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Helene Ahlson has been a Better Bodies ambassador for more than ten years. We have followed her journey during all these years and now Helene is facing a new chapter of her life as she is expecting a child. Pregnant or not, Helene is sticking to her training centered lifestyle and here she shares some of her own tips for training during pregnancy.

A year ago I didn't expect this to happen. I was in the middle of my career with figure competitions, my own business as a Personal Trainer, Fitness coach, model, TV / movie jobs, and hosting training camps all over the world.

At that moment my path was crossed by a person with the biggest heart and a personality I could not let go of. And now I'm here... more than half way through my first pregnancy, which of course feels amazing!

I'd like to share some of my experiences so far and som previous knowledge that I have when it comes to training during pregnancy.

Even though this is my first own pregnancy I have as apersonal trainer trained and helped many women both during and after pregnancy.

A pregnancy consist of nine months and they are usually divided in three 3-month periods, called trimesters. During the first trimester (week 1-12) big changes are happening even if they aren't physically visible. Being tired and nauseous is common during this period, which may lead to difficulties finding energy to work out. But, as most people probably are aware of, and research confirms - physical activity is a cure for many things and that is even the case here. It is always better to for example try go for a little walk than to do nothing at all.

If you feel OK there's no reason to not train as usual but listening to your own body signals is crucial. From now on your body decides the pace and wins over dedication and determination, not the other way around. Besides that there are three things I think are important to think about from the start:

1. Don't attempt to beat world records during your pregnancy. The goal should be to maintain your physical status and prepare for the upcoming birth and the time and recovery thereafter.

2. The most important training during pregnancy is Kegel exercises. No matter what kind of birth you'll have your pelvic floor muscles will be exposed to a lot of pressure the last few months of pregnancy. If you can not activate these muscles while pregnant, you will definitely not be able to do so after the baby has arrived either.

3. Focus on strengthening your core muscles through specific core training and do a lot of posture training (the back side of the body) to create some relief when your belly is growing and the weight shifts forward.

During the second trimester (week 13-27) the physical changes will start showing well. During this period most women start feeling strong and well as the energy returns. A lot is happening physically in this trimester. The joints are getting softer due to an increased level of the hormone relaxin, which among other things is responsible for loosening up connective tissue and cartilage in the pelvic area. The belly is growing and the load from it is pushing on the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles are separating more and more. When the separation is as wide as or wider than two fingers, it is recommended to stop training the abdominal muscles.

If you're used to training and have been able to train as usual during the first trimester then you can probably continue with most exercises even during the second trimester. There are however some exercises you may need to consider excluding from your workouts going forward:

My advice to those who wants to and can train is to do it smart with exercises for the whole body where the core muscles indirectly are activated and thereby trained.

Here are a list of exercises that I'd recommend for the second trimester. Please note that these are for those who already train and have been able to do so without issues.

Try adding some Kegel exercises during the workout and in between sets, that way you get that important training done as well. Also, always remember to keep a good upright posture.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram to see how I train during and after my own pregnancy.

Helene Ahlson – Training During Pregnancy Part 1

Hard training is a given. All athletes will do some adaptation to the sets and reps that gets their body to respond.

This is an in depth interview with IFBB Bikini champ Jen Ronzitti with the goal to get to know more of Jen as a human and relateable person that happens to be one of the best in the IFBB Bikini world.

From cheat meal guilty pleasures, to who inspires Jen outside of the fitness industry, to preferred music, and gym fashion - we cover some fun topics.

Video: In-Depth Interview with Jennifer Ronzitti

 is 26 years old. He was born in Poland and when he was 11, he immigrated to Sweden with his mother and younger brother.

It took a while for Cezar and his family to get settled in the new country. They moved from city to city a few times and he had to start over in new schools with every move. Eventually he started getting bullied as he was always the new kid in class. Cezar struggled with this. He wanted to be appreciated and respected. He always found himself among the best in

class when it came to sports at school, but that didn’t solve the bullying issues.

I realized I needed to get stronger and build some muscle to earn respect and solve some of my bullying issues. That was my initial motivation to start working out. The first year I did body-weight exercises only. Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups... This really gave me the results I needed and the issues I was experiencing slowly got resolved.

When I met the love of my life during high school, I all of a sudden stopped working out.

However, my passion for fitness quickly returned and when I was 18 I bought gym equipment, built up a small gym in my room, and started diving into diet and nutrition studies to learn more.

