Haaije Pijl is a fitness trainer in Haarlem the Netherlands. He has been teaching taebo, Fitness, judo, and aerobics for more than 10 years now. His friendly and open attitude gives a refreshing touch to his classes.

He regularly attends workshops to stay up to date with the new developments in the fitness education field. His next project? Discover Australia with his girl friend during a 4 months trip. He might be moving to the Southern Hemisphere in the near future. His career goals? He loves teaching sports! The idea to open his own gym is quickly maturing as well.

More questions concerning fitness and training? Feel free to ask him for advice. His email address will be available soon. In the mean time, you can directly visit him at the Kenamju Sport Centrum - Gedempte Oude Gracht 25 - Haarlem - The Netherlands.

Thanks for sharing your tips!

• I am new to fitness, any tips on where to start?

• How many times a week should I be training?

• What is your own favorite training approach?

• Is it better to focus on one discipline or to diversify my training approaches?

• Why is diet so important?

• Diet tips?

• What about sport drinks?

• How long before workout should I eat?

• Should I use food supplements?

• What about extra protein, and other body building supplements?

• Are there any substances I should not use?

• I am new to fitness, any tips on where to start?

You can come to training for various reasons: loosing weight, getting fitter, social contacts, etc. Many people join the gym because they know  working out is good for them.

Gyms can be up to 80% women. If you want to work on your figure, your approach will obviously be very different than if you just want to relax and have some fun.

If you feel you have no time to work out, then create the time.

If you want to decide for a gym, for yourself or for your children, check beyond the price list! Check the staff's experience, check the quality of the training and the spirit of the gym. Some gyms are friendly and cozy. Some others  are bigger and more impersonal. It's important that you feel good in the place you train.

• How many times a week should I be training?

Start with training 1 or 2 times a week. The body has to get used a new rhythm, specially if  you did not train for many years. When you start by working out 4 times a week, your motivation might go down very fast. It is always good to keep balance with other areas in your life.

For top sports people, the line between being in perfect shape and actually getting sick can be very thin. This is because they push their bodies very hard.

• What is your own favorite training approach?

I have been competing as a Judoka. At the age of 25, I ended 3rd in the Dutch championships. At a certain stage, I decided to give priority to teaching sports, so gave up competing at high level (this was requiring a 20 hours a week training schedule!). Now I teach Judo to children. When I have time off, I do some jogging, squash, sometimes workout, usually with weights.

• Is it better to focus on one discipline or to diversify my training approaches?

It mainly has to do with the time you have available. If you have time, diversifying is good, it's more fun. But it means you need to train more than once a week. Training in various disciplines has the risk of making you lose your focus. Try to find a rhythm which suits you.

I would say that shifting sports is excellent... It mainly depends on your motivation. If I had time, I would practice 3 or 4 different sports myself. If you opt for 2 trainings a week, my advice is to combine for instance aerobics and fitness, or tae bo and power training.

Changing rhythm, schedule or program ads fun as well and keeps your training alive.

• Why is diet so important?

I have no training as a dietician, so I tend to refer the gym's members to a specialist.

Balance and quality of life are essential. Excesses have always negative repercussions.

• Diet tips?

Find a rhythm in the way you eat and drink. Never starve yourself! Compare the body to an engine. If you run out of fuel, you need to recharge, regain what you need.

If you want to work on your figure, the way your eat is essential. Most of the times you don't need to follow a strict diet, but you need a good balance in what you eat. Doing the workout is not enough, you need regular meals. Have good healthy snacks between the meals at 10 am and 4 pm. If you get hungry during the day, it's essential that you take a snack.

Eating some chips once a week is not a problem. If 90% of your diet is in balance, it's a good result.

• What about sport drinks?

As soon as you start sweating, you lose minerals. Sport drinks can partly compensate that loss. Always drink a few zips so that both liquid and minerals stay healthily in balance in you body. It is always good to drink water in small amounts when training. One disadvantage with sport's drinks, is that they are sweet, so they tend to make you even more thirsty.

Be sure you don't drink too much at once, it can create cramps or discomfort.

In a one hour Tae bo lesson, I usually have 1 or 2 short drink breaks. I recommend to only have a few zips, not a whole 500 ml at once!

• How long before workout should I eat?

The ideal is to have a light meal (sandwich, soup, etc.) 1.5 to 2 hours before training. Pastas are good as well because they give you good a boost in the carbohydrates you'll need in your training.

If you train for more than an hour, you can regenerate with a muesli bar or some fruit as tennis players or cyclists do. Chocolate might feel a bit heavy.

• Should I use food supplements?

When you have a busy life style, vitamin supplements can be useful. The most important is always to eat healthy and with variation. Vitamins are only something extra.

• What about extra protein, and other body building supplements?

If you decide to take that line, it's important you ask for advise from a trainer who is familiar with these matters. These products are fine but you should know how to use them. These products are safe and naturally generated by your body.

• Are there any substances I should not use?

Yes! When you come to doping things become really tricky! You might not believe it but in some cases even amateurs use doping for extra fast muscle building. If you work with weights, the temptation can be important because you get fast results. This is an  immense risk! You can actually overdose from doping substances! Unfortunately, there has been some fatal cases. On top of that keep in mind countless negative side effects! My advise is to stay away form any form of doping! Be sure you train in a "clean" environment!

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