io n S:
Sere
na Olivie ri
2
t a r t s u l Il
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WARM-UP
Warm-up 06 Editorial
14 Multimedia & Download Index
10 Cover Shooting
306 Preview
12 Contributor Index
307 Imprint
Sports Ground 20 Outside viewing party
sisterMAG garden party 46 Digital Native Column
Mobile Living 52 Gamification in Everyday Life
A field report by Dorothee Bär 57 A Little Bit of Fitness in Everyday
Life Tips on motivation by Nadin Eule-Mau 62 Hobby First Division
Fitness studio 112 Sporty & Pregnant 1
Mom's experiences 122 Sporty & Pregnant 2
Expert interview with Jana Wolff about sports & gym 127 Sporty & Pregnant 3
Yoga: Short routines for pregnant women 134 Sporty & Pregnant 4
Do's & Dont's for nine exciting months
sisterMAG talks to women's handball team Spreefüxxe from Berlin 72 All in the Bag
Part 3: Sports 88 Healthy Hydration
To drink properly 94 I run, therefore I am
A field report with a drink recommendation from Sophia Schillik 106 Startup Spotlight: BitGym
Issue 13 | June 2014
3
Press Centre 146 Can you change your accent?
About languages and accents by Katherine Sacks 152 Please What?
An incomplete guide to Internet slang by Tina Bergs 160 Beauty Codes
The language of beauty 184 Startup Spotlight: Babelverse 188 Home is where the heart is
Living as a bilingual couple by Jennifer Patterson
4
sister-mag.com
195 Don't play with your food!
Proverbial recipes by Claudia Gödke 218 Startup Spotlight: Duolingo 222 The Sweet Escape
Why we should all make more time for stories by Christian Riedel 226 Stop! It's Sketchnotes Time
A workshop with Tanja Scherm 236 Kitchen Stories
How to build a winning cooking app
WARM-UP
Hurling 248 The language of Dublin 260 Tulle in Dublin
The new sisterMAG tulle skirt collection 272 Glendalough: Travel beyond
the Cliché Travel tips by Anita Brechbühl 280 Off to the Coast
A trip to Howth with Mela Mörtenbäck 292 Irish Dairy
Irish recipes by Ajda Mehmet
Symbols Content Button: Brings you back to Table of Contents Jump Button: Brings you to the 1st page of the next article Location: Link to Google Maps Photo Button: The Camera shows that there are more pics Link to Pinterest External link Internal link Indicates a download (e.g. of a DIY pattern)
Illustration:
Serena Olivieri
Issue 13 | June 2014
5
Th ea in tu ll e sk ir t p. 26 0
RH
AL
Cris Santos with m odel N atalie during shooting
Powerscourt House in Dublin d uring our #sisterMAGtravels tour
6
Editorial from Toni & Thea
Dear readers,
Do you know the feeling to have for larger projects, new features and many ideas and plans, but to fail to activities for you. However, this also realize them because of the weaker meant that more and more tasks pile self and not taking on things? I'm not up before the launch of an issue, that talking about putting more tasks on can’t be managed by Thea and me an already full plate but about things alone. For a long time we tried – but that further you as a whole and which finally we have started to reorganize simplify the own life.
the production process to share the
The COP team just went through such responsibility with others. a phase in recent months. In 2013, You will therefore recognize the help sisterMAG grew more and more, so of our intern Laura who helped us very that we were able to realize many ideas much in the planning and creation of
PHOTO
RH = Ryan Hursh
ZN = Zoë Noble
CREDITS:
CS = Cris Santos
CG = Claudia Gödke
AL = Ashley Ludäscher
WARM-UP
I N S TA G R A M RH
left: Toni during sports bag shooting on page 72
CS
Bowling shoes by Zeha Berlin Tennis rackets from Jeanny Horstmann
»Sports & Languages« content for sisterMAG N°13 – just as for most of us such a »sensitive« Tina and Judith have again supported issue. To start of, to stick with it, to not us with layouting. A new addition is feel weird doing it – are feelings and Jessica, who designed the article on thoughts that need to be left behind. Nadin, successful triathlete and Howth. We will continue to pursue this reorganization process in the coming months, so that Thea and I can finally tackle a few of the already long envisioned projects.
blogger, explains in her article how to
direct the inner thoughts towards the positive. The right equipment also offers great support. We therefore show in our bag special beautiful sports bags. In the blogger food
To overcome the weaker self is also a feature tasty alternatives to water are big topic in this issue. Sport is probably shown, so that you hydrate between Issue 13 | June 2014
7
CS
Claudia turned well-know proverbs in delicious recipes
AL
Em il y in tu ll e sk ir t in Du bl in
Recipes for g
8
individual sports units (read more
with the help of Emily, blogger on
about Healthy Hydration on page
From China Village, the language of
88 ).
Dublin. The Irish English has a very
There is also a new chapter in our
unique element that characterizes
pregnancy series – of course about
the peculiarities of the country very
sports! We interviewed several moms
well. Get better acquainted with the
about their experiences and how they
country in the »Hurling« section (page
dealt with the topic during pregnancy
246 ). and take a piece of Ireland
and asked expert advice from gym-
home with the great recipes from
owner Jana Wolff and personal
Ajda.
trainer Diana Dua.
Further on in the issue we expand
Have you ever noticed how much
the scope on the topic LANGUAGE:
language and location often fit
Jennifer Patterson describes a classic
together? During our trip we learned
phenomenon in our globalized world:
sister-mag.com
WARM-UP
CS
garden party
ZN
CS
Mari during Beauty Code shooting Alice developed a fully articulated paper doll for our yoga routine
different language couples. Katherine
In the end, we are now sitting in muggy
Sacks concentrates on researching
temperatures in our Berlin office and
the topics accents and environmental
look forward to enjoying all the recipe
influence on language and Claudia
ideas and water alternatives in the
Goedke interprets the topic visually
next few days at a garden party with
with recipes, taking well-known
outside viewing (see page 20 )! End
proverbs as basis. In the beauty shoot
of July / beginning of August, a short
language also plays a role – beauty
summer issue on the topic »The Big
codes in different countries inspired
Break« will come out. Until then,
us to create the portraits of seven
have fun with #sisterMAG13!
sisterMAG friends (some long known, some new additions) - from Brazil to Japan to Russia!
Toni & Thea
9
THE COVER Photos: Cris Santos
Cover Dress: Evi Neubauer
Location: Stadion An der 足 Behind-The-Scenes: alten F旦rsterei Ryan Hursh Styling (MuH): Patricia Heck
Model Natalie 足Augsburg Shoes & P 足 rops Zeha Berlin
10
Many thanks to Zeha Berlin for the Bowling shoes
Das Team.
sister-mag.com
Laura & Thea
WARM-UP
#SISTERMAG13
Thea, Patricia, Natalie, Cris & Laura
Patricia
11
Natalie
We are back with the sisterMAG Summer issue in late July / early August. Until then subscribe to our Newsletter or follow us on Facebook to get all information. Cris & Natalie
See many Behind-The-Scene pictures of our cover shoot in a specially made gallery. Pictures for you to blog and share (Photos von Ryan Hursh )
Index of cont Photos & Text Anita Brechbühl Mela Mörtenbäck Sophia Schillik
text Dorothee Bär, MdB Diana Dua Nadin Eule-Mau Laura Glabbatz Victoria Kau Thea Neubauer
12
Jennifer Patterson
Photos
Katherine Sacks
Ashley Ludaescher
Tanja Scherm
Judith de Graaff Jessica Lundby Thea Neubauer Serena Olivieri Alice Williamson
ProduCtion
Nathalie Marquez Courtney
Cristopher Santos
Tina Bergs
Christian Riedel
Ryan Hursh
Zoë Noble
illustration & Layout
Tina Bergs
Video
Anja Böttcher
Marco Woldt
Laura Glabbatz Antonia Neubauer
sister-mag.com
WARM-UP
ntributors Hair & Makeup Anna Czilinsky Patricia Heck
Styling
Thanks so much to all the helpers, people who gave ideas and contacts that we couldn't list here!
Proof Susanne Bauder Marina Engelhart Simone Haffner
models Cover
Natalie Beauty
Melanie Haynes
Anna
Amie McCracken
Caroline
Hürriyet Bulan Antonia Neubauer
Christiane
Deepa Paul
Farrah
Evi Neubauer Thea Neubauer Antje Reiche Rachna Sahni
Saleema Laura Mari
fOOD
Tulle Skirts
Marte Marie Forsberg
Translation
Claudia Gödke
Sabrina Bäcker
Ajda Mehmet
Kathrin Greyer
Carmen Morales Alvarez de Ron
Emily
Sarah Müller Tanja Timmer
Issue 13 | June 2014
13
Multimedia & Download Index DIY PATTERNS
14
Click on the image and you will jump directly to the Download PDF
13/1 – Tulle skirt in 13/2 – Blouse blue
13/3 – Tulle skirt in beige
13/4 – Soft short jacket
13/8 – Bandeau top 13/5 – Tulle skirt with embroidery in blue
13/6 – Crop top with buttons
VIDEOS & AUDIO
WALLPAPER
Outside viewing party
Tennis rackets
Decathlon
Proverbial food
Water alternatives
RECIPE CARDS
Garden party recipes sister-mag.com
Irish dairy recipes
13/7 – Tulle skirt in grey
WARM-UP thanks to
Zeha Berlin (shoe brand from the German capital) for renting out the vintage sports equipment and bowling shoes for our cover and bag shooting (p. 72 „).
15
Photo: Cris Santos
Issue 13 | June 2014
Follow the sisterMAG LIFE! Stay in contact with our team and follow our shootings, travels and life with and at sisterMAG on Twitter and Instagram !
16
sister-mag.com
WARM-UP
#sisterMAGtravels
#sisterMAGrun #sisterMAGshoot
17
Issue 13 | June 2014
Wallpaper
You might remember the urge to hit the sports ground after those long days at school and those afternoon math classes - our section also starts outside, but with a fabulous garden party where we still observed the sports ground through our television screens. This is followed by motivating features on exercising and work outs before diving into »healthy hydration«. Here we explain why, what, and how much you should drink – garnished with recipes for refreshing treats from our blogger-friends.
Outside Viewing Party 20
photos video food Flowers gaRden
Cristopher Santos Marco Woldt Carmen Morales Alvarez de Ron H端rriyet Bulan Patricia Romanowsky
sister-mag.com
y
SPORTS GROUND
sisterMAG Garden Party Soon our eyes will be glued to the players on the TV screen in far-away brazil in the context oft the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup. Many towns offer public viewing at public places where you can follow the soccer games open air. We had another idea of how you can enjoy the World Cup: with your own TV screen under the blue sky – private viewing in your own garden! The magic word is DVB-T – this terrestrial reception offers the possibility to watch television everywhere you want – on the television, but also mobile, on a laptop or tablet. How one of those parties could look like, you can see on the following pages, with lots of inpiration for flowers, decoration, summerly recipes and last but not least, our own video from the party! (click to the left to start)!
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21
DVB-T 22
The abbreviation »DVB-T« stands for »Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial« and refers to the terrestrial transmission of digital television. DVB-T is a variant of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), which is mainly used in various European, Asian and African countries as well as Australia as a standard for the transmission of digital television and radio. We got into the mood of sporting events this year with a tennis match of the French Open and invited some guests in the garden!
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W H AT YO U N E E D : In general (it is standard with most TV sets) you only need a DVB-T antenna, starting from â‚Ź10 in electronics stores, hardware stores, etc., and nothing else. If the TV does not have a built-in DVB-T tuner, an additional external receiver is still necessary. The antenna receives the digital signals and converts them into analog video and audio signals which can be played back on your TV.
sister-mag.com
SPORTS GROUND
SETUP ON THE TV The device is really easy to use! When the antenna and DVB-T enabled TV (i.e. a device with a built-in DVB-T tuner) are connected to power, simply connect both devices with the supplied cable. Open the menu on the television using the remote control and start the channel scan for DVB-T. It took us only about 5-7 minutes and we were able to receive more than 30 programs (the number and also quality of the image and the reception depends
DVB-T & TV
on your location). 25
Issue 13 | June 2014
Decoration
26
Among the trees in the garden, we took a clothes-line and attached large pompoms made out of tissue paper in white, orange and yellow. These are very easy to make yourself – you can find a video tutorial here . Hßrriyet fastened small bottles with individual roses and flowers on the clothes line, like a curtain that moves slightly above the TV in the wind.
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n
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Flowers
sister-mag.com
SPORTS GROUND A special highlight of the garden party: the flower arrangements by H端rriyet (Botanic Art )! In addition to the large bouquet, she also designed plenty of smaller bouquets to fill our DVB-T buckets. Finally, she sprayed letters using a stencil on the IKEA zinc buckets.
THE LARGE BOUQUET The list of the flowers H端rriyet used for the large bouqet reads almost poetical: branched roses, Anigozanthus (Kangaroo Paw genannt), Asclepias tuberose and Begonia Summerwings.
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Issue 13 | June 2014
THE SMALL BOUQUET In the letter buckets for ÂťDigital Video Broadcasting - TerrestrialÂŤ insert the following flowers: Ornithogalum, simple and branched roses, Asclepias tuberosa and Matricaria, and various branches.
30
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Issue 13 | June 2014
mobile DVB-T At a picnic or camping site, you usually don’t take your TV, which is the reason why wireless television is especially attractive on a tablet. We tested the small device »Energy Mobile WiFi« from Terratec. The small box contains a DVB-T receiver and the programs are then received by the smartphone or tablet wirelessly via WiFi. There is also a free app, which you can use to start the program selection and the television.
32
Today there are a large number of different packages to watch TV on a mobile device. Some devices are tied to a hardware (e.g. EyeTV Mobile for iPhone and iPad).
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SPORTS GROUND
Food
35
For our private viewing party we asked Carmen Morales Alvares de Ron (Carmen Morales CupCakes & ÂMacarons & Meringues ), to prepare some dishes and salads for us. In the middle of the garden between pompoms and a tennis match of the French Open, she arranged three delicious salads, mixed yogurt and mascarpone and arranged mini asparagus tips lovingly on top of the wonderfully prepared dishes. You can download the recipes and read them on page 36 „. In the preparation Carmen stressed on using fresh, high-quality organic ingredients and sugar-free desserts only sweetened with agave or honey.
Issue 13 | June 2014
Recipes EDIBLE F LO W E R S The edible flowers on salads and cakes from Carmen are 36
the dot on the i- the ones pictured are pansies and they top off the lettuce and the little vanilla and lavender cake.
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s
SPORTS GROUND WILD HERB SALAD WITH E D I B L E F LOW E R S Download 750 g wild herb salad Himalayan salt, pink pepper from the pepper mill 8 tbsp olive oil 12-16 edible flowers
2 blood oranges
1 grapefruit
2 tbsp black sesame seeds 100 g whole pistachio kernels 100 g Grana Padano 1. Arrange the wild herb salad on a large plate. 2. Roast the black sesame seeds and pistachio kernels briefly in a pan. 3. Filet blood oranges and grapefruit and fold them alternately under the salad. Spread sesame seeds and pistachio kernels on top. 4. Break the cheese into small pieces and put it onto the salad. 5. Just before serving add Himalayan salt, pink pepper and olive oil.
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B L AC K B E LU GA L E N T I L S S A L A D W I T H B A B Y CA R R OT S DOWNLOAD 1. Soak the lentils overnight. The next day cook in salted water until tender (about 45 minutes). Then drain. 2. Melt butter in the pan and swirl the baby carrots in it. 3. Cut soy schnitzel in half, sprinkle with some olive oil and set aside for a moment. In the meantime, sautĂŠ the spinach with some salt, garlic, pepper and goat cheese. Then pour the mixture onto one half of the soy schnitzel and place the other half on top.
38
300 g Beluga lentils
4-6 baby carrots 1 garlic head (best quality, if the bottom is purple)
Himalayan salt, pink pepper from the pepper mill 8 Tbsp olive oil
6-8 edible flowers
4 soy schnitzel
10 stems of wild asparagus (eaten raw)
400 g spinach spelt bread crumbs
sister-mag.com
4. Fry the schnitzel in egg and spelt bread crumbs in the pan until they are golden brown. 5. Arrange the lentil salad with all the ingredients and complete with olive oil.
SPORTS GROUND
BAKED TURKISH BOREK
1. Put tomatoes briefly into hot water and take them out after about 5 minutes. Remove tomato skin and cut the flesh into small pieces.
6 large sheets of puff pastry
4 organic eggs
2. Heat the pan with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Put the shallots, cut into small pieces, into the pot, sauté and then boil with the diced tomatoes and sliced soy for about 30 minutes.
1 kg fresh tomatoes
3. Mix the eggs with milk and goat cheese and add salt and pepper. 4. Oil a large tarte form with olive oil and put in the first two sheets of puff pastry. Place 3 tablespoons of the egg and goat milk mixture onto the puff pastry and add the first layer of tomato with sliced soy. Again give two sheets puff pastry onto the mix and add the egg and goat milk mixture. Repeat once more and put the chopped spring onions and goat cheese onto the last minus one sheet of puff pastry. Add the last sheet of puff pastry onto the top and really make sure that the sheet completely surrounds the tart tin.
300 ml goat milk
14 spring onions
300 g sliced soy
8 shallots
300 g goat cheese Himalayan salt, pink pepper from the pepper mill olive oil 2 tsp black sesame seeds
1 tarte form
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5. Sprinkle the rest of the egg and goat milk mixture and black sesame seeds on top. 6. Bake in preheated oven (140°C / 280°F top and bottom heat) for a good 2 hours.
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40
sister-mag.com
SPORTS GROUND I N T E R N AT I O N A L TO M ATO S A L A D DOWNLOAD 1. Cut the tomatoes into slices or cubes to taste and arrange on a plate. 2. Roast pine nuts in a pan slightly (no addition of oil necessary because the pine nuts already contain enough fat). 3. Mix goat cheese, pine nuts and wild asparagus with tomatoes and then drape the edible flowers. Add salt, pepper and olive oil. 4. Only at the end spread the lavender flowers over the salad. 41
1.5 kg colorful tomatoes - see the following varieties
(Banana Legs, Bedouin, Beauty Queen, Big White Pink Stripes, Black Early, Bisignano, Black Plum)
500 g goat cheese (Palet de Chevre) 8 edible flowers
2 – 3 tbsp lavender
150 g pine nuts
300 g wild green asparagus (eaten raw!)
Issue 13 | June 2014
CA R M E N ' S V I O L E T S A N D L AV E N D E R PAV LOVA
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6 egg whites (size L and preferably organic!)
250 g coconut sugar 2 – 3 edible flowers 5 Tbsp lavender honey 1 Tbsp violet paste (SOSA) 200 g r blackberries
5 fresh figs
1 tsp cornflower petals 1 tsp lavender flowers 400 gr goat yogurt
sister-mag.com
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350° F. Beat the egg whites in a fat-free bowl until they begin to stiff. Continue beating and gradually add the coconut blossom sugar. Beat the egg white until it is stiff. Gently fold in the violets paste and beat again briefly. The meringue should be solid but still shiny. Place the meringue on a greased baking tray and form into a circle about 3 inches high. Smooth the surface. Place the pavlova in the oven and turn the temperature back to 100°C / 210°F. Bake/dry for 2-3 hours, then open the oven door and cool down the pavlova with the door open. It is important that the meringue is crisp on the outside but remains bright and the core is soft inside. The inside might fall down after cooling. This can serve as a »hollow« for the whipped cream. 2. Fill in goat yogurt into the middle of the pavlova. Then place the blackberries and figs cut into quarters. Drizzle lavender honey on top. Serve with cornflower and lavender petals and the edible flowers.
SPORTS GROUND
DOWNLOAD
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Issue 13 | June 2014
Thanks to all our guests and helpers! Special thanks goes to Patricia, who let us use her garden Watch the in B 足 iesdorf for our little garden party! 足video sisterMAG Garden Party
44
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SPORTS GROUND
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Issue 13 | June 2014
Native
COLUMN
MOBILE LIVING
The aspect of the digital life, that I want to discuss today,
accounts for a fairly large
part of my Facebook timeline and fits the school subject »Sports«. As so often it can be named with a semi-attractive English Buzzword: Mobile Living. The pleasantly broad term covers a whole range of applications and areas of life. As a
46
result many products being labelled musthaves of mobile living do not really stand the test of necessity in everyday life. A couple of days ago I visited a mobile service provider’s
trackers, also called fit bands, which count your steps,
tex
panellists discussing ideas was a representative of
e u a b u e N a e h on T i t a r t s u l l i & t
r
kick-off event on just this topic. One of the
runs and calories, monitor your sleep and also serve
‚Fitbit’, a manufacturer holding a 60% market share in fitness trackers, essential mobile living wearables. Wearables or wearable computing describes highly portable computer systems, including smart watches, intelligent headphones and the aforementioned fitness
as alarm clocks.
sister-mag.com
SPORTS GROUND
Until
now
I
have
given
those
when you are in a phase of light sleep.
plastic straps a miss out of fashion
I got rid of the app after only a week. As
considerations, despite them being
with so many other things in my life,
available in a large number of colours
I got overly ambitious and wanted to
and shades. But I think it’s only a
achieve a perfect sleep cycle. I ended
matter of time until so called smart
up lying in bed stiff as a poker in an
watches will achieve sufficient market
effort to make the app think I had
penetration and the watch on my wrist will monitor my steps, activities and sleep cycles as a matter of course. Mobile living already covers EVERY SINGLE aspect of our lives from getting out of bed in the morning until lights out. So, inspired by many talks with digitally minded friends I gave it a go and tried a simple monitor called »SleepCycle«
which is available as
an iPhone app. The idea is to put your
already fallen asleep – which was as stupid as it was counterproductive to the quality of the sleep I did get! I do admit though that the first thing I do upon waking up is reach for my phone (and not just to switch of the alarm :)). Two years ago I was addicted to an app tracking what I ate each day. Dorothee Bär shares her insights on this subject on page 52 . I have not
phone next to you on the pillow when
used this app in a while but I am still
you go to sleep and the app will create a
completely dependent on my phone
diagram of your sleep patterns, which
where my work out is concerned. When
you can analyse the next morning.
it comes to sports I am something of
The app also comes with an alarm
a dark horse. I have always abhorred
clock which, within a pre-defined time
ball games. At school I was known as
interval, will make sure to wake you
the girl that couldn’t catch a ball, an
Issue 13 | June 2014
47
48
eraser or a pen to save her life. But I
seem shorter and also makes me try
still think though that my class mates
out new routes and always keep my
throwing things at me reflects at least
eyes open. The latter seems especially
as baldy on them as not being able to
worth mentioning in light of videos like
catch does on me :/!
