Being a NEBBIA Girl & Studying Civil Engineering at the Same Time? Interview with Nina Velická on How Dreams Come True
On Saturday 27th of August at EVLS Amateur 2022 in Prague we were selecting a new member for our NEBBIA girls team. NEBBIA girls is a group of female athletes who both inspire and help our female fans achieve their fitness goals. Thanks to them, we can bring you even more motivation, and training and nutrition tips. The NEBBIA girls project also belongs to our long-term concept of supporting young sports talents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. NEBBIA girl Nina Velická is one of the new participants of this project, which helps her to make her dreams come true.
WHAT DOES FITNESS MEAN TO YOU?
It’s my lifestyle. I live it every day – from the morning when I start coaching clients until I fall asleep at night. And if I’m not in the gym, I’m doing some outdoor sport in the woods or walking in the mountains with my dog. Fitness has become a part of my everyday life. Indeed, I can’t imagine a single day without any physical activity.
WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO FITNESS?
In ninth grade in elementary school, I had bigger thighs than my classmates. In retrospect, I find it quite sad that at such a young age, girls already have a negative relationship with their bodies. Since I wanted to change that, I started dieting, running and exercising at home.
Later in high school, when I was about 16, my mom took me to the gym for the first time in my life. It was after Christmas, so naturally I was very motivated to start working hard on myself. After all, I owe it to my mom that I became a NEBBIA girl and fell in love with fitness.
HOW HAS NEBBIA HELPED YOU MEET YOUR FITNESS GOALS? DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST OUTFIT FROM NEBBIA?
My boyfriend bought me my first outfit from your company. He wanted to make me happy when he saw how passionate I was about fitness and so he bought me a sports bra. I liked NEBBIA so much that I bought gym clothes with all the money I got for Christmas. I still don’t regret it. In NEBBIA outfits I felt not only exceptional, but also beautiful. I think that NEBBIA can perfectly highlight and accentuate the beauty of every woman’s body.
● Read: People don’t believe how much I can eat! Meet the new NEBBIA GIRL Viktória Filipi.
WHAT DOES BEING ONE OF THE NEBBIA GIRLS MEAN TO YOU?
Frankly, I still haven’t fully realised that I’ve become one of the NEBBIA girls. I’ve always looked at athletic girls and wanted to be like them. The fact that I’ve achieved this seems pretty surreal to me. I am aware of the great responsibility that this entails. But I also realise that I should keep on pursuing my fitness goals because I’m good at it and that’s also why NEBBIA chose me as one of their NEBBIA girls.
I would like to motivate and inspire people, to show them how beautiful a “completely ordinary” life can be – when they get up on a Saturday morning and go to the woods. Or they also work out for a few minutes in the morning before work, drink their coffee in peace and enjoy a healthy breakfast. You would be surprised how positively such small changes can affect one’s mindset and well-being.
HOW’S YOUR TRAINING GOING NOW? WHAT’S YOUR PLAN NOW?
Since I am now preparing for a competition, my training plan is changing all the time. It all depends on whether I’m compensating or preparing for a competition at the time.
I’m currently working out as follows:
MONDAY: Butt & Hamstrings Day
TUESDAY: Back & Shoulders & Biceps Day
WEDNESDAY: Rest Day
THURSDAY: Leg Day & Cardio
FRIDAY: Back & Butt & Triceps Day
● Read: I loved training with heavy weights. But today everything is different, says Lenka Wenzelová.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP IN SHAPE?
I’m trying to cook healthier. In the beginning I used calorie charts and focused a lot on my calorie intake. But I don’t do that anymore. After all, I eat the same over and over again. But everything changes just before the competition when I keep a close eye on everything I eat and also write down everything I’ve eaten.
YOU LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT? WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TODAY?
I DEFINITELY WOULDN’T COMPARE MYSELF TO OTHERS! After a few disappointments, I found that I could only compare myself to my former self.
I especially saw it that way during the competition period. The times I was hard on myself have already passed. The main thing I took away from those times is that medals and winning competitions are not that important; it’s all about the progress we make with our bodies and minds.
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF COURAGE. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO DATE THAT YOU HAVE FACED?
It was definitely being myself – to not take things personally, to go outside my comfort zone and start making my dreams come true. In retrospect, a year back, I dare say that I am now living my dream life. Here’s my tip: Make your dreams come true, it’s worth the effort.
HOW ARE YOU DOING IN YOUR PRIVATE LIFE? WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING AND WHAT’S YOUR JOB?
It’s hard for me to talk about my life outside of fitness since it’s a part of my everyday life. I work as a trainer and I study engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. If I’m not at work right now, I’m probably at home with my boyfriend, dog or family. I go for walks outside every day, read books. Most of all, I love baking.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHEAT MEAL?
I love sweets and pastries. On the other hand, with a varied and healthy diet, I don’t have much of a tendency to cheat.
But if you promise me nachos with cheese sauce and caramel popcorn, I’ll go to any boring movie at the cinema with you. I will never say no to this snack.
● Here’s a tip for dessert: Fit Cheesecake with Forest Fruits: Make it like a famous pastry chef!
ANY FUN FACTS ABOUT YOU? SOMETHING ONLY YOUR FRIENDS KNOW?
I wouldn’t say it’s a fun fact. But a lot of people are surprised when I tell them that I used to make some extra money baking cakes. It’s hard for them to imagine how a fitness enthusiast like me can bake cakes. But due to lack of time, I don’t do it anymore. I bake only for my family and friends.
And as for my weaknesses, it’s definitely taking things a little too personally. When someone says something negative to me, it’s pretty hard for me to get it out of my head. I still see room for improvement here. In the end, we all are what we think.
BEST LIFE ADVICE YOU EVER GOT?
I got two of them: “Avoid the easy way,” and “Even if everything doesn’t work out the first time, never give up.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FILM AND SERIES?
My favorite series is Friends. As far as Christmas classics go, it’s definitely Three Wishes for Cinderella, I Enjoy the World with You and Home Alone. I love Christmas!
What’s your favorite exercise?
Probably none in particular. Indeed, I like all of them!
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?
To be honest, I have so many plans that I don’t know what I can do with so little free time.
I would like to deepen my knowledge of fitness, take a few more courses before the end of the year and focus even more on my personal development. In the next few months I plan to start the Meals on Wheel project, where I will show people that eating healthy doesn’t mean eating the same thing over and over again and that it is possible to lose weight without suffering.
In addition to fitness, next year I want to apply to the Faculty of Architecture at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, where I would like to go from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, graduate and work on interior design in the evenings when I come home from the gym.
There’s a lot I want to get done. There are things I’m still thinking about. But I’m open to all possibilities.
I am deeply convinced of one thing – I want my parents and loved ones to be proud of me.
