Why crunches and situps aren't giving you flat abs

So, you've been doing situps and crunches religiously for years, and you just can't get the abs you want? No, there's nothing wrong with you and you're not the only one. The problem lies in your approach. 

Flat abs are a result of a regular cardio, resistance training, core strength traingin and of course - diet. A saying that hasbeen going around quite a lot is- abs are made in the kitchen. Which is true. Partially.

Most people don’t realize that without a strong core, it’s unlikely you will achieve flat, sixpack abs. And,for a strong core you need to strengthen much more than just your abdominals. It includes your hips, lower bach, glutes and of course the inner core muscles - areas that crunches alone are missing. 

Try out this Kayla Itsines' ab workout and visit her web page for for her complete bikini body guide. Seriously this girl is amazing.

Now, lets talk about diet. No amount of training will help if you don't do the work in the kitchen as well. You may have a strong core and abs, but to get them to show, you need to lose fat. And that cannot be done in just one part of the body. If you want to show off your abs you need to get your body fat % down. Total body fat, not just abdominal fat. To lose fat you need to create a calorie deficit - now this is a whole new topic for a whole different post. But in short- please do not starve your body- you will not get abs this way as he body starts to eat its own muscles when it doesn't get enough nutrients. So eat. But eat clean. Avoid things that will cause cravings - like processed foods, simple carohyrates, sugar... And include more fruits, veggies, complex carbohydrates- wholewheat, rice, oats,...and lean protein- beans, fish, soy, chickpeas, eggs, cottage cheese...

A post on clean eating will be up soon, but if you have any questions at all just ASK :D

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Winter time is coming and with it all the joys of the season. I love love loveee the time of year before Christmas <3 I know, I know, it’s only November, but I just can’t help myself. I just love it and I’m not ashamed to admit it. When November begins that’s my que to start planning Christmas presents for family and friends and watching Christmas movies, of course! Watching Love Actually during the first weekend of November has become sort of a tradition of mine and it marks the begining of Christmas season for me :P just to be totally honest, I might watch Love Actually at least every two weeks untill Christmas…Actually, I probably will. Okay, okay…I know I will, cause I do every year :D

But this isn’t a post about Christmas or Love Actually. It is however a post about something delicious and hot and something that smells great and something that makes me feel wintery and christmasy and lovely…I’m babbling…

This is a post about CHESTNUTS :D Chestnuts roasting on an opeeen fireee…

Okay, so..Chestnuts. Love them. But how much do you really know about them? 

- They are relatively low in calories - compared to other nuts - around 200 Kcal per 100g

- They are starchy in contrast to other seeds and nuts, their nutrition composition is similar to other staple starch foods such as sweet potato, sweet corn, potatoes, 

- They are a good source of dietary fiber; provide 8.1 g (about 21% of RDI) per 100 g. Fiber diet helps lower blood cholesterol levels by limiting excess cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

- They are exceptionally rich in vitamin-C. 100 g nuts provide 43 mg of vitamin C (72 % of DRI). 

- They are rich in folates, which is quite a rare but unique feature for nuts and seeds. 100 g nuts provide 62 µg of folates (or 15.5% DRI). Folic acid is required for the formation of red blood cells, DNA synthesis. Adequate consumption of food rich in folates is especially important before and during the first trimester of pregnancy as it helps prevent neural tube defects.

- Chestnuts contain high levels of essential fatty acids, including linoleic acid, which are beneficial to cardiovascular health and proper neurological development in infants,

- The nuts are an excellent source of minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and zinc, besides providing a very good amount of potassium

- Further, they are also rich in many important B-complex groups of vitamins. 100 g of nuts provide 11% of niacin, 29% of pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), 100% of thiamin, and 12% of riboflavin.

Plus, they are delicious and smell nice and when they start selling roasted chestnuts you know it’s the time of year to be jolly :D

Vegan quinoa sushi

Okay, so have you been reading the posts about sushi not being healthy, because it’s made of white rice and it contains sugar? Or are you a vegetarian who’s always wanted to try it? Or maybe you just turned vegetarian and sushi is the one thing you can’t live without?

Not to worry, I’m here to help ;)

Here’s what I did, when I wanted to make my sushi healthier and fish free: I took out the fish :D haha surpriseeee 

But I also took out the sugar and the rice. Now, you’re probably wondering, what’s left?? Or maybe not, because the post title gave it all away anyway…

I added quinoa! And filled it with sweet potato, avocado, cucumber and carrots. And I would add spinach leaves if I had any! Yeah yeah, like you care about my babbling and trying to make this post a little longer…I’ll just get to the point :P

Here’s what you’ll need for two rolls:

• 1/2cup quinoa cooked in cup water - makes about 1 and 1/2 cup
• 1 small sweet potato, sliced into strips
• 1/2 small avocado- thinly sliced
• 1 and 1/2 tbs rice vinegar
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 2 nori wrappers
• wasabi and soy sauce for dipping
• a very very sharp knife

Keep in mind that you can add ANY vegetable you like or even seeds- sesame seeds would go great with sushi :D

How you do it:

• prepare your veggies and quinoa ahead of time, so they have time to cool down before you start assembling the rolls. About 30min is plenty of time to let them cool down.
• Steam the vegetables for 5-10min
• Once the quinoa is cooked - a half a cup od quinoa and a cup of water- spread it over a flat surface and drizzle it with rice vinegar. Fold it over a couple of times- I find it best to use a spatula. Keep adding the vinegar untill you add 1tbs and a half and keep folding 
• Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on a rolling sheet - if you don’t have one, you can use a clean kitchen towel or something similar.
• Now spread the quinoa on the nori sheet, but leave about 2cm so you can close the roll later. Once you’ve done this you can start adding the veggies. Add the strips close to the end of the sheet- about 2cm from the edge, on the side that is covered with quinoa. Be careful not to overfill it or you won’t be able to roll andclose it 
• Now, here’s where a rolling sheet comes in handy. Turn the sushi-to-be so the end with the veggies is nearest to you and start rolling. Make sure you apply constant pressure to make sure the roll comes out nice and firm. When you get to the end, moisten the nori wrap - this is why you need to leave a little space when spreading the quinoa. The moisture will glue the roll together.
• Using the very very sharp knife, slice the roll into bite size pieces.
• Arrange them on a plate and serve with soy sauce and wasabi for dipping