»Look Up« :).
About 10 years ago, however, I started running with my dad (actually we just jog but my family insists on calling it running which regularly makes some of my friends laugh. It inevitably makes them think of a Thea being chased by wild animals). I like running and there are times when I run quite a lot. So the question of how to motivate yourself as a runner is a recurring one. Of course there is the so-called runners’ high, endorphins being released and the great feeling of being fit. But to me other factors are also important. Since starting to run in Berlin I have taken a picture on each of my runs and posted it on Instagram. Looking for a suitable motif makes the route
sister-mag.com
MUSIC CHOICE Another important factor for me (and I guess for many others as well) is music. Last summer I started every run listening to »Midnight City«
by
M83 – it not only reminds me of my first summer in Berlin, sisterMAG issues N°8 and 9, being in love and making new friends – it makes me run faster! There is a reason so many apps allow you to pick your personal »power songs«. When it comes to running up a hill or tackling those last two kilometres of a run the right rhythm can make all the difference (we’re collecting our favourite running tracks on a playlist called »#sisterMAGrun«
SPORTS GROUND
All photo from Thea's Instagram Account @thneu with the Hashtag #sisterMAGrun
on Spotify – you can follow the list
can’t possibly compete with his times.
here
Since his discovery of Runtastic he is
).
RUNNING APPS
instead now regularly waylaying our office neighbour, a seasoned long-
A good running app – mine is Nike+
distance runner and triathlete, sharing
– can go a long way towards making
his latest »times«. This usually makes
running more interesting. An exact
me leave the room in a hurry.
tracking of the distances I run has
But it’s impossible not to see other
definitely boosted my endurance focus. That’s because I don’t dare post a run of less than 5k on Twitter as there are quite a few long-distance runners and sports-minded people in my timeline. I still run for fun, to boost my creativity and to relax, but you’ve got to have standards. Not many fellow runners seem to share this view. Most runners want to compare their achievements. I no longer let my brother-in-law drag me into discussions about times, distances and calorie consumption. He tends to forget that, basically, I am still a relatively unathletic girl who
people’s
achievements
49
because
everybody (myself included) posts their exploits on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This way I can see that a politician has been on a 9k run through the Tiergarten early in the morning or look at pictures from a run on the beach in Brazil using the hashtag #nikeplus. Hashtags like #twitterlauftreff the #Synchronrun
or
started by two
friends on Twitter have made running a social event. You can’t take part in a 10k run and not post a beaming selfie taken after crossing the finish line. Apps like Nikeplus also sport
Issue 13 | June 2014
50
a feature to cheer on and support
into my pictures and don’t upload a
runners on social media platforms.
whole host of badly lit gym pictures
On Foursquare, gym check-ins are
or borderline nude selfies in front of
particularly popular. But this is where
a mirror. My city scenes wouldn’t look
it sometimes gets all a bit much for
out of place on a travel blog. It goes
me. Especially when it triggers a
without saying, or rather provides
typical reaction many people flatly
ample opportunity for a dedicated
deny: it makes you feel bad if you
column, that in most cases the image
didn’t just run 10k or do two hours
portrayed via social media postings is
of power Pilates a day. Many of these
touched up and tuned (a blogger friend
posts feel like the posters just want to
of mine recently portrayed me as Run-
show off, themselves as well as their
Resi who spends her days running
spectacular athletic achievements.
through Berlin wearing a tutu).
Social media enables every hobby athlete to share their achievements
THE SUFFERINGS OF A
with the world, regardless of whether
DIGITAL SPORTSMAN
the world cares about them or not (but
Returning to our initial subject,
at least on Twitter you’ll soon be able
tracking apps, I have to add that they
to mute them :)). My own Instagram
can have quite the opposite effect:
posts probably raise many of the same
there have been several nights when I
reactions, and I am well aware of the
didn’t go for a run because my phone’s
contradiction. I console myself with
battery wasn’t sufficiently charged.
the thought that I put a lot of effort
You can’t go run on 15% of battery. For
sister-mag.com
SPORTS GROUND
We post regularly music tips on our Instagram and Spotify account @sister_mag. Here is the link to our #sisterMAGrun Spotify Playlist
users of a music and tracking app the
shorter distances (a handy argument,
average iPhone battery (which is what
I admit :)) and so I will continue using
I use) leaves a lot to be desired. A long-
the hashtag #sisterMAGrun
distant runner friend of mine recently
my quest for the best views of the
told me about a mobile charging
streets of Berlin. Nothing compares
device he had duct taped to his iPhone
to pushing open your own front door
for a marathon. After 30k he looked
after a run through the dusky city,
to check why his arm was suddenly
spent and sweaty, and immediately
feeling warm and saw that he was
posting a picture on Instagram. For
bleeding! The device had scratched
me that’s definitely more motivating
his arm. He finished the race, but
than the pre-recorded standard words
maybe we should all stop and think
of praise the impersonal Nikeplus
sometimes about the agony we suffer
»personal trainer« has for me when
to keep our phones going. All we can
I’ve finished my run. Author and runner
do is hope and pray manufacturers
Mike Kleiss got it right when he spoke
like Apple will soon offer battery life
at the mobile living panel mentioned
that will make it through a marathon!
above: tracking apps are all well and
Since my mobile charger is the size
good, but in the end the decision to
of a brick I have to confine myself to
on
run or not is made in your head.
Issue 13 | June 2014
51
Text: Dorothee B채r Layout & Illustration: Tina Bergs
52
Photo: Tobias Koch
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SPORTS GROUND
Bracelets are back in fashion! So much so, that even many of my male friends and colleagues have recently discovered their penchant for these accessories. But of course they are a far cry from the leather or slap versions popular back in the 1990s, these are the high tech must-haves of the digital age: fit bands! They are also known as fitness trackers and count everything from your daily steps to your calorie consumption and they even monitor your sleeps cycles.
Datability and big data are the buzz words of the hour and were two major topics at this year’s Cebit in Hannover touching the core of how customer and consumer data is collected, stored and processed. This is an issue with which both risks and opportunities are closely associated and which poses a challenge for government, industry and consumers alike. But that’s enough about the politics of the matter. What about immediate effects on our daily lives? As a positive and optimistic person I like to focus on the many ways in which increased digitalisation makes our lives easier – like for example when it comes to health awareness.
A couple of months ago I qualified for the Deutsche Sportabzeichen, sports badge issued by the German Olympic Sports Federation who, as I recently Watermelon (Edward Boatman on TheNounProject)
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53
noting when and how much I eat. At least that’s what it feels like. In practice I have to enter every item in a kind of log to get a good idea of my daily diet. But I know: if I cheat now, I am not only cheating myself but also my diet
Food (Mister Pixel on TheNounProject)
coach. For the first couple of days it’s a
discovered, also offers an official app for support. Now had I known about 54
the app earlier, I probably could have motivated myself much sooner… So I have decided to go with the flow and see how giving in to gamification will change my life: I have downloaded a diet app. I opted for a paid-for version because I am much more likely to use the app properly if I know I have invested money in it. I installed the app, logged in and knew that from now on I will be under constant surveillance. My diet coach will be looking over my shoulder all hours of the day and night (sitting right there in my phone) and meticulously
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bit cumbersome and even annoying as actively tracking your diet does take some time and there’s always the danger of forgetting something. In one word, it’s stressful. But after just a couple of days updating my diet log has become second nature. My conscience has also been well trained and would make itself known immediately should I steer off course or let my log entries get sloppy. It feels like I am beginning to analyse my own behaviour but without exerting excessively strict control. What felt like obsessive analysis before has become implicit so much more quickly than I would ever
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have imagined. Checking the data
data inside their smartphones. But
collected becomes as much a part
used to a reasonable extent, apps like
of my day as checking my image in
these can give you an additional daily
the mirror and I start talking about it
motivational boost and can make
with other people and we exchange
things that used to be done on-the-
experiences.
go an active part of your daily routine
It’s exciting so see how quickly healthy
which you suddenly perform much
eating has become a subconscious
more consciously.
and inherent part of me, it’s just
what happened for me.
»ordinary« behaviour now to check
Is there a danger of overdoing it? Yes.
and reflect upon what and how much
But it’s a question of general media
I eat.
literacy. As my biology teacher used
I can understand skeptics who worry
to say: »In the wrong dosage, even
about people looking at their life as a
vitamins will kill you«. In short:
collection of spread sheets and digital
everything within reason!
At least that’s
55
56
What impressed me most is how,
The thin red line to excessive
within such a short amount of time,
usage, I have to admit however, is
you get so used to this playful way
not easy to navigate. That step into
of documenting your daily life. Your
obsessive
»quantified self« is no longer a
your life according to your daily
strange and mysterious being but an
digital breakdown, judging your day
implicit part of yourself. Now I can
by trophies won and virtual goals
understand the claims of my friends
achieved. It’s important not to let your
who like running and document every
digital diet coach become a digital
single one of their runs on a fitness
diet dictator or let the fit band turn
app: it’s almost unimaginable to do it
into a shackle.
behaviour,
organising
without your digital companion.
Dorothee Bär is a member of the German Parliament and currently serving as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. She is the chairwoman of CSUnet (the CSU’s internet policy committee) and the CSU internet council.
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All Icons: thenounproject.com
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A Little bit of Fitness in Everyday life
Tips on Motivation by Nadin Eule-Mau
One too many slices of pizza, someone’s off-hand
Wenig Zeit comment about your weight, a feeling of tiredness, your love handles are showing in a tight top, you’re feeling sooo stressed—there are about as many reasons to try
and add a little exercise to your daily routine as there are people. No matter if your main concern is health or looks or whether you just want to feel more alive again and leave an old routine behind, first you’ll have to motivate
t
Design adapted from Simply Adam Mann
57
o n i t a v i
M
o
yourself to do it.
Issue 13 | June 2014
Humans are made to move. Spending your entire day sitting at a desk or repeating straining physical motions again and again can mess with your physical as well as your psychological balance. So the instinct to restore said balance by moving is a desirable goal in itself and does not necessarily need a competitive edge. Many if not most of us are familiar with the term worklife balance, but how do we achieve it? Aren’t we all prone to jamming too many resolutions into a new year or month which, after first tackling them with drive and zest to spare, we 58
inadvertently discontinue? That’s if we don’t postpone them until »tomorrow« or next month anyway...
What moves you?
There isn’t one general rule how to motivate every single person. Everybody has to take their own first step and find their own reason to make a start. If you have to be talked into it rather than finding motivation inside
What attainable ones. It doesn’t have to be a marathon, but you shouldn’t count that out either even if it seems unreachable when you set off. Courage is a great motivation booster. But even more important is to figure out what it is that moves you. If you find it hard to motivate yourself you should try making commitments. Setting
dates
with
friends
and
colleagues can help you stick to your plan. Because nobody wants to be the one who always bails on the team. Just be Yourself
The goals you are trying to reach are important. No matter what others might think of them. We don’t set our own pace and path often enough. Instead we tend to value other people’s opinions far too highly. What do you think? Can I do it? How do you think I
yourself, success will be excruciatingly
am doing?
slow to come; if it comes at all.
What’s the worst that can happen?
Individual goals which you define by
Worst case scenario: nobody thinks
yourself for yourself and pursue at your own pace are the most reasonably
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you can do it; you’ll look a fool and be much slower than anyone else. But
SPORTS GROUND
t moves you isn’t making it despite all that the best
Make yourself
thing at all? Or maybe even because of
Smile
all that? Failing might seem inevitable
We all remember those moments
on a particularly rocky road. But what better reward is there than to find out how much you can move—quite literally.
in which we enjoyed ourselves and which brought a smile to our face. Sticking your head into the wind on a chairoplane ride. Jumping up and
Sometimes we all must give up
down in red willies in puddles left by a
on goals, desires or dreams. And
summer rain. Such enjoyment is also
sometimes this can even be much
important when it comes to working
easier than anticipated. And there is
out. If you have to force yourself to
nothing wrong with reconsidering and
do it you will end up procrastinating
setting more achievable goals. Even
and making excuses. This will also
if it doesn’t exactly make you look
happen as long as you assign a higher
good. Stages can be helpful. Getting
importance to just about everything
to where you want to be slowly. Even
else in your life. Nothing will make
the smallest step is a step on the way
you more committed to a cause than
to your goal. Whether it’s being
enjoying it and knowing it will make
able to swim a lane in a pool or run 5k.
you smile! Nadin Eule-Mau is a triathlete and author of the blog »Eiswürfel im Schuh« . The nature lover likes to enjoy the quietness on the surfboard as well as on the yoga mat. The sports enthusiasts is one of the leading German sports bloggers and writes regularly as a freelance writer for numerous publications about fitness, motivation, health food and sports fashion.
59
Time-Less
one—which can provide an additional
There is always an excuse: you’re
boost to your system—and you can get
always on the move, never in one place long enough. A project deadline is looming. The dishes have to be done right now. These are all good reasons which spell the death of even the shortest mini workout or a quick run. But let’s phrase it differently. There must have been several moments today in which you didn’t do anything productive: surfing the net while drinking your first cup of coffee or tea 60
or aimlessly pressing buttons on the remote. The pasta you had at lunch made you tired and after work you had to rush to that lovely store to get that great pair of shoes because they will have sold out by tomorrow morning and you simply have to have them. There must be minutes in everybody’s day that they could have put to a better use. If you like surfing the net though, you’re in luck: There are countless mini workouts waiting to be discovered which will make your heart race and your skin break a sweat—as you are supposed to do at least once a day. Make your morning coffee a quick
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your workout out of the way straight after getting up. EmBrace Diversity
Many sports and fitness crazes are wonderfully
complementary.
No
need to opt for more exotic options like surfing and yoga. Tennis and swimming, power walking and Pilates, climbing and running, yoga and cycling, skating and CrossFit… Diversity can do wonders for your workout and yourself. This way you are sure to keep the daily rut and your new hobby of working out well apart. And the progress you make in one discipline will help you through tougher times in another. Combining exercises will not only boost your motivation to work out, regular variations in your sports regimen can spark variations and the abandonment of dreaded routines in other areas of your life. Stick to your usual basic running route but vary the direction and your speed. Give the lessons at your gym a try or use fewer weights on the machines but do more repetitions. Fine tuning your technique is a good
SPORTS GROUND
idea with any exercise, but it can also
a day is not only physically beneficial.
improve your ability to concentrate
Crossing
and make you train more efficiently
can provide you with extra support
and economically.
in mastering adverse situations in
Easy Does it
Once you have managed to make your workout an essential part of your day, there is no harm in taking a break. Breaks are important for your mental wellbeing but they also help you to regenerate physically and will improve your ability in the long term. This is especially true in times of stagnation. Loosening the reins every now and then does not mean letting go completely though. A sofa-day can be effective and allow you to return to your workout the next day relaxed which in turn will not only make it more effective but also more enjoyable Moving the Goal Post
Some people might claim that working out is the hardest thing they have to tackle in a day. But if you can’t even give yourself 10 or 15 minutes to do something good for yourself, how do you make it through the day at all? Stepping out of your comfort zone once
self-imposed
borders
general. the thing with the Mirror
It’s small and constant amounts of water that makes a river run not the occasional heavy downpour that swoops in only to leave the river bed dry in its wake. Reminding yourself of all the small improvement and positive moments you connect with your workout will keep you running, too. Appraising yourself in a mirror and feeling stupid for doing so is easy. Highlighting the positive changes you have already achieved and the ones that are still going on is that much harder. So, oftentimes, is listening. If you have set yourself a goal you have to listen to your body. The aforementioned downpour can drown out many signals and before you know it you have strained a muscle or a joint. And once you feel a pinch the fun will go even faster than the pain will come. Respect for yourself and your body is paramount.
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Füxxe
The women’s handball team Spreefüxxe from Berlin was just promoted to the first division (Bundesliga). Most of the players have to juggle full-time jobs. When I’m on my second morning coffee Natalie Augsburg is most likely on the second kilometre of her morning run. When I answer my 15th email she’s pumping iron. And when I am curled up
photos Christopher Santos Many thanks to Natalie Augsburg
on the sofa watching a DVD in the evening
Katharina Hecht
she’s at handball practice.
Sandra Cegla
Natalie is a member of the Spreefüxxe, a 62
text Victoria Kau
women’s handball team from Berlin. I am meeting her and her team mates Juliane Hedermann and Anna Eber before their practice close to the Olympic stadium in
Hobb First Divisi SISTERMAG TALKS
Berlin. It’s a warm post-season day. To-
TO WOMEN’S HANDBALL
day, the coach announces from a distance,
TEAM SPREEFÜXXE FROM
they’ll be playing beach volleyball. Natalie,
BERLIN
who is 30 and has been with the Füxxe for 6 months, has already changed into her kit. She is one of two Füxxe players who are
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by ion
SPORTS GROUND also German internationals. The sport is her main occupation. But when she’s not practicing or competing in matches she works part time in the marketing department of one of the main sponsors. 26 year old Juliane, who is still wearing her black pants and top office attire on the other hand works full time in real estate. »I try to make it to the office by 7am so I can get some home chores done in the afternoon before practice. If we’re playing away I sometimes have to ask for time off.« While their male colleagues, the players of the Füchse, also a first division team, can live on their professional handballer’s salary, the women have to make a living
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elsewhere. But handball comes first for all of them! Anna, a student in Berlin, cannot imagine her life without the sport: »We just had a week off practice and I really missed it«. The 18 team members have become close friends, which is almost a necessity as they practice up to five times a week (usually in the evening for the benefit of those working full time). Add to that about 30 matches per season - including away games for which they might travel as much as 20 hours by coach. »Ambition alone is not enough, there’s also a social element« says Natalie. »If that’s missing there is no fun and the team won’t be able to play successfully.« Handball is second only to football when it comes to the popularity of team sports in Germany. The men’s handball Bundesliga is considered the best in the world. But little of that reputation is passed on to the women’s team. »We have a devoted fan base and there are always
around 500 people at our matches. But as long as most of us cannot make a living playing handball we will never realise our full potential«, says Natalie. Also, the abundance of sport and cultural events in Berlin makes it hard to get people to come and watch them on a Saturday night. There are 125 sports teams playing in their respective Bundesliga in Berlin with the clear focus on men’s teams. In other cities, like for example Leipzig, the situation is different: »The teams there have
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65
a long tradition and not a lot of competition. So they get more sponsors and consequently more money.« The place to go if you want to make money playing women’s handball, by the way, is Eastern Europe. But none of the Spreefüxxe would sell out for their sport. Both the men’s and women’s team are mainly funded by sponsors. Britta Lorenz, a former first division player herself, looks after the Spreefüxxe’s finances – pro bono, that is. She‘s come to watch today’s practice. »I come by about three times a week. I work as a consultant and I also own an ice cream parlour.« Most of the player’s lives are pure patchwork art made up of work, practice, everyday life and their matches with the fun of the game and their team camaraderie making up the biggest patches. The fact that most men in team 66
sports who train and play as much as they do can afford to focus exclusively on their sport and hire several assistants is an extra incentive for the girls to boost the Spreefüxxe’s image. »Since our promotion we have generated a lot more public interest« says Anna, »and we can use that to our advantage.« Their dream is to be able to supplement their small player’s salary to an amount that would allow them to only have to work for 20 hours a week. »We could practice earlier and actually be in better shape as we’d not only get home at 11pm.« Most of our friends and partners are also heavily involved in sports. That’s the only way someone will understand that your weekend is shaped around your practice and matches. Juliane has also inspired some of her colleagues at work: »When they realise how he-
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Issue 13 | June 2014
avily involved I am with handball they feel motivated to join a gym or something similar.« Sacrificing your holidays to your sport, though, is not something everybody will understand. »My boss sometimes feels the need to remind me that my holidays are supposed to be used for regeneration, not ‘extreme sports’, as she calls it.« Handball is indeed not for the faint hearted. It can get 68
rough out on the court. »Our sport has a reputation for being rough«, Anna explains. »People at their first handball match sometimes think we’re actually throwing punches. We don’t seem that tough in our daily lives. But on the court we know how to dish it out.« Being stronger has its benefits off the court, too, though. »When I help friends move house, men will sometimes warn me that two boxes at once will be too heavy. And then they watch open-mouthed when I manage them with ease.« Most of the 19- to 30-year olds on the team have been playing handball since the earliest childhood. Some even attended specialised schools focused on sports. Making it from the regional team into the state or national team is a dream-come-true for anyone of them. But the Spreefüxxe have made their common dream come true: promotion to the first division. The team
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SPORTS GROUND
sisterMAG-editor Victoria in conversation with Natalie, Juliane and Anna
is proud of their 20 season wins and their crowning achievement! The players also appreciate the added media attention that comes with it – who knows, maybe they’ll be discovered by a new sponsor. June 1rst will see the start of a crowd funding campaign. »This is an absolute first«, says Natalie, »we’re very excited to see how it will work out.« But now it’s time for the warm-up. The other players have arrived and some have started jogging around the green. These strong women complete an impressive training schedule every day taking their everyday
Issue 13 | June 2014
69
lives in their stride. They are 100% committed to their sport. And even if their current accounts might sometimes slip into debit, the credit they put into their 70
emotional accounts is more than enough to retire on comfortably!
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All pictures of game situations were photographed during the last home match of the season against SVG Celle on 17th of May 2014.
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Juliane, Natalie and Anna Issue 13 | June 2014
AlL in The
BAG Part 3 SPORTS June 2014
72 Photos
Cristopher Santos Thea Neubauer Models
Laura, Toni, Alice & Thea Partner
Glacéau vitaminwater
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It is a fact that women need a matching bag for every occasion – even for sports! On the following pages we show you some sports bags, which want to be taken to the gym. They not only provide you with enough space for everything that is needed – shoes, drink, towel, etc. – but can also be used as weekenders. If a nice sports bag is not already enough motivation to overcome the baser instincts, maybe our motivation tips on page 57 will help you.
