Fitness on Toast

INTERVIEW W/ TOP SKI ATHLETE, MATTS OLSSON!

04/09/2017

Last month, I was incredibly fortunate to meet some of my country’s top Alpine athletes at the HQ of Ski Team Sweden in Åre. Amongst them, I spent some time with Matts Olsson, a World Championship medalist and one of the top male FIS World Cup competitors from Sweden, with a specialization in Giant Slalom. He’s an ultra-experienced hand on the circuit, powering through 9 seasons, and has just had one of his best in 2016/17 with two podium finishes. It struck me that the younger members of the team really look up to those who’ve given battle alongside the international legends of the sport, and Matts wears his experience with great wisdom and humility. It was with great pleasure that I sat down to ask him about his training, his mental approach, his diet, and his ethos on competition! Here’s what I learned… (more…)

MY TOP 8 HEALTHY PLACES TO EAT IN STOCKHOLM!

29/08/2017

OK I’m Swedish! There, I’ve said it. Well, now you know my secret, I might as well let you in on some more; our capital city Stockholm boasts some totally outrageous places to eat, ranging from those with the Michelin ‘nod’, to cozy cafés and hipster juice bars. Swedes fiercely pride themselves on a little tradition called ‘fika’ which conventionally involves comfy sofas, a chinwag, and indulgent cakes & coffee. But there’s a tension in the air; ours is a nation of militant cake snobs, but we have also jumped firmly on the ‘health bandwagon’; a combo that doesn’t naturally coexist! Luckily dear reader, FitnessOnToast.com is here to help curate your next break in this most exceptional of cities! Click MORE to see my top 8 favourite healthy restaurants & cafes in Stockholm right now…

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TRAINING WITH SKI TEAM SWEDEN!

21/08/2017

Just a few weeks back, I had the epic behind-the-scenes experience of training alongside some world-class, hardcore athletes; it was an honor to be invited to the pre-season launch session with my home country’s championship Ski Team. This event has only ever taken place behind closed doors in the past, so I bring you this post with enormous excitement! On the day, I was asked to talk a little about social media and share my findings on what has worked and not worked when writing this blog; it was also a chance for me to get to know this inspirational family of athletes and coaches, see how they work together as a team, to meet the coaches and to participate in a totally punishing kick-off workout! Click MORE to see what we got up to during the games!

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MEDITATION – THE BOOST ON-THE-GO!

14/08/2017

Life is stressful but I’ve long believed it’s possible to steal back a little bit of balanced calm, and often at some of the most unexpected times throughout the day. There are several ways to give oneself a physical and mental healthy nudge to keep going… one of my favorites is meditation. Everyone’s daily pressures differ, and mine come in the form of juggling personal training clients, meetings pertaining to this blog, and a few other projects I have on the go. For me, seeking a moment of tranquility to escape the relentless chaos is best served through a moment of meditation on the go; I even practice on the tube between stations, because there’s no bad place for it. Read the full post to see some of my top reasons for taking some time to include this discipline in your day too.

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5 ACTIVEWEAR DISCOVERIES AT PURE LONDON!

08/08/2017

Being a devout follower of Activewear trends (it’s been my daily ‘uniform’ for over a decade as a personal trainer), I relished the opportunity to visit PURE London a few weeks back. It’s the monster-scale Fashion Industry ‘trade show’ at London’s cavernous Olympia which, amongst other genres, showcases a tonne of new sportswear that’s about to hit the market! I sifted through over 700 brands, and this, my dear reader, is a quick and easy-to-digest roundup showcasing what I thought were the top 5 discoveries – these are brands to keep your eyes on over the next few months! Click MORE to see them all… (more…)

HEALTHY CAULIFLOWER PIZZA!

22/07/2017

‘Can pizza ever be healthy?‘, you may be wondering, as I also did once upon a time. But being a normal human being, I absolutely adore the occasional pleasure of a salty, thin, crispy pizza with fresh basil and authentic Italian ingredients topping it off! However it’s a rare treat as I know a large pizza can easily amount to 1000+ calories, and relatively empty ones at that. SOLUTION TIME! Amazon challenged me to whip up something summery and healthy but with an indulgent touch, as part of their #NowItsSummer campaign, and I picked up that gauntlet with gusto; Pizza it was to be! In this post, I’ve experimented with a ‘healthier’ dough-base equivalent in the form of cauliflower and sourced my own high-quality toppings to complement it. The production process was a total blast, and the result is way tastier and easier-to-make than it sounds – plus it forms a delicious crust foundation to house the topping of your choice. For me, that’s anchovies (deliciousness plus the added benefit of some omega fatty acids and protein), some low-fat-high-protein cheese, some flax, tomatoes and veggies, some fresh basil and rocket, and we’re in business! Click MORE to get the full recipe and whip up something special for the next time you have some friends round!

