Michel Zwiers is the club manager at Happy Bodies in Sassenheim, a perfect fit for him because of his passion for fitness and personal development. In this blog post, Michel explains why he chose Happy Bodies and the unique approach that sets it apart from other sports concepts.

From lifestyle coach to club manager

Since May 2023, I've been the club manager at Happy Bodies Sassenheim. Before taking on this role, I worked there for almost five years as a lifestyle coach. Over the years, I worked my way up to the position of manager, a role that suits me perfectly. I've always had the ambition to grow and lead a sports and lifestyle club. Working at Happy Bodies doesn't feel like work; it's more like a passion. I love being so involved in sports and wellness. It also helps, of course, that I know all the members personally.

Why Happy Bodies?

Choosing Happy Bodies was quite a coincidence. My mother was having lunch with my sister when she ran into Michael, my current employer. He was looking for a new lifestyle coach, and I was currently studying at the ALO (Academic College of Applied Sciences). From our first meeting, I felt a great connection, and I've been associated with Happy Bodies ever since.

A unique approach to fitness

Happy Bodies distinguishes itself through its personal approach; guidance is our top priority. We offer not only support but also motivation, because we notice that people sometimes experience a dip in their fitness or lose sight of their goals. But what truly makes our club special is the atmosphere. We often hear, even from older athletes, that it feels like a warm welcome, which is, of course, a wonderful compliment. People feel seen here, but not watched. Unlike many other gyms, which are full of large mirrors, ours has a homey atmosphere. Everyone can do their own thing, but if they're looking for social contact, that's also possible. Just grab a coffee or tea and join us at the coffee table. It makes us just that little bit more sociable.

The Milon Circle: A Revolution in Fitness

A key component of the Happy Bodies concept is the Milon Circle. What we love about the Milon Circle is that it makes exercising simple and accessible to everyone. It's a fully automated circuit training program that takes just 35 minutes and incorporates both strength and cardio elements. This makes it ideal for a wide range of fitness goals. Whether you want to build muscle mass, lose weight, improve your cardiovascular health, or simply work on your overall fitness, the Milon Circle makes it possible. The system is computer-controlled, which greatly enhances its user-friendliness. Each member receives a personalized wristband that stores all relevant data, allowing everyone to work at their own level and achieve their own goals. Another major advantage is the safety of the training. An advanced body scan ensures that all equipment is perfectly adjusted to the individual, ensuring you always receive the correct workout.

Beyond the Circle

At Happy Bodies Sassheim, in addition to the Milon circle, we also work with free exercises, which we perform in the functional training zone. I've noticed our members really appreciate this. The variety in exercises keeps the workouts interesting. This also allows us to help our members specifically with their personal goals, such as improving mobility, flexibility, and balance. Things are going really well here at the club, and that's wonderful to see.

Get started today

Want to know more about how to exercise effectively by training twice for 35 minutes every ten days, under the guidance of your own personal lifestyle coach? Then take the membership test and sign up for a free personal introductory meeting and tour of the club. We bet you'll be sold right away!

For many, the end of the year is a time for reflection and setting new goals. This is the perfect time to say goodbye to old stress and look for ways to start the new year feeling relaxed. In this blog post, Rémon Koetje, Lifestyle coach and trainer at Happy Bodies in Alkmaar, explains how regular exercise contributes to a healthy mind in a vital body. Say goodbye to stress and go for a relaxed 2024.

Stress occupational disease number 1

A fact sheet from TNO shows that workplace stress is the number one occupational disease, and that more than a million people are at risk of burnout or other work-related mental health conditions each year. Absenteeism due to work stress accounted for a staggering 11.1 million days in 2022, costing €3.1 billion. Other common causes of stress include health problems, traumatic events, or major life changes, such as moving, having a child, or changing jobs.

The paradox of active relaxation

Exercise might seem like a counterintuitive way to relax, but don't be fooled! When you exercise, your body triggers the release of endorphins, also known as "happy hormones." This powerful chemical in your brain elevates your mood, relieves pain, and… yes, reduces stress. I'm not saying everyone experiences a euphoric feeling after a workout. But believe me, a good workout will relax you more than a large glass of wine or a bar of chocolate. It certainly contributes to a more relaxed and positive outlook on life.

Plenty of reasons not to exercise

The biggest obstacle to exercising often isn't a lack of willpower. Many people find it difficult to fit exercise into an already stressful life filled with work, study, family responsibilities, and social obligations. Fatigue is also a common reason for not exercising. And if you're already stressed, you certainly don't feel like going to a gym surrounded by shiny bodies and incomprehensible equipment. But there is hope!

