Fitness on Toast

REALITIES OF BEING A PERSONAL TRAINER…

03/09/2018

Recently, I’ve been receiving quite a few mails from subscribers thinking about changing their professions to work as personal trainers; with the explosion of fitness on social media, it seems there’s a correllated increase in career jumps too. In my inbox, very often, the sender is thinking about changing their career, considering qualifying as a PT (Personal Trainer) or has been working in the job for a while and is looking for advice about shifting direction. REALITY CHECK! Whether you just want to know what your PT goes through, or if the romantic lure of the PT-life is tempting you, read on, as it’s seriously tough! I’ve been a PT for well over a decade and whilst my career has taken unexpected turns, I have often wanted to share my advice, for what it’s worth. I think that for many people considering this shift, it’s a case of ‘the grass is always greener…’ This post will talk about some of my honest experience-based perceptions about the career of a Personal Trainer, warts and all!

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HAVE YOUR (PAN)CAKE AND EAT IT!

21/08/2018

Fitness On Toast Faya Blog Girl Healthy Recipe Training Dish Pancake Lighter Diet Choice Tasty Indulgence Treat Cooking Sweet Tooth Less sugar-12

‘Ah but Pancakes are just for Shrove Tuesday‘, you say? No, my dear reader, I disagree; you don’t have to wait for 5th March 2019 for your next pancake hit, but instead, embrace the healthier pancake for your next breakfast! Summery berry-laden pancakes, naturally sweetened with a sprinkling of Truvia in the mixture, are satisfying, deliciously filling, and yet light and fluffy, AND they pack a serious punch for the reader with a sweet tooth. Click MORE to see the full recipe and benefits…

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4 LONDON RESTAURANT DISCOVERIES

06/08/2018

I’ve not posted any ‘Top London Restaurant’ tips for a while so instead, I thought I’d cover off 4 of my favourite recent restaurant discoveries in one go! They are all quite disparate, but their commonality comes from offering vegan menus or strong vegan options, rendering it far easier to eat with a group of friends who have the varied dietary requirements of the modern hipster-millennial hybrid. Some of them are more cafe style – perfect for meetings and casual catch ups – whilst the others lend themselves perfectly to giving your heels a twirl! Thinking about booking in a celebratory occasion this week? Read on for your venue! (more…)

4 TOP EXERCISES FOR ABS AND CORE STRENGTH!

16/07/2018

Core strength will look after your body as it ages, so it’s well worth working towards a strong muscular girdle right now, whatever your age! To help accomplish that, here’s a great little ab routine which aims to target all your abdominals muscles and give your whole core a serious punishing! It’s been a while since I wrote about training abs and I thought this cheeky routine was worth sharing, as it requires no weights or gym equipment; it’s perfect to bust out in the living room, garden or local park whilst enjoying this stunning weather! It’s not overly complicated but when done correctly it’s devastatingly effective! Dispatch the 4 exercises back to back. Then have a 1 minute break and do it all over again! 4 rounds should do the trick!

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DELICIOUS SUMMER CITRUS SALAD!

02/07/2018

I’ve lived in Blighty for over a decade now (and am half-English by birth), but I don’t remember this country having experienced such a proper stereotypical ‘summer’ before, with countless days of uninterrupted pleasant weather, and not a hosepipe ban in sight! To mark the occasion, here’s a deliciously light, refreshing and quintessentially ‘summery’ salad, somewhat infused with Scandinavian know-how. The texture and flavour really reminds me of Swedish summers! The crunchy, quenching fennel works beautifully when tossed into a salad and whilst this particular ‘edit’ is vegan-friendly, it works sublimely when dusted with flakes of roasted salmon too! Quick, easy and requiring almost no kitchen flare whatsoever, this is your best chance of upgrading your Monday-night Salad Game…

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TECHNIQUE FREAK!

18/06/2018

Poor training is a sad sight to behold 😪. I wanted to revisit a key component of ‘sound technique’, as I wrote about it many years ago but it remains no less topical as ever-more fitness converts venture to the gym to kickstart their lifestyle changes. It’s also pretty perfect for this time of year when no doubt people are more likely to head outside for their sessions. So, if like me, you love the outdoors & perhaps don’t have access to / don’t always feel like going to the gym – but you still want a workout which is challenging and effective – well then, this post is for YOU! First consider the following 3 different training techniques, and some of the exercises I suggest doing to put those techniques to use! Also, it requires no weights; just a nice summer’s day, like the ones scheduled for the coming week… (more…)

BREAKFAST POTATO FRITTATA WITH MUSHROOM & SPINACH!

