Live Life Make Waves: A Reflection of A Mermaid with Happy Feet

"Live life make waves!" have been empowering words for me since I joined The Mermaid Club.

I met Helena, The Mermaid Club's founder in the year (2012) I was preparing for my first ever full marathon. It was a few months before Berlin marathon, and we both were running the event for the first time.

Helena aka @Running_Mermaid
Photo courtesy of Helena

Moi aka @HappyFeetNL

Photo courtesy of Helena

Sharing our thoughts on Twitter were the first connection we had.

I like following strong women, who works hard to reach their goals because it reinforces my own goal of being stronger individual.

Helena at the finish line of  Ironman in Florida!!!
Photo courtesy of Helena

A year after Berlin, The Mermaid Club was brought to life by Helena, and I knew I simply need to be a part of the community. Supporting other women in their goals is as rewarding if not more rewarding as being supported in one's own goals.

In Summer 2014, these awesome mermaids and I won a Nikeplus/Nike Training Club challenge!!!
Clockwise from top left : Emily @esandefer , @happyfeetnl, Mel @ijoeltje, Carlijn @carlijn.ottens & Renée @runlaugheatpie

Photo courtesy of Carlijn
(November, 2014)

These beautiful fit friends, all crazy over running are my inspiration.

I met them all after we all won the Nike challenge.

More mermaids who inspire!

Photo courtesy of Demi
(December 2014)
from left to right @deemitje @marleennnx @ntasjaa

Every year I set myself goals to work on. A few months before I joined The Mermaid Club, I was injured (Morton's Neuroma). So in 2013, it was a great opportunity and just the perfect time to be a part of a vibrant community of goal oriented ladies to keep me focused and motivated in my pursuit to be back on track.

After  good 10K race at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium
In 2014, wearing The Mermaid Club gear gave me a boost - I struggled to keep motivated because my recovery prevented me from running my favorite distance : full marathon.

Seeing other mermaids pursue their goals kept me inspired and I kept plodding on to do the humble miles I could.

It's been 2 years since I became a mermaid (in 2014 I even became one amongst many awesome ambassadors!), and I am very thankful that I am a part of The Mermaid Club. I've met amazing women - most virtually but this does not take away the impact they have on my life!  

Photo courtesy of The Mermaid Club

The community has helped me regain my confidence and aim for more, than I think I am capable of.

When I began using the social media (2012 as @happyfeetnl), it was first and foremost meant to aid me in actively dealing with my bipolar disorder.  

I wanted to learn how to live a life of quality in spite of dealing with mental health issues. Sport - specifically running and fitness workouts are my vehicles. The different social media channels I have serves as a platform, where I could spread my message and connect with others who share the same the same passion: empowering others while working on self-empowerment.

There are many inspiring, strong, selfless women out there and sometimes it only takes one honest story of another woman to ignite the power within them. I hope to be able to ignite the empowering fire in others, as many other women have done so for me repeatedly.

Before my fourth (Babette's 1st!) Bruggenloop Rotterdam together with fellow mermaid and very good friend (photo courtesy of B aka BabetteSocial).

"Live life make waves!" and "The Mermaid Club", when hash tagged connects so many women around the world.

Alone one can reach one's goals, absolutely. Working and reaching your goals with others, who goes through the same struggles and overcome them with positive attitude makes reaching one's goal more meaningful.

Before a 12 km training run with the beautiful, amazing and inspiring Meike aka @fithealthybrunette - new friend, and new mermaid!

Quality soul sister time and mental prep for our first race in 2016 -
Egmond Halve Marathon

This coming 2016, my goal is to run 13 half-marathons. It is not about the speed or distance or proving my strength to others, or to myself. This goal is all about reaffirming my commitment to consistently work on a healthier lifestyle.

I can't wait to start and I know that with the help of The Mermaid Club this will be not only be a fun adventure but a great learning experience as well.

"Live life make waves!" Once you live by these words, there is no other way to live.

(all photos below courtesy of Meike aka @fithealthybrunette )

#SuperSeptember: #BetterYourBest!

