Marion Freijsen » Miscellaneous

Fenugreek

Marion — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:18:44 +0000

I love the little things in life. The the beauty and simplicity of some things, the unexpected and the quirky. It’s always when you least expect it that something happens. And if you are open to it, you will catch it and learn from it even though you were not looking for it at that time.

This week I was standing in my favourite deli in the Bay Area, Colombo at Manor Drive, Pacifica, and got talking to the owner about cheese. Yes, cheese ... Read More

It is not WHAT you eat, it’s what your body does with it!

Marion — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:22:01 +0000

Last week I talked about the great misunderstanding even healthy people have about food. They think that just because they consume healthy foods, they must be healthy. Alas, if only it were that easy!!

I am one of those people, I hasten to add. Although ever since I can remember I have been conscious of what I ate ( I am lucky that I even as a child I always liked the healthy ... Read More

Corporate Athletes

Marion — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:02:09 +0000

Last week at the EFactor attend in SF, Dr. Brad Jacobs made a great point. He compared the effort and strains of being a business man or woman with those of an athlete calling the latter “Corporate Athletes”. How very true that is!!

Both have a ton of determination, are singularly focused on results and achievements, visualise the finish line and aim to get there first and both force their bodies and minds to heights that “mere mortals” don’t think ... Read More

Fit to be an Entrepreneur

Marion — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:36:44 +0000

I have to tell you about this great event I have coming up in San Francisco on the 6th December. I am bringing together a number of my favourite people to share thoughts and ideas with you about your fitness, best nutrition and general well-being. As Entrepreneurship is my OTHER passion – we are combining these two that evening although you don’t have to be a business owner to care about achieving your very best personal health of course ... Read More

Correcting your behaviour – NOW

Marion — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:22:02 +0000

As I share in my introduction and many of my blogs – I am one of those nuts that has always exercised, for as long as I can remember. Which memory btw, unfortunately gets shorter every day as conversely the time I have been exercising gets longer (maybe that is a good think) ;-(

This week I had a great run with Chris Dovale – my personal trainer – along one of my favourite routes. We run along and then go up the steps to the Coit Tower in SF and back down the streets ... Read More

Sugar

Marion — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 19:26:31 +0000

I wrote a few weeks ago about the benefits of not eating too much sugar. And I am learning more and more as I keep coming back to this subject. Sugar actually is plain BAD for you – no sugar has never killed anyone. And if you start looking at it more – you will find that sugar seems to be in all these things that you just load in your supermarket basket thinking they are HEALTHY! Take beans in tomato sauce (ok, you may never have loaded that in your basket, but I own up to liking ... Read More

PR Bars – all good stuff

Marion — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:44:35 +0000

As you know I am always on the look out for great tasting healthy snacks, preferably one with something to offer me pre or post workout and above all, since I am one of the converted – Gluten Free!

The latter is harder then it seems, anything that was made in a facility that also manufactures your standard granola bar, is out for me – I get all sorts of stomach upsets that I don’t really care to tell you more about. Suffice to say, I am even pickier then I used to be ... Read More

Coconut Palm Sugar

Marion — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:45:43 +0000

More and more often I read that sugar seems to be rather bad for your health. Particularly with regards to Aging (which I am getting more worried about, I have to admit… doesn’t it just seem to creep up on you?) So I have recently been looking for good alternatives. There are lots of foods I don’t like eating without the added touch of something sweet (like oatmeal or coffee).

I don’t like sachrose or any of those chemical sweeteners much, honey has too strong a ... Read More

2011

Marion — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:57:59 +0000

I wish all of you a happy, energetic, healthy 2011…..
From next week, this blog will pick up where it left off last month. The reason I didn’t write? Around me, people got sick, had to take time off, were unable to work so more and more of my time was spent working (they are better now…thank goodness).

In those kind of stressful times – it is sports that keep me going. Literally. If I can ... Read More

Wheel of Energy

Marion — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:45:55 +0000

I have to share this with you all – another great example of how sports is a way of uniting strangers, of building new relationships, of helping each other and do things that you never dreamt were possible.

In this case, a great initiative has just launched in Amsterdam, right outside Schiphol airport – The Wheel of Energy. A massive wheel that will turn for 365 days non-stop powered by up to 3 runners at a time.

