ORGANISE YOUR GOALS!

There are two types of people; those with meticulously curated diaries full of bespoke post-its and colour-coordinated appointment notes, and then there are the disorganised others. For years I drifted aimlessly in the latter camp, but writing this blog forced me to upgrade my ‘planning skills’ alot, and I’ve learned a few things along the way, which I’m sharing in this post! If organisation doesn’t come naturally to you and you find yourself overwhelmed when considering the wiry tangle of chaotic strands that make up life – don’t panic, it can be done and hopefully these tips will help you! As I’ve seen with Personal Training clients over the years, organisation will categorically help you to succeed in reaching your fitness goals. Click MORE to see how I choose to approach organisation, with my top 5 tips!

When it comes to goal setting, a seemingly overwhelming number of jigsaw pieces need to come together, aside from having a structured realistic plan you need a whole lot of devoted discipline, as well a balanced approach to eating well (as well as hydrating, an effective and achievable exercise regime, plenty of sleep (ideally between 7 and 9 hours, though it very much depends on the person) and organisation!

A few years ago my life consisted of nutrition, fitness and more fitness, both in work and privately. Now it involves regularly posting on F.O.T, an infinite inbox, wrestling with legal documentation, pitch meetings, working as a personal trainer, and writing my first ever book! Given the proliferation and diversification of work, I often found myself struggling to find room to train me! To stay on top of it, I’ve had to seriously upgrade my own organisation skills to level 2.0! Here’s how I’ve approached it…

  1. WRITE IT DOWN!
    There is no replacement for putting pen to paper as a way to formalise, memorialise, and hold to account! The digital age has us under the comfortable delusion that all is well, with our schedules stored remotely in the cloud; but they’re just as easily deleted or ignored. Actually writing down your fitness goals will help you access the result, mentally. I like to have a physical copy of my thoughts and words in my hands; I write a thought down, and often draw a little image next to it, seeing the curve of a letter, creating a pictogram to accompany it – I remember the thought better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a tech-rejecting luddite zealot by any means – I write a blog after all – but carrying a physical copy in my bag fills me with comfort, the appointment is somehow more permanent, more weighty, harder to avoid! If cancelled, I have to physically draw a line over it with a pen, one which I’ll remember, which just feels painful! On the contrary, when I put a tick next to an achievement, a small wave of fulfilled satisfaction washes over me! I don’t experience any of these feelings when I pop something into my phone, which is impersonal, utilitarian, commoditised, and takes mere seconds. The analogue, physical process is made all the more special when it goes into a statement-piece diary, my 2016 choice being this jaw-dropping Portobello diary from my friends at Smythson.

  2. BE S.M.A.R.T. ABOUT IT!
    In many professions, my own included, people are trained to think ‘SMART’ when authoring their goals. It’s a handy little mnemonic which stands for Structured, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound; 5 components of organised goal-setting which will lead them to be more readily achieved.
    Structured – simply, when are you going to do it, piece by piece, and when will you achieve the end-game? Calculate and break down the increments, and then diarise them.
    Measurable – Think about how you’ll measure you progress, whether its an amount of weight you want to lift, the number of repetitions, distance run, intensity, speed etc, a spatial measurement you want to achieve, a weight you want to lose/gain.
    i) I would always encourage clients to take notes on how they feel; how did the session go, did you feel tired, was it easy, how did your body/muscles feel the the next few days? In time, you can return to your notes, see how the you’ve grown stronger, and notice how your recovery has improved. The notes may also relate to other components, such as not eating enough or eating too much.
    ii) MyFinessPal is great to keep track of your food intake, calories, macros (fats / carbs / protein) as well as helping to identify if you’re lacking anything on a regular basis.
    iii) Take photos as you go along, once a week same time, same day, front, side and back. For example, first thing Friday morning before breakfast. Same lighting, same angle. Take measurements, how do you clothes fit?
    Achievable (or Actionable) – Set achievable goals; can you actually get to the gym 6 days a week – if not, diarise 2 or 3 sessions, per achievability, and then stick to it!
    Realistic – this ties in with achievable, setting realistic expectations of oneself, not expecting to observe progress within an unrealistic time frame, being sensible and balanced about your application to the cause!
    Time-bound Training – Finally what are you actually doing once you get to the gym. Plan that 1-hour of time well in advance; going back to point one – ensure it’s a structured approach. Knowing what you’re doing within the session will enable you to set a further-out time frame, over which you want to achieve your goal! For an e-Diary to complement my physical one,I use Cozi which is incredibly helpful; you can share your entire schedule or just certain appointments with gym partners, colleagues, and/or family. If everyone knows you’re training, chances are you’re going to go and train, and by planning your daily schedule ahead of time you wont have any excuse not to execute!

  3. SEEK SANCTUARY IN STRUCTURE!
    If your headspace feels a bit disorganised, it might help to ensure your surroundings are tidy. Everything has a place, and I feel that your home is your sanctuary, a spa-like retreat into which you can escape from the unrelenting pressures of the outside world. To maintain it requires constant attention, spring cleaning all year round, ongoing de-cluttering… I get rid of stuff I don’t use or want on a weekly basis, keeping only that which I find necessary. With the resulting organisation, I find, comes improved productivity and a better adherence to my targets. Deadlines sound harsh and unwelcoming but they make your life easier. Break them down into daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.

