PIBA x STREET STYLE

PIBA has released a brand new collection with a whole new concept. Weeehhh! Well those who follow me on my Facebook-page may already know that.

The previous PIBA collections were all colorful, bright and playful, thus Mel (from PIBA) thought to launch a whole new concept. The new prints are the hallmark's of the new collection. These prints make it possible to wear your comfy gymtights also outside of your second home. Hence the conecpt amount to darker, urban-street-style prints instead of colorful and bright prints. 

As the leggings were produced by a new manufacturer , the overall quality is a million times better and has some new and improved features like: 

• super strong and durable flatlock stitchig
• new, high quality fabric, which is even more durable and soft to the skin
• a compression-like fit, so perfect for your legsessions (#squatsproved)
• comfortable, flattering waistband with encased elastic
• crotch gusset. 

In the new collection you can find prints like the bandana (c.f pictures), b/w anaconda, red lynx or white combat/camouflage. I am definitely a fan of the bandana print as it reminds me of the 90ies where everybody wore bandanas around the neck, in the hair or as a bracelet.

If you want to treat yourself with a pair of awesomeness, you also have to know that the weblink changed to www.piba-leggings.com , plus you get 10% off your purchase using my special promo code >> JEN10%OFF <<. Be sure to also use the hashtags #iwearpiba and #physiqueint when showing-off with your fancy gymwear.

 

 

Things you didn't know about me

Now that my blog is online for over a year now, I think it's time to unveil the truest 'me'. 

But as you are now about to get to know me, I thought it would be fun as well if you left that one or other funny fact about youself. Nevertheless, I want to learn something about my faithful readers as well.

1. My real name is not Lifting Fairy, but Jennifer... (sorry for that haha)
2. I am also not Batman
3. I cannot fly but I can lift
4. I don't own fairy dust , but I got protein powder, which is way better actually. 

Just kidding... here are some real facts about me

1. My very first pet was a bunny, called Speed. But he wasn't a normal dwarf-bunny, he was more a mixture of a real rabbit and a dwarf bunny. 
2. I had two lovely fluffyballs before Mumble. Balu and Pumba, also Bernese Mountain Dogs that I loved endlessly. ( Run Free my loves) 
3. I did gymnastics for 12 years and own a lot of medals (so proud about that)
4. I did athletics for one summer season. Even though I loved it very much, it was just too cold to go outside in winter for a run or even for cross-run... I definitely hate sports outside, in Winter of course. 
5. I have a Jazz Dance Diploma from the 'Conservatoire du Luxembourg' with a grande distinction.
6. I thaught Pole Dance to myself and taught beginner classes for almost 3 years
7. People used to call me 'little dutch' because I had very white-blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a tanned skin all the time. (unfortunately not anymore)
8. My best friend (except my sister) was my first friend and we met right after her birth. (Because I was born in April and she in May)
9. In 3rd grade I almost cut off a finger due to a dare. The thing I had to throw turned out to be glass and not plastics... whoops. 
10. I'm a little maniac for cleaning and tidying up, already had that when I was very young. 
11. I used to believe that when the airbag in the car bursts, sandwiches would pop out. This was actually because I used to place my feet on the airbag when I could sit in front and to prevent me from doing this my mum told me that the airbag might open and then the sandwiches will fly through the car. ( The sandwiches were actually lying ON the cupboard... so it was a big misunderstanding haha) 
12. When I was a little fairy I never touched my navel because I thought my butt would fell of... ( yep you may laugh that's really funny haha) 
13. I have a huge fear of hornets and wasps because I was  tung by a huge hornet that almost killed me as the sting was near the heart... So no matter where I am, and I really mean NO MATTER WHERE, when a wasp or hornet appears I am running away... sorrynotsorry
14.  When I get a laughing fit I sound like a guinea pig at its loudest squeaking.

So I think that's enough, otherwise it gets a bit too weird over here. 

I hope you had that one or other good laugh, and I bet with the navel thing and the butt, right? 

I'm looking forward to your funny facts.

Bikini posing at an early age

once a fairy, always a fairy

Me and my best and oldest friend, Nora

Sports; Gymnastics, Rollerblading & Snowboarding

Gymnastics ( I'm the very left) 

Jazz Dancing (front right) 

Pole Dancing during a show

#pumpingfairy of the week

Today I want to present to you THE pumpingfairy of the week. 

Jimmy_Nutella, as he calls himself on Instagram , was 265lbs at the age of 19 as he mostly ate crap in school and didn't know how to eat clean and evaluate calories...The result: obesity.

