“Welcome new friends into your home.”
These life lessons are all about the people we met, the people that opened up their homes, their lives, and most importantly their pantry for us!
Most people don’t realize,
We’re 4 days into 2017, the New Year’s hangover has finally worn off and that Christmas ‘bloat’ is slowly beginning to subside. We’re feeling a little better but a little better isn’t good enough, we want to feel our best! It’s that time of year again where we recommit to a total lifestyle overhaul in pursuit of the best versions of ourselves. And this year, you’re convinced, will be it! 2017 is going to be THE year for health, fitness and those ever-elusive abs, even if it kills you! To start, you’ll renounce all unhealthy habits – quit smoking, no more alcohol on weekdays, give up sugar period – and reinstate your commitment to the wholesome trinity of New Year’s resolutions: workout more, lose weight, follow a healthy diet. Your body is a temple and health & fitness are your religion. Except, all this sounds kind of familiar to last year’s resolutions and you kind of like your weekday wine night with the girls…Well what if I told you that New Year’s Resolutions are bull shit!? Yes, you heard me right.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to meeeeee! a donut that was completely macro free! 🙂 I’ve been dying to make donuts for the longest time now so when my CrossFit box announced their potluck Christmas party, it was the perfect excuse to get my butt back in the kitchen & get creative with these festive looking Reindeer donuts. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until I get my holiday bake on & sing along like a lunatic to my all-time favorite Christmas tunes. You know, those old classics like Wham’s “Last Christmas.”
If you’re a health & fitness nut like me, your perfect day involves slipping on your favorite pair of lulu’s, working up a good sweat and sipping on a mean, green post-workout smoothie, packed full of protein. Just imagining my perfect day gets me all fired up and ready to leap into action! If only there was a way of bottling up that feeling, sticking a bow on it and giving it to friends and family. Hmm, well whilst I muse on that, here are some more practical ideas for giving the gift of health this Christmas without breaking the bank.
I just LOVE my S’well bottle & wouldn’t hit the gym without it now. I bought one earlier this year before I set off on my travels to Bali. Wanting to keep my drinks cold & avoid contributing to plastic waste, I knew I should invest in a decent bottle that would keep my water cool all day long. The S’well bottle does exactly that providing you with 24 hours in which to enjoy a deliciously cold beverage. The best thing about the bottle is it doesn’t create any condensation so everything else in my bag stays dry! Oh and in case you live somewhere cold, your S’well bottle can double up as a thermos, keeping your drinks hot for up to 12 hours. Yes I know, mind-blowing! These bottles are worth every penny, buy one for your friend & then buy one for you too!
Say goodbye to your aches & pains with this awesome lightweight & portable kit. Anyone who’s putting in a solid effort at the gym will undoubtedly experience that post-workout soreness. Whilst a weekly or even monthly massage may be a little beyond the budget, this Mobility Kit from Mob Loko definitely isn’t! The foam roller comes with 2 different sized mobility balls, a peanut ball, rubber band & a carrying strap. Buy this kit if you want to look super generous!
If the man in your life is looking for supreme comfort & a ridiculously good fit then look no further than Relentless Jeans. Their denim is super soft & all styles have been designed specifically for athletes. The Championship series were even designed in collaboration with Rich Froning! Check out their fashion-forward athletic range & take advantage of their holiday deals.
Whether your friend’s an avid yogi, CrossFitter or a total newbie to stretching, this R ROMWOD “Swole & Flexy” mat is THE place to embrace or improve your flexibility & find your recovery mode. This mat provides a fabulous anti-slip surface and great padding for knees & joints. Let’s get #swoleandflexy!
When it comes to recovery, everyone knows how important protein is. Unfortunately, most of us just aren’t getting enough relative to our other macronutrients (carbohydrates & fats). I find mixing protein powder with water after a workout is a great way to stay on top of my protein needs. I love the super clean whey protein used in Strengthlete’s products which provide all the essential amino acids that can’t be produced by the body. Strengthlete Protein also contains minimal amounts of carbohydrates and fat making it a great choice for those who are looking to lose weight. Try the chocolate or vanilla flavors, they’re delicious!
Need a gym buddy? Get your girlfriend motivated to hit the gym with you with Bell & Bell’s fashionable, everyday gym apparel for women.
I love working out but not before I get my morning cup of coffee! So of course, I just adore this “I Lift a Latte” racerback tee by Belle & Bell! I actually picked this up for myself at the CrossFit Games earlier this year along with one of their muscle tanks & I practically live in them! As well as being super cute, their fitness apparel is soft & comfortable, making it perfect for wearing both in and outside the gym.
