September 2017

We are now well and truly into autumn, with the onset of darker evenings and mornings. Autumn is a great season with cooler days to help keep you moving and nature gives us beautiful colours. It also brings a new influx of amazing produce. Good nutrition and optimum fitness go hand in hand and there is nothing I love more than finding new recipes as we move into a new season. There is a wealth of locally produced meat, fruit and vegetables available and endless recipes online to make the most of the season’s offerings. Farmers' Markets and Pick Your Own farms are really the best way to shop for food. When you go directly to the producer, you can be assured that whatever you buy is produced responsibly, to high environmental standards and that in buying it you are also supporting the local economy.

There are lots of markets locally, such as those in Amersham, St. Albans and Beaconsfield, but a great site to find your nearest farmers market is http://www.findlocalproduce.co.uk/Farmers_Markets.

If you want to go and see where your food comes from – check out http://www.farmshop.uk.com/ - mainly if you have children, it is a great educational experience. What's more, seasonal food from the farm just tastes better!

Not only does fresh produce taste great it is also full of metabolism boosting ingredients. People miss breakfast for reasons varying from not feeling hungry first thing in the morning, to believing it will aid their weight loss goals. It is well documented that in fact, eating a healthy breakfast can reduce cravings later in the day for subsequent snacks and meals. Eating low-GI, complex carbohydrates alongside a helping of protein at the start of the day will give your body all it needs in terms of energy and will kick-start your metabolism so you start burning more calories, earlier in the day. I have picked a couple of my favourite breakfast recipes to energise you for the day ahead.

Recipe:

Fig and Chocolate Porridge

2 servings

80g porridge oats
2 dried figs, chopped into small pieces
2 tsp cacao nibs
1 tsp raw cacao powder
400ml almond milk
6 small squares 80% dark chocolate or raw chocolate, chopped
2 or 3 fresh figs, chopped

Put first 5 ingredients into a pan and cook until you have a nice creamy porridge, adding water as necessary. I like to cook the porridge for at least 10 mins so it is extra creamy.
Remove from heat and stir through the chocolate, top with fresh figs and serve immediately.

Figs are an amazing fruit in season now – they are great for breakfast, healthy deserts and are also wonderful in salads. Their beautiful jewel coloured flesh not only looks gorgeous on your plate, but is a sign of their high nutrient value. Deeply coloured fruit and vegetables in general (think beetroot, blueberries, plums, kale etc.), are richer in beneficial plant compounds, and figs are no exception. They are an excellent source of antioxidants, to protect your skin against ageing and are rich in minerals potassium, manganese and iron, along with vitamins A, B and C. They also provide a good amount of fibre.

Superfood Frittata

Makes 1 large frittata, or 4 portions - perfect for breakfast or lunch

1 medium sweet potato, cut into small cubes,
2 handfuls of kale, woody stalks removed
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 chopped red chili
2 chopped garlic cloves
6 eggs

Toss the sweet potato in 1tsp oil and roast in the oven 20 mins or until soft. Allow to cool completely
Meanwhile, steam kale until soft about 10-15 mins, and roughly chop. Allow to cool completely
Stir-fry onions, garlic and chili for about 5 mins. Allow to cool completely
Beat 6 eggs in a bowl add 2 tbsp chopped parsley and all the vegetables, once they have completely cooled.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook 5 mins or so in a non-stick pan and then place under the grill to cook the top.
Keeps in the fridge for 2 days, makes a great portable lunch.

Orange vegetables such as butternut squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes are some of my favorite autumnal produce. They contain particularly high levels of beta-carotene and other carotenoids, which give them their lovely colour. Beta-carotene is converted in the body to vitamin A, an essential nutrient for healthy skin and eyes and for the immune system. Beta-carotene itself also helps to prevent free radical damage, as it has powerful antioxidant effects. Orange veg also provide vitamin C, for boosting collagen production, vitamin E and a host of protective plant compounds. Just 100g of sweet potato provides the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A and is a great source of slow-releasing, healthy carbohydrates.

This months' training tips have been centered on taking your training to the next level. The featured blog looks at how to mix up your training - not only to help with mindset but also with developing muscles for improvement in strength and endurance. You can also read more about my journey to the OCR World Championships.

Our H2O and Improve running performance sessions at Merchant Taylors are now in full swing.It has been great to see participants benefiting from the fantastic facilities.
Perhaps join our How to Obstacle-run and Improve running performance Facebook group to stay up to date, check out www.fitforanything.net or come to a session and try it out! Further sessions for 2017 are:

Sat 7th October Sat 21st October Sat 11th November Sat 25th November Sat 2nd December Sat 9th December

event calendar

Well done to all and of course to the Fit For Anything (FFA) clients who took part in various events over September. This included:

*Hercules Festival of Sports in St. Albans -12 different race events - 17/9.
*The Peak District Challenge - running or walking, choose from 5 distances - 22/9.
*Tough Mudder London South - 23/9 + 24/9.

Coming up this Autumn!

*Spartan Windsor 'beast and 'sprint' distance event 30/9 + 1/10.

*The Moor Park 10K and Junior Fun Runs - 1/10 - one of the best organised Junior run events in the area.

*OCR. World Championship short 3km distance - 13/10 and OCR. World Championship standard 15km distance - 14/10.

*Ricky Road Run - The 10-mile run - 29/10.

*Watford Autumn (off-road) 10K - 26/11
http://www.raceonline.uk/race-entry/watford10k

FFA is also going to put a team together to participate in (Half, 5 miles) - 7/7 + 8/7 2018.
Please see event details here: Tough Mudder London North

The event is near Hemel Hempstead which is the nearest obstacle event for FFA clients. Each month there is a price rise, next one is 28/9 so please let me know if you are up for this. The FFA team will ensure all participants will finish...

A HUGE THANK YOU !!!!!

Thank you to all my clients who have supported me already with sponsorship towards attending the O.C.R. World Championships in Canada next month. This is a personal goal of mine I would not be able to realise without your support. Your generosity is appreciated more than words can express.
A massive thank you to Imran Ahmed who convinced me go ahead to do this and helped me with things when I needed it.
A big thank you so far to:
Penny Newman, Paul Stoica, Florin Stoica, Caroline Isaacs, Simon Hargreaves, Phil Ladmore, Victoria Peckett, Oliver Topping, Emily Cooper, Nicki Cawood, Geoff Adams-Spink, Jackie Kessess, Mukesh, Sanjay and Rajeev Lakhani.

Please check Fit for Anything on Facebook or ask me for any further information about it.
Are you or your company looking to sponsor and/or donate, please get in touch to discuss or go to my gofundme page https://www.gofundme.com/tmnmjt-ocr-world-championship?pc=sms_db_co2876_v1&rcid=e69350ecd74b4b639346a702dce84fcd

Many thanks again!

For more information on any upcoming events, new sessions or availability, get in touch.

Be(come) Fit For Anything!

All the best,
Roel

September 2017 Newsletter

Fig and Chocolate Porridge

Take the next step and contact Fit For Anything for an Initial Consultation here.

Email: rj@fitforanything.net Call: 07786652095

Skype: roel.jansen247 Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/5231811151