Originated by Richard Botram, marathon runner and man ... Read More

Hurdling…through the heart of San Francisco

Marion — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:27:27 +0000

I went of to a meeting today – which turned out to be one heck of an excercise.

The biggest news to come out of San Francisco today was not about the elections. Oh no, you are sadly mistaken if you believe that that got more then 1% of the attention of the crowds here today. No – the whole day, in fact the whole TOWN was focused on celebrating the San Francisco Giants World Championship win.

A massive parade took place and of course, my meeting was not only ... Read More

How to freeze an athlete…

Marion — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:34:47 +0000

It’s a simple ingredient to any training – ICE. We have all been there, you train hard, you go for it as much as you can and then you have to hurry up, get changed and go to work (or something). The next day, you wonder why your body is in agony and remember in misery that you didn’t cool down sufficiently after your training, and therefore all the waste produce of the hard training is still rumbling around your body and stiffening up those muscles. As you robotically try ... Read More

From racing bike to wheelchair…

Marion — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:38:05 +0000

This time I am posting a blog that was written by my spinning buddy Eelco. I wrote about Eelco a few months ago, just after he had been diagnosed with ALS, a condition that atrophies the muscles in your body over the course of usually a few years, till you finally die as you can no longer even take your next breath. A death sentence in other words.

I have followed with admiration how Eelco is not just dealing with his own illness, but how he has started a ... Read More

Massage – Thai style

Marion — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:56:31 +0000

Massage is a wonderful tool to make sure your body recovers and restores from all the stresses you put it through every day. Over time, more and more wonderful massage types have reached the western world. I’ll try and cover the 14 types I know of over the next few weeks so I hope you’ll come back and/or add your own favourite massage therapists for each type!

First of all, Thai massage – one of my favourites. Involving a series of movements that you shouldn’t ... Read More

The Travelling Warrior

Marion — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:06:03 +0000

Apart from the tips on how to eat when you are totally busy travelling around, be it for holiday or pleasure – it is obviously harder for us weak-willed individuals to work out whilst we are on the road. So here’s some ideas of things you CAN easily do, just send spouse and kids off to the buffet, whilst you buff your body!

In a hotel:

You really can do a ton of different exercises in a hotel, here’s a favourite selection of mine…find a radiostation you ... Read More

Simple stuff

Marion — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:55:34 +0000

Many of you ask me for help with diets and particularly diets when you are travelling. It is a tough one, I know from experience, I spend enough time on the road myself!

For me the rule is simple, I try and stick with foods that are as close to natural as possible. No cakes, biscuits, muffins but bananas, bags of nuts or raisins or a mix of those two, salads and simple sandwiches if you must get something solid. In terms of drinks, green tea is fine, water obviously is perfect and ... Read More

Swim Equipment

Marion — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:57:50 +0000

Swimming is a great activity and obviously for us on the Western Hemisphere, a very attractive one, now that summer has more or less arrived! For serious swimming, i.e. doing laps or swimming in open water at a reasonable pace, you can use a number of things that will be useful in your training.

Funnily enough I was reading a blog on another site recently about swimming where they started out with reminding people that you needed a swimsuit… that is going one too far I think, I ... Read More

Lose weight or else…

Marion — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:30:16 +0000

Here’s one site I just came across that I just love – it’s hilarious.

The picture: you have tried everything to lose weight, you have sworn off food for life, you have bribed your husband/wife to only cook you healthy foods, you have tinkered with the scale to show that number you desperately want to see and/or you have set fire to your old wardrobe trying to kid yourself into one that is at least 2 dress sizes smaller…and none of it has worked.

The ... Read More

ALS – the rest of your life

Marion — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:22:17 +0000

I write about health, fitness and sports – that is my passion and an intrinsical part of my life. I write about things you can do to train, to get the most out of your life, to stay healthy and most of all, to LIVE your life with passion and joy.

But occasionally I have to veer to another topic and look at the other side of health, fitness and feeling great – one of my sporting buddies, the fittest guy of the troop on the bike – just got diagnosed with ALS. ALS ... Read More

Listen to your body

Marion — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:54:14 +0000

This week a close friend of mine ended up in hospital. Hospital staff called it a miracle he came through the door upright, usually people with his issue would have been carried through! Although he had needed a little push to get him to go, he went to the doctor after not feeling great for a while and will live a healthy life because he listened to his body…

I have always believed that at the end of the day – you know your own body best. Or at least, you should know it ... Read More