Vitamins and supplements

Hi!

Completely forgot to write anymore yesterday, had plans on taking a photo of my dinner as well but guess I just have to describe it instead. I Had Pan-fried chicken with tarragon and lemon and a green salad with that. For dessert we had fresh strawberries and a little bit of ice cream. Except for my three main meals I also had roasted almonds and an apple in between the meals. Always eat 5-6 times a day!

I had plans on walking the morning trail again tonight with a friend but I have got a cough and in order to recover I will stay home instead. I might just do a basic yoga workout depending on how I feel.

We got new Vitamins yesterday (we order them online since the Swiss brand is not available in HK) so now I am back to my normal pill cocktail in the mornings:

From the left: Spirulina (I take 2-4 tablets a day, will write a whole post about spirulina in the future), women's green multivitamin (1 tablet) Fish Oil which is Omega 3 (3 tablets) Hair skin and Nails (1 tablet) and Mood (1 tablet) the last one is good for women especially around PMS periods. 



 Remember that Vitamins are only supplements and will only work if you also eat a balanced diet. What many people don't know is that the vitamins need to be transported to the cells by for example fat or water. Vitamins A, D, E and K for example are fat-soluble vitamins meaning that they dissolve in fat before they are absorbed in the blood stream to carry out their functions. This means that if you don't eat fat you will eventually get a deficiency of these vitamins no matter how many pills you pop. Always stick to a balanced diet between Slow Carbohydrates, Good Fats, Protein and water to make sure the body get all the nutrition it needs!

Have a Healthy and Happy Day!

Time for lunch

Today's lunch box: Salad made of raw broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, barley, quinoa, sundried tomatoes and balsamico. Very healthy and very yummy! 

Healthy Breakfast

Good Morning!

First day at work after the holiday. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast: Porridge made of Rolled Oats, Barley, Sunflowerseeds, Flaxseeds and dried cranberries served with fresh milk. Two boiled eggs and a cup of green tea. I also take my vitamins in the morning: Multivitamins, Omega 3 and Spirulina.

Have a nice day!

First session after the holiday

The brunch today was lovely. Got a bit warm in the end since I was wearing a bit too covering clothes but don't mind since I'm quite happy to be back in a warm climate after two weeks in the snow. I feel really lucky that I have so much opportunities to travel and live in such an amazing place:) Ate a lot of food at the brunch especially sushi, sashimi and heaps of desserts, didn't drink anything though which I am happy about since I still had some energy left to go out for the first training session after the holiday. I walked up the Morning trail which is a trail that starts about 10 minutes from where I live and then leads up to Victoria Peak which is one of the higher peaks on Hong Kong Island and the views from up there can be stunning on a clear day. It takes about 40 minutes to walk up from my house and then when up there, I either walk or run around the peak which is about 2km or I do a strength exercise session with body weight and/or straps. Today I just walked up, did a few balance exercises and push ups. I'm still not entirely recovered from all the skiing so I wanted to start out pretty calm.

Back to work tomorrow so tonight will be a quiet night in the sofa with coldcuts, cheeses and a movie:)

Good night...

Brunch and to drink or not to drink?

Hi!

I am back home now for the first time in two weeks and it actually feels great. Two weeks of holiday is perfect since it is long enough to get the motivation back for work. I have a lot of things to deal with regarding my own little company and my regular job. Fixing with some things now but will soon take a break since I am going for brunch with some friends in a Restaurant here in Hong Kong called Top Deck. It will be absolutely lovely because the weather is sunny with about 20 degrees (Celsius) and we will sit outside. Usually brunches here involves free flowing champagne and usually I am a big fan of it, but today I think I will have to stick to the nice food and the alcohol free beverages. Feel I have been indulging enough over the holiday and I still want some productive hours in the afternoon including some exercise (which I wouldn't get if drinking since I get drunk from very little :)).

