Apr252014

If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)

For the past few weeks or so, I’ve been trying this fitness philosophy called “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM). It’s a slightly controversial idea. People in the fitness industry love to argue and contest each other’s philosophies. I’m fairly open-minded and like to try new things. I did the whole strict clean-eating thing, did protein-shake only, fruit-only cleanses, and so forth. Strict bodybuilder clean-eaters don’t care for IIFYM. However, plenty of people adhere to IIFYM.

So, what is IIFYM? In this philosophy, you have a set number of calories you can intake based on if you want to cut (lose fat), maintain, or bulk (gain mass). From those total calories, your macros are split up. Macros (aka macronutrients) are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. You get a certain number of each (this site has a great calculator for it). For example, I have around 1930 calories per day, my designated protein intake is around 130g, fat is like 55g, and carbs hover around 230g.

In many fitness regimens, you are supposed to eat clean (no crap). However, in IIFYM, you can eat dirty IF it fits your macros. So if I eat cleanly and focus on high protein and medium fat/carbs, I can have a big ol’ bowl of ice cream later. Your diet revolves around “hitting your macros” in any way YOU choose. For some people, it’s great because it allows them to be flexible. For others, they can’t handle all the temptation. Some people don’t even believe it works because there’s “dirty” eating involved.

You can treat yourself every day if you budget for it!

For me, it has gone fairly well. I don’t always hit my macros, sometimes because I don’t get all my suggested calories and sometimes because I go over a few. So far, I’m kind of liking it. It allows me treats but also sets a limit. Gives me some moderation. I’m not sure how long I will keep doing this, but I will stick with it for a bit longer. Tracking your nutrients is vital, I use MyFitnessPal (add me! “nanathetiger“). We may go back to strict clean-eating soon. Who knows!

Gotta love brussel sprouts 🙂

It’s good to know all the fitness philosophies out there. Some (MANY) are fads, but it’s worth investigating to find out what works for YOU. There is no one-fits-all fitness regimen. Something could work perfectly for you, but completely fail for me. It’s important to try stuff out and see what your body and mind likes best. As always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

I wonder if it’s tough being so cute all the time

Apr242014

Book Review: The Way of Kings

Part of being fit is having a healthy mind. I believe that’s done well by reading. They say the best way to learn how to write better is to read. This book could be one of the best cases for that. The Way of Kings, written by Brian Sanderson, is a wonderful, inspiring read. It’s a book in the fantasy genre, set in its own made-up world. The plot and setting are complex and gets more and more so as the story continues. Sanderson is impressive in the way he completely constructs this world, as if it truly did exist at one point in time. My favorite thing is when a fantasy book seems real. I hate spoilers so this won’t really give much at all.

Image source

It is slow-going at first. I must mention that I am listening to the audiobook, not reading the print. This helps me on my runs and is thoroughly enjoyable to listen to on my way to work. Once you continue reading, however, the pace certainly picks up. There are times where I simply couldn’t stop listening. Sanderson is obviously very smart. This is not something he’s written on a whim. Everything slowly starts become interwoven and people who seemed unconnected find themselves on the same path. This makes the story so very exciting.

The fantasy world is set in the age of sword and shield, in the world of Roshar. Knights, wars, and magic, too. There are a few unique parts to this world which I especially enjoy that I will mention. One part are the spren. Characters and history in the book have trouble defining what they exactly are (though it continues to be researched). Spren are little beings or spirits that represent emotions and nature. If someone is in pain, pain spren will wiggle up from the ground. Flame spren will dance as little red figures upon a fire. Creation spren will spark up if someone is deep in creating something (like art). And so on and so forth. This concept is so fascinating because each and every spren (and there are tons–think of every emotion and element) is shaped, colored, and behaves differently. Absolutely love it.

