Ever heard of sarcopenia and dynapenia? Chances are you haven't. They're the culprits behind the loss of muscle mass and strength as we age. It's a fact that inactive people start losing muscle mass as early as age 30. It's estimated that three to five percent of muscle mass is lost every ten years. But no need to panic! In this blog post, you'll learn how to combat sarcopenia and feel ten years younger again.

Strength training is essential

Sarcopenia is an age-related decline in muscle mass, according to the Voeding & Beweging NU website. Dynapenia is an age-related loss of muscle strength only. Reading it this way, it almost seems a given that you lose muscle mass and strength as you get older. Fortunately, there's good news: something can be done about it. Strength training is essential for preventing muscle loss or regaining lost muscle mass and strength. You don't have to go to the gym three times a week and spend time among sweaty bodies. Two 35-minute workouts every ten days can make a huge difference. And the best news: it doesn't matter if you have physical complaints; strength training is accessible to everyone.

More positive effects of strength training

Strength training has other positive effects. For example, it helps reduce the risk of other common (age-related) diseases. Think, in particular, of metabolic complaints: excess weight, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and high blood sugar. By regularly doing strength training, you'll not only feel stronger but also more energetic. Your body will have more energy, and it will become easier to perform daily activities, just as Janne-Mieke Loeffen previously wrote in her blog. And more energy, isn't that what we all want?

In 2021, more than half of Dutch people aged four and older did sports once a week or more, according to the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. That number will remain roughly the same until 2030, although there will be a shift towards more individual sports. Whether and why you go to the gym obviously depends on individual preferences and needs, but as far as we are concerned, there are five urgent reasons to cancel your gym membership in 2023. And finally start working on your body in a way that is actually fun, of course.

1. You hate big mirrors

The average gym is characterized by walls full of large mirrors. This way all athletes can take a good look at themselves. However, not everyone is happy to be confronted with their own reflection during exercise. You have just conquered the mirror in the fitting room, you still have to believe it in the gym. Don't do it again!

2. You don't like upbeat music with 140 beats per minute

Music seems to increase the enjoyment of exercising, preferably with a sky-high number of beats per minute. There are even playlists that have been scientifically proven to provide maximum motivation to get the most out of your workout. But what if you get a headache just thinking about that blasting music? Then you definitely shouldn't go to the gym.

3. You don't have the money for an expensive personal trainer

Of course, you will achieve the best results with a personal trainer, but for many people that is unaffordable – especially in these times of inflation. A no-go!

4. Shiny bodies are not for you

The gym can be an awkward or intimidating environment with all those shiny, pumped-up bodies, especially if you feel a little insecure about your fitness or condition.

5. You don't want to become Schwarzenegger

In the average gym, all those shiny bodies stand in front of those big mirrors throwing weights. The goal? To build muscle mass and increase muscle strength. If you don't want to look like a real Hulk, then you should definitely not do that.

But then what?

At Happy Bodies you won't find rooms full of shiny bodies and exciting equipment, but a special fitness formula for people with little time and where attention, customer experience and results are paramount. The rousing music has made way for calm background music and the large mirrors have been exchanged for a homely atmosphere with a cozy coffee table. And... you get personal guidance, without the price tag of a personal trainer.

As a pilot, Willem van Meel has a busy schedule and an irregular life. To maintain his health, he trains at Happy Bodies in Heemstede. Willem: "Training at Happy Bodies is not only very efficient, but the guidance is also very professional." In this blog post, Willem shares his experience with Happy Bodies.

Irregular life and exercise: a challenge

In daily life, I'm a pilot, I live with my partner, and I have two children. That not only makes my life busy, but it's also very irregular. That's my biggest challenge, especially when it comes to exercising. When I get back from a flight on Sunday, I basically do nothing; I don't want to think about exercising. But I do try to get back to work the day after I get home. My goal is to work out at least twice a week at Happy Bodies in Heemstede and a third time somewhere else, anywhere in the world.

