Swiss Health Blogger

Why You Should Try Reformer Pilates in 2016

Why You Should Try Reformer Pilates in 2016

Ever since coming to Sydney, I've traded my weight lifting program for more low impact mat work, cardio, barre and pilates workouts (mainly because I've been excited to try out all the cool studios  and their different styles around town).

I'd always been rather skeptical, especially of Reformer Pilates because it seemed like you're not working out hard enough. If you're not breaking a sweat, it's not a real workout, right? But after having done many similar-type classes in the recent past, I can assure you that this is absolutely not the case. In fact, you're in for a killer workout.

A reformer class sits perfectly in the middle of the "hard core" versus "minimal pain" exercise spectrum, leaving you with just the right amount of achiness the next day. And since it's not a bootcamp-like atmosphere, it especially appeals to us gals who might be intimated by grungy looking crossfit boxes filled with sweaty grunting men. I'm not saying I don't enjoy those workouts, but I can understand how some girls might be intimated by that.

Wholesome Travel Guide To Berlin

Wholesome Travel Guide To Berlin

Alright, I’m only two months late, but better now then never right? Here comes your go-to health guide to Berlin!

Because I was super busy with work and my health coaching studies, Vic prepared the entire trip and researched all the places that we wanted to go to (aka she harassed me for three weeks beforehand trying to plan every nitty gritty detail of the trip #slightlyocd). But seemingly it pays off to have friends who study hospitality management, because everything about the trip was simply amazing. In short: I love Berlin because it’s absolute vegan heaven. Okay, you don’t need to read no further. You know everything now. Bye bye.

Since Vic planned the trip, I had no idea what to expect. Normally it’s my boyfriend who gets so lean back and enjoy (that’s debatable) the things I plan out, so it was a nice change to be on the receiving end. These days what I get most excited about when visiting a new place is testing my way through the vegan restaurant scene. Luckily Vic feels the same, so our trip was spent eating, eating and doing some more, well, eating.

But seriously, we had a crazy busy schedule and were basically speed walking from location to location. Which we were both secretly happy about because we ate about the amount of Vic’s weekly meal plan in one weekend. Good thing we were actually writing a healthy jetsetter guide for Well To Do London, at least that gave us an excuse as to why we were stuffing our faces 24/7. A girl has gotta try all the food before she can report about it, right?

Behind The Scenes Of Fit Reserve

Behind The Scenes Of Fit Reserve

The decision to seal the deal with a new gym subscription is not taken lightly. Oftentimes you have to commit for a minimum of six months and you have to be 100% certain that you're not going to throw in the towel after a couple of sessions. Joining just one studio seems limiting, but joining more than one becomes expensive.

Have you ever found yourself thinking about trying new fitness routines, or do you cringe at the thought of signing a 1-year contract with your local gym? Then the soon-to-launch Fit Reserve may be for you.

I've already shared with you guys on Instagram that Vic, Sabrine and I are ambassadors for Fit Reserve & I'm beyond excited to introduce you to this new concept (and show you the awesome behind-the-scenes pics from the photoshoot). Let's take a closer look.

BBG Bootcamp in Berlin with Kayla Itsines

BBG Bootcamp in Berlin with Kayla Itsines

So...this just happened. I can't believe how quickly the day went by and that the BBG Berlin Bootcamp is already over! About two years ago I started using Kayla's guides (see my initial review) and here I find myself training with queen K herself. How crazy.

But let's go back a couple of steps...Vic and I have been planning on doing a weekend city trip for a while, so when we heard that Kayla was coming for a BBG bootcamp to Berlin, we didn't think twice. We bought our tickets instantly without wasting any thought on how to get there, where to stay and if we even had time on that day. But there was simply no way we were passing up the opportunity to work out with our favourite personal trainer in person! Berlin is only a short 1 hour flight from Switzerland and we had been thinking of doing a weekend city trip together anyways, so it was perfect timing.

When I first started Kayla's BBG guides, I was hoping to get stronger and look fitter (take a look at my progress pictures here and here), but never in a million years  did I expect to make a best friend along the way. Did you guys know that Vic and I went to the same university but only met because she found me through a #BBG hashtag that I was using and recognised the gym I was taking selfies in?! Thank god for Instagram & thank god for the amazing BBG community.

Quick 'n' Easy Veggie Noodle Bowl with Teriyaki Sauce

Quick 'n' Easy Veggie Noodle Bowl with Teriyaki Sauce

Now that I'm working while sending out job applications for a new position and studying at IIN at the same time, I find myself relying on quick and easy recipes more than ever. People will often say they don't have the time to eat healthy because the cooking takes so long, but I think that's just a lame excuse. Healthy dishes can be some of the easiest to throw together, you just need a bit of practice to get into a rhythm.

