photography | Fitness on Toast

Posts tagged 'photography'

MY PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW OF THE IPHONE XS CAMERA

30/09/2018

It’s been some 3 years since I wrote one of my most well-read ‘how-to’ posts, entitled Blogging 101; in that article, I focussed on my camera selection as a part of what makes FitnessOnToast so much fun to create, and a way to differentiate your own creative pursuits. Time has moved on, as has technology, and now I have professional-grade photography integrated in my smartphone. After visiting Cupertino for the recent launch of the Apple iPhone XS, I’ve been test-driving one of their golden phones for the past fortnight, and this post is the result of my creative experimentation. Shot almost exclusively on the iPhone XS (all except for the 2 shots of the phone itself), these images were captured around Hampstead Heath in the glorious late-summer British sunshine. Click MORE for a full look at the new Camera capabilities and my full perceptions…

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SPRING INTO FITNESS !!!

12/04/2015

Spring has finally sprung in London, and I’m totally throwing myself into it! I don’t know about you, but when the sun is out and the flowers start to bloom, it utterly transforms my mental state. In Spring, I want to be healthier more than ever – drink gallons of water, eat schools of fresh fish, and create beautiful light salads. Going for a run in the park is often my way of marking the arrival of spring, as watching the buds in the trees bursting into bloom is invigorating and gives me a dose of true happiness! Click MORE to see some of the shots from my Regent’s Park Spring shoot along with my 6 top tips for launching back into fitness! (more…)

TOP 5 ‘ACTIVE ESCAPES’ WISHLIST !!!

23/03/2015

As regular readers may have noticed, I love to feature my active escapes on the blog; the series of posts grew as a reaction to an observation that clients, friends and family seem to want to stay in shape whilst on holiday, and even to use that very same holiday as a chance to become a little more healthy. The ‘active escape’ is a proper, growing trend in today’s health-aware world, and whilst I’m not talking about abstinent, monk-like Zen retreats, discerning travellers are after indulgence, with the optional facility to stay fit. With that in mind, I’m super happy to have teamed up with Travelex for a collaboration highlighting my ‘top 5 active-escapes wishlist’ for 2015. Click MORE to get a feel for the sorts of escapes I think will prove a hit from both a culture AND wellness perspective… (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…)

ASIAN PRAWN SOUP RECIPE !!!

22/01/2015

Time for a recipe I think, and whilst this healthy Asian Prawn Soup may at first appear long and complicated, once you’ve done it you’ll see how straightforward and quick it is! You’re making your own super flavoursome broth, which I think is a great skill to have as it eliminates the need to rely on heavy sauces or salty stocks to flavour a dish. I love Asian-inspired recipes precisely because they’re always bursting with flavours; this Prawn soup makes use of fresh herbs to give it that rich flavour. You may have read my previous post about the multiple health benefits to be gained from eating fresh herbs and spices in your diet. This recipe, which coincides with a little feature I put together for styld.by yesterday, maxes out on taste, whilst packing fewer calories and more nutritional value. READ MORE…

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ALL TIRED OUT !!!

11/01/2015

You’ve likely seen Strongman competitions on TV or youtube; vast, planetoid men flipping mega-tractor tires around, stacking novelty-sized sandbags, manually pulling vehicles, heaving some hulking Atlas Stones around etc… As much of a bewildering demonstration of muscularity as this is, the good news is that this hugely functional discipline of strength training can be incorporated into anyones training. Tire Flips are a fantastic way to target your entire body (especially the posterior chain), in order to build overall strength and power you can actually use. This post runs through the ‘why & how-to’ of these fabulous exercises – just click MORE…

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FAVOURITE LONDON TRAINING SPOTS!

07/01/2015

As a response to a recent email, I’m going to start showcasing some of the gorgeous places to exercise in the truly special city that is London! Today, I’m starting with one of my absolute favourites, the stunning Hampstead Heath. It’s an epic park which finds itself a mere 6km away from the gridlocked traffic of Trafalgar Square -but you’d barely believe it was the same country! To my mind, this is the ultimate escapist parkland 🙂 This post also coincides with a little feature I put together for Gap over on their styld.by site yesterday – super exciting, check it out! Click MORE to read my thoughts on this beautiful part of London & see its secret gems!

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NEW YEAR, SAME YOU ???

04/01/2015

I reject the idea that with the advent of January, we need to reinvent ourselves to pursue a monk-like existence of restraint. It’s totally unrealistic, unsustainable, not very much fun, and all a bit of a tired 90s cliché! Sure we might have predictably lost track a bit in December – not a crime, just human – but we can get right back on course without going to extremes. To me, there’s so much more sense in pursuing a healthy, sustainable and enjoyable ethos for as much of the year as possible – and that includes treating yourself. This is the entire ethos of my blog, and I’m finally putting it into a guide so that you can benefit from the discoveries it’s taken me years to make.

I’ve spent about 12 months putting this guide together with Dr Michelle Storfer, one of London’s leading Nutritionists who shares my ethos. Health & fitness is a choice that’s open to everyone, all the time. Even if you just dip in a little more than you used to, that’s progress too! Click HERE (or on the picture above) to download the guide & start your year as you mean to go on! Good luck 😀 x

CITRUS SALAD = ‘SUGAR RAT’ POISON !!!

02/01/2015

The 7 days between 24th Dec and 1st Jan are dusted with a special kind of carefree frosting (aka sugar), but now the festivities are over, it’s time to regain control over the wild indulgence and revisit healthier eating habits such as portion control – normal service resumed! Mulled wine is no longer the main source of liquids, 6 deep-filled luxury mince pies aren’t ‘just a cheeky little snack’, and it’s harder to find an excuse to nap off the food coma in bed during the afternoons! To properly wean off the sweet stuff is a gradual process, so I like to take it one step at a time. A great starting point is this Citrus Fruit Salad which is super quick-and-easy to prepare, loaded with antioxidant Vitamin C compounds for an immune boost, and contains a wealth of other vitamins and minerals to see you back on the straight and narrow! Click MORE to get the why and how-to 🙂 (more…)

GET INTO THE ZONE !!!

09/11/2014

Fitness On Toast Faya Blog Girl Healthy Workout Exercise Fashion OOTD Fit Fitspo Cosmopolitan Lifestyle Helly Hansen Sweaty Betty Gucci Nike Tower of London Poppy Rememberance-8

Energy – it’s a topic that’s often utterly misunderstood by clients, but I feel is a crucial one to grasp if you’re going to get the most out of your training. It’s our ability to do work. Every cell in our body needs it, and without it we wouldn’t be able to produce hormones, repair tissues, digest food etc. It’s stored in macronutrients (which are those three categories, ‘Fats’, ‘Proteins’ and ‘Carbohydrates’), and is accessible for our muscles to zupp up, via the two states of energy consumption; a) Anaerobic (without oxygen) and b) Aerobic (with). People often assume that one or the other is ‘bad’, but they’re just different, and both helpful! This post will dig into the benefits of each state! Also it was such a beautifully sombre day in London for this Remembrance Sunday, that I decided to visit the Tower of London to catch a final glimpse of the 890k ceramic poppies (called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red), installed to commemorate those soldiers who bravely fought & died to keep Britain free. Whether you read it for the content, or just look at the pictures, it’s all HERE: