Who cares?

Lately, I’ve been questioning myself a lot… wondering things like: Why do I care so much about healthy living? Why do I care about something that can seem so superficial on the surface and that in the grand scheme of things, is so insignificant in comparison to “real life” and “real problems”? I even started to question why I spend so much of my time in preparation for a race? Who cares?

I haven’t been posting regularly over the past few weeks because I’ve struggled to find a meaningful answer to these questions.

Healthy living in comparison to lets say… living with an illness, or living in a war torn region for example… just does not stack up and I started feeling silly for sharing ways to maximize a privileged first world way of living. But though it is important to have perspective, I’ve been reminded over the past few days that it’s OK to care about it… That even though it may not ‘stack up’, it does matter, it is something I’m passionate about, and sharing my honest approach to healthy living actually does have a positive impact.

So, thank-you to the people who have reached out and reminded me of that. I am officially no longer lost in my thoughts and seeing the Olympics come to a close this weekend has definitely confirmed it for me… it has been amazing watching the best athletes in the world do their thing and it has been such a nice change of pace seeing positive headlines in the news too.

Just a few days ago I was questioning why I bother racing at all and what the meaning of it all is, and now I’m searching for another race to sign up to. I love competing and I thrive off of keeping an active lifestyle. Is there meaning behind it? Maybe not… but it keeps me sane, it gives me something to work towards and I simply enjoy it. So why not?

In saying that, I have a race report post coming up next and an exciting announcement to make too. Onwards and upwards…

Posted by allisonloosley

Bircher Muesli for breakfast!

Morning everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I’m waking up to a delicious bowl of Bircher Muesli to soothe the Monday Blues.

It’s not hard to fall in love with this overnight oats recipe – so easy to prepare and totally delicious.

I was introduced to Bircher Muesli in Mallorca on the RAAMIN4Charity training camp last month. Thanks to Suzanne, I now have a new favourite breakfast!

With the weather warming up too it is the perfect time to really appreciate this refreshing and filling breakfast.

Here’s how…

Posted by allisonloosley

My Attempt to Debunk Calorie Counting

So, over the past month or so I’ve been counting my calories. I wanted to try it out because I have met a few people recently who LIVE by their calorie count and use it as a measurement to consider themselves having had a healthy day or not.

I set out to debunk this way of thinking as I don’t consider ‘hitting your calorie count’ an aspect of healthy living. I still believe this to be true but to my surprise, I discovered how apps like MyFitnessPal and MyPlate provide a really great insight to your eating habits and activity levels.

For me, it was a really good reminder of how active I have to be in order to eat what I want to eat! Which sounds little ridiculous maybe… but I’m serious. It poses the question: How lazy do you want to be?

Posted by allisonloosley

Almond Biscotti Recipe

This biscotti recipe has gotten me a lot of praise. It is gluten free, sugar free and most importantly: simply delicious.

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

Posted by allisonloosley

Anti-inflammatory Super Spices + Curried Chicken Stew Recipe

Whether it’s bloating, heartburn or you feel it in your joints, inflammation causes wear and tear and interferes with you being the best version of yourself. We often get used to the discomfort and consider it normal to feel and react this way.

Over the past 5 weeks, my left knee has been bothering me a lot. I went to the doctor about it a few weeks ago, where they tested my knee strength and joint function. Everything seems OK, so they suggested it is just irritated by inflammation.

It’s amazing how quickly something painful and restricting can become our ‘normal’… something we get used to living with. My knee is a lot better lately, but I still experience discomfort when running and cycling.

After doing some reading, I have learned that inflammation can be worsened or made better depending on what we eat. Avoiding food that is fried or high in sugar is a good start. More importantly, adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet can reduce discomfort caused by inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory SUPER SPICEs

Add Turmeric, Ginger, Hot Chilli and Cinnamon to your diet and take advantage of the compounds they contain, which inhibit inflammatory pathways.

Turmeric especially, has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both Chinese and Indian medicine.

These four wonderful spices enhance health and well-being in many ways as well as prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease risk factors. Forget about restricting your diet for a minute, and first focus first on incorporating these spices into your daily diet.

Not to mention, cooking with these Super Spices can make any boring ol’ vegetable dish, full of flavour and warmth. It is a great way to enjoy eating healthy without sacrificing flavour.

