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Fitness

Interview with Natalie: Kayla Itsines Transformation

November 5, 2014
Natalie Butterfield is a familiar face for those of you who are fans of the Kayla Itsines bikini body guide workout program. She has been featured many a time because of her incredible body transformation from Kayla Itsines bikini body guides (get the guides here)! I wanted to share Natalie’s story with you all to inspire you and to provide a motivational boost for anyone who might be struggling in their journey for health and fitness.

Natalie: Kayla Itsines Transformation

 
Natalie 0403natalie Kayla Itsines Transformation
 
HF: Hi Natalie! Most of us know you from Instagram, where you have shared your journey using Kayla Itsines’ workout and H.E.L.P. guide. Tell us a little bit about yourself 🙂
N: I’m a qualified dance/preschool teacher but currently nanny. I am soon to be leaving Sydney for the beautiful country side with my amazing fiancé. It will be very different to my coasty lifestyle but I’m always up for an exciting new adventure!! I love the outdoors, love love love the beach and leading a healthy lifestyle.
 
HF: What made you decide to use Kayla Itsines guides?
N: I’ve always been into fitness classes and structured programs, but  usually failed because of the unrealistic guidelines I had to follow. I’d been following Kayla’s Instagram page for a while and we all know the results she posts are phenomenal! I was ready for a change and one day just thought I’m going to try this out! 
 
HF: How does the new BBG 2.0 (bikini body guide 2.0) compare to BBG 1.0 in your opinion?
N: They are both very different; at first I wasn’t to sure about it and it took me a little while to adjust but as it progressed I realised just how much harder it was – I still can’t lift my arms and it’s been 3 days since arm day. It’s as hard as you make it with increasing weights etc. I love it and I’ll be repeating it again. 
 
HF: What would you say was the hardest aspect about your transformation?
N: Probably the mentality change you undergo on a fitness journey! Working out what’s right for you and your body, your emotional state, and understanding that carbs are in fact your friend and that less is more! (HF: I totally agree!)
 
HF: What does a typical day of food look like in the life of Natalie?
N: This one’s a little hard. I follow Kayla’s food guidelines, but as I’m maintaining my weight, I eat more than suggested. I tend to eat 6 meals a day and 3 litres of water. I get a healthy balance of all the food groups!! 
 
HF: There’s a lot of confusion surrounding health and fitness. What tip would you give to those trying to start a healthier lifestyle?
N: Don’t be so harsh on yourself! Be patient and trust the process, you are your own biggest critic.D on’t feel bad for eating “cheat meals” or just eating a biscuit or ice cream here and there as it’s meant to be a lifestyle change and not a diet. If you deprive yourself it’s just not sustainable!! And most of all, love your body while you work for the body you want – as long as you feel healthy and happy within yourself then nothing else matters.
 
HF: What song always motivates you and gets you pumped to workout?
N: Nervo – Reason is my jam at the moment. 
 
Natalie 0403natalie Kayla Itsines Transformation
 
HF: If you could pick anywhere to go on holiday, where would it be?
N: Back to the Greek Islands. I absolutely love it there it, is one of the most amazing places on earth. 
 
HF: What can we expect from you in the future?
N: I’m currently studying sports nutrition so hopefully that leads me down an amazing career path! I want to travel, will be marrying the man of my dreams, and have plenty of new and exciting adventures with lots of laughter along the way!! 
 
Natalie 0403natalie Kayla Itsines Transformation
 
Thank you so much to Natalie for her time and for sharing her story with us all! I think she is a fantastic health and fitness role model, with a great and balanced attitude to match.
 
Do you have any questions for Natalie? Let her know in the comments below.
 
Honestly yours,
Alice

 

Health, Products I love

5 Healthy Foods I am Loving!

October 15, 2014
top 5 healthy foods I am loving

For the record, in this post I am not telling you that you NEED to be eating these foods. I am simply sharing what 5 foods I like and always seem to be eating, as a way to share their nutritional benefits with you and to inspire you to include these into your diet. Some of you may already know and eat all of these, but I am sure there are a few out there who haven’t tried them or do not eat them regularly. And here at Honestly Fitness, I want to help everyone 🙂

1. Brown rice

brown rice is a really healthy food and a great source of carbohydrates

 Brown rice is such a powerhouse of a grain. I like eating it because it has more texture than white rice, is a good source of fiber (de-bloating, ahoy!) and is a complex carbohydrate. As such, it helps to keep you fuller for longer. It is also full of vitamins and minerals such as iron (important for the ladies), vitamin B-6, and magnesium. 

