and get over to the more interesting things in life... Fitness, what else?!
As some of you have read on my Facebook-page or Instagram account, I was deprived from the gym the ENTIRE week... Horrible, seriously. Unfortunately I caught a bad virus that gave me body aches... sounds weird I know. Normally when I catch a virus or a flue I have pain in the limbs, everyone has experienced this at least once, right? 

Well what happened to me: 
This week, my whole body ached, even my face. At the beginning of the week I thought it was because I was maybe sitting somewhere in an airflow, but the day after my neck hurt, my arms and then my whole body. So I saw the doctor immediately and had to stay at home for the whole week. 

Even though I could stay at home, couchpotatoe-ing and watching series, I was feeling horrible because I couldn't hit the gym. And you know why it's so terrible, because I am only 2 weeks out of my first competition for this season. I really hope that I can catch this week up for the following 2 weeks to still get the physique I want, even if the first contest isn't the most important one. So let's hope or the best. 

Happily I am feeling a lot better by now and I am fit for tomorrow's little posing workshop I am giving to a new team-mate and also friend at our coach's. 

In hopes that you are all feeling great , here are my favorite pumpingfairies of the week.
1. urbanvalyou 's transformaton after 2 months & 10 days. Keep up the good work sweetheart !
2. alain_greiveldinger during his chest workout. Let's welcome a new pumpingfairy in our fitfam! 
3. caro_rouge pumpping her chest shoulders and back. 
4. jess_83_04 and her pink shaker after a great workout
5. jimmy_nutella on his active restday of his muscle building program. 
6. sarah_48612 baked some delicious bana-oat cookies. nomnomnom! I you are in search of a yummy recipe, have a look here 
7. pia_fit03 I hope you enjoyed your birthday! Have fun with your new mermaid piba tights! ( Checkout my review here and don't forget my coupon code JENNIFER10%OFF )
8. lysas_world looking all tired after her workout. 
9. mary__b making us jealous with her delish breakfast-pancakes. 

Mittwoch, 11. März 2015

Review: IcanIwill

Black Machine 


You must be already annoyed by all those reviews, but there are so many awesome different gym apparel brands that have such great designs that I HAVE TO try and review them, in order to let you know if the quality is worth the money.

So here we go for another one: IcanIwill... Have you already heard of them before?
Accidentally I found their profile on... guess where... yes Instagram again. 
Instantly I was in love with their designs as they also kind of remind me of my PIBA tights. And you know that I love extraordinary gym outfits, don't you?(The same goes for my fashionable sister )

So after scrolling through their website and reading several reviews,we finally decided to order a pair of tights for each of us. I am always happy when I can find a review about a product I have never heard before, especially when it's about tights. I always want to know beforehand whether they get kind of transparent when you squat or not... I think there is nothing more embarrassing than tights that get transparent when you do your squats or lunges. After all nobody wants to see what color your undies are at the gym right?

As there haven't been a lot of choices, regarding the sizes that were left, we finally went for the 'Black Machine' tights in size S, after checking their size guide. I think that every online shop should have a size guide, it makes it so much easier to get the right one. But not the usual size guide where you can compare the different sizes from different countries, but a size guide with measurements in cm or inches. That's simply the easiest and safest way to chose the perfect size for your purchase.

Within three days , our parcel arrived... It was delivered way faster than expected, so a BIG PLUS for their shipping! Talking about the shipping, the costs weren't that high... I think about 9€ approximately, which is fair enough for such a fast delivery. Our tights were already packed and send out the day we placed our order.

As foreseeable I had to try them immediately...I am such a patient person, #sorrynotsorry.
At first they seemed a little too small, but I knew from my PIBA tights that they are going to adapt while moving and training, which was the same with the IcanIwill tights.
On Monday then, as some of you have already seen on my Instagram and Facebook-page, I kicked a leg-session in my brand new 'Black Machine' tights (this sounds already so bad-ass, doesn't it?)

*drumrolls*... They are squat-proved and don't get transparent at all! And As previously said, once you start your training routine, the fabric adapts to your shape and they instantly feel like a second skin. The perfect thing to feel comfortable while torturing yourself. 

Let me know what you think about my reviews, also the previous ones. I am always open for a constructive  feedback.

Freitag, 6. März 2015

#pumpingfairy

MAhhh what a beautiful Friday we have today, don't we? At least here in Luxembourg. 

I hope you experienced a marvelous week with some great moments and workouts. 
My week was actually perfect, until yesterday. I worked out even harder this week, which I felt the days after (muscle soreness to the max) but yesterday evening, during my leg session, I started to get headaches. Fortunately I could finish the leg session before the headaches got worse, so I just had to skip the cardio session. But I will surely catch it up this weekend. 
I don't want to miss any minute I can burn fat and lose water as I only got 3 weeks left until the season starts. 

Talking about competitions, I still can't believe that I made it into the Top10 for the Miss FIBO Power Beauty contest, which is in only 5 weeks , and 1 day to be precise. Again, I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your amazing support and to every single one of you who voted for me, even if you only voted once.

