Last weekend the Flexcup took place in which I competed in the Bikini Fitness class. What an competition, event and show! So many amazing athletes under one roof and just such a great vibe and energy over the 2 days.
After attending the event last year and setting the goal to enter this year I’m so grateful to have competed.
I am extremely happy to have been placed in the finals and take home a medal.
Every day is a gift, every moment an experience, every breath a blessing and every goal set a time for growth.
My Flexcup prep has been a blast and I’ve loved every step of the way.
I’ve fallen deeper in love with body building, body changing and body sculpting – the trainings, the science, the nutrition, the psychology. A wonderful journey.
Massive thanks to my coach @jerrykoolhoven for all his guidance, expertise and faith in me👌
My sponsor XXL Nutrition for all their wonderful continued support – #XXLnutrition team you rock! 💯
MUA @prs_and_poptarts – not just a talented bodyfitness athlete but a true make up genius💄
Mr Fox for absolutely everything (and for my beautiful bikini) 💚
Mega thanks to everyone who has taken the time to follow the journey so far and for all your support 🙌
Bodybuilding – a never ending journey… As people we can always try our best to be better, in all areas of our lives. Excited to work towards new goals in the next weeks, months and year ⭐️
2015 – There are some exciting goals for you… Can’t wait!!! #ZinInnnn
For all the results and finalist photos click here.
P.S. Maarten and I are currently putting in the hours and hard work to make sure our new gym (Fox Gym) will have all the equipment you need to reach your goals.
Want to join the Fox Gym Fam? Pre-sign up has started! One month membership for free to the first 50 pre-sign ups (first come, first served) – send an email to: info@fox-gym.com with the subject “foxgymfam”. Can’t wait to train with you guys there!
A dream come true and something that we’ve both been wanting for a very long time!
From February Maarten and I will open our own gym – Fox Gym in Rotterdam.
We are creating a space that has everything you need to reach your health, fitness and physique goals. No matter if you are just beginning and starting out or an experienced athlete. We have it all under one roof.
The gym has so many awesome features, including:
Up to 75kg Dumbbells
Power Racks with Resistance Band Options
Deadlift Platforms
Iron and Bumper Plates
Texas Barbells
Competition Benches
Plyo Boxes
Pull Up and Monkey Bars
Chains, Bands, Specialized Bars and more…
Personalized Health, Fitness and Wellness Programmes
Seminars, Meets, Workshops and One-on-One Training Sessions
Yesterday was Sunday Funday at Fitness Boulevard where we hosted the, sold out, Bodybuilding / Powerlifting Meet and Seminar organised by my husband Maarten.
It was a fun, and educational, packed programme including a seminar on ‘How the Human Body Works’ presented by Jerry Koolhoven, a powerlifting seminar and one-on-one training given by Will – Barbell Strength, split weight training sessions where attendees could choose the muscle group they wanted to focus on and train (whilst receiving pointers, tips and advice from the Team JK coaches – Maarten Vos and Jerry Koolhoven), posing practise, a Bench Press contest and, a well deserved, chinese buffet dinner. Myself and Lieke van Tok, as pictured above, absolutely loved pushing the girls on “Leg Day”.
It’s always such a pleasure to train and hang out with such passionate people – no matter if they are curious about the sport, a beginner or an experienced athlete.
Since the Enercup contest it’s been all go and it’s high time for a new contest prep video :)
Below is our latest, documenting a few trainings during our contest prep – Maarten at 6 weeks out of the Ironman/Ironmaiden and myself at 5 weeks out of the FlexCup.
Both of us are working on bringing a few changes to our physiques, so it’s full steam ahead! LESGO!
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube for more vlogs and updates!
Anyone can workout for an hour, but to control what goes on your plate the other 23 hours… that’s the hard work!
Ain’t that the truth.
You can sculpt, build, lift, push, pull and sweat as much as you can through exercise, but without the right food (and portion sizes) to fuel your body it won’t change as much as you want. It’s not just about being strong in the gym but OUT of the gym, in the other 23 hours.