Over 2 years he lost about 123lbs and changed his life. Because he knows how hard it was to reach this amazing goal, he raised a project called 'be fit in Highschool, fight obesity'.

When he started to work as a geography teacher in highschool, he didn't only educate the teens about geography but also about health. He gave advices on how to eat clean and tasty at the same time, how to stay motivated and how to workout by still enjoying it. He showed them what inspiration and dedication means. The feedback of the students was so big that he created a fitness area at their school to fight obesity,as we have a lot of students who can's afford a membershp in the gym and want to workout in a group after school to stay motivated. So his project was born. 

15% of the students have to lose weight. His aim is to help them reach their goals and don't experience the same struggle his had back in the years. To draw their attention to a healthy lifestyle he organizes camps , spinning classes, outdoor fitness and nutrition workshop and courses. 

Fortunately he managed to change his life and he wants them to change their life as well. Staying focused and strong is an ability that can change a lot and only by strengthening the mind we can reach our goals. 

Unfortunately the school doesn't have the right equipment for his project, either it's overaged or broken, plus the school doesn't have any budget to support his project. 

But you can support the teens and give them a chance to change. All you have to do is visit this page (here) and donate to support the teens in their fight against obesity. 

Outdoor Fitness

His transformation

A table full of healthy foods

Fittaste Ambassador

I have a big announcement to make on this Sunday evening...
I have the honor and the huge pleasure to tell you that I officialy became the ambassador for fit taste here in Luxembourg. Now you may wonder what fittaste is, right?

About fit taste: 

Fittaste is an innovative meal prep company who prepares and cooks healthy and super delicious food to make your healthy lifestyle even easier to follow. You can order your food once a week (in the near future they will offer it even twice a week) and choose between a variety of meals depending on your personal goals, whether this is losing weight, fat or building muscle mass. Fit taste is the only one of its kind in Central Europe shipping nationwide.  This means that you can easily order your meals online and get them delivered straight to your doorstep.

Why fit taste? 

The company's name speaks for itself as they're building the bridge between a healthy but still tasty diet programm and the final resolution. The advantage for you is that you will save a lot of time, and take the easy way out to reach your goals and stick to a healthy lifestyle.

As the company's main aim is a healthy and balanced lifestyle , they only use certified high quality foods. Only meat that's free or hormones and antibiotics, wild caught fish , as well as vegetables that are agriculturally cropped and from an organic production, will make it into their menus. All of their ingredients mainly come from the Greater Area Saarland, Rheinland-Pfalz and Luxembourg.

What matters to fit taste?

• A selection of fresh ingredients
• Cooking with natural flavours and low salt
• No use of flavour enhancer
• A high protein level 
• A great taste of a healthy meal. 

The main structure of the meals are chicken breast, lean beef, fresh salmon, shrimps, together with either rice, potatoes, wholegrain pasta and several vegetables, in order to keep a high protein level with top quality carbs and healthy fats.

How it works: 

• You enter www.fittaste.com , select your menues and purchase your food online. With my individual code (liftingfairy) you will get now 10% off your first order ***
• Fit Taste cooks the ordered meals all fresh and sends them to you once a week. 
• Their cooling logistics uses boxes with a cooling unit and cooling packs so your food stays all fresh during the transport.
• Your order will be delivered to your home or your office, it's all up to you. 
• Your meals have a storage life of seven days if you keep them safe in the fridge.

Try out their 'Tasting Box' and get 10% off with my code (liftingfairy). Enjoy your meals.

Your box with cool packs 

Chicken with broccoli

Chicken Salad

Protein Almonds

Be supportive.

Focus on the finish

When a friend or a family member has made the commitment to start competing, he/she is about to make an incredible lifestyle change and believe me or not, it's everything but easy.

Being a competitor myself , I can give you one advice: be supportive as a friend or family member. I experienced this during my first prep myself, I had ups and ,mostly, downs and I had a lot of mood swings, like being that cute little gismo gremlin and a minute later I was the 3rd generation gremlin, being all grumpy and angry.

To prepare for a contest you are pushing yourself beyond your limits, physically and mentally. So what you say to a competitor-beginner can have a very negative or a positive impact on your relation, during the preparation or after the contest. Therefore I made a list of things you better keep to yourself.

1. 'Don't build up too much muscle': 

This one is as old as the hills. I can't hear it myself anymore.

