Fashion Photographer Jan-Ole Hoffmann

In good shape behind the camera and before the camera

I woke up one day and the usual struggle began: I rolled out of bed and into the bathroom - preparing to drive to work. I am a photographer, 36 years old and found myself trapped in my daily routine. My breakfast used to consist of three chocolate bars from my good old friend the vending machine at work. Every morning. Every single morning. As a fashion photographer I am used to working with perfectly shaped bodies every day. And my models are not necessarily younger than me.

But here I am, still standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking at the guy staring back at me and couldn't help but notice:

This guy has nothing to do with those perfectly fit men I work with. I have a flabby belly and almost no muscle tone -at least not without using a lot of imagination.

Then a light went on; Hey, you are not that old yet -but your lifestyle is far from healthy. Go and get yourself in shape! And so I did.

That very day I signed up for a trial at our local gym. After the first workout, I went at least three times a week.

But I figured that even the hardest workout is nothing without the right nutrition. I completely removed sugar from my diet. But that left me with a problem: There is sugar in almost all convenient food! Even in tomato pasta sauce (where I least expected it).

I crossed all processed foods off my shopping list and started cooking for myself with fresh ingredients.

In addition to my workout at the gym I began to do more cardio. Starting with short distance runs and ending up with an average of 120 km (74,6 miles) a week.

In order to better adjust my nutrition to my workout regiment I read a lot about nutrition and got advice from a friend who works as a nutritionist.

I started snacking nuts on a daily basis and integrated them into my diet. From walnuts and brazilian nuts to almonds and pistachios. What I loved about pistachios is, of course, their good taste as well as the simple fact that they contain the right kind of fats and proteins that support muscle mass growth and maintenance.