04/06/2018

The humble spud may have originated in the Andes 7000 years ago, but it features heavily in today’s Swedish diet, and is a mainstay in many of the recipes in my recent book Fit In 3. When Love Potatoes reached out to ask me to craft a delicious, healthy breakfast recipe using potatoes, I was delighted to oblige, and dipped into my deep bench of spud dishes! The potato isn’t just an incredibly versatile ‘hero ingredient’ (think roasted, baked, mashed, steamed, crisped, wedged/chipped etc), but it packs significant health benefits. Each one is loaded with flavonoids and carotenoids (whose antioxidant activities to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases), vitamin B6 (to enable enzymatic reactions and promote cellular renewal, as well as the production of serotonin in the brain and healthy heart function) and a unique type of ‘resistant starch’ that may help regulate blood sugar and improve the digestive health. They’re satisfying (their latin name solanum tuberosum literally means comforting tubers!) so you stay fuller for longer, and actually contain more potassium than a banana (which helps to regulate blood pressure and protect against the likes of stroke) or indeed any other fruit or vegetable. They’re also affordable, and always on hand as they’re grown throughout the year – the leading vegetable crop in the world. This recipe is for a delicious Breakfast Potato Frittata with Mushroom, Spinach and Italian Herbs – it’s quick and easy, requiring limited kitchen skills, packs a serious nutritional punch and will keep you full until lunch time! Click MORE for the full recipe and video ‘how to’… (more…)

WELLNESS ESCAPE TO BORDEAUX WITH CAUDALIE

21/05/2018

Les Sources de Caudalie is one of those rare hotels to enjoy the mysterious ‘Palace’ designation – a hyper-prestigious mark of distinction bestowed upon just 24 hotels, all of which are in France. Unclear as to what it officially means, to me it represents an endorsement that an operation has proven itself a practitioner of the finest haut hospitalité that the French call their Art de Vivre. Whilst the hotel itself is really quite special, there were two other major components to the site which rendered my stay here totally memorable and unique; the world-class ‘Grand Cru appellation’ vineyard on site, and the shrine to the French beauty house Caudalie, itself stemming from the vines. When choosing a place to stay, one must select the appropriate property for the geography; Les Sources de Caudalie masterfully bottles the essence of this region into one exceptional package. For a wellness escape to Bordeaux, it is a sublime choice, and this post reveals the magical experience I found there!

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WORLD CUP DRESSAGE – A POTENT WORKOUT !

26/04/2018

I recently had the good fortune to attend the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in Paris – which was RIGHT up my street! My formative years were spent living on a farm in the rural south of Sweden, and as a young child (then into my teens) I was a so-called ‘stable girl’, as my friends and I would spend all of our free time in the stables, combing the horses hair, cleaning their boxes and of course riding freely across the rolling fields. My walls were plastered with pictures of ponies – alongside the occasional Mariah Carey and kitten poster. Back in Paris, the FEI World Cup event is the pinnacle of equestrian competitions, their ‘Wimbledon’ or ‘America’s Cup’ equivalent if you like, so it was a real honor to have been invited the 10-year-old girl in me was overjoyed; watching the most decorated equestrian athlete of all time, Isabell Werth, dispatch a masterclass was a thing of beauty! This post is a behind-the-scenes account of the weekend, along with interviews with three riders, who reveal just how much of a physically and mentally demanding discipline this is. Click MORE to take a look at the fitness angle of world-class Horse Riding…

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ROAD TESTING THE FITBIT VERSA…

11/04/2018

I’m a bit of a gadget fiend and love playing about with new fitness devices – one I’ve been excited to trial since its announcement is Fitbit’s latest iteration, the Versa. Several of my Personal Training clients use its predecessor the Ionic, and they are without exception, big fans. So when I was recently invited to Barcelona by Fitbit and Deezer for a wellness weekend to put the Versa to the test, I couldn’t wait to give it a shot! Together with a group of passionate journalists who’d coalesced from all across Europe, we participated in a series of fitness experiences on the beach, as well as a host of other activities. Since then I have been wearing the Versa every day back in London, and am happy to bring you 10 of my favorite bits so far! Click MORE to see them all…

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