america | Fitness on Toast

Posts tagged 'america'

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: POST RANCH INN

18/12/2016

Soaring 1200 feet above a gentle stretch of the sweeping North Pacific ocean lies the ultimate meeting of man and mountain. A steel skeleton is fused with the granite cliffs, clad with wood for organs and glass for skin; the Post Ranch Inn is this eponymous structure, and coincidentally the scene of an epic wellness escape on a recent trip to America. Many believe that it claims the most tranquil, unspoiled and awe-inspiring landscapes in the country, and whilst I’ve got quite a bit of the country still to explore, I can’t disagree yet. The Sunsets trump Santorini; the vista rivals the Amalfi coast, and the service is as attentive and well judged as any world class American institution can be. The whole place has an ecologically sustainable skew, and I had the most magical visit. This post is a little insight into a precious Californian treasure which, quite rightly, has earned the accolade of ‘best hotel in America’ from more sources than I can recall… (more…)

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…)

TRENDY SPORTS !!!

15/03/2015

I recently hopped over to Florida for a photo shoot with Trendy Sports, one of the US’ leading online ‘fitness fashion’ destinations, now in Europe too. When they first got in contact, I took a look at their website and instantly wanted to be involved; they’ve curated a collection of many of my absolute favourite fitness brands in one place (Monreal, Lucas Hugh, J Linderberg, Peak Performance, Hugo Boss etc), and the original imagery on their sites definitely straddles the fitness/fashion boundary. ‘Golf’ may often conjure up dull images of the standard ‘white polos and chinos’ uniform; in these photos the mixture of styles – traditional as well as bold prints and colours were clearly taking 18th (& 19th-hole) fashion in a totally new direction! It was proving what I’ve always believed, that there is practically no separation between fashion and fitness wear. Fitness is a genuine, legitimate fashion occasion, and it’s ok to dress up for it! Click MORE to see some of their campaign images as well as some behind-the-scenes shots I snapped too! (more…)

NEW YORK, OLD SPORT !!!

11/02/2015

ALERT: Fashion post! For those who’ve come to expect informative and forensic posts on niche topics, this one’s not for you 😀 We took these photos on a recent trip to New York with Adidas (you may have seen my post about the UltraBoost Launch), and I just had to share them! It was both the coldest and clearest of winter day’s I’ve experienced on Manhattan Island, and as I wandered through Central Park, I fell slightly more in love with the place! Click MORE to see all the pics… (more…)

THE BENEFITS OF COFFEE !!!

07/02/2015

Any lifestyle blogger worth their weight in bitcoins will post the obligatory ‘latte art’ snap to their Instagram account every few weeks; some may even have a dedicated Pinterest board showing these delicious masterpieces! It’s a guaranteed feel-good picture, instantly conjuring the creamy, earthy comfort that goes along with the first sip… But here on FitnessOnToast, you might not expect to see such indulgences?! You’d be wrong! This post focusses on the benefits of coffee for your training regime, and some of the potential disbenefits you should be aware of too. All pictures shot at the beautifully glamorous Waldorf Astoria, where I stayed on my recent trip to New York! (more…)

ULTRA BOOST LAUNCH IN NEW YORK !!!

26/01/2015

I just returned from a trip to Manhattan with Adidas for the launch of their new Ultra Boost shoe, alongside olympic titans Yohan Blake and Wilson Kipsang – an epic experience! This is a meaty ‘follow-on’ post from my trip to the company’s German HQ last year, and contains a behind the scenes view of the launch, my thoughts on the shoes, as well as an interview with Eric Liedtke (pictured with me above), who sits on the Adidas group board and is delivering their all-important ‘5 year plan’ in just 2 months time. It also has some of Adidas’ VP of Design for ‘Running’, Ben Herath’s thoughts too. I hope it gives you a good feel for what the company are up to right now, what they just launched, and what you’re going to see from them over the coming year! Read MORE…

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HEALTHY BURGER AND A TRIP TO SHAKE SHACK, NY !!!

20/10/2013

This post is about an alternative, healthy ‘burger’ recipe which takes inspiration from a recent blog trip to New York. ‘When in Rome’ do as the New Yorkers… with that in mind it seemed right that on my monumental ‘cheat day’ I should go overboard and indulge in a proper American burger, milkshake & fries! If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know this is a VERY rare occasion indeed! I headed to the grand opening of Shake Shack in Grand Central Station, which I’d heard so much about (great PR!). To celebrate it I wore my favourite gold burger ring by GoldieRox – gorgeous jewellery celebrating junk food, best of all with 0 calories!!! (On that matter, in America most menus now include ‘calories’ which is really helpful!)

I was fully aware that this meal would rack up some seriously naughty numbers but I was blown away; I consumed 1870 calories in just one meal, which is pretty much what I would typically eat in a day!!! Going to Shake Shack was certainly a bit of a fun outing, and I believe you do have to enjoy and live life a little now and then, but this serves as a reminder of just how easily you could be consuming a VAST amount of the wrong kind of calories without even realising it. In the event, I could only manage a half of my portion (still 935 calories), and since my body isn’t used to it, I struggled for the rest of the day. I’m much more at home with a healthy alternative; my previous healthy burger recipe included a tuna steak; this alternative is my nutritious, low-fat, low-sugar and lower-calorie ‘Skirt Steak Wrap’ (pictured below), which weighs in at a nutritious 485 calories, bursting with vitamins minerals and quality protein. See MORE pictures, ingredients and ‘how to make it’ below…

Faya x

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CENTRAL PARK ‘LEG WORKOUT’ IN NEW YORK

13/10/2013

It’s October in New York and this day was a scorcher – 27 degrees! Since there are a few fantastic jogging routes around the gorgeous Central Park, I thought I’d go for a little explore; my ‘fitness curiosity’ got the better of me, and that turned into a 40 minute jog, after which I decided I wanted to finish off with some legs!! This post documents that leg routine, and be warned, it’s pretty gruelling, targeting all major muscles – hamstrings, quads and glutes – to tone, firm and strengthen thighs and bum! Unlike some of my previous leg posts, having just been jogging for the last 40 minutes this workout included no weights, just a park bench and some steps! That extra bit of added cardio should get you sweating and avoid shivering in the chilly ‘autumn’ weather! Really challenge yourself by keeping the rest period to a minimum – Weights not required, the combination of leg exercises is utterly exhausting!

Whilst we’re on the topic, if you’re thinking about taking up running I think it’s worth keeping a log book. By recording your performance you will be able to see how you’re improving and to potentially help avoid injuries, typically sustained when you try to go all-out for no reason. Analysing patterns can help you learn how your body responds to different intensities. Are you pushing your body too hard too soon, or may the opposite be the case? Are you letting your body recover properly? There are lots of apps to help you with logging your runs – so many that I plan to write a post about them! If you’re thinking you don’t take your running that seriously – try to at least record the distance, time and pace. Getting into the habit might just inspire and motivate you to run that extra mile, when the incremental exertion is the greatest 🙂 My favourite thing about it? You get to set yourself / your friends challenges and to enjoy the fresh air whilst getting to know the city & countryside – sounds perfect! 🙂

Click below to see the full routine, shot in Central Park, New York.

Faya x