Monthly Archives

April 2014

Fitness

Girls, please lift weights

April 9, 2014

I feel as if most girls are allergic just to the idea of lifting weights.

“No, I just stick to cardio.” “Are you kidding, the weight room is full of guys!” “Mmm, but my legs will get bulky, right?”

I am sure many of you have heard this before (or have said this), and honestly the only one I kind of get is the second comment. Because yeah, most weight rooms are full of guys, but don’t let this put you off. Sure they may stare at you, but that’s just because it is a rarity to see a girl lifting weights. If anything, take a friend with you so it won’t be as intimidating or ask one of the personal trainers at your gym to teach you a few exercises.

Lifting weights will not make you bulky, UNLESS you are eating a diet which will not aid in fat loss. I used to think I was getting bulky from lifting weights but in reality, it was because I still had some extra fat. So because I was not losing any fat, I looked bigger because there was muscle AND fat. Although I still have some excess fat I currently want to lose (it is a long process ..) when I first starting lifting weights and following an eating plan that aided in fat loss, I saw a big change in my body. Cardio will only take you so far. Cardio can help you lose fat but lifting weights (or just resistance exercises in general such as using resistance bands or TRX) will help shape and firm your ‘problem area’s.’

There are also certain area’s of the body that you just will not be able to tone up unless you use weights. Case in point: the back. My body has this lovely (sarcasm people) tendency to store fat in my back (it’s disgusting) and I only started to see improvement in this area when I started using weights to strengthen and tone my back. It’s pretty exhilarating actually to see my progress, and how I am able to use heavier and heavier weights .. and a more defined back!

So please ladies, rethink your approach to weight and fat loss. Cardio is an important factor but not the ONLY factor. What you eat also plays a role, and using weights will help shape your body. Plus food for thought – a lot of yogi’s will train using weights to help them do advanced balancing exercises which require a great deal of upper body, core and lower body strength. And I do not know about you, but I have never seen a ‘bulky’ yogi.

What are some of your favorite exercises? Mine are currently cable back rows and doing sit ups on a bench with a 10 pound weight 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx

P.S. The gorgeous lady in the features image is Juennifer, and she lifts weights 😉

Friday Fare

Raw ice cream cake

April 6, 2014

Firstly, apologies for being terrible with posts the past few weeks .. I may not be as regular as I was until this semester is over because the work is just piling up. Plus I had my friend over from England so I have wanted to spend as much time with her as I can before I leave! I hope my raw ice cream cake recipe makes up for my disappearance.

Raw ice cream cake

I have been wanting to share with recipe with all of you for a while now. The inspiration came from my desire to make a raw cake (although my version has peanut butter which is not 100% raw since it is heated, but it is considered raw when not heated) and my love for my healthified ice-cream recipe. Although this is not exactly a ‘guilt-free’ dessert it is much healthier and miles more nutritious than any store bought ice-cream cake. My ice-cream cake is packed full of healthy fats, and some protein and carbohydrates. It is also refined sugar free and vegan friendly 🙂 It can also be made gluten-free by subbing rolled oats with gluten free rolled oats.

Raw Ice Cream Cake

Alice Williams
This raw ice-cream cake is packed full of nutrients and none of the guilt!
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Ingredients
  

  • For the crust
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup softened dates
  • 1/2 cups raw cashews
  • 1 cup coconut oil
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinammon
  • 2-4 tbsp peanut butter the peanut butter taste is quite strong so adjust it to your liking
  • For the cake
  • 5-10 sliced and FROZEN bananas 10 bananas if you want to make an enormous cake
  • Optional
  • 2-5 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter makes the consistency smoother
  • 3-6 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder again, adjust it to your liking

Instructions
 

  • 1. Alright, so first we want to prepare the crust. Put the oats, dates and cashews into the blender first and blend until you get a sand-like consistency.
  • 2. Then put in the rest of the crust ingredients and blend until you get a dough like texture. Shape the dough into your cake pan, or another circular object and let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • 3. After you have completed the crust, you can now make the ice-cream to put onto it! Blend your bananas with the cocoa powder and then scoop out on top of the crust. This stage takes quite a while because most blenders and food processors do not have room for this many bananas lol.

Notes

Does not freeze well and is best when served immediately after being made.
Raw ice cream cake

Raw ice cream cake

And there you have it!! A much healthier and nutritious way to make an easy no bake cake crust and healthy ice-cream 🙂 Unfortunately this lovely dessert does not freeze well, as the ice-cream gets a little icy 🙁 I will be experimenting with a way to make a more freezeable healthy ice-cream to try and combat this.

Raw ice cream cake

 

Raw ice cream cake

Hope you enjoyed this (late) edition of Friday Fare. Are you going to try this recipe out? Let me know in the comments box below!

Honestly yours,
Alice