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Above & Left
Holdall with braided slip-on by Zara , €139,00
Hydration
Glacéau vitaminwater multi-v (lemonade) Issue 13 | June 2014
76
Yoga Bag, watch @sister_mag Instagram for a chance to win them
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Sports shoes – Bowling look, Zeha Berlin
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Above & Right
White pouch bag with leather side pockets, Zara, €109,00 Hydration
Glacéau vitaminwater defense (raspberry-apple)
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Above
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Oiled bowling bag with pockets, Zara , â‚Ź59,95
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Hydration
GlacĂŠau vitaminwater essential (orange) Issue 13 | June 2014
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LEFT
Blue rucksack with ropes, Zara , €39,95 Issue 13 | June 2014
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Above
Quilted leather luggage bag, T opshop , €155,00 right
Sandqvist Weekender Ingo Marine via Amazon, Sandqvist , €159,00 sister-mag.com
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Nike Free TR Fit 4 Breathe in Lime, Nike , € 115,00
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The End
July 2014
SUITCASES Issue 13 | June 2014
Photo: Cara Slifka
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Text Laura Glabbatz
Healthy Hydration The dictionary defines water as a mainly clear, colourless, odourless and tasteless chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen the freezing point of which is 0°C (32°F) and which boils at 100°C (212°F). Water is the source of all life. Humans need water to survive just as much as oxygen and light. As drinking and fluid intake is particularly important in sports, we have dedicated the following pages to the topic of »Healthy Hydration«. After an introductory article on the subject, we have found a wide variety of drinks and recipes by bloggers from around the world that you can try on your own, if »water« alone is too boring sometimes..
Issue 13 | June 2014
89
Water is Life!
90
We can survive without food for 40
counteracted by a sufficient daily intake
days but will last a mere four without
of fluids. A balanced diet will provide
water. 50% to 80% of a human body is
about a litre of liquids from solid
water, organs like the kidneys or our
foods—a cucumber for example is 97%
blood consist of a whopping 80% of
water, a banana 74%—the difference
water. The actual percentage of water
will have to be provided through
in a human’s body can vary depending
drinking. Scientists at the German
on their age, sex and physical shape.
Nutrition Society (DGE) recommend
Athletes’ bodies for example tend to be
one and a half to two litres per day. Any
made up of more water than those of
extra strain, be it hot weather, a fever or
non-athletes, this is due to the former’s
exercise, leads to a significantly higher
lower amount of body fat and higher
consumption of fluids by the body. To still
amount of muscle.
successfully counteract dehydration in
Sufficient
liquids
are
needed
to
guarantee that all our bodily functions and processes work properly. One thousand four hundred litres of water pass through our brain in a 24 hour period, for the kidneys this number is closer to 2,000 litres. Two to two and a half litres of water is excreted through the kidneys, skin, lungs and intestines as part of the body’s way of regulating its temperature as well as processing nutrients and metabolites. Water also regulates the flow of blood and is used to build single and complex cells. The loss of liquids therefore needs to be
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these situations, the amount of liquid taken in has to be adjusted accordingly. A loss of fluids equalling just 2% (of a person’s body weight) can lower an athlete’s endurance and the ensuing hyperacidity can lead to muscle cramps. The more severe the lack of fluids the more severe the symptoms. These can range from rashes to nausea, headaches and trouble concentrating to even complete collapse. Thirst is the first warning sign of loss of liquids sent by the body. So make sure you drink regularly and don’t even let yourself get thirsty—this is especially important when it comes to working out.
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Hydration &
Example
Exercise
runner runs 10 km and thereby burns
Working out makes you sweat—it‘s the
approximately 700 calories, the fluid
body’s natural reaction when trying to
loss, which needs to be offset, amounts
balance its temperature. Sweating is
to approximately 700 ml.
calculation: If a 70kg
the body’s cooling system—it regulates your body temperature and avoids overheating. The better in shape an athlete is the better their inner cooling system will work and the more they will sweat. The added demand for liquids in athletes is estimated to be about one millilitre for each calorie burnt. So if a 154-pound person (that’s 70 kilos) goes on a 10k run and burns
brain. To avoid a drop in blood sugar while working out you should also regularly consume carbohydrates. It’s almost exclusively carbohydrates that facilitate the brains ability to work properly and to balance your energy levels. Both isotonic sports drinks and spritzers (juices mixed with water) are
700 calories, they will lose and have to
ideal ways to keep hydrated.
rehydrate their body with the amount
But sweat doesn’t just contain water,
of 700 millilitres.
electrolytes,
A lack of just one litre of fluids can
urea, amino acids and vitamins are
cause a loss of physical potential of up to 10%. And it’s not just the muscles that will suffer from a low intake of fluids—the brain will also be adversely affected. Loss of liquids leads to the thickening of your blood which in turn will not be able to transport a sufficient amount of oxygen to the
precious
minerals,
also excreted. Even though they are essential, our bodies cannot produce them. That’s why we have to ingest them through drinks and solid foods. Usually a balanced diet will fulfil your requirements for each of these, but with added physical strain, like a tough workout, it’s especially important to
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91
92
give the body all the minerals it
In addition to ingredients, taste and
requires so it can take the extra
actual usability of a sports drink are
pressure without showing symptoms
also important. The temperature of
of a deficiency like weakened muscles.
the drink itself—which should never be
Athletes should pay special attention
ice cold—and the current gastric load
to their sodium, chloride, magnesium
should also be considered. Working
and potassium balances. Mineral
out is recommended neither on a full
water is a good way to address elevated
nor an empty stomach. You should
mineral requirements when working
drink moderate amounts before and
out, but so-called »functional drinks«
while exercising. An amount of 400ml
can also help to counteract a lack of
to 600ml before a workout and about
nutrients and minerals. These sports
150ml to 200ml every 20 minutes while
drinks have three basic functions:
exercising are given as guidelines.
cancelling out the loss of fluids
For your body to be able to absorb
caused by sweating; replenishing the
fluids they must pass from your
electrolytes balance which can also
stomach to the small intestine where
suffer due to sweating; during longer
they are processed. The amount of
periods of added strain they also help
carbohydrates in a drink is essential
provide carbohydrates and hence
at this point: a content of 6% to 10%
ensure a sufficient supply of energy.
of carbohydrates, which equals 60 to
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SPORTS GROUND
Short & Sweet WHY SHOULD I DRINK DURING SPORTS?
Replacement of water lost through Photo: Lumina
sweating Addition of minerals lost through sweat Energy supply
100grams per litre, is the optimum. The speed at which the small intestines
HOW MUCH SHOULD I
can provide the body with the fluids
DRINK PER DAY?
ingested is dependent on their level
1.5-2 Litres
of solute concentration as well as the osmotic pressure. That’s why sports drink should either be hypotonic or
W H Y D O H U M A N S LO S E
isotonic. Hypotonic fluids contain a
W AT E R D U R I N G T H E D A Y ?
lower concentration of osmotically
Excretion (urine & bowel, app. 1.6 l
active particles which can be absorbed
/ day), respiratory (humidification of
especially quickly by the intestines.
inhaled air in the lungs, app. 0.5 l /
This is ideal for a quick re-balance of
day), sweating
your body’s fluid levels. Examples are: mineral water, tap water, herbal teas and juices diluted with a lot of water.
HYPOTONIC DRINKS
Isotonic drinks have the same level of
Mineral water, tap water, herbal
osmotic pressure than the blood and
teas and highly diluted fruit juices
therefore are most quickly absorbed by the body. Examples for these are: apple spritzer (apple juice and water) and isotonic sports drinks.
ISOTONIC DRINKS
Apple juice, isotonic sports drinks
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I RUN, THEREFORE I AM. A FIELD REPORT WITH A DRINK RECOMMENDATION FROM SOPHIA SCHILLIK / CUCINA PICCINA
94
I run, therefore I am. Of all the things that keep me going this mantra is probably the strongest one. It’s not until I feel my running shoes on my feet, my legs flying along the path and the oxygen pumping through my lungs that I feel properly one with myself. Some days running is easy, some days I have to push myself. Registering for the Nike We Own the Night Run at the end of May and my first half marathon in September were two ways of doing just that. The night run is in Berlin and stretches over 10 kilometres; the half marathon in Cologne comes to a serious 22k. While the first one is mainly fun in which I take part for the exercise, the second one is really taking it out of me. I have 16 weeks left to optimize my training schedule and get in shape for the big day: I am alternating between long, slow runs of around 15 kilometres and shorter, faster-paced ones of between 8 and 10k. The alternation is what will get you ahead in the long run. I run at least twice but preferably three times a week in shoes which, selected
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after a thorough analysis of my gate, are basically tailor made and with a suitable soundtrack to make the time pass more quickly. I have to make sure I don’t run on an empty stomach or my energy level will drop and my legs give in at the half way mark. I have therefore taken to treating myself to a »power snack« in the afternoon which I can digest easily: a banana on pureed almonds for example or a delicious smoothie. For the latter I simply blend pineapple, papaya and passion fruit and then add some cardamom to taste. It‘s the optimal blend of vitamin C, iron, calcium and magnesium for your blood sugar level and will keep any late-afternoon hankering for sweets in check. Why the cardamom? It gives you an extra kick and thanks to the essential oils also has a calming effect – an excellent quality for the home stretch of the day at the office. Talking about the office, I usually run straight after work so there are no excuses. Rain or shine and if all else fails I run at the gym. I use Runtastic to keep track of how fast and how
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SPORTS GROUND
PASSION FRUIT PAPAYA-POWER SMOOTHIE efficiently I run. But of course there are days when neither my head nor my legs comply as well as I would like them to. I had to learn not to ask too much of myself and to adjust my daily targets if necessary. But I have now learned to accept that some days I can’t ask as much of myself. It’s good sense, therefore, to chose a run with multiple laps which can be added to or subtracted from as needed rather than picking a long round trip from/to your house. After all, it’s better to go for a short run than to skip it completely. Continuity is silver, fun is golden! Most times you simply have to get on with it. Don’t overanalyse it all. Think of being able to do your workout as a gift instead of a chore. The occasional slight lack of motivation can be overcome by good planning: lay out your running clothes the night before and/or take your sports bag to the office in the morning. And of course there’s always the gear itself and the prospect of a nice dinner or fascinating evening entertainment afterwards. It’s all about finding the right the incentive!
INGREDIENTS ½ PAPAYA 4 PASSION FRUITS 1 PINEAPPLE 2 PINCHES OF CARDAMOM
REMOVE THE SEED OF THE PAPAYA (BEST WITH A SPOON). PEEL AND CUT INTO CUBES. CUT THE PASSION FRUIT CUT INTO HALFES AND REMOVE THE FLESH FROM THE SKIN. WHO DOES NOT LIKE THE SEEDS, CAN POUR THE PULP THROUGH A SIEVE. PEEL THE PINEAPPLE, QUARTER, CUT OUT THE TOUGH STALK IN THE MIDDLE AND COARSELY CHOP THE FLESH. PUT ALL INGREDIENTS INTO THE BLENDER, ADD A LITTLE WATER AND PUREE. REFINE WITH CARDAMOM AND POSSIBLY ROUND OFF WITH A BIT OF HONEY. STORE FOUR GLASSES IN A COOL PLACE AND FILL IN THE SMOOTHIE. ENJOY IMMEDIATELY.
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So far we have learned how important hydration is – whether in sports or in regular life! For those of you who do not always feel like drinking water, we recommend the following alternatives made by bloggers from around the world! Now we're not only thirsty but also have appetite!
BASIL WATER GOURMETGUERILLA.DE INGREDIENTS 1 LITRE STILL WATER 12 BIG BASIL LEAVES
98 COOL DOWN 1 LITRE STILL WATER IN THE FRIDGE. REMOVE THE BASIL LEAVES FROM THEIR STEMS. KINK THE LEAVES 1-2 TIMES AND PUT THEM IN THE WATER. STORE COOL FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES. SERVE WITH ICE CUBES.
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TIP IF YOU WANT TO USE BOTTLES OR VESSELS WITH NARROW OPENINGS, ROLL UP EVERY LEAF INDIVIDUALLY LIKE A MINI-CIGARETTE AND THREAD IT TROUGH THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE WITH THE HELP OF A CHOPSTICK. YOU CAN LATER REMOVE THE LEAVES EASILY FROM THE EMPTY BOTTLE.
SPORTS GROUND
COCONUT PUNCH ONEINGREDIENTCHEF.COM INGREDIENTS 1.5 CUPS OF COCONUT WATER 1.5 CUPS OF WATER 1/4 CUP PINEAPPLE 1/4 CUP BERRIES (RASPBERRIES OR STRAWBERRIES) 1/4 TSP SALT 1 TBSP MAPLE SYRUP 1 CUP OF ICE
ADD THE BERRIES AND PINEAPPLE TO A LARGE MASON JAR. MASH THE FRUIT WITH ANYTHING YOU HAVE ON HAND (E.G. A MORTAR). ADD ABOUT 1/4 TSP OF SALT. THIS IS APPROXIMATELY 500 MG, WHICH IS A GOOD AMOUNT BEFORE, AFTER OR DURING A STRENUOUS WORKOUT. POUR IN THE COCONUT WATER. YOU CAN ALSO ADD 1 TBSP OF MAPLE SYRUP. ADD ICE AND GIVE THE DRINK A FINAL STIR . YOU CAN SERVE AS IS, OR REFRIGERATE FOR A WHILE TO ALLOW THE FLAVORS TO STEEP INTO THE WATER. THEN EITHER DRINK DIRECTLY FROM THE JAR (FRUIT AND ALL) OR STRAIN WITH A KITCHEN STRAINER AND ADD TO A SPORTS BOTTLE.
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MANGO LEMONADE VEGGIEZEST.COM
100
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SPORTS GROUND
INGREDIENTS 1 LARGE RAW MANGO 1 CUP OF SUGAR 7 1/2 CUPS WATER ½ TSP SALT FEW SPRIGS OF FRESH MINT PLAIN SODA TO TOP THE DRINK
CUT MANGO INTO SMALL BITE SIZED PIECES. IN A DEEP SAUCEPAN ADD MANGO, SUGAR AND 1 ½ CUPS WATER AND COOK ON MEDIUM LOW TILL THE MANGO IS COOKED THROUGH, FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES.
TO 12 MINUTES ON MEDIUM LOW.
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ADD SALT AND STIR WELL. LET COOL. STRAIN INTO A JUG AND REFRIGERATE TILL THE LEMONADE IS CHILLED. LIGHTLY MUDDLE SOME FRESH MINT LEAVES IN A TALL GLASS AND POUR THE LEMONADE.
LET COOL AND BRING TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. PUREE IN A BLENDER. TOP WITH SOME PLAIN SODA AND GARNISH ADD THE PULP BACK WITH FRESH MINT TO THE SAUCEPAN SPRIGS BEFORE AND NOW COOK IT SERVING. WITH THE REST OF THE WATER FOR 10
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PINK GRAPEFRUIT ELDER足 FLOWER LEMONADE SUSANNE / LA PETITE CUISINE
RHUBARB ICED TEA NOTWITHOUTSALT.COM
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
2 CUPS OF GRAPEFRUIT JUICE (ABOUT 5 FRUITS)
8 STALKS OF RHUBARB
3 TBSP ELDERFLOWER SYRUP 4 LEAVES OF MINT
8 CUPS OF WATER 1 LEMON HONEY MINT OR BASIL
ICE CUBES
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MIX THE GRAPEFRUIT JUICE WITH THE ELDERFLOWER SYRUP AND SERVE WITH MINT AND ICE CUBES. IF USING 8 LARGE STALKS, CUT EACH INTO 1 INCH CHUNKS. ADD THOSE TO 8 CUPS WATER IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN. ADD A COUPLE OF STRIPS OF LEMON PEEL. BRING ALL OF THAT TO A BOIL THEN DECREASE HEAT UNTIL YOU HAVE REACHED A GENTLE SIMMER. SIMMER FOR 30 MIN THEN TURN OFF THE HEAT AND LET COOL FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. STRAIN THE TEA AND ADD HONEY TO DESIRED SWEETNESS. CHILL COMPLETELY THEN SERVE WITH MINT (OR BASIL) AND MORE LEMON PEEL.
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Issue 13 | June 2014
NATURAL SPORTS DRINK MADELINE / MADELINE NUTRITION INGREDIENTS 4 CUPS OF YOUR FAVORITE HERBAL TEA, BREWED 1/4 TSP HIMALAYAN OR SEA SALT (DON'T USE REGULAR TABLE SALT BECAUSE IT IS STRIPPED OF ITS MINERALS) 1/4 CUP (OR MORE!) OF PURE JUICE (E.G. LEMON AND LIME) 1 TBSP RAW HONEY 1 CRUSHED CALCIUM MAGNESIUM TABLET OR 1/2 TSP POWDER (OPTIONAL)
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WARM TOGETHER UNTIL ALL IS DISSOLVED AND THEN REFRIGERATE.
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SPORTS GROUND
STRAWBERRY PEACH WATER SOPHIEKUNTERBUNT INGREDIENTS TAP WATER A HANDFULL OF STRAWBERRIES (5-6) 2 SLICES OF LEMON 1 PEACH
REMOVE THE SEEDS AND GREENS FROM THE PEACH AND THE STRAWBERRIES AND CUT INTO SLICES. PUT THE FRUITS INTO A SUITABLE VESSEL AND FILL IN A LITRE WATER. IF REQUIRED SERVE WITH ICE CUBES.
DOWNLOAD REZEPTKARTEN
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THE END
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IDEA
Have you ever found yourself getting bored at the gym or when working out from home? The monotony and lack of motivation make it hard to complete a workout, let alone make it part of an enjoyable routine. Less than 5% of adults in the U.S. alone participate in the recommended 30 minutes of physical activity
per day to maintain a healthy lifestyle. To tackle this problem, BitGym is bringing the solution to make workingout the best part of the day. At BitGym we believe (1) Exercise should be fun instead of boring (2) People should be fully engaged in their workouts instead of being distracted and (3)Technology should connect people.
BitGym is currently selffinanced.
BitGym currently offers unlimited access to its platform through a subscription service at USD 7.99 per month, per user. BitGym programs are designed to be played in front of your treadmill, bike, elliptical, or stepper to give you the feeling you are running, hiking, or cycling through iconic destinations, such as
the Grand Canyon or the streets of Venice. BitGym provides: (1) Highest Quality video (filmed in Ultra 4K resolution) with worldwide destinations and fantastic sceneries, (2) Largest dynamic video library with more than 100 videos by end of year (we are adding one video per week into the platform), (3) Unmatched
3
4
STARTUP SPOTLIGHT
BITGYM NAME
bitgym.com xxx.com
@BitGym @xxx
fb.com/bitgymfan fb.com/xxxx 106
FINANCE
2
INSPIRATION
A deeply personal story inspired me to embrace BitGym as thebest answer to help people. A close friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Chemotherapy made him weak. Not being able to go outside, the only way was to get some physical activities on a treadmill with an old TV inside the basement at the hospital where he received treatment. I
wanted to find a better way to make him happier. The product started as simply something better for those who are health compromised, but now it is something for everyone to make indoor exercise the most enjoyable part of the day. Currently, BitGym has many users telling us about how the program improves the quality of their life, and especially
from those who cannot go outside. Everyone on the team speaks on a regular basis with our users we want to bring happiness from being able to travel when one cannot. We want to bring joy to people. We ask ourselves every day, “How can we bring technology to improve people’s lives?” 107
level of interactivity (3D motion analysis with the smart device camera – the faster you go the faster the video goes & vice versa) with its environmental sounds, (4) No need to buy a pod or Bluetooth device. The camera does the work! (5) Offers the choice to stream the videos to save space on your device or to download it directly.
REVENUE
If I project myself in 5 years and look back. I would see millions of people who transformed their lifestyle by exercising at least 4 times each week. The best part would be that they would have enjoyed their journey to fitness and are happily dedicated to using the BitGym platform.
5
FUTURE PLANS
8
FIRST TEAM MEMBER
6
COMPETITORS
We see the problem of getting everyone to start TV while exercising, is and continue to exercise actually harmful to the as our main competitor. body. Today, there is no TV, any other distractions tool to join the body and that keeps the body sitting mind together to create a still and disconnect the truly enjoyable experience mind from the body from exercise when we are numbing the self these indoors. Our solution is so are our competitors. We unique BitGym is the most have actually learned that immersive and interactive a very popular form of exercise program for distraction now, watching everyone.
7
FOUNDER'S PAST
––COO Janalent 2013) ––S. VP Group
(Sold
UnitedHealth
––HBS Executive Curriculum
108 BitGym is an end to end digital fitness and wellness platform that runs on top of most mobile device systems including Apple/ iOS, Google/Android and Amazon/Kindle Fire
We are in the San Francisco Bay Area, capital of foodies! And because it’s California, we are lucky to have fresh healthy food. Kale is good and cheap here but we like our delicious pizza, too. We try to avoid the bad stuff, but there are some nights where we work hard and have to fuel up with the more traditional stuff...
To exercise through traveling the world every morning starting from 6am BitGym is my passport to experience the iconic Grand Canyon, Venice, Italy, Swiss Alps, and the amazing city of Chicago.
10
11
12
MOST OFTEN USED SOFTWARE
FOOD
WORKOUT ROUTINE
8
FIRST TEAM MEMBERS
BitGym is a solid team of four extraordinary individuals working together to bring the best total immersive cardio exercise program. We are a diverse team coming from the medical, gaming and tech industries.
interactive and enjoyable experience, we wanted a name for this product that links the digital side of how it works with the environment where it works the fitness machines and gym.
9
CITY
BerkeleyBay California
Area, 109
Song of nature that’s experience during each BitGym cardio journey!
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WORKOUT SONG
7
FOUNDER'S PAST
8
FIRST TEAM MEMBER
Pregnant? That doesn't mean that you cannot continue your fitness programme. On the following pages we have talked to experts, have drafted a yoga routine for pregnant women and interviewed moms about their experiences.
