Vitamin overdose

One of the biggest trends within health and fitness is supplements. There is supplements to make you perform better, to get bigger muscle growth and also vitamins in pills that will keep you healthy. But do we really need to spend millions of dollars every year on supplements?

Durng the last few years there are many studies that have confirmed that to high intake of supplements can lead to serious illness. For example; Too much of vitamin A can cuse nausea, loss of appetite, headache, peeling skin, hair loss, menstrual irregularity and enlarged liver to name a few.
Too much of vitamin D can cuase kidney stones and overcalcification of the bones.
Too much of Vitmain E can cause blotchy skin.

Another thing that is very popular is protein shakes, protein bars, protein shots etc that also very often contais alot of sugar.
A diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.
Losing alot of water you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart. So stick to about 15% of protein of your daily calorie intake. Just make sure you eat some kind of protein (meat, fish, poultry, beans, eggs etc.) with every meal.

I think this is a really interesting subject and I have been discussing it with a few doctors and food experts and we most often agree.
Think through what you are eating! Make sure you eat your greens, fruit and over all a healthy meal. We normaly get the vitamins and protein we need by eating healthy.
Listen to your body and if you don't feel good, go see your doctor.
I would recommend to take 1 (one) multivitamin pill a day. Thats all you need! :)

Go green!

Phone fun

Now, when you do all those things that you do everyday why not make it more fun and useful.
When you are one the phone, brushing your teeth or cleaning the dishes lift you leg up into a half tree pose.
This improves your balance and strengthens your inner core muscles.

Balance away!

Summer training

In LA it is steaming hot at the moment and I know that it can be hard to find energy and motivation to get into your training gear when it is this hot.
No excuses peeps, here are some tips of how to do it!

1. Drink water all day long

As we all sweat when we sleep (even more when it's hot) it's a good thing is to have a glass of water next to your bed, drink it if you wake up during the night and have a full glass of water when you wake up. The oxygen in the water will also help you to feel more awake in the morning. Continue to drink water during the day but make sure you don't drink too much as that can "wash" away importnat salts and vitamins in your body.




2. Workout early or late

Do your workout early in the morning or later at night as it's cooler. I recommend yoga priacticein the morning as the head is clear from thoughts about what has been happening during the day. Do your cardio workout at night as that makes you fall asleep easier.




3. Use the heat

The muscles get more flexible in warmer weather so use the heat for yoga training and functional training. Open your windows and turn of the AC! (If you sweat and slide on your mat get a "Yogitoes Skidless Mat", they are amazing!)
You will also, most likely, sweat more and this can increase the detoxifying effects of yoga.




4. Eat light and cold

When it's hot and heavy outside, eat the opposite.
Have a salad or a light cold soup (attaching a great garpacio recepie at the bottom).
We produce less heat and do not need as much energy from food when it's hot, keep light in your mind.




5. Block the sun

Use a sun block for out door workouts!




Quick and easy Gazpacho with garlic sauce



1 Yellow Onion
1 Cucumber
1 Can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon tabasco
2 dl plain yoghurt
1 piece of garlic

Cut cucumber and onion into small pieces and mix them with the tomatoes in a blender until smooth.
Mix with olive oil, salt and tabasco and stir.
Mix the yoghurt with the garlic.
Serve cold and put some of the garlic yoghurt in the soup. Serve as it is or with a piece of whole grain bread.
Yumm!

The fifth taste

For all Los Angels and everyone who is visiting LA (except vegans) need to check out my new favourite burger place, Umami Burger.

Umami is Japanese and is a fith way of how human tastes. We can taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
Umami is making different tastes blend together better. It's sort of like how oil mixes different colours together.
Most of us can't put the finger on what umami tastes like exactly but it plays a major role in how food tastes.

At Umami Burger the chef has created a few different burgers and you can take off whatever you want to but he won't add anything to his creations as they are already "perfect". The sides of hand cut french fries and onion rings are good but are not the reason why you should go there.

An Umami Burger might not be the healthiest choice for dinner but it is a trip to paradise for your taste buds and is absolutely worth it. What would life be without love, music and good food (even if it contains more fat than cucumber).

Check out their website http://umamiburger.com or just go to 850 S La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA. (La brea, just south of Wilshire)

Acai your body

For centuries, people in the amazon have eaten the Acai fruit for it's health promoting properties. Today, modern science had proved that Acai is one of the healthiest fruits ever found on earth.

