How BenjimanTV saved my life

Hello everyone!

How are you? This blog post will be different from my other posts. This will be a personal message to Benji, also known as Benjimantv who is Judy's husband and also has his own youtube channel (Link) and uploads great food pictures on his Instagram account (Link). I am not silly, I know that he probably will never read this, but I really have to thank him. If you want to know why, then keep on reading.

Dear Benji,

firstly, congratulations on birth of your lovely girls Keira and Miya. Also with having your sweet daughter Julianna and the wonderful Judy, you are having such a beautiful family!
You are not only a great father and inspiring considering your regular workout routine, but also an amazing cook. And that's actually the point of this post. You are focusing on cooking healthy with lots of vegetables while keeping it tasty. Additionally, you are combining Japanese food with international recipes. I love the excitement that you put into buying groceries and preparing the recipes and in the end, sharing that all with us.

Because of you, I have rediscovered my passion for healthy cooking, enjoying cooking and actually carrying about what I put into my body.
The thing is that I have a rather hard relationship with food. 4 years ago I became anorexic. The cause were personal problems in school including bullying. It took me a long time to find a way out of this illness and only stopped therapy 1 1/2 years ago. Since then my relationship to food stayed pretty difficult as I swapped between an incredible healthy lifestyle to eating total crap.
It was never that bad that I only ate fast food because I always stayed an athletic person and never wanted to ruin my body totally. However, I stopped carrying about food, I didn't enjoy eating and didn't want to eat any veggies explicitly.
You not only pushed myself back into my old fitness level, but also revived the conscience of eating healthy and actually carrying about what I put into my body. I am also not talking about a temporary change as I already changed my whole eating habits for one month now and I am not even thinking about changing this any soon. As everyone says, fitness and health is made in the kitchen and I can totally confirm this.
So thank you so so much, Benji! By sharing your healthy and tasty recipes with the world, you have changed my life completely. You helped me to come back on track and to actually build up a healthy relationship to food.
Thank you very much for this!!!


All the best,

Marie

Why Joining A Gym Increases Your Fitness

Hello guys!

How are you? 
I'm really sorry for the lack of posts during the last week. I've promised you to upload 5 days a week, however, unfortunately, I had to struggle with technical difficulties. Thus, I couldn't upload any post, but everything is fixed and so we can go on with the regular schedule. However, I have to say that my university starts right now and I have absolutely no clue how time consuming my study is and I also intend to start a mini job, so I have to look how much time I have to post regularly.

Today I want to tell you why joining a gym really increases your fitness and health. After moving into my first apartment, I just recently joined a gym as I can't do any sport indoor and outdoor sport is a bit difficult in the winter. Even though gyms can be expensive, the benefits that you have are amazing.

Your Fitness Time
When going to the gym, you prepare yourself to do sport and nothing will distract you compared with doing sport at home. In the gym you lock your stuff in your locker and your focus is totally on the workout that you are going to do. And because you have got your fitness time in this particular space, I find it easier to workout for an hour or an hour and a half without lacking of motivation.

Variety
A good gym offers a variety of courses, which prevents that your workout plan start getting boring. On Monday a good weight workout, Thursday your Zumba Training, Thursday a yoga class and Saturday your kickboxing workout, you will always find something that you like. Additionally, some gyms offer a swimming pool and a spa area with sauna, solarium and massages.

Motivation
I find it really motivating when I see all the other gym members doing their workout ambitiously and some of them look totally hot so that you no that all the hard work will pay off. It also inspires me to eat more healthy as i know that 80% of the results come from your diet. Also a huge motivation are the trainers who really kick your ass during the courses which improves your fitness a lot.

Equipment
A gym offers a huge amount of equipment that can't be efforted by a normal person. You have good several weight machines that deliver results much faster than the usual bodyweight trainings. You also have a lot free weights in various levels.

Support
Especially for gym beginners or in general sport beginners, the support of a normal trainer or a personal trainer can be really helpful. With an individual training and nutritional plan you start with your ideal plan right from the beginning and aren't frustrated because of the lack of results. Also, good trainers have look at you while you are exercising and can correct you if you are doing something wrong.

So these were my top reasons why you should join a gym and why having a membership really increases you fitness level. I have noticed a huge change in my workout routine and also in my nutrition. I will update you on this later.

I hope you found this post helpful. Let me know what do you think of joining a gym?

Wish you a wonderful day!