I promised I would write about my opinion of alcohol and drinking and here it comes: I write about health and happiness since I think they are very much interrelated. I think life is all about balance and that basically everything is allowed in moderation (drugs and anything illegal excluded of course). Alcohol in excess will have serious health effects but alcohol in moderation will not. I like a glass of wine now and then and I even like to have a bender (?!) on special occasions and I think we have to allow ourselves that. Forbidding ourselves to drink, eat or do something we like will just be destructive mentally and can lead to unhappiness. Always keep balance in mind; allow yourself the "forbidden" treats - in moderation!

                                No need to choose one or the other when you can do both! :)

Travelling today

Hi!

I am travelling home today so don't have much opportunity to write. You will hear from me again when I am back in Hong Kong!

Good Morning!

For all you guys out there trying to lose weight; I found this article about the 6 most common mistakes that keep you from losing those kilos.


http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/weight-loss-mistakes/index.php?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-WL-_-6MistakesThatKeepYouFat

We had a bit of a late night here last night and several people are a bit hangover today :) Luckily I went to bed at midnight and didn't drink so much so I will go snowboarding today on my own. I am still a beginner at boarding so will be a good day to mess around in the easy slopes. Regarding Hangovers and Alcohol, check in later for what I think about a healthy approach to it and what you can do to avoid feeling horrible the day after.

Have a healthy and happy day!

Rest

Hi!

Taking a day off skiing today and have just had a chilled day. 9 days of skiing in a row is probably a bit too much and I should probably have had a rest day sooner. Had a sleep-in, late breakfast, a coffee in the village and then a walk around. We had lunch in a cosy little cafe and it was actually nice to have something else than Japanese food for a change. I had a rye sandwich with cream cheese, smoked salmon and lettuce. The cafe had amazing cakes so we decided to have dessert as well so my boyfriend and I shared a Banana Chocolate pie that was really yummy :) 

Rest is extremely important when you are doing exercise and here are some reasons why:

When you are resting you allow your body to adapt to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. It is no myth that muscles need rest to grow. Exercise or any other physical activity causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores as well as fluid loss. During the rest time these stores will be replenished and the tissue will be repaired. 

Without sufficient time to repair and replenish, the body will continue to breakdown from intensive exercise. Symptoms of overtraining often occur from a lack of recovery time. Signs of overtraining include a feeling of general malaise, staleness, depression, decreased sports performance and increased risk of injury, among others.

Something else to keep in mind is that ligaments don't grow as fast as muscles and they tire faster. You need to rest to give the ligaments and tendons time to adapt to and catch up with the muscles to prevent injuries.

Seafood dinner

Just back from an amazing dinner - 6 course Japanese seafood dinner. Lots of oysters, sashimi, crab etc. I absolutely love seafood and the fact that it is super healthy makes it even better. Had a few glasses of wine with dinner and that plus all the food made me tired so I am back in the house now in my track suit pants with a cup of peppermint tea. I always drink peppermint tea when I have had a big meal since it helps with digestion. My friends and boyfriend decided to go out for another drink so they might stay out for a while.
Thinking about having the day off from skiing tomorrow to rest the legs a little bit and in that case you can expect some longer posts:)

Good night...

Fantastic day!

Hi!

Don't have so much time to write  because we are heading out for dinner but here are some photos from the amazing day!

More Niseko pics

Hi!

My legs are starting to get really soar now after 8 straight days of skiing - 6 more to go!

Thinking about taking the day off tomorrow and maybe rent a board instead for a few runs. We are staying here in a house here in Niseko, Hirafu with three apartments called Ishi Colouir. It is really five star accommodation for skiing and I can really recommend it. We are here with a bunch of friends of about 20 people (all from Hong Kong) so we have the whole house plus we have a few friends here staying in other places. I guess I thought it would be more drinking and going out at night since we are so many here but everyone have been so exhausted so we have been in bed by 10PM almost every night.

Some more pics:

                                     

Off-piste in lots of powder

First run of the day with fresh tracks!

I'm eating hotpot for dinner:)

Go Nuts!