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To tune into the »Sports & pregnancy« special, we asked five moms (and bloggers) how they dealt with sports during pregnancy. On the following pages, we share their stories with you! Take a look at their blogs as well, it’s definitely worth your while!
r t o y p s egnan
Kathar I used to go to the gym very regularly, but at some point after moving several times, I kind of stopped. I actually only started strength training at the gym again when I became pregnant. It was important to me to stay fit, but my doctor had advised me against my beloved mountain bike tours—the danger of falling off was too high and in case of an accident the way to the hospital would be too long. First, I started strength training very slowly, then I became more ambitious but always trained according to how I felt and how large my belly was. While continuously getting larger, different muscle types demanded my attention; of course I increased the
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portion of back exercises, but also those for my thighs and my butt—you just bend down differently when there is a baby in your belly. In the middle of my third trimester I was fitter than I had been in a long time and had hardly any pregnancy-related aches or back pain. I was even pretty proud of myself for being able to exercise normally in spite of my big belly. (And shh!—I used the warm-up phase on the elliptical to stay on top of several gossip rags.) Unfortunately, I had to stop exercising at the end of my pregnancy due to a shortening of the cervix, which I thought was a shame, because exercising had been a great companion during the former months.
FITNESS STUDIO
rina
Katharina Kraatz is not only the face behind the food blog »Katharina kocht «, she is also tweeting as @MamaGezwitscher about maternal amnesia, baby strollers and the everyday insanity with babies.
A few weeks after my son was born, I started exercising again; first I did classical postnatal exercises and recently I have been doing strength training again. It is something for my body and soul and also an hour of baby-free time that is just for me. But I have to say, you train more efficiently once your baby is born—long pauses and an extensive chat with the trainer are no longer part of my training…
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The only thing that I think is really important regarding exercising during pregnancy and breastfeeding is a bra with a good fit and support. Apart from that—just go for it!
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Anna
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When I was expecting my first child, everything was beautiful. My belly was beautiful, the ultrasound pictures were beautiful, life was beautiful— we were completely happy. And thank God, the baby and I were healthy. Or so I thought. Because at the beginning of the last trimester, it turned out at a routine checkup that I had so-called gestational diabetes. My world tumbled down, because I felt guilty and thought right away that the elevated blood sugar levels were self-inflicted, even though I had watched my nutrition very carefully and had followed every rule pregnant women should follow. But despite all I was affected and I had to adapt my habits according to the new circumstances from that
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point on, because I did not want to endanger my baby, who would have suffered from elevated blood sugar levels.
So I started eating low-carb and measured my blood sugar after every meal. I quickly discovered which foods caused my level to spike: white flour, pasta, white rice, certain types of fruit and of course sugar of any kind. I started to plan my meals very carefully: a lot of raw foods, protein-rich foods and berries, steamed or grilled veggies, fish and meat and very little carbs or rather more of the »good« ones. I switched to whole-grain products, refrained from white flour, sugar and rice and got used to eating raw foods,
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Anna Luz de León is mommy blogger (www.berlinmittemom.com ) and a freelance writer. With her three children and her husband, she lives in the middle of Berlin. On her blog, she writes about the lively everyday with children in the capital.
a salad or natural yoghurt before every meal. On top of that, I started using my elliptical again, which I had formerly used as a rack. Every night until giving birth I went at least three miles on it, which helped keep my blood sugar levels low. That way I kept my pregnancy sugar in check and did not need insulin. A nice side effect: I went into labor with the same weight I had had before my pregnancy and afterwards I even lost about 24 pounds. I have kept some of my new habits after giving birth—my disciplined exercising is unfortunately not one of them. But I am working on it!
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Gestational diabetes is a form of type 2 diabetes and usually occurs during the last trimester. There are types where insulin is required, but also such that can be controlled through exercise and the right diet. Elevated fasting values are particularly dangerous for the baby, because they lead to a too rapid growth and weight gain while the organs cannot grow at the same rate. The glucose tolerance test is not part of the standard care, which is why this condition is easily missed. Exercise and nutrition low in sugar are therefore always recommended during a pregnancy.
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Saskia, is a consultant at the fitnesscenter Hard Candy Fitness Berlin , she has a little baby boy.
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Photos: Nora Maria Leithaus
I never had problems with my body. I have always been tall and slim (about five foot 10 inches / size four) with weight fluctuations of plus or minus 11 pounds. Many people say I look athletic, but I have never been enthusiastic about sports. After learning that I was pregnant with my son, I immediately stopped smoking and gained about 22 pounds in the first eight weeks of my pregnancy. Bad nutrition, water retention and a lack of exercise led to a total weight gain of about 66 pounds. I suffered a lot because of that; with four sizes up I didn’t feel comfortable in my body anymore. Many parenting books and my pregnant weaker self kept me from going on a diet or starting to exercise.
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Saskia Swimming was the only thing that made me feel light and was therefore my favorite type of sport. Let me say right now that my attitude has completely changed in that regard. In retrospect, every extra pound was a pain in the butt. And even one and a half years after giving birth I am still struggling even though I now have a completely different attitude toward life. In the end I did refrain from a diet while I was breastfeeding so that I wouldn’t pass toxins on to my son, but I radically changed my way of eating. On top of that, I tried doing some exercises every day for half a year during maternity leave. I downloaded every app there is for this topic and tried rewarding myself with some
delicious chocolate after a week of successfully exercising and after every few pounds lost, because chocolate is and always will be a temptation for me. But I hit a wall with this plan after only a short while. My new job as a consultant at the Hard Candy gym (situated in Rosenthaler StraĂ&#x;e in the city center) helped me to quickly find out why: The results of my health check showed that I was eating too little and with too big breaks in between. During a class about nutrition I learned that regular, conscious eating combined with strength and endurance training will help me achieve my goals in the long run. Like this, I am pretty sure I will achieve my goal of fitting into my size four wedding dress.
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I'd had an off and on love affair with yoga for nearly a dozen years before I got pregnant. I practiced weekly when I could, the only regular exercise routine I'd had as a young adult. So when a Iyengar teacher advised me to sit out of her class during the first trimester, I nearly cried. Courtney Tenz, is an author, editor and translator and writes about european and scandinavian culture, music, lifestyle and fashion. www.courtneytenz.com
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Exercise, my OB/GYN had told me, was an important element in a healthy pregnancy and I'd been planning to keep saluting the sun as long as my growing belly would let me. Instead of listening to the teacher, then, I headed to another yoga studio, one where the
FITNESS STUDIO
y e n t r u o teachers themselves had done yoga while pregnant. They ran a weekly pre-natal course, a less intensive Vinyasa that focused on holding poses much longer (»Building endurance for labor,« the teacher said) and avoiding bends and twists or any talk of »engaging the pelvic floor.« I loved it, and so did baby. Okay, so the pose in which we were told to hold squats while balancing on our toes for what seemed like ages was something I could've done without. But the teacher said it was good practice for labor—never giving up no matter
the pain, which is a mantra I carried with me even into the delivery ward.
It helped that just hours before the delivery, we'd been at yoga, so the mantra was still fresh in my mind. During the closing Sivasana meditation that night, I could feel baby tumbling around as if to say she wanted to keep going and the tumbling didn't stop until she arrived fourteen hours later. Now, whenever expectant moms ask me for tips on labor, I always point them to yoga. It's a habit both baby and I enjoy together even today.
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Ulr
I did a lot of sports and watched what I was eating even before becoming pregnant. This is why I wanted to eat super healthy during my pregnancy, avoid sugar and of course stay active. That should be quite easy, I thought, because it had worked so well before.
completely—I got dizzy from time to time and needed energy quickly, and sometimes I just had cravings. I did however manage to keep my intake of sweets in check; a few bites just for the taste and no out-of-control cravings— that was all right for me.
But nature had a different plan: During my first trimester, I got sick constantly and could only get down very simple food in small bites (for example croissants, buttermilk etc.)—talk about a balanced diet. After approximately 12 weeks, things got better however and I tried introducing more veggies and protein (in the form of lean white meat, eggs and fish) into my life again so that I would be full longer and feel energetic. Nevertheless, I could not avoid sugar
With regard to my workouts I was unfortunately also thwarted from the beginning. Due to the constant feeling of being sick during the first weeks and the extreme fatigue, I only managed falling right into bed after work. Walking my dog was the one thing I still enjoyed, and this way I at least got some kind of exercise. During my second trimester, everything was supposed to change and I wanted to exercise again. Unfortunately, I had
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rike
to take it easy again because I was at risk of preterm birth and taking walks was as much as I could do. At every check-up, however, I kept asking my doctor if I could exercise and somewhere between the 25th and 28th week I was finally allowed to do some workout (wohoo!)—from that point on I did spinal exercises, arm and shoulder training and started taking the stairs again (for my thighs and butt). Going for a walk with my dog is still important to me during my pregnancy. I would definitely recommend long walks to every pregnant woman!
Ulli writes on her blog »Fit and Happy« (fitundgluecklich.net) on topics such as diet, exercise and lifestyle. Due to their current pregnancy, she now added regular reports on the eventful 9 months.
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Jana Wolff 2 Expert Interview
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After the five moms had reported on their experiences, we next asked some experts for help. We visited Jana Wolff – owner of Lady Center Freiberg
(and cover model
of sisterMAG N°9) – in her gym and asked all sorts of questions about sports in pregnancy and postnatal training. In connection to the interview, you can find the do's and don'ts from the perspective of personal trainer Diana Dua on p. 134 .
Interview sister-mag.com
Theresa Neubauer
FITNESS STUDIO
The topic we want to talk about
today is »pregnancy & gym.« What are the do's and don’ts of being
pregnant at the gym? How does it
to whether they feel uncomfortable working out or not or if they are even scared to work out. For those who like to continue their practice it is actually
work in the first place; do women tell
a very good idea not to stop in order to
pregnant? And what advice do you
cular system in shape for the delivery
The
If you always have been working
you on their own accord that they are
keep the muscles and the cardiovas-
give them?
of the child, but also for the time after.
contracts
of
our
gym
for
example state that pregnant women can withdraw from the contract immediately if they are not feeling well. However, there are many women who happily continue their workout. Most of them approach us as soon as they find out they are pregnant, even if the news is still fresh, so that we and the coaches are informed and are able to give advice on what they have to pay attention to. Generally, there are no reasons why you should not be able to go to the gym during your pregnancy. Pregnant women should listen to their body and
out, you should stay with the type of sport you have been doing. What we cannot recommend: If a pregnant women has been going to the gym, for instance, she should not start running a marathon now. Any kind of extreme sport should be avoided as a general rule. The same goes for team sports as well as tennis or squash, because the risks of injuries are simply to big. Besides, these type of sports include jerky rotation movements that are not good for expectant mothers. Ideal sports on the other hand are for example bicycling, fitness training, yoga, Pilates, fitness walking and
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123
swimming. But the most important
Especially in regard to giving birth it
thing is to keep the workout smooth.
is important to strengthen the pelvic
In addition to that you should reduce
floor, to learn to contract and relax it.
the intensity of your workout during your second trimester. If pregnant
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And which exercises would you
women have had a performance of
recommend for this?
100% before, it is recommended to
Pilates are great exercises to train the
reduce it to 60%. Nevertheless, it is an advantage to remain active and stick to your type of sport (except for extreme sports).
pelvic floor, because you learn to tense your body, contract your pelvic floor, but also to release the tension again and relax the pelvic floor. Another exercise
And the same goes for the fitness
equipment at the gym?
is learning how to tilt the pelvis itself.
And once you know one of your
Yes, since you can adjust the weights
customers is pregnant, do you take
and flow figures, it is possible to do that.
an extra look on how she works out?
But instead of focusing on increasing
We give a lot of advice and most of all,
the performance or building muscles, pregnant
women
should
rather
condition and treat the muscles. So for example, instead of 6-8 repetitions at a higher weight, do 12-15 repetitions at a lower weight.
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always ask how they are feeling. And when a woman is about to give birth— we just had the case recently that a woman came to the gym almost up to the very last day—someone is always by her side to see if everything is all
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right. But most pregnant women
production. New findings also show
know how far they can go themselves.
that after a longer workout break
It is important not to become
the body tends to over acidify easily
overambitious and take care that you
and produce lactate, which in return
do not overestimate yourself. But we
turns the milk sour. To prevent this
also ensure this and say when it is
accumulation of lactate, it is crucial
time to take it down a notch.
for
pregnant
or
breastfeeding
women to stay hydrated during their
Moving on to the topic of
postnatal exercises: What can gyms contribute?
First of all, young mothers should enjoy their time and adapt to their
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workout..
Is it a good idea to do exercises for
your abdominal muscles at home or
go to the gym if you want to focus
new role. We generally advise not
on your belly muscles especially?
to start exercising again until four
Both is. It is of course an advantage
weeks after the delivery. This gives
for us when people come to the
the body time to recover. Giving birth
gym but I generally recommend to
is not exactly a walk in the park
do some crunches at home in the
after all, neither for the mother nor
morning right after getting up. If you
for the child. We also recommend
start exercising after breastfeeding,
breastfeeding mothers not to do an
you should also include belly activities
intense weight training, because
from the start. Make sure not to forget
this might cause a failure of milk
your back either, so that the entire
Issue 13 | June 2014
body is stimulated, the muscles start working again and you will get back into shape the way, or almost the way, you were before.
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What exercises are there to do
that?
This is something you can do at the gym in a class, for example Pilates.
And in your opinion, what are the
This is where you contract the so-
exercises that you can also do at
done on exercise machines or could
most effective abdominal muscle
called »powerhouse.« This can be
home?
be an integrated part of the course
For one, there are the classical sit-ups for the straight abdominal muscles. In addition, you can include a slight rotation into the sit-ups, either from the bottom to the top up or turn from your
sitting
position
downwards
to train your stomach and back in combination. But don’t forget about your legs and buttocks either. Another important factor is exercises for the pelvic floor.
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program. In general it is always about contraction and relaxation. There are workout DVDs as well that not only give physical support but also mental support, for instance with the help of progressive muscle relaxation. This way, new moms have some time for themselves—this may also help in case of minor postnatal depression.
®
Pr
3
t
r t o p s y egnan
FITNESS STUDIO
Yoga
Short routines for pregnant women
Breathing Exercise
illustration Alice Williamson photos Cris Santos One type of sport which can give strength,
peace,
relaxation,
Get into a comfortable sitting position with crossed legs. Sit on the block in order to lift the hips. This way you will get more space for you and your baby.
relief and inner happiness, is yoga. While all ligaments, tendons and also the spine are more strained with every week
127
of pregnancy, yoga can really help to prepare for the birth through gentle stretching and strengthening. Together with illustrator Alice Williamson, we developed two small exercise routines that you can do at home, after getting up or shortly before falling asleep!
What you need: Yoga-Mat & Yoga-Block (or a big book)
Put your hands on your knees or the baby belly. Close your eyes. Fully concentrate on your nose breathing in and out - through nose or mouth. The breathing helps you to concentrate on the following session. Breathe in and out several times.
Issue 13 | June 2014
21
Side
Stretch
2
Breathe out
Breathe in
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While still breathing, we start with the movements. Taking your hand to the floor, inhale. Move arm up and out to the side. Lift the sternum and exhale. Bend over. Root the other sitting bone down and into the floor. Come back to the center, inhaling. Move to the opposite side and
25
exhale. Repeat (~5). Make sure to press the hand down into the floor. The elbow comes into the body. Keep the position for a few seconds and lift the chest bone up. The sidebend flow opens up the space between the rib bones.
Butterfly and rolling Movement
Take the soles of your feet together. You might have to shift the backbones up and to the side again. We are opening up the
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groin and inner thigh area. Bounce the legs a little bit. As you’re breathing, allow everything to relax.
FITNESS STUDIO
3
Rotating Movement
Take the legs into a wider position – everyone should find their width. You want length through the sides of your waist and the spine is tall. It also helps to sit on something (like a thick book). Take the hands and interlace, pressing the heels of
4
the hands together. We are going to circle. Move around the body pelvis like stirring. From the sitting bones to the pubic arch, back to the sitting bones – mapping the bony pelvis. Continuing to breathe. Start after a few turns in the opposite direction.
The spine comes under great stress during your pregnancy. These undulating roles help the vertebrae to find freedom. With the last one, stay in the forward position and breathe in and out. See if you can deepen your breath by extending the number counts that you inhale and exhale. Taking a breath – inhale, pause, bouncing the legs and as you exhale, lean forward and then curl the spine up again in a wave.
The breath work can really relieve nausea during the first trimester.
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62
Sun Salutation Look Up
130 Get into a comfortable standing position with your feet directly under the hips. Breathe in and when breathing out bring the baby belly slighlty towards you with your hands.
Come to the front of the mat. Bring the arms outwards and above the head. Look at the tips of your hands and breathe in.
Bring the arms to the side and breathe out.
7
Breathe out
When breathing out, bring your finger-tips to the floor.
FITNESS STUDIO
Breathe in
131 Bend your knees in a nearly sitting position. Fold your arms together in front of the body.
Bring the arms to the front over your head. Hold the position and breathe in.
Breathe in
Strech back your leg. Breathe in. Continue breathing and put your hands parallel to your shoulders. Lift the right knee towards the floor. Keep your upper body up.
Bring the left leg to the back to get on all fours. Place knees and legs comfortably next to each other.
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82
Sun Salutation t u O e h t a e Br
Breathe out, lift your upper body with your chin close to your chest (please don't overdo, it should still feel comfortable for back and neck).
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Breathe In
Breathe in and lower your chest, pull together your shoulder blades in the back and lift up your head. Be careful! Don't overstretch the hollow back. Repeat several times
92
Your right hand is now placed in the middle. Place your right foot next to it.
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To get back in the original position, lift your upper body to the back to get the strength to place the left foot next to the right one.
FITNESS STUDIO
Lean back (as far as the belly allows) and lift up your toes. Place the right hand a bit more to the middle.
Relax.
Slowly roll up vertebra by vertebra.
When rolling up, slowly llift your hands as well.
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Pr
4
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& s ' o D
d I n a c h c u m w o h What and Girls are chatting on the crosstrainer, a woman is reading a book cycling on the cardio bike, another woman is chest pressing, some guys are tackling the assisted chin-up machine. Yet another woman is doing barbell bench
134
presses. You’ll have to look closely but if you do, you can make out a bump. It’s small but it’s there: a baby bump. Good Lord, is she allowed to do that? text
Diana Dua | illustration Alice Williamson
The woman is me – and I just went and did it. Baby bump notwithstanding, I worked out three to four times a week, at the gym or at home. Just like I used to do before I got pregnant. Bikram Yoga, CrossFit, marathons, triathlons, functional training – new fitness crazes do seem to get not only
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s ' t n o D &
FITNESS STUDIO
. s h t n o m g n i t i c x e e n i n r o f s ' t n o d d n do? Do's a increasingly crazy but also tougher. And
The personal trainer
more and more women enjoy pushing their bodies to the limit trying out new exercises and routines. Those women outgrew the stereotypical belly, butt and thigh workout long ago and have nothing but contempt for
135
a suggested mere 20 minutes of exercise three times a week. Traditional values like starting a family, however, are still close to their heart. Which is a good thing, of course. But it poses the question of how to combine their passion for a workout with their pregnancy. How far can you go without sparking too much controversy like CrossFit-Mom Lea-Ann Ellison? Do the old rules still hold up? Is lifting heavy objects a no-go for pregnant women and should they rather lie down a lot and generally take it easy?
Diana Dua is a personal trainer from Hamburg and writes on her blog Körpergold regularily about Sport & Training. Her posts called »Training alone for two« about her experiences in pregnancy are fun to read and professional at the same time! Her small daughter was born in the middle of May! Happy Birthday!
Issue 13 | June 2014
Mom said … Here’s what moms, friends and people
If you’re pregnant you’ll get advice
whose opinion you couldn’t care less
on what to do and how to do it from
about have to say:
just about anyone you meet. So keep moving or take it easy? Are there
»You’re still working out? You’ve got to be crazy!«
136
fail safe instructions for nine active months? It doesn’t look like it. More often than not, the advice you receive is plain contradictory and as a new
»Well, why not. You’ve always
mother-to-be you’re torn between a
loved your exercise and keeping
whole new dimension of responsibility,
fit can’t hurt!«
your own gut feeling, a bad conscience
»You‘ll have to tone it down a bit now!«
»Better take a load off. And do not under no circumstances lift anything heavy!« »You’re not supposed to run when you’re pregnant, you’ll be shaking the baby!«
»Take it easy for a change!«
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and the urge to give one or two pointers a go after all. Try keeping that up for nine months and you will soon reach the end of your tether.
FITNESS STUDIO
The doctor said … The one person who should know is
following in mind: if you used to move
your OB/GYN. But even their advice
a lot before you got pregnant, you can
varies, though most physicians do
continue or adapt your workout – but you
now recommend regular exercise
should never start new and unfamiliar
during a pregnancy as beneficial for
exercises during a pregnancy. You can
both mother and child. Working out
find many interesting facts about the
can help to prevent pregnancy related
subject on the website of the German
health issues like high blood pressure
Sport University Cologne
and gestational diabetes. The foetus
My physician boiled it down to a use-
will also benefit from an improved oxygen supply
. Many studies show
the benefits of an exercise regimen tailored to the mother’s level of general fitness . You should keep the
.
ful bit of advice: »You can do anything as long as you are feeling fine!« – I stuck to that and it’s worked a treat for me.
The golden rule The many, albeit well-meaning, tips,
If you want to continue to indulge
tricks and bits of advice from self-
your passion for exercise during a
help books and magazines can easily
pregnancy, stick to the one golden
get very confusing. And why wouldn’t
rule – as banal and corny as it may
you be confused, you’re not an expert.
sound:
Listen to your body - and listen to your OB/GYN!
Issue 13 | June 2014
137
138
As desirable as the latest »wearables«,
The green light from your physician
apps,
more
for any workout routine is a must. A
sophisticated devices to help you on
heart rate meter can be a helpful tool
your way to your Quantified Self might
(yes, we‘ll concede to one gadget, just
be, they can dull your sense of what
to put your mind to rest and confirm
is actually going on inside your body.
you are on the right path) to monitor
Knowing and being able to feel your
the strain you put on yourself. This is
own body and its limits is especially
especially important in the early part
important when it comes to your
of a pregnancy when you have to figure
workout. We tend to let technology
out your new limits. With any kind
take over this important sense, which
of exercise steady breathing is
is a real pity.
important.