  4. FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
    Write a list of foods that you constantly eat, ensuring always to have ample stock of those healthy foods. I try to avoid running out of something will preclude me from creating a favourite go-to healthy recipe. If you write the list in your diary and on the fridge, you’re more likely to remember them during those supermarket aisle brain-frazzle moments. Here’s my list;- Chickpeas and Lentils
    – Quinoa and Chia seeds
    – Sweet Potato
    – Kale, Watercress, Spinach, Rocket, Broccoli
    – Papaya, Grapefruit, Lime, Berries
    – Tumeric, Ginger
    – Fresh chiliPlan and ideally prep your meals too. Set aside one hour a week to plan your weekly food plan (ideally before heading to the supermarket). I like to cook a few things in bulk – some sweet potatoes, broccoli, quinoa or other foodstuff which can be refrigerated – and in so doing, give myself a time efficient, more affordable way to stay on track with healthy eating through the week. If you’re really organised you can even pop the food in meal sized portions in each container, but I understand why some might hate that idea!
  5. SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP!
    I’ve written extensively about this but we now know that sleep deprivation makes us less productive, affects our overall wellbeing and mood, and promotes the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. Further, the sensation of tiredness leaves us craving more unhealthy foods; it’s all counterproductive to the fitness goals, so there’s one simple solution. Impose a curfew and ensure you catch your optimal amount of sleep; the amount after which you typically arise naturally, unprompted, on a weekend, feeling fully restored. For some that’s 7 hours, for others it’s 9 hours. Any more than that is likely to be impractical (and to have an adverse effect), so get to bed earlier and you’ll see the improvements in your organisational capacity with immediate effect! It helped enormously with my memory capacity too – assisted by the book ‘Moonwalking with Einstein’ – an exceptional read which helped me realise just how much of my brain I’m NOT yet using!

Hope that helps, and please remember, that’s just my own personal way of approaching the topic. Many will have their own tips and tricks too!


I WAS WEARING:

Diary: Portobello Mid-Year Diary from Smythson
Pants: Forthcoming Summer Collection knotted Leggings by Peony & Me
Top: Long-sleeve Linen Top by Peony & Me
Jacket: Papin Leather Biker Jacket by All Saints
Bag: Small size Sac De Jour by Saint Laurent

BTS: COMPETITIVE SAILING!

You might remember this post from my recent trip to Barbados as I learn to sail ahead of Cowes Week in August, where I’ll be competing with team Helly Hansen! Whilst trying to figure out my Spinnakers from my Schooners, I was under the expert guidance of Team Concise‘s Captain, Ned Collier Wakefield; an award-winning, record-breaking professional ‘Competitive Offshore’ Sailor, who I thought would be perfect to tell the story of the physical and psychological challenges, as well as the fitness requirements of doing his job full time! Click more to see our interview together, and see if it can persuade you to dip your toe in the water, so to speak

F.O.T: What originally introduced you to sailing?

I’m told my first experience of sailing was crossing the Channel when I was six months old, however my first memory was sailing when I was about three. My Dad has always been an enthusiast and a great sailor and has taken me on many adventures over the years. Needless to say, I caught the bug!

F.O.T: How long have you been sailing at a professional level, and when/how did you make the transition from hobby to career?

My professional career started ten years ago when Tony [Lawson] and I decided to start Team Concise. I was 18 and had just finished school. Tony presented me with this opportunity and I’ve never looked back.

F.O.T: Many would presume the wind does the work. How much physicality, stamina and mental resolve is required to sail at a top level?

Sailing is a very physical sport. Sure, the wind pushes the boat forwards, but to harness that power requires a lot of physical input, hoisting sails that weigh 100kg up to 30m in the air, trimming on sheets with up to 5 tons of load on them are just a couple of examples. On top of this there’s the continual stress from the violent movement of the boat at high speed, combined with the lack of sleep that make it very physically demanding.

F.O.T: What does your regular training routine look like?

Fitness is really important for sailing to ensure we have the strength and endurance to sail for long periods of time, at the top of our game. As a team, we try to weight train in the gym every day, as well as an aerobic session. It’s important to change it up and keep it exciting, so things like road cycling are great, it’s easy to take your bike along in the container when we’re away from home and its also a non-impact sport, which means I can do as much as I want without the risk of repetitive strain. We also do at least three hours of sailing specific training on the boat, every day. Whether it’s coming up to a big race or spending the winter training in Barbados, it’s so important to get time on the boat with the team.

F.O.T: How do you prepare for a long journey, both physically (e.g. what sort of training & nutrition) and mentally?

You often lose weight in some of the longer offshore races as you’re often running at a calorie deficit, both working hard and struggling to eat enough in the extreme environment. To account for this and maintain performance throughout the season, we aim to peak with body weight before a race, this also has benefits for strength too.

F.O.T: How many calories do you typically consume in a day of sailing across the Atlantic and what do you eat?

On average you expect to be burning in excess of 5000 calories a day when you are racing and it is difficult to eat this amount, especially in the harsh environment. Our staple will be freeze dried meals which we rehydrate with hot water, this means we can save the weight of water from the food and instead produce de-salinated water as required. Specially made granola protein breakfasts are a treat and we try to snack on things like nuts, energy bars, dried meat, dried fruit etc.

F.O.T: It sounds like an utterly exhausting trip both mentally and physically; why do it? In your mind what are the best parts?

I guess its like any endurance sport and for me, the highs far outweigh the lows. It may be tough at times but for those spectacular moments that you wouldn’t find anywhere else and the sense of achievement when you win a race that you’ve worked so hard for, its all worth it.

