Photo Margriet van Vianen
‘You could say: In and around the Bongerd,’ she suggests. It is precisely that variety in her work and her contact with the sportspeople that makes her work so enjoyable. Alofs has been working at the Bongerd as a sports instructor since 2003. Sport is work to her. But that goes both ways. She enjoys nothing more than ‘sweating buckets’ on an exercise bike. ‘That really boosts my mood. It saves my day. It gives you a kind of energy. And by going all out yourself, you activate and enthuse the group as well. The energy is catching: they think, hey, I want that too!’
As well as her ‘normal’ work as a sports instructor, Alofs also coordinates WUR’s health programme. Making sure staff stay healthy at work by offering them exercise programmes, for instance. ‘Your body reflects your lifestyle,’ is her conviction. ‘People come along with physical symptoms and then it turns out there’s something else going on.’ Of course Alofs exercises outside her work as well. ‘But not in the gym. Running in the forest, lovely.’