A
gadgets
pregnancy
and
provides
ever
a
perfect
opportunity to get back in touch with your own body. It’s a journey where the ultimate destination is a newfound confidence in your own intuition. An indispensable skill – before, during and especially after a pregnancy. If you listen to your body you’ll be amazed how much it is telling you – but you’ve got to listen.
As
is
this:
every
pregnancy is different and a routine which is comfortable for one person can amount to torture for the next. So make sure you stick to the golden rule. You will also notice that your physical limits will vary during these nine months. There might be times when you don’t feel fit. You should take it one day at a time and decide what you can and can’t do in each individual situation. If something starts feeling uncomfortable, take it easy or pick up your workout the next day.
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Do's
FITNESS STUDIO
sports while pregnant Yoga
The gentle stretching exercises are a perfect fit
+ +
You will learn to breath steadily
Swimming
The water will help you carry your baby bump and
+
make you feel nice and weightless It‘s easy on the joints
+ +
Activates and strengthens the muscles in your back
Walking Gentle movement
+ + +
Great self-control Fresh air
Resistance training using a tension band
A great alterative for those who like using dumbbells. There is less resistance but it still provides a decent weight training feel (sample exercise, »the cross«
,
+
for your back
Machine workout at the gym
If you are used to a gym workout, keep doing it. The general recommendation is to stop once you hit the third trimester – but as with any exercise: listen to your body. It will tell you
+
what you can and can’t do Cut down on the weights and vary them according to your daily constitution Some machines can make you feel constricted once your belly grows. Best to give those a miss!
! -
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139
Bodyweight exercises Any bodyweight exercise that does not put too much of a strain on your belly muscles is recommended. This is also a great workout to do at home in front of the telly (examples: pelvis lift, 4-footed stand
)
Cross-trainer/Cardio bike
The perfect endurance machine, it moves your entire body but in a gentle way
+
Prenatal workout
The go-to option More advanced athletes will be easily bored by standard class‌
140
+
+ -
Back workout
Is a must! The balance of your body will change during your pregnancy: shoulders tend to droop with a growing belly and the spine tends to curve making your back hunched at the top and hollow at the bottom. A
+
specifically tailored back workout can help avoid these problems.
Kegel exercise
Highly recommended! Strengthening your pelvic floor is strictly speaking part of a good back work out and as such has its place in any exercise list
+
Balance and coordination exercises Your centre of gravity will shift during a pregnancy – the new and unfamiliar feeling can easily make you lose your balance. Exercises focusing on balance and coordination (like standing on one leg on a cushion) can help your body to adjust more quickly to the changes and
+
improve your feeling for your new body
Foam rolling So called foam rollers increase the blood flow in your connective tissue as well as your muscles. They keep your fasciae soft and relax tense muscles
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+
Do's
FITNESS STUDIO
sports while pregnant for professionals Running
Running is a popular passion with women. Seasoned runners with a decent technique can go on running. I was nervous about eventually giving up on my favourite pasttime but in the end was able to run well into my eighth month – slower and slower, of course, but it was still highly enjoyable. I ran until I felt it wasn’t doing me any good
+
anymore. The decision, when that moment has come is of course an individual one which every mother-to-be has to figure out for herself – in consultation with her physician
141
Ballet
+ Ballet? Seriously? Yes, it’s
possible, as demonstrates Mary Helen Bowers
+
Strength Traning with Dumbbell, CrossFit Seasoned users of dumbbells can keep using them – but make sure to adjust the weights – and also make sure not to a cause public outrage on the
+
same scale as Lea-Ann Ellison
ww
Issue 13 | June 2014
s ' t n Do
Avoid these type of sports when pregnant! High Impact Workouts
Body Jam, Body Combat, trampolining, tennis,
squash, football (i.e. soccer), basketball, martial arts, rope skipping, burpees, step
-
aerobics, treadmills and the
!
142
like – which should be selfexplanatory.
During a pregnancy each day can be very different from the
Any kind of sport with a high risk of falls
next which makes it all the more
Skiing, horseback riding, (race)
important to stop and listen to
cycling, inline or any other kind
-
your body and honestly assess if
of skating and the like
you’re feeling up to a workout
Any exercise where your belly and torso muscles are stronlgy concerned
Your
child’s
wellbeing
is
paramount and your intuition is probably better than you might think. If something doesn’t feel right, it most probably isn’t the right thing to do.
Chin-ups, press-ups, crunches, sit-ups, Flexi-Bar, rope, suspension or kettlebell exercises, workouts that
-
call for too much weight or resistance
Certain stretches Moving stretches as well as those requiring weights – they tend to vary from person to
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person though
-
You like sisterMAG and want to support us? We would appreciate your support and recommendation!
143
Thank you!
Issue 13 | June 2014
On our sports ground there is also a press centre, because ÂťlanguageÂŤ is another focus of this issue. First up is an article on accents and the language of beauty in our big Beauty Code special. In the second part of the section stories are in the foreground - that more of them should be told, how to tell them in a visual way and the story of a successful app itself.
PRESS CENTRE
CAN YOU CHANGE YOUR TEXT ACCENT? Katherine Sacks
»You
say
Potato,
I
say
Potahto, you say Tomato, I say Tomatho.« Which is it anyway? Is there a correct way to say these words, and when we find ourselves surrounded by people who say them differently, should we also change the way we speak
146
them? Nearly 70 years after the Gershwin brothers wrote these lyrics for their famous song »Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,« the themes of dialectal differences, accents, and misunderstanding
in
speech
patterns are still very present in everyday life. Everyone has an accent, reflecting their own linguistic
background,
and
whether one is living in an international city like London, Berlin, or New York City, or a more rural area like the southern United States, or the south of Germany, people often find themselves listening to many different accents,
sister-mag.com
PRESS CENTRE
Author Katherine Sacks traveled through the world of languages and accents, talked to experts while trying to answer the question: Can you actually change your accent?
pronunciations, and delivery of the
Sometimes we speak with an accent
exact same words.
and don’t even realize it. Milena
It’s hard to imagine that one language
Leznicki lived in Lodz, Poland and
can be spoken in so many different ways,
from
the
cool
crispness
of a London businessman to the slow drawl of a grandmother in Pensacola, Florida. In fact, the Speech Accent Archive
, a project run by
linguists at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has collected 1,960 samples of different accents and speech patterns, as far wide ranging as Nepal to Singapore. And have you ever mimicked a British accent, copying the speech of a famous actor, or slowed your dialogue when talking with someone whose native language was not the same as your own? Although these accents are formed very early on, humans are constantly changing our
Sofia, Bulgaria until she was eightyears-old, learning Polish as her first language from her parents. When her family moved to New Jersey, she learned English in school, but Polish was, and still is, the language spoken at home with her family. It wasn’t until just two years ago that the 30-yearold art director, now living in Berlin, realized she was speaking Polish with an »American« accent. »I was in Poland for a cousin's wedding, and while getting my nails done the manicurist told me,« says Leznicki »She was kind of giggling and said I have the same accent as a famous Polish movie star that spent a lot of time in Hollywood and adopted a new
speech patterns, whether it’s due to
accent.«
cultural influences or environmental
The way humans learn to speak
situations.
develops very early on; even before they
Issue 13 | June 2014
147
General Linguistics (Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft) in
In many cases, speech is changed because of effects of globalization …
Berlin. In many cases, speech is changed because of effects of globalization and exposure to
start to say words, babies pick up speech patterns, pronunciations, and 148
verbal cues from their parents and surroundings. But just like Leznicki’s speech patterns gradually changed, due to American influences, if and when we move to a new city and are influenced
with
speech
patterns
different from our own, the accent we learn as children can shift slightly. Couples who have different accents often influence each other’s speech patterns;
people
working
in
an
office with co-workers whose native language is different from their own may shift their speech slightly. The reasons for these changes are varied, says Dr. Stefanie Jannedy, a research assistant at the Centre for
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many different tonalities, the media and entertainment industry emphasizing specific speech styles, or even people trying to adjust for cultural norms. »If you are speaking with an accent that is seen as uncool or unhip, you may try to suppress it,« Jannedy says. »People seem to be picking up the Berlin style of pronunciations, maybe because it is seen as very urban, very hip, very stylish. And people don’t want to sound like their parents do. These are all reasons why people would try and change their accent.« In other cases, people are adapting their voices to copy the sounds they think are more desirable. »That is what we call convergence,« says Jannedy. »I think you sound cool, I like your accent and I pick-up certain features of your speech, manifesting your identity.« This is not always
PRESS CENTRE
changing an accent completely, but may be as simple as picking up the catchphrase of famous television star or even changing the melody of your speech pattern. After living in the U.S. for many years, Jannedy had an experience with this type of behavior herself, when she came back to Germany to find that her speech style had adopted the strong use of intonation in American English. »My German was colored American,« she says. »I am still able to produce all the German sounds correctly, but the overall melody now sounds American.«
149
Another big reason for the slight shifts in speaking is due to the basic desire to be understood. According to a study done by the university of Manchester from 2010 it is quite common to imitate speech patterns of those with a different accent from your own as it may help you to be understood. But all of these shifts, whether they are due to global influences, environmental changes, or a desire to speak more like those around you, are
»If you are speaking with an accent that is seen as uncool or unhip, you may try to suppress it«
largely unintentional. »These are all, at least 95%, subconscious decisions,« says Jannedy. »It also depends on the person, how they feel about themselves, how they feel about their accents. It really, really depends.« For others, the behavior is more deliberate—actors,
Issue 13 | June 2014
as w m n u g i b al es et d h e e C th y & Th b e d m e r u l pi F s P m in E o r f aw j r e k cov – Loc r ke a F
for
150
who
be used like a mnemonic. »I have a
specifically try to change
system where they speak the German
their voice tones to mimic an
word and refer to their native tongue,«
accent. And while some actors’ use
she explains. Using this technique,
of non-native accents can go almost
the German word abwechselnd is
unnoticed—such as British actor Hugh
broken into the English words up –
Laurie portraying an American doctor
sex – int. But she says learning the
on the television show »House, M.D.«—
melody of the language is almost more
even trained thespians struggle when
important than the pronunciation.
it comes to changing their voice for a
»Each language has a melody, it’s
role. Berlin-based dialect coach Lena
own range, it’s own voice,« Lessing
Lessing works with performers who
says. »And in fact, the main part about
need to speak in a convincing German
learning an accent is not so much
brogue when the language is not their
how and where to put your tongue in
mother tongue, working with actors
your mouth but it’s more that you can
like Michael Fassbender for the 2009
listen to the sound. If people are able
film »Inglorious Basterds,« to prepare
to listen well, sooner or later they can
his lines in a credible German accent..
imitate the different language.«
Rather than teach her students the
And although Lessing is an expert
German, or emphasize the proper
in learning new accents, and an
pronunciation, Lessing breaks up a
actress herself, she admits that she
word into several familiar words to
isn’t actually very good at adopting
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instance,
PRESS CENTRE
151
new speech patterns herself. »I’m not so good with dialect actually,« she says. »It’s more that I speak different languages, and I’m quite quick at learning another language.« And as Jannedy says, when it comes to changing your accent, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously, it really
a s a , h e end, it may not just be about e g ,« g n a a ce r u potato, or Potahto after g wn i n o a v l o n all. ch , it’s ow a » E lo d y it’s me Issue 13 | June 2014 depends on the person. So in the
152
TEXT & ILLUSTRATIONS TINA BERGS
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PRESS CENTRE
In order to get started on a this article
BECAUSE GRAMMAR
I, what else, googled the term internet
The
slang. Apparently, internet slang is the slang used on the internet which started to the developed with the inception of the internet. Thanks, I guess?
American
Dialect
Society
declared the word of the year 2013 to be because as it expanded the grammatical possibilities for informal use. Especially popular on Tumblr and
There is the tech-savvy side to it,
Twitter because isn’t used in a full
that I only wish to ever understand,
clause or to introduce a new subject,
Leetspeak, which seems like a highly
but simply followed by a noun, verb,
abstract typeface, and language specific
or interjection. To the question why
developments, like the Russian based
exactly NASA should receive more
Padonkaffsky Jargon. But what I find
funding, »Because science.« is a fully
myself using the most, and more and
formed answer that doesn’t need any
more in non-internet situations, are
explanation. Reducing the sentence
phrases, words or odd grammatical
structure this far leaves whatever
structures that weasel their way into my
follows the because to literally stand
language, English to be precise, through
on it’s own and therefore gaining
Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube and alike.
more weight. Instead of reducing the
Issue 13 | June 2014
153
154
response to one single argument, you
first initialisms such as ASFAIK (as far
could just include everything and more
as I know).
with two words. Because reasons.
The
ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS
this trend. Terms coined in the early
Though the use of acronyms didn’t
years of UseNet where collected and
originate with the internet it wasn’t popular till the 20th century. By sending messages through telegrams and later texts, the length was limited to a certain number of letters and abbreviations rose in popularity. This lead, among others, to the substitution of U for you, R for are, 2 for to(o), and
sister-mag.com
internet
further
popularised
published. With rather technical roots this served as a dictionary between different universities, such as MIT and Stanford, before including more conversational terms. This documents the first occurrence of
LOL in the
1980s as well as IRL (in real life), ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), IMHO (in
PRESS CENTRE
OMG was first used in 1917 in a letter by Lord Fisher to Winston Churchill: »I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis - O.M.G. (Oh! My God!) - Shower it on the Admiralty!!«
my humble opinion), and THX (thanks).
emotions. Lacking gestures, facial
With the rise of IM clients, chats and
expression and dramatic whispering
later online gaming communication
or screaming, whatever you try to
online became immediate and faster,
say is bound to a couple of letters
introducing BRB (be right back) or
and symbols. An early collection of
G2G (got to go) to common vocabulary.
emoticons from ’91 advises to tilt the
Today Twitter is the source for a
head slightly to the left while reading.
wealth of new acronyms, though not all tend to stick or spread around the web. Often used examples are hashtags, such as TBT (throwback
It includes the standard :-) as well as some that might have fallen a bit out of use, such as :-{#}, the »teasing people about their braces«-emoticon, or ||*(,
Thursday) and OODT (outfit of the day).
symbolising an offered hand shake.
Pop culture phenomenona also tend
Even though todays emoticons have
to be shortened, TV shows like How I
developed into a more sophisticated
Met Your Mother or Supernatural are
range of symbols, the Emoji-keyboard
plainly HIMYM and SPN, One Direction
as a prime example, their intention
is just 1D and book titles like The Fault
remains.
in our Stars reduced to TFIOS.
Sadly, not all websites and browser
ASDFGHJKL AND OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING EMOTIONS
allow for an intricate combination
One of the main problems when
Santa Claus to convey excitement
writing anything online is conveying
of pictures of pizza, a crying cat and and words have to be used. The
Issue 13 | June 2014
155
problem being: what if you’re just too
and though the fluctuation is high,
emotional to type any well thought
some stick around. LOLcats
through essay on your current state
been widely popular since 2007 and are
of mind? All the feels. or I can’t. are
blamed for the sudden influx of cats
sufficient statements and so is their
everywhere. Another meme inspired
comparative I can’t even. If being faced
by the format of LOLcats is Ermahgerd
season
. Used as a caption for photos,
finale in which the show runners yet
or even as a reply to posts, it points
again got everything wrong, asdfghjk
out the stupidity behind it. Feeding
is also understood as a failed attempt
into the cat craze where Nyan Cat
to communicate emotions. Once the
and Keyboard Cat
with
another
devastating
command of language is returning but the need to scream at the screen lingering on, there’s always CAPS 156
have
LOCK TO VIRTUALLY YELL AND VENT.
CATS, GRUMPY & OTHERWISE Social Media is full of memes, they tend to spread fast, are mostly shortlived and at some point there will be a version featuring cats. Though the term was first used in 1976 it wasn’t until 2013 that Richard Dawkins defined meme in the context of the internet. According to him, memes take an original idea that is altered and spread online by different users, thus evolving and almost mutating in a darwinesqueway, until it finally dies out.
. Then came the
4th April 2012 and Tardas Sauce was born. She started her carrier online that September under the pseudonym Grumpy Cat
and even won the Webby
Award in 2013. After a while, the dogpeople of the internet apparently got fed up by all the cats and they brought back the Doge
from 2005.
In the not-animal-related category of memes that are still used Rickrolling takes one of the top spots. Giving bogus information and instead of a source linking to the video for Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give Up
is one
of the main reasons for the video’s views. Let alone in the past month Johning
appeared, was picked up by
the Hollywood Reporter and vanished
Memes are an integral part of social
again, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Oscar-
media, especially Tumblr and Reddit,
Photobomb
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revived that genre and
PRESS CENTRE
Prince George’s facial expression
unconditional
during his first public appearances
character absolutely belong together,
became internet-famous within hours.
like 5eva (as this is an even longer
THE ART OF FORMING PORTMANTEAUS & SHIPPING
period than forever). Couples like that
Sometimes it seems like people using social media have two Modus Operandi: utterly uninterested and completely obsessed, especially when talking TV-shows, films, books and celebrities. With the second option comes an emotional involvement with the characters and their lives that is the foundation for an entire subculture within fandoms: shippers. Shipping
comes
relationship
from and
the
word
describes
believe
that
two
tend to get their own name, usually portmanteaus, Brangelina being a prime example. If show runners don’t really share those conviction and the on-screen time of the OTP (one true pairing) in question isn’t entirely devoted to their blossoming romance, shippers can always fall back on fanfiction, or short fanfic. Those stories range from so true to it’s original material that it could be official, or canon, or set in an alternate universe, for short AU.
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158
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In the last years fanfiction gained more
Creating a tolerant and open culture
and more media attention, first when a
online within communities isn’t easy,
story by Snowqueens Icedragon about
but constantly discussed (and sung
Bella Swan and Edward Cullen was
about in It’s okay to not like things
pulled from the forum and published
So, whatever you do, don’t be a troll.
with a different title and changed
ALL IN ALL
names as Fifty shades od grey.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T BE A TROLL
JUST
).
Internet slang sometimes seems alien, there’re constantly new terms (Brony, for example, the male fandom
As people tend to like things more
of My little Ponies), abbreviations and
enthusiastically online, things tend to
phenomena that pass before really
get out of hand quicker. The downside
gaining momentum. Native English
to all the thought-through discussions,
speaker ignore everything they ever
rainbows and glitter on Tumblr, Twitter
learned about their language while
and alike, is the amount of hateful,
the rest of the world doesn’t want
abusive and threatening comments.
to attract attention and proofreads
Different YouTubers quit making videos
everything. But the front of grammar-
because of numerous death threats.
nazis (they love their restrictive relative
Having an opinion and openly stating
clauses) is slowly getting more liberal
such tends to result in an aggressive
and the Oxford English Dictionary now
backlash of comments and messages
includes the word selfie.
depending on the size of the follower
So, just pack everything with references
base. The amount of harsh insults, racism and misogyny some people have to deal with is surreal, at times just because they dislike a specific show or book.
to anything fictional, preferably sci-fi, add gifs to underline the argument and different hashtags in text speak with cryptic acronyms – ironically, of course – and if in doubt, ask Google.
Those haters or trolls have a talent to weasel their way into every community.
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159
160
Language is often not only the spoken word, but also cultural differences in the perception or what is emphasized in different countries – for example in terms of beauty. What is important for Japanese women in facial care and what is beauty focus in the Brazil? To show this even better and in real life, we asked seven friends of sisterMAG from around the world to be a model for us and to answer some questions about their beauty rituals and countries. Photos: Zoë Noble Styling & Headpieces: Anna Czilinsky Floral wreaths : Hürriyet Bulan
Models: Laura (Germany), Mari (Japan), Caroline (USA), Farrah (Egypt), Saleema (UK), Christiane (Brasil), Anna (Russia)
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161
Issue 13 | June 2014
Do you sometimes wonder how different beauty and beauty ideals are represented in magazines from different countries? Thanks to global companies, most pro-
ducts are indeed available worldwide, but the presentation and main focus differs widely in the editorial beauty spreads and product collages in those magazines.
When traveling to other countries, these different conceptions of bes auty are even more evident. Brazilian s maintain a well-tanned skin, wherea Japanese women prefer a pale com
162
plexion. The particular idea of beauty arises from a certain kind of Âťvalue setÂŤ of the desirable. For example, the European woman
Caroline
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e imprints and es th of e ar aw s ve el rs ou in sk associates a slightly tanned tween culbe es nc re ffe di e th e ak m n ca with health, while a Japanese des visible by co g in rly de un e th d an s re tu n woman finds the same light ta this purpose r Fo . on ris pa m co l ra tu ul rc te in rather unrefined. Ideals of bevocabulary as w ne am cr to y ar ss ce ne is it le auty work here as an invisib ish – only it gl En or ch en Fr ng ni ar le en wh language that – in addition to tegories instead ca e tiv ra pa m co s lve vo in ns verbal communication – tra of words. mits messages and lets people which one in s, rie go te r. ca he ot e ar ch e ea er th Th wi e at ic un m com ery asev r fo s, re ltu cu re pa m co n ca Basis for understanding is the revidualism vs. di in g. e. e, lif of ct pe ns co spective culture code, the un femini. vs ity lin cu as m , sm ivi ct lle co cious meaning we assign to things nce and longda oi av y nt ai rt ce un ty, ni t. in pr through our own cultural im ion. For at nt ie or rm te tor sh . vs rm te These perceptions stuck through in different ty au be of n io at in am ex r ou l ra education, language and cultu ualism vid di in s on si en m di e th s re ltu cu symbols deep inside of us. Shop/ change are l ro nt co d an sm ivi ct lle co / io ping is, for example, an educat ing.* st re te in ly ar ul ic rt pa ily m fa r de nal experience, where ol members pass on their knowledge to the next generation through the consumer behaviour. We can make
l *If you are interested in the cultura dimensions and want to read more, you can click here: Cultural Dimensi ons from Hofstede
Issue 13 | June 2014
163
Community
PURITY A high degree of individualism describes a powerful focus of the individual on oneself, directed towards oneself and close family members, while a high degree of loyalty prevails
in collectivist cultures within a larger group. Control cultures are based on traditions and rules, whereas cultures with a focus on change are more open to new ways.
