Ines Subashka: How did you get involved in competitive sports and more specific in rowing?
Stanislav Iliev: I got involved in sports since I was 5-6 years old. I used to wrestle, I did track, taekwondo, dances. I played a lot of sports, till I started doing kanu kayak. I was just fascinated since the beginning. At my first competition I placed first and I just couldn’t stop from there on!
Ines Subashka: What motivates you every day to wake up and greet the new day full of enthusiasm and the strive, you demonstrate in everything you do?
SI: Every day, the first thing I do when I wake up is plan my workout. After I work out, I feel strong, alive… I am ready to do everything! And from then on I am full with energy to go to work and do my job, which once again has to do with sport!
Ines Subashka: Nowadays, most people seem like they gave up on living, and decided to just keep existing. What is it that keeps the fire burning inside of you? What is it that gives you strength to dream and never give in to the ugly reality, in the name of doing just the things you love?
SI:Ah, this reality is ugly! The habit of people to just put up with life! It makes me feel sorry! What keeps the fire burning is my unfulfilled child’s dreams… and they are the most real and the most powerful!
One day I would like… actually I am sure that one day I will be the best in what I want and what I work so hard for!
When I was just a step away from achieving it, people who used to be my idols, my coaches, stood in my way. It is a long story… my deepest pain! But today I am confident, calm and the time will show, how it goes!
IS: How do you stay in shape? How do you train and how do you eat?
SI: I work out every single day, mostly aerobic activities with a lot of repetitions. I run, I row, I coach Power Aerobic.
I don’t follow a specific nutrition plan! I know myself and I am well aware what I need to eat. I don’t limit myself to a particular food! I strive to give my body what it needs, in order to sustain my active lifestyle and have plenty of energy!
IS: For those unfamiliar with your work, you have the so called “Improve yourself” workout days. How was the idea born and what is your mission?
SI: “Improve yourself” was born 2 years ago. With some of my clients we created the program, with the goal to offer an alternative to the indoor workouts. We began offering outdoor workouts, with interval hiking, different games in the woods and rowing. This lasts for one whole day. Besides the workout days we have sport weekends and different team buildings. Our mission is to do something good for our body, so our soul would choose to live in it!
IS: What would be your advice to people, who give up on their dreams, because they seem unachievable or just hard to achieve?
SI: Do not give up, because you never know how close you are to success! Besides that when you are goal oriented and you don’t cheat on your dreams, you pretty much have absolutely no chance to miss it!
IS: Were there moments in your life, when you wished to give up- to stop waking up early in the morning, to stop working so hard and be so disciplines? Moments when you felt like leaving everything behind… what gave you strength in these moments?
SI: The only thing I gave up on was competing in kanu rowing, because the conditions here were not good enough, compared to those in other countries! But when I see the lake, my medals… I told myself.. “Why would you give up and let somebody else place better than you…” And I kept doing it!
IS: How would you finish the sentence “ I work out, because…?”
SI: I work out because I feel alive. Don’t stop moving, because one day you will miss it!
Some pictures from the outdoor sport days, that Stanislav organizes!
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