If you want to make sure that your efforts pay off and the lifestyle change works out for you, take the following 5 tips into consideration. Zsolt Madarász, Life1’s personal trainer knows what you go through. According to his experience, most clients seek help at the gym in the first weeks of January, and as the weeks proceed, he witnesses how and why they decide to give up on their plan. “You may encounter some bumps on the road to a successful lifestyle change, and that is demotivating” – he says. But it is not impossible, all you have to do is take Zsolt’s tips!

#1 Be realistic

One of the biggest and most common mistakes is when someone sets unreal goals. It is important that you know what you can achieve and focus on one goal at a time. Also, don’t forget to reward yourself after reaching a daily fitness goal.

#2 Work on your time management

A lifestyle change won’t come without new responsibilities: adding more physical activity to your life, trying a new, healthy diet (that might include conscious grocery shopping and more time spent in the kitchen), and organizing how to spend your active relaxation take time. It is a challenge to fit them all into your everyday life, and if you can’t manage it, you are destined to fail. A possible solution could be to get a calendar and write a to-do list.

#3 Be patient and imperceptible

Life1’s personal trainer says impatience is the worst enemy of those seeking a healthier lifestyle. They expect fast results because of their enthusiasm, and when they can’t see an immediate change, they get disappointed. Some of them even decide to give up on the whole transformation plan. Give yourself time, take small steps, be patient and you’ll get where you want to be.

#4 Be in the know

Before jumping into your new, healthy lifestyle, gather all the necessary information. Read informative books, visit reliable websites or talk to people that inspire you (friends, family members, colleagues), because they could help you with useful tips and share their experience. Finally, feel free to turn to professional dieticians, personal trainers who can save you time, money, and disappointment.

#5 Make it a source of joy

Probably the most important thing is that your lifestyle change should be fun and enjoyable. If you hate the process and only stick to it because it feels like an obligation, it won’t take you anywhere. Learn to cook healthy but flavoursome, pay attention to serving. Fresh, healthy, delicious nutrient meals can become your new guilty pleasure. Make cooking your creative hobby, because cooking well is a gift from life. Think about your workout routine the same way. Find what suits you, something that helps you both physically and mentally. It is up to you to discover the fun side of exercising, so try as many sports as you can.

Did we get you inspired? Do not hesitate to start a new, healthy lifestyle as soon as possible! Visit Life1 Fitness clubs, the first occasion is free between 1 and 20 January! Find all the necessary information online!

Gym Sessions

Enjoy the less-sultry-than-in-summer air in the gym, where you’ll feel pretty convenient running on the treadmill while it’s pouring outside. Invite your mates to make it more fun!

Swimming

Most Budapest districts boast an indoor swimming pool that’s worth visiting with a season ticket. A quick morning swim can lead to more balanced weekdays.

Court Sports

If you’re not into doing sports alone, convince your friends to rent a court once or twice a week. You can opt for squash, tennis, indoor football, basketball or volleyball.

Group Classes

You don’t enjoy team sports, but you’re not a lonely wolf either? Visit group classes such as aerobic, yoga, Pilates, Zumba or other dance classes.

If you don’t want money issues to stop you from getting active, get a student job! Y Generáció student employment agency got your back.

How did you get into pole fitness?

I’ve been interested in it for quite a while, but couldn’t find a pole fitness course in the neighbourhood. Once I’ve finally had the chance to try, it was love at first “touch and turn”. It gave me the experience of confidence and leisure, and helped me recharge my batteries. I can safely say that this occasional 1-hour did wonders; it was 60 minutes of me-time when I was not a mom or a wife. I was there for myself only. However, at times it was challenging since I was recovering from my C-section.

Was it hard to change your career path?

Surprisingly, there weren’t any significant obstacles, probably because I’ve always worked in positions where I had to deal with people. The only difficulty was to make up my mind whether to become an entrepreneur. Now I know it was the best decision I could have made, and I feel extremely lucky for doing what I love. I’m thankful for having a gorgeous son, a husband who’s been very supportive from the start, and parents who I can always rely on.

What kind of qualifications did you need to become an instructor?

Being a certified aerobics instructor would be enough, but I wanted to accomplish more to stand confidently and proudly in front of my students. Pole fitness is indeed a dangerous sport, at times students perform moves hanging upside down on the pole without using their hands. It is my responsibility to teach them the right techniques. Also, for me passion is just as important as the paper qualifications.

What kind of classes are available at your studio?

