Monthly Archives: November 2015

Nov142015

Write for Slant News!

Have you ever wanted to be able to express yourself freely, write news articles, or generally get published? Better yet, would you like to get paid for doing so? Slant News is the perfect place for you. Born out of the principles of wanting writers to be able to publish freely and have ownership over their work, Slant News is an up and coming news source and it’s clear that it’s here to stay. It recently just opened to the public for any writer who would like to join (before it was closed application). Slant News represents something great: freedom and power. You have the freedom to write what you please, about breaking news, about what’s going on with the world. Double that with the power to own your stories without a news company taking that away and you have an amazing combination.

Nov132015

No Job Left Undone with SmartSwapp

Times are tough and it’s hard to say if there will be any changes to that soon. People are working full-time hours making $500 in two weeks. This might be reasonable for a high school student living with their parents, but with the increasing costs of college tuitions, you need to start working when you’re born to save up enough. Otherwise, you’ll get destroyed by student loans and end up paying ten of thousands in interest before paying off those four years of college. It’s a struggle for nearly every one of the 99%.

Rise and grind

Nov122015

A Guide to a Proper English Breakfast

It seems to me that there is nothing better in the morning than a nice English breakfast (can substitute for Irish or Kiwi, too). It’s nutritious, satisfying, and joy-giving. A lot of people go to pubs and English/Irish cafes in order to get a good English breakfast. Little do they know, you can actually make your own English breakfast at home for half the price! We’re here to show you how. How is an English breakfast different than an American one? The main reason is that English breakfasts have much less of a sweet component than American breakfasts. Often with American breakfasts, you’ll see pancakes or french toast or something similar. The English breakfast is full of savory notes that all mix together. My version is probably definitely not textbook as it is heavily influenced by New Zealand–nonetheless, it is delicious.

The meat version

Nov112015

Why Video Games Are NOT a Waste of Time

Although video games are slowly becoming more mainstream in our society, there is still a negative stigmatism of laziness that pervades the video game hobby. People think it a waste of time and time better spent. Yes, there are certainly lines to be drawn. There’s a big difference from spending a few hours a week on a good story game to spending all your free time in an online universe. Like with everything else in life, gaming as a hobby requires moderation. Know when to allow yourself to play (without feeling guilt) and when to say, “Okay that’s enough, time to get something done.” I’m here to tell you why video games are NOT a waste of time! There are some real benefits to immersing yourself in different games, different universes. Read below to find out why:

Nov102015

Best Dog Food in 2015

A few days ago we directed you to www.reviews.com for a comprehensive study of the best protein powders available in 2015, and you loved it. We received glowing reviews about that post and have had handfuls of people tell us that they ordered new protein that day based on what they read. While we had worked together with our friends at Reviews.com to bring that information your way, this time, we’ve decided to share our absolute favorite study that they’ve put together. If you have a dog or even a cat, or maybe you just know someone with a dog, you should keep reading.

If you’re the owner of a dog or cat, you’re directly responsible for their wellbeing. Their quality of life is so heavily dictated by your actions, so it’s your responsibility to take care of it better than you take care of yourself. If you’re buying the cheapest dog food at the store, you need to ask yourself if you’re doing the right thing by taking care of that animal. In all fairness, we are individuals that think the love that a good owner gives definitely makes that animal’s life much more enjoyable than being stuck in the pound, out on the street, or dead. Still, having animals live in your home doesn’t have to be a ridiculous expense. Here is the best dog food in 2015!

Our love bug food monster

Nov092015

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

Tis the season to eat pumpkin, fa la la la la la la la la! Great song, don’t you think? For real, though, pumpkin is the star of Fall and I dare anyone to challenge that. It’s in everything you see during these few months: lattes, desserts, candles, candies, and so on and so forth. And guess what? I don’t hate it! There isn’t anything wrong with some pumpkin. I’m all for things that make each season feel like it stands out, and pumpkin really helps that with Autumn. As a side note, my New Zealand family is always shocked that Americans don’t eat pumpkin year round as they do. It’s a great vegetable! Kiwis will often have 5-6 vegetables in their dinner and pumpkin is a big part of that. Anyways, we’re using pumpkin less as a vegetable today, and more as a Fall-like way to spice up your dessert! This recipe is inspired by the Kitchn. Tuck in!

Nov082015

Last Few Weeks in Pictures

Beginning to look a lot like Fall…

Nov072015

NETA Group Exercise Workshop in Los Angeles

If you read our recent post about NASM’s effort to enter the Group Exercise market through their strategic acquisition of AFAA, you might remember we discussed the current hierarchy of certifications in the industry. While we didn’t give you the whole picture, you saw a glimpse and got an idea of who the heavy hitters were in group exercise. One organization we didn’t mention happens to currently be one of the only two that has NCCA Accreditation for both their personal trainer and group exercise instructor courses. In fact, I’ve looked through a lot of fitness professional catalogs and they might have the most diverse of all. They are NETA. (I spend at least ten minutes a day explaining acronyms in the fitness and aquatics industries to people.)

Source: NCCA

Nov062015

30-Day Yoga Program

Last week, I told you guys that I need to learn how to stretch again. I’m here to report I’m doing a fairly good job! What’s one of the best ways to stretch? Yoga! I wanted to restart my stiff, non-flexible body so that I could feel limber again and be able to touch my toes. I found that I had really isolated a big part of my physical health: my flexibility. These 30 (hopefully) consecutive days of yoga will open up my hips, my hamstrings, and overall help my flexibility. I learned the hard way that you can’t ignore one part of your fitness; each part of our physical health is important. If you ignore one part, something bad is going to creep up on you. I am happy and look forward to my yoga each day. But how did I pick one?

Nov052015

2015’s Best Protein Powder

While in Petco tonight, I was questioning my normal choice for dog food and needed assistance. Under great duress due to my indecisive nature and love for our animals, I decided to head over to a reliable website. While we might look to Amazon and Yelp for reviews or thumbs up on YouTube for that matter, we often forget that anyone can contribute to those ratings. The result is something far more subjective and far less consistency.

When I need to make a more important decision, I might head over to Cnet or review.com because I know that they are professionals, getting paid for what they are doing, and therefore to a certain degree, their lives depend on providing high quality and far more objective reviews. While I don’t know them personally, their reviews seem to be extremely in-depth and considerate of more than just, “we’ll give you some money to recommend our product.” Sadly that happens far too often, especially in the fitness and nutrition industries!