F.O.T: Any hairy moments? Near-misses, capsizes etc? How do you recover from that sort of experience?

The 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre, I was racing to Costa Rica with my good friend and co-skipper, Sam Goodchild on our Class 40, Concise 2. After seven days of racing we had worked our way through two large low pressure systems and had taken the lead. By the time the third low pressure system hit us, the waves were about 8m and seriously confused. We gybed in the center of the low to make the most of the shift, but hours later hit a floating piece of debris and suffered serious hull failure. At the time of the incident we were 200 miles north of the Azores and had a 24-hour window before the next depression. The difficulty was that we had to sail the boat fast enough to get to the islands before the storm, but also try to keep the boat together, providing us with a fairly stressful 24 hours!

F.O.T: What’s next for you; where do you want to go with your sailing?

We’ve got a packed sailing/racing schedule for the summer, which is very exciting. We’ll be following the RORC season and obviously Cowes Week in August. We have the new Diam 24 which we’ll be training and racing as much as possible, focusing on the Tour de France a la Voile in July. Our two Class 40s will also complete a full season and of course we will be spending a lot of time on the MOD 70. We’re very much looking forward to spending more time competing against the other big players, such as OMAN and Phaedo.

F.O.T: For anyone who has never sailed but want to get into it what are your top tips?

Ask lots of questions! And try all the different types of sailing you can, being versatile is a valuable skill in whichever discipline you choose and there’s no substitute for time on the water. If you get the opportunity to sail with some of the biggest names and most successful guys, make the most of it, they’re always keen to pass on their advice and skills.

F.O.T: If you weren’t sailing the MOD-70 around Barbados, what would your other dream job be?

In 2008, I decided that I should have a Plan B – not because I didn’t want to sail every day, because I absolutely did, but just as a backup. I went to university and trained as an Architect – however, I’ve never used my degree and don’t really plan to!

HEARTCORE IN KATE SPADE NEW YORK !

I’m regularly asked what classes I love in and around London, and we’re totally spoilt for choice here! Given that variety is one of life’s multiple spices (and also keeps the attitude towards training fun and fresh), I’ll typically try a couple of new classes on a monthly basis, which I thought I’d start to share with you here. I’m kicking it off with a session at Heartcore, a 55-minute dynamic pilates class which I tried this weekend in the heart of St Johns Wood. I’m wearing all Kate Spade New York in these pictures, a couple of super cute pieces from of their Beyond Yoga  activewear collaboration! Click MORE to see my full take on the class, the clothes and the rest of these images!

Having just powered out a big upper body ‘back & abs’ session in the gym the day before, I was feeling fairly sore and mildly apprehensive about being able to do everything properly. After the class, I realised this was the perfect sequence to do the next day to help speed up recovery and offset muscle soreness.  To boot, this space is possibly the most beautiful studio I’ve seen in London, so I was super excited about shooting my brand new Kate Spade New York look…

ACTIVE RECOVERY, POST WORKOUT – WHY?

On ‘rest’ or ‘recovery’ days, very often we’ll sit for hours on end at our desks or ‘rest’ on a sofa. To my mind, that’s totally suboptimal as it can prolong muscular tightness and allow DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) to really take hold. Instead, I like to implement fairly light exercise on my rest days to promote recovery (this can include walking, mobility drills, some light body weight exercises and a little stretching). This “active” recovery after a heavy weight training session can help soreness by stimulating blood flow and improving circulation to the muscles.

AND WHAT IF I DON’T?

Failing to recover properly can lead to all sorts of problems, but most concerningly, it can really put the body at a far greater risk of injury. For example, muscles becoming tighter and causing imbalances in your body can compromise how well you later perform an exercise; compound that ‘error of form’ up over multiple sessions and you have an injury waiting to happen, especially if you’re weakened anywhere in particular. Take the squat for example, if you don’t deal with tight hip flexors or Achilles tendons, this may compromise how well you perform your squat and your more likely to incur an injury. Always do your post workout stretches! I also recommend foam rollers and the occasional sports massage. And try and stay active/mobile the next day!

THE CLASS!

This class was indeed a superb post-workout ‘active recovery’ class. The perception your body gets from Heartcore is one of toning, rather than the brutal muscle-tearing sensation of a bench press; it’s a little more gentle but no less pacey and very tough! Here, based predominantly on the reformer machine, it logically focused on lengthening the muscles, on alignment and on core strength. The system complements this machine with a few light weights, intended for high repetition exercises – shoulder press, triceps and biceps drills. The upshot is an effective workout for those small, stabilising muscles that help us perform functional movements every day.

PACEY!

The class is fast paced, which I love in many respects as the energy is fantastic, but with so much going on (music, coordination, balance, instruction), the directions can be quite ambiguous to the newcomer. Given the class involves so many components, I’m always a believer that more specific instruction and focus on form is crucial, and complements an explanation of ‘the why’.

EPIC SETTING

This studio, a former church in St. John’s Wood, NW8, is by far one of the most stunning I’ve seen in London. The entrance corridor is softly lit and punctuated with aromatherapeutic scents, setting the gentle scene for a relaxed arrival. Then, your emergence into the functional space is quite an incredible experience; you’re overwhelmed by high, vaulted and whitewashed ceilings, with huge windows showering the space in a deluge of natural light. Everything smells fresh, the floors are clean and light, and the equipment is super well maintained.