Even though it is not the most important competition of this season, I will still train as hard as I can. I don't want to disappoint you guys, but not only concerning the FIBO competition but also the J-M.B Open, which is very important for me as it's the International Championship of Luxembourg AND the qualification for the World Championships in Warsaw. 

Being qualified for the World Championships in Polen would make the end of my season just magically perfect. So let's TRAIN and not 'hope for the best'.

Speaking of a magical happy end, don't panic, I didn't forget to present you my 9 favorite pumping-fairies of the week. 

1. m.egan__ ; girl, you can be very very very proud of yourself for this great progress!!!
2. laura_schneider did a great chest&biceps workouts.
3. lauragetsfit.14 mealprepping, good idea!
4. jimmy_nutella finsihed week #8 of his 12 week muscle building program. Keep up the hard work!
5. lowcarb_bymanu looking hot!
6. charlieeb8 and her biggest love.
7. catiminii having yoghurt with apple, kiwi, some soja flakes, seeds a good coffe and a green tea for breakfast. nomnomnom
8. xeniia_93 making me all jealous with her cheat. You can't believe how jealous I am sweetheart.
9. caro_rouge home alone in the gym.

Mittwoch, 4. März 2015

The Competition Hype



I really need to talk and share my opinion about a topic that hasn't left my mind since some time...And I apologize in advance in case someone might feel a bit offended.

Let me start with a bit of history: the whole bodybuilding world rose with the birth of Eugene Sandow in 1867. When he came to America in 1890, he slowly developed and promoted the world of bodybuilding, so that the very first World Championships finally took place in 1891. Ever since then, over the decades , there have been some major bodybuilding role models such as John Grimek in the 40's , Steve Reeves in the 50's, Sergio Oliva in the 60's, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbo and Frank Zane in the 70's, Lee haneys in the 80's , Dorian Yates in the 90's, Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman in the 2000's and today Phil Heath and Kay Green.
 
There have been so many great and inspiring bodybuilders in all kinds off shapes ever since bodybuilding was invented. All these athletes have one thing in common:  They have to work hard for their physique. Even those who compete in Athletic, Physique, Bikini, Figure and Fitness class have to dedicate themselves in order to reach the physique they want. Back in the days the competition and fitness universe was only for those who lived this lifestyle to the fullest. I guess you could even say that bodybuilding was a world for itself. Many people didn't even know that such competitions actually exist and that there are so many different federations, classes and rules.

Somehow, these days, social media is strongly promoting bodybuilding and everything around it. Even though I am happy about it, because it seems to help fight prejudices, I also have to say that this caused a real explosion in the fitness and competition scene, which brings me to the reason of this post.

Everyone's got to start somewhere, that's for sure. I also started to hit the gym regularly only 2 years ago and started competing last autumn. But to be honest, to me it seems right now that everybody feels like they need to participate in the fitness movement in order to be in style. Even the ones that have only been visiting the gym once think that they have to become a total fitness freak, or at least make their Instagram look like they were one, and want to participate in competitions. You can actually compare this with the aerobic hype back in the 60's, when every housewife bought these super flashy sport suits and cuffs and started to do aerobics by hoping up and down the stepper. And in what way could it be different... they soon dedicated their time to other things again. 

And that's exactly what happens now in the competition scene.
I am not criticizing people that simply want to live healthier and do more sports, because that’s one of the bigger benefits this current movement brings with it. But what bugs me, is that nowadays everyone thinks he/she can participate in bodybuilding competitions, just because they have a slight idea of training routines.
I am not saying that I know everything about a competition preparation...I am far away from that to be honest and that's why I have a professional and experienced coach who prepares me.
Due to social media this entire competition world slowly became a huge thing and I am convinced that sooner or later 90% of the people that start competing now are going to give up, maybe even before the real season actually starts or, the latest, after their first competition season. 

And the main reason why so many people are likely to give up is because all those popular athletes only show that 'bright side' of the competition, which doesn't even exist. 

A preparation isn't easy, and if you feel like it’s easy, well then you’re probably doing something wrong. There are so many things and difficulties you have to face during and also after your preparations, which I have already talked about in a previous post (here) and only the dedicated can make it through this.

Competitions are simply not for everyone and it sets me up that there are so many people out there who literally drag contests through the mire and might confirm the prejudices people already have: If you don't get as lean and shaped as you want, then how about resorting for other measures instead of working the ass off and develop the body one step (or rep) at a time?

So before you decide to step on stage and start competing, think about what this means for you. Do you only want it to prove other people wrong? Do you want to do it for yourself? Do you want to compete against yourself or against others? Or do you only want the fame and fortune?
 
If you want it to compete against others, don't even start because that's not the point of such a competition. If you're just doing this to prove people wrong, maybe you should first work on your self-conscious because what other people think about you, shouldn't affect your actions. In case you’re doing it for the fame and fortune, well, there’s an infinite number of professional bodybuilders out there that are not even able to make a living out of their bodybuilding career, so you better quickly forget about that.
 
I wish you a great rest of the week.
Temptations are everywhere. FOCUS!
No cheats during your contest prep
while my boyfriend has sushi, I have cod and beans for dinner
my favorite pictures. The result of hard work and determination