Women and Weights

I have a new website - my very own proper one! So I will most probably be dedicating my time and writing energy to there instead.
Check it out :) www.mollybhealthy.com


Most people in the gym won't realise that I have rheumatoid arthritis - a disease where most people expect you to be crippled and unable to do most normal things, let alone exercise. A lot of people always look at me in a bemused way when I tell them that I do suffer with RA - you don't look ill? This is due to RA being an invisible illness - meaning you can't really see that much physical damage on the outside. But I get tired more easily than most people, my immune system is lower than normal, as well as my joints constantly swelling up, aching and becoming incredibly stiff. Since my diet has changed, I have been able to manage this more easily. I would of never let this stop me doing what I wanted too anyway.

Lifting weights has become something that not only benefits towards helping my arthritis but also a kind of a therapy for me. My muscles are becoming stronger, which helps my joints to take a rest now and then! Jogging and slow cardio doesn't help me at all, my joints rattle and bang about which wears them down. 

I do high intensity training - like rowing/running sprints as well as lots of weights, focusing on my arms, back, shoulders and legs. 

I also do this type of training to create the body that I want - I have always had a skinny shapeless figure so I find that lifting weights helps to give me more of a curvaceous womanly figure. Most women still fear lifting weights due to worry of looking 'too big'' - I am not sure where this myth as come from. Lifting weights won't make you big like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or give you the 'bulky' look. These guys have spent years and years training to gain that much muscle, plus we do not simply have enough testosterone to support this kind of physique. The women that you do see who have this so called 'bulky' look to them, are probably on extra hormones anyway. So don't worry, I can assure you that squatting with a 5kg dumbbell won't immediately turn you into the hulk.

Weightlifting is actually the quickest way to burn fat and the more muscle you have, the more fat you are burning when you are resting. Your bone health will improve - which is needed as we get older. But you also gain a sense of achievement as well as confidence - not only through having a strong body but, you will also have a stronger mindset. It is very therapeutic when you are feeling at all stressed/worried/angry etc - you get to take your mind off of the situation for a while, and work towards a different type of goal - this happens with any type of exercise.

I am always amazed at how much stronger I get each week, especially as I am quite little. I am now able to squat 80kg, when I only weigh 50kg.

As from most of you see on social media, Instagram etc, the rise of the fit and strong woman is upon us - I am pretty sure that soon, most women will be lifting more than men!
 I hope to start posting some of my own workout/fitness regimes on my website, which might give some of you a little help on what to do in the gym!

mollybhealthy

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Review - Protein Flapjacks

I was very excited to be asked to review some 'Protein Flapjacks' for Natural Balance Foods. (What's not to love about trying out lots of different foods and writing about them!)

These bars are a take on a traditional flapjack, they have around 10g of protein in and are gluten, wheat and dairy free. Being both gluten and dairy free myself, I find it hard to find snacks on the go when you are in need of a little boost during a busy day. These are a great tasty bar for when you want to grab something quick to munch on.

They do both gluten and wheat free bars as well as gluten, wheat and dairy free. Being GF/DF I didn't get to try the ones that aren't dairy free, but if they taste anything like the others, I am positive they are just as tasty!

I have tried and tested four different flavours of the Trek Flapjacks, firstly...

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Original Oat:

This is the most traditional tasting of the bunch, a sweet, nutty, oaty taste that you would get with a normal flapjack. This is great as you forget that it is actually GF and DF, due it to having such a good texture. I also like that you can taste the sweetness of the protein throughout, giving it a different kick to a normal flapjack.

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Oat Raisin:

This one has the similar taste and texture to the original oat, but with this you get the fruity sweetness of the raisins too. This bar reminds me of morning porridge, you get hints of syrup and cinnamon throughout the bar. This gives the flapjack such a nice flavour. 

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Banana Bread:

I love bananas! (as you know if you read my posts) and I especially love banana bread, so having a flapjack flavoured with this, you can imagine my excitement! You can smell as well as taste the banana flavour, which has a lovely caramel kick to it. The taste of the protein is more hidden in this flavour, so if you aren't a big fan of the protein aftertaste - this is the bar for you!

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Morning Berry:

This flavour is by far my favourite. It is sweet and fruity which makes the flapjack have much more of a lighter feel. The berries give make the flavour a lot more natural tasting, as well as dying the oats a nice purpley colour! I will be definitely eating more of these!

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All the flapjacks have their own individual flavour which makes them distinctive from one another. I love how they have managed to get exact same texture that a flapjack should be. The bars are still light and sweet in texture, which means you don't feel so stuffed after eating them. I love the element of protein that they use, which helps to give you a little energy boost!

The only slight criticism about these bars are that they use soy protein, something which I tend not to have in my diet. But this is just my personal preference. And anyway due to it being only a small dose of soy - these bars are great for me to eat now and then! 

Natural Balance Foods also make the Nakd bars, which I absolutely love too - it is refreshing to see a company who have a good understanding of food intolerance's, especially people who suffer with more than one!

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Thank you to Natural Balance Foods for asking and letting me review your 'Protein Flapjacks' - I hope you make many more tasty snacks!