Before saying this to your friend, ask your friend to explain his new passion to you. I'm well aware that when someone tells you that they start competing in bodybuilding contest, you are likely to think about Arnold Schwarzenegger or about the real bodybuilding women, right?

No worries: If it was that easy too build muscle in such a short period, oh heaven I think everybody would be a bodybuilder. It takes decades of intense training and dedication to reach such a level.

Whether you like it or not, a strong women is beautiful too. I respect every athlete and every category of bodybuilding competitions because in every category you have to work hard to reach the physique you want.

And you should respect every athlete too, since they all have to work off their butts. 

2. 'You are training too much' :

Oh my... I don't even remember how often I was told this.

It may sound crazy when your are told that someone is working out for hours, 5 times a week and dedicating their spare-time to training, cardio and meal preparations. It sounds like a huge sacrifice, but for a competitor it's not. For them it has turned into a lifestyle that is everything but average. 

Before I started competing, I was partying every weekend once or twice, went to bars, restaurants or to the movies almost every weekend. Now, the last time I was at a restaurant was for Christmas, which was also the last time I went to a club. (Plus, we left very early as I wanted to workout the day after...)

So don't molest your friend when he/she doesn't want to go out to be fit the day after in order to hit an intense training routine.

3. 'You have become too skinny':

Funny how fast the coin can flip...

Before the prep you said that your friend shouldn't become too muscular, now you are telling them not to become too skinny. 

The closer a competitor gets to the D-Day, the more body fat they are about to lose and it seems like they have become super skinny. But no, they have just become leaner, and they will lower their body-fat percentage even more the closer the show comes. 

Usually a competitor only remains that lean (or skinny how you would call it) for a short period of time, namely for the show day and sometimes for photo shoots post-contest. In the 'off-season' they are more likely to have that 'healthier' look again, except for some fitness models.

4.'Come on, One bite won't kill you':

Well yes, it will.

One bite will just lead to another tiny bite and another and another...

Pretty fast your friend can get completely 'off track' , lose the focus and all the previous weeks and months of training and dieting will be lost. So yes, one bite can 'kill'...someones goals.

When you enter a contest-prep it's all or nothing. When your goal is to push beyond the limits, well then you have to change your priorities. A first time competitor will learn that food is fuel and that the connection they once had with fast food won't be so powerful anymore.So instead of forcing them to have one bite, support them and don't give them no bite at all, even when they are about to get really mad. You have to stay supportive (and strong) to resist.

And here some words to my kindred spirits:

Bodybuilding competitions are challenging and with continuous effort you will grow strength. You are about to learn what is good and what is bad for your body, you will try out different types of diets and training routines. Always keep in mind that it's a journey. You will be criticized by people so often that a supportive and motivating surrounding becomes very important for your journey.

When you are competing, it doesn't matter what other people say or think about you and your physique. You will always find yourself with people that don't accept your lifestyle. 

Wishing you a successful continuation.

How I spend my Friday evening instead of going out

No bite! Stay strong!

#pumpingfairy

I hope your week was as good as mine...

The reason why is because I start to see improvements again while feeling better day by day. 

Being now 3 weeks out of my last contest for this season, I am more motivated than ever. 

Maybe because it's the World Championships.

Even if the competition season will be over in 3 weeks, this doesn't mean that I will stop eating the healthy way. I am not saying that I 'have to' eat healthy and balanced but I want to keep a good shape since there are still some events left where my team and I will perform posing routines and represent our team.

Plus, it's like eating potato chips, you don't eat just one single chip...

I have never been in such a great shape and never felt that good and comfortable in my own body that I never want to miss this feeling anymore. And summer is just around the corner and who doesn't want to be in shape for summer, right? 

Talking about getting in shape I have to say that I am very proud of my pumpingfairies working out almost everyday and staying motivated all the time. I know that sometimes it's not that easy and at some point you just feel like giving up, but seeing that you are NOT, makes me really happy and it motivates me as well to keep going.

If you also need some motivation or fitspiration, join our pumping-fairy army by using #pumpingfairy for your fitness & health related posts on Instagram. (Make sure your profile is public, otherwise I can't see your fitspo)

No matter if you are a boy or a girl, everyone is welcome. 

Keep up the good work and enjoy your weekend my loves.