Exercise on your terms

Short, focused sessions can—if done right—be just as effective as hours at the gym. Our efficient approach with the Milon Circle is specifically designed to train your entire body in just two 35-minute sessions every ten days, fully tailored to your personal needs and fitness level. At Happy Bodies, you train in an environment that feels like a second home. This can make a huge difference in how you feel during, but also after, your workout. Our personalized guidance ensures you feel supported, even during stressful times in your life. In short, nothing stands in the way of you, just like Gerda, taking a moment to clear your head. Because exercise not only works your muscles but also brings peace of mind.

According to research organization TNO, no fewer than 1.2 million Dutch employees suffered from burnout symptoms in 2020. Anyone who has ever had a burnout knows what it feels like. You are extremely tired, and the smallest activity costs too much energy. Exercising – or moving at all – is often the last thing on your mind. Yet it can save you. Femke Vonk exercised her way out of her burnout: 'Take it easy, then the line won't break, but keep going. That's how I came back to myself step by step.'

Cry, cry, cry

Anyone who has had a burnout will recognize that feeling of 'just let me lie with my head under the covers, I'm not doing anything today'. It was about ten years ago when I – emotionally from one day to the next – could no longer do anything. Crying was about the only thing I could still do. My manager and I had been in conflict for years, and I had the feeling that I would never get out of it. The company doctor sent me home: burnout.

Burnout is not a mental problem

At first I thought: great, now I can cycle all day! But it wasn't that simple. With burnout there is an imbalance in your stress mechanism. It is therefore not a psychological problem, but a physical problem, as we read for example on the website of CSR, expertise center stress & resilience. The stress hormones therefore continue to circulate in your blood and that causes damage, in your brain, but also in your body. If you start doing endurance sports like crazy or throw weights around like you're Arnold Schwarzenegger, it doesn't get any better. You only produce even more stress hormones. It makes sense that for me, cycling for half an hour felt like I had completed the Tour de France.

Rest will save you

If you have a burnout, you recover less quickly. That does not mean that you should not exercise, on the contrary, but that you should take your recovery capacity into account. I replaced cycling with a quiet walk. Twenty minutes was more than enough in the beginning. Enjoy the wind - or even the rain - in the park and then go home. Once home, it is important to calm your stress hormones. Lie down and consciously try to relax, in order to recover well again. So I slowly built that up to an hour of quiet walking.

Only 35 minutes of exercise

If you can walk for an hour at a time, then it's time for the next cautious step. The gym. One problem, I hate gyms. Sweaty men with a powerlifting belt, those mirrors, loud music and trainers who egg you on. It was never my favorite place, but with such an overstimulated mind and body... Give my portion to Fikkie. Fortunately, Happy Bodies is different. A calming tune, a friendly atmosphere and personal guidance by skilled coaches who also know how to deal with a burnout. And of course the Milon circle: a fully automatic circle with fitness equipment on which you train your entire body in 35 minutes. You don't have to think about anything, just work on your body for half an hour. This way you slowly build up your recovery capacity.

Stars from the sky

It really took a year before I recognized myself again. In the meantime, my recovery capacity is back to what it was and I cycle like a star. The great thing is that the Milon circle 'grows' with you. If you get stronger and fitter, the Milon adapts to that. That way you keep making progress.

Huub Hoogeveen is an entrepreneur with a busy schedule. For him, physical activity is synonymous with relaxation. Because a team sport is difficult to fit into such a busy life, Huub started looking for an individual sport. Four years ago, he found Happy Bodies in Alkmaar. In this blog post, he explains why he enjoys it so much.

Clear your head

I'm the co-founder of the real estate agency MooiHuys and also manage project sales and consulting for Easy Living Portugal. This means I have a busy life and have to juggle a lot of things. Physical activity is synonymous with relaxation for me. It allows me to truly clear my head. I'm passionate about team sports, especially volleyball, but that's difficult to achieve with my busy schedule.

Exercising when it suits me

To stay fit, I started looking for a good fitness center. That way, I can work out whenever it suits me. Sometimes that's early in the morning, other times in the afternoon or evening. I'd already been introduced to large fitness centers through volleyball, but they weren't for me. I found Happy Bodies in Alkmaar on Facebook. I took the plunge and made an appointment. I did tell them right away that I wasn't really into the equipment. Before joining, I wanted to try a class, and that was no problem at all.

