The First 4 Weeks of BBG 2.0

May 6, 2015

Wow, well that went by fast; it is already May and I have completed the first 4 weeks of BBG 2.0 (Kayla Itsines second bikini body guide)! I wanted to share with you all my thoughts regarding BBG 2.0 and to update you all on what’s happening with me in terms of health and fitness.

The First 4 Weeks of BBG 2.0

How Does BBG 2.0 Differ From BBG 1.0?

There is quite a significant difference. Of course, the format is the same typical Kayla style of two circuits with four exercise moves each, with the circuits done a total of four times. However, the weights get increased in the BBG 2.0 and there are a lot more static movements and less jumping around (or flailing around like I do, haha!). For example, you do moves like weighted barbell squats, arm raises, weighted sit-ups and etc. There were also slight modifications to moves seen in BBG 1.0 such as jump squats … buuuut with double pulses at the bottom (it burns, oh how it burns). Of course, there are moves that have been introduced in BBG 1.0 such as walking lunges, push ups and snap jumps.

Do I Like BBG 2.0?

So far, yes I do! Well, okay let me back up a bit. I definitely have a love-hate relationship going on with the BBG 2.0. I love that there are more weighted exercises yet I am still sweating like mad, yet I hate that it is still so hard haha! But I know it is good that it’s hard because it is still challenging me … but I hate it … because it is hard. LOL. Does that makes sense, and someone please tell me they feel the same way?

P.S. Nike and Lorna Jane make fantastic workouts clothes. Also, I broke my jump rope during some vigorous speed jumping lol!

Am I Doing Anything Differently in BBG 2.0?

Yeah, like I said, the weights increase so I am using heavier weights. I also decided to challenge myself by doing military style pushups, where I keep my arms much closer to my sides and ensure my elbows bend backwards and not outwards (form is so important). This tiny little adjustment has literally made me a beginner again, and I am back to doing push ups on my knees. Try it and you’ll see what I mean; it is SO much harder but it engages my core more and is working different arm muscles. It is critical we keep challenging ourselves and pushing our bodies to the max if we want to see change.

An example of some yummy foods I have been eating these past 4 weeks!

Let’s See What The Next 8 Weeks Are Like …

So, I am currently on week 17 and ughhh, I was completely caught off guard with the elevated intensity of the workouts. How does Kayla keep doing this?! I will do another update on weeks 17-20 in 4 weeks time and let you all know how it went (unless I have suffered #deathbyKayla). For now, I want to set some goals for myself to keep myself motivated and accountable

Start using Kayla’s HELP guide more strictly again. Although I have enjoyed experimenting and adjusting my macros; the HELP guide was the most balanced way for me to go about my nutrition.
Focus on slowly increasing the MPH I do sprints. Yesterday, I did sprints for HIIT and my speed was 9.0MPH for about 10-12 minutes and I upped it to 9.2MPH for the remainder of the 3-5 minutes.
Strengthen my lower back by doing lower back extensions. This has helped a lot in keeping my back straight during pushups.
Start practicing pull ups again! The second I move to Salt Lake City, I am buying a pull up bar and getting back into it.
Do not plan cheat meals. I have found that if I have an unplanned cheat meal (because life happens), I get into this very negative state of mind which is not healthy at all. Instead of planning cheat meals, I should just let them happen based upon the context. It makes SO much more sense to have a cheat meal because you are out with friends as opposed to being home alone on a Saturday night.

That’s all folks! I hope you found this mini-review of BBG 2.0 helpful and I look forward to posting another one in a few weeks. I can tell that I am definitely leaning down slowly but surely and I am excited to see how much stronger I get in the next few weeks. It is NOT EASY, but it is worth it being able to look like a bad a** in the gym hehe 😉

Honestly yours,
Alice

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Health, Kayla Itsines

Review of Kayla Itsines HELP Guide

March 16, 2015

Way back in June, 2014, I did a review of Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide. At the time, I had not used Kayla Itsines’ HELP guide alongside her workouts so I had not formulated much of an opinion over them. I re-did Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide and I am now on week 10 of my third round of Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide. I have to say that there was a huge difference when I used both guides in conjunction, which is why I decided to write a review of Kayla Itsines HELP guide for you all.

What is Kayla Itsines ‘HELP’ Guide?

First things first, what is the HELP guide? HELP stands for ‘Healthy Eating Lifestyle Plan’ and it’s a comprehensive guide to healthy eating that includes a two week meal plan with sample healthy recipes.