 2. Strawberries

strawberries are a really healthy food and low GI

 Okay so I truly hope all of you reading this post have tried strawberries before! Strawberries are such tasty gems of a fruit, and very healthy for you too. They are also full of vitamins and minerals, are low in calories, and has a lower sugar content than many other fruits.

  3. Oatmeal

oatmeal is a healthy food and makes for a great breakfast

Mmm, this was most certainly an everyday staple during the winter when I lived in England and still something I eat at least twice a week. Not only are they a comforting and heath breakfast, they are also high in iron, high in fiber, and low in sugar. I normally have rolled oats with some skimmed milk and berries when I do have it for breakfast, and it honestly keeps me full and satisfied for hours. 

And yes, the oats in the photo on the left are the ones I use to make my oatmeal 🙂

  4. Asparagus

asparagus is a healthy food and has a lot of fiber

 Hehe, okay so my love affair with asparagus took a while, but now I am madly in love with it! I found that baking asparagus with a small amount of olive oil, pink himalayan salt and black pepper created a mouthwatering dish. Like most vegetables, they are low in calories, but they are also high in fiber (seeing a connection here?) and have a variety of minerals and vitamins including potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and more. I dare you to not like asparagus after making it the way I like it 😉

5. Coconut water

coconut water is a healthy food and packed with electrolytes

 Having lived in Asia my whole life, I was surrounded by fresh coconuts and enjoyed their delicious flesh and coconut water almost daily. Since moving first to England, and then to the US, I have been pretty disappointed in many of the commercial brands of coconut water … they do not taste like fresh coconut juice! I always order a coconut if I see it on a restaurant menu. Finally after endless searching, I found a bottled coconut water that has my seal of approval; Harmless Harvest coconut water! It tastes JUST like the real thing. Some of their waters are pink, which I would love some more explanation about, as I have never had a fresh coconut with pink coconut water … Anyway, coconut water is fabulous because it has a bunch of vitamins and minerals, and is great to have if you are craving something sweet. Have it in moderation though, as it is fairly high in sugar.

 [Tweet “5 Healthy Foods I am Loving! Have you tried them?”]

 

Let’s see, today I have had 3 out of the 5 foods I just posted, haha! Oh, I truly am a creature of habit. I love my healthy lifestyle, and I love these healthy foods. What are your favorite 5 healthy foods?

Honestly yours,
Alice xx

Fitness, Health

Redoing Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide

September 21, 2014

As many of you may already know, a few months ago I completed Kayla Itsine’s bikini body guide (<— affiliate link which helps me pay for Honestly Fitness). I felt good! I felt more confident about myself, had toned up, and was so much fitter than I had ever been. I was busting out push ups and burpees like nobodies business!

Summer has taken its toll however and although I lost a little bit of weight when I went to visit my boyfriend in Salt Lake City, I gained some weight when I came back to San Francisco and drastically cut down on the amount of exercise I was doing.

Redoing Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide

The other week I thought, enough is enough! I want to be able to do tons of push ups again and to look like a total (fit) bad ass in the gym again. I decided that I was going to do Kayla’s bikini body guide again and then continue on and do her bikini body guide 2.0. This time around I want to pair her workouts with her H.E.L.P. nutrition guide so I can give you all a better review of whether it is worth it to combine her workouts with her nutrition plan.

Redoing Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide

I am nervous guys! I did her legs and arms workout this week from Kayla’s free week of workouts and they exhausted me. The leg workout literally crippled me (I did it on Wednesday and couldn’t walk for a couple days) and I did the arm workout this morning. I can tell that I am not as strong as I was … but that’s okay, because I know that I can work back up to it 🙂 

I am excited for this journey and I hope I can stick to the nutrition guide. I will be keeping you all updated with my progress over the next few weeks and letting you know how everything is going. Is anyone else starting the bikini body guide and/or following the H.E.L.P. guide?

Wish me luck 🙂

Honestly yours,
Alice