Pole fitness which gives you confidence, makes you stronger and shapes you. Classes are very versatile, we learn new moves at every single occasion. Doing flexibility work is also very important, therefore we have stretching classes too. It equals with a good workout and a great effort to prevent or reduce the severity of bodily injuries. Arial hoop on the other hand is a very elegant, feminine genre that creates the illusion of flying.

Is any kind of pre-training necessary?

In my opinion, persistency is what really counts. I’ve witnessed talented students giving up too early, and very driven practitioners going for the top. Considering past aerobic and fitness experiences, people who have done sports before always have an advantage, they might be more flexible, for instance. Despite that, I am motivating my students through my own experience: sports were always in my life in one form or another, but I haven’t got involved in them at a professional level. I truly suggest anyone to try pole fitness, it is something every person is capable of doing.

What makes a good instructor?

First and foremost, a good instructor knows what you are capable of, and makes you achieve the goals that were set for you. Believe me when I say, they help you break down those walls that only exist in your head. This is how I was able to do my first split at the age of 30, and do my back flip at 33 with the help of a pole. I admire and look up to my own trainer, Ákos Presinszki. Everything I know I learned from him.

Do you find it hard to maintain an ideal work-private life balance?

Unfortunately, I am a perfectionist, I work hard for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I don’t deny, it is very challenging at times; there are tears and torment behind success. As long as I see my child and my husband happy and know they are proud of me, I know I’m on the right track.

What is the training philosophy at Life1?

When creating our training programs, we always make health the #1 priority. With our assistance clients will achieve their fitness goals and improve their quality of life at the same time. Clients are welcome to join our joyful, energetic team, too. Other than getting them engaged in a systematic workout routine, they will experience the benefits of being part of a community. We promote the idea that it’s never late to start exercising. Our aim is to motivate clients at several fields of life not only by helping them boost their physical strength but also by inspiring them to live life to the fullest.

What are the most popular fitness goals your guests would like to achieve?

Fitness goals are determined after a motivational interview between trainer and trainee. A well-defined goal is always attainable. It’s important that the training program should adapt to the client’s lifestyle, not vica versa. Regardless of how great the training program is, it will never work if certain factors prevent our clients from fitting it into their lifestyle. A motivational interview is a great opportunity to find out more about their past regarding sports, former injuries, and eating habits.

When is the best time to work out?

It depends on the client’s lifestyle. After a stressful workday people probably won’t bring their A-game, and the trainer should be fast to recognize when to make changes in the exercise plan to avoid causing extra pressure.

What is the very first training like?

Clients go through a complex body analysis including Tanita Body Composition Scale that is supposed to measure muscle weight, body fat percentage, how much water the body stocks as well as how muscles and fat spreads around the body. A functional exercise scale is also used to detect any warning signs and to estimate movement competence.

Is the personal trainer’s presence always necessary?

After learning how to do certain exercises properly, clients can work out at home, too. What we are talking about now are breathing and mobilization exercises which trainers also suggest their clients to do as “homework”.

How often should one exercise with a personal trainer on a weekly basis?

Someone with an active lifestyle could come as much as three times a week, but for complete beginners 1-2 occasions are enough. It also depends on the client’s age and other factors. Personal trainers aim at making a noticeable change in their clients’ lifestyle, but it’s important to make enough time for relaxation, too.

How can personal trainers motivate their clients?

It is impossible to motivate someone who isn’t feeling it at all, and only do the exercises because of an external driving force. Instead, we can help those who really want to make a change.

Photos by: Krisztina Németh

Show your strength, put your body to test by competing at Heroes 2018! After a free trial you can get yourself down to business and stand on the start line, if you feel like. The winners of the competition (one male and one female) will take home 35 000 HUF each but the second and third runner-up will also be awarded with valuable gifts.

Schedule:

9.30 – 12.30: Test
11.00: Rezső Tatarek’s Ironbox Max training
13.00 – 17.00: Heroes Competition

Let’s meet on 16 September at Mom Sport Garden! Find all the necessary information here.

The track:

• Crawling: 20-meter distance, 40-50 centimetre height, under rope
• Monkey bars: 2.5-metre height, swinging car tires, forbidden to put the feet on the ground. Number of attempts: 3, if failed, do 10 giant stool jumps (with both feet).
• Jumping: Climb across the frame (you can only try once!).
• Tire bridge swing: step from one tire to another, without your feet touching the ground. Attempts: 3, if failed, do 10 giant stool jumps (with both feet)
• Above and below plank: climb over or below the plank.
• Negative plank: climb over a 2-metre high negative plank, use a rope
• OCR multi rig: 2.5-metre height, hang onto horizontal structure. Attempts: 3, if failed, do 10 giant stool jumps (with both feet)
• Big plank: Climb across a 2.5-metre high plank.