For example, for a smoothie literally all you have to do is throw all the fruits and veggies into the mixer, press the start button, wait 5 seconds and voila. Now that's what I call fast food!

I know we don't all live off smoothies all day long, so that's where this warming veggie noodle bowl with a homemade Teriyaki sauce comes in handy. Noodle bowls are awesome because you can customize them any way you like – a total clean out the fridge kind of meal. Take whatever veggie looks like it's best days are over (brownish kale, I'm looking at you), throw it into a noodle bowl and see it come back to life. So go ahead and customize this noodle bowl with whatever you have left in the fridge.

My Search For The Perfect Diet

My Search For The Perfect Diet

This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for ages, so I’m really excited to finally share it with you today. I’ve been saying a lot laltey how I want to be more open with you guys, more transparent and to share my struggles with being healthy, so here it finally is. It’s a very personal and honest post about my search for the perfect diet and it will shed some light on the questions I get about what I eat.

So many people always ask: Are you vegan? Vegetarian? Pescetarian? Do you eat gluten? What about soy? Would you ever consider going full raw?

Let me say it first off: I don’t believe in labeling one’s diet. People nowadays have this need to categorize people and themselves according to their way of eating. I personally think this just causes unnecessary pressure and can lead to eating disorders or even orthorexia. And what works for you now, doesn’t necessarily work for you in a couple of years, so why confine yourself like that? I’m saying this because I had a time where I felt like I needed to associate myself with a certain type of eating. I felt like I needed to choose and to stick to it and that I wasn’t truly healthy if I wasn’t eating specifically raw, vegan, paleo, gluten free or any of the other diets out there. I only learnt over time that it is OK to be a bit of everything.

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New Restaurant Find: Roots In Zurich

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New Restaurant Find: Roots In Zurich

Moving from Lausanne to Bern has brought it's many benefits. Not only am I 10 minutes away from a local Tibits, but I am just a short hour train ride away from Zurich. We in Switzerland are not very 'spoiled' when it comes to healthy eating options and Lausanne is right up there in terms of vegan-unfriendliness. The change in residency might not be the best for my wallet (read: I am taste testing every health hot spot in my way of destruction), but my taste buds are happy campers.

Before going to the Rhythm108 event at Balboa with Victoria, we had some serious catching up to do. We decided to grab a quick lunch at Roots, which opened a couple of months ago and has been getting lots of attention since. I'm happy to see such positive reactions towards a healthy, trendy restaurant; maybe it will encourage more of this type to pop up?

Healthspo Talk With Marie Ferrari From Smoothies Addict

Healthspo Talk With Marie Ferrari From Smoothies Addict

#healthspotalk number 3 is featuring Marie Ferarri, the woman behind Smoothies Addict. I first met Marie while absolving my internship with Fit 'n' Tasty, the Swiss-based organic and cold-pressed detox company that I'm sure you have all seen me bombarding Instagram with. We were on the lookout for health bloggers in the Swiss scene and at this point Marie was just kicking off her own little business. A big advocate of green smoothies and superfoods, she decided to sell superfoods online (you might be surprised to known how hard it is to find superfoods in Switzerland) and launch her own blog on which she shares her knowledge and passion on healthy living. She also hosts weekly "Smoothie Workshops" in Geneva, which I have had the pleasure of attending. Here some shots (and click here for more information about the dates and location)

My Current Workout Routine & Latest Fitness Gear Obsession

My Current Workout Routine & Latest Fitness Gear Obsession

Hello lovelies! I apologize for the lack of posts, but my last year of uni is requiring a lot of my attention at the moment + I am starting my job application process (you don't by any chance know about job opportunities in Australia? :))  I just finished a major project and am now off for one week. So, what to do? Get back into a proper fitness routine and step up my game of course! Even though I try to work out no matter how stressed I am or how little time I have, I do stray away from my normal routine in times of stress. I'm still a huge emotional eater, so my diet suffers in the days/weeks leading up to a big deadline...But now that that's all done, Stef is back! I wanted to give you a quick overview of how my workout schedule looks like at the moment, and also show you my latest workout gear obsession (scroll down to the bottom of the page for an Active In Style promo code)

Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review

Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide Review

If you have been following my journey on IG, you might have seen that I have been doing Kayla Itsines' #bikinibodyguide. It's a 12 week workout program with a focus on fat burning through HIIT and plyometric training.  My friend Sofia from SofiaClara recently interviewed me about my experience with the program and I wanted to give you the option to read the conversation on my blog too. Here is our full interview:

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