I started competing at the end of 2015, winning my first show. That truly turned the fire up and my interest for bodybuilding developed further. My biggest achievement is winning the Overall title in Bodybuilding at the Nordic Championships 2018, where I also got awarded as “Best Poser” and another special award “Physique of the Year”.

This lifestyle is not only giving me a good looking body and possibilities to compete, it brings so much more. I gives me joy, it keeps me calm because I use my excess of energy in the gym, it makes me eat well and pick good food sources that helps me stay healthy. Thanks to healthy food choices my metabolism is higher and I can consume higher amounts of food which is great because I really enjoy eating a lot.

I always feel happy when I wake up in the morning and my energy levels throughout the day are stable, it gives me a deeper purpose in life and makes my life complete. Living a fitness lifestyle taught me about self-sacrifice and showed me how colorful and wonderful life is, and made me appreciate every single day living on our beautiful planet earth.

After winning my first competition I knew that this was my thing, and that I was the correct person for doing THAT thing. Endurance, sacrifice, discipline, routine, the character.

Right now I'm weeks out of this year’s first competition. I'm also in my absolute prime and I'm very excited to show my end result.

During spring 2020 I'm planning for 5 competitions. Starting at Stockholm Classic, Sweden Grand Prix and continuing internationally at European Championships in Spain, Fitness Mania Classic in Czech Republic and finishing in Italy at Panatta World Cup.

I'm also planning to win the 2020 IFBB ranking in Classic Bodybuilding and for that to happen I'll keep competing through the fall.

I'm a realist, but I'm never aiming for second places, I also know that quality takes time. Due to lacking a few kilograms for Pro league, my plans are to give myself time to gain and then in 2021 or 2022 change category to Classic Physique, achieve Pro status and start competing in IFBB Elite Pro or NPC league.

I diet all year round, it's either a surplus or a deficit diet. So I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making up new fitness dishes and cooking fantastic meals. My wife is a real star in this area so she always helps me to stay open minded and creative.

There is still a child hidden within me somewhere, so when I have some spare time I love to play games. Even better is doing it with children or younger individuals. I enjoy the laughs, challenges, and deep strategic requirements from us as players to solve the games.

I also love dancing and singing (I've been in a band in middle and high school), but that's another story LOL. I do believe that these life experiences gave me a lot of self confidence performing on stage and being like a dancer, which resulted in the “Best Poser” award in 2018.

Better Day by Day while Maintaining Patience

My advise to someone starting their fitness journey would be to find something that drives you forward, that gives you a purpose to getting better day by day. And stick to it really hard! When some days are tougher to get through, remember why you really want this. After some time you'll get into a routine that will automatically push you forward and this makes things easier. And remember, if you don't give up, you'll be proud and thankful to yourself.

One day you may be ready to pursue fitness on a higher level by for example competing. I would then say you know what it takes so the most important thing at that point would be to stay focused and work hard every day. But play it smart, work your weak spots and don´t overwork your body into destruction. Remember, great thing takes time to achieve.

2018 Better Bodies sponsored the outfits for the National Team and I really liked the clothing. Later on I connected with CEO Michael Johansson and met more people within the team. I realized this was the perfect team to which I wanted to belong.

Spread love, not hate folks and always stay positive. Only a positive mindset can

endure and succeed doing great things. Help each other to keep being driven. And if you ever would like my help, don't hesitate contacting me.

Watch the video about Cezars road to the European Championships 

My Fitness Journey - Cezar Zulewski

Vanessa Romanowski is a happy 15 year old girl born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. Vanessa is working hard to reach her goals in mixed martial arts by combining school and life at the gym.

Vanessa have competed in Muay Thai, K1 and Kickboxning and of total 47 fights she has won 41.

Vanessa is young an driven and we asked some questions to get to know her a little bit better.

The Interest in Thai Boxning - how did this arise?

After a trip to Thailand 6 years ago, I fell in love with Muay Thai. I was at a thai boxing event and saw girls in my age fighting. They inspired me to try something new after several years as a dancer.

The next competition is Junior Swedish Championships February 28-29th. Then a fight in Thailand during the summer and hopefully World Championships in Malaysia in September.

Further ahead my goal is to participate in the Olympic Games and be a part of a big fighting organization.

The Passion and Everyday Life - how do you balance it?

I go to school like everyone else, and I hurry home to get my homework done and be able to go train. I train about 5-6 times per week so it takes a lot of time outside of school. The gym is like a retreat for me. I spend most of the time outside of school there.

There are a lot of inspiring fighters like Connor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather but the one who is inspiring me the most is Joanna Jedrzejczyk from UFC.