Life1 Allee Fitness awaits sport lovers from 8 September with a unique interior design, an abundance of natural lights, and a wide range of fitness services. You don’t even need to have a look at the gym’s opening hours, as it is open 24/7. On one hand, you can try the most modern pieces of Life Fitness’ cardio and strength training equipment, with the LFconnect mobile app measuring your performance and showing you if you have achieved the goals you set beforehand.

If you feel the need for professional help and continuous motivation, you can turn to the gym’s personal trainers who are eager to make your workouts more efficient, safer and more pleasant while helping you achieve your fitness goals. On the other hand, group class fans may opt to take part in 20 different types of classes, including yoga, spin and TRX. Three classes start every hour in the afternoon.

We are pretty sure that Life1 Allee Fitness will become the favourite gym of Buda’s youth really soon! Don’t miss out!

For further information, click here!

Stronglifts 5×5

Stronglifts 5×5 introduces you to the five basic weight-training exercises of which you need to do five, and repeat them five times. Its primary aim is to help you gain muscle, and it has been proven to work for many of its users, looking at the more than 10,000 five-star ratings. This app is for you if there’s a gym nearby your accommodation.

Alo Moves – Yoga Classes

The many-sided yoga can help you strengthen your skeletal muscles, get more flexible, say goodbye to your back pain, and learn how to do a proper headstand. Alo Moves’ more than 2,500 videos will help you reach whatever goal you have in mind. Start your mornings with a 5-minute practice, and you will be ready for the summer adventures ahead of you.

Six Pack in 30 Days

Although we don’t always believe the promises of a 30-day challenge, Six Pack in 30 Days makes you sweat for sure. The trainings last for 10-30 minutes, including varied exercises every day. What’s more, you can even browse the app for healthy recipes, as it has more than 100 of them.

Nike Training Club

Nike came up with an easy-to-use app that provides more than 175 workout plans for beginners, professional athletes and everyone in-between. The exercises may boost your weight loss or weight gain, but you can find useful tips for building your muscles, too.

Loose Belly Fat – Flat Stomach

Say goodbye to your belly fat with this app, and feel wonderful in your bikini! For 30 days, you need to complete 10-20-minute workouts planned by experts. The best thing is that you don’t need any equipment to do the exercises, only you and your soon-to-be-disappearing belly fat.

Andris’ Hints

My favourite thing to do: Watching the World Cup

Until 15 July I’ll for sure watch most of the World Cup matches. As I love soccer, and the atmosphere of the World Cups, I wouldn’t want to miss out on enjoying this special event. I can’t wait for the knockout stages and the finals to start, when everyone is on the streets, cheering for their teams in the crowd. I was saddened that the Dutch team couldn’t make it to the game this year, so I root for the dedicated teams of smaller nations.

Apart from the matches, I also like spending time with my friends by Lake Balaton. The perfect weekend includes good people, beach volleyball, fried hake and/or lángos.

My favourite place to be: Outdoors

During the summer months we all love outdoor places. My favourites range from Deák tér’s Akvárium, ruin bar Anker’t and Pontoon by the Danube to Budai Parkszínpad near Móricz Zsigmond körtér. As far as the World Cup games are concerned, I have to mention Szabadság tér, the ultimate place to watch sport events live.

When I feel I need some tranquillity away from the hustle of the city, I head to Czakó Kert, a hidden gem in Buda. It is perfect for chilled afternoons.

Bogi’s Hints

My favourite place to be: KHAN

Looking for something exotic, I visited KHAN a few months ago. The restaurant is located in a not-so-popular part of Újlipótváros (district XIII), hidden between towering blocks of flats. It had given exactly what I came for, so no surprise I became a regular. Entering the place, the authentic design attracts the visitor’s attention first which, together with the exciting dishes, take all the guests to Asia. KHAN has never disappointed me: it is a source of freshness presenting new tastes that blow my mind every time.

My favourite thing to do: Visiting markets

We’ve just started renovating our flat, so I like visiting the markets and fairs of Budapest nowadays. Everyone will find what they are looking for, as there are plenty of markets in the capital. Wandering around, you will see several creative ideas brought to life which may as well inspire you in decorating your home. On the other hand, I always find something that spices the interior up a bit, let it be a unique piece of furniture or a never-before-seen poster.