The story doesn’t just follow the path of one main character. You get to see all parts of this very complex world from many different perspectives. One from an inspiring slave, one from an honorable High Prince, and one from a girl trying to save her family’s fortune. Eventually, everything comes together. And even though the viewpoint is spread out, you actually care about each and every main character who gets the spotlight. Characters are far from perfect and like to meddle in gray areas, but they generate great loyalty from you and also from other characters in the book.

Image source

When you are reading this book, it feels like you are straying into a world in a constant war with very little passion left. The drawn-out feeling from the war gives you the sense everyone is tired of it, and that something big must be coming up to break the boredom. A tide starts to rise and bursts at the end. All the connections are revealed and you find the time you invest in this story is worth it. It is certainly a long book but, once again, it is worth the read.

If you want to get lost in a different world full of intricacies carefully planned out by the author, give The Way of Kings a try. It’s a fantastic read that promises to suck you in and hold you there. In fact, I’m reading the sequel right now! Can’t get enough of it. I love books that play out in a way that makes you respect the heck out of the author. The things that are planned out that you never expected. How it makes you appreciate the time and dedication to his craft to weave such a captivating story. I give this book a big thumbs up! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Apr232014

Our “Staycation” in Pictures

You may have noticed that we have lapsed in our posting the past week. This is because my parents came in for an Easter visit! It’s been tons of fun. We did loads of stuff and there are tons of pictures that I still need to steal from other family members. Here’s a short snippet. But no worries, we are back in the saddle here at Hungry and Fit!

Spring has sprung!

We went to Estes Park…mum is modeling…

Mum made tons of lovely breakfasts

Noke got to enjoy the sun as the whole family gardened

EASTER!!

Noke cuddling

Rainbow!!

Some darn good food…

Good view of Boulder

Mum made scones

Mum being ridiculous

Eldorado

Poor Noke

She gets revenge

Good Indian food

Good Korean food

Fit’s parents…miss them already

Apr162014

Glazed Cinnamon Scones

You know what day it is–Wednesday! The day I bring some form of treat to my co-workers. It was a toss-up today between glazed cinnamon scones and another healthy version of brownies. This won out this week! It looked slightly intimidating, but it was fine once I got rolling. Similar process in making the scones as in my mum’s. I substituted a few things like put less sugar and added in whole-wheat flour to make it a little more healthy. These are delicious. They simply crumble into your mouth as you bite into it. The cinnamon settles nicely with the texture–it’s a keeper. Let’s try it out!

Crumble it up!

Knead it out!

Pie?

Love this mixture…

Glazed Cinnamon Scones

2014-04-15 22:51:42

Serves 8

A fiber-rich delicious glazed cinnamon scone

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Prep Time

17 min

Cook Time

11 min

Prep Time

17 min

Cook Time

11 min

Scone Ingredients

2 cups flour (1 whole-wheat, 1 regular)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp granulated sugar

Dust Ingredients

1 tbsp sugar
1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tsp milk
1/2 tsp maple syrup

Instructions

Let's first start with the scones. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and grease up a baking sheet.
Get out a big bowl and put your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in there. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it gets crumb-y.
Separate the egg and put the egg YOLK in a separate bowl along with the sugar, milk, and lemon juice. Mix that up.
Add this to the dry ingredients and mix it until it combines (don't overdo it)
Flour up a surface (I use a cutting board) and put the dough you've made into a ball on the surface
Knead it into around 1/2 inch thickness and then cut into eight pieces
Place the eight pieces on the baking sheet
Take out the egg white and whisk it until frothy. Brush it onto the scone pieces
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the egg-whited scones
Put in oven for 10-11 minutes
While it bakes, let's make the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar, milk and maple syrup until it forms up properly into a glaze
When the scones are done, let them cool a bit and then drizzle the glaze over

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Money Saving Mom

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

Once you get rolling, you won’t stop! There may be one or two less scones going to work tomorrow because they perhaps made a way into my stomach. Oops? I hope you enjoy this recipe and use it to spread happiness all around! Keep baking to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepies

Apr142014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Getting some sun!!