In the beginning of the 90's scientists discovered something called antioxidants.
Antioxidants can be fond in fruits like strawberrys, blueberrys and raspberrys but the one fruit that has the highest levels of antioxidants is the Acai fruit.
We all have something called free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are atoms that have atleast one unpaired electron.
When we have too many free radicals in our bodies it can accelerate aging and lead to certain ailments.
Smoking, alcohol, stress, lack of sleep and too much sunlight are contributers to free radicals.
By giving an electron to unstable free radicals Antioxidants will help prevent free radicals from potentially damaging healthy cells.

When picking the Acai fruit off the tree most of it's healthy content will disapear within 24hours.
A company called Mona Vie had found a way to keep all the juicy stuff intact by dry freezing the fruit within only 5 hours after it has left it's tree. After that they squeeze all the health out of the fruit to create an Acai blend of 19 different fruits.
This drink contains lotsof vitmains and contains more antioxidants than any other drink and tastes magnificent.

After drinking this for a few weeks now I have to say that I definatly feel more alert and I have much more evergy for my morning workouts (which is normally a pain for me :))!


Check out their website on www.mymonavie.com for more info and to buy.

Acai away!

Quote of the week

' In times of difficulty take refuge in compassion and truth. '

~ The Buddha

Pack it up

When it's time for "Johannes' killer" in my classes the usual reaction is: "Ohh noooo"
So now I'm going to share this beloved and famous sequence! :)

Start with finding a space at home or at the gym where you are free to take out your moves. A good thing is to sit on a mat or a pillow.
Find the "meaty" part between your sit bones and tail bone and try to sit on that part and balance.



Bring your lower legs up so they are parallel with the floor and make sure your lower back is flat.


Straighten your legs until your heels are an inch off the floor.


Lift your legs up into the Boat Position but try to not go further than you are able to hold your lower back flat.


Finally go back to the starting position and do it all over again.



Enjoy! :)

Mel B(abe)

I am very excited when I'm writing this blog because last week I went to Las Vegas to work with wonderful Mel B!
Mel B is not only a former Spice Girl but also famous for her incredible dance skills in "Dancing with the Stars" (I really think she should have won). Mel has always been very energetic and loves to live her life in movement.
We all got to see her show "Peep Show" which was amazing. Hot bodies and good music!

As we all know Mel's body is in great shape at the moment. I asked her what she has done and we both agreed on many things when it comes to work out right.
She told me that she does cardio for 1 hour and gym training every other day. She does it every other day so the body has time to recover. Becuase all training is breaking down your muscles and its first when you rest that the body can grow stronger and build up.
Mel also told my that the best way to get fit is to get a workout partner.

I'm gonna show you a workout that will get you that killing stomach that Mel got in my next blog so stay tuned!

Also, if you are in vegas for the next week, go and see her show at Planet Hollywood. Mel has also got a new workout video coming out soon. Check her website for details!

Toxic or not?

We know that setting your mind to something in a positive way can help you achieve and get through things easier.
Positive energy will lift you and people around you and life becomes lighter and happier.
It really is just like my grandmother used to tell me: Life is not more fun than you make it!

But how does this effect us when we eat?
Let me tell you a story...

Barbara wanted to lose a few pounds but she had a really hard time doing it.
She would always order salads when she and her friends would go out for dinner.
Barbara always stared at her friends' sooo much yummier food and wished she could eat the same instead of her boring and
tasteless salad.
Do you recognize this?

So, every time we eat the "healthy choice" but tell our selfs, "This food is boring, yuck, i really don't want to eat this, I'd rather have the burger" we tell our bodies that we eat toxic.
We send signals saying that we should not eat the salad and that creates toxic and our bodies.
So also the other way around, when you eat cakes and the ice cream you love, do it and embrace it.

So next time you are eating that delicious cupcake, love every bit of it!
And the next time you are eating a salad (salads can also be very tasty, I promise) love every inch of it!

Happiness is love, food and...

...music!

A few weeks ago I went to see a concert in The Globe in Stockholm. Beyonce took on the stage and she did with style.
Even if you weren't there I think you can still feel the vibe and get goose bumps!

Quote of the week

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

~ Albert Schweitzer

Im sure you get this question all the time but...

As a personal trainer, nutrition and yoga teacher I almost everyday get the question: I need to lose a few pounds, how do I do it?
Now I am gonna, once and for all, answer that question for you! :)

I do not believe in miracle diets or starving our bodies. I believe in a healthy lifestyle where we keep a consistent level of training and food intake. It is about finding what works for you!
There are two topics we need to focus on, eating and motion.