Happy Feet in the Netherlands is back on track, peeps!

http://bit.ly/HappyFeetNLBETTERYOURBEST100914

SEEN during my 12.72 km run:
click on the bitly link above if you would like to see a few seconds of PONY adorableness! :)

Struggled over the Summer, and ran "only" a little bit over 4 miles (6.5 km) in the month July, after what was a promising end of Spring and beginning of Summer.

My Nike+ stats seem to represent rather clearly my personal state of ups and downs…
After being in the deepest low in July with only 6.5 km, I picked it up in August with 78 km thanks to the #ChaseSummer Nike challenge

There were once again questions over motivations: doing it for myself to be a better healthier me VS doing everything in an attempt to meet up expectations - whether imagined or real, it was a pressure I put on myself once again.

Struggles are your best teachers, I repeatedly learn.


When August came, and an opportunity to shake myself out of the stupor in the form of a Nike (#ChaseSummer) challenge, I grabbed the chance, and came knocking with it on the PM (private message on FB) doors of my sole/soulsisters, who in turn knocked on the PM doors of their sole sisters et voilà, the #crewTheMermaidClub of The Mermaid Club was born.

More updates over the  #crewTheMermaidClub
#ChaseSummer Nike Challenge @ The Mermaid Club on a later blog, promise!

I would not be #HappyFeetNL, if I will not be open & honest with the ups and down of my fitness path: 9 days before the challenge was over, I started sinking once again.

The more I push myself, the more I sank deeper.

There were personal as well as mental health reasons behind what would turn out to be in the end 18 days dip.

Last night, I wrote something on my instagram page :

If you make yourself a part of a community, be engaging, be supportive, you would never be in a personal dip, too long. 

If you try hard to think beyond yourself, reach out, help out, support others, you will never feel alone even if you have what you think is a very personal "burden", no one can relate to.  

We are all connected; we can all make a difference for each other.

#NeverGiveUp #KeepOnMoving

Since May this year, INSTAGRAM has been my creative playground and a place I create images to empower myself and affirm a life I find is a simple good life, I do not want to take for granted.

My loving family, good friends, have shown time and time again how they are there for me; I value their love and support.

There is an often contradicting wisdom, which I share to my love ones, people, who are very dear to me as well as those I meet, who suffers from mental illness themselves and/or people, who supports those who suffer from mental disorders: we need to experience success in helping ourselves, in order to have the strength to reach out to others and ask for much needed help.

It can be frustrating for everyone but with time, a lot of patience, support and understanding, people with mental illness can lead a life of quality with their love ones.

Another thing I learned during this most recent 18 days of depressive cycle…

If you can no longer find peace in words you read from others, then create your own simple words that will bring you peace...

The image above is something I shared, together with the text below on instagram. I created this to empower myself to let go and be okay with how things are, and how things would be. Perhaps my simplified way of saying: I need to keep on moving,  I will keep on moving and never give up.

It seems to represent the balance between the "helplessness" in times of depression and the "strength" from within - the individual's fighting spirit - that you can call up when things are really rough, and enable you to just  let go - for your own peace, for your own well-being…


(Text to the image - "I don't know…It's OK" - above)

This afternoon I was updating my blog, "Fueled By Goals: 7 Down, 7 To Go" 

At first I was a bit sad, frustrated, scared & a tad disappointed with myself.  

It was soon replaced with shame. Shame for feeling those negative feelings.  

My 100+ blogs does not even relate all 3 years worth of wonderful stories how running around Holland (and other parts of Europe) has changed my life. How it changed life for the better.  

Some things you can't quantify. You can't even represent it with a image of before and after. You can only feel it from within you: a personal transformation. 

Quickly right after I felt my old fighting spirit taking over. 

I don't know how the next months will be, and you know what? It's okay. I will be okay. No matter what. 

The next day, I ran. :)

And the following day, as well …

Life is to be participated in…even against the odds,

over hurdles and against your worst enemy: the

worrying mind…

Even "the fight" to overcome is participating in life…

It might not seem spectacular but if you keep at it long enough, your life will be!

#SuperSeptember continues with a #BetterYourBest challenge!

Summary 
of
Running 2014 January - August…

Worry LESS! 

