Why you should give TRX a try in 2016

Why you should give TRX a try in 2016

No doubt by now you’ve seen the iconic yellow and black TRX ‘straps’ hanging at your local gym and wondered what the heck they were for. All the while unaware of the amazing workout you were missing out on. Let me tell you: When I went to my first TRX class (this was after about two years of regular exercising) I felt like a 300kg overweight 80-year old women. Wearing ankle weights. That had never stepped into a gym in her life.

WHY YOU SHOULD GIVE TRX A TRY IN 2016

TRX, also called Total Body Resistance Exercise, is so challenging because it is a full body workout that trains your body in a completely different way than most of us are used to. You'll know it's a full body workout when the next morning every single part of your body is in pain! It basically is a movement-based training which uses gravity and your own bodyweight to build strength, balance, flexibility, endurance and core strength. It's a more dynamic alternative to normal weightlifting using dumbbells or machines and what I especially love is that you are in control of the intensity of your workout. Simply by changing the distance of your feet from the TRX anchor point you can make the exercises easier or more challenging.

My New Workout Routine

My New Workout Routine

I hate uncertainty. I'm also a big sucker for to-do lists and love planning things meticulously. Especially when going to the gym, I hate walking in there without a real plan of what I'm doing. I think that's why I am such a big fan of Kayla's BBG guide, or any type of workout guide really.

Taking on a ‘mission’ like "I want to get fit" without a defined goal or a plan is the same as walking out of your front door and not knowing where you are heading. If you have no plan and no goal destination, how can you push yourself to achieve that goal? Goals allow us to succeed and success keeps us motivated.

I've been working out regularly aka approximately 6x a week for the last 3 years now and have always followed some sort of guide or self-made plan with semi-realistic goals (alright fine, I still can't do the splits, I still can't do 5 pull ups in a row and I still can't walk in a handstand, so the whole "achievable" part of my goal setting hasn't really worked out that well for me yet...).

,

From Addict To Ironman - An Interview With Darren

,
From Addict To Ironman - An Interview With Darren

This week's #healthspotalk is a bit of a different kind. I met Darren, the founder of Old Dawg Coaching during my stay at Phuket Cleanse. Remember the torturous lifeguard workout I told you about? Yep, that's with him. What about the 45min. intense HIIT the stairs workout? Also with him. In short: all the tough workouts are with Darren. During one of our pool workouts I gave Phil a quick smooch and was mercilessly punished with a minute of swimming while being pulled back by a rope (see pictures below). Learned my lesson there.

Darren is the definitely the right man for this job. Armed with a degree in kinesiology  (exercise physiology), five Ironman Triathlon finishes and his unstoppable desire to see you transform your obstacles into opportunities, he has a willpower and drive that is contagious and make you want to work that bit harder.

However, his greatest result wasn’t on an Ironman race course; but 14 years of sobriety. Yes, you read that correctly. Darren has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and has been sober since 14 years. It's his past that has made him go down the path he is on today; one that is utterly inspiring and eye-opening.

My First Marathon Experience

My First Marathon Experience

We did it, it's done. Finally checked off the bucket list, the thing I've been planning for so long (read about my marathon prep here). It took 4 long and strenuous hours and while during the race I was begging for the time to pass quickly, I look back at it now and feel like the whole day flew by way too fast.

On the morning of the race, I followed the exact same schedule that I did for my first half marathon. I made sure to eat a warming bowl of oatmeal (with banana, almond milk and raisins) exactly three hours before start time and to drink lots of water up until one hour before the race. The goal is to go to the bathroom right before the start of the race to make sure you are perfectly fueled and won't need to search for a loo during the run.

Training For My First Full Marathon

Training For My First Full Marathon

I can't believe my first marathon is less than one week away. I remember signing up just a couple of weeks ago; somehow that time flew by without me even noticing it and I don't quite feel 100% ready. But then again - I don't think I would ever feel ready to run 42.195 kilometers. At least I'll be running the race with Vic whom I ran my first half marathon with in April 2015 (we were inseparable the entire race and went through he finish line hand in hand). She decided straight after that race to sign up for the Lausanne Marathon this coming Sunday, but I politely opted out of her offer to join yet again. It was only about a month ago that I changed my mind and decided to do it after all. If not now, when ever am I going to do it, right?

Given my spontaneous sign up, I haven' really had a lot of time to train. Thank god I've been working out 5-6 x a week in some form or another for the last two years, otherwise this mission would be slightly suicidal.

Celebrating Active Nation Day In Switzerland

Celebrating Active Nation Day In Switzerland

This weekend the world celebrated #activenationday. It is a movement created in 2012 by Lorna Jane to inspire women, their families, communities, cities and the world to live a more Active Life! Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980, with 39% of the adult population now overweight and 1.9 billion of the world’s population not getting sufficient exercise. This is troublesome & we need to start making changes.

This is where Active Nation Day comes it. #activenationday is a day dedicated to Active Living – a day where people are asked to consider putting their health and fitness first – resetting their commitment and inspiring others to do the same.

My Current Workout Routine & Latest Fitness Gear Obsession

My Current Workout Routine & Latest Fitness Gear Obsession

Hello lovelies! I apologize for the lack of posts, but my last year of uni is requiring a lot of my attention at the moment + I am starting my job application process (you don't by any chance know about job opportunities in Australia? :))  I just finished a major project and am now off for one week. So, what to do? Get back into a proper fitness routine and step up my game of course! Even though I try to work out no matter how stressed I am or how little time I have, I do stray away from my normal routine in times of stress. I'm still a huge emotional eater, so my diet suffers in the days/weeks leading up to a big deadline...But now that that's all done, Stef is back! I wanted to give you a quick overview of how my workout schedule looks like at the moment, and also show you my latest workout gear obsession (scroll down to the bottom of the page for an Active In Style promo code)

Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review

Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review

If you have been following my journey on IG, you might have seen that I have been doing Kayla Itsines' #bikinibodyguide. It's a 12 week workout program with a focus on fat burning through HIIT and plyometric training.  My friend Sofia from SofiaClara recently interviewed me about my experience with the program and I wanted to give you the option to read the conversation on my blog too. Here is our full interview:

Cart (0)