GENERAL INFO

PRICE: The price is £27 for a single, which is a premium to many classes I take. 10 sessions for £220, i.e. £22/class in bulk.
LOCATIONS: 8 throughout London. (Kensington, Notting Hill, Hampstead, Chelsea, Fulham, City, Park Lane, St John’s Wood)
To give this a go and try something different in a beautiful space, book in  HERE.

Faya x

THE OUTFIT

As mentioned, I’m wearing Kate Spade New York‘s latest Activewear line, created in collaboration with ‘Beyond Yoga‘. It’s a luxurious-feeling and comfortable collection that’s fun, light-hearted and feels quite free-spirited with cute dotted patterns! It works just as well in the gym or outside of it, as you can see from the images here, where I’ve dressed it up with some elevating accessories. I discovered a little more about the brand’s activewear style credentials in a little more detail after our session with Royal Ballet Soloist Eric Underwood last week, which was awesome fun!

– TOP: T-back Bow Tank in Signature Dot, HERE
– LEGGINGS: Triple Bow leggings in Black, HERE
– BRA: T-back Bra in Blue, HERE

ADIDAS AMBASSADOR + ULTRABOOST UNCAGED!

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!

In my opinion, the feel should be ranked above all else. When I first put my foot into the original UltraBOOST I felt a totally new sensation with a running shoe; it was as if my feet were experiencing that pleasurable sensation post-yawn, a cosy snugness that purely functional footwear hadn’t achieved for me in the past. This shoe develops upon that sensation, and masterfully improves it. This Uncaged shoe feels [and almost looks] like a sock, into which the foot just gently sinks. It’s seamless, with no tongue or abrasive labels to agitate the foot, and has been adapted from ‘track athlete’ foot technology to provide more support. That allows for plenty of movement in the front of the foot but still has the rigid brace to keep your foot locked in place at the back.

I think the result is unparalleled comfort combined with the awesome energy of the boost technology; impossible amounts of spring in each step, and superb traction (you’re basically running with Continental premium tyres on the bottom of the shoe!).

Also, they look pretty mean! It’s a more contemporary aesthetic (including that awesome ribbed knitted section around the ankle), with a streamlined, profile and their adidas Primeknit upper which leave my feet feeling aerated but not cold.

Whilst I’ve been working with the adidas team in an official capacity for 6 months or so now, I have harboured a real passion for this company for well over a decade. From visiting their secret showrooms, to interviewing members of their Executive Board, to touring their HQ in Herzo, I’ve gleaned insight into what’s turned them into the sportswear brand with the most global momentum, and I love it! I look forward to bringing you more behind the scenes insights into their innovations, coming soon!

Faya x

    

OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY !!!

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…

First, I must say what a dream the trip has been, and how utterly lucky I feel to have been invited to this epic event. Yes there were 79,999 others in that stadium with me, but that’s just 0.0001% of the world population! The adidas team had assembled a crack squad of 5 bloggers (including the gorgeous Caro Daur, pictured with me at the top, plus Adriene, Kefera and Rachel) to live in a super-cool minimal house in Rio’s awesome Barra district, and christened it Creator’s House. There, they scheduled an itinerary of awesomeness to help us capture some truly unique content, which I’m super excited to blog about over the coming few weeks!

Back to the matter at hand though, the Opening Ceremony; ‘immense’ is the only word I can summon to describe it – perhaps that and ‘intense’. The atmosphere inside the stadium was both of those. I was there with the London adidas crew but also their cousins here in Rio; Brazilians all around me cried with pride and happiness. It was ultra moving!

Olympic City is cavernous in proportion, and is vigilantly patrolled by the national military who remain reassuringly visible everywhere you go. Whilst it’s not where the opening ceremony took place (that was elsewhere at the eponymous Maracana stadium), the village looks as follows:

To me, the Olympic movement is an idealistic expression of where we should be; more than 200 nations casting aside their differences in the pursuit of honest genuine competition and glorious victory. Still we’re quite not there, but the aspiration is just as important as the goal! I think it keeps us on track, and it’s marvellous to watch!

The ceremony’s story line documented the entire history of Brazil in a tableau format, from the indigenous ancestors through to the European invaders, and then on to Gisele! Against all odds, Brazil has battled through a host of very public adversities, and has come together with great spirit and energy which was felt to my bones in the stadium!

As an opening ceremony, it was a visual spectacle unlike anything else I’ve seen, blessed with a special and electric atmosphere on the night. Stay tuned for what else adidas’ Creator’s House got up to during the week!

UNLOCKING LONDON: BENEFITS OF CYCLING

You might recently have spied a trail of breadcrumb-pictures on my Instagram where I’m riding London’s eponymous Santander Cycles, meandering my way around what I think are some of our wonderful capital city’s most picturesque parts; the gorgeous Little Venice area of Regent’s Canal, the Outer Circle in Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill… The Cycles are a ubiquitous and awesome fitness resource which anyone can use to see those parts of the city they’ve not visited before: I.e. go discover London for less than the cost of a green juice and get fit at the same time, it’s the perfect combo!!! For example – and it’s a bit of an unusual example – I recently attended a mind-blowing special spin class ABOVE the iconic landmark Tower Bridge, hosted by (and ON) Santander Cycles. The 80m glass walkway housed myself and 9 other lucky invitees as we Santander-cycled our way through an hour-long sweaty BOOM Cycle class whilst watching a deliciously romantic sunset over the Thames and St Pauls.

