The Elements
sports
sport is life
A big part of our life and lifestyle it sports. Whether it's trying new things, hobbies or simply working out... We cannot take it away from our lives - it's our non-negotioble.
in a world where sitting is the new illness - we activitely chose being active.
(which is not always easy during long editing days behind the computer!)
I never stopped ever since.
To be able to have the lifestyle we live, a good physique is crucial.
i wish i could say i have been sporting my whole life, but i simply haven't. i got raised at restaurant tables and never did any sports before i turned 27.
at 27 i told my boyfriend at the time, i will start sporting from now on (who laughed at the idea of it alone).
I went on the first 5k run of my life (yes, I died a little), started running once/week and doing strenght twice/week.
no matter how busy life got, or how hard getting into sports from an untrained body was,
- Raïs
everything in life gets dropped when there's surf, you know how that goes.
surf
- Joa
"Once you ride a wave, you feel so much the power of nature. There is that deep connection again"
"I thought I could surf. I started surfing in New Zealand and Indonesia. Then I met Joa, so now I know I can't actually surf. ;) But I'm on an unwavering mission to learn all of it.
That's exactly what we mean with living life to the fullest and exploring all of its assets.
Besides, surf further enhances that deep connection with the ocean and the waves we love so much.
wellington, new zealand
(and joa already says he can't surf "very well")
you can read more about our connection
with the ocean here >
climb
- Raïs
"My love for climbing, caving, via ferrata, scrambling and everything in between is so big - I can't get enough.
Just like Joa dragged me into lots of things, I dragged him into climbing, and fortunately he loves it just as much" :)
(even though "dragging into it" truly is the wrong terminology here, we were just equally excited about about anything we do and everything was just flowing naturally.)
advanced scrambling, snowdonia - UK
via ferrata, lauterbrunnen, switserland
climbing around mount batur, indonesia
ice climbing, chamonix
Whilst photographing dangling on walls when climbing is certainly not the easiest, I love it to my core.
We even have a special rig system with a camera belt to be able to photograph whilst we climb.
climbing with night vision in pitch black, a whole experience in and on itself
Raïs has shot for the belgian paracommandos and world extreme medicine
- Joa
"The mountains sit at the other end of the spectrum from the ocean, yet for all their differences, they carry the same calling and demand the same respect.
Climbing is one of the most rewarding things I've ever experienced. Conquering gravity, rising to the highest point, it's genuinely exhilarating. Rock climbing surprised me in recent years. Moving from indoor walls and fluorescent holds to actual rock completely changed how I approach the sport and think about it.
As humans, connecting to primal fear matters. It creates real perspective. Sometimes we need to face genuine fear to become better versions of ourselves. Lead climbing on rock is something I can't compare to anything else. It humbles you and rewards you in ways that are impossible to understand until you're there, on the wall, living it.
"The mountains, like the ocean, demand the same respect and lead climbing on real rock is the closest thing I've found to confronting primal fear and coming out the other side a little more human."
caving - ardennes, belgium
bouldering - yosemite, usa - photography by raïs
workout schedule
Usually in bursts. We like getting better at things by doing them extensively for a prolonged period of time, that has always given us the best results.
When we're in a climbing area we'll be climbing for weeks, same goes when we're in a surfing area. Whilst in Bonaire we couldn't climb for 6 months (oh believe us - we tried), other periods we can't do any acrobatics or surfing.
We let our travels let us flow and guide us on our hobbies that feel closest to heart.
As many times as time allows us - a hobby
When access to a gym - yes. But usually we just do bodyweight training, go to a caelesthenics park.
Throughout the years we've established a workout split that works pretty well for us.
2 times / week - strenght
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD - BODYWEIGHT OR WEIGHTED - PILATES - SOMETIMES GYM, SOMETIMES BODYWEIGHT
what it looks like on a weekly basis
gym // bodyweight // crossfit // pilates // PT // calisthenics
acroyoga // aerial acrobatics // climbing // ice climbing // surfing // slacklining // freediving // bouldering // obstacle
(aka stealth training)
running // trailrunning // swimming // cycling // mountain biking // hiking
2 to 3 times / week - cardio
depending on where we are in the world
aiming around 180 minutes of zone 2
and 45 minutes of interval / high heart rate / HIIT
ashtanga or vinyasa yoga // an extensive stretching routine // mobility exercises
1 times / week - stretching / yoga
when having busy time schedules, we might add these to workouts we're already doing, but normally we aim to have a full mobility practise at least once per week.
We had 2 goals in mind:
to us, sports have never been about the way we look, or never have visual appearances played a role in any of our training.
Being able to do all the adventures we had envisioned for ourselves
Being the healthiest we could be for our bodies
bonaire, 2026
if you want to read more about how
we approad health, visit element health >
we can't wait for every experience we are so grateful for to experience.
Wether it's dcocumenting them, photographing them or living them,
life is made up of experiences.
Because there are always a lot of adventures we are wanting to have.
if you have an adventure you'd like to live with us, please hit us up!
Besides our core sports, we try new ones all the time.
Recently, we tried boxing for the first time, and next week we might try something different.
It is one of the most beautiful things to be exploring new ways of the body and establishing new mind-body connections.
We don't mind not being the best at everything we do - but we love at least trying most of what this insane world we live in has to offer.
If you want to tell a unique story or want us to tell a unique story where we push the limits of the body - feel free to hit us up!
on a mission to learn everything
