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GOT A MINUTE?

Working out and playing sports is a daily activity for many, and an active lifestyle helps people feel fitter and more comfortable in their skin. Physical exercise also has a proven ability to relax us and even reduce stress. So it was a rude awakening for many people when all the sports clubs and gyms shut their doors in mid-March. Exercising at home or outdoors were the only options left. We asked a few sporty types what recent months have been like for them.

MARY VAN DER ZEE (51)

Manager at Evi Operations

Likes to work out at Clubsportive ‘It was a nightmare for me when the gyms closed, because I work out five times a week. It was a tough adjustment. I have a personal trainer and we arranged to work out outdoors twice a week. With the lovely spring weather, it was great to train in Beatrixpark and around Zuidas. I found out that with creativity, natural obstacles like stairs and low walls, a pair of boxing gloves and a yoga matt, you can get a complete workout being outdoors. I started going back to the gym in the meantime, also because it motivates me to work out with other people around. But I’m still doing workouts outdoors, too, because I really enjoyed it.’

SHOROMBO MOOIJ (36)

Life & health coach

Likes to work out outdoors

‘I work out a lot, but when everything closed I didn’t mind it too much. I adapt easily and pretty soon had a new routine. In fact, I decided I’ve come out of this crisis stronger and fitter than ever. I ran with resistance bands and sometimes with boxing gloves in my rucksack. I used to do obstacle runs, so the whole city is a race course for me. Also, Boogieland hung up bags all over the city, so I planned my runs to be able to box a few rounds along the way. Now I’m attending favourite gyms again and feel totally safe there. I’ve been investing in my health for years, my immune system’s in peak form, and I’m strong and fit, so I don’t belong to a high-risk group.’

MEREDITH OVERMAN (30)

Promovenda at Maastricht University & Amsterdam UMC, locatie VUmc

Likes to work out at AFC ‘When everything shut down, it wiped out a huge chunk of my daily routine. Ever since I was five, I spent at least four days a week at the AFC pitches, so I lost both the intensity and the relaxation of sports in one fell swoop. During the pandemic, a group of us got hooked on padel, a big hype that’s a cross between tennis and squash. Now we’re back to playing football again, thankfully, but we’re also still playing Likes to work out at Rocycle

‘Through Onefit I had a couple of favourite spots I went at least twice a week. It was strange at first when everything closed, but I shifted gears quickly and began working out outside a lot. I’d go to a green patch with a family member or friend, taking along kettlebells and dynabands. I also went walking with my boyfriend during the lockdown, and the great thing is we’re still doing that. I’m back at my favourite fitness clubs again now, and with the

JOEY SINGELS (32)

Online entrepreneur, owner of VoetbalPrimeur.nl

measures they’ve taken I feel absolutely safe!’

padel. You might say the sports routine has gotten even busier. At AFC I actually feel safer than in lots of other places. On arriving, you’ve got to scan a QR code to leave your details and there’s also someone in the clubhouse to make sure everyone’s behaving themselves. Otherwise, we have to wait till everything’s allowed again, because the whole big social and teambuilding element is gone.’

Property

#UPDATE

It may sound unlikely, but on the plot between the EMA office and Van der Valk hotel, just south of the A10 motorway, there is room for an office building with a gross floor area of 30,000 square metres. ‘It will be a while yet, but preparations are already underway’, says Jaap Brouwer, senior urban planning designer for the City of Amsterdam.

Architectural forms We can look forward to another eye-catcher off the motorway. A building of which the architecture is fundamentally different from everything that’s already here, says Brouwer. ‘We’re aiming for a nice diversity of architectural forms – something that’s distinct from the Cross Towers where EY has its offices, from the EMA headquarters and from the beautiful tour-de-force at Van der Valk.’ Planned to rise a towering 85 metres, the new building is actually most striking for its width, with an elongated shape. The taller part of the building will be set off slightly from the A10, creating space for a low-rise section (18 metres high). ‘How exactly that will be fleshed out depends on market demand and the creativity of parties that submit bids to develop this plot’, Brouwer adds.

City vista Although it will be some time before it’s completed, a good deal of thought has already gone into the development of this plot, also known as ‘Kavel 13’. The tower section will have an