Typically, of course, Santander Cycles are not used as spin bikes in studios, but arguably they deliver the same cardiovascular outcome to their temporary tenants! Given that they’re scattered all across the city like a sprinkling of sunflower seeds, you can be comfortable that there’s one waiting for you nearby, and a place to drop it off at the other end; they’re ultra convenient lifestyle accessories, and that removes the ‘hassle factor’ which is a big barrier to doing it! Cycling is not only a fantastic form of exercise, gruelling cardio whilst gentle on the joints (and wallet!), it’s also a fun and rewarding way to view all of London, whilst getting to your destination 

Being half British and  thus having lived in London for c. 10 years now, I sometimes take for granted just how diverse and utterly beautiful this city is. Walking along the banks of the Thames, I just had to stop, breath and take it all in; a mindfulness moment, if you will!

Whilst London public transport is fairly quick and relatively efficient, cycling most definitely is the more enjoyable way to travel. What better way to get to your destination – fast, picturesque and delivers fitness in spades. You are the boss, and can tailor your pace such that you enjoy a ladylike gentle cycle or perhaps a more fierce formula one sprint! It’s a fitness cause I’m massively in favour of, so would highly recommend you sign up and unlock fitness in the city whilst you’re in London!

Happy and safe cycling! Faya x

N.B.  Santander Cycles are hosting a range of events with BOOM Cycle over the summer, like the one I showcased above. They’re very much ‘money can’t buy experiences’. At each event there will be a Boom Cycle class, all you need to do is sign up HERE !

Challenge Sophie – smashing it!

TENNIS & CHAT WITH STEFFI GRAF!

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

Over her 17-year professional career, she was World Number 1 for 186 weeks in a row, won a dominant 22 Grand Slam titles which Serena Williams only recently equalled at Wimbledon ’16, and she remains the only player (male or female) in history to have achieved the Golden Slam (all 4 grand slams AND Olympic gold in a single year), as well as being the only player to have won every Grand Slam at least 4 times. Through the 1980s and 1990s, she was tennis, and that domination has a permanence that has rendered her ‘an immortal’! adidas even created a tribute shoe to her which you can see here and in their Herzo museum!

In person, she’s an unassuming 5’9 in stature and moves cautiously, but there’s an astoundingly imposing aura to her. In some ways, a remarkably normal mum-of-two, in many other ways, a legendary megastar, but at once relatable, gentle and quietly empathic. She came to Creator’s House in Barra, where I was staying alongside 4 other bloggers (Caro, Adriene, Kefera and Rachel), and after being joined by beautiful Lena Gercke, we headed outside to the courts for some drills!

Despite being retired and playing infrequently, what immediately strikes you is her inhuman ball-striking. You don’t get an appreciation of that on a television screen, but seeing it in person is remarkable. There’s an efficient elegance to her compact style, and a beautiful, controlled strength to her racket’s impact with, and through the ball. Further, her footwork is wonderful to behold, anticipating and repositioning with minimal fuss but maximum effectiveness. Even tricky half-volleys are struck sweetly and returned with pin-point perfect placement as if she were at one with the court itself!

Steffi was on a tight schedule as she had media interviews to conduct over at the Creator’s Base, so the rotating ‘drills’ session lasted for around 45 minutes. Then I had a 5-minute chance to hit one-to-one from the baseline with her, trading groundstrokes toe-to-toe (I once managed to pass her, and melted!). I stopped early so that I could throw out my three key questions I like to ask any serious sportsperson! Here’s what she told me:

F.O.T: Through your career, what have you found motivates you the most when you’re really struggling?

SG: Actually sports helps me through a lot of things, especially now that I’ve retired. It’s such an outlet for me! Being a Mum, and having a foundation in which I still work with partners, I’ve got so much going on that my sport is actually my release where I can gain energy and shut off from the world for 45 minutes! It’s my time, so it’s really sport that helps me more than anything!

F.O.T: Aside from being on the court, what exercise do you do, and what helps you with Tennis specifically?

SG: At this stage in my life, tennis is not really a big part anymore! I haven’t played for quite a long time, to be honest! My body doesn’t really want it too much, as it’s been through so much from a young age; I’m paying the price for it a bit now! But I do like to stretch, I walk a lot, I have 3 dogs at home, so I go on ALOT of walks, and if I get the chance, I’ll head to the gym once or twice a week too. Also, I like weight training a little bit – not too much, just enough to keep the shape up! But I’m a pretty active person, and we’re a pretty active family, so all it comes naturally to be active! We’ll go from snowboarding to a little basketball here and there, so it’s a busy life, but a lot of fun!

F.O.T: In terms of nutrition, do you follow a certain regime? What does a typical day look like for you? 

SG: I try to start my day healthy! That’s one of the things I’ve learned; give it the right start! Sometimes it’s not easy eating right in the morning, but I prefer vegetables with egg whites, which has become my routine! Sometimes I crave something sweeter or heavier, so I’ll have oatmeal. I will also make sure to get my sugar throughout the day, I need that and have always enjoyed it – I need the little pick-me-ups through the day… chocolate perhaps, but more like cookies and some sweets! But on balance, I try to find a healthy mix of vegetables, fruits and protein… and a little bit of a treat!!!

At that point, Steffi had to dash to her media obligations, but I’d heard everything I needed; if a 22x Grand Slam uber-champion can sanction cookies as part of her regular diet, then I must be sure to consider the same

BRONZE AT COWES WEEK!

