Friday Fare, Health, Healthy on the cheap, Products I love

My Favorite Carbohydrates

February 17, 2015

Contrary to what you may read or hear, carbohydrates (and especially complex carbohydrates) are good for you and essential for your well-being. A while ago, I wrote a piece about carbohydrates and why you should not cut them out of your diet. Click here to read the blog post to get up to date on why you should not go on a low-carbohydrate diet. I realize that there are many reasons people go on a low-carbohydrate diet, but they tend to have specific reasons for doing so. For the majority of people, it is not necessary to cut out carbohydrates to lose weight and fat.

Newsflash: Carbohydrates aren’t evil

I eat a variety of carbohydrates daily, which range from leafy green vegetables (yes, vegetables are a form of carbohydrates!) to delicious sourdough breads. I wanted to compile a list of my favorite carbohydrates which I think can help introduce some variety in your diet and encourage you to try new foods.

My Favorite Carbohydrates

1. Marble Rye Bread

How I enjoy it: Try adding some smashed avocado on top in place of butter (like this).

2. Garbanzo beans (or chickpea’s as is said in the UK)
How I enjoy it: I make a veggie burger with them (like this)!

3. Bananas
How I enjoy it: On their own, with nut butter or in a fruit salad.

4. Sesame Rye Crackers
How I enjoy it: Usually with some smashed avocado I have to admit. I love avocado!!

5. Quinoa
How I enjoy it: Fabulous for stir-fries! Try cracking an egg over some cooked quinoa to make ‘fried rice’ 🙂

6. Brown Rice
How I enjoy it: I love having brown rice in warm salads and adding it to soup for a heartier meal.

7. Sourdough Bread
How I enjoy it: Same as the marble rye bread honestly!

[Tweet “7 Healthy and Delicious Carbohydrates”]

Another notable carbohydrate I love is oatmeal. I make overnight oats (here is a fun kombucha overnight oats recipe) or healthy pancakes with them (four ingredient recipe here).

What is your favorite carbohydrate and how do you eat it?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.

Fitness, Kayla Itsines, Products I love

Kayla Itsines Discount and an Update

February 7, 2015

First things first: the Kayla Itsines discount. [DISCOUNT EXPIRED FEBRUARY 28th, 2015] <— UPDATE

For any newcomers you do not know who Kayla Itsines is, click here to read an interview I did with her. She is the mastermind behind a fantastic program called the ‘Bikini Body Guide’ (click here for my review) which I am currently following.

Kayla has been kind enough to give me a 10% discount to any of her guides which I want to share with you all! To get the discount code, all you have to do is subscribe to Honestly Fitness and you will receive the exclusive code in an email the following day. Remember to check for a confirmation email and check your junk mailbox in case it ends up there. You will NOT receive the email with the code otherwise.

If you do not receive the email within 24 hours, email me at honestlyfitness@live.com and I will send you the 10% discount code myself. This is a great deal as Kayla does not give these out often, and gives you the chance to see for yourself why I and so many others swear by Kayla’s workout and nutrition guides. The graphic below will take you to her website where you can buy her guides (they are EBOOKS).

An Update

I am so sorry for the lack of posts! This is my final semester and it has been killing me, plus I have some other personal issues to deal with (like taxes haha). I have so many ideas in my head, but it may take me a while to translate them into a blog post. I am proud of myself for sharing my perfect four ingredient pancake recipe with you all before life got too crazy. You should try them!!!

I am continuing to do Kayla Itsines bikini body guide and restarted with millions of girls around the world for The Kayla Movement. It has been quite exhilarating to redo the program (my third time!) with so many others and it has helped kept me motivated. I think I plateaued during the first four weeks so I consulted with some of my dear BBG friends and decided to be a little more strict with my food intake and to use heavier weights during the workouts. Fingers crossed this will help me yield the results I am after!

I also took the plunge and bought Kayla’s foam roller (which you can find on her website) because I have received questions regarding whether it is worth buying or not. I will be able to tell you all what I think in a few weeks once I have received it and tested it out.

How are all of you? How have your exercise routines been going and how are things like nutrition wise for you?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.

Although this post contains affiliate links, it is because I personally believe in Kayla’s guides and believe you will benefit from them 🙂

Fitness, Healthy on the cheap, Products I love

Feel Confident, Be Confident

January 26, 2015

I am a big believer in mind over matter; if you believe enough that this will triumph any obstacles that may be in your path. A big part of being able to continue working out and eating healthily is to focus on how this lifestyle makes me feel and to continually remind myself that I can do this.

Feel Confident

One of my resolutions for 2015 was to maintain my healthy lifestyle. It is a little broad, but by that, I mean to continue working out regularly (3-5x a week), making healthy and nutritious meals, and to have a healthy mindset. My mission on Honestly Fitness is to reveal the facts and to help make your healthy and active lifestyle something that is easy and fun to stick with.

I have found that having workout clothes that look good and fit me correctly make me feel a lot more confident and more enthusiastic about working out. No joke, there have been days where I have been totally impulsive and bought multiple workout outfits. And I am so lucky that I have some affordable options living in California.

My favorite and affordable option

I have purchased a few pieces from the fantastic Target® C9 workout collection before and recently bought a few more pieces with a generous $50 allowance through my partnership with POPSUGAR Select. The stipend got me a gorgeous long sleeve top, a really cute pair of shorts with short leggings underneath them and a pink headband! Normally $50 will only buy me a sports bra … and maybe a simple top too if there is a sale going on.

Honestly Fitness Approved

Verdict on my beautiful new workout outfit from Target®? I love it! I mean, it is really hard to beat their great prices and the great-quality material. My new top kept me nice and warm on my fast walks, my shorts made sure no one was able to see my underwear during my workouts, and my headband was surprisingly good at keeping my hair from getting soaked in sweat!

My only little nitpick is that you have to wear a sports bra with sufficient padding because otherwise ‘the girls’ will show through the material. But it’s hardly a complaint as I realize that the material is supposed to be lightweight and conducive to sweat evaporating.

Have any of you bought pieces from the Target® C9 collection? What do you think about them?

Honestly yours,
Alice

Thank you for always supporting me! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9, all opinions are my own.