164
In order to classify different cultures, their degree of individualism and control is studied and classified by comparing it with others. The U.S. and Germany are for example more individualistic countries where free-
dom, individual challenge and initiative represent significant values, while Brazil and Japan tick clearly collectivistic. There, trust and maintenance of reciprocal relationships is in the foreground. On the other hand,
the U.S. and Brazil are more open to new ideas, while Germany and Japan rely on control and proven patterns.
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Control
Japan
TRUTH
Germany
Brazil
METAMORPHOSIS
I
Change
America
FREEDOM
Individualismus
Source: Cultural Codes from STURM und DRANG
In a large meta-analysis, the agency STURM und DRANG has dealt with the issue of cultural codes, thereby developing a matrix in which the four countries Germany, Japan, Brazil and the United States classify themsel-
ves. The axes show the already mentioned features community vs. individualism and control vs. change.
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International Additional studies then led to the derivation of beauty codes. The most important German feature »truth«, for example, means that beauty in Germany must be especially authentic.
165
Women, who dedicate too much attention on beauty, risk mistrust. These women seem to hide something or to have nothing else to offer. Nothing too superficial, faked or manipulative is liked. Bright
Not surprisingly – according to STURM und DRANG ¬– German women spend on average only 25 minutes per day in the bathroom, only 10 minutes is incontrast, U.S. In p. eu ak m in ed st ve is ur colours or overly sexy behavio hour and Japanese 1 d en sp en m wo lli te in e th to be avoided. Otherwise hours a day 2 y el at im ox pr ap en m wo ly ick gence of the woman will be qu eir beauty routines! th th wi questioned.
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166
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T Y P I C A L LY J A PA N E S E ? Japanese skin care products are more sensitive than the ones you get from Europe. (Even with the same brand!) My skin is very sensitive so all my facial products are from Japan. Japanese women are obsessed with taking care of their skin and so do I, I use my Japanese face masks every week. They also smell so nice, together with some chilled music they have a relaxing effect on me! . I D E A L S K I N Skin that is always glowing and healthy that you don't need any cover ups! Like
Mari
baby's skin. I wish it wasn't so dry either! T I M E I N T H E B AT H R O O M
From
washing my face to the end of my dailysimple-make
up,
probably
takes
around 15-20mins
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167
Sal 168
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leema
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IDEAL SKIN Clean, blemish free and even in tone. I absolutely love the colour, tone and flawless finish of Oscar winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o
Saleemas family has their origin in Ghana. She was born and raised in London – so british through and through :)!
T Y P I C A L LY B R I T I S H ? Women in London love to experiment with fashion and beauty. They love to try new things: brands, products, colours. I think despite living in Berlin, where taste is more classic and traditional, this is something from home I have tried to maintain. For example I have recently started wearing bright red lipstick, for the first time in my life, after my more beauty adventurous sister and friends visited me from London and inspired me to try it. I will also occasional throw on some dark purple or shimmery grey eyeshadow. However, I live and die by the beauty rule that one can only have heavy eye colour or heavy lip colour. Never, ever, both!!
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169
170
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Laura
171 IDEAL SKIN My ideal skin is even, free from impurities and with a natural, healthy glow!!
T Y P I C A L LY G E R M A N ? 2) Acctually my daily care
I think that German women stand for na-
routine is not that long, in the
turalness. And to prevent the natural is
morning and in the evening
also very important to me - although I love
about 10 minutes in each
care and beauty products and all the Âťgir-
case.!
ly stuffÂŤ, but the one does not exclude the TIME IN THE
other.
B AT H R O O M
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IDEAL SKIN If you look fresh and young, even without Make-up. T I M E I N T H E B AT H R O O M 1-2 hours when I have time (for skin cleansing and Make Up)
172
T Y P I C A L LY R U S S I A N ? In Russia it is very typical to invest a lot in the beauty care and to maintain good. I also think it is our special feature that all Russian women like to come back to ÂťGrandma's methodsÂŤ. That means that we like to do natural masks (eg whipped cream with strawberries for the face or egg with honey and oil for the hair). I like that, too, but you have to
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be a bit careful and pay attention to what is good on your skin and whether, for example, you react allergic to something.
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173
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174
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T Y P I C A L LY EGYPTIAN?
IDEAL SKIN My ideal skin would be soft, tanned
with
a
bronzed
look and without. And it would be great if it is homogenous in its colour and touch.
I adopted using a kayal (eye liner). That is typically Egyptian, especially
black
kayal.
But
I
use green and blue kayal as well, highlighting the eyes is very important in our culture.
Farrah T I M E I N T H E B AT H R O O M
I dont need that much time, usually not more
than 10 minutes, including hair.
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175
C
176
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Christiane
177
IDEAL SKIN
For me the ideal skin is the one, that doesn't need many products.. TIME IN THE B AT H R O O M Around. 15 minutes
Issue 13 | June 2014
IDEAL SKIN My ideal skin is smooth, soft and glowing.. T Y P I C A L LY A M E R I C A N ? Americans are notorious for being
178
superficial.
People
make
first
impressions from how you look. If I know I look good, then I feel good . If I feel beautiful, then I don't feel like anything is holding me back from what I want to
Caroline accomplish. .
T I M E I N T H E B AT H R O O M 20 minutes when I wake up and before I go to bed.
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179
Issue 13 | June 2014
fin d pa rt ic ular ly ys wa al AG M er st si m fro we t W ha en d th ei r sp ly al tu ac le op pe r he ot do w Ho in te re st in g: ! So we to ok th e ty au be es ud cl in so al at Th ? es liv da ily ei r da ily th to r fo s el od m n ve se r ou d ke as ch an ce an d sw er s? rit ua ls . Do yo u fin d yo ur se lf in th e an
Daily ANNA
( S .1 72
)
… is fro m M os ko w an d is st ud yin g ph ot og ra ph y at BT K in Be rli n in It is al wa ys im po rt an t to cl ea n th e sk we ll, es pe ci al ly in th e ev en in g.
180 MARI
( S .1 6 6
)
… is fro m To ky o an d a ba lle rin a at th e St aa ts ba lle t Be rli n us e Ev er y m or ni ng an d ev en in g, I al wa ys d fa ce wa sh , th at m ea ns to ne r, fo llo we nby Se ru m an d lo tio n/ crea m . An d in wi
en d te r tim e I ad d a drop of Bi o Oi l at th e ry of th e ro ut in e be ca us e m y sk in ge ts ve us e dr y. Fo r m ake up re m ov er , I al wa ys ss oi l ba se d prod uc ts , be ca us e th at ’s le lo irr ita tin g fo r m y sk in . I al so us e bo dy ntio n in su m m er an d bo dy bu tte r in wi te r af te r sh ow er in g. Th is is a M US T!
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m, I like to us e m oi st ur ize rs an d a se ru . In as we ll as fa ci al m as sa ge s an d m as ks ive an y ca se I pref er go od , m ore ex pe ns ra l prod uc ts an d co sm et ic s ba se d on na tu in gred ie nt s.
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SALEEMA
( S .1 6 8
)
e … is fro m Lo nd on . As »M od er n Vi nt ag Co .« sh e al so ru ns an ev en t bu si ne ss
LAURA ( S .1 70
)
… co m es fro m ne ar Ha m bu rg , is st ud yin g cu ltu ra l sc ie nc es in Lü ne bu rg an d ha s be en a pa rt of th e si st er M AG te am fo r th e la st m on th s r It’s im po rt an t fo r m e to us e a m oi st ur ize , af te r wa sh in g m y fa ce in th e m or ni ng re be ca us e I te nd to ha ve dr y sk in . Be fo to go in g to be d a th orou gh clea ni ng y re m ov e al l m akeu p be lo ng s to m e ro ut in e. As we ll as a ni gh t an d an ey
or crea m . Oc ca si on al I us e pe el in gs , m ore in te ns ive prod uc ts like m as ks se ru m s or fa ce oi ls ..
orga I co ve r m y fa ce an d bo dy wi th 10 0% sh oni c co co nu t oi l ea ch m or ni ng af te r a ve rs we r. I am a fir m be lie ve r th at wh at co ke ep th e sk in en te rs th e bo dy so I tr y to ss ib m y crea m s an d oi ls as na tu ra l as po y- to le . I do no t we ar m uc h m ake- up da th ou t da y ho we ve r, I ne ve r le av e ho m e wi we ar la sh in gs of m as ca ra on . Ea ch da y I t liv e a ba si c, ne ut ra l lip ba lm wh ic h I ca n' iti ng wi th ou t (I st oc k up on tu be s wh en vis ou s, th e UK ). If I am fe el in g m ore gl am or we ar I we ar a fe w st ro ke s of lip glos s. I un d. br ig ht re d to e na il va rn is h al l ye ar ro nd s I ne ve r we ar na il va rn is h on m y ha na ils th ou gh , I pref er to ke ep m y fin ge r tio n co m plet ely ne ut ra l. I al so us e fo un da po rt an d a Hi gh lig ht in g Pe n. It is al so im wa ys an t to m e th at m y fa ce prod uc ts al co nt ai n at le as t SP F 15 .
Issue 13 | June 2014
181
Daily 182
CAROLINE ( S .1 78
‌ is fro m Broo klyn , Ne w Yo rk , an d a ba lle rin a at th e St aa ts ba lle t Be rli n
CHRISTIANE ( S .1 76
)
‌ is fro m Ri o de Ja ne iro an d a ba lle rin a at th e St aa ts ba lle t Be rli n ls . I do n' t ha ve m an y be au ty rit ua us e Be ca us e of m y prof es si on i ha ve to m a lo t of m ake up ,s o I tr y to us e crea an d fo r m y fa ce af te r re m ov in g m ake up be fo re I go to be d at ni gh t. No th in g m in pa rt ic ul ar..
sister-mag.com
)
ore
my Ev er y m or ni ng I wa sh m y fa ce wi th sh . cl ar as on ic M ia 2 wi th fre sh soy fa ce wa my An d I al wa ys m oi st ur ize be fo re I do or m akeu p . If I'm go in g to re he ar sa ls er , so m et hi ng ni ce I us ua lly we ar po wd gh t bl us h, ey el in er an d m as ca ra . At ni ply I al wa ys we ar a m os tu riz er an d ap to an an ti da rk ci rc le /p uf fy ey e se ru m prev en t sa gg y ey es in th e fu tu re .
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FA R R A H ( S .1 74
)
er a at th e Ho ch sc op g yin ud st is d un ia dr an ex Al m fro ‌ is fß r M us ik , Ha nn s Ei sler in Be rli n
hu le
st wa ke up an d ju I . ls ua rit c ifi ec sp ve ha t n' do I , st To be ho ne ake up , m y an t ou th wi t ou go I e tim e th of t wa sh m y fa ce . M os us e an y fa ci al t n' do I . at th e lik ng hi et m so or n no fo un da tio I like to . :)) at th r fo gh ou en g un yo ill st am crea m s (I th in k I ni gh t slee p. I od go a s ire qu re ly al ci pe es at th nd l.a st ay na tu ra we ll an d p ee sl nt do I en wh , es im et m so t Bu al so do nt sm oke. an d ka ya l - bu t ra ca as m e m so e us I , ed tir t bi a ok fe el like I lo e sa m e Th l. ra tu na ly al re s ok lo ill st it en wh I like th e m ake up ir prod uc ts or ha y an e us t n' do d an it b m co st ju I wi th m y ha ir,
183
st ra ig ht en er s fo r st yl in g it. m ore e m so on t pu do I en th t, en ev an or If I ha ve a co nc er t m ake up ,d ep en di ng on th e oc ca si on .
Issue 13 | June 2014
1 STARTUP SPOTLIGHT
BABELVERSE babelverse.com
@babelverse
fb.com/babelverse
IDEA
Changing the world by enabling people to communicate with anyone, regardless of the languages they speak. We’re making this possible by bringing together thousands of multilingual people and linguists who can take occasional calls when they’re available. Our apps instantly connect them with users who need their skills, on their mobile device, over a voice or video call.
2
INSPIRATION
Back in 2010, we Josef and Mayel, originally from the UK and France - were living and working in Greece, and often found ourselves struggling to communicate, we tried Google Translate type apps but they didn’t work, so we’d resort to calling up our local friends for help. Which was useful for informal conversations, but we often needed a more reliable solution.
184 We see our mobile app in the hands of millions of travellers and businesses around the world, and Babelverse becoming ubiquitous, being inte grated in many other apps and locations where it can help with language barriers.
We both come from a transitional generation who grew up during the information revolution of the 90’s. We’ve lived in a world of cassettes, VHS, CDs and MP3s, and seen many waves of evolution and disruption throughout our lives. Since the early days of the Internet, we’ve been building websites
5
6
FUTURE PLANS
and online services, always fascinated by the power of technology to build things that can change our daily lives and society.
FOUNDER'S PAST
3
FINANCE
We’ve been bootstrapping (read: functioning with little to no funds) most of the way. We got started with a grant from the Chilean government through their Startup Chile programme (which meant moving there for 6 months, a very educational experience).
4
REVENUES
Babelverse currently has 3 levels of service (we call them belts - like in martial arts), depending on the situation for which interpretation is needed. They are; Yellow, Purple and Black Belt. Yellow is free (with optional donation), Purple is paid and Black is premium. The bulk of revenue is paid out to the interpreters. 185
Our biggest competition is probably English, or at least the idea that everybody in the world speaks it (or should learn). Otherwise there are automated machine translation apps (like Google Translate), but they are very unreliable.
The first person to join was Zachary Zorbas, our designer. We met at an event in Greece (his family is Greek-American but he was visiting for the first time) where he became the first tester of a very early prototype of Babelverse.
We’re fans of the fictional »Babel fish« universal translator from the novel »Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy« by Douglas Adams. Which itself is named after the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. And »verse« can stand for 4 different things which all are quite fitting, we’ll leave it to the reader to figure out...
7
8
9
COMPETITORS
FIRST TEAM MEMBER
NAME
10
COLOR
We couldn’t settle on colours for our logo, so we started using it black and white, and it stuck, we like the clarity and contrast. We do use colours a lot to differentiate skills in our diverse community (for our ranking system inspired from martial arts, from white belt to black belt, passing by yellow, purple and green).
11 Our team is distributed around the world: London, New York, San Francisco, São Paulo, etc. Travel is one of our great passions (that is why we want to be able to communicate with everyone!) and we think life and work don’t
LOCATION
have to be at odds. In today’s world of nearubiquitous connectivity, we count ourselves very lucky to be able to work from anywhere. We call ourselves »glomads«.
186
FUTURE PLANS
12
MOST USED SOFTWARE
Mostly cloud apps such as Google Apps, Flowdock, Trello. And services like Airbnb and Uber when travelling for business. We also recommend Citymapper for getting around big cities!
13
MAIN FOOD
3
FINANCE
All forms of pasta, rice, water, beer and cider (and the occasional pizza as a treat). 187
Josef is a native English speaker and Mayel is a native French and English speaker. We both also speak conversational Greek and are still learning. The next languages in our repertoire will probably be Japanese or Portuguese.
Nemawashi (根回し), which in Japanese means an informal process of quietly laying the foundation for some proposed change or project, by talking to the people concerned, gathering support and feedback, and so forth (it literally translates as »going around the
15
14
LANGUAGES
roots«, to prepare it for a transplant). It is considered an important element in any major change. We recently discovered this word, and it represents the approach we’ve been taking with building Babelverse, better than any word in the English language.
FAVORITE WORD
Home i 188
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PRESS CENTRE
is where
This over-used sentiment still rings true in my cross-cultural world
the heart is
text
JENNIFER PATTERSON
layout TINA BERGS
I’m one-half of a bilingual couple.
Instead of rejoicing and reciprocating,
I met my better half, my husband
I cringed and thought to myself
Aiko, during a University exchange in
»Blarg. He has no idea what those
Helsinki, Finland, back in 2004. For
words mean.« I gave him a smile and
me, a West Coast–Canadian who spoke
a quick thank-you, and spent the next
only English, and a sprinkle of French
few days fretting over what I thought
thanks to elementary school, studying
was the tip of the language barrier
abroad was a chance to interact with
iceberg. (For the record, he insists he
people that spoke two languages or
always knew the importance of those
more. I was content learning enough
three little words.)
basic Finnish to get me through the
For us, humour has played a big role
day: Yksi Kahvia ja kaksi Pullaa, kittos (one coffee and two pastries, please). The desire to learn a second language fluently was not high on my priority list. When I started dating Aiko, a northern German
who
spoke
near-fluent
English and a bit of Dutch, we knew our common language denominator was English.
in helping us overcome our cultural differences. The first time Aiko referred to jaywalking as »jailwalking« I fell on the floor laughing. It does, in fact, make sense as crossing intersections without yielding to cars or using proper crosswalks
is
considered
illegal.
My laughter was less boisterous, however, the time he referred to me as
About a week into dating he said
a fashion victim. He thought this was
something that most girls in a
a compliment, but quickly realized
relationship long to hear: »I love you.«
his error after I loudly corrected him
Issue 13 | June 2014
189
and proceeded to change my outfit.
generally a lot more warm and open
He still teasingly pulls this joke out
than Germans. But on the flip side
at times, which results in him fleeing
Germans tend to »say what they
the room, a flying shoe close behind.
mean and mean what they say« which
François Grosjean, Ph.D., author of
can be a refreshing, albeit at times
Bilingual: Life and Reality, writes that
challenging, change to the Canadian
humor between couples helps to
tendency of sweeping something
form an intimate bond and is a way
uncomfortable under the rug. But at
of dealing with the stress of having
the end of the day what we both value
different cultural backgrounds. We’ve
is family and just being happy, making
developed inside jokes combining both
all the other cultural contrasts seem
of our languages, which to an outsider
like minutia.
may sound like nonsense, but for us it
We’ve always viewed our relationship
keeps the learning part of being in a cross-culture couple playful. 190
Kyle
Killian,
I’ve never gone around introducing
Exploring
him as »my husband, the German,«
Diversity in Intimate Relationships,
but instead simply as my husband.
was quoted in an online interview as
Even amongst colleagues and friends
saying, »Culture is a little like water
the
to a fish – we're in it but we're not
acknowledged. Though Aiko did have
necessarily aware of our culture until
clients at work that would call asking
we encounter someone who doesn't
for »the guy with the New Zealand
share all of our beliefs and customs
accent and the Japanese name.« We
and rituals… But if you want the
both appreciate where we come from,
relationship to survive, you have to be
and understand the deep importance
inclusive of both partner's traditions.«
of
Like all couples, Aiko and I have to
both cultures. We always celebrate
work at our relationship, and coming
Canadian Thanksgiving in October, and
from different backgrounds can add
have our Northern German Grünkohl
challenges that others may not have
feast in December. Though I confess
to face. I find, for example, Canadians
I’ll never understand why Germans
sister-mag.com
D.,
Couples:
author
between a Canadian and a German. of
Intercultural
Ph.
as being between two people, not
foreign
element
maintaining
was
traditions
rarely
from
PRESS CENTRE
serve Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) in the afternoon right before a big dinner. Amy Tan, the award-winning author of The Joy Luck Club, wrote an essay in 1990 titled ›Mother Tongue‹ discussing the many forms of English that she uses: one to speak with her traditional Chinese mother, another for her literary work, etc. This struck a chord, and made me realize I had done the same thing with my relationships. While at work and around colleagues
We »
both appreciate where we come from, and understand the deep importance of maintaining traditions from both cultures «
I would speak in longer, flowing sentences, but when Aiko and I first
191
started dating, I would stick to a more basic structure and use less elaborate words. This isn’t the case anymore, as Aiko speaks native-level English, but I’ve noticed a role reversal since moving to Germany last year: I am now the student, and Aiko’s choice of dumbed-down phrasing and word usage is for my benefit. You may think I should feel insulted, but I appreciate it as I slowly work to integrate myself in the German language. Aiko and I were not the only crosscultural couple to have met during our University exchange in Helsinki, Finland: Santiago, from Mexico, and
Issue 13 | June 2014
Humour Âť
between couples helps to form an intimate bond and is a way of dealing with the stress of having different cultural backgrounds.ÂŤ
192
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Erzsébet,
from
Hungary,
started
fun road discovering all the differences
dating during their first semester and
between the two cultures.
are now married with two children.
For Patrick, a Canadian, and Megumi,
After living for a couple of years in Mexico, the couple settled with their young family in Budapest. Years of living in one another’s homeland have made them both fluent in each other’s
Japanese, the road to their relationship was anything but formulaic. They started out as roommates, and gradually began dating, but seven months later Megumi moved back
native tongue; though Santiago points
to Japan. They kept in touch for six
out they both do so with somewhat
years, mostly by email, until last
funny accents. With children, the
year Patrick, a huge fan of Japanese
importance of maintaining a bilingual
culture, decided to go over for a visit.
household increases, and even though
Well, one thing led to another and
Santiago and Erzsébet’s kids would
they are now newlyweds. Megumi
much rather speak Hungarian at
confessed to wanting to have married
home like their school friends and like
him six years ago, but, as Patrick has
what they see on TV, the household
learned, subtly is key in Japanese
is officially a Spanish-language
society, a contrast to Canada where
zone.
a direct approach is often preferred.
As
for
communication
misunderstandings,
recent
He’s learned never to refuse a gift and
discovery on the misuse of »find«
to find the humour in communication.
versus »hide« in Spanish has
He recognizes how difficult it can
led to a long husband and
be to communicate with someone
wife discussion. Santiago
from a different culture, but stresses
recognizes
their
patience above all else. For now they
are
speak in mostly English, but Megumi
completely different, and
is quite fond of Patrick’s »three-year-
two
a
that
backgrounds
says it’s been a hard but
old child’s« broken Japanese.
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193
Tobias, a German who lives and
communication as a cross-cultural
works in Nürnberg, met Julie, a
couple; we know the quirks of Germans
Frenchwoman living and working in
and Canadians. There are times when
Strasbourg, through a mutual friend.
we both recognize it would have been
After back and forth visiting, Julie
easier had we both been raised in
made the move to Nürnberg. And
the same environment, but then we
though the ultimate goal is fluency in
wouldn’t be who we are today; we
both German and French, the default language for them is currently English. Not that this is a problem, stresses Julie, in fact they make sure to clarify things more than they would in their own mother tongue, as it’s far too easy to assume someone understands you when communicating with people in 194
your primary language.