It’s almost impossible for me to believe, but last weekend myself, along with three other novice sailors (all of us bloggers) took Bronze position in the Cruiser B Class at Cowes week – the oldest and largest sailing Regatta in the world. We came in with a time of 2:53:41 which was actually second to the first placed 2:49:07 but factoring in the third-placed boat’s ‘handicap’, it meant we took home bronze. It’s a pretty mind-boggling achievement for us, following a solid year of training, study, toil and practise which went into our efforts, with our Helly Hansen family making the whole thing possible! Click more to read about and see the experience, with beautiful photography courtesy of Anthony Potts on the day!

Cowes week has been running since 1826; it’s an iconic institution in the world of sailing which sees around 100,000 spectators gather off the Isle of Wight for an 8-day schedule of racing, where around 1,000 boats and 8,000 competitors get involved. We raced on the final Friday of the week, with some of the most delicious sailing conditions I could imagine! Blue sky, beaming sunshine, and lashings of wind!

The team consisted of myself and three other bloggers (Sharon from Sportswomen.ie, Stuart from Average Joe’s Blog and Stephanie from EatSleepChic), who’ve all been learning to sail over the past year. I grew up sailing weekly in the south of Sweden but having not sailed for many years my skills were somewhat rusty, to say the least! On the morning of the race, I awoke to the most glorious day – resplendent sunshine and not a cloud in the opalescent blue sky. We headed down to the harbour to prepare our boat – an Oceanis 37 placed in the Cruiser B category…

We donned the garb, headed out to sea, stayed close to the starting line and awaited the canon-shot to kick things off. As we crawled close to the starting line, when the canon shot we were first over the line; the rolling start was a big boost to our momentum and energy! We were taking up wind with another boat close behind who eventually overtook us and placed first by 4 minutes 34 seconds. We came in second but with the third boat’s handicap, it meant that with re-calculations, we got bronze!

Over the past year, I’ve had terrible luck with the weather when sailing; it’s only ever been raining. Whilst it ‘dampens the clothes but not the spirit’, it often makes sailing a bit trickier. In contrast, however, this race was incredibly smooth. We made no major mistakes. A bit like the hare and the tortoise we took our time, slow and steady. Not taking any risks but following our mapped-out route pursuing the ‘percentage play’ strategy; this, in the end, paid off!

The Isle of Wight is an absolutely stunning island. As well as Cowes Week it also hosts Bestival (pretty soon now!) and of course Isle of Wight festival at different times during the summer. The people are incredibly friendly, and I couldn’t recommend a seasonal visit more highly! Our sailing day ended with a massive fireworks display, whilst Team Helly cheered our success on shore!

I must record a massive ‘thank you’ to my awesome teammates, and of course to Helly Hansen for making this incredible adventure a reality. What an epic experience, and one which I’ll remember forever!

Faya x

WATCH THIS!

18 months has raced by since the very first Apple Watch appeared on hipster wrists the world over, and now Series 2 has hit the company’s long, wooden sales tables. I really loved that first version, and posted a super in-depth review of it HERE on a trip to the Maldives – which as an aside, remains the most breathtaking place I’ve ever been on this planet! Since that review was one of the most read articles I’ve ever published on this blog, today’s post is a timely addendum, bringing up-to-date my views on the latest iteration of this much-hyped techy timepiece. At the outset, I must declare that I have received no compensation from Apple for either this or the previous review; these are my authentic and impartial personal views, so please take them as such. The essence is that they’ve crammed a whole lot more essential kit into this version, and as a result, I’ve noticed the conversation shifting away from ‘ooh you have one of those?‘ to ‘ah, how are you using & customising yours?’ I think we’re on the cusp of getting to serious grips with the data on offer, so read MORE to get the full set of observations on my Apple Watch Series 2.0. (Pictures shot on Santa Monica beach)

To the naked eye, it might look as though the designers have been asleep for 18 months, as to behold, there’s little besides an almost-imperceptibly-thicker and more bevelled case to set Series 2 apart from its older brother. And there’s even a strong chance that I’m imagining that. But I maintain that this is a proper development to the product, and the aesthetic similarities hide vast differences in capability; today’s skis might look similar to the retro 1980’s planks, but the technology contained within is incomparable, as are the feats they can enable.

I went for the entry-level Sport version, with 38mm aluminium case, in space black, with matching black rubber strap, priced at £369.00.  So what do I like about the new one? Here are 8 of my favourite elements…

1) Activity Tracker – I get awesome encouragement along the way, telling me how much further I have to go; Apple Watch speaks to me wirelessly or vibrates alongside a supportive message if I’m not connected by wireless headphones. Previously, since I’d never set it up as such, my old watch didn’t do that for me – but I really like the tone of it; not too preachy, insistent, or holier-than-thou, but genuinely well pitched and encouraging. 

2) Sport specific optionality – you can now choose modes of exercise in a more specific way. The old version always had indoor/outdoor running, indoor/outdoor cycling, rowing, stair-stepper, indoor/outdoor walk etc. The two new workout modes are ‘Pool Swim’ and ‘Open Water Swim’ which have been introduced now that Apple Watch is swim proof. This added breadth is far more realistic and practical for someone like me who enjoys mixing up the types of physical activity I undertake. It also feels as though the accuracy of the measurements has been refined and improved.