Eat: (See below for recipes)
We need to equal our calorie intake to our calorie burn during a day.
When we get a consistent intake of food the body will burn all during the day and will use the energy instead of saving it as fat.
So eat at least 5 times a day. A steady breakfast in the morning, snack a few hours before lunch, lunch, snack in the afternoon, dinner, snack at night.
This will keep your metabolism going all day. Try to avoid too much carbs in the evening, as we are not going to use as many as we do during the day.
Make sure you eat alot of protein all during the day.



Motion:
Generally we need to move more. For many people the time is an issue when it comes to training. There is so much to do, picking up kids, going shopping, cleaning, work, and the list goes on.
Remember, training will make you last longer and have more energy to do all of the things you do.
Try to take the bike to work, don't always take the shortest way to school, take the stairs instead of the elevator and take a break during the day and to some push ups or crunches.
On top of this try to fit in 4 workout sessions a week. This could be walks, jogging, aerobic class, gym training or other activity.
The important this is to start moving more!

Of course all of this is very individual so I recommend to take contact with a personal trainer that many of my celebrities like Nicole Scherzinger and Kim Kardashian does. Try a session and get some tips of what you need.



Tips for a day on the run:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with bananas and cinnamon.
Snack: Low sweetened yoghurt with almonds.
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast with apple and bulgur salad. (Mixed salad with slices of apples, boiled bulgur, spring onions, kidney beans and top of with a little bit of balsam vinaigrette)
Snack: Cottage cheese with blueberries. (Also yummy with blueberry juice, yes believe me, its yummie!)
Dinner: Grilled salmon with shrimp sauce and feta sallad. (Just mix sour cream with red onion, salt, pepper and shrimps)
Snack: Cashew nuts


More food and training to the people!

Fun in the sun

Summer is here, it's time for days on the beach, bbq in the sun and picnics in the park, amazinlgy wonderful!
Here are a few tips of how to take care of your body in the heat and how to have a sun-safe summer.

Always drink a lot of water when you spend time in the heat. We sweat a lot more during the summer and need to dehydrate the body regularly. Why not try electrolyte enhanced water? (Read more about that on earlier blogs)

90% of all skin cancers occurs because of too much sun exposure.

The UVA rays are very strong and can do a lot of damage to you skin and body if you get a little too much of the good thing. The UVA rays can damage the collagen and elastin fibers, which support your skin's firmness. Overtime, it causes your skin to loosen, sag, and wrinkle. It also damages the blood vessels in your skin, making them weaker against infections, bacteria, acne, cancer, and other diseases. The damage is accumulative, and it often doesn't show up until many years later.
The UVA rays does give the body vitamin D which we need to be healthy.



UVB rays can cause sunburns and surface damage to the skin, such as sunspots. They are the greatest contributors to skin cancer.

The best way to protect yourself from these harmful rays are stay out of the sun, BUT we all know that's not gonna happen, so use sun block. When I go to the beach I use a brand called IS Clinical which makes a sun block that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. It also helps the skin to stay hydrated and soothes inflamed and burned skin.



But be sun-clever, when it burns and tingles, get out of the sun and remember that putting on more sunblock does not always help.

Be safe and take care of you and others!

True love

Some people and things are just meant to be together. Something that melts my tastemuds and weekends my knees is the combination of fresh red beets and goat's cheese.

Red beets are full of antioxidants and vitamins, it also contains folic acid that can help the body in the process of building healthy cells.

Goat's cheese is known for being easier on your digestive system than cow's cheese and is full of calcium and minerals.


Someone that also loves using red beets in her cooking is Martha Stewart. She likes not only the taste but also all the health benefits it comes with. Martha mentions how red beets can increase the oxygen level in the blood which means tha you heart needs to work less. This leads to that the body can last longer for example during a run.
A high oxygen level in the blood says also keeping your skin glowy and younger looking, is that way you look so good Martha?
check out Martha's red beet recepies and compare with my own marvelous creation. :)



Beat a beet salad:

Boil a few red beets with the peel still on for about 30 minutes or until they are tender like love it self.
Mix salad (ruccola is great ), pine nuts, avokado and spring onions.
Slice the beet and put on top of the salad mix.
Sprinkle some balsam vinegear and olive oil over the salad for extra yum.
Last but not least, put small pieces of goat's cheese over the salad and top with salt and pepper.