Last year I intensively worked out and ate very healthily however my body made the most dramatic changes when I modified what I ate, how I ate and my portion sizes. Yes, I was eating healthy food but just way too much and being the carb monster that I was, the percentage of macronutrients that I ate was WAY off.
Once I set my goal the biggest thing I needed to do was change my habits and emotions towards food as well as eat smaller portions, different % of fats, carbs and protein, eat more often (every 2-3 hours) and, like I said before, stick to the plan. No ifs or buts.
Food really is a science, that’s what makes it so interesting.
Abs really are made in the kitchen!
On that note, here are my Top 5 Food Tips
1. Portion Control
I cannot stress this one enough!
We all built individually and need different amounts of calories and % of macronutrients (carbs, fats and proteins) depending on your goal(s), so what may work for your friend / sister / neighbour / training buddy may not work for you. In my case, I was eating the same (if not bigger) portions than Maarten, my husband, who weighs nearly twice my weight! No wonder I didn’t see any changes for all of those months.
You can check out some example of portion control on my Pinterest board here.
2. The best exercise you can do is walk away from the kitchen and fridge with a glass of water!
Last year you could find me hovering around the kitchen, usually at times when I wasn’t so busy and had time to think about food. I would go in there and nibble on a handful of nuts, or have a few sneaky crackers here and there. Dates filled with walnuts were a huge favourite of mine – so I would have a handful of those too a few times through the day.
I thought I was being healthy BUT I wasn’t paying any attention to the calories or nutrition of the food I was eating. Yes, dates and walnuts are healthy but they are packed with fats (even though they are good fats) and sugar (even though they are natural sugars), so are high in calories and carbs too.
Even though I was eating healthy options I was consuming far more calories than my body needed.
So next time you find yourself in the kitchen, looking for munchies – get yourself a big glass of water instead! More often than not we are either “bored” or dehydrated when we think we’re hungry.
3. Be mindful what and when you eat
I have learned to say no. Believe me, this was a massive thing for me. I would always eat what, when and where I wanted.
I absolutely love food, especially cakes and would never ever turn down the offer of one. Birthday parties, work gatherings, dinners out etc. were always exciting times when I would eat any of the things on offer.
However I had to make a conscious decision to really see and take on board all that I was eating – it’s an interesting thing to do – as, like I said, there were those moments alone in the kitchen with the sneaky handful of snacks that I wouldn’t consider as extra calories or even think about… but they all mount up.
So, think before you eat. Make smart choices. And learn to say “No”.
4. Keep a ‘food diary’ for a week
Something that made a huge impact was keeping a “Food Diary / Schedule”.
I really wanted to see what, how much and when I was eating so I started using the “Notes” function on my iPhone and ‘writing down’ what, when and how much I was eating.
What an eye opener!
Again – yes all healthy things, but WAY too much – especially in the evening. I had formed habits, like eating peanut butter on toast with a tea at 20:30 when I would watch The Big Bang Theory. That was my ritual. And these were very unnecessary nutrients and calories that my body didn’t need, since I had already ate enough carbs and fats through the day.
So I had to change my habit and make a conscious effort to replace this ritual with something else… which has now become a salad and green tea.
Writing things down and seeing what I was eating was really interesting. Give it a go!
5. Be accountable to someone other than yourself
Another biggie! Sometimes being accountable to yourself is just not enough. “No one will know if I have that biscuit / croissant / McDonalds etc.” You, of course, but sometimes the pleasure outweighs the guilt, so you eat it anyway.
However, having another person to be accountable to (and not wanting to let down) can really help you focus, stick to the plan and help in the motivation department. For me this person was my coach Jerry Koolhoven.
So share your goal with someone (your partner, a friend, a colleague whoever) and go for it!
Another blog post you may find interesting and like to read is:
Two weeks before the Enercup contest, Nieske and I had a photoshoot with Maarten.
