mammafit Archives - HealthyLux

What killed your New Year’s resolutions?

They all seemed so attractive back then – at the strike of midnight I decided this was the year for me…

It was time to get fit, lose weight, stop drinking, go vegan, upgrade my partner, get the new car, fire my boss and get the job I deserve, and book that holiday in the Seychelles. I was committed and certain, I’d got my affirmations ready, joined the Gym and thrown out all the meat and dairy from my fridge…

How hard could it be – on the 1^st January I took action and it felt good…

I wrote my resignation and had it ready to hand in on the day after my bonus was paid – everything was set…

Then my credit card statement turned up, my car failed its contrôle technique and I opened a bottle of Red to calm myself down. Life began to creep back up on me, my Boss became more tolerable, I bought a bigger size jumper, I decided Vegans are all weirdo’s, my partner became less irritating and a camping holiday in Annecy isn’t so bad after all…

The passion and enthusiasm for the great life I visualised on December 31^st at midnight had evaporated into a feint echo by the end of January and I realised that my capacity for tolerance and making excuses was higher than my discipline and determination to make the changes that I knew I should.

Everything had become numbed down and dumbed down to a level of acceptance that meant staying put was more comfortable than making the changes – by the end of April I had been smothered by my comfort blanket.

So now, I still have the dreams and visions for myself in the future, but I need to find a way to make them happen – I need to get really uncomfortable with the present so I can move into my bright future. Setting goals and targets means nothing if we are not motivated to take action – and as most people are motivated by pressure and heat rather than light and potential – we also need a push and a kick to do our very best.

Success is easy – it’s the process that is painful. If the pain of doing nothing is lower than the pain of achievement then that’s what we’ll do – nothing. So if like my friend above you need to get your year back on track, get serious about what you want, and make them non-negotiable so you have no choice but to achieve them..

Get a Coach who will push you, get ready for the ride of your life, but don’t let life take over…

Join with Alice and the Team and get fit, go Vegan if you must and go book the holiday tomorrow….

Have a great second half of 2018…

David Holland– HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

HealthyLux May theme – Which were my resolutions in January?

Summer is here!

Now that days are long and the sun shines upon us, what better activity to do than to go outside and enjoy nature and life! Everything is blossoming and everyone seems to be in a great mood enjoying the warm weather.

Summer is here! One of the best things to make the most out of these long days is to enjoy nature and do outdoor sports. No matter if it is going for a swim, hiking, biking (for both acitivities Luxembourg is great!) or simply going for a walk or enjoying the afternoon in the park, maybe with your little ones – there are so many options on what to do, everyone of us will find the right thing.

All through summer there will also be MammaFit classes taking place in various parks in Luxembourg in order for mums to be or for mums with their little ones to enjoy the sun and at the same time to do some quality exercise. Feeling great is guaranteed! Meeting other future or new moms while spending some good time with the babies as well!

Check the schedule on http://www.mammafit.lu (English and French)

Join the fun and spend some quality time with your baby while you do something useful for yourself !

Martina Berthoux – MammaFit Team and HealthyLux Passionate Contributor

Christmas with HealthyLux! ENTER THE CONTEST TO WIN EVERY DAY!

Like an Advent calendar we would like to celebrate with you each day in anticipation of Christmas. Starting on Day#1 in December, we will post a small quiz every day…

Like an Advent calendar we would like to celebrate with you each day in anticipation of Christmas. Starting on Day#1 in December, we will post a small quiz every day, until Day#25. Our wish is that this can be a Healthier Festive Season for Everyone! Have a look below!

HealthyLux would like to thank the kindness of all the partners of this Contest for offering (around) 1500 euro value gifts !

How to join #xmaswithhealthylux ?
1 – Like the HealthyLux facebook page @healthylux
2 – Comment this banner mentioning one friend
3 – Reply to the quiz on www.healthylux.com/christmaswithhealthylux – join the contest every day for 25 days and you will increase the chances to win !

The winners have been published on 6th January on www.healthylux.com/christmaswithhealthylux

Click on the links below to discover them!

Previous Days

December Day#25 #xmaswithhealthylux

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM HEALTHYLUX !

Did you feel refreshed when you woke up this morning?

Martina’s approach to a healthy life

I have been interested in an active lifestyle ever since I was very young. I am very fond of sports in general and especially interested in dancing. During my childhood I practiced classical dance for more than 7 years, participated in hip hop and jazz dance classes and went to a dancing school for standard and Latin dance (in Austria where I am from, dancing the waltz and other standard dances is quite common, also for the young generation).

I also like going to the gym or doing different types of outdoor activities such as biking, playing badminton or going for walks. Therefore halfway through my pregnancy I was looking for an adequate activity for myself and the baby bump and came across the MammaFit classes. For more than three months during my pregnancy and then again after the birth of my daughter, I have regularly participated in MammaFit classes.

I especially enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the classes and the fact that the exercises take place in a park. Participating in the MammaFit classes is a great occasion to meet other mums with their babies and to get into shape at the same time.

Although I have always been a healthy eater, e.g. buying only organic versions of certain products, rarely eating fast-food and cooking fresh meals on an almost daily basis, my perception of food has become different since my daughter is part of my life. More concretely ever since she started eating solids. Like every mum I only want the best for her. I therefore pay attention to the food she eats, especially in terms of local, organic products. This is particularly true for meat (there are so many things one hears and reads about medication that is fed to the animals in order for them to grow quicker so I prefer to limit the consumption of products coming from these animals). Even though high quality meat is very expensive I prefer to buy good quality and, as a result, have meat less often.
I am very happy with my decision. Simply watching my daughter putting food with her tiny hands into her mouth and grinning happily because she is proud of herself (and seems to like what she is eating) is sufficient confirmation to continue making an extra effort when buying food.

