Bernard Sleijster blog

Children should be getting at least one hour of physical activity per day. That’s an absolute minimum. When I was a kid, we spent so much time running around outside that it was never a question of just one hour, but nowadays, with phones, TV’s and iPads, getting a kid to play outside can be a challenge. So how do we get kids more active in their daily lives? Having raised 4 children of my own, I can recommend a few of my top tips. Find out what they’re really interested in You may be a hardcore baseball fan with dreams of your child becoming the next big star, but please don’t let your projections define their future. They may go to baseball just to please you, but they won’t enjoy it if inside their true passion is for tennis, for example. Never force your child to do something they truly don’t want to do. I encourage you to try all the different sports there are, even those that may seem strange to you. Listen to your child and pay attention to them, see what they respond t...

I never expected that being a father would have such a massive impact on my life. At times it was fun, at times it was challenging (I have 4 kids!), and most of the time is was just the most surreal experience that is hard to describe with words. However, I never expected that my kids would teach me so much about life and would actually make me into a better businessman! Children remind us of the most profound, yet simple skills we need to implement…in fatherhood and in business. Here are a few ways in which my children helped my career: I let go of trying to control everything With little children at home, I knew I had to cut back on the long hours at the office and stop trying to do everything by myself. I began to give more responsibilities to other team members, give them the wheel for a change. I learnt that I can be a good father, spend more time with my beloved children and still be an effective entrepreneur and leader. Instead of trying to be in control, I worked o...

Music has played a large role in my life. Especially when growing up, artists like David Bowie were of big impact on my choices and behaviour. I didn’t usually go for the mainstream top 40 artists, I preferred exploring different musicians from the more artistic side of the spectrum. In my younger days I had the honour of seeing Bowie live on many occasions. Sometimes in very intimate and exclusive settings with just over a hundred people in the audience. I was even fortunate enough to have met his wife, Iman, although unfortunately I never did get the chance to meet David, before he passed away at the start of this year, on 10th January 2016. The iconic David Bowie has influenced many decisions in my life, some of which I would like to share with you today: Be creative and experiment David Bowie has never been one to follow rules, be it in music, fashion or comments. He experimented on himself and his music and was never afraid to think outside the box. He once joked, “I re-i...

There’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate.” ~ U.S. President Barack Obama, U.N. Climate Change Summit, September 23, 2014 After such a statement, it is no surprise that during the last, 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments targeted replacing fossil fuels almost entirely with clean energy in the second half of this century. The more recent World Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015 (COP21) brought business leaders and politicians alike to express their thoughts about climate change and what we must do as a planet to stop it’s rapid advance. Most attendees agreed that this is one of the biggest challenges that we are currently faced with, and came up with many ways to help preserve the planet for future generations. To quote P. Defosses, director of French Pension Fund ERAF...

Most of us go through life without realising that everyday things that we consider to be “normal”, could well be the things that are making us sick. I’m talking about your shampoo and toothpaste and household cleaning products! It’s actually quite incredible how many chemicals our beauty products contain. Not only is it bad for our health, but it’s also damaging our environment. Companies are not required to be 100% natural if the packet says something like “natural” or “organic”. They can even have harmful substances like SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and still be sold in health shops. What kind of household things can be harmful to us? Shampoo and conditioner Toothpaste and mouthwash Deodorant Perfume Lipstick, mascara and other make up Dishwashing liquid Cleaning sprays and products Soaps Baby wipes and lotions Massage oils and face creams Shaving creams And so much more…we haven’t even touched food! What chemicals may they contain? Sodium Lauryl Sulfa...

You may have heard of people talking about eating more fresh fruits and vegetables to improve your health and wellbeing. Every body seems to be juice fasting these days or going on detox retreats, but is it really necessary to go so extreme to be healthy? I would recommend taking it slowly, step by step, without putting your body under too much stress. In this article I would like to share with you a few ways in which you can change some of your daily eating habits to healthier ones, but still enjoy what you eat. Divide your plate in half In other words, make what you would normally make for yourself, fill half of your plate with that, and fill the other half with a salad. By adding fresh vegetables to your meal, you will increase the amount of fibre that will go into your body, which will in turn improve your digestion. If you feel like you need more food to be satisfied, opt for a second serving of salad. Change your snacking habits One of the most common mistakes that...