Lots of love,

Runners Are More Attractive - 10 More Reasons To Start Running

Hey everybody!

How are you?
Inspired by the fact that I have become a runner and feeling the first positive aspects of running only after one week, I want to encourage you introducing running into to your weekly workout routine. After watching Chariots of Fire last night, I just had to write this post, so here are 10 motivating reasons why you have to start running RIGHT NOW. So let's start.

1. Running improves your health

Probably the most important reason to start running is the fact you improve your health so much. Here are some facts: Running strengthens the heart, ensure the efficient flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body, decreases your risk of a heart attack as your heart gets stronger, reduces your blood pressure if it's above normal, strengthens lungs and bronchi keeps high cholesterol under control, improves your immune system, reduces effect of diabetes, increases bone density, which can fend off osteoporosis.

2. Runners are more attractive
Regular runners report that their attitude has changed as running increases their confidence and self-esteem especially by setting specific goals. You'll realize that you'll become a lot more positive and happier in your life, some notice that you are more sociable than usual. Also studies have shwon that runners are more patient, balanced, optimistic and happier than non-runners. PErsonally, I have really experienced this change.

3. Set a specific goal
Some people find it hard to train without any specific aim or intention. However, running provides you a huge variety of competition starting with races, 5K, 10K or even a marathon. Setting a specific goal can really boost your motivation to run and you become even better.

4. You sleep better
Something that I have really noticed after the first run is that my sleep has improved so much even though I don't feel extremely exhausted after my run.

5. You get more energy
Running strengthens and clear the body and the mind. Running not only refreshes but also gives you energy and increases your ability of concentrate. Consequently, it gives you a great memory and good concentration during study, work or daily tasks. This is another point that I have definitely experienced.

6. The best calorie burner
Even though the exercise is pretty simple. running burns the most calories with an avergae of 705-865 calories in an hour. So this is the perfect exercise if you want to lose weight / fat which can be even improved by doing interval training.


7. Experience something new and explore your area
By introducing running into your workout schedule, you will be able to break out of your daily routine and get your old excitement back. Also, by searching for running tracks, you can explore your area and become aware of new places, your neighbours, the nature and the beautiful weather.

8. Running helps with stress relief
As many other exercises, running is great as a stress relief an can cure emotion strain and mild depressions. People who exercise are generally happier than those who don't, whereas I personally have experienced that running really clears the mind and thus, is perfect for relieve some stress.

9. Meet people through running
People who say that running is a lonely sport, but that's totally wrong. Some prefer the quiet and solitude of running, others use this time for social connections. In many cities there exist running clubs where people meet in order to run together so that they motivate each other and can accomplish goals together, so you can make really good friends there.

10. Running is versatile and inexpensive
In order to run, you only need a good pair of trainers and then you can step out of your front door. There is no expensive equipment e.g. a bike needed, so it is an exercise for everyone. You don't need a special place, you can choose your own running tracks and there are tons of different tracks around your house, which makes every running session so versatile. Also, when you are traveling a lot, you can just pack your running shoes and you are ready to run at your destination.

 So these were my Top 10 Reasons To Start Running. There exist a lot of good reasons why you should start running, but I thought these were the most interesting. Anyway, just crap your running shoes and give this exercise a go. Choose a nice running track on a sunny day and don't think too much, just start running with some walking breaks in between.
I hope you liked this post and tell me whether you go running?

Wish you a wonderful day! 

Love,

My Celebrity Fitness Inspirations

Hello guys!
As a lot of you have asked me how I stay motivated with my workout routine and my whole fitness, healthy lifestyle,  I have already written a blog post about my general motivations concentrating on "normal people". You can read this when you click here. However, today I want to show you my celebrity fitness inspirations. First of all, no this list doesn't include Gwen Stefani, because her body is extremely toned, but a bit too intimidating on me as I could see her as a real inspiration even though her body is obviously extremely toned.

Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz has a joyful attitude and has with her 40 years an amazing body. I really like that she wants to be healthy and fit and not skinny and dead looking. I even heard that she is planning on writing a fitness book which I am really looking forward to.

Ashley Greene 
The Twilight-star turned out to have an amazing toned body during the last years. I really love her defined and visible muscles.

Gwyneth Paltrow 
Some people call her being to fitness and health addicted, but I like this kind of lifestyle. I even hope that I will receive her book "My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness", because I love her concept of eating normal meals and treats but more on the healthy site.

Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has such a lean body caused by her workouts and yoga routine. I think she also seems to be so confident in here body and looks really healthy.

