Interview Eleen Vendevielle: Fitness Living with rheumatism

Geschatte leestijd: 5 minuten Eleen Vendevielle did not let the limitations of rheumatism deter her from aspiring to develop a fitness physique. Two weeks ago, we did a photoshoot to capture the results. And it was impressive…

I love it when a plan comes together

Last year, I received a message from Eleen. She mentioned her desire to work towards her dream physique while considering limitations due to rheumatism. Since I didn’t have the necessary time for the dedication required for personal coaching, I referred her to Bell Coaching (the app hadn’t been launched yet). In early May this year, I received another message from Eleen. She had spent 10 successful months under the guidance of Sanne Leenman from Bell Coaching and wanted to capture the results with me. Naturally, I was delighted to hear that the program had gone well. We agreed to do the shoot two months later and are both very happy with the outcome.

Eleen Vendevielle

Name: Eleen Vendevielle Date of Birth: 18-06-1974 Residence: Hilversum Occupation: Commercial Trade Channel Manager

Fitness Life with Rheumatism?

As a child, at the age of 12, I frequently suffered from angina (sore throat). These throat infections persisted for several years. It later turned out that my throat infections were the culprit in the onset of rheumatism. The virus had spread to my joints. At that time, medical insights into “suspicions of rheumatic conditions” and how to deal with/treat these symptoms were very different. I lived with rheumatism for years without receiving treatment for it. I didn’t get a hearing from the doctor. As a young girl, I suffered from painful and swollen joints for years. The only person who always believed in me is my mother; she was and is my unwavering support. I had to learn to deal with a painful body myself. I had to find ways to deal with my symptoms. I learned to manage my energy wisely, for example: “how do I structure my days?”. Listening to my intuition! “What feels comfortable for me?” I followed many types of therapies such as physiotherapy, movement therapy, Mensendieck therapy, acupuncture, homeopathic products, various supplements, tried ointments, had medical aids such as tapes and braces… etc. Really, “you name it”, I tried everything. I also delved into nutrition, what makes me feel good? What was also great was that my mother helped me with that and supported me; she also started to delve into healthy eating and cooked healthy and very consciously, up to this day. I also found out that exercise was pleasant because sitting still only caused more pain. So I started walking and later also went to the gym. This was the beginning of a healthier life.

“Rheumatism Patient”

The official diagnosis of “rheumatism” came when I was 17 years old, since then I am a “rheumatism patient”. I will never forget what the rheumatologist said to me; “The advantage is that I can make your life much more pleasant by giving you medication. I was given anti-inflammatories and painkillers. That was his part; my part had already begun. The most difficult part, how to live with rheumatism, I had largely taught myself. I was happy with the medication; it also helped me through very painful periods occasionally. Rheumatism is characterized by living with pain, but also experiencing low energy levels and fatigue. The most difficult part is figuring out how to deal with it? But it is also characterized by “living with limitations”. Dealing with peaks and valleys and how to cope with them? But I don’t want to be a patient; I want to be happy; I want to “function normally”. I may have had a body that “didn’t cooperate”, but what do I have then? In my mind, I always chose not to be a patient who would sit idly by. I choose personal happiness. Fortunately, I have perseverance; I wanted to do everything to lead a “normal life”. But how do you do that? I wanted to make the most out of life. As you can tell, I am intrinsically motivated.

Dreams

My personal dream: to build the ultimate fitness body. Everyone wants to go through life slim and muscular. Of course, I wanted that too, but I had an extra challenge; a body that doesn’t reliably cooperate and is painful. Somehow, in addition to eating healthy, I figured out how to lose some weight. I went to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. But I had to train within certain limits. So not too heavy or too often because otherwise, I would pay the “bill” the next day, experiencing pain and fatigue. So I didn’t see any real progress. Still, I kept dreaming of a real fitness body, preferably with a six-pack. I really wanted to do everything to achieve that; fortunately, I have perseverance. For that reason, I also hired a personal trainer to guide me because I wanted to approach it responsibly. So in addition to my workouts, the PT also made meal plans. But the PTs I worked with had more experience in helping people lose weight rather than building a body. That’s why I ended up overtraining last year. I had been living on schedules of 1400 kcal with 5 to 6 workouts a week for months. My body was more broken down than strong. The rheumatism flared up and was fully present in various joints, and I was again high in my dose of rheumatism medication (anti-inflammatories and even opioids, this is morphine). I had respiratory problems, got a bladder infection, a general malaise. I was so tired but couldn’t sleep well at night. I had given everything of myself but with no good result and with all the emotions that came with it. How frustrated I was, why couldn’t I get a “ripped body” despite giving everything of myself?!?

Building

Through Kenneth, I ended up at Bell Coaching 1 year ago. I got in touch with “my current online coach, Sanne Leenman” (Managemymealplan), as she is one of the coaches on the Bell team. I explained my whole story to her. After a very extensive intake, she created a personal plan for me (nutrition and training schedule). Everything was and is tracked and traced by her. I started with Sanne at the end of July last year. Her approach; the first steps were to get me out of my overtrained state as quickly as possible towards a proper “lean bulk”, after which I could focus on growth and getting stronger. Step by step, it got better, and I felt stronger; I could start tapering off medication. We entered the fall, and normally that’s a tough period for me due to cold and wet weather. My body struggled, but by continuing to discuss with Sanne how to deal with it during workouts, I also got through the fall reasonably well. There were still moments of acute pain attacks and having to lie in bed, but fortunately, the attacks became shorter. I kept training with some adjustments here and there. In my mind, I wanted to go faster, but I learned that small steps also mean progress. Slowly but surely, the balance came, my mind and my body got the same pace. Everything got stronger. I regained confidence in my body; the daily fear is gone. I no longer have to think, “take it easy”. It’s more than a victory; again, the balance is good! After many years of physical limitations and searching for a “normal life”, I have now found it. Because things were going so well, I also dared to take the next step. Together with Sanne, I decided to start “cutting” my body. The idea of doing a photoshoot also came up, so I had something beautiful to work towards. So the plan was: “nice and easy” we’ll start “cutting”. I started a dry training protocol last March, followed by amazing results.

Shine

And then came the day when Kenneth Nwosu took photos of me; I also found that a special experience. The beauty of this shoot was that I felt free with Kenneth. I would like to thank him for that trust. And yes, of course, the photos are the beautiful result. I also want to thank Sanne enormously for her expert guidance. I want to thank you for finding “the right way to balance”. Your personal guidance has helped me so much; you were always there when I needed a boost. With an eye on the future, I would like to continue our collaboration. There’s always something more to wish for 😉 Here’s an intensely happy person who has achieved her first fitness goal and is now continuing with her next goal. I feel happy, fortunate, and “last but not least with a beautiful body”.