Let’s ask Andrea van der Laan!

January 8, 2024

I’d love to introduce my client Andrea van der Laan.  I believe I first met her in December 2012 when I first opened my fitness studio on the west end of town.  

When I met Andrea she was the Superintendent of Buchanan Community Schools and very active in the community.  As she continued working toward more movement we got to know each other more and more.

I’ve lined up a few interview questions for Andrea as she’s had such wonderful progress over the last ten years.

Andrea, what is your first recollection of meeting me?  And what inspired you to begin fitness classes?

Andrea: Great question! I had gotten into a habit of skipping breakfast and had relied on lunch around 11 each day. This was not reality. I was moving from meeting to meeting where there were snacks (donuts, cookies, pies etc.) Many times, last minute meetings interfered with lunch and I found myself in the mid-afternoon slump which led to finding something to eat. Again many unhealthy choices. I had gained a lot of weight. I had an aha moment when climbing to the second floor of the high school and had to stop half way to catch my breath. I also discovered I could no longer bend down to tie shoes and putting my foot on a chair to do so was a hard task.I realized I was way too young to be this out of shape.Coming from a family with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, this scared me. 

When Bucktown Studio opened I was excited to start exercising. These classes were the basic aerobic and pump and sculpt classes. As much as I tried, I was not a regular. I remember meeting Brenda with the pump and sculpt class. I really liked her instruction and upbeat attitude while teaching. 

When Bucktown Studio moved downtown , I followed her and continued to try several classes including yoga and zumba. I even went to some weight watcher meetings that were offered. Some of the weight came off and I was sleeping and feeling better but my 12 hour days still did not allow me to be a regular. However, I do remember making sure I went to her pump and sculpt class. It was my favorite. I was happy at this point just making the attempt to get better. 

BLTraining: Health and fitness go hand in hand but yet the two are completely different.  Health has to do with the quality of your state of being and fitness has to do with being able to perform tasks physically.

At what point do you feel you began to get serious about your overall fitness?  What about the health part of it?

Andrea: When Brenda rebranded to BLTraining and moved,  I decided to follow her due to the way she instructed her classes. I do remember trying aerobics and found I had a hard time getting through 20 minutes. I also remember hating to sweat. While I was starting to lose weight (perhaps 10-15 pounds at this point), there was a time I didn’t feel weight was coming off fast enough and almost decided to quit going. But Brenda kept changing and learning and she started sharing her knowledge not only about exercise but also about muscle groups and nutrition. We started more focused strength training, learned about small muscles, did cardio, discussed nutrition, etc. These little tidbits were making sense to me even though I didn’t always follow what she was sharing. Believe it or not, I really didn’t get serious about the fitness portion until 2017 when I retired! By this time, Brenda was moving into personal training and really focusing on flexibility and movement. I signed up for a personal session. I was not flexible at all! She pointed out several areas for improvement but started small. She gave me several exercises to do during the week before we met again. I met with her one on one for a month or two. She then started an IMPEL class which had five members in it. These were the same five women who followed her like I did. As we moved into talking about nutrition and sharing our failures and successes, they were a great support group. If I didn’t show up for a class, there was often a text asking where I was. At one point they asked if I was home eating potato chips. I replied that I was not. I was eating pretzels! While funny, it also goes to show how we were holding each other accountable. Brenda had even had us setting goals and was starting to weigh and measure us as we moved through our journeys together. 

BLTraining: What was life like regarding caloric intake, quality of food intake before you began to get serious?

Andrea: I focused solely on exercise, flexibility and movement for almost three years. Brenda continued to push and started asking us about calories. If we came to a night class without at least 1200 – 1500 calories, she would not let us participate in the class. (Take into consideration this was after she had really gotten to know us and started to push us harder. I was no longer afraid of sweat. As a matter of fact, if I didn’t get sweaty, I didn’t think I worked out at all!)

Brenda was continually talking to us about macros and calorie intake. Many other programs I had tried (weight watcher, nutrisystem, fitness pal) wanted me to be at 1200 hundred calories in order to lose weight. Yes, these programs also talked about healthy eating but I was ALWAYS hungry and continued to fall back into bad patterns. 

We first focused on macros (protein, carbs, and fats).  We discovered I was getting less than 10% protein per day, my fiber was low and carbs were mostly junk food.  I worked very hard at getting my protein up and now average 25-27% protein PER MEAL. I am continually working on carbs (fruits and veggies) and healthy fats.  Overall, my macros are usually balanced at every meal. 

When Brenda wanted me to eat 1800 calories a day, I found it difficult to do so. I was full all the time.

I had lost about 25 pounds by this time but had plateaued for more than a year. Brenda looked me in the eye and told me it was in the kitchen! In other words, look at what I was eating and move to more nutritious food.

To be honest this is a continual struggle. I rely on my support group for help. After getting my protein in line, my next goal was to get in 3 veggies a day and to get rid of snack foods.  When I started focusing on this, I dropped another 15 pounds.  There are times when I still eat too many cookies and have too many snacks during the week.  Brenda knows me so well that she will text me and ask how I am doing. She usually “catches” me during these moments and I get back on track. That doesn’t mean I can never eat a cookie, have a piece of cake, etc.  I just don’t want to binge on them and my goal is to mostly eat healthy all the time. I am a work in progress. Even though I am in Florida during the winter, I still get exercises from Brenda, do activities on my own and hear from my support buddies. This winter I am currently down another 5 pounds.  I also try not to eat under 2200-2300 calories per day (yes, I still have 1700 days but more often I eat over 2300 calories. I even have some 2700 – 3000 calorie days). The more active I am, the more I eat. I also have learned that if I don’t eat enough and keep my protein up, I end up with sore muscles and in some cases minor injuries.