Hi!

I thought I would dedicate a post to my absolute favourite snack - nuts! I luckily don't have a sweet tooth (don't get me wrong I enjoy desserts now and then) and neither am I a fast food junkie. I think this is pretty natural though since my body is used to getting healthy wholesome food and that is why I never crave candy or junk food. I think that the body works the best when you eat regularly to keep the metabolism up and I eat 5-6 times a day; breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and sometimes an evening snack. Nuts are my absolute favourite snack since they are healthy, nutritious, filling and easy to take with you everywhere. I always eat unsalted nuts since they are usually healthier than salted. Favourites are: Walnuts, almonds and cashews, sometimes macadamias if I feel like a treat :)

So why are nuts a healthy snack and what are the benefits?

Nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are also rich fibres, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium. Nuts are also high in and fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 - the good fats) which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol.

The richness in fibres and fat will fill you up and make you feel full faster but the fat is also a reason to the high calorie content so limit your morning and afternoon snacks to a handful!

Now you know what to bring for snacks to school or work tomorrow - Go Nuts :)

My Training Routine

Hi!

Back from another day on the mountain. Got some really nice snow again today so was a great day. The snow is just puking down right now though so hoping for something really special tomorrow.

I'm here in Niseko for two weeks so next Sunday I am going back to Hong Kong again. I am Swedish but have lived in Hong Kong for three years now. Hong Kong has a subtropical climate so skiing is obviously not a part of my normal training routine. I've always been a big fan of most kinds of exercise especially things you can do outdoors. Since I took my NASM personal training certificate though, I have realized the importance of having a good foundation meaning core strength, balance, posture and reactive and stabilizing ability. If you don't have the basics, you can develop muscular imbalances when exercising which eventually will lead to injury. Yoga and Pilates are examples of training that I think is essential to incorporate in a training routine. If practiced regularly it will contribute to the basics I mentioned above. Additionally, it engages all muscles in your body, not just the bigger muscle groups. When you do weight training in the gym for example you only train one muscle group at the time, when combining this with Yoga and Pilates on the other hand, smaller muscles are also engaged. By working on all your muscles, you will get better posture, a more toned body and more calories will be burned both when training and in rest.

A normal week for me would usually include:

1 Session Yoga
1 Session Pilates
2 Spinning Sessions or 2 1-hour hikes (or 1 of each)
1 Session Weight Training

I also do longer hikes (around 4 hours) on the weekends whenever the weather allows it. Hong Kong is great for hiking since there are big national park areas with big height differences which can be very strenuous and hence a great workout:)

I also walk most places, and avoid taking taxis and public transport. You got legs to use them!

Except for the longer hikes I try to limit all sessions to 1 hour and have at least 1 day off a week. Rest is very important, your body needs to recover to get stronger plus your ligaments don't grow as fast as your muscles so if you don't rest you might risk injury.

This is what works for me right now.  I am more set on cardio at the moment since I am doing a 100km hike in November this year and I have recently had a period of more strength training. Remember that my goal is to be healthy and happy so I train because it makes me feel really good and because I enjoy it. I have no vision of looking like a bodybuilder or have zero fat on my body.

It is almost dinner time here for me now and since I am on holiday I am going to enjoy a glass of red now with my friends in front of the fire!

Have a healthy and happy evening!

Breakfast

 Good Morning!

It has snowed overnight here in Niseko so will take the first lift up the mountain to catch the first powder snow and make fresh tracks. I'm just about to have breakfast:
Oats (always rolled oats or rye oats, not oatmeal) with flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and fresh milk. With that I have two boiled eggs and green tea. Sometimes I replace the cranberries with fresh blueberries as well but couldn't find that here. I never drink skimmed or soy milk since fresh milk keeps me full much longer. Don't forget to have some salt in your oats or with your egg especially when you are going exercising since you will lose a lot of salt when exercising. I could write tons about breakfast will probably dedicate a whole post later on.