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SOUND BATHS IN JOSHUA TREE

18/07/2017

I was recently whisked on an adventure with Air New Zealand to discover a different side to California, one which is very much off the beaten path, especially compared to my California trip last year. This excursion led me to LA where I voyaged onward to Joshua Tree National Park, Hicksville Trailer Palace, and Anza Borrego Desert State Park as well as Two Bunch Palms. I had the chance to experience one of the few Dark Sky communities in the world, gazing up at the Milky Way and Jupiter (through a telescope) in Borrego Springs. However, the focus of this post is to share the incredible art of singing sound baths. If you’ve never tried it, it involves neither water nor nudity but instead is a mindfulness movement which took up roots in the desert at the beautiful Integratron – a somewhat quirky location 20 miles north of Joshua Tree. It’s a 38-foot high, 55-foot diameter, all-wooden dome designed to be an acoustic resonance chamber, and an electrostatic generator “for the purpose of rejuvenation and time travel”. Sounds trippy? Click MORE to learn more about a totally unique experience…

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ACTIVE ESCAPE TO ICELAND!

03/07/2017

A fortnight ago I escaped to a remote Eco Retreat called Deplar Farm, in an ancient, primordial landscape where people live a very different, and highly compelling life. Chief amongst any list of ‘the most beautiful places to visit on Earth’ will be found Iceland – I now understand why, and I hope this post shares some of that magic. It’s long been a romantic dream of mine to visit this isolated, mystical land with its rumbling geothermal engine, and tundra-punctuated basalt landscape; perhaps more interesting to you, my dear reader, is the recent proclamation in The Lancet that Iceland is ‘the healthiest country in the world’ alongside my homeland Sweden! But don’t be fooled, as it’s also one of the most inhospitable places to live on the planet – temperatures where I visited can plummet to an average of −30°C in January, and howling winds can lash at a brutal 160mph, with several meters of snow dumping daily. This means schools close, infrastructure suffers and cars avoid some roads for risk of flipping and/or just being buried! The land is barren and rugged but that’s bred a nation of robust and resourceful people. I was astonished by the natural beauty and the local food, but more than anything by just how much there is to do here! Click MORE to discover my expedition to Deplar Farm, the ultimate modern luxury retreat that I uncovered in the land of trolls and elves – a truly magical Icelandic saga!

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TOFU SALAD WITH CASHEW DRESSING !

19/06/2017

This little colorful Tofu Salad with Cashew Dressing is something I designed to make the most of the fridge leftovers – salad innovation is a totally freestyle discipline in that you can literally chuck in whatever you fancy; I’ve chosen a mixture of colorful everyday affordable vegetables with a mixture of crunchy textures, supplemented with the silky softness of the tofu parcels and augmented by the deep and rich flavours of turmeric and cumin as well as the thick breadth of the cashew dressing. The dish is undisputedly vegetarian, but the cashew and tofu add a decent source of plant protein, and since it’s properly summery in London right now, this is a real ‘sit outside in the evening sun‘ dinner dish which is both filling yet light enough to enable an unconstrained night’s sleep! Click MORE for the ingredients and ‘how to’… (more…)

WELLNESS RETREAT TO ST LUCIA

05/06/2017

Snuggled between the two talismanic Piton mountains of St Lucia on a UNESCO World Heritage site, surveying the gentle breaths of the Caribbean Sea, rests the world-renowned Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. I visited, and experienced some of the most authentically delivered and luxuriously-crafted Caribbean hospitality, punctuated by some seriously demanding and gritty fitness activities. This destination was host to a unique and unforgettable Active Escape involving ocean swims, boot camp classes, morning yoga, a bamboo massage, and a brutal hike up (& down) the larger Piton mountain. Click more to see and evaluate it for yourself!

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