Interestingly enough, my inches have gone way down, I am no longer embarrassed to wear tank tops (I am actually quite proud of the muscles 🙂 I have gained.) I am way more toned in every part of my body, down to a size ten, and am way more flexible than I have been in 20+ years. My cardio is to the point that Brenda has to really push me to get my cardio up! I am sleeping 7-8 hours per day as well. My overall health is better now than when I was in my early 30’s. 

BLTraining: What was this part of life like after you began to get serious back then?

Andrea: I have to move!  I play pickleball 2-3 hours at a time several days a week. My husband and I are active competitive pistol shooters which also takes a lot of concentration and movement. I do some kind of activity on a daily basis even if it is just stretching and walking. I eat breakfast every morning within an hour of waking up.  I try to work out in the mornings. This means eating when I am done. This might mean a snack between breakfast and lunch. I also may What was this part of life like after you began to get serious back then?

have another snack between lunch and dinner. If I eat an early dinner, I often have a snack at night. Popcorn has become a favorite. I am eating constantly. I am learning to listen to my body and eat when I am hungry. I continue to focus on healthy eating even though this is still a struggle. To date, I am down approximately 40 pounds and am now at about 14% body fat. I am no longer considered obese by the medical field.

BLTraninig: Did you find you had a hard time making changes?

Andrea: YES! The “kitchen” is my biggest struggle. I really have to think about what I eat. This may mean I eat differently than my husband. I make smoothies in the morning to which I add spinach.  When I make scrambled eggs, I try to add peppers and onions. If I make a breakfast burrito and don’t have onions and peppers, I add salsa.  I keep baby carrots and celery in my fridge for munching. I also keep apples, blueberries and halos. My husband and I also eat out a lot. If I eat hamburgers, I try to get a side of broccoli instead of fries. If it’s pizza, I have a side salad.  Even with all of this, I am a work in progress when it comes to eating. This is my biggest struggle and continues to be so. 

BLTraining: Did family or friends make it harder or easier to make changes?

Andrea: Both.  I have family and friends who are very supportive, help me when I struggle, and encourage my progress. I also have those who think that by buying me chocolate, extra pie, etc. is what I want even though I tell them no thank you. I love chocolate, ice cream, and snacks like everyone else but I do NOT want them in my house. If I want them, I will go buy one candy bar or an ice cream cone and eat it right away. 

If these things are in my house, I still don’t have the “willpower” to stop with one cookie.  I will eat a BIG bowl of ice cream instead of one scoop. I am still a work in progress. I am better if these things are not in the house. 

BLTraining: What does your active lifestyle look like these days?

Andrea: I start the day quiet (I am slow to wake up). I make a smoothie, drink my coffee, and take the dogs for a walk. I try to do some warm up exercises or some yoga. By 8:00 I am playing pickleball. This goes on for 2-3 hours. When I return home, it’s time for a snack, some stretching and then feeding and walking the dogs. Many days I also log onto Brenda’s app and also do the exercises she has programmed for me. I eat lunch and have snacks along the way. The rest of the day may be reading, doing home chores, gardening, etc. I do stop during the day to read, catch up on paperwork, watch T.V., etc. but mostly I am moving all the time.

BLTraining: How many calories do you typically intake currently?

Andrea: I try to stay around 2200-2300 most days. If I am really active, then I eat closer to 2700.

BLTraining: How many calories do you typically output currently?

Andrea: Most weeks I expend between 2200 – 2500 calories per day. 

BLTraining: What do you find is the easiest part of your active lifestyle?

Andrea: I love moving. I have a hard time sitting still and am always looking for something to do. I have found that having daily exercises to do from Brenda is very helpful.  I try to do those daily in addition to other activities. I really like Brenda’s app and count on this especially on rainy days. I know what she programs for me is based on my fitness level.

BLTraining: What do you find is the hardest part of your active lifestyle?

Andrea: Eating enough. I find it difficult to get rid of past perceptions of how people are supposed to lose weight. I have always been taught to exercise more and eat less. This has proved untrue. The more I exercise/have activity, the more I need to eat. The more I eat, the more muscle I gain and the leaner I look.

BLTraining: Overall how do “you” feel about yourself and your lifestyle right now?

Andrea: On a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the highest, I would give myself an 8.  I struggle with eating healthy and continue to work on this. I am not sure whether I need to lose more weight (If I do, I would guess about 5-10 pounds) or whether eating healthier would bring the belly down more than it has already. I would say I am in maintenance mode at this point. Overall, I am really happy with how I look and feel.

BLTraining: What advice would you give to someone of middle age who currently does not incorporate fitness into their lives but are considering it?

Andrea: Get started with something even if it’s just walking daily. Move, move, move. I would also suggest yoga to begin getting some flexibility.

BLTraining: What advice would you give to those who have not yet chosen to make changes?

Andrea: It’s never too late no matter how old you are! I just met two women who are both 75. They play an excellent game of pickleball. I hope I am just like them when I am their age. I really didn’t get started until I was 59. I will be 65 in April and I am in better shape than when I was 30.

BLTraining: What is your favorite motto in life?

Andrea: Move it or lose it!

And there you have it folks! In my opinion, it pays to live your life around the environment you most want to be like! These stories lift me high! These stories make me deep down happy! 

If you’re interested in seeing what’s possible for YOU, click here and schedule a consult! It costs you NOTHING to chat for a few!