1.  t_veronique had a great run with her fluffy ball
2. jimmy_nutella made a piece of art for dinner
3. li.aah needs motivation
4. bodypassion_ being all happy about her new blackroll soft
5. caro_rouge is as addicted to nike as me ( I totally feel you hihi )
6. highheelskills did a great transformation. Keep up the good work.
7. fashionbarbecue enjoying lunch by fittaste (review soon on my blog)
8. sarah_48612 had a green mango , kiwi and spinach smoothie with oats and chia seed for breakfast
9. bunnyworksout being really happy with her shoulders lately

4 weeks out

dinner: salmon on a carrot-salad. spiced by FlavorGod seasoning 'Garlic Lemon' 

In 4 weeks I will be back from the World Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

I know, 4 weeks sound like much, but if you are in a contest prep, time goes by so quick that you are suddenly on stage and you don't know how this happened. 

Three weeks ago we experimented with carbs, which didn't really work the way we expected, so we are know cutting carbs slowly but surely again to get rid of the water retention. 

Plus, we know now why I didn't get as lean as I wished during the last contest preparations... I have a thyroid insufficiency, which is good and bad news at the same time...but at least we know why I didn't get shredded and we can act to it. 

My current diet an training plan looks a lot different than the previous contest-prep, 4 weeks out. 

Regarding my training routines, I can lift a lot heavier now and with less repetitions and I am always alternating between 3 days working out and one rest day. 

My diet also includes lowcarb and refeed days. Meaning 3 days lowcarb with 1 refeed day, then going on with 4 days lowcarb and 1 refeed again, 5 lowcarb days, 1 refeed until we start the cutting phase the week prior the championships. 

So far everything goes fine. We started this diet program last week (Thursday) and I am happy to see improvements already. I don't feel that bloated anymore, seem a little 'lighter' and due to the decreased carbs, I have more energy ( I know this sounds contradictory) because my digestion doesn't need that much of it anymore to cut down the carbs. 

In addition to that, I will get lymphatic drainages twice a week to cleanse and nourish the cells and enhance the blood flow in my legs. This doesn't only relax my muscles but also improves the definition of my legs. 

In hopes that you had a great start into the week as well, I am couchpotatoeing now.

lunch: chicken with salad and quinoa rice crackers

post-run selfie

breakfast: chicken burger with pears along with 100% almond-butter

#fairygoesfibo

Here I am... back from the biggest Fitness&Bodybuilding Expo: FIBO.

I have a lot to tell so let's jump straight into my impressions:

This year was the first time we visited the FIBO on Friday, the trade visitor day. It was much more pleasant and comfortable, even if there were still a lot of people... '16 year old trade visitors' you know what I mean.

After checking out some stands, the first exciting thing we did was standing in line to get a picture with Mr. Olympia; Phil The Gift Heath.

What an awesome athlete and he was very kind too, which you can't tell about everybody unfortunately.

Only a few steps further we crossed the stand with Kay Green, and how could it be any different, we also lined up to get a picture with him. He even took the time to talk with Ken as he was one of the first people who wished him good luck for the next Mr.Olympia and that it would be his year. Even pro athletes need positive feedback from their fans once in a while.

While we were waiting in the line, Sammie (blog here) checked out the stand behind and found a delicious protein ice cream. Yes, a PROTEIN Ice cream. So I immediately added it to my 'to eat' list for Saturday's post-contest meal, just like the 'Oh yeah' bars and the 'Oat King' bars which I wanted to try out already last year.

Even if it was much more calm then on private visitors day, it was still a little hard at some points for me to walk through the FIBO with only 1,5L of water left for the whole day until 6pm. But this also had an advantage, I didn't have to carry liters of water along hehe.Otherwise I felt quite good.

Obviously I also did a little shopping at Better Bodies and Olimp.

I also took the opportunity at the LaBellaMafia stand to meet one of my role models:Alice Matos.

When I went to get a photo with her, she asked me if I was working at the expo because of my pass and she even wished me good luck for my contest, when I told her that I was competing for the Miss FIBO Power Beauty contest. She is really such a sweatheart and looks even better in real life, so no photoshop here, she actually is THAT hot! 

Later I went back to check out the clothes, because at first it was crowded with hectic women and I didn't want to do harm anybody haha (#NoCarbsReactions) While having a look at their printed leggings, Larissa Reis crossed me. After paying my stuff I went straight back to the queue to get a picture with her too. 

Alice Matos was there as well again, so I got a second picture with her, and she was like 'oh hey there again!'... She must think that I am some kind of a super groupie.

On Saturday morning I was only lying on the floor, with my legs up, after getting the spray tan by ProTan, because I didn't want to get all puffy from walking around.

