Breathe, breathe in the air
Set your intentions
Dream with care
Tomorrow is a new day for everyone
Brand new moon, brand new sun
-Follow the sun, Xavier Rudd-

Peakers
You most certainly have heard about indians, cowboys, eskimo’s, etc. and maybe you have heard of Outlanders but have you ever heard of ‘Peakers’? Well I hadn’t, until recently.
You might think they are inhabitants of some unknown nation but they’re not; for the definition of a nation is: a large group of people living in one area and usually having an independent government.
Peakers are definitely a large group of people. There are over 9000 Peakers (men and women), but they don’t live in the same area. They live all over the world. There is no government but they all live by the same rules.
You could call ‘Peakers’ a folk. A folk are people sharing a particular kind of life, they share a certain way of living, they belong to a small community.
Peakers definitely share a certain way of living. They all believe they can change their lives by living healthier, happier and more balanced. To achieve that they set themselves a challenge. They call themselves My Peak Challenge and they belong to a global community.
As I told you before, I recently, became a ‘Peaker’ too. I certainly believe in a global community, and I believe that I can live a healthier and happier life by helping others. Because that’s the way I was raised by my parents, and that’s what I teach my children; what goes around, comes around.

Global Community
It’s a wonderful experience to be part of this global community. Peakers share their stories with each other on a closed group of Official My Peak Challenge Members on Facebook.
They share their highs and lows, and everything in between.
And to my surprise I found out that there also seemed to be a group of Dutch Peakers. There are about 80 Dutch Peakers. Was I ever a fool thinking I would be the only one..….
Reading all the stories of my fellow Peakers would cost me at least a couple of weeks, probably months, but every day I try to read some. Of course I was curious about other Peakers, and where do all these Peakers come from? Why did they become a Peaker and what made them join this global community?
At the same time I was surprised, impressed and sometimes even shocked. So many stories from so many different people and all coming right from the bottom of their hearts . Like best friends telling each other everything over a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or a good meal, Peakers share almost everything with each other.
Some tell me about their diseases, their losses, their anxieties and some just need to have a sounding board. I am deeply impressed, for some of the stories really give me the goosebumps.
It shows you that there are no boundaries. It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, religious or not, American or Dutch, little, tall, small, a little bit too heavy etc. With MPC everybody is equal and equally treated.

Live healthier
When you become a member of My Peak Challenge they give you access to their fitness program and meal plans. A lot of Peakers make it their challenge to follow this program day after day, week after week and month after month.
Short instruction films show you how to do your work outs. John Valbonesi, your personal coach, makes it all look so easy. Together with the founder of MPC, Sam Heughan, they show you how to make your body healthy and strong.
I can’t help it but I wonder how many of you Peakers have only watched this short instruction films and forgot that they had to do the exercises? Well I did. I looked at these instructions over and over again and still couldn’t remember the names of all these exercises. These two men are really a distraction…
Oh come on, I tell myself, you have to stay focused and try to remember the names of all these exercises: knee-side-to-side, leg pullover, glute raise, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.
Beside the training program there’s also a nutrition program. I read that the really hard work of achieving a lasting lifestyle change Is done in the kitchen. Real hard work in the kitchen? Really? Well, for your picture: I have sweat a whole lot more in the fitness center than I’ve ever done in the kitchen.
But I must admit, making a peanut butter banana toast is rather lifestyle changing, Yammie!
For those Peakers who follow this program strictly I make a deep bow, I respect them deeply. They show you on FB how they make schedules, show you pictures of how they looked before and after a couple of months. They even show pictures from their hotel rooms, when they are on holidays, doing their exercises. I call that dedicaded.
I know for certain that’s never going to work for me. I look at the program and see where it fits in for me and I follow my schedule at the local fitness center.

Happier and balanced
When your world comes crushing down
Don’t waste no time
No this world’s big enough for you and me
And when you need someone to hold
There’s always someone around
– Help, Anouk –

I realized that my challenge will not be: Can I do this? Can I do what all these other Peakers do?
My challenge is what am I going to do with it? How will I fit it into my daily schedule. You see I’m not going to do this for a week, or a month or several months. I want this to be live changing.
I chose to live by the code: celebrate love and life, and I found out that the only way I can do that is when I am a healthier, happier and more balanced person.
I’m never going to be a model, never have been, never will be. But if I am half way my life, ( in age, and my biggest challenge is that I want to reach the age of 100 years) I want the other half not wasted on things that cost a lot of energy and leave me with nothing in the end.
Therefore I stick to my own fitness program (The Milon Circle) and I walk long distances twice a week and ride my mountain bike once a week. If I can maintain these things I will be very happy and balanced.
Not every Peaker is doing this training and nutrition program. Not every Peaker is hiking, walking, riding a bike, climbing mountains or doing other amazing fysical things.
There are also Peakers who start playing an instrument, went back to school, make beautiful drawings and paintings, went acting again etc.
That’s the strength of Peakers. You make your own challenges. After all, you have to do it by yourself. But having the feeling that there Is always the help and support of your other Peakers, in every challenging way, big or small, makes you feel like a champion in every way.

In the Blood
How much like my brothers, do my brothers wanna be?
Does a broken home become another broken family?
Or will we be there for each other, like nobody ever could?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
– John Mayer –

It’s obvious that being a Peaker is something in the blood, it runs through your veins. That makes it all the more understandable and worthwhile, that MPC donates half of my membership to Bloodwise. This organization funds world-class research and offers expert information and support to anyone affected by leukaemia, lymphama, myeloma and other blood cancer related disorders.

I wonder why the world can’t be one big folk of Peakers? My next challenge for the end of the year: I want to be a My Peak Challenge Angel. By being an angel I will help somebody else to become a Peaker and the folk of Peakers will increase and it makes the world a little better…