Martina

MammaFit mum and HealthyLux volunteer

Let’s get healthy together!

Welcome!

HealthyLux is a project developed by the non-profit association Healthy Life, started in Luxembourg by Alice. The aim of the project is to motivate and inspire people living in Luxembourg to create a joyful and healthier life.

Like you, we are busy people doing our best to live a healthy lifestyle despite our exhaustive daily schedules. We would love to meet you and have some fun together!

Everyone has his or her own ideas about what is healthy, but what does healthy mean to you?

To us, healthy and therefore HealthyLux means so much!

Healthy – ancient or very new techniques that consider the person as a whole, complex system and that work to make us strong and well, full of energy and happiness
Environment – a major determinant of health. Fortunately, we can all play our part in making our environment better for everyone
Active – exercise to spread vital energy with good friends, encouragement, inspiration, and motivation for your journey to get fit for life
Large variety – of real, clean, unprocessed, lively and colourful foods providing balanced nutrition for our body, mind and soul
Together – we can make life better for everyone
Holistic – focus on the total entity and the interdependence of the diverse parts of this totality. Holistic can also include alternative healthcare, which deals with the human body and mind as an interconnected whole
Yesterday – today and always
Luxembourg – the only Grand Duchy in the world, vibrant, in the heart of Europe
Unique – we love enhancing the best qualities of each individual person
XOXO – hugs and kisses, love, affection and friendship, so important to build healthy relationships

About Alice

Hi! I’m Alice and I would like to share the HealthyLux project with you!

I am a sporty type and I enjoy healthy living and positive thinking.

Since I was a child I have loved to keep myself busy with many activities and at some point I realised that, although very important, it is not so easy to lead a healthy lifestyle while having a busy schedule.

I arrived in Luxembourg in 2013 and in 2015 I became a mom to Cecilia…wow! What a (daily!) wonderful experience…but sometimes I would need four more hands… ☺

So here are the questions again:
Is a busy life a sufficient reason to not be healthy?
How to be healthy with such a busy schedule?
How to ensure a healthy lifestyle for our loved ones as well?
I believe that leading a better lifestyle is possible even if our schedules are full.
I also trust that two heads are better than one and three are better than two; if we all share our best practises, many people can take advantage of them and improve their lives!
That’s why I have been so lucky to meet great people who believe in my project and would like to share their experience! I now have the opportunity to work on the project I have always dreamt of, the project to promote and improve healthy life, something useful for everyone.
Luxembourgish or expat, young or senior, single or with a family… Let’s all share our ways to improve our life, maybe it will be the start of something amazing for somebody else as well!

And, last but not least, let’s have fun together, the major ingredient of a healthy life!
So let’s get in touch! Do not hesitate to contact us for:

info on the Activities contact@healthylux.com
info on possible collaborations promote@healthylux.com
info on HealthyClub live@healthylux.com

See you soon!

The HealthyLux team

Watch the video

Workout anytime anywhere!

In today’s society everything is going fast and time has become a precious commodity…

In today’s society everything is going fast and time has become a precious commodity. Getting up early, getting ready quickly, running to and from work, picking up kids and/or doing the weekly shopping, rushing home, preparing dinner and getting things ready for the next day. Sometime late the housework has to be done in order to recommence the same routine the next morning. If children are part of the family, the timing gets even more intense and things that are considered to be superfluous have to be eliminated from the daily routine.

Unfortunately, working out is often considered as one of the first things that can be left aside as soon as our days start being ruled by stress and a lack of time. However, people often forget that moving does not necessarily mean intense work out where you spend hours in the gym, sweating and outdoing yourself. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a day, at least 5 times a week in order to prevent obesity and to obtain benefits for one’s health. This does not sound like a lot, unfortunately many people do not manage to achieve this goal due to reasons such as lack of time, not liking sports or simply not thinking about it.

It is crucial to highlight the fact that physical activity does not (necessarily) mean doing sports. Often it is the term “sports” that puts people off leading a more active lifestyle – they do not like to sweat or to go to the gym; therefore they consider that they are not made for physical activity. It is, however, not about sweating and being completely wrecked after working out. On the contrary, by introducing small changes to one’s daily routine, one can easily achieve the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day. It is all about reducing sedentary time as a first step to leading a healthier lifestyle.

Here are some tips on how to make physical activity part of your life without changing what you do:

Get off the bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way to work or home. When taking the car to work, look for a parking lot a bit further away from work so you can add a few minutes of brisk walk to and from the office.
During your lunch break, go for a walk around the building and ask your friends to join you.
Schedule sports in your calendar like any other appointment – that way you are sure to have the time slot available for yourself.
Stand up and walk around while talking on the telephone.
Use the stairs instead of the elevator or the escalator.
Walk to the supermarket/dry-cleaning/hairdresser’s/pharmacy/etc. In short, try to walk as soon as things are within walking distance.
Doing your housework is a great way to be physically active – think about it the next time you clean the windows or hoover the house.
On weekends, go for a walk with the whole family. Also, the playground is a great place to exercise – not only for kids!
Find a type of sports you enjoy – no matter if it’s a group sport (basketball, dancing, tennis, etc.) or an individual sport (running, swimming, biking, etc.) and join a club where you frequently meet. Knowing that friends and/or people you know will be there is highly motivating in order to return there regularly (or more often per week).
If you don’t like clubs or group sports, meet up with friends and organize walks yourself!

As you can see, there are plenty of possibilities for working out. The important thing is to enjoy it and to be sure to do it on a regular basis. Start slowly and set yourself feasible goals in order to motivate yourself. Best thing is to find others to join you in your activity – the more the merrier and it gives you a reason to return!

Martina Berthoux – MammaFit mum