The HELP guide starts off by providing a 14 day meal plan, which is full of delicious and easy to make meals. The only meals that didn’t really work for me were the juices (as I do not have a juicer) but they can be easily adapted to make something else which is explained in the discussion of food groups. Apart from the juices, all the meals in the HELP guide are easy to make and use normal ingredients such as chicken, brown rice, spinach, apples and etc. No fancy or expensive ingredients 🙂

The HELP guide then discusses the five food groups and the minimum amount you should be getting per day. The amazing thing about this guide is that it advocates carbohydrates! Such a rarity in the health and fitness world and one of its key selling points, in my opinion. There is also NO calorie counting in this guide despite what some may claim. Kayla acknowledges that this is a guide and that everyone has different needs, but that the HELP guide is a fantastic guide, especially for someone who does not know how to eat in a healthy manner. The rest of the HELP guide provides a wealth of information such as information about food allergies, micronutrients (vitamins & minerals), and FAQs with questions such as ‘Should I be eating the meals at particular times?’ or ‘Don’t I have to avoid carbs in order to lose weight?’

My Thoughts

As someone who has come from a background of counting calories and macro’s in the past, the HELP guide is truly a breath of fresh air. I feel like it provides a healthy and sustainable guide to healthy eating that will keep you full and satisfied. Since using the HELP guide in conjunction with the bikini body guides, I have lost 8 pounds so far 🙂 I still have a ways to go in terms of getting more toned and etc, but I feel so much closer to my goals with the help of the HELP guide! I also found that eating more carbohydrates helped me perform better in my workouts, whereas previously if I had tried to restrict my carbohydrate intake, I felt so weak and sluggish :/ The following are some of the lovely recipes I have made using the information given in the HELP guide 🙂

Four Ingredient Pancakes with Raspberries

Lox Salmon with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Baked Zucchini Fritters with Smashed Avocado on Marble Rye Toast

Even more HELP

Kayla Itsines recently released a new recipe guide that is designed to work with the principles laid out in the HELP guide. I bought it because I was curious and love the variety of easy to make yet delicious looking recipes contained within it! It contained a whole two weeks worth of recipes. I actually made the ‘pizza’ recipe from the new recipe guide and was surprised at how well the pizza base came out. Really pleased and excited to make more of the recipes from this new guide. Plus, it is only AUD$19.97 which comes out to roughly USD$15 which is not that much money at all.

What are your thoughts?

Do you have the HELP guide and/or the new recipe guide? If so, what do you think about it? I hope this review of Kayla Itsines HELP guide and recipe guide has helped you and cleared up any questions you may have regarding them.

If you want to buy either of the above guides, simply click here and you will be redirected to Kayla Itsines’ website 🙂

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 use Kayla’s guides and believe you will benefit from them 🙂

Fitness

Kayla Itsines Round 2 – Week 6

November 2, 2014

Happy second day of November everyone! The temperature has definitely started to cool down in San Francisco and honestly, I do not mind at all. San Francisco is not equipped to deal with hot weather and I was finding it really hard to sleep during our brief heatwave. I am currently in Salt Lake City for the weekend (visiting the boyfriend) and it is starting to feel really cold here. My nose does this weird thing where it feels like it’s been punched if it gets ‘hit’ by a cold gust of wind. That only happens when it gets to a certain temperature!

Kayla Itsines Round 2 – Week 6

Okay enough moaning about the weather, onto health and fitness. I weighed myself a few days ago and I have maintained my 7 pound weight loss which is awesome. The abs and arms workout for Kayla Itsines this week were not as bad as I thought they were going to be; which means I have gotten stronger! The leg workout was crazy though. I was really proud of myself because I pushed myself incredibly hard on Friday to complete as many exercises as possible, and my legs are actually still sore! The leg workout this week was full of big explosive plyometric moves such as tuck jumps, jump lunges, and split squats (to name a few). I feel like I have hit a bit of a plateau unfortunately. Eagerly awaiting abs, haha!

I’ve been having a lot of wraps this week with that yummy wrap I told you all about last week, which has been a nice change of pace from the pita wraps I was eating. I went to this amazing Japanese BBQ place in San Mateo on Monday called Gyu-Kaku and loaded up on protein for the week 😛 Has anyone else ever been? I am so obsessed. And this weekend, my boyfriend and I had some fun dining experiences. We went to get Japanese food at Tsunami on Saturday night and got an amazing spread of sashimi, sushi, ahi tuna poke, gyoza, miso soup, and mussels. I LOVE Japanese food!

And this morning we tried out a breakfast hot spot called Penny Ann’s Cafe. My boyfriend and I have heard that it was really popular and had won a lot of awards. Since it is right by where he lives, we decided to check it out. Be prepared to wait if you do! We arrived at 10:30am and had a 45 minute wait for a table of two. Worth it though! I got the pork chili verde skillet with sourdough toast, which was absolutely delicious, and my boyfriend cot the corned beef hash omelette with hot cakes. The hot cakes were really moist and fluffy … I am glad I only had a few bites of his and not one for myself! I didn’t manage to get any photos because we had already dug right into our food before I remembered. Sorry!

How was your weekend? What do you usually do if you hit a plateau?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway with Harmless Harvest so you can win some delicious coconut water! Enter here

Honestly yours,
Alice

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