Red beet + goat's cheese = true

Eat to the beat

To eat or not to eat, thats the question... Eat of course!
It's not always easy to know what to put in your shopping basket or grab out of the fridge before your workout.
I am here going to give you a few tips of how to make your eating day complete.

I am a believer in natural and healthy food on a daily basis. Always make sure that what you eat has had a mother or has grown in the soil. To eat unnatural food, for example non fat butter, is as natural as eating a plastic bag.
There are four main things we need on a dialy basis:

1. Fat
2. Protein
3. Carbs
4. Vitamins and minerals

We normally don't need to think about the fat we need as almost every thing we eat contains fat. But do remember, we need fat so "fat free" is not always the best option.


Protein is our building material. We need it to build muscles, brain cells, hair and nails. If we dont eat protein our body will slowly disappear. Things that are full of protein is meat, chicken, fish and beans. Also lactos products like milk and cheese are rich with protein.


Carbs or carbohydrates is our fuel. We need to function, to think, to walk and talk. So carbs is a very important part of our daily meals. When we get tired and can't think clearly is often because lack of carbs. But what carbs are good carbs? There is long carbs and there is short carbs. All carbs has the function to make us alert but the difference is that long carbs, like whole grains, oat meal and brown rice etc, will last longer in our bodies. Short carbs, like sugar, white rice and white bread, will give us a quick kick but then the crash will be big when the energy is gone.


Vegtebles is also a great source of carbs and also contains most of the minerals and vitamins we need. The more raw the vegtebles are the better and more full of vitamins and minerals they are.

So, to sum this up.
-Fat in small amounts is good!
-Protein is our building material, more protein to the poeple!
-Carbs are needed, but bring it down a notch. We dont need much to function. Rule: The more you move and workout, the more carbs you need.
-Vitamins and minelars is there alot of in fruit and vegtebles. An apple (and alot of raw vegtebles) a day keeps the doctor away!

If you have any questions please comment and ask!

Now, eat to the beat of your heart and have a WONDERFUL(L) day!

J

Time for reflection

When life rushes away and when we get into our daily routines and habits, good or bad, we can easily lose ourselves and just move and work like machines.

 
In my life, there is alot of things going on and has happend during the first chapter of this year. I have moved countries, I have realized what my life dream really is, I have fallen deeper in love than ever before. Even if the road to where I am today has been hard and bumpy I am on my way to where I want to be. And when you see things open up and opportunities come your way all the hurt, the sadness, the guilt, the confusion is all worth it.

I do believe that when we reflect on the past and on what actions we have made and on what has happend around us thats when we learn and thats when we grow to become bigger and better humans.

My "Time for reflection" is often spent in a simple lotus position (on the picture). Just cross your legs, straighten your back and take deep long breaths. Find a place where you can feel calmness and that you can be there alone and where no one will bugger you. Just let your thoughts take you where they want to take you and try to not judge.
Think of the past, of things that hurt you and of things that made you happy.
And maybe the most important of all things, let go, forgive and move on.
You can only reflect on the past, not change it, so let the past go and move on to new experiences.

This is a wonderful way to do something for yourself!
Have a wonderful spring! :)
Johannes

Gear up

So, can the right running gear make you run faster?
Yes, lets throw away all sweat pants with knees and that t-shirt, size xxl, you bought in Thailand 8 years ago and lets get some new inspiring gear this year.

A must for every runner is the "Runner's tights". With these pants you will definetly run faster as they:
-will quickly absorb sweat and transport it away from your skin
-will not stop you from running smoothly as you wont step on them or feel clumsy.
-are light weight
-will keep you warm

Nike has got many typed of runner's tights; short, long, with zipper, without zipper. Look, try and feel what's best for you.



To keep your feet warm ans dry spend a little extra on a good pair of socs.
These SOC Active socks are made with Tactel, a material that dries 8 times faster than usual cotton. The material is also very light and breathes perfectly. You can also get them in an ankle version.



For all ladies a steady bra will be your best friend. This Casall Sports Bra is perfect as it will keep everything in place even for the the jumps over stones and water paddles. It's back is made of mesh that will keep your back dry.