Jessica Biel
Jessica's fitness level especially her arm muscles can be quiet intimidating, but her strength and powerful appearance is absolutely breathtaking.

Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway is the perfect mixture of feminine and athletic features. She looks toned, lean but still womanly. Really inspiring!

AnnaLynne McCord
And finally the most perfect body in my opinion: AnnyLynne McCord. Why does a person can have such a perfect body? A great thing about her and Cameron Diaz is that they also have to struggle with acne problems, but that is another topic.

This inspirations doesn't Pippa & Kate Middleton and the Victoria's Secret Models or any other model on purpose, because I think, they don't transfer the right body image for a normal woman. I think one should look athletic, strong, fit and confident and not weak, pale, skinny and unfeminine. So I hope you liked this post and comment below who is your celebrity fitness inspiration?

Wish you a wonderful day! Lots of love,

My Celebrity Fashion Inspirations

Hello guys!

Actually I wanted to do a workout and was even doing my first exercise when I decided that I was definitely not in the mood doing it. That hardly ever happens and when it happens, then I still work myself through the workout, but today I literally couldn't! So I thought, what a better way to fill up the free time then by writing a few posts for you also when we consider that the next exam phase is coming. Thus, today I wanted to show you today my fashion celebrity inspirations. I also really like looking at LOOKBOOK.nu and general street style, but celebrities are great for getting an inspiration too.

Kate Middleton
I love Kate Middelton's style because she shows that you can look elegant, sophisticated and royal even though you don't invest a ton of money into your clothes. Of course, she also wears luxury dresses, but she often wears normal clothes e.g. from Zara. Her style is so feminine, elegant but not too old.

 Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is my personal fashion queen for my casual look. I almost have the same casual fashion style like she has got. Simple, feminine, but still with eye-catchers.

Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston is another celebrity who shows that you don't have to try to hard to look good. With her casual, but beautiful summer outfits and the more edgy winter style, she is a real inspiration for me.

Pipa Middleton
I don't like her make-up and face at all, but her style is as posh and stylish as Kate's. However, she isn't that much in the royal focus as Kate is, thus, she can wear more bold, also sexy outfits.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Even though I don't have her figure, I love her style. She really knows how to enhance her features which she shows in her inspiring casual outfits. I absolutely love the jeans/trousers - blazer combo. It just always looks chic.

Miranda Kerr

Miranda always dresses really womanly chic. Either with a skirt or a dress or a jeans/trousers with a blouse. I love her style eventhough I probably wouldn't wear it as an everyday look, but seriously, her look and her beauty is always breathtaking.

So these were my celebrity fashion inspirations. I hope you liked this post and tell me who inspires you?

Wish you a wonderful day! Lots of love,

My Fitness & Diet Update + Personal Weight Loss

Hello guys!

Not so long ago, I gave you an update on my fitness and sport routine what I do to stay fit. However, today I want to give you another update on this topic, because not only my fitness philosophy and aims have changed but also my fitness routine and my diet. With this routine I am convinced that I have reached an higher fitness level. If you want to know how I stay fit and toned, then keep on reading.

Who Else Wants to Get Into Christmas Mood?

Hello guys!
Last year I found it really hard getting into christmas mood whereas the year before that, I got into christmas mood too early. However, I think, now is the right time to slowly get into christmas mood and thus, I made up a little list of activities and things that helps me getting into christmas mood and therefore, will help to enjoy the christmas time a lot more. So without any further ado and detailed description, let's get started.

My christmas booster

❄ planning all important pre-christmas activities, like I do actually or e.g. shopping, outfits, make-up,...
❄ having an advent wreath and burn another candle every sunday
❄ burning (scented) candles, in general
❄ having an advents calendar
❄ putting up all the christmas decoration
❄ baking christmas cookies
❄ listen to christmas music & play songs on the guitar
❄ watching christmas movies

❄ snow!
❄ do christmas shopping with a friend
❄ watching christmas Youtube videos
❄ planning and doing my christmas make-up
❄ doing wintery / christmasy nail design (you are reminded of christmas every time when you look at your nails)

❄ going to a christmas market! (I know that some of you don't have them, but seriously they are soooo romantic and festive!)
❄ wrapping christmas presents
❄ the highlight: buying a christmas tree
❄ decorating the christmas tree
❄ sitting with decorated room, tree, tea and warm socks in front of the fireplace with my family

So these were the little things that really help me getting into christmas mood. I am really looking forward to christmas so much this year, mainly, because I love giving all the presents to my friends and family and because the whole family finally comes together and spends some time together! I hope you liked this post and tell me what helps you getting into christmas mood?

