I wanted to drop a little update here on what has been happening recently.
As some of you may know, I have decided not to extend my contract with VitaFit in Wassenaar. I had such a great time there, and I met amazing clients. I feel privileged that I could work with such diverse clientele there for the past seven months and meet each one of you, and learn your amazing stories. Additionally, I was amazed by how motivated you were and how willing you were to listen and follow my guidance to get you on the right path to reach your goals. And all of you are—you are all well on your way to getting there in no time.
Those seven months were also a time of reflection for me, contemplating where I would like to be professionally and where the best incubator is for me to best help people. This is always a non-negotiable priority. I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the clients at VitaFit, the management, and my colleagues, whom I was very lucky to work with.
I also need to be time and resource-efficient. That’s why I have decided to progress further with the gyms in The Hague I collaborate with: De Werkplaats, Elite Trainers, Gym One, and most recently, Hague Gym. And I am, of course, committed to my clients I have the privilege of coaching online. I also decided to restart my massage practice, which I stopped during the COVID lockdown and never had a chance to pick up again. I am also working on some other projects in the background that I will be excited to announce soon.
Regardless of the brand or place I work at, I remain committed to my values.
My 10 Unshakeable Principles: The Science of Living Well 🧠
I’m always committed to my professional standards, but I promise to update them the moment new, significant science hits the journals. Here’s what I currently believe is the absolute truth when it comes to long-term health and fitness.
Muscle is Your Organ of Longevity 🚀
Forget thinking of muscle just as something that looks good or helps you lift things. Skeletal muscle is an active endocrine organ. It’s constantly talking to the rest of your body, releasing chemical messengers called myokines and exerkines that fight aging, manage inflammation, and keep your metabolism sharp. Building and keeping muscle is literally a strategy for a longer, healthier life. Researchers highlight how these signaling molecules released during muscle activity offer protective, anti-aging effects on the body, making exercise a novel therapeutic strategy.
Resistance Training is Your Non-Negotiable Foundation 🏆
No matter what corner of health or fitness you’re coming from—recovering from health obstacles, wanting to feel great, running marathons, or just looking to tone up—resistance training must be your absolute priority. It’s the most powerful intervention we have. Running is great, but lifting weights is life-saving. A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2022 showed that doing any amount of resistance training reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by a significant 15%. This benefit is independent of aerobic exercise.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.020
Train Smart: Structure & Progressive Overload 🗓️
You should be engaging in resistance training at least twice a week. But don’t just wing it! The magic happens when you respect the principles of progressive overload (gradually making it harder) and periodization (systematically changing your training over time). Ideally, you follow a structured program broken down into micro-, meso-, and macro-periods. Keep your workouts simple and repeatable. And if you choose a coach, pick one whose goal is to teach you to eventually be independent, not dependent. Studies comparing planned variation (periodization) versus non-periodized training found that periodized programs result in greater strength gains, confirming that a structured, varying approach is superior.
doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01636-1
Pilates is an Amazing Supplement (Not a Substitute) 🧘♀️
I might be the biggest advocate and fan of Pilates out there. It’s an amazing modality for practicing balance, stability, and control. It’s the perfect supplement to your resistance training! However, Pilates alone generally fails to provide the high mechanical load required to optimize maximal muscle strength and bone density. Use it as an enhancer, not the main event. While Pilates is highly effective for improving core endurance and balance, research often shows that traditional strength training is required for significant increases in bone mineral density (BMD)—a key factor in longevity that requires high-intensity mechanical stress.
Nutrition: Whole Foods and Protein First 🌱
The best way to eat is a whole-foods-focused diet with a low glycemic approach in mind. I want you to prioritize unprocessed proteins and plants. Remember: protein doesn’t naturally exist without some fat or fiber, so protein shakes, bars, and zero-fat yogurts are not whole foods—they are formulations. We’ve known for decades that smoothies, shakes, and juices are basically processed sugar with the fiber removed, spiking your insulin. We need to stop talking about them like they’re a health hack. The NOVA classification system defines ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as formulations that often use isolated substances and additives. High consumption of UPFs (which often includes refined/separated protein sources and sugary liquids) is consistently linked to poor diet quality and negative health outcomes.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100771
Time-Restricted Eating is Simple and Free ⌚
Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF)—or intermittent fasting—with a daily fasting window of 12–14 hours is generally safe for almost everyone, unless your doctor has advised against it. You don’t need to buy expensive apps or special products to do it! If you find yourself getting a headache in the fasting window, simply add a pinch of good quality salt to your water for electrolyte balance. Reviews show that TRF is a safe and well-tolerated strategy for weight management and improving metabolic health. A moderate fasting window is a practical, non-caloric approach to synchronize eating with the body’s circadian rhythms.
doi: 10.1007/s11154-020-09542-z
Listen to Current Science 🧑🔬
Always listen to scientists and fitness professionals who actually use current research. The key rule I learned in university is: don’t cite research older than five years. If an older finding is still the gold standard, the newer papers will be citing it anyway, confirming its relevance. We must respect that science is always evolving. This is a meta-guideline based on the academic peer-review process, ensuring that practitioners rely on the most up-to-date consensus and validated methodologies.
Physiology is Not One-Size-Fits-All 🚺
Let’s be real: much of the older research in exercise and sports nutrition was based only on male subjects. It might not sound “PC,” but male and female exercise physiology is different. This impacts everything from recovery needs and fuel utilization to training adaptations. Make sure you’re listening to a scientist or coach who understands these sex-based differences. Recent studies highlight sex-related physiological differences in response to high-intensity exercise, including metabolism, heart rate, and fatigue tolerance, underscoring the need for individualized, sex-aware programming.
doi: 10.1016/j.crphys.2025.100148
Consistency Trumps Perfection 🔄
Drop the idea of seeking perfection from day one in anything—your workouts, your diet, your sleep. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being relentlessly consistent. You don’t need a flawless week to make progress. When you prioritize consistency, the high quality (“perfection”) will eventually follow as you naturally refine your habits. Research on habit formation consistently shows that simple, repeated actions (consistency) are the significant predictors of successful long-term behavior change in exercise, as intensity can quickly lead to burnout and drop-off.
doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2501.01779
Be Curious! 🤔
Challenge me, challenge what you read, read the books, and search for the original studies. I can honestly tell you that when I coach clients, I can predict their long-term success rate based almost entirely on one factor: how curious they are. The clients who ask “why” and seek to understand the process are almost always the most successful. Curiosity is a psychological trait that drives intrinsic motivation (doing something because you genuinely want to), which self-determination theory confirms is far more powerful than extrinsic motivation (doing it for external rewards) for sustained behavior.