Successfully achieving your dream figure: an interview about discipline and self-motivation

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Sitting on the beach in a bikini with a dream figure and feeling great – that’s what we all dream of, isn’t it? But chocolate, a visit to McDonald’s or a much-loved Ben and Jerry’s are pretty tempting and although we’re determined that we’re serious about exercising this time, after a brief spur of the moment, we end up falling off the wagon. But we have good news for you: Completely giving up your favorite foods is not at all necessary to reach your goal, because it depends on completely different things.

Overview hide
Katja Seifried explains how she regained her dream figure
The secret: discipline and self-motivation
Becoming a mom simply changed everything
Charts and cheat days
Listen to your body, it knows what you need

Katja Seifried explains how she regained her dream figure

Katja knows what it’s like to work towards your dream figure again after feeling unwell and to achieve it with a lot of discipline and hard work. On her YouTube channel, she gives us the perfect instructions on how to achieve this with targeted workouts. From Tabata workouts to abs, legs and bums, there’s a suitable routine for everyone and today she tells us in an interview what she thinks is really important and why harmony with body and mind is essential.

Click here for Katja’s work-outs:

We had the opportunity to chat with Katja and she told us how everything changed after becoming a mom of two.

The secret: discipline and self-motivation

FIV: Hi Katja, tell us what your trick is to maintain such a successful routine?

Katja: My trick actually has nothing to do with sport or not exclusively. But I actually only use it so consistently in this area: DISCIPLINE and OWN MOTIVATION.

There is hardly any other area in which I am as consistent and disciplined as in sport and nutrition. You can’t do one without the other or it definitely doesn’t have the effect it could have and then leads to frustration at the end of the day.

I’m not even 25 anymore.

The will to be in my feel-good body is pretty big for me. That’s the trick and as I accompany and see so many people on their journey, I know that it’s not always easy. I’m not 25 anymore and have to show a lot of discipline, so I would call it a talent with a twinkle in my eye.

Becoming a mom simply changed everything

FIV: And what has been your greatest success so far, which you were proud to celebrate thanks to your self-motivation and discipline?

Katja: I have always been a sports enthusiast and fit. Be it my training as a dance teacher or gymnastics instructor or my time as an international aerobics and dance presenter, where I traveled all over the world.

I always did sport and kept fit – and always had my feel-good figure. That changed after my 2 pregnancies. In fact, nothing is the way it used to be and my body certainly isn’t. That’s why I think it’s my greatest fitness success to have my feel-good figure again after this time and to be even fitter than when I was at my peak. I hope that lots of moms out there are also aware of what we do with our training to get our feel-good body back.

FIV: Do you have a ritual that keeps you motivated so that you stay on the ball?

Katja: The most important ritual is actually wearing a sports outfit. I don’t necessarily have to be dressed up, but I do wear my sports gear. It motivates me to work harder, because everything else feels improvised and half-hearted to me.

Charts and cheat days

FIV: Tell me, do you have any favorite music that you like to listen to during training?

Katja: I love listening to the charts, but when I’m training I always listen to the music in the video, as it’s also linked to the timer (the training time). They are great artists who offer royalty-free music and are ideal for workouts. But of course I also know that I don’t suit everyone’s taste.

FIV: You’re definitely not doing anything wrong with the charts! Do you think we should allow ourselves the occasional cheat meal or even a whole cheat day?

Katja: My opinion on this has changed over the years. I think cheat meals are completely ok, but I don’t think much of cheat days.

I know from my own experience that you spend the whole week working towards this cheat day. So I trained really well, ate healthily – both of which cost time, energy, discipline etc., only to ruin the whole week in one day. If your stomach is not used to this and you eat 5,000 calories in one day – pizza, chocolate, cake, ice cream and much more – then you still have an unpleasant, heavy and sometimes uncomfortable feeling in your stomach three days later.

There is no body that wakes up in the morning and screams for sugar.

In my opinion, it’s not worth it. If I have a craving for pasta or chocolate, I eat it without a fixed date and not without thinking. Cheating is important for the mind and makes you happy, but definitely in moderation. There is no body that wakes up in the morning and screams for sugar. It’s just our heads and our habits that play cat and mouse with us.

Listen to your body, it knows what you need

FIV: As a fitness enthusiast, how important is recovery and regeneration to you?

Katja: Very important! Regeneration is just as important to me as training. If I don’t give my body the breaks it needs to recover, then I notice quite quickly that my strength and motivation wane.

Of course, it is very individual from body to body and over the course of the training period, even over the years, you get to know your body better and better. You know exactly what it needs. It is important to listen to your body, because it signals the right thing to do. Of course, you should never forget that muscles grow during regeneration and not during training.

FIV: It’s good that you say that, so we can enjoy our breaks with peace of mind, knowing that our progress during this time is bearing fruit. Thank you Katja for your time and we wish you all the best!

Now in FIV Issue #32!

You can also discover the whole interview as well as inspiring fitness stories, travel tips and fashion in the complete magazine!

More about achieving your dream body!

Discover a world of inspiration for health, nutrition and fitness in our book recommendations. From practical nutrition guides to motivational fitness guides – we have something for everyone. Find your way to a healthier and fitter lifestyle!

 

 

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