Wish you a wonderful pre-christmas time! Love,

My Fitness Inspiration + Fitness Update

 As you might can tell, recently I am on a fitness and health kick. However, I concentrated myself on sport and also had my fitness plan where I really sticked to, but I didn't see a massive difference. I could feel the muscles and see a few of them, but there weren't that visible because of the fat on top of my muscles.

No amount of sport can show you the result which a good diet does. The diet influences the weight loss about 70% whereas sport supports this only about 30%. I don't intend to lose weight primarily, but I want to get a more defined body where I can see my muscles and look more toned. The key of a healthy diet is clean eating. I will talk about clean eating in detail in another post. I follow this eating method with passion and totally love it. I feel energized and vitalized without being stuffed.

My inspiration and motivation for my new step to my "dream body" is the Bodyrock-Team. Bodyrock is a online website which post mainly free workout videos, sometimes also diet tips or hauls. However, my full diet inspirations are Lisa-Marie and recently Haley. These two woman do the workouts in front of the camera and post a lot of pictures on Facebook. Especially, Lisa-Marie posts great motivational pictures as you can see a few of them here even though she is even an inspiration. 

 How do you get your fitness inspiration and motivation?

Wish you a wonderful day!

Lots of love,

10 Important Reasons Why You Should Exercise

I know that a lot of you struggle with doing sport on a regular basis and yes, I also struggled with the same problem. I know that the motivation can get lost and you stop doing sport without even noticing it. However, today I want to tell you 10 important reasons why you should exercise and which benefits you are going to get!  If you want to know which reasons motivate me, then keep on reading!

School Stress + My Personal Fitness Timetable

I know that a lot of people are talking about stress and I never believed that I am going to suffer this symptom.

I believed in this myth before I came into my second to last year of school.

It is the pure horror!

You have got 4 weeks of rest where you don't write any exam and then there comes the four exam-weeks and you are basically dead. You just live for school, you don't have any free time, no hobbies, you don't have even the time to go to the doctor etc.

Last year I wasn't able to do sport because of a leg injury and I was even more stressed. For the first time in my life I has real stress symptoms: headache, backache, terrible nausea, stomachaches and I even developed a lactose intolerance!

Thus, I wanted to prevent any of these symptoms by creating my own personal fitness timetable and I really stick to my plan so far!

I set realistic dates so that I am able to learn for my exams as well. Even though it isn't always that easy to stick to this timetable and the stress seems to overwhelm me, I want to follow this. Otherwise I would develop all my symptoms  again.

So this is just my quick check in. I hope you understand that I don't have so much time right now. Do you have a fitness timetable?

All the best,

Organize Your Life/How To Stay Motivated

Some people asked me how one can stay motivated in school, in work or in any other occasion. I know that it can be really difficult to stick to one thing over a long period, e.g. being motivated in school all the time. There are probably a lot of factors that come together when it comes to stay motivated, but in my opinion the base consists of organizing your life.

An organization of your life gives you kind of a frame in your life and has the function of a guide through your whole day. Even though you have a lot of stress during the day, you will have a "direction" through your day and it will be easier for you to get everything down because you really know when you have your spare time.

Of course not everyone has the same routine very day, so for example I'm still going to school and therefore, I have another schedule every single day. Hence, I recommend you to do a schedule for at least one day, perhaps choice the one where you come at home not too late and not too early. When you come earlier/later at home, you have any appointment or you have to learn for an exams more intensively, then you can just do a few arrangements. And when it helps you then you can do a schedule for every single day.

My schedule for one day:

6.00h: Breakfast

7.00h: On my way to school

8.00-15.30h: School

15.45-16.15: Sport

16.30-18.30: Homework/ learn for exams

18.30-19.30: Do your hobbies, in my case: watching Youtube videos/writing my blog

19.30h: Dinner

20.00h: News

20.15h-20.45: Take a shower
21.00h-22.30h: Reading or other hobbies

Obviously, this isn't my schedule for the weekend and the things that I am doing in my spare time, e.g. reading our watching Youtube videos, change a lot. So please keep that in mind and also, try to stay to realistic expectations. Thus, don't thing that you can clean your house, do your homework and watching TV in the same time!

I hope that will help you to stay motivated!