Work-out (or fill it in with what you love most, that keeps you going and keeps you healthy!) MORE!

6/100

Good Night August!

When I think about it, the more my The Mermaid Club shirt collection grows, the wider the circle of my mermaid inspiration/friends/supporter grows.

22nd of June, 2014
about a km away to the finish line of
Stoomtramloop

3rd of August,  2014
a before the run pic
for #crewTheMermaidClub
#ChaseSummer Nike Challenge
also a run to test my running backpack

16th of May, 2014
during a just for fun personal
10K
The Mermaid Club run :)

An after the run pic
21st of August, 2014
for #crewTheMermaidClub
#ChaseSummer Nike Challenge

edited to inspire me for later...

Below is something I posted on my ("new") Instagram account, as a way to end and say, "Good night, August!" inspired by The Mermaid Club.

happyfeetnl

...ago · Den Haag

#SentimentalSunday #GoodNightAugust 

#TheSpiritofTheShirt 

#LiveAuthentic ( intro for #DearSelfInSeptember) 

Reminiscing about running in #Spring2014 before I sleep. #InstaSleepDiary 

Spring, new beginnings - seems fitting to have worn my first #themermaidclub shirt for the first time; it helped me finish my 2nd consecutive #CPCloop #TheHagueHalfMarathon stronger than I thought I would. 

March, 2014
during the CPC half-marathon
in the Hague

March, 2014

100 meters less until the finish line
of
CPC half-marathon
in the Hague

Nope, I was not faster than the previous year but I was there, and I ran for myself; I ran for others, who couldn't; I ran for those, who are still aspiring; I ran for those, who I admire and who inspire many; I ran in the spirit of @themermaidclub: #livelifemakewaves 

As August comes to an end and September ushers in the months of "ber" /#brrr :) I would like to remind myself to be "warmer", "kinder" to myself. Since experience have shown me it is then I can be warmer, kinder to others. 

In life, whether we practice sports or not, the friendly competition can easily turn one to a green monster of envy, jealousy & anger. 

But if we all keep in mind: everyone battles with themselves, face struggles that are not evident in the surface, we will all be more supportive of each other. 

In this spirit: I wish you all a good night. 

#NoteBeforeISleep
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT 11.09.14: Yesterday, I worked out in my new  The Mermaid Club tank top! 

 Check out the new tank, on the new blogpost  to see what magic the tank did for me. :)

5/100

Chase Summer: Introducing #crewTheMermaidClub

The Mermaid Club

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 

― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

July is almost at it's end, and August is waving with many possibilities of being awesome!

Nike recently created one of this awesome wave of possibilities with it's Chase Summer invitation.

NIKE CHASE SUMMER

I am happy to announce that The Mermaid Club is riding this wave with our #crewTheMermaidClub!

Below is a screen shot of the event's summary, and you can read about there details of this challenge.

In short: it is about being active the whole Summer with your crew of 5 (all girls, all boys or mixed!) - sharing your Nike+ kilometers and Nike+ Training Club work-out minutes, using the hashtag of your crew.  

At the end of the Summer (in this case 31st of August), the crews with the most kilometers and minutes will go to an exclusive Nike event.

Are you in?!

Well, the #crewTheMermaidClub is definitely in!!!!!!!!!

We created the first crew, and we're hoping that more mermaids/mermen will join in the Summer of active fun to create more teams that will belong to the #crewTheMermaidClub!

Let's get splashin' to the Nike leader board, while having fun keeping fit this Summer!


Who are the first team of #creTheMermaidClub, then???

Introducing the Mermaids!

Emily

She lives in New York, NY USA; a fellow mermaid ambassador at The Mermaid Club, and was the first to come on board for this adventure.

You can follow her great adventures  - this year she has a back to back to back 5K,10K, and half-marathon races (!!!) - here below:

Twitter
Instagram

Melanie

She is from the Netherlands, a working mom of two great boys, and is prepping to rock the Berlin Marathon in September this year.