For Julie,
the motivation to focus more on learning German is greater now, due more to the fact of living in Germany, as opposed to it being a problem for them as a couple. And, as in every relationship, differences always come up. Julie cites the openness in France when it comes to discussing emotions, something usually met with silence from a German (sorry, Aiko!). But she’s quick to point out that Tobias’s strong German values contribute to him being the most reliable person she knows. After 10 years together, Aiko and I have more or less mastered our
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wouldn’t be Jen + Aiko. Julie sums it up the best by saying »The good thing about being different is that we can try and pick the best of both worlds.« I wholeheartedly agree.
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… is an all too famous saying and it is exactly those idioms and phrases, some an integral part of our daily language, some almost vanished into oblivion, Claudia Gödke took as inspiration and brought them back to the table. Enjoy the recipes based on famous sayings for our language issue. Bon appétit!
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Salmon
with lemon pickle gremolata
SERVES 2
300-400g salmon fillet
198
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 or 1/2 lemon pickle or 1 organic lemon, peel minced
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 190°C. Place a baking dish filled half way with water on the lowest rack of your oven. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and oil it lightly. Rinse the fish under cold water, pat dry. Place the salmon on the baking tray, lightly brush it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the salmon to the oven and let cook for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the gremolata. Mix lemon peel, parsley and garlic in a little bowl and add a few tablespoons olive oil. Use your hands to break the salmon into chunks and serve it with Âgremolata
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CrĂŞpes with mango compote and passion fruit yoghurt CrĂŞpes: 200 g flour 400 ml milk
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
202
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined and smooth. Set aside for 10 minutes. Heat a large non stick frying pan. Lightly butter the pan. Scoop a few tablespoons of batter in the center of the pan. Swirl the pan around to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown, and flip. Remove from heat and place on a plate. Continue to cook and stack the CrĂŞpes.
Mango Compote
1 ripe mango
2 tbsp sugar
zest and juice of half a lemon
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Peel the mango and cut into small cubes. Place the mango cubes into a pot, add sugar, lemon zest and juice. Cook for about 3 minutes on low heat, stirring from time to time. Set aside to cool completely.
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Passion Fruit Yoghurt:
2 passion fruits (ripe passion fruits are purple and slightly wrinkled)
1 tbsp apricot jam
200 g plain yoghurt
Cut the passion fruits in half, remove the pulp using a spoon. Add the apricot jam and strain through a fine sieve. Place the yoghurt into a bowl, add the passion fruit- jam and mix until combined.
203
Arrange crĂŞpes, yoghurt and compote on a plate and sprinkle some icing sugar on top.
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4-5 servings
7 lemons
175 g sugar 2 tpsb Limoncello
1. Put 125 g sugar and 125 ml water into a pan over medium high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened, then set aside to cool completely. 2. Zest two of the lemons and juice all the lemons and strain to remove any pips and pulp. Add the zest and chill in the fridge. 3. Place the lemon juice into a freezer safe bowl and add equal amounts of
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sugar syrup and water, 25 ml at a time, and taste until the flavour is to your liking. Mix in Limoncello. 4. Put the bowl in the coldest part of the freezer and stir every 30 minutes using a whisk or a fork. 5. After 4-5 hours it will reach the desired consistency. Serve plain or with sparkling wine.
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211
2 cucumbers
300 g greek yoghurt 300 ml vegetable broth at room temperature dill
1. Peel and halve the cucumber, remove the seeds using a spoon. Roughly chop the cucumber and put it in a blender. Add broth, greek yoghurt and about 1/3 cup dill and blend until smooth.
salt pepper parsley
1 hard boiled egg, cut into small pieces
smoked salmon
Tip Add more broth to reach desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Garnish with dill and parsley.
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250 g spaghetti 300 g green asparagus, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces 100 g cream cheese or goat‘s cream Âcheese
1 organic lemon
50 g Parmesan
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water according to directions until almost tender. Add the asparagus and let cook for further 4 minutes. 2. In the meantime zest the lemon, juice half a lemon and add both to the cream cheese. Add a little cooking water to the cream cheese and whisk to combine. 3. Drain the pasta and asparagus, add the cream cheese and mix. 4. Serve with Parmesan 215
Bon Appetit Issue 13 | June 2014
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Issue 13 | June 2014
1 STARTUP SPOTLIGHT
DUOLINGO duolingo.com
@duolingo
fb.com/duolingo
Created by crowdsourcing pioneers Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, Duolingo is the free, science-based language education platform selected by Apple as iPhone App of the Year 2013 and by Google as Best of the Best for Android. It has grown to over 30 million users in less than two years, by word of mouth alone.
Duolingo has been scientifically proven to be more effective than American university language courses. In a recent independent study, professors from the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of South Carolina found that when using Duolingo for 34 hours, students learn the equivalent of one university semester of language instruction. The platform is also very entertaining. Duolingo
218 I grew up in Guatemala where many people are quite poor, and always thought about how limited access to education for those people was one of the key drivers of socioeconomic differences. There are currently about 1.2 billion people learning languages around the world, and most of these people are doing so to improve their lives - to get a job at a call center or gain
2
admittance to a university, for example. Yet learning a language is very expensive and requires attending a very good school, paying for private lessons, or buying expensive software such as Rosetta Stone. So the people who most need language education cannot afford it. And so I wanted to focus on helping change this by offering the highest quality education to everyone, for free.
INSPIRATION
Duolingo is, and will always be, 100% free to its users. Instead of charging users, Duolingo finances its high-quality education platform using a crowdsourcing model.
3
FINANCE
IDEA users gain skills by passing levels, earning points, and even buying virtual items. The game has attracted language enthusiasts and mobile gamers of all ages. Duolingo currently offers a total of 23 language courses and is already creating 20 others. Investors include actor Ashton Kutcher, author Tim Ferriss, Union Square Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Users have the option of translating texts as a method to strengthen the skills they learn on Duolingo - for example, after learning food vocabulary, they have the option of translating a menu. Duolingo sells these translations to international media companies. Everybody
4
Founder Luis von Ahn
benefits: students receive free language education and real-world practice, while websites get collaborative high-quality translations. Duolingo's first translations clients include CNN and BuzzFeed.
REVENUE
219 We are working to make Duolingo the default language learning platform and soon, language certification center, in the world.
5
FUTURE PLANS
6
COMPETITORS
There are no other language education platforms that are completely free (many are »freemium«), science and data based, and created like a game. Rosetta Stone used to be the default way to learn a language online but we have already surpassed them in searches.
7
FOUNDER'S PAST
I created CAPTCHA, reCAPTCHA and ESP games. The latter two were sold to Google. I’m also a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
8
NAME
It means two languages!.
220 Email… the browser?
11
MOST OFTEN USED SOFTWARE
9
COLOURS
The colors looked good!.
10
CITY
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 221
Mexican food.
I’m currently studying Portuguese with Duolingo.
Warmduscher, in German! I find it an amusing insult which means »you take warm water showers.«
12
13
14
MAIN FOOD
LANGUAGE
FAVOURITE WORD
THE SWEET ESCAPE. Why we should all make more time for stories.
TEXT CHRISTIAN RIEDEL LAYOUT TINA BERGS
I’m on a high speed train going from
the weird English-German mixture of
Kassel to Hamburg and I’m sitting
announcements issuing from the PA
opposite a student. He’s working,
system.
his eyes wandering from a binder
Seeing people get completely absorbed
to his laptop and back. Then he’s typing something. Next his eyes gaze longingly out of the window, then he checks his phone before turning his 222
| TRANSLATION TANJA TIMMER
attention back to the binder.
in a story can make onlookers quite uncomfortable. What if they don’t find their way back to reality? Many a 19th century man spent much of his time
As a stark contrast, the woman sitting across the aisle from me is giggling happily, reading a novel. The book is called Dressing to the left and the
Tybalt
cover is sporting a banana. She does not notice me. Her spirit has left the
worrying about losing his wife to the
grey tube of the high-speed train and
glam and glitter of romantic novels.
turned away from her sweaty fellow
Today’s parents have similar feelings
passengers trying to navigate the
towards computer games which they
narrow aisles with their baggage.
fear might drag their children off into
It’s turned away from the worn-out
a dream world from which there is no
carpet, the squeaky sliding doors and
return.
To Romeo
It’s true, giving in to a story is also giving in to a unique state of
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The illustrations show the story of »Romeo and Juliet« in pictures. consciousness. In our daily routines,
Would I really have gotten out of the
we might struggle to concentrate on a
house to take in some fresh air? Would
certain task for more than 10 minutes.
I really have met up with friends? Had
Our mind will inevitably wander. But a
long and meaningful conversations?
good story can captivate us for hours, sometimes even days. I recently discovered a website called tiii.me which helps you calculate how much time you spend watching TV
223
programs. Adding up just my current favourites: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Sherlock came to eight days, 12 hours and 30 minutes.
Or might I have used the time to be productive? Answering emails, filing invoices, writing a blog post, reading feeds? Or would I finally have tackled
Seeing this number for the first time
that reference book I have been
my immediate reaction was: I’ve
carrying around for over a fortnight
wasted such a lot of time! And that’s
because I feel like I should read it—
not even counting novels, computer
despite the fact that the first sentence
games and films, to all of which I also
was enough to make me yawn.
like to devote a considerable amount
There are always plenty of things to
of time. Oh boy, what have you been doing with your life?!
be done. It used to be my parents who reminded me of this fact, now
But let’s turn the question around:
it’s the productivity app on my phone,
How else would I have spent these
which—in a moment of weakness—I
eight days, 12 hours and 30 minutes?
have authorised to send me push
Issue 13 | June 2014
Z
Z
Z Z
Z notifications. So now it can do the job
showing that reading novels improves
of reminding me to »tidy my room«.
a person’s empathic skills. This is
Needs must when the devil drives!
because stories train our brain to
So it’s time to pull up my sleeves.
224
Z
properly empathise with other people’s
After all, I want to lead a productive
feelings.
life, be a mover and shaker. And if I
Author Steven Johnson, in his book
should feel peckish, there’s always
Everything Bad is Good for You, even
a bite sized portion of Facebook,
argues that TV programs and computer
buzzfeed or heftig.co at hand showing
games with their multi-tiered and
me »40 animals having fallen asleep
interwoven story lines help us learn a
at a rather inconvenient moment but
more complex way of thinking which is
looking soooooo cute«...Little chuckle
an essential skill in today’s fast-paced
and on we go again.
and interconnected world.
Juliet died
So why waste precious time on stories about love, loss, courage, envy, passion and desire? Jonathan
Gottschall’s
book
The
literary animal, references a study
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Juliet
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Z
Z
Z Z
Z
Romeo
Looking at stories as AP competence
»Next
stop
Hamburg-Dammtor.«
and capability training is both a
Suddenly the student is scrambling,
comforting and scary thought at once.
gathering his things. The woman next
Because adding reading, watching
to me is snapping her novel shut with
TV programs and playing computer
a smile. And I am saving this article to
games as items on the to-do list which
the drive. Next time I take a trip on a
our productivity app is pestering us to
train I’ll read a novel, maybe Dressing
tick off, will deprive us of what should
on the left. And escape.
be the best part about giving in to
225
them: telling the world and all your chores to go sit on a tack for a while!
Christian Riedel is a story architect, blogger and author. When not escaping from the world he helps companies create stories that help them Juliet
grow.
Some call it an escape. I call it freedom. Only those of us who can really lose themselves in their fantasies also have the ability to break the mould of reality and really do something with their lives.
Icons: Couple designed by Jerry Wang; Strategy designed by Garrett Knoll; Running designed by Jakob Vogel; City designed by Jerry Wang; Knife by Jeremy Linden from the Noun Project
Issue 13 | June 2014
STOP!
IT'S
TIME text & sketchnotes TANJA SCHERM
226
Storytelling is as old as mankind.
our eyes. »You eat with your eyes«
At least as old as that is the visual
and »a picture is worth a thousand
documentation of stories. Our oldest
words« are well-known and often
ancestors already painted their hunting
used sayings for a reason. But the
techniques and trophies onto cave
power of images is far greater than
walls. The construction of the pyramids
we think: They make the world easier
and the production of mudbricks
to understand (understanding: the
were recorded pictographically in the
power of comprehending*). Moreover,
chamber tombs of ancient Egypt. And
they help us remember something.
Leonardo da Vinci did not only paint the
Whenever we try to memorize things,
most beautiful woman at the time but
we are most successful and it lasts
also created 1480 technical sketches
for a long time when we do so with the
of how water wheels work.
help of graphics. Studies show that we
These origins indicate the huge
memorize 90 percent of what we see
importance of the visible for us. We are visual beings by nature and as such we perceive more than 65 percent of our environment through
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and only 10 percent of what we hear. If our teachers had only known this when we were in school! Even memory experts work with visual objects in their
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227
These sketchnotes are Tanja's notes of the re:publica, speeches, Europe's biggest social media conference
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228
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230
SE LF -EX PE RIM EN T To feel the power of images yourself, draw your shopping list for tomorrow. Replace every written word with a small sketch with as few lines as possible. Want to bet that you don’t even have to take a look at your list at the grocery store the following day?
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thought patterns applying
visualization and describe different
so-called
mnemonics,
methods of application: as a visual
memory techniques. Those
support of group processes, as a
who take it one step further
method to develop new ideas, as a tool
and reproduce the auditory
for stories, as a live documentation or
and visual perception in
as a sketched note.
graphics have successfully
Sketchnotes, for example, replace
closed the Âťmagic circle of memoryÂŤ. Because the very moment when what is said and seen is processed in the brain and translated into images depicted on paper, the information is already fixed upon our long-term memory. So it is not surprising that visual language experiences a new revival again and again. The past years show: Infographics, and
Prezi
explanatory
videos
presentations
popped
up everywhere and enjoyed great
or complement typical text protocols more and more often, as they do not only consist of text elements but also of images and symbols. Visual contents are not only used for stories and as memory aids but also to better comprehend and preserve presentations. While we listen to the preaching and at the same time perceive the speaker’s facial expressions and gestures, we translate the information into visual
popularity. All of a sudden, everyone
language and gradually fill a piece of
talks
facilitation,
paper (horizontally, vertically, radially
design thinking, visual storytelling,
etc.). This entire process fosters active
InfoDoodling
sketchnotes.
listening as well as creative thinking,
All these concepts are based on
which is necessary for the process
about
graphic and
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231
PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Sketchnotes are based on the 30/70 principle: only 30 percent of the information (image, symbol) have to be drawn, the remaining 70 percent are automatically added by our brain. We naturally have a decoding system for images and can use it to easily and quickly communicate ideas. People and faces can be reduced even more. Just take a look at the German drawing game »Dot, dot, comma, dash—smiley face in a flash.«
232
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Foto: Tanja Scherm 233
Issue 13 | June 2014
of »on-the-go« abstraction in the brain. The rules are simple: 1. Quick movements. 2. The first thought counts. 3. KISS
(Keep
it
simple,
sketchnoter!) The
sketchnote
language
is
internationally valid and can be learned at any age. It is comprised of five visual letters that are used to depict any visual vocabulary (= symbols). What follows is the same in every language: practice, practice, practice. To quickly find a 234
fitting metaphor for an utterance can be learned, just like focusing on a piece of paper and forgetting everything around. I can guarantee you that you will never stop once you have started. You can achieve great results very quickly. »I can’t do it« is not an option here—everyone can become a sketchnoter. I first came into contact with
on the topic and even contributed
sketchnotes in 2010 during the
a sketchnote myself to a book at
re:publica
conference
the beginning of this year. I have
completely
been teaching beginners classes
mesmerised when I discovered
on this visualization technique to
the first pieces on it on Flickr.
increase the size of the sketchnote
Since then, I have participated in
community in Germany. It is always
many classes, binge-read books
a nice feeling to hear all the ecstatic
in
Berlin.
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internet I
was
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With five different visual letters (square, triangle circle, line and dot) you can visualize all types of vocabulary and symbols.
235
Foto: Michèle Lichte @mit
sch30
oohs and aahs from the participants. And I always finish a class with a big smile on my face. Sketchnotes is my passion and I see it as my given path to share it with others.
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Symbols via thenounproject.com - Photo Chef Stand at Belkin
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s e i r o t S n e h Kitc
T E X T K a t h e r in e S a c k s
H ow t o b u i l d a winning cooking app 237
Issue 13 | June 2014
oung newcomers in Berlin
by their business school network,
today
wander
and with a strong passion to make
down two paths: some have
something work, the women moved
no plan and prefer to explore
to a quiet street in Mitte, knowing they
the city, enjoying the nightlife and
could make success happen along the
culture which draws many here in the
way. »We said, ›Let’s just move there,
first place. Others come for the quickly
and we’ll figure it out,‹« Gao explains.
growing start-up scene, embracing
»›It will work out somehow.‹«
their inner entrepreneurial spirit,
One year later, their enthusiasm
generally
determined to stake a claim in the digital world. 238
Like
many
and go-get em’ attitude has already paid off, thanks to the launch of their
young
company Kitchen Stories. A digital
entrepreneurs, Mengting Gao, 25, and
cookbook and cooking application,
Verena Hubertz, 26, headed to Berlin
Gao and Hubertz produced Kitchen
after graduating from WHU Otto
Stories as a way to introduce the
Beisheim School of Management last
high quality food photos, videos, and
year. They weren’t sure at first what
recipes they were familiar with in U.S.
their concept would be, but, attracted
products, but felt weren’t available in
by the city’s energy, encouraged
the German market. »We wanted to
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of
these
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build the best product in the category, especially in Germany,« says Gao. »There are so many U.S.
products
that
work really great, with great videos, that look modern, and that feel good for the consumer. That was missing here, which is why we created it.« Although Gao and Hubertz planned to introduce Kitchen Stories with a
239
soft launch, simply placing it in the Apple iTunes store »to see if it works or if it crashes,« says Gao, the iPad application immediately attracted attention and success. Within three
Verena Hubertz
& Mengting Gao Founders of KitchenStories
days, Kitchen Stories was ranked in the top 15 of the food and drinks
Issue 13 | June 2014
240
category in the iTunes App store, and
But like many start-up founders, Gao
two weeks later, a representative
and Hubertz began with a completely
from Apple contacted the team about
different idea than the one they’ve
promoting Kitchen Stories.
since launched. The women—who
or us, it was a huge success
met while studying for their business
because then we knew
masters degree at WHU in Vallendar
that our standards were the
—originally
planned
to
open
a
ones supported by Apple,« Gao
restaurant chain. Inspired by a shared
explains. »We got a huge front
love of burritos, successful Berlin
page feature in the Apple store in
Tex-Mex concepts like Dolores, and
all German-speaking countries, and,
friends who have taken the döner
as of now, we've been featured in
kebab idea to the U.S. with a chain
more than 20 countries.« Since the
based in the Southwest, they planned
February 2014 launch, Kitchen Stories
to open a Mexican food outlet. The
has been downloaded more than
women worked through a business
60,000 times, primarily in German
plan and even had a California-trained
speaking countries, including Austria
chef on board, but in the end decided
and Switzerland, but also in the U.K.
the restaurant business wasn’t the
and Australia.
model for them.
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Back at the drawing board, Gao and Hubertz discussed many ideas, but always kept coming back to concepts based
around
food.
As
many
university students do, the women started cooking for themselves when they moved away from home, and during this time Gao watching a lot of cooking television programs such as »Everyday Food by Martha Stewart,« and read many American food blogs. In many ways, the women created a start-up with themselves as the ideal user, says Hubertz. »Mengting likes to cook everyday, and always watches cooking shows,« she explains. »I like eating and I like cooking but I'm kind of insecure so I need all the photos and videos. We said, ›Okay why can't we have the problem and the solution in one product.‹« Working with two Berlin-based chefs,
Favorite Food Publicat ions
ood vidF y a d y r e v E h tc a w MG I always well, s a li a it V a r u a L f o t eos and also a lo a quirky r, e g g lo b e b u T u o Y she is a big ims f o t lo a g in o d is o kind of Italian wh t it just u b y, v a e h o to y tl s o ple recipes, m uo c a e r a e r e th s s e looks great. I gu the In . w o ll fo s y a lw a ple blogs we erican 241 m A y tl s o m ’s it , d o field of fo t look bets ju y e th e s u a c e b blogs y better. a w k o lo s e r tu ic p ter, the Spoon , n e h c it K d te u o r p Stuff like S t it. a g in k o lo e ic n ’s It . Fork and Bacon interr e th o e v a h o d e w t, Besides tha m always I' . s s e u g I d o fo s e est besid kes up ta d o fo t u B . k o o on Look B most of our time. ok at lo a e v a h to e k li t s VH And I ju nd Liebe u t im Z r, e k c u Z . m Instagra y cool. tt e r p is t a th g lo b n is a Germa
the women created a collection of 100 recipes, focusing on dishes that would
Issue 13 | June 2014
Favorite recipes VH
The pasta Carbonara is my favorite
recipe because it’s really, really quick and easy to do at home. Normally you need eggs, and it’s complicated, but anyone can do this Carbonara. This is one of our most downloaded recipes too. It’s a really delicious. MG
I actually am totally in love with this
Mussels and Scampi, which is also a recipe you can download for free. You wouldn't think you would do a recipe like that at home because it’s too com242
plicated, but this one is just easy and fast and great to know how to do it. And it tastes completely delicious and super light. VH
The crostini also. It's just really nice
when you have people over and you want to have different variations. So that would be my second most favorite one. MG
And the Manhattan cheesecake as
well. It’s just the perfect cheesecake, you don't need the water bath or anything. It works every time. We don’t do it that often, it’s really heavy, with cream cheese, but it’s really great.