A Typical Training Week - "on" and "off" season

I don't have any off-season. I am always ready for fight and I train hard to reach my goals. 3 weeks prior to a fight I train twice per day and I add some running after workouts.

When Not Training - what do you enjoy doing?

I love traveling and exploring new places. When I don't train I also enjoy spending time with family and just relax. I like listening to music and watch good movies.

Tips For Others - how do you get successful in a sport?

My tip is to always believe in yourself and not care about what others say or think. Also, yto do everything possible to reach the set goals. Work hard and never give up.

Other - anything else you want to share with the Better Bodies community?

You have to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to reach your goals. There are no shortcuts. There is a way and everyone has to walk the same distance. It is not always easy but don't give up because once the goal is accomplished the feeling is all worth it.

Purpose Driven: Training Vanessa Romanowski

You're only as good as your weakest link. You cannot have a great physique with training alone. Mastery of nutrition, training and mentality are all crucial to leaving your mark in bodybuilding.

Cezar Zulewski has set his sights on becoming the best in Europe at the 2020 European championships where the absolute best physique come to compete.

Cezar has mastered training, nutrition and his mental approach and invites us all to follow him on this journey.

Video: Cezar Zulewski - Road To The European Championships

is a Better Bodies ambassador and a previous world champion in Bikini Fitness. She earned a Pro Card in the division and now runs her own coaching company, Lewel. Her goal with the company is to help strengthen others, mentally and physically.

When following Sandra one thing that stands out is her extremely positive mindset. We catch up with Sandra to see if she has any tips for others on how she does it.

I have always been a happy girl, unless I'm on my period or is few weeks out from competition, then I may cry. But other than that, I’m extraordinary happy. So happy that I actually got expelled from school once. They thought I was high, but no, I was just me, being happy.

I remember when I first realized I needed to improve my mindset. It was on my way to the first competition. I have never had high beliefs about myself or ever thought I was any better than anyone else. I also did not know if competing was something for me since I had those thoughts and did not think anything special about myself. I had to give myself a pep-talk sayin to myself that "OK, you can complete this competition and just go on with your life, or you can do this and start talking positive to yourself, believe in yourself and tell yourself that you are good". So, I chose to start believing in myself, and that was when I started developing a "champion mindset".

Being aware your own thoughts and how you speak to yourself is maybe the hardest and most important lesson to learn during life. Over 80% of what you tell yourself during a day is typically "said" with a negative tone. What you say to yourself is affecting your everyday life, your body and how you integrate with the world around you. And on top of this, the negative things you say to yourself is also most likely bullshit. Life is too short to be negative. And being the opposite is so easy.

SMILE, smile, smile smile. Open your eyes. Look at people around you, meet them with a happy face and you will most likely get one back. Instead of spiraling down in the negative pattern we already are familiar with, try to learn something from the situation and find at last one positive thing. Life is better, funnier and more enjoyable with a positive mindset. Accept things as they happen, care more, smile, and train your mind to be positive.

Sandra Jokic – A Positive Mindset

"I don't want to be put into a category. I want to be able to compete on stage or in CrossFit, or even basketball and sports involving running."

BreeAnna Lucero takes us through a diverse group of dynamic and some typical exercises with her own twist on them, that give her the conditioning and strength adaptations that keep her strong, shapely and ready for anything she wants to do athletically.

 and here at Betterbodies.com for constant updates.

Diversely Built Legs with BreeAnna Lucero

) has a long background in the fitness industry. Here she gives us an insight to which factors that are the most important if your goal is to lose fat.

Cardio is shortening for cardiovascular exercises, which is the popular name for aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises are the ones that use oxygen as fuel and are normally performed for a longer period of time. (Example: jogging, brisk walk, cross-trainer etc. )

Cardiovascular activities have great benefits for our health and well-being, it can help:

This is to name just some of the benefits of cardiovascular activities!

One benefit that I left out from the list above is THE ONE, I am very excited to talk about today which is FAT LOSS!

I left this out of the list, because despite popular belief, cardio is NOT your best tool when it comes to fat loss. 

Before we move forward with this, we need to first understand how fat loss actually happens.

Fat loss happens when there is a calorie deficit, which means there are more calories going out than going in, or also known as CICO: Calories in vs Calories Out (you can read more about calorie deficit 

There are a couple ways to create a calorie deficit:

2- Increase the amount of calories you burn (by moving more)

One thing that it is important to keep in mind is that your calorie deficit number is not a static number. It can change over time and even from one day to the next. Ultimately, if you are not losing weight it means that you are NOT in a calorie deficit (you can read more about this 

We often see people relying on cardio only for fat loss, before first having a hard look at their diets to see how much they are actually eating. This is a huge problem because, according to 

 most people tend to underestimate how much they eat by nearly 50%, and the same is true for overestimating how many calories they burn when exercising.