We both compete in the Bikini Fitness division and have a huge passion for weights, healthy living, mindfulness and snapbacks to name a few interests that we have in common.
My first contest/competition prep – it’s been quite ride.
I understand and appreciate that all prep’s will be different and this being my first has taught me quite a few things.
I thought I would share with you my biggest learnings and lessons:
1. The importance of a goal
A HUGE and massive learning for me. Even though I was a born organiser and planner I have gone through many years of my life without setting or having solid goals. It wasn’t until last year that I really started making them for many aspects of my life. Having a goal really helped me to focus and execute the steps I needed to take to reach them. It’s the one thing that I would recommend above all in order to (excuse my language) get shit done haha. If you are looking to set them for yourself check out: 5 Steps to Create a Solid Health and Fitness Goal.
2. Turn self doubt into “Can do!”
We all have “off days”, we all have things we are self conscious about (physically and mentally) and we all have times that doubt comes into our heads… the key is to turn those moments into opportunities. This was a big lesson for me. Those times that I doubted whether I could do something I took a second to wonder why?! Why did I doubt myself or my ability or if something was possible? Instead of having that negative emotion and feeling – go down the positive route. Change you attitude into a “You Can Do This” mentality.
Like the sayings go – ‘The Body Achieves What the Mind Believes’and ‘Your Body Won’t Go Where Your Mind Doesn’t Push It’.
I’m not only talking about using this attitude in the gym, for getting/staying fit or even eating healthily – but in all areas of you life. What is the worse that can happen? You fail? Well, so what – you tried! And you should be proud of the fact that you went for it! As Nike says, Just Do It!
3. Keep things interesting by switching things up
In order not to get bored or stuck in a rut, try new things! There are so many ways of exercising, eating and living a healthy life. Ask yourself these 5 Questions that will help you recharge your enthusiasm, goals and drive.
4. Create a daily / weekly focus
Even when you have a goal it’s so important to have a clear focus of exactly how exactly you will take (daily) steps to reach it. I guess you can see it as setting small goals to reach the big one. In my experience I’ve found that having a daily and weekly focus really helps in the motivation and determination department! For example, let’s say you want to be X amount of weight, or X % of body fat or X dress size – think about the things you can focus on to get there, like working on a specific body part in the gym, eating more protein based meals X amount of times this coming week, or ensuring you always meal prep so that when you are out of the house you always have meals / snacks with you to help you stick to your plan. Whatever it is – create a daily / weekly focus for yourself. This will only help in keeping you driven and disciplined.
I’ve spent quite some time thinking about and contemplating “Are we ever satisfied?”
Every day I wake up I’m thankful and grateful for being here and for being alive… but I know that I can always be, and do better, which I wrote all about here.
I’m always one for turning negatives into positives and throughout the months I came across my fair share of challenges – both physical and mental.
At 9 weeks out I wrote about how to turn challenges (such as training in the humidity & heat, hunger cravings and dealing with seeing little to no progress in your body) into opportunities here.
9. It’s never too late to change your body and get in the best shape of your life!
One of my favourites!
Since I was a youngster I was self conscious about my body. Not only does this play a huge part in your life but also how you live your life – with regards to self esteem, self image and confidence. It wasn’t until I came across a quote on Pinterest last year that I really sat up, took notice and wondered how far I could actually change my physique, even at 34, if I just put my mind to it and did it.
10. Hunger is one of the strongest emotions and most of the time it’s all in your head
Nutrition and the psychology of food and eating habits has become a huge passion of mine. I love to learn not only about how nutrients fuel your body, can help it heal and how certain foods can even cause diseases, but also about our emotions, behaviours and feelings towards food. For example, hunger. We all feel it at some point, however I came to realise that the moments I was hungry was usually when I wasn’t doing something, or had a spare moment to think about food. Check out 5 Tips for When you are Hungry or Think you are Hungry for more and my tips to deal with it.