3) Take it underwater – it’s water resistant to 50 meters which is good enough for casual, normal swimming. It’s likely to function just perfectly down at 50 meters too, so I’d be more than comfortable tracking my occasional scuba activities with it. The swim workout feature is great too, as it auto-detects whether you’re doing butterfly, breaststroke, front crawl etc. Different swim strokes burn calories at different rates, and combined with the number of lengths, total distance, it can intelligently calculate your total calorie burn and track your heart rate through the exertion. The water lock stops the screen reacting to water swiping over it when swimming so you can keep capturing your swim stats uninterrupted. That’s all a big advancement on the previous version, for me.

4) GPS module contained within – so bringing my iPhone is no longer required. The watch can pinpoint me without 3rd party help, which means I need only bring my keys with me! The fewer props I need to have on me, the more hassle-free my run, and the more liberating the whole experience. The transponder tracks my route and maps it, even when in water. It all syncs up automatically when I’m back at base.

5) I can see the display better! Series 1 was hard to read in some bright light conditions. Series 2 is way easier, is twice as bright, and gives me a display experience I’d compare to my iPhone. Much better. Likewise, the battery capability seems much better able to cope with full use through the day, but I still have to charge it every evening next to my phone.

6) Customisable: I love that I  can change the functionality and layout of my bespoke watch face. At first I went all functional, with ‘Activity Rings’ for my main display and ‘Workout / Battery / Day-Date’ complications… but then Mickey won my heart! He adorably speaks back the time when I press him, a function invented originally for visually challenged Watch owners.

7) Sleepy time: I can monitor my sleep. I’ve done it a few times, and I like being able to do so, but I need to charge the watch overnight, so there’s only limited value in this function for me, quite yet.

8) …And Breathe! One of my favourite features is that Apple Watch reminds you once an hour to take a little breather, but you can set the reminder-interval to your taste. The combination of the breathing graphic and the gentle, swelling vibrations helps to regulate your breathing rhythm nicely, and makes an immediate, perceptible difference to the way you feel. Then, thereafter, you can tie that feeling in with the readout of your heart rate. I totally love this feature, as it introduces a little mindfulness to your day in a personal, but subtle way.

SO THE VERDICT…

– Inbuilt GPS is my favourite feature. Going for runs is when I want to use the watch the most, as well as one of the times I want to put my phone aside and just have an hour of dedicated ‘me’ time; to have to faff around with a phone is somewhat of a headache, even if just on the arm. I just want a water bottle and my keys. This gives the flexibility to switch off from the phone, zone into the run, not carry too much around and still get all the data and instruction you need.

– Waterproofing is awesome as now I can track my swims and get submerged data which I’ve lacked so far. Afterwards, I can just jump in the shower and not have that moment of abject panic when I realise my watch is with me, and about to rust!

– I really love the mindfulness component of ‘Breathe’. Tat’s not just fluffy stuff, but has scientific linkage to wellness. Afer the breathe, it’s good to see the heart rate instantly linked to your post breathe relaxation. You see that the activity immediately has an effect on your heart and sense of wellbeing.

– There’s a certain ‘Robocop’ feeling that you have everything on your arm.

– Also, it’s becoming a taking point in a different way. Now, Apple Watch is about how people are using the watches, how they customise them, how they engage with them and what they enjoy about them. Rather than just ‘oh look, you have the Apple Watch‘. So far as I can tell, that’s only a good thing when it comes to buddies encouraging each other!

All photographs taken in Santa Monica beach, bathed in the heavenly orange-pink sunset!

BEHIND THE SCENES – HOW TO WRITE YOUR BOOK !!!

Cards on the table; I wasn’t born an author, and despite these bloggish scribblings, the thought of writing a book hadn’t even occurred on a post-hypnotic, unconscious, or inebriated level! The journey to writing my book Fit In 3: The Scandi Plan [it’s out on dec 29th, it would mean the world if you pre-order a copy!] was a grueling marathon of soaring highs and gloomy lows, and certainly one of the most intense challenges of my life. I can confidently say that I’ve thrown everything at it, and left nothing on the table – the book is 100% of me! But if, like me, you’ve never seen this mysterious process from behind-the-scenes before, you might also have casually assumed that these tomes magically appear, fully-formed, on shop shelves one day, conjured by the book-fairy, never paying thought to the dozens of people’s time, attention, grind, detail, and professionalism that goes into it. But much like writing a blog [which to the reader, can look like one macaroon-punctuated holiday after the next, but requires relentless toil], a book is a gigantic effort employing dozens of world-class talents, all working to fold their very best work into this little, printed package on a shelf! This blog post lifts the lid on the whole hidden process, shows you exactly what I went through, and might give you some thoughts on how to go about your own book! If you’re curious, read on! If you doubt it, read on! If you hate it, perhaps read on anyway! And if you think it’s easy, think again !  

FIRSTLY, WHATS THE BOOK ALL ABOUT?

I’m incredibly excited to say that my book Fit In 3 hits the shops on December 29th 2016, just in time to make your 2017 unrecognisably healthy – you can pre-order your copy HERE! But first, a word of warning. Slackers beware: Fit In 3 is not a quick fix, it’s not a shortcut, it’s totally different to every other fitness book out there, and is absolutely no substitute for sweat. This is the original get fit slowly scheme! Forget the tired notions of yoyo dieting and fruitless sit-ups – the world evolved beyond those a long time ago. Humankind’s wellness philosophy has undergone a quantum leap over the past 5 years, but whilst obesity and diabetes stage their global takeover, fitness 2.0 has silently and swiftly emerged; the fiterati have cast aside ’low fat’ diets (which, by the way, are simply high sugar diets) and rejected those trudging hours of long-distance cardio (which is both dull and ruinous to the joints). There is a new formula by which early-adopters are already living their lives in an immeasurably more rewarding, sustainable and healthy way. My book shows the 3 pillars by which you can live a sustainably healthy life, for the rest of your days; it doesn’t have to be bland, and it can involve chocolate!