Yes, you read that right, superfood & waffle mix in the same sentence! The Kodiak Cakes waffle & flapjack mix transforms your usual breakfast treats into healthy & guilt-free meals you can enjoy every day. Hurrah! Don’t just take my word for it though. Consumers out there are clearly loving their pancake and waffle mixes because Kodiak Cakes are rapidly expanding their products to offer oatmeal, minute muffins & flapjacks on the go! All of their products are non-GMO and they also offer a gluten-free pancake mix & 100% organic oat flapjack & baking mix. Personally, I’m a sucker for their Protein Packed Crunchy Peanut Butter power cakes!
When every second counts the last thing you want to be doing is wasting time pulling your hair out of your face. Junk Brands high performance headbands are made with super soft technical t-shirt fabric making them comfortable, lightweight & breathable against the skin. Their wick finish helps pull sweat away from the skin & dry quickly, perfect for those who want to get their sweat on but keep it out of their eyes! Check out the holiday gift guide on their page for the latest fashionable & festive styles for the season!
Boost your body from the inside out and see your performance sky-rocket with Mod_e’s line of 100% organic, all natural sports performance juices. Mod_e’s Booster Rock_it is packed full of naturally invigorating ingredients, specifically designed to give you a quick and natural boost of energy pre-workout. These 2oz shots are the perfect size as they won’t fill your stomach and can be rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream getting you ready to perform at your best in a matter of minutes. Buy online & have it shipped directly to your door!
Spread the love with nut butters! I recently discovered these two healthy nut butter alternatives at my local Whole Foods. Both are non-GMO, gluten free & insanely delicious! I just love Betsy’s Best Gourmet Peanut Butter with Cinnamon and Chia Seeds! It’s easy to stir with a deliciously gooey consistency, making it perfect to drizzle over waffles or greek yogurt. For those looking for a more paleo-friendly & vegan option, Barney’s Almond Butter is equally exquisite. Check out the flavors & recipes on their website for inspiration or enjoy it in its simplest form straight out of the jar like I do.
The ultimate nutrition gift for people looking to improve their relationship with food, lose or gain weight or change their body composition. Through a series of videos that teach you the foundation of flexible eating, the Take Eating Back Membership site guides its members to sustainable success whatever their goals.
Find out more from the founder, Jason Ackerman, via his video case studies, or join the Flexible Eating Nation on Facebook and connect with others who are a part of the Take Eating Back Revolution!
People often underestimate how critical a role nutrition plays in fitness. Proper nutrition can increase or diminish the effect of your training efforts. Strategies such as carbohydrate-loading are widely used by endurance athletes (find out more in the Low-Down on Carb-Loading) but a good athlete knows their nutrition plan doesn’t finish the night before their race. Race day nutrition, usually starting with the pre-race breakfast is just as important, as it helps to replenish your liver glycogen stores that have depleted during the night. Liver glycogen keeps your blood-sugar levels steady during exercise and helps stave off fatigue.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of Fall a Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte always springs to mind! For those of you who who can’t live without a bit of pumpkin spice in your life, try out this low carb pumpkin pie smoothie. It’s great for breakfast or a snack and super filling from all the fiber that’s in pumpkin.
If you take part in endurance related activities like cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing or marathon running, you will probably have heard of the term carb-loading (also known as carbo-loading or supercompensation). The more experienced amongst you likely already have your pre-race meals planned out to a tee and longingly anticipate your carb-loading stage as your grueling training program’s climactic reward.
So you’ve signed up for your first Spartan race, you got yourself a training program and you’ve succeeded in staying on top of it. That’s awesome! But what if I told you your training is just one piece of a larger more complex puzzle to achieving success? What else should you be doing to optimize your performance and make sure all your hard work is not in vain? Check out my 5 top tips for your best spartan performance yet.
It’s avocado season! My second favorite time of the year – after Christmas ooobviously. And this year I’ve been lucky enough to broaden my experiences beyond Cayman’s home-grown & imports as I’ve sampled some of the finest California grown avocados from San Francisco to LA. Clearly I wasn’t going to be able to leave either location without experiencing Instagram’s most annoying food trend, the Avocado Toast.
A couple of weeks ago I bundled my normally naked feet into a pair of UGGs and set off to DC for a two-day CrossFit Kids Seminar. Arriving at CrossFit Petworth on a chilly Saturday morning, I was overjoyed to be greeted by two giant boxes of coffee – Dunkin Donuts wouldn’t be my usual go to for coffee but everything tastes better when it’s free hey!? Thanks CrossFit Petworth for getting the weekend off on the right foot!
![Chocolate Almond Butter Donuts [Recipe]](https://www.ownyoureating.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/9637e4886594300fddef054e5a364da4-600x600-c-default.jpeg)
![Pumpkin Pie Smoothie [Recipe]](https://www.ownyoureating.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/4d1af87ca0d669687707943f08703432-600x600-c-default.png)
![Avocado Toast [Recipe]](https://www.ownyoureating.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/c5f39016e7a6705e3a8bb46c88fa5ead-600x600-c-default.jpg)
