Monthly Archives

March 2014

Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary: Kayla Itsines Week 4

March 23, 2014

Hey everyone!

So, I have now officially been doing Kayla Itsine’s Bikini Body Guide for a month now. Woo-hoo!

Kayla Itsines Week 4

I feel really accomplished, the guide is not easy guys!!! The workout for weeks 2 and 4 were particularly hard for me because there were endless jumping lunges we had to do … jumping lunges are super hard for me. SUPER HARD. I am excited to see my progress at the end of the program, as it is a bit hard to tell at the moment .. although my legs seem slimmer 🙂

This week has been pretty all over the place this week. I literally went to Rubio’s (a ‘fresh Mex’ casual restaurant) about 4 times this week and while I think it is a pretty healthy option, the tortilla chips and delicious beer batter are not something to eat 4 times a week lol.

I also attended a crab feed for my boyfriend’s fraternity Theta Tau on Friday night and of course had loads of crab (which is actually not bad at all) and quite a few of the Portuguese pastries my boyfriend won in the silent auction (… not so good).

review of Kayla Itsines Week 4

Please excuse the lame crab bib!!! It was a necessity ..

The rest of the weekend was spent at my boyfriend’s parent’s house and it was lovely. We had a BBQ on Saturday (by the pool nonetheless, living the good life), and spent a good amount of time climbing one of the ropes attached to a tree. Needless to say my upper body strength has definitely gotten better as I actually managed to climb some of it! Three months ago, it probably would have been a different story. The rest was spent chilling by the pool and finally getting to read Cameron Diaz’s ‘The Body Book’ and drinking fresh squeezed orange juice.

cameron diaz The Body Book

My brother’s boyfriend has a husky!!! Isn’t he cuuute. I love him.

review of Kayla Itsines week 4 BBG

This morning we went to get brunch at the Vintage Press, which is a rather fancy restaurant in Visalia, California. I ordered a delicious shrimp florentine and had some orange juice and a cafe latte. They give you a pastry plate with your brunch and I am sad to say that I had a bit too many but eh, that’s okay. I am planning on trying out a bunch of new salad recipe’s this coming week to help me get back on track. Like I said, I didn’t eat particularly badly this weekend but my body is craving homemade food and more veggies again.

brunch in Visalia The VIntage Press

This next week is going to be a busy busy one, because one of my good friends, Siobhan (a.k.a. Shivvy) is coming to visit me all the way from England!!! This is going to be her first time in America and I am so excited to show her everything. She will also be my unofficial Honestly Fitness photographer as well so look forward to some fitness related video’s and photo’s! And just a lot of photo’s in general.

I am also working on making a special cake (try and guess what, I bet you will never guess!!), a savory lunch treat, and will be posting the recipe for the delicious sugar free muffins I talked about last week.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! What did you get up too? Let me know in the comments below <3

Honestly yours,
Alice

 

Friday Fare, Health

Friday Fare – Honestly Fitness Delights

March 19, 2014

I’m finally on spring break!!! … Although it is hardly a break, sigh. I only get one measly week off (in England I got 5 weeks off, how crazy is that?) and I just have so much to do, and so little time. Luckily for you all, I MAKE the time to develop yummy and healthy treats for you all such as these Honestly Fitness delights!

Honestly Fitness Delights

Honestly Fitness Delights raw dessert balls

I created my Honestly Fitness Delights a few months ago and I am excited to share them with you. What makes them so fun and easy is the fact that there is no baking involved whatsoever. You just mix together the ingredients and put it in the fridge for an hour (or you can just eat them straightaway hehe) and they’re done! If you’re like me (who can be verrry lazy .. sometimes ..) and just want something yummy and sweet NOW, not in an hour or two, these will save you.

The Honestly Fitness Delights are refined sugar-free, grain-free and dairy free so they are great for those who have these intolerances. They contain a healthy mix of fats, complex carbohydrates, proteins and various vitamins and minerals. Flax seed is a great source of omega-3’s and just fun and crunchy to eat in general.

Honestly Fitness Delights

Alice Williams
Guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy manner.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup + 2tbsp almond flour
  • 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 tbsp apple sauce
  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tbsp flaxseed
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Optional: liquid stevia for added sweetness
  • 1. Combine all of the ingredients in a big bowl and mix well until the 'batter' becomes dark brown in colour.
  • 2. Either roll them into little dough balls, or leave them in the bowl and roll them into dough balls later, and then store in the fridge for an hour. Storing them overnight seems to produce the best flavor, but honestly they taste good anytime!
Honestly Fitness Delights raw dessert balls

 

Honestly Fitness Delights raw dessert balls

So there you have it! A really easy and healthy snack that you can count on to keep you full and satisfied. As fab as they are though, don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting as almond flour is relatively high in calories. Spread it out over the week and share it with your friends and family : )

Hope you all have a great weekend, and a great spring break for any of you who are now on it!

Honestly yours,
Alice

 

Health

What is healthy?

March 18, 2014

what is healthy

This is going to be a short post, just a ‘what’s on my mind’ post to discuss the topic of what is healthy.

A friend of mine who is doing her MA at Cambridge (smart little cookie) is attending what sounds like a fascinating talk at the Cambridge Science Festival about ‘Why we know so little about the effect of diet on health. And why so much is written about it.’

It sounds fascinating, and I am so glad that this issue is finally getting talked in general! My whole mantra at Honestly Fitness is about the myths spewed by the diet and fitness industry, and how we are bombarded with so many empty and meaningless claims. What does it even mean to be healthy? Is it even possible to create a ‘one size fits all’ in terms of being healthy when everyone is unique in their own special (and genetic) way?

It’s an interesting question and certainly not something I know the answer to. Drawing from personal experience though, I have found that living a healthy and fit lifestyle is truly an individual and unique process. Some people thrive off of eating 80% fruit and vegetables, whereas some thrive off of a largely meat based diet. I feel as if the only universal rule of thumb is enjoy things in moderation, because frankly a lot of studies out there, scientific or not, have been sponsored by someone or other with an agenda. So although I try and give you the most reliable data I can, do what feels best for your body! I personally eat a wide array of foods although my body definitely likes a higher carbohydrate, higher fat and lower (NOT LOW, LOWER) carbohydrate diet.

Always take everything with a pinch of salt, and try not to get so drawn in by shocking headlines like ‘KALE HAILED TO BE THE NUMBER 1 SUPERFOOD OF ALL TIME’ hehe. Be curious! Do some extra research and make your own conclusions about whether you want to include something in your diet.

That’s all I wanted to say 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice