Fit in Maastricht
Tips and tricks for a healthy and fit student life.
It’s a busy lifestyle, being a student in Maastricht. Between studying, your internship, work and maintaining your social life there is not a lot of time left to focus on your physical health. Especially in a city like Maastricht, where the parties are never ending, how will you even find the time to work out? So yeah, diet starts tomorrow and we’ll hit the gym next week! And I mean, is it really that important to work out a few times a week?
Yes it is!
We often forget, or just deny, the importance of our (physical) health. But as Lewis Litt, Terry Britt and the bible keep telling us: “Your body is your temple”. You can approach this as spiritual as you want, but here is what it basically means to me: You need your body to work for you, so you need to work for your body. And with your body, also your mind. These two are inseparably connected to each other, and your physical health has a big influence on your mental health/mind. A heavy work out can uplift your spirit and self-confidence, reduce your level of stress and give you a lot of energy. So yeah, it is important to work out a few times a week and stay healthy!
So…how do students in Maastricht stay fit?
There are a lot of options to get/stay in shape in Maastricht. But when you’re new to town it can be a bit of a challenge to find the right way for you. There is so much to discover when you arrive in a new city! And let’s be honest, finding a gym or sports club is not really on top of that list for most of us :P. But no worries, I will help you find the best option for you! There are a few different ways to work out and stay in shape:
- @ Home
- @ The gym
- Outside
- Sports club
- Food
@ Home
No excuses!! You can always do a nice work out at home. All you need is about 2m of space on the floor and you are good to go! A work out mat is easily bought at the action for 3 to 8 euros. For me a home work out is the perfect way to combine a work out with my busy schedule. There are a lot of apps and websites that can support you in working out at home. My absolute favorite is DareBee. They have endless work outs for cardio, muscle gain, losing weight, stretching and even yoga! You can download their app or visit the website. Both will give you a timer and a set tracker. The website will give you some extra info about the muscle groups you are training, programs, challenges and meal plans. You can adjust every work out to your level. And since DareBee is supported via user donations only, you can use it all for free! And if you love it as much as I do of course show them some support with a small, student life appropriate, donation.
Another great app is Burn by Rebecca. You can try it out for free the first 7 days, after that you will need to pay a small fee of +- 8,- a month. You will get a different work-out every day and they will take no longer than 28 minutes! And your activity in the app will be rewarded with BURN points, which you can spend as real cash in their store. So if you are looking for short work-outs, a lot of variety and a nice reward, this might be a nice app for you.
@ The Gym
There are gyms all over town. So if you want one close to your home just google which one is nearby your house. If you go to Maastricht University you might want to check out UM Sports . They offer student friendly prices and all activities are given in both English and Dutch. They have more than 50 indoor and outdoor sports to choose from. And until 16th of September you can try it out for free!
If you are looking for a 24/7 gym than Basic fit, Fit for free or Il Fiore might be the right choice for you! Even though the personal and trainers are not always there, you can work out whenever you want! So even early in the morning, or late at night, these gyms will always fit into your schedule!
My personal tip is Body Vision Maastricht. I joined this gym when I was a student and I still go there. The price might be a big higher, but that comes with extra personal attention and services. They offer a verity of group lessons, including MMA and Pole Fit. And just a tip, most gyms in Maastricht will offer you a free try out week!
Outside
Maastricht is a beautiful city with a lot of green places you can work out. If you are looking for monkey bars and people to join in a work out the city park is definitely a place for you to check out. Right across the street from the Stay Okay you will find the monkey bars. If the weather is nice and you walk a bit further into the park you will always find active people there. If it is throwing a Frisbee, balancing on a cord between two trees or a cheerleading practice, here you will find it!
But maybe you are just looking for a good run. Well Maastricht will not disappoint you! The new “groene loper” is a perfect way to run through a big part of town. You can run from the railroad crossing in Heugem all the way to the Geusselt. And if you are looking for some uphill running aswell you should check out some routes around the Sint Pieters Berg. Personally I like to find a route that goes out of town, usually I will run straight to Belgium. Endless options here, and google maps is your best friend! And if you don’t want to run alone, check out https://maastrichtrunningtours.nl/ .
Sports clubs
And then the perfect option for a social work out: Sports Clubs! There are different active student associations that focus on sports here in Maastricht. As I already mentioned, UM Sports offers a lot of options here. You can check them all out on their website.
If you joined the Inkom you might have seen some of the student associations. You can find all of them (Dutch and English) here. When I was studying I joined Saturnus. They just started that year so were still pretty small. I loved the vibe and freedom. Even though they did organize parties, the focus was on the gymnastics, training and getting better with gymnastics. Now days I mostly follow Maraboes, a rugby club that plays on a high level in The Netherlands, but you can also join them as a beginner or without any experience. Just the love for the sport and getting together for a beer after the game is enough! But if you are looking for something new and challenging, maybe you want to join Ultimaas and take Frisbee to the next level! Everything is possible here so just check out your options and join the club that suits you best!
Food
Now, to really stay healthy food is key! They say you are what you eat…well that basically makes me cheese and speciality beer. Eating healthy is a big challenge for a lot of students. And especially here in Maastricht, where it is part of our culture to get together, eat a lot of fat filled food and drink some nice beers or whine. So, how do you choose between eating healthy or enjoying your time in Maastricht and all experiences that is offers?
Well, it is all about the balance!
Personally I am addicted to cheese, but if you have to watch your fat intake…not the best addiction to have. But I balance it out with cheese options that are low in fat. The MyFitnessPal app supports me 100% with this! I can just fill in everything I eat and it will tell me where I am with the calories, proteins, fat, carbs etc. As a vegetarian this also helped me a lot to make sure I eat enough proteins. And if you join a gym, they usually love to give you some advise on what you should or should not eat if you want to get/stay in shape.
Nothing beats happiness!
I hope this blog gave you some insights on what is out there to stay fit in Maastricht. And remember, nothing is healthier than being happy! If you want to enjoy some beers in the weekend, don’t think you can not do that without being healthy! It is all about the balance and getting the most out of your student life in Maastricht. And maybe I will join you one of these days for a nice frisbee competition, a run up or down the Sint Pietersberg or a nice cold beer.
So, cheers on the weekend and your next work-out! With love, Katinka.
Are you looking for support with you health and finding balance in your (student) life? Coaching can help you! Contact me without obligation for a free 30 minute kick-off call.
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