Fitter Food on the Go

As if living in the most toxic city in the UK isn’t bad enough London can seem like one of the hardest places to be healthy. Working hours are long, commutes are stressful and it’s difficult to believe we were ever meant to eat anything other than coffee, croissants and crisps as they are everywhere. Most of us end up eating out or on the go a couple of times a week through sheer convenience and on these occasions you often want to keep things relatively healthy. The food industry are increasingly catching on to the fact that Londoners operate a credit/debit lifestyle. The weekend is about the vino, chunky chips, lattes, cup cakes and the full English. By Monday we’re back on it and looking to eat garden + goji berries to detox the weekend out of our system. As a result there are now much healthier options available, that is if you bypass the well marketed “diet” foods like low calorie, tasteless sandwiches and head toward the more genuine healthy eateries in and around the city.

Lets start with breakfast, personally I prefer a protein based option as it keeps me full until lunchtime. I’m impressed by POD’s breakfast, which include eggs served a number of ways and a superfood breakfast of eggs, spinach, tomato, feta and seeds. I also love their chicken and avocado wrapped in nori seaweed, I even borrowed the idea for my own lunches. Lots of small cafes and sandwich shops also offer take away scrambled eggs and omelettes where you can decide how many whites/yolks you want, top it with chicken, spinach and skip the cheese.

Matt recently discovered free range, organic breakfasts at the National Gallery (he can often be found there having "meetings") which also includes a healthy option of grilled mushrooms, cooked tomatoes and avocado. Patisserie Valerie also offer a range of egg breakfasts served with salmon or ham.

Porridge lovers are spoilt for choice with Leon, Eat, Pret and Le Pain Quotidien offering hot porridge daily, top it with berries, seeds and nuts to add extra protein and anti-oxidants.

In terms of snacking there are fruit stalls a plenty outside every tube station these days, stock up on more alkaline fruits like apples, pears and melon. Always grab some lemons and limes to squeeze into your two litres of filtered water each day. Nuts and seeds are also highly convenient and packed with protein, vitamins and minerals. Aim to have 1-2 handfuls a day. There are Cranberry stalls in most stations now so you can grab a selection on route to work, they even include raw nuts, awesome! If portion control is an issue you can start a Graze subscription and have small boxes delivered to your desk. See how lucky us Londoners are!

As for lunch, if you use big chains like Eat, Pret, Starbucks they now label ingredients in store and their websites contain full nutritional information and ingredients, I support this as it’s always good to understand what you’re putting inside your body (and how much sugar they put in “healthy” granola bars or bran muffins, usually >30grams! ). Gluten free and dairy free meals tend to be good choices as sometimes dressings and soups can be laden with cream and butter. If you see coconut milk listed as an ingredient grab it, this is excellent stuff with numerous health benefits, never avoid it.

Tossed salad bars are popping up everywhere, you can choose a base of salad leaves and toppings. It’s also great way to get ideas for your own salads when you make them at home. They also offer stews served with brown rice and hearty soups. I have always rated Leon for offering a great range of hearty salads topped with protein, dairy free coleslaw and brown rice. In the evenings they serve tapas including garlic & chilli broccoli, sweet potato falafels and you can even take your own bottle of wine to make a night out healthier on the bank balance.

Crussh Juice and Salad Bar are possibly my favourite chain. They have a great range of fresh juices where you can add your own greens and superfoods. If you are ever hungover swap the latte for a Detoxer Super Booster, that'll fix you for the day! Their health pots are fantastic, including watercress & celeriac, black lentil or goats cheese and sweet potato. They also have a host of healthy snacks (nuts, seeds, Bounce bars and my favourite: Green & Blacks 70% dark chocolate).

Admittedly with some of these lunches you pay more than you would for baguettes or wraps but you are getting your money’s worth as your lunch will be packed with protein, good fats, low GI carbs, vitamins and minerals.

If you are looking for a healthy dinner, steak restaurants are a good choice, I like Sophie’s Steakhouse as they have a good range of meat and fish served with ratatouille and hearty salads. Byron Burgers serve skinny burgers (without the bread) great with a butternut squash and avocado salad. If you feel like spoiling yourself go for Gaucho Grill, they serve the best sweet potato chips.

Itsu, Wagamama's and Busaba are popping up everywhere and offer great range including healthy miso soups, sashimi, Thai salads and stir fry’s. Every now and then I opt for vegetarian restaurants to get in a serious dose of all the good stuff; Mildrids, Vita Organic, Vantra and Food For Thought are all great for chunky stews, vegetable curries and delicious salads.