Dalma’s Hints

My favourite thing to do: Going to summer festivals

Summer comes hand in hand with the festival season which is my favourite time of the year. We always reunite with my friends to decide together which festivals we attend in the upcoming months. It doesn’t matter if we attend a festival for a week or just one day, we will feel liberated for sure. It makes you leave the monotonous weekdays behind, and you’ll just catch yourself having the time of your life. Anything can happen to you at a festival! I’ll for sure visit some this summer, too.

My favourite place to be: Double Shot

One of the coolest cafés of the city opened its second venue in Veres Pálné utca, just a few steps from Kálvin tér. Neon lights, sheer white walls (with a colourful graffiti on one of them), lush plants and vintage pieces of wooden furniture make the interior quite eclectic; I felt the laid-back vibes immediately after entering the space. Apart from the finest coffees, a nice range of modernized breakfast dishes are also available all day. Once there, you must try their signature ‘Partizán’ coffee, it’s a blast!

Let’s start at the beginning. What is street workout?

It is basically the modern version of gymnastics with looser constraints. In contrast with many competitive sports, it is not disadvantageous to start doing calisthenics in an older age. You can start practicing anytime. I developed my own training method and named it Gymnastics Method: it is based on gymnastics in many respects, as I have experience in the field.

Who is street workout for?

Anyone can start doing street workout anytime if they are properly prepared and persistent enough. When we do a particular exercise accurately on a regular basis, our body will adapt to it and make us able to succeed, without injuries. It is essential to start with the basics and patiently practice to reach the desired outcome.

What do you mean by basics? What are your workshops like?

It starts with body awareness development that is basically gymnastics with smaller isolation movements. It is necessary to realize how to gain control over your body and move it consciously. Additionally, we do joint mobility and stability exercises.

One of the most important exercises concerns scapula stability, as the scapula can be positioned in many ways and you have to use it distinctively with different movements in order to exert enough strength and protect the shoulders. Core stability is also crucial because of spine protection, power transmission and motor control. These areas are often neglected or trained incorrectly by many when they start working out.

What’s next? What are the basic exercises you begin with?

To steadily work on the whole body, we get going with basic bodyweight exercises, both horizontal and vertical pushing and pulling ones, push-ups, rowing and pull-ups. On top of these, we do core and leg workouts. A training program like this with three sessions a week brings rapid development. With basic strength as well as stabile and mobile joints, we can start working on such positions as the human flag or the handstand.

Some say that it is impossible to train the legs with bodyweight. What do you think?

I have to disagree. It is important to do various leg exercises with great intensity. If your squat is perfect, you can make movements that help you move each joint through its full range of motion, such as the single-leg squat or the Cossack squat that positions your hip, knee and thigh bone outward, compared to traditional squats. I need to add that for gymnasts muscular legs are unfavourable, as they are an extra weight which makes it harder to do the poses. As for me, I don’t find them attractive. The principal role of the legs is to help you explode up, for which they need to be fast and strong. Although they may not look like the legs of a bodybuilder, they can be nicely toned and proportionate to the rest of your body.

What is advisable to complement street workout?

In general, the more types of movements our body and nervous system know, the faster we develop. On the other hand, you can’t do all at once. It is advisable to practice the sports you like the most persistently, and once you reach your goals, you can start discovering new ones.

Obviously active holiday means something different to everyone, especially to extreme sport enthusiasts whose ideas might be totally out of this world. Füred Campsite and Holiday Home (located in Balatonfüred) is a great destination for them, but it also targets curious water sport admirers who want more than just lying on the beach while vacationing by the gorgeous lake, but haven’t got the guts before to challenge themselves. Füred Wake offers the chance to try something brand you, or perfection your water skiing and wakeboarding game.

Did you know? Füred Wake is the biggest campsite in the country that also functions as a sport complex where you can take kayaking, surf, SUP, and wakeboard lessons, among many others. The latter is actually quite popular nowadays, and a fun fact: it is considered to be the easiest of the board sports. Before you try your hand at it, learn the basics and some useful tricks on site! There’s really no more room for excuses, right?

The prices include the full equipment, the deckchairs and the use of the pier, where you can enjoy the moments of well-deserved relaxation. Are you ready for a challenge? Füred Campsite and Holiday Home is awaiting you with the adventures of a lifetime, put it on your summer bucket list!