Fitness

Wednesday Wishlist

September 7, 2014

Being permanently strapped for cash can kind of suck, and I am sure anyone who is in university (and especially graduate school) can relate to this.

I am constantly thinking about all the nice things I will one day be able to afford buuuut for now, the closest I can get to reaching them is to dream. Dream, work hard, graduate and get an amazing job once I finish my master’s degree of course 🙂

Wednesday Wishlist

Therefore … welcome to my Wednesday (fitness) wishlist! I thought I would share with you all a fun little graphic with my top 5 fitness wants. I am sure you will agree on me with at least one thing, and if not then tell me fitness item you are currently dreaming about!

fitness wishlist which includes Kayla Itsines BBG and quest protein chips

1. NEW WORKOUT CLOTHES!!! Somehow I never have enough workout bottoms. One of my leggings magically disappeared and the other one has a hole in it ugh … I am loving these leggings from Cassey Ho’s (the Blogilates lady) new activewear line, Bodypop Active.

2. BIKINI BODY GUIDE 2.0 by the fantastically fit, Kayla Itsines. I am thinking of redoing her 1st bikini body guide soon and then purchasing the second one after I complete it. Stay tuned for posts on what I think about it and then a full-scale review once I complete the program 🙂

3. NEW TRAINERS – good lord yes, I have had the same Nike’s for 3 years. And as amazing as they are, they are getting pretty worn out. Would love a pair of these cute mint coloured Nike’s!

4. QUEST PROTEIN CHIPS – haven’t managed to find any yet although I haven’t undertaken an intensive search to find them yet. The macronutrients on these chips sound incredible and I have heard they also TASTE incredible!

5. OLIVE OIL SPRAYER – I used to have something similar to this when I lived in the UK, and I am kicking myself in the butt for not bringing it to the US. I think these are really cool because a lot of sprays you buy at the supermarket have a lot of unnecessary ingredients added so that the oil will actually spray out of the can. This cool Misto olive oil spray works by utilizing pressure. Great way to use less oil when cooking.

If anyone wishes to donate to the Alice Fund, go right ahead … haha just kidding! Anyway, let me know in the comments below what you thought of my choices and what your burning fitness desires are! Products or not 😉

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx

Friday Fare, Health

Blueberry Honey Chia Jam

September 6, 2014

Sounds cool right? I have been eating this blueberry honey chia jam for a few weeks now and I absolutely love it! I adapted My Whole Food Life’s recipe and used honey instead of maple syrup, although at first I did test it out with sugar-free maple syrup (from Nature’s Hollow). I personally did not find it as sweet as I would like it to be so I used honey the next time round and it came out perfectly to my taste 🙂

Blueberry Honey chia jam

So what makes this blueberry honey chia jam special? Most commercial varieties, such as Smuckers, tend to use sugar sources such as high fructose corn syrup or just plain old white sugar. I love using honey as a sweetener because not only does it have a fantastic and thick texture, it also contains a variety of minerals and chemicals.

This jam also contains chia seeds (my loves) which are a rich source of fiber, protein, healthy fats (omega-3s), vitamins and minerals. Because of their high fiber and protein content, I have found that chia seeds help keep me fuller for longer. Another bonus (like we need more) is that they are low in calories; 1 tablespoon is roughly around 60 calories!

Blueberry Honey Chia Jam

Anyway, point being is that I loooove this jam! It is yummy, filling and super healthy. Plus, it is a fantastic way to use up any fruit which you think may go off soon. I had a BUNCH of blueberries and was panicking about how I was going to finish them, and so the discovery of chia jam was a blessing.

Blueberry Honey Chia Jam Recipe

Alice Williams

Blueberry Honey Chia Jam

A delicious and healthy way to make jam that is full of fiber!
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups bluberries
  • 2-3 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds

Method
 

  1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor
  2. Transfer to a jam jar or equivalent container and then leave in the fridge overnight to thicken and set

Notes

Adapted from My Whole Food Life

Feel free to substitute in different fruits, and if you do let me know how they turn out!

 Hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Friday Fare! Please remember to subscribe to Honestly Fitness if you enjoy my blog posts and please share the posts and recipes with your friends and families. This chia jam is sure to be a winner with everyone!

Honestly yours,
Alice

Fitness, Health

Go Vibrant

September 4, 2014

Today I wanted to introduce you to a non-profit organization called Go Vibrant. Go Vibrant’s mission is to make an active, energetic lifestyle irresistible, which is a fantastic mission in my opinion! I actually read an article on Al Jazeera today which stated that obesity rates have reached historic highs in the US (click here to read the article) 🙁

Go Vibrant

I think it is such a shame that obesity levels continue to rise, and I think it is great that we have organizations such as Go Vibrant to help combat the rising levels of obesity. I think that getting children to engage in an active and healthy lifestyle is vital to curbing obesity levels, and that it is imperative for parents to be on board too. 

Go Vibrant have created this awesome map that can help you find fun and active things to do. It helps you find activities in a  variety of cities including San Francisco (yay!), Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and much more.  I encourage you to use it if you are bored and stuck at home, or just looking for something fun and active to do.  They also have some great articles (one of which I have been asked to share with you all in a future blog post) and walking path maps! Hopefully you find this map and Go Vibrant’s website useful. Let’s all start or continue leading healthy and active lifestyles, and more importantly, encouraging others to lead more active and energetic lifestyles 🙂

Go VIbrant

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Go Vibrant through their partnership with Studio One. Select. While I was compensated to share Go Vibrant’s ‘Get Outside’ Map, all opinions are my own.