It's important to have a top that breaths, takes good care of sweat and that is comfortble to run in.
There is many different types but one of my favourites is this SOC Long sleve runner's shirt. It is slim and follows your body perfectly when you're running and it breathes great as there is a special material around the chest and the back that takes care of sweat perfectly. The best thing though may be the little zipper pocket on the back, fantastic for the car key or the Ipod.
The women's option is almost the same, get what fits you best :)






For rainy, windy and cold days there are these options:

NIKE Fleece top for women. Breathes and keeps you warm.


NIKE Fleece top for men. With a zipper if you get too warm.


Wind and water proof jacket for men and women from Salomon.


Windproof and water resistant pants. Put them on top of your tights, which just proofs my kinder garden teahcer's statement: that there is no bad weather only bad clothes.



So now, run Forrest, run! :)

Run for your shoes

Ok, so now you have got your "must have" device, now you just need the perfect shoe for it. Nike had a wide range of Nike+ shoes (that you need to use the NIKE+IPOD device). We all run and walk differently so the best thing is to go in to your nearest sport store och Nike Town Store to try on and get expert help about your feet and the way you run. Nike also has a shop online where you cqan pick your own shoes and style them however you want. Check it out on www.nike.com .





If you prefer to run without the Nike+ decive you can of course pick whatever shoe that suits you. Here is a few hot new shoe tips:

Asics has got hundereds of shoes for different feet. On their website, www.asics.com, you can read about their different shoes and you can pick everything from extra support and cushioning to color and style.




Adidas has also got a wide selection of running shoes. They are known for the stability in their shoes. Check them out on www.adidas.com.

A good thing is to make a visit to your physio therapist. They can help you and tell you what problems you might have with your feet when running and walking. It's great to know these facts when you pick shoes so you will get the exact right ones. Some clinics can even help you to make a sole that is specially made for your feet.

Run=fun!

Pose of the week

We all now that when we can't tie our shoe laces without bending our legs we need to do something about it.
The hamstrings, the back of our legs, is a muscle group that is often extremely tight. As we use it all the time during the day why wouldn't we stretch it out everyday?
So when you wake up, simply straighten your leg out and put the other foot on the inside of your thigh. Breathe deeply and let your chest come towards your thigh. Hold for a few minutes and as you are exhaling try to come down a little bit deeper, you will feel the tightness letting go.
When I do this I feel so much lighter and faster during the day. Almost like having those flying shoes you always dreamed about as a kid!
Enjoy! :)

Spring run!

The tulips are coming through new snow, the birds are singing and I swear that I have seen atleast two couples on park benches here in Stockholm that have spring written all over them. Spring is definetly on it's way. And we all know what spring means; running season.
So for the next few days I am going to give you tips of the best gear, gadgets and methods for the best running season ever!

The "must have" gadget this year is NIKE+IPOD. It is a sensor you put in your NIKE+ shoes that together with the sensor you connect to your Ipod will measure speed, distance and calorie burn for your run. After your run you can upload your data to your computer at Nike's website where you can see scales and statistics of your run.
Right now there is also a competition going on between men and women on Nike's website. Check it out and take on the challange!

You can buy your NIKE+IPOD devices on www.nike.com/nikeplus or www.apple.com

Life is movement

Today when I woke up the ground outside my Stockholm-bedroom window was covered with snow. Kids have been playing in the snow all day and it made me think of how all kinds of movements make us happy, child as grown up.
Running in the snow, travelling to a new place or doing that favourite yoga sequence, it's all movement.

Arnaud Desjardins was a man who was one of the first practitioners of Eastern religion to be discovered in France.
He said in one of his many books:

' Life is movement. The more life there is, the more flexibility there is. '

So today make a new movement, if it is taking a walk in a new area, trying a new dish or cleaning out your closet.
I promise that it will open up new paths and bring in new things into your life.
Discover!
:)

Pose of the week

We know that simple yoga poses can help us with alot of things; stretch stiff muscles, get rid of head aches, strenhtgen the body and improve posture to name a few.

I love to do some yoga in bed first thing I do when I wake up. Simple and easy things make my day lighter.
A tip of a great pose is the "Half Lotus Twist".
It will help you to open up the hips and release tension in the lower back and will also stimulate your digestive system in time for breakfast.

Start with crossing your legs, keep a straight back and take a deep breath. Exhale and put you left hand on your right knee and rotate your body and look as far back as possible. Take deep breaths and hold the position for a minute. Feel how your spine is opening up and how you can get deeper into the position after a few breaths. Do the same thing on the pther side.

Have a twisted start of your day!
:)