Review | Fitness on Toast

Posts tagged 'Review'

REVIEWED: APPLE WATCH SERIES 6

13/10/2020

If you’re as stubborn as me, and are convinced that there *ARE* yet days remaining of the summer, here’s a remarkable day trip idea for you! Earlier in the month, I spent one such day enjoying the exquisite Jurassic coast, on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England’s only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site – which was really quite resplendent in glorious British sunshine! Whilst I’m 8 months pregnant, a gentle hike along the rolling chalk cliffs is just about the perfect level of exertion for me and the little one, so I/we packed a bag and headed down to Durdle Door for a walk and an afternoon of calming ocean breeze. It was an excellent destination to trial my brand new Apple Watch Series 6 (previous reviews HERE) on the hike. Plenty of interesting insights packed into this one, my dear reader, so read on…

(more…)

WELLNESS ESCAPE TO THE WESTIN MALDIVES MIRIANDHOO

11/01/2020

I recently returned from 9 days in planet Earth’s most rapturous dreamland – the Maldives. I’ve been fortunate to visit this heaven on prior occasions, and I am struck by how its luminous beauty never dulls; on this trip, I visited the wonderful Westin Maldives Miriandhoo, a jewel in the crown of the Westin Hotels and Resorts group. I’ve worked with Westin for many years as their Wellbeing Movement ambassador and I’ve experienced several of their properties around the world; as such, I know the wellness ethos that pervades every detail of this hotel group well, and it’s one that I feel passionately about infusing into every trip I take. Whilst I was hosted at the Westin Maldives Miriandhoo (henceforth WMM), I experienced the purest expression of their Wellbeing philosophy, free from the restrictions and confines imposed by a bustling cityscape, and instead, able to indulge in the secluded tranquillity of island life. Picture-perfect postcard-style, powdery-soft sandy beaches, mesmeric sunsets, the freshest seafood and perfect temperatures, all render it an unsurprising top honeymoon destination; for me, after only a few days, I recovered the hitherto lost sensation of feeling recharged, relaxed and renewed. Thereafter, the ensuing week of pure revival left me ready to take on 2020 with gusto! Click MORE to see and read about my experience of this nirvana…

(more…)

READ YOURSELF STRONGER! 🤓📚💪

05/03/2019

One of my evergreen ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ is to gain breadth through a spot of reading; the brain is similar to the body’s muscles in the sense that lack of regular exercise sees it shrink! So following a frenzied two months of book-worming, I wanted to share a varied suite of 8 ‘health books’ that have had somewhat of a positive impact on me, whether they be books on mindfulness, educational fitness or nutrition/recipe books. I’d love to hear what ‘health’ books you’ve enjoyed reading as I’m always on the lookout for a good new read, so please pop a comment below with your top picks! Hopefully you might feel inspired to think through the pages of one or two of the books listed here… (more…)

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…

(more…)

ACTIVE ESCAPE: W MALDIVES

04/02/2016

On my recent blog trip to the Maldives (does November still count as recent?!), I had the opportunity to stay at the gorgeous W Retreat & Spa Maldives. Up front, I’ll declare that this Active Escape to the Maldives is nothing like the experience I wrote about HERE. In fact, this is unlike anything I imagined I’d encounter in the Maldives; it blends those core Maldivian ingredients of natural paradise and a stunning coral reef, with the energised atmosphere of ‘island-party-bliss’. There’s a totally W-like ‘cool’ here that’s unique to their brand of hotels (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever visited one!), but it’s an ambience that’s subtly woven in amongst the turquoise waters, the white sand, and the coconuts! The result is highest-end comfort, lowest-possible stress, and an awesome fun experience that does wonders to recharge the city-dweller’s depleted batteries! Click MORE to see my complete Active Escape review. (more…)

ACTIVE ESCAPE: REETHI RAH !

02/01/2016

For well over a decade, I’ve been told that ‘the Maldives will sink in 10 years’. Thankfully it hasn’t happened yet, but the spectre of climate change threatens to submerge the 1200 beautiful islands in this archipelago country, the highest natural elevation of which is a smidgeon over 2m above sea level. In the meantime, to “get in whilst I still had the chance”, I selected a few destinations so that I could experience it for myself. This post is a continuation of my Active Escapes series; it highlights a destination that’s almost indescribably spectacular in The One & Only Reethi Rah, a hyper-luxe resort island that’s larger than the capital city Malé, which offers an almost-inexhaustible suite of activities, which boasts a hyper-rarefied representation of elegant European hospitality, and which to my mind is utterly “exceptional, worth a special journey”! Click MORE to be transported to paradise & read my full piece…

(more…)

ACTIVE ESCAPE TO COWORTH PARK !!!

24/02/2015

One of the parts I’ve most enjoyed sharing on FitnessOnToast are the active escapes. Often though, to see the places in my posts requires a cheeky flight; but for my British readers today, good news! Just 30 minutes south-west of London, lies the gorgeous country estate of Coworth Park – the scene of an exquisite healthy weekend escape. I’ve already written about ‘The Benefits of Horse Riding‘ in my previous post, so you’ve seen a glimpse of the healthy activities on offer here, but there’s so much more to do! This post collects up some of my favourite moments from the escape, and gives a little peak into the Coworth world! (more…)

STOCKHOLM’S GRAND ESCAPE…

30/10/2014

Being half-Swedish, I travel to Stockholm quite regularly; whenever possible I’ll seize the indulgent opportunity to stay at my favourite Swedish hotel, The Grand Hotel Stockholm. To my mind, there’s simply no better place to enjoy a clean, healthy, pure Nordic lifestyle experience with all the luxurious little flourishes you could dream of. From the exquisite spa, to the sumptuously made-up bedrooms, and the to-die-for variety of their iconic breakfast ‘Veranda’, it’s every bit world class, and each intentional detail totally supports me in my pursuit of a healthy escape. A long weekend here yields the equivalent sensation of more than a full week elsewhere, and you emerge fully recharged and refreshed, having seen some of the wonderful local culture too. Read MORE for my full healthy review of this Scandinavian gem!

(more…)

HAUTE VEGAN CUISINE ???

14/07/2014

There aren’t many vegan restaurants a non-believer would dare approach, and for many, the term ‘vegan’ carries a stigma, conjuring up images of bizarre nut-cheeses that are dry and uninviting. You’re certainly be unlikely to associate the term with ‘elegance’, ‘flavour’ and ‘pleasure’. But you’d be wrong. Recently, I was invited along to The Montagu at the Hyatt Churchill, In London’s Portman Square, just opposite Selfridges ‘Food Halls’. It’s part ‘in-house hotel restaurant’, part ‘piano bar’, but upon request, can dispatch an intricate 5-course vegan degustation menu, deisgned by the celebrated LA vegan chef, Ali Parvinjah! I was asked to sample the fare and share my reflections, which I’m more than happy to do because I was quite blown away! Click below to read the full review…

(more…)

SHOTS AT THE EQUINOX BARRE !!!

08/06/2014

I was recently invited by Get the Gloss to attend my first Inside Out Barre class at Equinox, on High Street Kensington. I always enjoy a session at Equinox, partly because it’s one of the few gyms in London that’s not housed in a Bat-cave basement, but instead enjoys pride of place high up on the second floor of the historic Art Deco ‘Derry and Toms building‘, bathing in natural sunlight thanks to huge windows in pretty much every room. And the weights zone is positively oceanic by London’s standards. The whole place enjoys a ‘look and feel’ that the Americans just do better!…