When you think of health, wellness, detox and good nutrition, most people come up with a stereotype in their heads that it’s just for middle to middle and upper class women aged 35-50, who have lots of time and money to spend on their bodies. This is far from the truth, people of all ages and walks of life are getting more and more interested in healthy living, and with good reason too! It’s time we stopped seeing health as a luxury, but as a basic human need and right instead. Health and wellness for children In my opinion, any changes we wish to see in the world should start today with our children. I can’t stress enough how important it is to start young when teaching our kids about health, fitness and good nutrition. I began taking care of my body when I got into boxing, which I wrote about here. In hopes to give a better life to children who may not be fortunate enough to go to good schools, I set up a charity, which aims to bring physical education to children in Latin a...

Young children are the most vulnerable sector of our society. They can’t tell the different between marketing and entertainment, and sadly many companies use that to their advantage. Why do advertisers target children? What do you call a consumer who wants to buy everything you have, doesn’t care what it costs and is less than five feet tall? A child. “Get them hooked while they’re young” is the motto of many companies worldwide. If you can get a child addicted to a product before they reach puberty, it is sure to stay with them throughout their life. According to the YTV Kids and Tweens Report, kids influence: • Breakfast choices (97% of the time) and lunch choices (95% of the time). • Where to go for casual family meals (98% of the time) (with 34% of kids always having a say on the choice of casual restaurant). • Clothing purchases (95% of the time). • Software purchases (76% of the time) and computer purchases (60% of the time). • Family entertainment choices (98% of th...

In our day to day lives, most of the focus goes to mental education when it comes to schooling children, with a small percentage, if any, going towards physical education. Personally, I grew up an amateur boxer and know first hand that sports and everything that comes with it, such as learning about nutrition, is vital for the healthy growth of an individual. So what benefits can come from playing sports? Sports makes us feel good about ourselves, both physically and mentally. Children begin to thrive in environments where sports are present. They make new friends, learn to overcome challenges and gain new skills (physical and mental), they learn how to play in a team or become team leader, learn how to play fair, become more confident and perhaps most important of all: they have fun. Children will also inevitably begin to learn about their physical bodies, its limits and capabilities. Nutrition plays a vital role in sports, and children who are exposed to physical educati...

As I’ve written in this blog post here, the health and wellness industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. With a huge demand for preventative healing methods and optimal nutrition, it seems that everybody is looking to get healthy. But what does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle? It’s not just about one thing, it’s many factors combined that, in my opinion, make up a healthy individual. Food Yes, you really can’t overlook food when you’re thinking of health. There is much scientific evidence that supports the theory that most of our health issues are related to food and nutrition, as well as environmental toxicity. So we need to begin cleaning ourselves from the inside out. How do we do that? I think most of us are quite well-advised on the fact that trendy diets from the 90s don’t actually work. More and more people are choosing to listen to their bodies and find out what truly works for them food-wise. Slowly but surely, many people are starting...

Hello internet community! Berrel here, once again, just wanted to share with you my latest project and passion in life – the  Sleijster4Children  charity organisation. I’ve spent the last few years brewing this idea, and I am excited to finally tell you that it has come to life! I truly believe that for the world to become a healthier, safer and overall better place, we need to start with the education of our children. Below are some details about the charity: What is Sleijster4Children? Sleijster4Children is a non-profit organisation, set up by Bernardus J. Sleijster, that aims to help children in need, regardless of their age, gender, race, disability or behaviour. Sleijster believes that one small act of kindness could change the life course of an innocent and impressionable child and he set up this foundation because he believes that every person deserves a great start to life. What are Sleijster4Children’s goals? Growing up with a keen interest in boxin...

If you’ve been living on planet Earth for the last few years, then I’m sure you know of at least a few friends who are “on a detox” every once in a while. Whereas ten years ago everyone was “on a diet”, now people are discovering that diets don’t actually work and that we need to do something different with our bodies in order to keep healthy…but do detox weeks really work, or is it just another trend that will disappear like “diets”? First of all, what exactly is a “detox”? This can include many things, here are some popular examples: • Juice or smoothie cleanse • Colonic irrigation and enemas • Liver cleanse • Anti-parasite cleanse • Going vegetarian/vegan/raw for a while • Drinking special herbs or teas • Candida cleanse • Toxic metal cleanse • Master cleanse And the list is endless, if you have an issue, there’s bound to be a “cleanse” for it if you search hard enough. Determining whether a detox week “works” will greatly depend on what it is that you were looking for ...