Where I have been

Almost one fourth of 2014 has already passed, but it seems like yesterday that I was writing my commitments. These have been very busy months for me in all fields.

The top moment of this first quarter was, without a doubt, attending the seminar of Nathalia Melo in Ireland. I have been trying to join one for such a long time, however there was always something blocking me. I had to book flights and made hotel reservations at the last moment, but I made it.

Nathalia Melo and me at RockPit Fitness in Ireland

No matter what field of expertise is or hobby, take advantage of as many learning opportunities as possible. No matter where in your journey you are, there is always knowledge that can help you and facilitate your progress. And it is not every day that one has the chance to learn from an Olympian. Mainly in Europe...

I had a great time there and only wished I had stayed longer. I met so many amazing people. It felt like home. 

Right after getting back to Belgium, I jumped into a transformation challenge from BodyBuilding.com. I picked Kris Gethin's 12 week hardcore as my plan. I am major fan of Kris and his work, so it was an easy choice. 

By week 9 out of 12 (yeah, that close to the end), my body started to act weird again. Or better saying, it stopped reacting at all. Since the idea was testing myself after last year's struggle, it felt right to drop the challenge. In addition, there is 3D life that required some extra attention. I had to take a break and "listen to my body".

In my terms, taking a break does not mean going nuts and eating all the crap that I can. What I did was I kept my usual diet this week and used the extra free time in the evening to do some reading and to catch up.

And while I was updating myself with the latest news on Facebook, I found out that Flex Holland was offering a 'shape-up' program of 8 weeks for only 20 people. I did not know if it was only for people living in the Netherlands or if girls were allowed, but I signed up for it.

Flex Holland Flex Summer Shape-up Program

Needless to say how excited I was to receive the confirmation that I had been chosen. Now it is a matter of counting down the days to get started. April 19th will be day 1.

After being in this fit journey for the past 3 years, I know that there is only that much that you can change in 2 months. Still, I am looking forward giving my best to reach great results.

Well, this is what I have been doing and I am looking forward sharing more with you all. I hope you all have been enjoying 2014 and wish you lots of success!

Have a great weekend.

And there was a Seminar

One week has already passed from the Flex Cup. Even though I was home for a couple of days, I did not manage to catch up with everything before getting back to the office.

I have to admit that getting over my no-show was not as easy as I wanted it to be. At the end, it took me more days that I planned. However, I had to allow myself heal completely before getting back on track.

Anyways, this entry is not about me, but about the great seminar I attended last Saturday.

The format was really light, ideal also for those who were tired from all the diet and training that is part of a contest preparation. There were three speakers: Harry De Jonge from Flex Holland and Muscle Totaal, Berry De Mey (no need for an introduction right?) and Hans Wassik from the Dutch Doping Authority.

Harry's presentation was full of helpful information for the beginners (remember that the Flex Cup is a beginners' show). He touched topics we all have to deal with in this amazing sport: diet, training, family etc.

Following it, the Joe Weider Bodybuilding Hall of Fame Inductee, Berry De Mey. He went through pictures from before and during his career as a professional bodybuilder while sharing about his experiences and learnings. 

Last but not least, Hans explained the approached used by the Dutch doping authority on dealing with a fact so common in various sports nowadays. Doping is a fact that people should be aware of. 

My notes from the Seminar in Dutch (sowy!)

If you ever have the chance to attend such a seminar, I would highly recommend you do so. Learning from experts, hearing about what they went through, set-backs etc and associating with other athletes is priceless.

I loved the experience and I am truly looking forward going to many more (if only I could attend Nathalia's tomorrow...).

Grab all learning opportunities with both hands. You will never know in advance how much they will impulse your progress.

Keep up with the good work everyone! And success! xxx

The Flex Cup Adventure

After participating in the Belgian Nationals last October. I really fell in love with competing. It is not like I did not like it before, but one thing is our expectation and another, reality. It could be that after attending a show, I would complete lose interest for the whole thing. However, the opposite happened.

So I decided to go for a second competition: the Flex Cup in the Netherlands. It was going to be my very first show after starting training with Team Bombshell!

To make a long story, after some health related setbacks, my coach and I decided that it was not the right time (see Note on Facebook). I was still feeling unwell, having issues with my blood pressure etc. It was not a wise thing to do to force my body that way.

It was not an easy decision, mainly because I had agreed with the guys from Body En Fit Shop to take some cool pictures with the swag they had sent me. But unfortunately, I was not really in a condition to represent them accordingly either. Thanks guys for the understanding and support!

As I still had my hotel reservation and tickets, I decided to go watch it. It was going to be the very first contest I had the chance to watch live, so why not?

What can I say about the experience? It was AWESOME!!!!!! It is special to see the passion for the sport coming from everyone. People are not just doing it, they are LIVING IT with the athletes. And that after probably months of planning, organization and so on. If you were not there this year, please make sure you go next time.

I want to write about so many things, but I will leave it the rest for next entry (entries?).

Always remember: Hard work pays off!

#takecare

Arrival at the hotel on Saturday, December 1st, 2012.