MB

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http://www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk/trek-protein-flapjacks/

Protein 'Nutella' Spread

This is a jar of delicious chocolatey-fudgey-nutty goodness with a little kick of protein. Perfect for dipping strawberries in, blending into a smoothie, or simply eating by the spoonful! It is gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and I am 100% in love with this spread!

What You Will Need:

High Power Food Processor

Two Cups of Hazelnuts
1/4 Cup of Melted Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup of Raw Cacao Powder
1/4 Cup or One Large Scoop of Protein Powder
1/4 Cup of Organic Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup of Almond Milk (or your dairy-free choice)
Sprinkling of Salt

I use a Vegan Blend (the chocolate smooth flavour, so this works perfectly with this recipe) protein from www.myprotein.com - it is both gluten and dairy free but you still get that great source of protein that you normally get with whey. 

You can use any other protein if you aren't dairy-free like me! Or just make it without, if you just want it to be simply a 'Nutella' spread.

Line a tray with baking parchment and pour your hazelnuts onto it, spreading them out evenly. Pop them into the oven at around 180 degrees (I have a fan oven!) and let them toast for around 10 minutes, or until the skins are falling off.

Roasting them before makes the process of grinding them down easier as the oil from the nuts releases quicker, making the spread a lot smoother.

Let the hazelnuts cool down for a little bit, then pour into your food processor. Using the 'S' tool, grind the nuts down until they are a small crumb. This may take a little longer than you think, don't give up! 

Add in the melted coconut oil, to give the hazelnuts a little bit of a hand to release the oil. Once the nut and coconut oil mixture looks more spreadable, add in the raw cacao powder, the protein powder and then the maple syrup. Blend everything together - the mixture will start to look more like (and smell more like) 'nutella'. 

Now start to pour in the milk slowly, depending on how thick or thin you want your spread, add more or less than what is stated in the ingredients list. Sprinkle some salt in, to add a bit of saltiness to the sweet - then TADAH, your homemade healthy protein nutella is ready to eat! 

I store mine in a jar in the fridge, and before consuming, leave to warm at room temperature so it melts a little bit. You can spread on toast, reheat and dip fruits in, blend into your post-workout smoothies - its just nice to have a jar-full of guilt-free goodness for whenever you want!

Enjoy!

MB

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Supplementation

I am doing a different kind of blog post today, as I haven't had enough time to come up with any new recipes, due to it being my last week of University! Although I have been doing a few Instagram's lately of some of my meals while I'm here -  follow me - mollybuszardfood.

Last week I had a slight relapse with my progress, I felt so good and pain-free after I had done my anti-inflammatory month. It got me so excited, that I was quick to jump the gun with reducing my tablets, and ended up causing myself quite a lot of pain. Although I felt so low and depressed after working so hard, the realisation of how bad the pain was made me want to push harder and get back to that pain-free point again. 

I seem to have a constant battle with whether or not to seek medical advice. I sometimes feel that most doctors never take my situation that seriously and do not want to hear about the other options I have been trying. I feel scared to tell them of what I have been doing recently, and how I know that certain foods and elements help reduce to my pain. This caused me to make my own stupid decision about my tablets, which caused me a lot of problems. 

I decided to seek some professional medical advice, and just be honest with what I felt and had been doing. Surprisingly, from this GP, I got a really positive response, (especially for a Saturday morning), and he took notes on what foods worked for me, and wanted to look into 'The Myers Way' for himself. He talked me through starting the drugs back on a full dose, then very very slowly decreasing them down. He also booked me in for blood tests, to re-test me for coeliac disease! I also went for some hand therapy at the hospital. I imagined to be a room full of candles and hot oils, being massaged into me by a tall dark handsome male - but I was wrong of course! I was made a couple of different splints that allow my joints to rest as well as, helping to straighten them out.

I have also realised the importance of supplements over the past couple of months. Every morning I set myself up with a combination of different supplements, normally fish oils, vitamin D, krill oil, magnesium and a couple others! These help in reducing my inflammation as well as aiding my general health. It always surprises me how scared people seem of supplements, when no-one ever really questions the drugs that are handed to us by Doctors. 

The definition for supplement is- "a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it." 

And the definition for drugs are - "a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body."

Supplements should not be the tablets we are questioning. Most people are normally lacking in something and supplements are there to help fill that gap. Whether its your memory, your joints, heart health, menopause, digestive or bone problems - supplements are there to aid our recovery and health. 

People are often too quick to believe and follow everything the read on the back of the bottle regarding supplement dosage. These dosages are offered as just a minimum - the problem being taking the guided amount is a very small proportion of what you should really being taking. I am pretty sure that no-one has ever died from a fish oil overdose. In an ideal world a well balanced whole food diet will be enough to have no need for dietary supplements. However centuries of over farming and poor feed quality given to livestock, means that our food sources do not contain the nutrients we need! So supplements help to compensate for this.

I am not anti-drugs by the way, I just like to find an alternative natural way to help me. The drugs which I take do help me, and this was proved recently when I came off them too quickly. We see so many people cured of illness because of the magic of medicine - I defintily don't believe in todays world we could ever manage without it. 

