From work stress to vitality: my journey at De Werf

I am Steven de Bruijne, 58, creative director and partner at New Story in Noordwijk. Sport has always been a big part of my life. I played hockey fanatically until I was 42, and being fit felt like a given. Somewhere along the way, though, work started taking up more and more space.

In the digital industry, things move incredibly fast. When you feel responsible for your company, your people and your clients, it is easy to push everything else aside. Less exercise, poorer food, less time for yourself and your family. That seems manageable for a while, until you notice the bill lands somewhere. For me, that was my body, my energy and eventually my mood.

The price of always pushing on

At one point I weighed 105 kilos. While I still saw myself as someone sporty. That may have been exactly what made it difficult: I thought I knew how it worked.

I had been through phases before where I pulled myself together, moved more and lost some weight. But I kept falling back into old habits. Looking back, I understand why: I was just doing something. No plan, no understanding of what worked and what did not.

As you get older, you look differently at what matters. Of course work is important to me. But ultimately I also want to enjoy the people around me: my family, my children, my friends. And I want to stay vital for as long as possible, partly so that later on I am as little of a burden as possible to the people around me. If you exploit your body for years, at some point there is a price to pay. I did not want to keep pushing that bill forward.

Sceptical about personal training

I ended up at De Werf on the advice of people around me, but honestly, I was sceptical. I had a certain image of personal training: someone standing next to you shouting "one more, come on". In my head, that would never work for me. I thought: I will give it a try, but it will probably be the same old story.

That changed at the intake with Ian van der Werf. I had expected to be thrown straight at the weights, but he started by measuring, observing and explaining. How did my body move? Where was my mobility, where was my strength? Where did I fall short and where was I prone to injury?

That assessment was so thorough that it won my trust straight away. Ian named things I recognised from my own body and from earlier experiences. And more importantly: he kept explaining why something mattered.

Why this approach felt different

That turned out to be a condition for success for me. Just hearing what I should do is not enough; I want to understand why I am doing something. Only then can I embrace it.

I have been training at De Werf for four to five months now, every Tuesday morning. I have the luxury of training with Ian himself. What I appreciate: he is technically very strong and good with people at the same time. He senses that every person needs their own approach.

He motivates without imposing. He does not say "you must do this", he asks: "Are you happy to give this a try?" That keeps the responsibility with me, within a clear and expert approach.

From just doing something to understanding what works

In the beginning the focus was on discovering how my body worked, building fitness and moving well technically. Training at De Werf turned out to be different from what I knew from the gym. There I worked mostly with fixed machines; at De Werf a lot happens with free weights and through movement. Your whole body has to join in.

That makes it functional, technical and sometimes confronting. At first it did not even feel excessively heavy; I was mainly busy moving well and exploring the limits of my fitness.

Gradually the focus shifted. I started training heavier, because I was ready for it. And Ian eventually got me to take nutrition seriously. Consciously, without making it complicated: more protein, watching how much I eat, and understanding what calories, fats, carbohydrates and proteins do.

At first that took getting used to. You are used to eating what you want, when you want. The first week or two there was real hunger. After that it became surprisingly normal. Biscuits, sweets and crisps, which I used to find hard to resist, I could suddenly leave alone because I knew what I was doing it for.

What it brings me

What started as a search for vitality has become a journey of body recomposition: losing fat and building muscle. I have gone from around 105 kilos to 96. And it is about more than those nine kilos: I know I have lost more fat than that, because muscle has come back in its place.

The sessions are tough. An exercise itself is not always fun, but I know why I am doing it. So I never drag myself to De Werf. Quite the opposite: I look forward to it. And yes, when the hour is done, I am glad it is done. But afterwards I feel more energetic.

I notice it in my daily life. I feel better in my skin, have more headspace and I think I have become a more pleasant person to be around.

My next goal

I am not there yet: I want to get to 90 kilos. But I now know I will get there. More importantly: I do not believe I will relapse like before. Because I am no longer just doing something. I know what I am doing.

The goal will shift over time too. First it is losing weight, then maintaining it. I do not want to weigh every piece of food for the rest of my life. Eventually it has to become part of my system: a routine I do not have to think about constantly.

My insight

My most important insight? Social media gives us all the idea that we can do it ourselves. And maybe sometimes we can. But if you have the opportunity to work with a good personal trainer, someone like Ian, you get guidance, a plan, technical knowledge and above all an understanding of why you do what you do.

And once you understand that, persevering becomes less of a fight. Then it can slowly anchor itself in your life.

About the author:
Steven de Bruijne (58) is creative director and partner at New Story in Noordwijk. He has been training weekly at De Werf for the past few months.

Recognise this story?

Curious what a clear plan and expert guidance could do for you? Schedule an intake at De Werf. Just like with Steven, we start by measuring, observing and explaining.

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