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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

Blogs I love, Fitness, Health, Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary: Kayla Itsines Week 2

March 9, 2014

Hello lovely readers!

I am feeling much more positive after my last week of being low and negative. I have now completed week 2 of Kayla Itsine’s bikini body guide AND I am so happy to say that I have completed the 6 week intermediate to advanced yoga program from Do Yoga With Me!

So what can I say about this? Well first off, I am not a master advanced yogi at all, but I noticed a significant amount of progress during the past 6 weeks. And for those of you who do yoga regularly (or even those who don’t) you will know that 6 weeks is not a long time at all. Most master yogis have been practicing for years … yeeeeears!! I have been on and off practicing yoga for about 8 years but this is the only time I have ever been regular and consistent with it. And it shows! For those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that very occasionally I will post photo’s of me in certain yoga poses, and the most recent photo I posted has shown how I have become much more flexible in comparison to the one I took a few weeks ago.

Kayla Itsines Week 2 BBG

Kayla Itsines Week 2

In terms of the bikini body guide I am embarassed to say that I have already screwed up a little .. I did the workout you were supposed to do for weeks 1 and 3, but for week 1 & 2 … oops! Oh well, hehe, I suppose I will just have to do the workouts for weeks 2 & 4, on weeks 3 & 4. It is still too early on to notice anything, although I feel as if my abs have become stronger because I am not flailing about quite as much as I was last week when I would do the sit ups!!

Apart from that, not much else is new to be quite honest! I have been swamped with work, but I have still been doing some cooking and baking to come up with new things I can feature on Friday Fare. I recently made a delicious and slightly tweaked version of Kitchen Treaty’s Vanilla Lime Green Smoothie, and it was absolutely delicious. I subbed the vanilla yogurt for vanilla protein powder and added in some of my homemade toffee sauce instead of honey. I recommend you have a look at Kitchen Treaty, as I am sure it will give you some inspiration for meals, desserts, and more.

green smoothie that fits into Kayla Itsines HELP Guide

green smoothie that fits into Kayla Itsines HELP Guide

That’s all from me for now! I think I am gonna go and make my healthy ice cream recipe now … mmmm

easy 3 ingredient healthy ice cream with toffee sauce

How have your weeks been? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice

Fitness

Common workout mistakes: Squats

March 4, 2014

Hey everyone!

So a friend recently asked if I could do a blog post about how to do squats with proper form .. what a great question!! Having correct form in any exercise, and particularly squats, is crucial to ensure that you activate the correct muscles and that you do not injure yourself.

The following is a short video where I show you how to do a squat with proper form and various ways of how not to do a squat! I am sorry the audio is quite static-y but alas, I have yet to get any professional editing software. Hashtag #brokeunistudent

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxB7ZD7YyoU[/embedyt]

Key things to take away from this video are …

1. Make sure your knees are not flying over your toes. Keep your knees in line with them.

2. Keep you back straight. Pleaaase do not hunch over.

3. Try and squat so that you are parallel to the ground. This all depends on your hip flexibility though, so do not force yourself to squat lower if you simply cannot.

4. Do NOT lock your knees when you come up. Keep them slightly bent.

Hope this helps you all! Squats are an amazing exercise because they work multiple muscles and challenge your stability. A great compound move that can be added to your routine, in a variety of different ways.

Honestly yours,
Alice