Here’s a recipe to try that is full of anti-inflammatory goodness…

Posted by allisonloosley

Banana Porridge Recipe | Oats vs. Quinoa

Every year around this time I start to feel the aftermath of all the heavy Christmas meals I ate in December. So far, I’ve had a pretty healthy January, yet I feel like I’ve gained a little weight since the new year… which is frustrating. It happens every year though… I know that for me it is normal and to ignore the scales in January; to just stick to my routine and things will balance back out in time.

I do however end up with cravings for the hearty meals to continue… so porridge is my go to breakfast dish. It satisfies a craving and keeps me full until (I’d like to say lunch but..) 11.

Traditional porridge – just milk and oats – can get tiresome for me. So here is an alternative porridge recipe I’ve been enjoying lately.

Originally, I wanted to test out quinoa flakes (rather than oats). I intended to hop on the bandwagon and share a quinoa inspired recipe… but here’s what I learned in the process…

Why quinoa flakes?

One notable nutritional difference quinoa has over oats is it’s protein content and quality; there’s more protein in quinoa.

Each cup of cooked quinoa provides 8.1 grams of protein, compared to 5.6 grams in an equivalent portion of cooked oatmeal.

Why Not Quinoa flakes?

Well first of all, they are £6-8 for only 400g. Oats are around £1-2 for 1kg! It’s a no brainer financially.

But quinoa does offer 118 milligrams of magnesium per serving, compared to oatmeal’s 61 milligrams — Oatmeal however offers more than five times the amount of iron found in quinoa.

Quinoa vs Oats Bottom-line

Quinoa flakes and oats are both great breakfast foods and a healthy source of carbohydrates, protein, fibre and micronutrients.

In my opinion it’s not worth breaking the bank for quinoa flakes… I’ll stick with oats for my porridge. I did experiment though and it turns out that regular quinoa (usually £2.50 per 500g) is quite tasty in this porridge recipe as well… but the texture is a bit funny.

Banana Porridge Recipe

In this recipe you can use oats or quinoa flakes.

Prep: 1 minute
Cook: 5 minutes

Posted by allisonloosley

Setting an affirmation

A little delayed but, Happy New Year!

Around this time last year I wrote a Goal Setting post with all my exciting plans for 2015.

And what a year 2015 was — I learnt how to swim, it was my first year racing triathlon and I created Live Loosley. Whirlwind! I’ve literally intimidated myself for setting 2016 goals… I haven’t a clue what to aim for that could top last year.

Even though I’m not big on setting New Year’s Resolutions or the whole ‘new year, new you’ thing, I do feel the need to roughly map out my year so I have an idea of the months to come… what races/travels/experiences spark my interest and how I can make the most of a refreshed holiday allowance at work.

So far, my 2016 plans are very up in the air… and I’m not going to lie, it makes me a little uneasy! I’m a planner… I love plans… yet, I have no set plans.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to write about as my first post of the year… I felt an obligation to write something about goal setting and plans for 2016 but I’m still working mine out and it’s OK if you are too. Goals can be set anytime of the year and should be readjusted as you learn more about achieving them.

This weekend I thought to myself, how about setting an affirmation? And it’s really helped me come to terms with my current ‘no plan’ status.

Posted by allisonloosley

Staying fit over the holidays

The days are short and there are loads of social engagements during the month of December. Between Christmas parties, family meals and gatherings the holiday period can leave us feeling overfed and sluggish.

In England, celebrating the holidays is a motion that lasts the entire month. It’s always difficult for me to find the right balance.

I have to remind myself that the priority during the holidays is sharing time and creating memories with people you care about. Time at the gym will have to take the hit and that’s fine. But I do have a few tips that will help you to stay feeling fit through the festivities.

Posted by allisonloosley

The Spiralize Movement, Courgetti Recipe

I have always been mesmerized by the spiralizer, but never fully appreciated it until we invested in one last month.

I assumed that spiralizer’s would be easy to break, hard to use and difficult to keep clean. It was a nice surprise to learn the exact opposite.We have the Dexam Spiralizer – it’s easy to use, durable (I spiralized a raw sweet potato and it didn’t break) and easy to keep clean.

Some extra bonuses…

Using a spiralizer is a great way to fit more vegetables in your diet… AND ENJOY IT.
If you’re like me and end up bleeding after trying to peel something, it’s a much safer option
Um, it’s extremely satisfying and takes little effort
Nostalgic – warming memories of helping my Aunt make homemade relish come flooding back to me

Here is an easy to prepare and healthy Pesto Courgetti recipe (aka ‘courgette spaghetti’ or ‘zucchini noodles’).

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes

Posted by allisonloosley

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