Combining the Milon Circle with small-group training

I train once a week in the Milon Circle and do a small-group training session once a week. This involves one-on-one training alongside the Milon Circle. The Milon Circle is done independently, which I can do anytime Happy Bodies is open. I do have to make an appointment for the small-group training, but I usually know my schedule a few weeks in advance, so I schedule it then. And they're short, intensive workouts, so I can always fit them in.

Good guidance

The support at Happy Bodies is very professional. In the beginning, I needed more guidance than I do now. Now I know how everything works, and the support mainly involves the one-on-one training sessions and weigh-ins. Sometimes my schedule gets adjusted a bit, but the one I'm following now seems effective, so we'll happily continue with it.

Injury-free sports

At other gyms, I struggled with not knowing how to do the exercises properly. This increases the risk of injury and results. At Happy Bodies, you're closely monitored, there are regular weigh-ins, and you receive sound advice. If the program isn't delivering what it should, it's adjusted. With the Milon Circle, the training equipment is automatically adjusted to your body, allowing everyone to train without the risk of injury.

At Happy Bodies, we can certainly say that working out with us is different from a massive, budget-friendly gym, but is that really true? In this blog post, Gerda Posch, 71 and one of the first members of Happy Bodies in Haarlem-Noord, explains what makes Happy Bodies so different from other gyms.

Just clear your head

I'm 71 years old, have a daughter and a son, and five grandchildren aged 24, 22, 17, 15, and 12. There's something beautiful about every age. The two oldest have grown into wonderful adults, the 17-year-old is becoming a real man, and the 15 and 12-year-olds are also developing well. I'm a happy person. I've been exercising for as long as I can remember. Well, let's be honest: when my husband died, I took a break for six years. But one day I woke up and thought: no, Ger, this sitting still isn't for you, from now on you're going to get back to exercising. Since then, I've been busy again, and I love it. Regular exercise not only helps you build good fitness, it also makes me feel better, both physically and mentally. When my head is full, I enjoy exercising: it clears my head.

At Happy Bodies everyone can be themselves

When I started working out again, I initially went back to the gym around the corner. It was nice and close. But once I started there, I thought: this isn't for me anymore. The guys there helped me tremendously, but they're all bodybuilders, and those girls, they walk around there pretending to be pretty, but they don't do anything. I really need proper support, and I simply don't get that at a regular gym. A few girls who live nearby recommended I check out Happy Bodies. I did, and I immediately felt: this is what I'm looking for! At Happy Bodies, everyone is welcome and can be themselves—old, young, fat, thin, small, tall—it doesn't matter. The coaches are attentive and always ready to help if something isn't working or isn't clear. It's a truly warm and welcoming place at Happy Bodies.

Back in top form

At one point, I broke an arm and a leg. When I was allowed to start rehab, I told the physiotherapist I was working out at Happy Bodies. He said, "They're good! I'll give you a note, so you can continue your rehab there. If it doesn't work out, come back to me." The coaches gave me extra exercises and helped me get back to my old self. I did see my physiotherapist again at some point, just to be sure. He tested me and thought I was in top form for my age. I was very happy about that.

Come on, Ger, just go!

I'm a fan of the Milon circle. The fourth exercise is the cross trainer, which I don't really like. I have asthma, and when I'm on that machine, I get out of breath very quickly. That's the only exercise I stop a bit early. I spend 45 minutes on the Milon circle, and I do that twice a week, after which I do some stretching. Once a week, I do some other exercises. I like it this way, and I'll keep doing it as long as I can. Of course, sometimes I don't feel like it, but then I tell myself, "Come on, Ger, get lost, just go!" When I'm done, I can take on the world again.

Janne-Mieke Loeffen, club manager of Happy Bodies Uden, has one great passion: keeping people fit. Want to regain the same energy as your children? Then you've come to the right place. In this blog post, she explains why the Happy Bodies concept helps her pursue her passion.

Passion for keeping people fit

I've been working in the sports world since 1990. Initially, I spent many years as a sports instructor. I taught group classes about 17 hours a week, but when I turned fifty, I started wondering if my body could handle another twenty years. But yes, keeping people fit is my passion. In 2017, I decided to start working as a personal trainer. The tricky part is that when someone starts personal training, you have to assess which weights are optimal for which exercises.

Two hands

At some point, I was introduced to the Milon Circle, a fully automated circuit with fitness equipment where you can train your entire body in six 35-minute workouts per month. Before someone starts working out, the Milonizer scans their body based on biometric markers. This ensures that all the equipment is automatically set correctly during the workout, regardless of age or any physical ailments. Ideal! When my partner, Paul van der Koevering, started as a franchisee with Happy Bodies in Uden and Schijndel in 2018, I was given the opportunity to work as club manager at the Uden location. Naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Unique training plan for each member

There are other concepts on the market that claim to train the entire body in a few short sessions a week, but everyone works with the same training plan. What's so unique about Happy Bodies is that everyone has their own unique training plan. This allows you to truly challenge each member. Everything is tracked, so you can easily see their progress. Everyone, from children to seniors, can train with us, regardless of the challenge.

More energy

That challenge can be different for everyone. One person wants to lose weight, another wants more strength, and a third wants more energy. A common wish is that people want to have the same energy as their children. In that case, a program is developed specifically aimed at increasing energy. This means we combine strength and endurance in interval training. The strength training is done eccentrically. Most strength training sessions are concentric, meaning you do strength exercises that shorten—and therefore strengthen—the muscles. For example, you lift a weight and quickly lower it on the way back, which requires little to no effort. With eccentric strength training, you hold the weight back on the way back. The muscle then lengthens again because it has to work to resist the opposing force of gravity. This training method speeds up your metabolism, which results in a higher afterburn, and together, it produces more energy. Two 35-minute workouts every ten days! Ideal, right?

When we talk to women about strength training, we often hear that they are afraid of getting huge muscles. Ladies, rest assured, you do not have enough muscle-building hormones to look like Schwarzenegger. By doing strength training you not only become physically stronger, you also gain more self-confidence and it helps prevent all kinds of diseases and ailments. In this blog we give you five reasons to start using iron. Especially as a woman.

1. Better posture

We sit a lot these days. Especially now that working from home has become completely accepted, we roll from one Teams meeting to the next Google Meet and we don't even have to move from meeting room to meeting room. The ideal recipe for poor posture and neck, shoulder and back complaints. Strength training helps you improve your posture. Of course, this won't happen overnight, but it does provide a long-term and permanent solution. A stronger core ensures that you have a better posture all day long. Do you suffer from chronic back pain? Then there is also a good chance that you will suffer less from your pain by doing strength training.

2. More positive self-image

In Psychology Magazine we read that research shows that sports is an effective way to get a more positive self-image. Strength training leads to greater satisfaction than cardio. Strength training even appears to be a good addition to the treatment of depression, as research has shown.

3. Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

Exercise reduces the risk of glucose intolerance, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, writes epidemiologist Esmée Bakker in her dissertation, for which she will receive her doctorate on 4 March at Radboudumc. You really don't have to spend hours on the irons for that: if you do strength training for less than an hour a week, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is reduced by almost thirty percent. Quite an effect.

4. More self-confidence

To stay with Schwarzenegger, in his book Total Recall he wrote: 'Strength training is the best way to work on better self-confidence.' If you train under good guidance, you will see progress with every strength training, which is not the case with any other sport. You will not only become physically stronger, the dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin that are produced during strength training also make you happier. Strength training stimulates the production of, the hormones that make you feel good.

5. It helps prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes

Diabetes type 2 is caused by being overweight, eating too much and too much fat or not exercising enough, in combination with a hereditary predisposition. You can do little about this hereditary predisposition, but you can do the rest. According to the Nutrition Centre, you can reduce the risk of diabetes type 2 by avoiding sugary drinks, eating limited red meat and processed meat such as cold cuts, eating lots of whole grain products, vegetables and fruit and including yoghurt in your daily diet. But there is more you can do. Scientists have discovered that people with diabetes can also benefit from regular weightlifting or strength training. Research in the Internal Journal of Cardiology even shows that strength training can be more beneficial for regulating blood sugar levels than cardio in people with diabetes type 2. The best results are achieved – of course – when strength training is combined with cardio.