My autoimmune disease works differently due to the fact my immune system is attacking itself, so I am trying to fix it in the most natural way possible!

A combination of good diet, exercise, supplementation should help towards achieving the healthiest version of you.

I have said this many times, we all know our own body the best, so when you start to see and feel good changes, you know you are doing something right. If you feel great then keep doing what your doing, don't let anyone (professional or not) tell you otherwise.

I hope you all have a happy and healthy weekend!

MB

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Banana Bread

I don't know what it is about bananas, but I love them. Whether they are mashed, frozen, topped with peanut butter, in a smoothie or my personal favourite, in bread - they are such a tasty and versatile fruit. 

I have made this banana bread quite a few times, both as a loaf and as muffins - they work just as well either way. Normally gluten and dairy free breads are dry and stodgy, but because of the bananas it becomes lovely and moist. 

The recipe is very easy also - I even made it with my little 3 year old cousin today, so I am sure anyone can do it!

What you will need:

Two Tablespoon of Coconut Oil - melted!
Four Eggs or Flaxseed Egg Alternative (2.5 tablespoon of water to 1 tablespoon of flax)
Three Tablespoon of Maple Syrup
One Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
1/2 Teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour
1/4 Cup of Ground Almonds
One Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1/2 Tablespoon of Sea-salt
1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk (Tinned)
Three Large Bananas - the riper the better!

Optional - Handful of Chocolate Chunks (90% Chocolate for DF), Currants, Walnuts, Hazelnuts etc.

In a mixing bowl add the coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla essence and apple cider vinegar into a bowl. With a spoon or mixer, whisk everything together so that everything is combined evenly. Add in the coconut flour, ground almonds and baking powder, then mix. Sprinkle in the salt. Then in a smaller bowl, mash the milk and bananas together then add into the bread mixture. It will seem quite sloppy for a bread dough, but this is what makes the bread so moist. Add in your chosen ingredients, I like the chocolate and hazelnuts together. Whats not to like really...

Either in a greaseproof paper lined tin or cupcake/muffin cases, pour the mixture in. If baking a loaf it will take around 40-45 minutes in the oven, or when a knife comes out clean. The muffins/cupcakes will take around 25- 30 minutes. Pop them into the oven at 180 degrees, 160 if fan oven!

Leave them to cool - then they are ready to eat whenever you want!

and they smell amazing! (Duffle agrees!)

Enjoy!

MB

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Ugg Foods - Review

I am not normally someone who uses prepackaged things, as I enjoy creating and experimenting with different foods and combinations myself. But for a company who believes in pretty much everything I do, and products that fit in with my lifestyle and eating, its seems silly to not give them a go.

Ugg Foods is a company based just outside of Long Crendon, close to the town in which I live Their products are in major distributors like Whole Foods, London, so I was very lucky to test and review them! I have seen them most recently at the BBC Good Food Show, that I went to! Their products are paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free (this one is especially important) and they can be altered to be egg free. They also have no added sugar, so what is not to like about these?

Living a paleo based lifestyle can be difficult when you are either juggling a full-time job, family or social life where you don't have time or energy to slog away at making something healthy. I always believe you do have time to make healthy easy meals, but when it comes to tasty things like bread, muffins and cakes, this does take up quite a bit of time.

So these ready combined bags are perfect for someone who wants to keep their paleo lifestyle but also needs a little helping hand!

Chai Seed Muffins - they are fluffy and soft just like muffins should be. You can decide if you'd rather make cupcakes or muffins - me being greedy, I obviously went for what would be the bigger option! On their website they also have lots of different variations of how you can use the pack! All you need to add is eggs (or an egg alternative), olive oil (I actually used melted coconut oil) and coconut/almond milk!

I also added some sugar-free currants into mine and a touch of lemon peel, just for some added texture. The great thing about this mix, is that it is just a base, so you can get creative with what you want to add!

I whipped this mixture up in a matter of minutes, so there really was no messing around. I poured them into my muffin cases and popped them into the oven! They needed around 30 minutes.

Out the muffins came and they smelled amazing - the smell obviously filled the house as my boyfriend and mother were soon to arrive!

You are able to freeze the muffins, but I am pretty sure they will be eaten before I have time to put them in the freezer!

I also made the Fruit and Seed Loaf which was just as tasty and easy to make! It is perfect to have for breakfast topped with avocado, or simply just as sandwiches! 

What is so nice about this product, is that it is genuine. You don't have to worry about what they might of put in, or other ingredients that you can't even pronounce. The products have obviously come from a company which have a good understanding and background into a paleo lifestyle, which is a unique selling point. 

This is a product that creates easier living for people who have difficulties with certain food groups, without having to spend large amounts of time and money on buying ingredients! I highly recommend Ugg Foods, as I think they benefit and help towards people trying to live a healthy lifestyle, but also one in which is simple! 

Thank you to Ugg Foods for letting me review their products! 

Give them a try!

Enjoy!

mollybhealthy x