Sports

Ik vind sporten echt heerlijk, maar dan wel op mijn voorwaarden. Geef mij een lichte pilatesstudio met zachte muziek, een kopje matcha na afloop en vriendinnen in Alo-setjes. Minder aantrekkelijk is een gym vol opgepompte mannen die tussen de sets door hun biceps aaien en hun shirtjes standaard twee maten te klein kopen. Maar ik las laatst iets wat me aan het denken zette: trainen met gewichten is niet alleen goed voor je billen en je botten, maar ook voor je hersenen. En dan vooral voor vrouwen van mijn leeftijd. Tijd om het halterrek dus eens wat serieuzer te nemen. Waarom...

No idea if you are already taking Reformer Pilates classes, it's wonderful, until you see the bill from your favorite studio. Cuckoo. Because no matter how nice your classes are, if you are becoming even a little bit enthusiastic, it can add up quite a bit. But, you can now buy your own Reformer Pilates bench for home. At ALDI. Starting Wednesday, September 30, they will sell reformer pilates benches for your home. Price: €149. Handy? Only if you have space, of course. Reformer pilates just at home Okay, anyone who has ever taken a reformer pilates class knows that you really work quite a few muscles with it...

First it was Pilates. Then came padel. And now it suddenly seems like a golf club is appearing everywhere. On Instagram, in fashion, during a weekend getaway, and even with people you thought until recently spent their free Sunday mainly with a cappuccino and a walk through the city. I get it. Golf has had quite an image problem. But that image is shifting. In the Netherlands, the sport is growing, more and more young people are starting with it, and golf is also becoming more accessible for women. So: is golf the new Pilates? Not literally of course. You...

It is mega popular and everyone is doing it these days: Pilates. It also costs a fortune to do this in a Pilates studio. But I have the tip to still get nicely toned, without feeling it in your wallet. What is Eva Pilates? I didn't really believe that you could actually get muscular and toned from videos on YouTube. In my mind, you really needed the gym for that. Training with heavy weights, being able to run on the treadmill, you know how it is. That feels just a bit more effective than an online sports class at home. The...

I find few things more delightful than going on vacation a lot and often, but one of the downsides is that everything I have built up all year while exercising and panting gets wiped away at an Olympic pace. This summer I went on vacation for five (five! FIVE!) weeks and wanted to avoid walking back into the Pilates studio stiff and out of shape. So I took precautions. Of course, you can walk during your vacation or occasionally reserve a padel court, but if you bring a bit of structure to your sports rhythm during your vacation, the chance is great that you...

Are you also already so addicted to padel? It's really no wonder that it's the fastest growing sport in the world, right? It's so incredibly fun. And it seems like nowadays everyone is playing padel. Personally, I find it much more enjoyable than tennis. Much faster and more sociable, after all, you are much closer to each other. You might already know that it's not a cheap sport. But hey, that shouldn't dampen the fun. It is also the healthiest sport in the world (this is due to several factors, including the mega social aspect) I just saw a mega good...

During the last Olympic Games in Paris, I attended a lot of hockey matches and really became addicted to watching hockey. Especially the national teams of the ladies and gentlemen, with all those lovely girls and men. One of the big stars of the Dutch women's team was Yibbi Jansen. She is a penalty corner specialist and the daughter of Ronald Jansen, who was once the goalkeeper of the Dutch national team and won Olympic gold with Oranje. She is literally following in her father's footsteps. Yibbi is truly a phenomenon. And also a very attractive, incredibly fun, and stylish...

We know those 10,000 steps by now. Walking is a fantastic way to stay fit while still having enough breath to catch up with your walking buddy. Personally, I always enjoy combining my lunch break with a nice walk: you walk pleasantly towards your reward. But there are also much more exciting ways to stay fit without getting your heart rate too high. Because not everyone enjoys working up a sweat. Strange but true, if you regularly do yoga, it has...

If there’s anyone who isn’t jumping at the chance to try a new form of activity, it’s me. I don’t know why, but I just really don’t like exercising. I remember countless gym classes where I was the only one who couldn’t get over that vault (who even thinks of this?), where the teacher did everything to make sure I would at least catch one ball, and where other students sighed deeply when I joined their team. Yep, my talents clearly lay elsewhere. That I never had a happy relationship...

If there is one thing I recognize, it is having no desire to exercise. Yes, some of us are just not made for it. After a round of running, I am out of breath and one hour in the gym is really enough for me. Oh, and doing a team sport together with a few others, like padel or squash? That is my biggest nightmare. Nope. You won't see me running a marathon, but to be honest: I need to move more and you probably do too. I'm looking for something that is easy and for which I don't need the discipline of a 17-year-old...