HOW DID THIS BOOK COME ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Back in October 2015, my Agent (a legendary Glaswegian who does the difficult job of bringing order my chaotic professional endeavors) kicked the tires around a Fitness On Toast book with me. The prospect was super exciting, but a totally foreign, unknown quantity to me; what did it mean in practice? How would the writing process actually work? Would anyone even want to read it?! After spending a week worrying about the latter (yes I’m a worrier), I started to think about all the fitness ‘life hacks’ I’d unlocked in my 10 years as a Personal Trainer; all the food myths I’d debunked when studying Nutrition at uni; all of the random thoughts I’d ever had about fitting it all together. The more of these I jotted down, the more the notes wrote themselves and got me all fired up. And then, I realised that I had a book in me!

 

OK, WHAT NEXT?

When you find the team who totally share your vision and come back with a remarkable plan to make it come alive, then you’ve found your Publisher! In my case, by quite some way, that was Little, Brown, the most creative company within the Hachette Group (one of the UK’s largest publishers, and home to the Gwyneth Paltrow books, both of which took pride of place on my shelves for some time) – check out their awesome and historic Thames-side offices in the shots below! The publisher  looks after the physical process of organising, compiling and distributing your work, so all that remains for you is to write it! Sounds simple enough…

 

WHO WRITES IT, ANYWAY?!

In a surprising number of books, not actually the author; ghost-writing is so widespread that some Publishers’ offices are basically haunted houses! The idea of me authoring a book, but not actually writing any of it, tickled me pink! I remember once hearing the quotation ‘there’s nobody better qualified to write your story than you’ (couldn’t tell you who said it, nor can Google so perhaps I made it up?!), so I thought I quite fancied writing all 45,000 words. I didn’t realise the challenge ahead…

 

HOW DO YOU START?

That was the question that occupied 97% of my headspace for a good solid month. That, and where do you start?! Depending on how involved you want to be (totally), books are incessant waves of deadline following deadline. And for good reason; I counted 12 different departments that need to be involved in the process. I had 8 pages of A3 plastered across walls and cupboards at home – known as the ‘Master Flat Plan’. I annotated everything, colour coordinated it with neon highlighters, tried to conceptualise what needed to go where, as if it were a massive game of Tetris on level 10 speed, then tore it up and started again… a few times!

 

WHAT ABOUT ‘PLOUGHING AHEAD’?

With your structure eventually in place, it’s a process of working through, section by section, and it’s quite satisfying seeing the progress! But it’s not all about the writing…

–       To review my Scandi-inspired recipes, I was in touch with a professional practicing Dietitian for a strong second opinion.

–       I insisted on making several trips out to Sweden, and spent days scouring the Stockholm archipelago for the best spots to shoot the most awesome photographs I could possibly shoot with my in-house photographer. We came back with 3,500 captures, and whittled that down to the handful you see in the book! I felt that was the best way to show you what I’m talking about most authentically, as the Swedish ethos features heavily in the chapters.

–       Back in London, we hired out a special, modern kitchen location to shoot the recipe images with an incredibly talented food photographer and team, and spent quite some time making (and devouring) all 60 of the dishes over the space of a few weeks. Then we hired another location to shoot some of the stretching and exertion imagery…

–       We worked with an amazing illustrator who translated all the exercise images of me into easy-to-follow silhouettes that really look like little outlines of me!

–       There are daily calls with the Editor, Assembler, Execution team, Publishing Agent, Marketing and PR teams etc. Before you know it, the first 10 hours of your day are taken up with your book! It’s both awesome and terrifying in equal measure, as you don’t want to let the team down, but as you make progress, you soon fall into a rhythm and start to haul ass!

–       The to-and-fro email trails on each sub-chapter can quickly spiral into 30-strong exchanges; multiply that up across all the chapters, and you can understand why I have over 1400 emails just in my ‘BOOK’ folder!

THAT SOUNDS FUN – WHY WAS IT TOUGH?

Apart from the weight of admin/organisation unlike any I’ve experienced before, it’s all on top of everything else you’ve been doing for years. You haven’t created an extra 10 spare hours in the day to work on the book; you basically need to sacrifice weekends, evenings, and to an extent, borrow from sleep hours to get it all done. For months on end! That, by the way, is totally worth it…

But on top of that – and you might find this mad – I’m actually quite shy and reserved, and don’t like to put myself out there too much. Yes, I have a publically-readable blog, but I’ve always wanted it to be a resource with substance, informed by my study, training and scientific understanding, coloured by valuable experience, sharing applicable wellness with readers… A book is as ‘out there’ as it gets; I’ve shared way more of myself than I ever thought I would in it, and getting to that stage has not been easy. From that perspective, I’ve learned more than I ever could writing digitally; if you shoot photographs using a 35mm film camera with just 20 precious exposures, you’re going to think harder about each capture than when using an inexhaustible digital SD card. It’s the same with each word on each page… I’ve invested the full range of emotions into the book and I really hope you love it!