I’ve been dancing almost all of my life, and with the performing culture, there has always been discussions and conversations about weight and appearance. But I have never been obsessed about it, neither had any issues with it mentally in my childhood or teenage years. And it has never been or is now a top priority of my life. BUT I must say that when I look good, then I feel good. It's that simple. When i’m toned and fit, I feel a lot better in my body. It’s as simple as that. I’ve never been skinny, always more athletic and in a normal weight Also since I was dancing at an early age, you move so much, so I never really paid attention to exercising more to lose weight nor eating less (and we didn’t have phones or computers to lock us on a sofa). But as you reach your 20s, your metabolism definitely changes, and I felt more with each year that it is not as easy to maintain a weight and to lose it, unless you start watching also what you eat. And at one point in my early 20s, I must admit I became a bit too obsessed with weight/looking skinnier than normal. I was in a dance group of 5 girls, and obviously you compare yourself to others and have to look a certain way to be on the stage. At least I thought I did. Of course at the time I was also a dance teacher, meaning I exercised at least 5-6 times per week. So I didn’t have to go running or do extra abs, as the dancing and the workouts and classes I gave were more than enough to keep me fit. But I did at those years with my very good friend Maili, start obsessing more about eating less to lose a few kilos (even though we were very fit already!), going to infrared saunas and skipping meals and of course taking supplements and drinking green tea to an unhealthy level when I look back at it now. I was weighing maybe 51kg or 52kg at one point and even the girls from my dance group started telling me - you’re looking too skinny. And the worst is - I didn’t feel I looked that skinny, I thought I look ok. And obviously I wasn't feeling that good as I was mentally obsessing about it too much. Fortunately, that time didn’t last very long, as when we stopped performing with our group and took some downtime from dancing on stage, I let go of this idea of always having to look a certain way. And also since we didn’t have to dance anymore, we were free to go out and enjoy the nightlife ourselves for the first time in our lives! As I think there’s a big misconception about the dancers partying and drinking every time they perform, but we actually never were - as we normally performed choreographed shows, so you really have to be aware of yourself and also we were very responsible, plus driving with any kind of alcohol consumption in Estonia is completely prohibited.
After quitting dancing, I’ve always been around 56-58kg and to be honest I don’t want people to be even obsessing about any weight or number nor think you have to be in a certain weight, as it matters more that you’re feeling good, feeling strong, to be in a healthy relationship with your body, love and cherish it and what I do recommend is that you workout, build some muscle and get fit and work on your mobility and felixibility. These are actually my goals now. Also when I exercise I also FEEL good, all the endorphines and happy hormones are so necessary so there are so many benefits to working out - it’s for the body and mind. And for your spirit and soul, if you practice yoga, meditation etc.
But after living in Spain with the best wine and cheese, and having 2 babies my weight went up to 68 or close to 70, which was obviously over my normal weight and it’s like I said before - it’s not how much you weight, it’s how you feel in your body. And honestly, I didn’t feel good, I didn’t feel strong, but I also didn’t stress myself about it too much - as I always knew after giving birth and recuperating I can start working out again and get back in shape again. So when you’re going through a pregnancy and you’re breastfeeding, it's ok to enjoy this time and it's ok not stress or worry about your weight. Obviously it’s recommended to eat healthy whole foods, but you don’t need added stress of a restricted diet on top of an already stressful time in your life as you’re getting little sleep and your body is recovering from all the hormonal and physical changes. And of course it would be great if you could have help and find time to workout, but if you can’t, then take your free hour and sleep - you need that so much more than that six pack! I chose to work through some of the free hours i had, but I can’t say I regret it, you just live and learn through these experiences. Just like the year has 4 seasons, I believe our lives also have seasons and everything has its own place and time.
But what I did do during both of my pregnancies and before and after was commit to Pilates with Millie (aka Pocket Pilates), which has definitely help me avoid all the back pain I hear all the mums have, plus build back my abs after diastis recti. Pilates is also so so great for building that mind-body connection, strengthening and lengthening the whole body and it really helps to take care of your spine. As all the mums to be or the mums with babies all struggle with backpain, but I’m 100% sure because of Pilates I never had any back issues!
But let’s be honest just pilates is not going to get you back in shape - you need more than that. And also everyones goals are different and so are our bodies and capabilities. I have genetically always been very athletic and muscle definition comes quite easily - it’s just the way that I am. Thank you mum and dad for the genes! And i definitely don’t want to give anyone advice or exact guidelines on what to do to lose weight or to get shape as first, I’m not a doctor or a personal trainer, but what I do know is my own body and my digestion and what my body needs to look and feel good. And most importantly I’ve learned to LISTEN to my body as well as honoring also my cycle. But I must say that eating and looking good, makes me feel good in every way. When I eat unhealthy and I don’t work out I just don’t feel good and I don’t look good either.. these things just go hand in hand for me. And they’re both addictive in a way - the more I eat unhealthy food the more I want it - and the less you exercise the lazier you get. And vice versa. And now as social media is spreading the word as well we all know the health benefits (not just physical but also mental) of exercising. And I honestly feel how exercising impoves my mood, you just have to find what kind of workouts do you like.
I don’t believe in diets, as it’s temporary, it also causes stress on your body etc (I do love occasional detox plans or fasting or cleansing the liver) but what I believe is trying to adopt the most healthy eating habits for yourself and finding the balance with all the naughty processed foods. Yes, I still eat a croissant every now and then and some cheese and chips, but I don’t eat them every day. And definitely the amounts or portions of food that I eat is the most important for me, and listening to your body when you’re full and when you’re hungry. I never force myself to eat, and I’ve never eaten or like to eat breakfast, so I guess I’ve always been an intermittent fasting kind of girl. But again not every day is the same. When I’m oluvating or a week before, I might get huge cravings and then I do eat what I feel like eating. But then I make sure I get my steps in and don’t eat the same every day 3x a day. And when you lose weight slowly, you also know it will stay off. You can starve yourself for a week, but then eat it all back the next week and just make yourself and your body miserable and confused. I was around 68-70 kg in September 2022, 4 months after my second baby was born, and then September 2023 I weighed 56kg, which I still am today. But obviously same weeks maybe between 56-58kg, it’s totally normak to go up and down maybe a kg here and there, and I don’t weigh myself daily, maybe weekly or bi-weekly, but i just feel how my clothes fit me and if I gain a bit of weight, I’ll instantly feel it in my clothes. I also do the body fat test, as like I said before it’s not just about the weight - we should be of course in our normal BMI range - mine is 20, so it’s perfectly within the bmi of a normal weight (Normal weight = 18.5–24.9). But my body fat was 24,5% when i weighed 64.5kg and now it’s around 20-22%, which is again in the normal range that is 20-27%. The point of this blog post is not to make yourself feel bad about your weight or %, we are all different and come in different shapes and sizes - but I do believe we should be in the healthy range as at least my goal is to keep healthy and fit until a very old age and also to be a role model for my kids. And of course I emphasize the fact that I just feel so much better and stronger in my body! How can i expect them to eat healthy and workout when I’m too lazy to do that? And for me it’s also about loving and honoring your body and giving it the best care that it needs and deserves.
So here are the things I did and used to get back in shape:
- I wrote down my goals of how much I’d like to lose or if you’d like to build more muscle, be more flexible write it all down! But as I believe in manifesting, I wrote it in a present tense with dates on the side - like I’ll weigh this much in January etc. and I did lose around a kg each month which is 0,25 per week more or less). It works!
- I carry around healthy snacks & water where I add minerals
Snacks such as carrot sticks, apples, chicken snacks etc, so when I’m starving I won’t go and indulge in something I’ll regret later. And you know what they say - if you’re hungry, but don’t want to eat an apple, are you really hungry? There is a lot of unconscious emotional eating around i think..
- I don’t buy temptation foods for home. No temptation, no problem.
- I listen to my body and I don’t overeat.
- I opt for a healthy option when eating out 70% of the time.
- I wear tight (not crazy tight) clothes especially when i’m at home. The more I wear baggy clothes the more I’m unaware of your body annd the more you’re hiding it - at least that worked for me.
- I tried not to eat too late in the evening. If i’m going to sleep 22, i would eat my last meal 18 max 19.
- I don’t drink coffee, just a ecological decaf or maybe a black tea once a week.
- I also love herbal teas.
- I also recommend to do a blood test and vitamin, heavy metals etc test to see if you’re body is missing something - sometimes you might be craving for something and there can be a reason for that.
- workout!!! Mix up the trainings, don't just do one type of exercise. I also started to do more cardio and running, which I actually really hated before, but with the Nike Run app I started to do coached runs and they were amazing and I don’t run a lot maybe once or twice a week and not for long distances either - just do as you feel but even intervals of running on the treadmill are more helpful in getting that sweat out, than just walking the 10.000 steps. I started to workout with the lovely trainer Julio Escobar at Holistic House (next to Marina Banus in Puerto Banus) doing the killer Barre classes, then also at I/O Gym, which is so beautiful and it’s pure joy just going there!
- I also alternate workouts - I do my weekly pilates, then maybe a WOD in my gym in San Pedro or an Abs class or i run 20 minutes or sometimes I use the Nike training app and choose a workout from there.
- get a training partner and share your tips, thoughts, recipes etc it always helps!
- I eat everything but in moderation - red meat the least probably, because I just don’t fancy it, some chicken, once a week maybe fish, also legumes, I love love love cabbage and all the greens and kale etc. But that doesn’t mean I eat it plain - a salad is only as good as its dressing and I always find great new recipes from Pinterest - you can follow my Healthy & Happy food board for some food inspiration. Another thing I don’t eat as much is dairy - I use plant based protein milk in my coffee and smoothies and yes I do have cheese sometimes, but not every day. I believe that the future of nutrition is a personalised plan - mayebe for you a vegan diet is how you feel the best but my main advice from my experience is to listen to your body, follow your cycle and find out what is behind the cravings - is it even physical or is it emotional?
What is your best tip in keeping fit and healthy?