Marianne Filius (63) has been a passionate athlete at Happy Bodies Heemstede for about seven years. What's special is that Marianne has osteoporosis. This doesn't stop her from continuing to enjoy her workouts. By strengthening her back and abdominal muscles, she regularly enjoys pain-free periods. In this blog post, Marianne explains why she believes this form of training is so beneficial for her body.

We'll see about that.

I work as a project manager for the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, am the mother of three adult children, a grandmother of two grandchildren, and live with my boyfriend, who also has three children. It's a busy life. I've been working out at Happy Bodies in Heemstede for about seven years now, and I'm very satisfied. About three years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Because my bones are very fragile, I have several intervertebral fractures, which can cause significant back pain. The doctors told me I'd just have to learn to live with it. We'll see, I thought, and rightly so. Strength training has proven to be very good for me. It strengthens the back muscles surrounding those fractures. My core is also getting stronger, which in turn puts less strain on my back. My body is quite strong, and I regularly have periods without pain.

Correct exercises at the correct intensity

Rémon, my trainer at Happy Bodies, encouraged me to start training with heavier weights. Many people with a condition like this tend to stay on the couch and spare their bodies. But if you do it under good supervision, it is actually better to challenge your body. The unique thing about Happy Bodies is that everyone can train there. When you start, the innovative Milonizer quickly scans your body based on biometric markers. This ensures that all equipment is always set up correctly automatically, even if you have physical complaints. This way you always get the right exercises at the right intensity, very well-balanced. And working out in the Milon circle a maximum of once every 5 days for 35 minutes is very manageable. No, my osteoporosis is not going away, but because I have made my body stronger, I experience hardly any pain anymore. How great is that?!

Frank Reijn has been working in the fitness industry for almost 30 years. It's safe to say he's a veteran. At the end of 2019, he switched to Happy Bodies. He fell for the concept because effective training in 35 minutes with the Milon circle is the solution for a large group of people. In this blog post, Frank explains who he is and why he believes Happy Bodies is the perfect balance between the masses of large-scale gyms and the price tag of a personal trainer.

From DJ to own fitness club

In 1993, I more or less fell into the fitness industry. My then-wife was teaching aerobics classes, but there were far too few good music mixes available. I figured, "What's not there, needs to be there," so I started working as a freelance DJ and producer of music mixes for all kinds of sports classes. It wasn't long before I started teaching fitness classes myself, and in 1996, I opened my own fitness center. At that fitness center, we also used the Milon circle, the fully automated circle with fitness equipment that Romano mentioned in his previous blog post. I met Jibbe, one of the three owners of Happy Bodies, at Milon Benelux, and he told me about the concept he and his partners had created with Happy Bodies. That sounded like music to my ears. In 2020, I decided to become a franchisee and opened a club in Noordwijk.

Perfect middle ground

What's great about the Happy Bodies concept is that it's the perfect balance between the masses of large-scale gyms and the price tag of a personal trainer. While many large gyms do offer guidance, it's often one-time and certainly not intensive or personalized. On the other hand, not everyone can afford a personal trainer, as they generally come with a hefty price tag. With Happy Bodies, we combine the best of both worlds. You pay considerably less than for a personal trainer and still receive the personalized guidance that many people value.

Personal guidance, without the price tag of a personal trainer

Our coaching is very intensive. You'll have two initial sessions with your coach to ensure all the equipment and exercises are perfectly suited to your needs and body. Initially, we'll simply walk you through the entire program. This allows us to provide additional explanation where needed and make any necessary adjustments. After that, we'll schedule five more sessions to help you get into a good workout routine. Just like a personal trainer, we'll be the friendly yet forceful motivator to truly commit to your workouts. Every seven sessions, we'll evaluate how you're doing and measure your body fat and muscle mass percentage. We'll adjust your plan as needed. We don't let anyone mess around and ensure you make consistent progress.

Smart nutrition app

At Happy Bodies, we recently started using a smart nutrition app that allows us to create personalized meal plans. Nutrition is crucial when training, whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, or lose fat. With over two thousand recipes and a personalized daily menu, everyone can work towards their goals, together with the coach. We take macronutrients, allergies, dietary preferences, and preparation time into account.