If you do fancy indulging in something sweet mid week head to Vita Organic, Vantra, POD, Planet Organic or Wholefoods for some guilt free treats. They all sell an excellent selection of gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened desserts and cakes. Last week I also discovered coconut milk ice cream at inSpiral Lounge in Camden, dairy free ice cream that tasted absolutely amazing, it even got the thumbs up from Matt "ice cream connoisseur" Whitmore. All of the above also stock raw chocolate, the food of the gods! If you are stuck in the office all day you can order desserts from the Raw Fairies instead, now who wouldn’t want a cake delivered by a fairy!

So as you can see keeping healthy across the week isn't so bad after all. All the above (+ Fitter London classes every week of course!) are geared to keeping you energised and ready to tackle anything London throws at you.

BioSignature Success in 4 Weeks

Having been training with Fitter London from early 2010 I had already seen a great progression in my overall strength and fitness but was still looking for that extra something to get the improvements I really wanted. I've been training for over 10 years and have always struggled to gain size and a considerable increase in strength, mainly thanks to what I thought was my high metabolism. Siting in the region of 70kg in body weight I am by no means a big guy and could consume up to 6000 calories a day, combined with a decent weight training program, was still only able to gain around 2-3kg in muscle mass that would then be lost if my calorie intake dropped. I'd resided to the fact that its just the way I am and was never going to get the strength gain I wanted.

When Keris first introduced me to the BioSignature concept, I was intrigued to see if the principles could be used to help me get the results I wanted. I soon got online to research the origin of the idea and found myself on world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin's website, who developed the BioSignature method. I lost hours reading blogs and articles, discussing strength and body conditioning concepts that had completely opposing views on fat loss and muscle gain to those of the fitness magazines and personal trainers I had previously spoken to. I was absolutely fascinated and sold on the idea that the concept could help me get the results I wanted.

My initial assessment involved the measuring of my body fat percentage at 12 points around my body that revealed a current measurement of 11.8%. Then followed an in depth analysis of my current diet and lifestyle that was then followed by a strict 2 week diet and supplementation plan with the intention of getting my body fat percentage below 10% and a high intensity, varied training schedule based on the Fitter London classes and one personal training session a week with Matt.

The diet was a paleo based diet, high in protein and removing dairy and carb heavy food with the exception of fruit. I found the first few days a challenge as the craving for sugar set in and my body felt tired as it adapted to a protein based energy source. With the promise of a cheat day after two weeks on the plan, I could eat what ever I wanted. it wasn't a tough decision to stick with it and persevere.

Within 4 days of starting the prescribed plan I was already starting to feel better not only physically but mentally too. I could concentrate for longer at work (something I've always struggled with), my sleep was getting better and my general energy levels through out the day were more consistent without the afternoon slump. I was now able to maintain a higher intensity during workouts and could start to see a marked difference in my body composition. As the two week mark approached and all aspects of my training improving, I was keen to see what my second assessment would reveal and the list of sugary, carb laden foods I was planning on eating on my cheat day was growing and growing!

At the second assessment, my body fat measurements revealed I had dropped 2.2% and was now at 9.6%! I couldn't believe the results and although I had lost body fat, my overall weight was the same meaning I had gained a noticeable amount of lean muscle mass. This is exactly what I had hoped for and although I was now on my promised cheat day, I had no real desire to pig out on sugar and carbs and ruin all the progress I had made. I did make a point of eating fish and chips after completing the first two weeks to see how it made me feel and I have to say, I felt absolutely terrible after wards. All it did was reiterate how good I was now feeling on the low carb diet. I'd also kept a complete, day by day record of everything I had eaten over the last two weeks and on inspection, Keris gave me some pointers on where I could improve/change to get even better results.

These two weeks had given me exactly what was promised when I decided to take on the BioSignature challenge and the next two weeks were set to see even more improvements. What I really liked about the whole concept was the combination of intelligent nutrition and supplementation and a focused training program that was specific to me and adapted to my body's needs as I progressed. Preparation was key to getting the diet bang on and admittedly, it was initially a struggle to prepare enough meat for my meals and to avoid resorting to quick fix meals like sandwiches. It soon became a part of my routine though and I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with carb free meals.

6 weeks after starting the BioSignature process I've seen a dramatic increase in overall strength, ( in the region of 20% for some exercises, something I never though possible in such a short time), my ability to concentrate has improved, my sleep is better and my overall well being has had noticeable improvement. I've also learnt a lot about my body, what works for me food wise and what I can achieve when given the right coaching and direction. Now with the knowledge of how good I can feel, the low carb, high protein diet has become the mainstay of what I eat and with continued support and advise from Keris and Matt, I can't see an end to the personal development I can achieve. If your looking for a way to get in shape by loosing fat quickly and becoming leaner and stronger than you ever have before, BioSignature is for you. With a bit of commitment, perseverance and hard work you can achieve the body and levels of fitness you've always wanted.