adidas | Fitness on Toast

Posts tagged 'adidas'

4 SUPERB PRE-RUN STRETCHES!

01/03/2018

There’s an asymmetric profile to the advantages of warming up before heading out on a run – it helps to materially decrease the risk of injury as by ignoring or rushing a warmup, you’re more likely to pull a muscle, tear a tendon, or tweak a joint. Also, I find that if I don’t warm up but rather go straight into a run, it’s simply harder to sustain the pace, and I’m more likely to burn out quicker. This, in turn, makes me feel demotivated and discouraged from running again; cue the spiral of unfavorable results! This post is a brief overview of my 4 favorite warm-up stretches which you might give a try next time you’re about to go for your run! (more…)

ADIDAS BY STELLA MCCARTNEY

05/11/2016

Back in 2004, the world was different; there was no social media or Kim Kardashian, no cold press juices or barre classes, and hardly anyone read blogs because almost nobody wrote them! Another astonishing absence was ‘activewear’; but in that year, for the first time a high fashion designer, Stella McCartney, announced her pioneering partnership with adidas. The belief was that ‘fitness’ and ‘fashion’ were more closely related than the world realised, and the combination would uniquely incorporate adidas’ technological, functional know-how with Stella’s beautiful and feminine silhouettes. 12 years on, we take for granted that women want stylish and functional sportswear – a trend coloured heavily by these early innovators! Yet adidas by Stella McCartney has always maintained a unique edgy aesthetic, whilst being high quality, and wonderfully distinctive. To me, it’s the perfect of example of a genuine partnership creating something that’s way more than just the sum of its parts. In LA this week, I was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to interview the designer after her spectacular SS17 show which took place in West Hollywood. Click MORE to read about Stella’s view on ‘health’, ‘wellness’, the show, and how she goes about the design process! (more…)

CRAFTING THE FUTURE SNEAKER!

19/09/2016

One of the coolest parts of being an ambassador for adidas is enjoying the privilege to test out their unreleased experimental prototypes! OK, we’re not talking about piloting stealth fighter jets, but there is something outrageously compelling about new trainers / sneakers. To the uninitiated, the subculture that’s built up around sporty shoes is simply astonishing; collectors assemble multi-million dollar vaults of rare and cherished plimsolls, dedicated news websites compete to break news of ‘new crep drops’, and there’s even a stock exchange to make a market in trading sexy models! Well, this time, I got pretty lucky, as I was handed the keys to the future; the adidas Futurecraft 3D shoes (in triple-black!), printed from the ground up using powdered ‘recycled ocean plastic’. The above video is my review, which pays homage to the awesome Top Gear review of another iconic German brand’s ‘jewel in the crown’, the Porsche Carrera GT. Click more to read more of my thoughts about these beauties…

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TENNIS & CHAT WITH STEFFI GRAF!

29/08/2016

There are some sports figures who transcend the era in which they played; they’re few and far between, but they’re immortals, the ultimate hall of famers, era-defining legends, and their very names are synonymous with the sport itself. Bjorn Borg was such a character in my home country (and beyond), but on a scale almost unimaginable for two decades, it was Steffi Graf for the female game. During my Olympics trip to Brazil with adidas, I had the epic opportunity to meet, interview AND play with Steffi, who is herself a representative for the brand. It was remarkable for so many reasons! Click MORE to see and read about how we got on 🙂 (more…)

OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY !!!

13/08/2016

It’s the big one – the greatest sporting occasion on the planet, the ultimate crucible where sport legend is made and dreams are fulfilled – and I was there in Rio De Janeiro, watching it all begin!!! I was gutted to have missed out on London 2012 (my home city, d’oh!), so this was my first in-person Olympic Opening Ceremony. Initially, after getting off the phone with my adidas family who’d asked whether I was keen to join in, I had a mini-breakdown with excitement and curled up into a little Swedish meatball! Fast-forward to the night of the ceremony and it became clear that this was to be the greatest adventure my blog had yet taken me on! This post is a unique perspective on what I saw on that opening night, and what I think it all means…

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ADIDAS AMBASSADOR + ULTRABOOST UNCAGED!

08/07/2016

Back in January 2015, I was thrilled to join my friends at adidas for the global launch of the UltraBOOST, which has since become the hottest casual running shoe in the world! Now, 18 months on, they’ve developed generation 2.0, the UltraBOOST Uncaged; a new and improved version which is a reaction to the way it was being custom modified by enthusiasts! As a self-confessed shoe fiend; I feel privileged to have been one of the first to road-test these as part of my ambassadorship with the company.