Just to put into perspective why this is so crucial, let’s put some calories side by side here:

3 slices of pizza has in average 1100 Kcals 

This means that after eating three slices of pizza to break even you would have to run for nearly 3 hours to burn those calories.

I don’t like to use exercising as ‘’punishment’’ for what you have ‘’cheated’’ on your diet with, so I am just using this as an example for you guys to see that the 1 hour you spend in the gym might not justify the 3 large pizzas and 5 chocolate bars you scoff on the weekend.

Of course cardio can be a great tool to increase energy expenditure (calories out), but the first priority should be to sort out your diet so you are not using cardio as ‘’punishment’’ for the food you have overindulged.

Nathalia Melo – Is Cardio Needed For Fat Loss?

Blaze Bowen has learned to take inspiration from his surroundings like top competitors such as Phil Heath and Roelly Winklaar and motivate himself from his own experiences and the standard and physique he strives to build.

"I think as an individual, you need to be your own motivation. Everyone has what motivates and pushes themselves.

You cant take what motivates someone else and have it apply the same to you. Stay out of your comfort zone. Improve every single day. Be the best version of yourself.

We follow up with Blaze still 6 weeks out of the NPC Nationals in Miami going through his methodology behind his typical arm training. From heavy weight and low reps to extremely high repetitions and intense muscle connection, Blaze explains it all.

Blaze Bowen Arm Training – Be Your Own Motivation

Misty Statum grew up in a small town in Texas and has since middle school had an affinity and talent for athletics. Misty has always combined passion and purpose and has consistently turned her love for physicality in the gym or the field into opportunities. Since graduating from the University of Houston with a kinesiology degree, she has maintained a hungry and creative entrepreneurial mindset from owning and operating her own personal training business and studio, to turning her marketing and graphic design creative outlet into her main business.

"Having my own training studio, I made my own logo and marketing material to promote my own training business. I fell in love with the marketing side and realized it was what I wanted to do full time."

Her athletic passions have lead her to prepare for her first figure competition at this years Texas State Championships which happens to be a qualifier for the NPC Nationals where pro cards are offered to all class winners. Misty's prep was not void of obstacle and difficulty since the NPC Texas State Championships has a history of being one of the most competitive national qualifiers.

"You just always have to be your best. No one is going to take it easy. You just always have to kill what you do and never slack."

Strong Athletic Body – Misty Statum, Texas State Figure Champion

Nicci Hernestig and Mathias Guss ends their Marbella trip with a visit at Reebok Hybrid Gym and summarizes their trip.

Better Bodies family friend Stefan lives part time in Marbella and he picked up Nicci and Mathias to take them to Reebok Hybrid Gym. They were both impressed with what they saw as they got there. Rafael Motloch is the gym owner and he took the guests on a tour through the facilities.

Mathias and Nicci chose to do a complete body workout to get to utilize as much as possible of the gym. They got a good workout in and and ended it with a smoothie.

The highlight of the trip was Mikes gym, especially since we got to do something we've never done before (obstacle course). What we leave with overall is the importance of mixing training with pleasure to live to the max.

Marbella Training Weekend Last Day

 took a trip to Marbella, Spain. Marbella has become a popular destination for Swedes and other Europeans seeking an active training vacation.

Nicci and Mathias mission with this trip is to share their experience with others who are curious about this destination and what it has to offer for the fitness enthusiast.

The first stop on this trip was Mikes Gym. This Gym is up in the mountains and Nicci and Mathias reports that: 

"This is probably the coolest gym we've seen! It is huge and a lot of fun!"

They got a tour around the facility and then they were put to the ultimate test: an outdoors obstacle course.

Here is Niccis review of the obstacle course:

"The first 10 minutes demanded a lot of conditioning and it was hard for me, but Mathias did better. Mike was pushing us to keep going and it was what I needed to keep going. After the conditioning part the fun started! The obstacle course consisted of several stations in a huge track where we ran between the different stations.

We did new things today that we'd never thought we'd be able to do, but with some will power and positive reinforcement - we did it! It was so much fun and our takeaway from today is that you can do anything you set your mind to!"

During the weekend they'll also shoot Better Bodies Content with photographer Julia Roder at UP Gym and they'll meet up with Rafael Motloch at Reebok Hybrid Gym. Stay tuned for more updates!