5 Healthy Snacks to Grab When You're On The Go

As much as I like to try and plan and prep meals and snacks, there are always going to be times when you're caught out and you want something to snack on that's not going to be off-setting your hard work in the gym. Thankfully, in the last few years, there has started to be a shift in lots of shops now making healthier snacks much more readily available- so here are my top 5 to get you through when the munchies hit.

1. Craving sweets? Go for dried mango

These are the best! They taste like little fruit gums or fruit pastilles, in that they're chewy and almost bit gummy and so are probably the closest thing you're going to get to sweets. My personal favourite is the Sainsbury's own brand ones, they come in small sized snack bags in locals but you can buy larger bags in the supermarkets. Yes there is sugar in this, but it is all natural so you don't have to worry too much, just make sure you're having natural sugars in moderation.


2. Craving a cereal/snack bar? Go for a Trek Bar

Quite often now you see cereal bars around the checkouts of supermarkets as a 'healthy' alternative to sweets and chocolate. But that doesn't neccisarily mean that they are good for you and they can often pack in a lot more sugar than you think, and not really have much nutritional benefits. However, Trek bars are a bit of a middle ground to this; I wouldn't reccomend them as an everyday food, but sometimes you need something you can just grab and go, and there's definitley worse choices out there than these.

3.Craving biscuits? Go for corn thins

There's always that time at work when you just want something to munch on whilst you have your tea, and usually the first thing that comes to hand is a biscuit. But step away from the biscuit tin, and into the world of corn thins/oatcakes. You can literally top these with whatever takes your fancy, but I'd stick to a nut butter and maybe some sliced banana or strawberries if you want to keep these on the healthy side. These require a smidge of preparation so if you really are on the go, grab the dark chocolate ones from Sainsbury's instead.

4. Craving savoury? Go for almonds

Almonds are a great way to get some good fats into your diet, but make sure you don't go overboard with these- you probably want to aim for no more than around 8-10. I always keep a bag of these tucked away in a pocket of my bag so that whenever I need something, I've got these to hand.

5. Craving chocolate? Go for a dark choc bar

And when I say bar, I mean a few squares of a bar! However places such as Pret do a great teeny bar that is about 2-3 squares of dark chocolate with sea salt which is amazing!

Hope that gives you some inspiration for next time you need a quick snack, please let me know your lifesavers in the comments!

GM

MYPROTEIN Pancake and Shake Review

Finally I've taken the next step in my fitness journey and have dabbled in the world of protein with the Myprotein chocolate caramel shake and golden syrup protein pancakes. When I started looking at protein products Myprotein stood out with the massive range of products they sell and at pretty reasonable prices I gave these two products a go.

The Myprotein protein pancake mix was something I've never heard of before; I've seen plenty of recipes including protein powder but nothing as simple as the protein powder itself and milk. 1 scoop of the mix and around 80-100ml of milk, a quick whisk and you're good to go! And the flavour of these are incredible, really sweet and full of flavour so there is no temptation to add any extras like sugar or syrup! I've been cooking these in the evening when I have early lectures so that I can quickly warm them through in the microwave, add some fruit and Fage 0% yoghurt and I'm good to go.

The Myprotein shake tastes so good you won't even know that its not a normal drink, and the protein mixes really quickly and easily so no lumps to deal with. Personally I have mine with milk to get a bit of added calcium but it tastes just as nice with water, a nice amount of chocolate and the caramel isn't overwhelming at all; you get it more as an after taste which is really tasty.

These two have made a massive improvement to my gains, I don't have a shake after every workout, probably just 1-2 times a week after I've had a serious lifting session. With a whopping 34g of protein per serving of pancake, and 20g per shake, hopefully I'll be making some more serious ab gains soon!

Let me know what your fave protein products are below!

Xx

Macros: What Are they?

Aloha, if you're working towards your summer bod you'll probably be watching what you eat. You'll probably have heard the term 'macros' thrown about. But what do you actually need to look for? Fear not chums, hopefully I'll be able to explain this one and help you reach your ab goals.

Macros simply means macronutrients, which is the breakdown of the large food types you need in your diet. This mainly comprises of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Remember that picture of the plate with food on from your childhood?

Whilst this isn't a perfect example, you get the general idea of what macros are now. So how do you track them and stick to your goals?

The main thing I'd reccomend is downloading the MyFitnessPal app (it's free), and just logging your meals, snacks, drink intake and exercise for a couple of days. There's a super handy part of the app which gives you a pie chart breakdown of how much protein, carbohydrates and fat you should be eating to reach your goals. You can break this down further to see which foods are helping you out reaching your targets and which aren't.

I've never had a problem with knowingly undereating but after a few days logging my intake, I realised that not only were my percentages of protein, carbs and fats all wrong, but I actually wasn't eating enough calories to reach my goal- which is to add some weight through building muscle.
Now that I've corrected this and eating my full recomended calorie intake each day, and in the right proportions, I honestly can't tell you enough how much it has improved my gains and general health! I feel so much more alert and full of energy and because I'm eating more good foods, I feel much fuller and no longer feel the need to snack on the not so good stuff!

What's your favourite fitness app for keeping you on track?

Xx

Fitness Faves.

Fitness is a massive love of mine. I've taken part in pretty much every sport you can think of and they are really are my version of relaxing! Since being at Uni I've become a keen bean gym-goer, and particularly since January I've really stepped up my game and started lifting weights more regularly as well as eating clean. So to help motivate me (and you) to get gym ready, here are some of my favourite work out clothes of the moment. 

Nike flash leggings £90, Nike Pro training shorts £23, Adidas 'Train the world' vest £17.99

Forever 21 caged sports bra £10, Forever slouchy orange vest £10, H&M neon sweatshirt £5.99

I always find that mixing up specific sports wear pieces and high street pieces gives the best gym look, but brand wise I am definitely a Nike girl at heart. The 'flash' leggings are pricey but if you work out outside or in the evenings they would really come in handy- practical+ultra cool= winner! The sports bra has such a pretty back, and paired with either of the vests you'd be able to show off those back gains like a pro.

Where's your fave place to shop for sports gear?

Xx