11. Turn fitness and exercising into a fun family affair
Fitness and training has had such a positive impact on our family – not only can I train with my husband, which we love to do together, but we make it a family affair by getting our ‘mini me’ involved, which he absolutely loves. Being the active 5 year old that he is, he loves to have competitions, run races, go biking / skating and take walks together.
He also loves being involved in training sessions and in summer we spent a lot of time outdoors doing fun stuff like this.
Awesome times and building family memories.
12. You are stronger than you think – both physically and mentally!
All it takes is focus, discipline and adopting the mentality to push yourself.
I was so excited to reach a new PR (personal record) in Dead Lifts with the help of my friend, and strength coach, Will – Barbell Strength. You can see the video here. At 3 weeks out of my competition I wasn’t sure just how physically strong I would be but I was in the zone and up for giving it my all and was surprised, and happy, to reach a new PR.
Mentally speaking there were many many occasions where I would have either 1) given up (when I felt tired at the end of a set whilst training) 2) given in (to eating more than I needed to) or 3) just gone to bed (when I was tired rather than spend time writing this blog) BUT… I had a goal and I wanted to succeed in doing the things I set out to do and had planned that day / week. Being mentally strong in so many situations is such an eye opener for what is possible.
13. You can make one of the most awesome chocolate cakes ever without eggs and dairy! MEGA!!!!!
I am a total cake monster. I LOVE cakes – cupcakes, chocolate cakes, birthday cake, whatever – that’s my weakness. Since last year I have been searching for the best chocolate cake made without eggs and dairy. After some searching, and experimenting, we made one which is the best I’ve ever tasted.
Click here for the simple recipe, mouth watering photos and easy how to. Damn that cake – I would love a piece right now!
14. Cooking is fun!
Who would have thought it. The girl who never had an interest in cooking started experimenting and making her own recipes.
Since I went a hybrid of vegan/macrobiotic and was in contest prep I needed to get creative in the kitchen – make new dishes, spice the same food up and keep meals interesting.
Along the way I have been posting quite a few recipes which you can see here.
I’ve met so many amazing and awesome people this past year who I’m blessed to call friends and so many things have happened that I could only have dreamed of.
I’m so thankful for every single day of my Enercup contest prep.
I have learned more about myself than I ever thought was possible.
I’ve questioned things, found my passion (check out For the Love of Bodybuilding for more on that) and am extremely excited for my next contest – the FlexCup, which I’ll be documenting over the next 7 weeks here.
I’m busy writing and putting together a blog post about my biggest learnings from this contest prep and one thing is extremely clear – none of it would have been possible without this man – our Coach Jerry Koolhoven Nbbf Bondscoach.
At the beginning of this year I went to him with a specific goal and with his help, support and guidance throughout this year I couldn’t be happier with the physique I walked on stage with at the Enercup.
He knew my ultimate criteria was to be as healthy as I could be (especially after cancer), stick to my specific eating habits (a combo of vegan and macrobiotic) and ensure my one remaining kidney would stay safe and sound.
Jerry, thanks so much! Not only am I happy about the physical changes but I’ve never felt healthier in my life.
Maarten winning 4th place in the -90kg bodybuilding class and me winning the People’s Choice Award was the icing on the cake.
Truly Humbled and Honoured!
Excted for the changes we can bring in the next 7 weeks for the FlexCup.
The XXL brand has become a household name for many athletes and the XXL Nutrition supplement store is growing each and every day with an awesome product range to meet various sporting needs.
![Lisanne Vos (Fox Gym, Rotterdam - foxgymfam) Flexcup 2015 [www.fox-gym.com]](https://getfoxfit.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/pix2944.jpg)
![Lisanne Vos (Fox Gym, Rotterdam - foxgymfam) Flexcup 2015 [www.fox-gym.com]](https://getfoxfit.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10449511_1585533625010305_1594497910073895294_n.jpg)
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GETFOXFIT | IFBB Bikini Fitness Athlete & Kidney Cancer Survivor Lisanne Keir 