I have always been sporty, even competing at an international level, and my passion for health also sparked while I was still in primary school.

Yet I never fully grasped how important movement and optimal nutrition are, so here are a few things I wish I had fully understood at a much younger age:

1. Don’t go a single day without moving your body, even if it is just some light stretching or a short walk on a ‘rest day’.
2. Prioritise protein, and vegetables, ALWAYS. Fruit is wonderful too.
3. Soak up the sun (avoid sunscreen, but figure out your time limit in the sun so that you don’t burn – less intense morning and afternoon sun is just as good), and spend as much time as possible in nature.
4. Vitamins AND minerals are important in these times, and having a yearly check up done with full blood tests is worth it — even at a very young age. As a woman, also visit a gynaecologist once a year for a pap smear from the age of 16.
5. Avoid hormonal contraceptive pills. There are many other contraceptive methods, and if you want to take the pill to improve your skin condition or control heavy menstruation, rather look at balancing your hormones naturally, it is possible!
6. Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach.
7. Go to therapy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and will help you cope much better as an adult. Mental health matters!
8. Confidence is a mindset and has nothing to do with how you look.
9. Break out of your comfort zone whenever you can.
10. Believe that anything is possible and that you are capable of extraordinary things. Magic exists.

Meike