Be inspired by her awesomeness:

Twitter
Instagram

Carlijn

A new mermaid running/fitness friend, also from the Netherlands! Melanie introduced us online, and I am excited to get to know the lovely Carlijn more.  She is currently training for her first marathon in Eindhoven, this coming October!

If you want to be motivated, follow the positive charming energy here:

Instagram

Last but not least!

Pinky

If you have been a long follower of this blog or this blog's FB page, you will remember Pinky mentioned quiet often in my posts because we've known each other almost as long as I am running!

She is the inspiring blogger behind Run Laugh Eat Pie.  Her blogs are motivating for it's genuiness,  honesty, and  humor!

How can you measure her awesomeness??? Well, I wrote her while she is on holiday to be a part of the crew, and she did not only took time to read my mega mail (I am famous for them :D ) but got on board right away!

There is much to say because this lady is very active and on the go.  See for yourself @

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

And there is moi!

Happy Feet in the Netherlands 
:)

Read what I am currently working on @ Happy Feet'S Miles! It is the baby blog of Happy Feet in the Netherlands (the magazine of my running :) , where I will get into more details of how I am disciplining myself to follow a consistent training to be a stronger runner.

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

There you are, the first team of #crewTheMermaidClub!

If you would like to follow our progress, how we are having fun chasing the Summer :D , just search for the hashtag of our crew on Twitter, Instagram and FB.

Questions, feedback, what to share your own #ChaseSummer crew adventures, write away on the comment box!

Happy Summer running!

4/100

Happy Feet NL features : The Mermaid Club - #livelifemakewaves

The MermaidClub ~
I must be a mermaid, I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living

Anaïs Nin

The Mermaid Club* launched their website yesterday!

The Mermaid Club aims to inspire and motivate women who participate in all aspects of fitness including biking, running, swimming to just moving your fins! We are an online global community for women who think big, make things happen, inspire others and seek a sense of accomplishment and achievement in all we do in every day life. (quoted from the website)

 Happy Feet in the Netherlands is a proud ambassador of #TMC*! #livelifemakewaves

 In celebration of HFNL joining a "fintastic" mermaid revolution - baby pedals to try the TRI - #TMC will be featured here in a series of blogs.


The first in the series is  #TMC giveaways hosted by HFNL !

The second in the series will be a feature of #TMC's founder Helena Redshaw aka @Running_Mermaid, whom I met via Twitter in the last weeks of training for Berlin Marathon,which she ran in 2012, the same year I did.

And the third will be a feature of the three winners of the #TMC giveaway.

Follow this #TMC blog series for inspiration, motivation and a sneak peak on the fun as @HappyFeetNL makes baby paddles towards trying for the TRI!

What more you have a chance to be the next proud owner of an exclusive #TMC shirt & exclusive swimming cap!

Men can participate as well; earn the #TMC beauties for the beautiful mermaid of your life!

3 #TMC shirts to giveaway, 3 #TMC swimming caps & 3 different ways to win them!

1. Share a picture/(s) what makes your feet active, happy & strong on HFNL & #TMC social media channels -

Happy Feet NL FB Page
@HappyFeetNL Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club FB Page
@themermaidclub Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club - Instagram

tag it with #livelifemakewaves #happyfeetheavenlyfins

Selection of winner via #TMC founder/followers

training & running a marathon makes my feet happy and strong!

2. Join the #MorningMilers event.

Share on the event page a picture of what you do to motivate yourself to have an active morning; post it on the event page HFNL & #TMC social media channels -

Happy Feet NL FB Page
@HappyFeetNL Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club FB Page
@themermaidclub Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club - Instagram

tag it with #livelifemakewaves #MorningMilers
Selection of winner via #HFNL followers

3. Join the #Running4Badges event. 

Share on the event page a picture along your run & a screenshot of your  running stats via a running app (Nike+, Garmin etc); post it on the event page HFNL & #TMC social media channels -

Happy Feet NL FB Page
@HappyFeetNL Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club FB Page
@themermaidclub Twitter channel
The Mermaid Club - Instagram

tag it with #livelifemakewaves #Running4Badges

Selection of winner via earning of 3 badges* (badges are earned after completing running related tasks)

*please check out details on the event page

All winners will be announced on the 20.03!