30 minutes before the start of the Miss FIBO Power Beauty contest we could enter the backstage to warm and pump up. When I stepped into the backstage area I instantly understood why we weren't allowed to enter earlier. It was so small and you could hardly warm up without kicking someone with your elbows. When lining up, I could really feel the tension and the buzzing atmosphere caused by excited bikini athletes. 

To be honest, I have NEVER been that nervous to step on stage, not even on my first competition last year. I mean it was a competition at the biggest Fitness&Bodybuilding exhibitions and I was on stage as the only luxembourgish athlete. That's a real honor and I'm still so grateful for this unbelievable experience.

The level was very high, but I was still very happy and thankful to be part of the Top10 participants. That feeling being on the Bodybuilding.com stage at the FIBO Power is just indescribable. Before the nomination of the Top 3, every athlete was given a goodie bag by IronMaxx and a medal. After the price giving, all the athletes were invited to head over to the IronMaxx stand where everyone stepped on stage and did a small posing presentation. 

To be honest, the only thing I was thinking about while being on the IronMaxx stage was : I want my chocolates and sweets... NOW! But the chocolate had to wait a little more, because there were so many people that wanted to take pictures with me, which I still don't get by now...It felt however quite nice.

Afterwards it was finally time for some serious food. I had some chocolates after eating a delicious pasta with a lot of parmesan for lunch. You can't imagine how bloated my belly was.

In the evening I had my epic cheatmeal, which consisted in a fatty cheezy crust 'King Ceasar' at PizzaHut's and some ice cream for dessert. 

But the best thing is yet to come... 

While walking down the streets of Cologne, we crossed MICHELLE LEWIN!!! 

My idol and rolemodel #1. It's out of question that I immediately headed to say hello and take a picture with her.  I was so excited and happy that I had tears of joy in my eyes. 

This encounter made my weekend absolutely perfect. I missed the opportunity to meet her at the LaBellaMafia stand because of the competition, so meeting her in the streets made it even more precious and unbelievable. 

I hope you had an amazing weekend at the FIBO too. If you want to see further impressions, click here.

Line up. Picture by Peak

Taking shots with some people

J-M.B Open 2015

J-M.B Open winners

What an ahhh-mazing weekend it was at the International Championship Luxembourg & J-M.B Open in Luxembourg. 

It was so practical and comfortable that the competition took place in Luxembourg, because I didn't have to get up THAT early to get ready and I made it to the hairdresser's to get my hair done. Before that, I put on my makeup and got the last layer of the cream tan done. 

When I arrived at the competition-facility in Oberkorn , I was one of the first athletes, so I could easily arrange my camp backstage. I still had to wait for the registration tough as it didn't open until 10am.

The first part of the competition was the International NAC Championships of Luxembourg , where the first five could qualify for the International NAC World Championships in Warsaw (Polen). 

When the price-giving ceremony started, I was so nervous but still optimistic since I was called-out with two very great athletes. And then it happened, I placed 2nd in the NAC Championship Luxembourg. So not only did I qualify for the NAC International World Championships in Warsaw, I also became Vice Master of Luxembourg in my category. Isn't that awesome? 

In the evening was the J-M.B Open ,where 4 more athletes joined our category and raised the level a little higher.

In the first round there wasn't any call-out, but in the bikini-round there were two call-outs and I was chosen twice. For the second call-out we were only 3 , and this cleared the podium position up.

I made a 3rd place and I am more than happy and proud about this as the winner and the 2nd placed athlete have an awesome physique and really deserve their rankings. So hats off for them!

But let's not forget my other team mates, who did a very very good job, especially my good friend Alix who participated for the very first time in such a competition. I am so proud of her and I am happy that she joined our team.

It's indescribable how grateful I am to be part of this team. I have NEVER experienced such a great respect, support and honesty among each other.It was already a marvelous start for our team and there are still some competitions left to rock. I am already looking forward to the times we'll spend together on our journeys, backstage and on stage. That's what a real fit-fam is all about. 

And thank you, my family, friends, readers and followers for your support and motivation. And a special thanks to those who came to support us at the championships this weekend. You are truly awesome. 

I still can't believe that we made it... 

Team Powerfood's J-M.B goes to Warsaw

(Click here for further pictures and impressions)

J-M.B Open , round 1: evening dress

2nd call-out

NAC International Championship Luxembourg, placed 2nd

Team Luxembourg goes to Warsaw

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) 

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

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?