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appeal to home cooks. The Kitchen Stories recipes are structured into seven
different
packages,
such
as Classics, including Manhattan Cheesecake and Coq Au Vin, or Signatures, a collection of inspirational recipes from professional German chefs. Several of the recipe packages are available for free download, but most are €3.59; the recipes can be purchased individually for €0.99, in packages, or the entire cookbook can be purchased for €11.99. Along with the basic recipes and photos,
the
how-to
and
application technique
includes videos,
ingredient and utensil lists, wine tips, and other culinary suggestions. »We wanted to have a product that is a little bit more emotional, and also a
PRESS CENTRE
little bit more like a magazine,« says Gao. »As you just browse through it, you get inspired.« ne way that Kitchen Stories creates this inspirational tone, and sets itself apart from
the
many
culinary
243
applications already available, is its unique video style. »We don't have a person speaking, we don't even show faces,« says Hubertz. »It’s just an up-close format, and we have the music playing in the background.« This also allows the team to more easily translate the content into additional languages; With the launch of the new iPhone application Kitchen Stories is now available in 12 languages: besides German and English, 10 new language versions,
Issue 13 | June 2014
Chinese,
Japanese,
Portuguese
(Brazil), Korean, French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Dutch and Russian, were added. lthough Kitchen Stories has been live for just four months, the company is already on track to grow exponentially. Along with their iPhone application launch
in
June,
and
language
Try it! You can download the app from iOS Appstore right now! Kitchen Stories
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Favourite restaurants in Berlin YumCha Heroes. We're there whenever something good happens. They really know us, we're there way too often. MG
VH
Markthalle Neun on Thursdays, we love to do that as well.
Papa Pane, on Ackerstraße. It's really great pizza and Italian food. It's always super crowded, you never get a table if you don't have a reservation. Sometimes it’s even hard during lunch. Our first office was around there, and even during lunch it’s completely crowded. MG
And ice cream, Hokey Pokey. We aren't there that often anymore, because it’s just a bit too far but we love Hokey Pokey. VH
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expansion, the team is gearing up to
see where we can go with it now.
shoot a new collection of how-to and
Community is the first thing we want to
recipe videos, including summery
tap into, because we do think it works
items like barbecue recipes and fresh
and people do want to talk about it,«
salads, as well as additional classic
says Gao. »But the exact features are
recipes, which have been particularly
still in development because we have
popular so far.
so many ideas, but in the end for us
Furthermore, company
in
closed
early its
May
first
the
round
it’s always important to keep it to the most essential ones.«
of funding, taking on a medium-
With all these projects on their plates,
sized investment that will allow
Gao and Hubertz have had little
for
development
time lately for cooking themselves—
investments. »We haven't spent any
in a rare moment of free time you
money on marketing because we
might find them at Berlin favorite
were always looking to keep the costs
restaurants like Berlin’s Café Fluery
down,« says Gao. »Now we actually
or YumCha Heroes enjoying a snack.
have some budget to test various
While they personally tested each of
channels and see what's going to
the 100 recipes for the Kitchen Stories
work.«
app before the launch, the Kitchen
marketing
and
long with these marketing
Stories team has grown, and they
and growth strategies, the
now have a food designer to test the
women are also interested
recipes. Of course, Gao and Hubertz
in developing community
still get to enjoy tasting the tested
features in the application. »For us,
products, just one of the many perks
the very first step was the digital
of creating a company based on an
cookbook, and it’s interesting to
idea you love.
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248
f o e g a u g n a The l
Dubl
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lin
#sistermag Goes to Dublin Text Emily Westbrooks Photos Ashley Lud채scher
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The Spire of Dublin The Spire of Dublin, alternatively titled the Monument of Light (Irish: An TĂşr Solais), is a large, stainless steel, pinlike monument 121.2 metres (398 ft) in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland. {Wikipedia}
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Most people think of Ireland as an English-speaking country, which is technically true. In fact, when American ex-pat friends visit from various places around Europe, they are often relieved to hear English spoken and to be able to converse so easily in shops and restaurants. But what most people don't realize about Ireland is that there is a second language sprinkled throughout the country: Gaelic, or as locals call it,
251
Irish. Cities and towns around Ireland were named in Irish originally, for instance Dublin was named Dubh Linn, which translates to black pool. Most names have since been anglicised, but some remain almost entirely unpronounceable by visitors. Dun Laoghaire, a popular destination on the south side of the city, is pronounced Dun Leary, and it's always entertaining to hear visitors try to pronounce it as they are looking for directions.
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252 During
rule
English,
to rescue it from extinction. Now,
decades passed when the Irish
you'll find traces of the language
language
throughout
was
by
the
prohibited
from
the
country,
most
being spoken in school, let alone
notably on every street sign in the
taught, and even some Irish leaders
Republic. In some places, the Irish
believed the language should be
version will even be more prominent
relegated because more economic
and the English translation will be
opportunities for the Irish remained
below and smaller.
in England or America, where English was the first language.
On public transportation, the conductor will always announce the
However, in the 1900's, when the
train or bus stops in Irish, and then
Irish language was only spoken in
in English. In fact, for that reason
pockets of rural areas around the
alone, I can recite the translation of
country, the Irish Protestants sought
every single stop on my train line,
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Issue 13 | June 2014
and I have even mastered the pronunciation
of
particularly
difficult words because of this constant repetition. In
parts
of
the
country,
the
government has designated areas where Irish is now the first language - you have to prove a certain level of proficiency in order to be
254
allowed to buy a house in these areas, and the street signs aren't translated into English. In an effort to revive the language, all-Irishspeaking schools have been funded throughout the country, where each and every subject is taught in Irish. They are becoming increasingly popular and the government has further incentivised enrolment by offering pupils an extra 10% on their national exams if they take them in Irish.
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Trinity College Beautiful flower shop in Powerscourt Centre
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258 I give walking tours of Dublin, and one of my favourite things to point out to visitors is the use of the Irish language throughout the city. I point out street signs, and we have a ball trying to pronounce the vowelridden words. And we talk about the way society and government here in Ireland are trying to keep the language alive for generations to come. And of course, I make sure all my visitors know how to say at least one or two Irish phrases. We start simple, with dia dhuit, or hello. And equally useful at the end of each tour, slan abhaile, or see you later!
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contact Emily Westbrooks / From China Village
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Tulle in Dublin photography
Ashley Lud채scher
styling
Evi Neubauer
makeup & hair
Michelle Montgomery
model
Emily Westbrooks
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1/4 Tulle skirt in blue – pattern sM13/1 Download
| Blouse –
pattern sM13/2 Download Shoes: KG by Kurt Geiger
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Joy is of the will which labours, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph. William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
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There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met. Irish Proverb
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2/4 Tulle skirt in beige – pattern sM13/3 Download
| Soft short jacket
– pattern sM13/4 Download
|
Shoes: Mango
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3/4
Tulle skirt in blue – pattern sM13/5 Download Crop top with buttons at the back – pattern sM13/6 Download Shoes: Le Silla
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Laughter is brightest where food is best. IrisH Proverb
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The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)
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4/4 Tulle skirt in grey – pattern sM13/7 Download Bandeau top with embroidered crest – Schnitt sM13/8 Download Shoes: Buffalo Sunglasses: Ray Ban
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TRAVEL BEYOND THE CLICHÉ TEXT & PHOTOS Anita Brechbühl travelita.ch LAYOUT Judith de Graaff
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Donegal
NORDIRLAND (U.K.) Monaghan
Sligo Leitrim Mayo
Roscommon
Cavan
Longford
Louth Meath
Westmeath Galway
IRLAND
Offaly
Kildare
Laois
Clare Tipperary Limerick
Dublin
Wicklow
Carlow Kilkenny Wexford
Waterford
Kerry Cork
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I
’d love to write about clichés, about
rough and grey weather, continuous drizzle and strong winds. However, looking out of the window of the bus, I see a landscape in all shades of green bathed in glistening sunlight: Ireland at its best. Or is that more likely an exception? No signs of the long-enduring rain that everyone talks about, or the gusts that nearly knock you down. We are halfway between Dublin and Glendalough, the valley of two 274
lakes. Since we went by public transportation, there is no chance to make an intermediate halt in order to admire every detail of the beautiful
with a hike through Ireland’s legendary
landscape we are passing by. We
countryside. The Glendalough St. Kevis
have no other option than to absorb
Bus Service operates daily from Dublin
all these wonderful impressions—
to the visitor centre in Glendalough.
lonely and abandoned cottages,
Return tickets can be purchased right
bleating sheep and grazing horses
on the bus for €20 each.
at
the
roadside—through
the
window of the bus.
After a 90-minute drive through Ireland’s picture-postcard idyll, we arrive at
Glendalough is part of the Wicklow
Glendalough. Only a few metres from
Mountains National Park, about 50
the visitor centre, you will find one of
kilometres south of Dublin and is
Ireland’s most beautiful monastic sites.
therefore great for travellers who
Even with the sunlight, the monastic ruins
want to combine a trip to Dublin
and old gravestones somehow manage
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to create a mystical atmosphere. In
are not arranged in any specific
my mind I still add some wafts of
geometric pattern. Instead, they are
mist and winds to the scenery. What
scattered between the old monastic
a fascinating place to be.
ruins. Upon a closer look, we discover a Celtic cross, a symbol used for
The monastic settlement leads back
sacred art in the Celtic culture during
to St. Kevin who once led a secluded
the Early Middle Ages. Also of great
life here in the 6th century. Over time,
importance is the so-called Kevin’s
his hermitage became a prospering
Kitchen, a small chapel whose tower
centre of Christianity. By the 12th
calls to mind a hearth or fireplace.
century, more than 3,000 people lived in the valley of Glendalough. A witness
There are nine different hiking paths
of that time period is the round tower.
that lead from the Glendalough
Thanks to its impressive height of 30
monastic site to the two lakes of the
metres, you can already see it from a
valley into the Wicklow Mountains.
distance.
These hiking paths are marked by
Strolling from one gravestone to
signposts and have different levels
another, we notice that the graves
so that everyone–no matter how old
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or how fit–has the chance to go for a
shore through the woods; on the way
hike.
back, the path along the right shore
We take advantage of the warm
across the wooden bridge. This was
autumn sun and go for a pleasant hike
a good choice. If there is something
to the Upper Lake. The path starts at
that Glendalough has plenty of, it’s
the monastic site, passes immense
pastures and trees in various nuances
trees and goes all the way to the Lower
of lush green.
Lake. Here you must decide whether you want to hike along its left or right
Dark clouds are gathering slowly at
shore up to the Upper Lake. On the way
the horizon, and the gentle breeze
there, we take the path along the left
is picking up. Are we going to expe-
Issue 13 | June 2014
rience the weather appropriate to this rustic Irish scenery after all? In the meantime, we have arrived at the Upper Lake, which has a surprisingly beautiful beach. If it were a bit warmer, I would spread my towel, lie down and do nothing but listen to twittering birds and fluttering leaves the entire afternoon. Somehow, this place seems to be the right spot to relax and laze about. This was just the kind of 278
seclusion that Saint Kevin sought. Everyone who prefers a bit more challenge should hike farther up the valley. Above the Upper Lake, the gravel path leads through a sparse forest. Along the way, you will discover some historic remains. We keep looking for St. Kevin’s Bed, a small cave about eight metres above the lake. Everyone who is fit enough to walk all the way up to the valley’s end will be rewarded with a magnificent view over the valley and both lakes. We decide to save that for our next visit. But then we want to see wafts of mist, drizzle and gusts–typical Irish weather, so to speak.
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{{ Free entrance to the monastery {{ For detailed information on all hiking paths, visit http://www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie/walkingtrails.html {{ The Glendalough St. Kevin’s Bus Service operates daily from Dawson Street, Dublin to Glendalough. The bus timetable varies seasonally. Visit glendaloughbus.com {{ If you go by car, you can drive directly to the Upper Lake. There you will find a large visitors’ parking area. {{ At the Upper Lake, there is a small visitor centre as well as a kiosk that sells beverages and snacks.
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off to the coast a trip to howth
text & photography
Mela Mörtenbäck
layout
jessica lundby
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Seagulls are soaring above our heads, the fresh breeze of the Irish Sea tickles our faces as we stand on the cliffs of Howth Head and gaze over the vastness of the sea.
L
ess than an hour ago, we were right in the bustling city centre of Dublin. But we wanted to leave the city behind for a day and for the first time delve into the scenery that numerous visitors are drawn to each year. It comes as no surprise that Howth is a popular destination for locals
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and tourists alike. The picturesque coastal village on the peninsula of Howth Head is only 10 miles north of downtown Dublin and can easily be reached by public transportation. The local DART train with its typically green-coloured coaches commutes from the city centre to the coast in about 25 minutes and back.
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Howth, situated on a peninsula and connected to the mainland only via a narrow strip of land, has a small but nice town centre. Visitors like to come here to eat at one of the good fish restaurants and enjoy the busy harbour with all the fishing boats. With a little bit of luck and patience you might even spot wild seals between the boats. You can buy small fish for little money at the fish stores on the pier to
feed to the seals, which is something you do not get every day nor would you expect it this close to Ireland’s capital. To locals, Howth is particularly known as the perfect starting point for sailing trips. It is not uncommon that the centrally located parking lot fills up quite quickly on a Sunday morning and the Irish flock to the harbour to take advantage of the wind on the Atlantic Ocean.
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STARTING POINT OF THE LOOP WALKS
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Besides its hustle and bustle at the harbour, Howth has an impressive rocky coast. The so-called Loop Walks circling the hill of Ben Edair (great view over Dublin and the coast!) offer hikes along the cliffs that range in length and difficulty. The shortest of them takes you from Howth along the coast and over Ben Edair back to Howth in about one and a half hours. The cliff path that is easily accessible awaits with a breathtaking panoramic view and gives a first impression of what Âťgreen IrelandÂŤ has to offer. The Loop Walks are well signposted and begin at the Balscadden Road east of the harbour. The different colours of the arrows indicate the different routes of varying distances.
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One of the longest trails for instance always leads along the cliffs, past Baily Lighthouse and circling the entire peninsula back to Howth. Baily Lighthouse is not open on a regular basis but small groups can access it upon request. Another testimony of Howth’s history is Howth Castle with its adjoining Deer Park. The 14th-century castle conveys a very distinct atmosphere and furthermore houses the Howth Transport Museum. Unlike Deer Park, Howth Castle (apart from the museum) is not open to the public.
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IDYLLICALLY LOCATED: VILLAS ALONG THE SHORE OF HOWTH HEAD.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT...
... the name Howth is thought to be of Norse origin and possibly derives from the Danish word »hoved« meaning »head«? ... the peninsula Howth often times had been separated from the mainland in the past due to storm surges? ... the Irish actor and director Stuart Townsend, known for movies like About Adam or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is one of Howth’s notable people?
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After a short hike along the Loop Walks, the streets of Howth invite for a relaxing stroll. The former fishermen’s village is indeed small and there are only a few shops but you should definitely take some time to discover it. Howth Market for example offers mainly Irish and at the same time organic products. The selection is small but mighty and ranges from sandwiches to soups to sweets, and the owners are happy to put a picnic basket together to take the treats to the beach or a boat trip. You can purchase traditional candy as well as wooden toys for the little ones at Sweet Things Howth. If you like fish, you should definitely stop by at Beshoffs Market or Doran’s On The Pier where they offer fresh fish at fair prices every day.
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A trip to Howth is especially worth a visit on Sundays or holidays, because that is when the Howth Farmers Market on Howth Road opposite the harbour is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. More than 20 stalls invite you to stroll and shop. The vendors mostly sell local and Irish products ranging from homemade treats like cupcakes and cookies to handcrafted accessories. The market attracts locals and visitors alike and even though it draws large crowds, thanks to its moderate size it still conveys the cozy atmosphere that is typical for Ireland.
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291 SWEET DELIGHTS AT HOWTH FARMERS MARKET
You can get your culinary highlight of the day at one of the numerous fish restaurants in Howth, such as Ivan’s Oyster Bar & Grill or the Oar House Restaurant located directly at the harbour. Another restaurant with a stunning view over the harbour is Wrights Findlater Restaurant ; the Sky Bar located on the third floor is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine before or after dinner. But also smaller bars like
invite you to conclude the day with a glass of wine... And if I have not been sure before, I am certain now: Ireland, we will meet again! Ella
The DART (about €6.00 return ticket – runs daily, every 15 minutes) as well as bus numbers 31a, 31b and 31n run from the city center to the peninsula located in the north of Dublin. Explore Howth on Everplaces: map
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Irish cuisine is traditionally simple and hearty. Irish dairy also plays a prominent role all along and the Irish butter is known far beyond the country's borders. Inspired by this Dublin Food Stylist and Blogger Ajda Mehmet has prepared rustic Irish recipes for us.
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Wild garlic Butter 450G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED | 6 TBSP WILD GARLIC LEAVES, FINELY CHOPPED
Place the softened butter and wild garlic into a mixing bowl and stir until smooth and the wild garlic is evenly distributed. Take a sheet of baking paper, spoon the butter across the bottom of the sheet, leaving a 4 inch gap at either end. Roll the butter up like a sausage, twisting the paper at both ends securely. Refrigerate overnight and serve as you would any flavoured butter. Delicious on Irish soda bread, melted over pasta or in scrambled eggs.
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1 TBSP OLIVE OIL KNOB OF BUTTER 2 STICKS CELERY, FINELY SLICED 1 LARGE CARROT, FINELY DICED 1 LARGE POTATO, CUT INTO 1CM CUBES 1 LARGE ONION, FINELY DICED 1 CLOVE GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED 2 TSP FLOUR
Irish seafood chowder
200G UNDYED SMOKED HADDOCK
Place the smoked haddock, salmon and bay leaf in a 200G SALMON small shallow-sided pan on low heat and pour over the 500ML FULL FAT MILK milk, enough to cover the fish. Heat the milk gently so 1 BAY LEAF the fish begins to poach making sure to remove the pan from the heat before it comes to a boil. This should take about 8 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oil and butter in a large pan over a
500G MUSSELS 1 GLASS WHITE WINE SQUEEZE OF LEMON
medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables, onions and HANDFUL OF CHOPPED garlic and gently sweat them off for 8-10 minutes, stir- PARSLEY
ring regularly, until soft but not coloured. Sprinkle over SEA SALT AND CRACKED the flour and stir well allowing it to cook for a further mi- BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE nute.
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Remove the poached fish from the milk and set aside, discard the bay leaf and pour the poaching liquor over the softened vegetables. Stir and lower the heat and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. In the meantime, place a large saucepan on high heat. Add the mussels, glass of white wine and a good squeeze of lemon, cover, bring to a boil, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels are cooked and the shells have opened. This should take about 3 minutes. Pour the mussels and broth over a very fine sieve into the 300
chowder base. Discard any mussel shells that haven’t opened and then add the rest into the pan. Flake over the smoked haddock and salmon and stir gently so that all of the fish and mussels are coated in the creamy sauce. Add the chopped parsley, season to taste and serve in large bowls with Irish soda bread and wild garlic butter.
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Irish Whisky Syllabub with Orange, Honey and Thyme Place the whiskey, honey, orange juice, zest and springs FOR THE SYRUP of thyme in a small pan on a medium heat and gently 50ML IRISH WHISKEY bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as 2 TBSP HONEY it starts to bubble, cover and set aside to cool and infuse, overnight is best but 2 hours should do it.
JUICE OF 1 ORANGE 2 PIECES OF ORANGE PEEL
Whisk the cream in a large bowl until thickened and soft 5 SPRIGS OF THYME peaks have formed. Fold in the infused syrup, discarding the orange peel and thyme. Zest the oranges over the cream mixture, add the chopped thyme leaves and a dash of whiskey for extra kick and
FOR THE SYLLABUB
303
500ML DOUBLE CREAM ZEST OF 2 ORANGES
gently fold in also, taking care to not overwork the cream. HANDFUL OF THYME, LEAVES PICKED AND CHOPPED
Transfer the mixture to your serving dish and garnish DASH OF IRISH WHISKEY with a drizzle of honey, some orange zest, a few sprigs of thyme and serve. A delicious summer dessert!
TO GARNISH
HONEY ORANGE ZEST FEW SPRIGS OF THYME
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Food
Photos
AJDA MEHMET
NATHALIE MARQUEZ COURTNEY
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Props MARKERS & BROTHERS
irish Linen 31 CHAPEL LANE
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Outlook OutlookJuly
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Island Life: We discover islands all over the world. Sivan Askayo takes us with her to the Bahamas, where she captured island life in Nassau.
After reading this issue, all we want to do is to put on our running shoes and go for a run! We are definitely motivated after all these articles and tipps. With Ireland we have finished off this issue #sisterMAG13, but we'll continue our travels in the next issue, where we'll put a focus on islands and large cities. In July we'll go on summer holiday in the "Big Break issue" to the most amazing destinations!
Foodtrucks in New York: Jael takes us to the Big Apple and shows us real "Big City Food"
Together with beauty bloggers we are visiting the city Vichy in France to discover the heritage of beauty brand VICHY.
Photo: Milena Milani
IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE OR WANT TO HELP WITH SISTERMAG, JUST EMAIL US AT MAIL@SISTER-MAG.COM
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Imprint sisterMAG – journal for the Digital Lady www.sister-mag.com eMail Twitter Facebook Chief Editor Fashion Director
mail@sister-mag.com twitter.com/sister_mag fb.com/sister.magazin Theresa Neubauer Eva-Maria Neubauer
Contributing Editors (Text) Dorothee Bär, Diana Dua, Nadin Eule-Mau, Laura Glabbatz, Victoria Kau, Thea Neubauer, Jennifer Patterson, Christian Riedel, Katherine Sacks, Tanja Scherm Contributing Editors (Text & Photo) Anita Brechbühl, Mela Mörtenbäck, Sophia Schillik Contributing Editors (Photo) Ryan Hursh, Ashley Ludaescher, Zoë Noble, Nathalie Marquez Courtney, Cristopher Santos Contributing Editors (Video) Marco Woldt Translation & Proof Susanne Bauder, Sabrina Bäcker, Marina Engelhart, Kathrin Greyer, Simone Haffner, Melanie Haynes, Amie McCracken, Sarah Müller, Antonia Neubauer, Deepa Paul, Antje Reiche, Rachna Sahni, Tanja Timmer Design & Illustration Theresa Neubauer (Art Dir.), Tina Bergs, Judith de Graaff, Jessica Lundby, Serena Olivieri, Alice Williamson Production Anja Böttcher, Laura Glabbatz, Antonia Neubauer Published bi-monthly by Carry-On Publishing GmbH, G ustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin. Re-use of content is only allowed with written permission of publisher. There is no liability for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. Management Sales Marketing
Antonia Neubauer, Theresa Neubauer, Alex Sutter Alex Sutter (Sales Dir.) Antonia Neubauer (Marketing Dir.), Donata Proske
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