Growing up I was relentless in pleading with my parents for a pair of trainers! So, when I finally got hold of my long sought after Stan Smiths, I would cherish them and wear them every single day, until they were falling apart, but I didn’t care. I’m now working with the brand I have loved and admired from such a young age, and as corny as it may sound it really is a dream come true. I’ve always been heavily into sports and living a healthy life, and to work with a company with such a strong, complementary ethos is quite unbelievable! To me, adidas represents a passion for sport – functionality, style, quality; it speaks of so much heritage whilst constantly innovating and delivering new technology to further the athletes out there! Massive thank you to the adidas team for allowing me to channel my innermost excited 8-year-old sporty self! To kick off, this post is a collection of thoughts on the new shoe, as well as some pictures we shot on the marvellous Croisette in Cannes, along which I ran every morning to put my pair (in Ray Red camo) through their paces!
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ADIDAS CINEMA !

05/09/2015

A couple of weeks ago, I woke super early one morning, excited to make my way to one of my favourite London parks Hampstead Heath, to shoot a short video with my friends at Adidas. The aim was to help showcase some of their latest vibrant eyewear. As I stepped out of my uber however, the skies properly opened up; it rained biblically for most of the morning, which made for a seriously dramatic skyscape, but tough work! Hampstead Heath is, amongst other things, known for it’s rolling and forest-like terrain, the gorgeous ‘Kenwood House’, and of course some epic views presiding above London – all that yielded some fantastic location material! Whilst it’s a pretty short video, it took a while to capture and I was running up and down Parliament Hill countless times, as well as slaloming in-and-out of the trees for a good half a day! Awesome fun, and decent exercise too, so a massive thanks to team Adidas for letting me be a part of this – I hope you like it! 🙂

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SHOE-IN WITH ADIDAS AT THE UN !

13/07/2015

Recently, I joined my friends at Adidas to witness a unique partnering at the United Nations HQ in New York. Parley For The Oceans, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of our beautiful oceans, hosted a moving and informative session in the UN’s main chamber, at which Adidas board-member Eric Liedtke revealed a beautiful and groundbreaking running shoe created from discarded ocean plastic (of which there’s 40m lbs in the North Pacific alone!). It’s a totally unique production concept, and much of the profit will go towards funding the ocean cleanup yet further. I caught up with Eric afterwards to dig a little deeper into the shoe, along with finding out how one of my favourite sporting companies is evolving into an exciting future! Click MORE to read my update interview… (more…)

AN URBAN WORKOUTFIT

10/06/2015

Whilst I like to include informative thoughts alongside my images, today’s a bit of an exception, as it’s purely a ‘look’ post! We headed out and about in NW8 and stumbled onto the epic Alexandra Road Estate just off Abbey Road (yes, think The Beatles) which feels so appropriate to the urban look I’d put together. It’s a grade II listed site built in the late ’60s, designed by the renowned Modernist architect Neave Brown. The granite ‘megalith’ architecture with its muscular concrete shoulders makes a pretty bold statement, as do the monochromes of the look. I’m wearing an oversized Brooklyn Nets (Joe Johnson) jersey which my sister gave me, paired with some leather black pants, Chanel glasses, a Celine bag and my favourite Stan Smith old-school trainers. I’ve [slightly lazily] tucked my oversized top into my leather shorts; my hair’s in a messy ponytail and the only colour you’ll find is a bold red lip line! As you’ll have guessed, I love sportswear and I think you’re ‘allowed’ to have fun experimenting with wacky variety far more than with daytime fashion, where it can sometimes be tough to express that wackiness! Click MORE to see all the pics… (more…)

VENICE FITNESS FESTIVAL

07/04/2015

OK so it’s not a fitness festival, but I wanted to showcase some of the beautiful behind-the-scenes encounters from when we shot our collaboration with Urban Outfitters in Venice – including this fun little blog video 🙂 Travelling has always been one of the things I savour most in life. Growing up, I’d plastered maps on my walls, and installed a globe by my bedside, to let my imagination roam as my mind drifted off! Then, as well as now, if I’m ever feeling a bit down, I’ll conjure images of all the exciting places I’m yet to visit; the romantic, sinking city of Venice was always one of them, and this little ‘active escape’ was the perfect opportunity to check it off the list. Jogging around the canals was a great way to get to know the place a little better, and cancelled out a few of those irresistibly delicious Italian lattes! Click MORE to see all the snaps of my Venetian finds… (more…)