Tamara Plenk
What does sports mean to you?
“It pushes me to the limit. Team sports have never been my thing. I always want to win and that caused quite a bit of irritation in myself. When I started working out five years ago, I wanted to see how far I could get on my own. That’s what I like best about fitness, you’re your own competition.
There was a vacancy to teach group classes at the gym, and I applied. The manager saw potential in me, even though I had no sports training or experience as an instructor. My classes were soon full. Women enjoyed my workouts and I loved the job. That’s why I started an online gym for myself three years ago, where women can follow sports lessons live via zoom.
What is your lifestyle?
I am very driven and want to get the most out of everything. That’s why I love my job in the fitness industry so much. I push myself to achieve certain goals. I devise these goals for myself and can be physical, work-related or mental, for example.
I am used to eating healthy. My diet changes as I achieve my goals. My current goal is to build more muscle mass. That’s why I eat calorie surplus. That means that I get a little more calories to build mass.
I like to have porridge for breakfast because I like it and it is ready quickly. As a snack I often eat a rice cake with chicken breast. A brown sandwich with a tasty spread or hummus and some vegetables for lunch and in the evening it varies a lot. I end the day with a piece of fruit.
Every day I eat meat, sometimes just a slice of chicken breast on a cracker. It also happens that I eat vegetarian in the evening. I don’t count how many times I drink a glass of wine. I can do without it, but every now and then I like it. In addition to sports classes I teach, I train in the gym five times a week.
How do you keep this up?
Balance in nutrition is important to me. I also pass this on to the women I train and supervise. Eating is also pleasure and pleasure. Women I coach often think: ‘I can only eat lettuce and exercise’, which is of course not the case. When you have found the desired balance, it will eventually become a part of your life. We make it way too difficult for ourselves with all those rules.
Eating healthy isn’t a goal of mine either, because it’s part of how I want to live. I sometimes go out to eat or I get a meal, but why does this have to carry the definition of ‘unhealthy’? If I take out food, it doesn’t mean I’m eating fries with a burger. It can also be a tasty pasta salad.
What is your pitfall?
I can’t sit still. If I don’t do anything, I think: ‘I’m taking a step back, I’m losing time, I have to keep going.’ Now I know that doing nothing can also be very effective. For example, it gives me peace of mind. This is also an area for improvement for me. Taking a step back is not a bad thing.
I am currently teaching myself to meditate. I find that very difficult, because my thoughts are constantly on and shooting in all directions. Walking also gives me a lot of peace, but this was very new to me. When I went for a walk and was listening to a podcast, I thought, ‘I have to run, that heart rate has to go up.’ That is also because I find it difficult to find peace. This is getting better in small steps.
Are you at your target weight?
I don’t have a target weight. Weight doesn’t say much. Muscle mass, fat mass and my appearance are much more important to me. My weight isn’t always the same. Because I now want more muscle mass, I will gain weight because my muscles grow.
What is your golden tip for a healthy life?
We know that exercise and healthy eating are important. But women I supervise often don’t know why this is important. My tip is: think about why you don’t exercise and why you don’t give your body the right nutrition.
Is this because you don’t have time? Or because you don’t think you’re worthy enough? Or do you not know how to approach this? If you can think about these questions and want to change them, then you have the best motivation to live a healthy life. It’s your body, you only have one.”
Do you also want to be in this section? We are looking for nice ladies who want to inspire with their lifestyle. Send an email with your name, telephone number, motivation and two current photos (portrait and total) to [email protected].
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