Did you know that you are basically always dehydrated in the morning? A tip is to always drink a big glass as soon as you wake up to reset the balance.

Have a healthy and happy day!

Happiness - Recommended Book

I thought I would just add a quick post about a book I can really recommend: Happiness by Matthieu Ricard. This book is an easy read and it made me realize that happiness is really a state of mind not just joy now and then when you do something fun or achieve something. Happiness is really to be content with your life and this book gave me inspiration of how to get there. Don't worry, it is not a Hocus Pocus book or religious propaganda, it is really a good read!

Antioxidants

I thought I would dedicate a post to antioxidants since there is such a hype around it at the moment. Everyone is talking about it and how good it is for you, but what is it really?

Antioxidants are nutrients that helps protect our bodies from the mass of harmful toxins we're exposed to every day. These unwanted toxins are mostly made up of oxidants, hence the name antioxidants. Oxidants are released whenever something is burnt whether it be a cigarette, fuel or even the food our bodies burn for energy. These oxidants are responsible for damaging the cells that your body is built from which can cause aging and disease. Fortunately, these toxins can be essentially disabled by our friend the antioxidant, the most effective of which come in the form of vitamins A, C and E as well as anthocyanins.

Antioxidants are found in varying amounts in foods such as vegetables, fruits, grain cereals, eggs, meat, legumes and nuts. Some antioxidants  can be destroyed by long-term storage or prolonged cooking meaning that processed foods contain fewer antioxidants than fresh and uncooked foods.

Examples of food high in antioxidants are:

Gojiberries, Pomegranate, Berries (especially wild blueberries),  Red Beans, Walnuts, Sunflowerseeds, Kiwi, Prunes, Red beets, Spinach, Green Tea, etc.

To make it easy for myself I just keep in mind that generally, most red fruits, vegetables and berries are rich in antioxidants, the darker the red colour the more antioxidants.

To be honest, I don't beleive that eating heaps of blueberries and red beans magically will remove your wrinkles or save you from all diseases. What I do beleive though, is that a lot of people eat too much processed food which will lead to that they don't get enough antioxidants and hence might get diseases or age faster than people that eat fresh food. Of course this is just what I think and I don't have proof for it but I hope you all agree with me that sticking to the fresh stuff makes much more sense!

Niseko Pics

View from the peak of Mount Annapuri. No lifts go up here so we had to hike up from the top lift.

Skiing in Japan

Since last saturday I am in Niseko, Japan Skiing. Having a quiet day today since the first four were awesome with fresh snow and great skiing and it hasn't snowed overnight. Apparently it is supposed to snow tonight again so trying to reload the batteries for tomorrow's powder :) Will be here for two weeks in total so I have plenty of time left.

As wonderful as the sport is, it is really hard on your muscles. Lot's of muscles you don't usually use and skiing is very explosive and hard to prepare your body for if the exercise you usually do is more aerobic. I did some Yoga and Pilates yesterday to vary the training a bit and get a proper stretch. Need some rest as well, skiing with tired muscles are not the greatest since it is easier to loose control and between the trees and in the deep fresh snow you definitely want to be in control :)

Niseko is a great place especially since the snow is better than anything else I have ever skiied in. The life "outside"of skiing like After ski etc is much better in other places like in Europe plus the part where you can sit and chill in the slopes catching some sun you definitely don't have here since the weather is much more hardcore. I like it though, think it is great that different places have different things going for them and here it is definitely the snow. And of course the Japanese food....

I have thought of what to do to prepare your body for skiing and there are a few exercises like squat jumps with weights that would be good. Think explosive and with weights. I used to do Athletics when I was younger and a lot of the training was very explosive so thought about that for inspiration. Skating (jumping from one leg to the other sideways) could also be a good one and some reactive training like jumping down from boards or steps. When you jump down from something, remember to always stabilize you body before you move on. For the cardio, I would recommend intervalls, short sprints with rest in between.

Took some nice picks the other day, will try to upload them here as well!

Have a healthy & happy day!