Log in and get started

It took some getting used to, but I've been training three times a week for about four years now. Those 35 minutes are manageable; I can always fit them into my schedule. What's also really nice is that I log in and the machines are immediately set up correctly, for my height and training level. No more messing around with barbells and weights that someone else has left behind. Everything is perfect. The trainers also know exactly what their members need. Some people really need motivation, which I don't need, and they know that. But it's great that they're there, that they provide guidance where needed. Yes, they really know their stuff, and that's nice.

Jack-of-all-trades Gert Jan Straatsma knows better than anyone what a busy life is like. Besides being a franchisee of six Happy Bodies locations, he's also an international sales manager at Online in Europe and the father of three grown children. Yet, he's convinced that everyone can incorporate exercise into their lives: "Doing nothing isn't an option; we've learned that over the past two years. With just two 35-minute workouts every ten days, you can easily get and stay fit." In this blog post, Gert Jan explains why the Happy Bodies formula works so well.

Interesting formula

A good friend of mine owned four gyms using the Milon circle. He was looking for a partner in my area to open four more locations. I'm active myself—golf and mountain biking—but as an entrepreneur, my background is in telecom, not the sports industry. Still, I found it interesting from a commercial perspective. We started exploring and discovered the Happy Bodies franchise model. We liked the idea of having them take care of everything from the formula and back office to the administration and brand building. After a few positive conversations, we took the plunge. Together, four entrepreneurs now run six Happy Bodies locations: in Leusden, Amersfoort Emiclaer, Utrecht Leidsche Rijn, Veenendaal, Ede, and Almere Poort.

Nice to be part of a group

We opened the branches in early 2019. After four months of operation, we had to close again. That caused some headaches. That's when you see the added value of the Happy Bodies formula. With all Happy Bodies branches, we've developed a very strong plan that has allowed us to limit the damage. Yes, at times like these, you're truly grateful to be part of such a group of smart and hardworking entrepreneurs, and that we can leverage each other's expertise and strengths.

Efficient training in two 35-minute sessions every ten days

The Happy Bodies formula is specifically aimed at people who don't feel at home in a traditional gym. It's a place for everyone: fit or less fit, underweight, overweight, with or without disabilities, everyone is welcome. Not only are our coaches highly trained, but our equipment—the Milon Circle—also ensures everyone can exercise safely. The Milon Circle is truly the core of our six locations, and it's our sole focus. This way, people can work on their health with two 35-minute workouts every ten days, under proper supervision. There's absolutely no need to work on your abs five times a week. That's not realistic, especially if you have a busy life. But doing nothing about your health isn't an option either. The past two years have taught us that.

Up until the age of 40, most people feel immortal. This is not so strange, because chronic diseases hardly occur under the age of 40. However, the run-up to these chronic diseases starts at a young age, when you can still take on the whole world. In this blog, we investigate how a preventive health check can make you the conductor of your own health again.

Health check

A health check is a test to check how healthy you are. You are healthy when you: “Are in a state of complete well-being, in which there is no physical injury or disease.” Importantly, this concerns preventive health that is not currently causing any problems.

Why should you do a health check?

A health check catches problems at an early stage. Of course, you can't prevent everything, there's also a factor of bad luck. But in most cases, early detection of health problems means that you positively change the final stages of these diseases. That is to say, they are less serious. Vincent Bastiaans, a movement scientist at the expertise centre for health, sports and work HAN SENECA, says: "If you check the status of someone's health and how that health is developing in a reliable, good and valid way, then we catch many problems". An additional advantage is that you ultimately reduce healthcare costs. A point of criticism from healthcare, for example, is that it increases the pressure on healthcare, because you get people for treatment sooner in the short term. However, the treatment trajectories become shorter, according to Vincent Bastiaans.

Type of health check

Health checks come in all shapes and sizes. From measuring your height and weight, calculating BMI, filling out questionnaires to an InBody scan at Happy Bodies. You can of course measure everything, but the most important indicators for your health are:

• Check your lifestyle
• Check your cholesterol; and
• Check your blood pressure.
• Check your blood sugar levels.

Health Netherlands

The Netherlands has many chronically ill people. Of all people over 40, 50% even have a chronic disease. The biggest culprits are:

• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular diseases
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Cancer
   

Add to that the fact that 50% of the Netherlands is overweight and a significant part of that is even obese. A large part of the chronic diseases can be traced back to that. Overweight can be traced back to our consumer society combined with a sedentary existence. We already wrote about this last week, with a few steps a day you can already achieve enormous health benefits.

The solution

The good news is that you can prevent 80% of the chronic diseases with a healthy lifestyle. Sports are a perfect remedy for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. At Happy Bodies we are happy to be part of the solution. Focused on the 40+ to grow old fit and vital. No, you do not have to exercise 5 times a week. Once every 5 days is enough.