Excellent dessert including Ben & Jerry’s, strawberries, and Toblerone!

Puppy kisses, obviously

Delicious Sakio

Sajah loves to find high spots…

Video games (ESO), duh…

Adorable little girl

Enjoyed time outside

Ate clean

and delicious

Home workout and a pedicure

Apr132014

The Clean-Eater’s Breakfast

I was going to title this “The Bodybuilder’s Breakfast,” but I was worried that would scare too many people off. As in they would see my head on Arnold’s body. Bodybuilding is just creating a toned and muscular body! But that aside…if you want to do some clean eating, here’s an easy way to start your day. I have this most days out of the week. It keeps me full for a long period of time and it satisfies my taste buds. Oatmeal and hard-boiled egg whites. Pretty common ingredients. Simple, nutritious, delicious.

I always put hot sauce on my eggs…you could call me obsessed

Oatmeal is such a foundation for creativity!

Clean-Eater's Breakfast

2014-04-12 11:24:45

Serves 1

A great way to start the day, full of nutrition and satisfaction

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Cook Time

5 min

Cook Time

5 min

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (however you can use any kind, it will just take longer)
raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
anything else you want to add- bananas, nuts, other dried fruit, maple syrup, etc
3 hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
Take your hard boiled eggs and delicately peel the white off and drop in a bowl
Add any hot sauce you want to the eggs and cut them up with your fork
Once the water for the oatmeal boils, stir in the oats
Soon after, put in the cinnamon, raisins, and any other additions you would like

Notes

Hard-boil the eggs beforehand to make it a super quick breakfast

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

You can spiff up the oatmeal all you want. While I was in contest prep, I just had cinnamon in it to limit my sugars, but you can go wild with it! In college, we used to put the weirdest things in. Hey, it’s fun! This breakfast is sure to provide long-lasting satisfaction with no guilt involved. Eat clean to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Apr112014

Raspberry Crumb Bars with Lemon Glaze

I’m trying to make it a recurring theme to bring goodies to our weekly management meeting. It’s been going pretty well so far. It also reminds me to get in the kitchen–something I love to do, but don’t do nearly enough. For the past two years, I’ve been collecting recipes I want to try. This week’s treat was a good one, if I don’t say so myself! Raspberry crumb bars with a lemon glaze. Yes, it’s as it good as it sounds. Making a crumb bar was slightly intimidating for me, but it turned out to be fairly simple. I tweaked the original recipe that this is based on, including using whole-wheat flour to up the fiber!

Raspberry Crumb Bars with Lemon Glaze

2014-04-10 21:03:10

Yields 20

A delicious tart treat just over 100 calories

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

34 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

34 min

For the bars

1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp butter, at room temp
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsbp granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup raspberry jam

For the lemon glaze

2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
lemon zest

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease up a 8x8 baking pan or dish
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in small bowl
In a larger bowl, mix butter and sugars until nice and smooth (you can use electric mixer if you want)
Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla and lemon zest until mixed through
Slowly add the flour mixture, pouring some of that water in between. It should resemble coarse crumbs
Spread 2/3 of the batter into your dish and then spread the raspberry jam as evenly as you can across the whole thing (this can be tough as the crumble wants to stick to the jam and roll with it)
Pour the rest of the batter on top of the jam layer
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on the top
While it bakes, make the glaze--just mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest
When the bars are done, let them cool for 10-15 minutes and then drizzle that delicious glaze! Allow it to set and you're done!

By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Damn Delicious

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

Pretty simple, huh? And pretty DELICIOUS too! I’m pretty proud of achieving this one. You can play with the recipe as you want–change the flour, the jam, have fun with it! These will definitely go in my permanent recipe book…in my mind. Enjoy the recipe! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

SHE’S SO CUTE

Apr102014

Time to Bring Back Etiquette School

“Sit up straight!” my mum used to (still does) say when she would find me slouched over. Look around you (if you’re around people…if not, look at yourself) and see how many people are slouching. Either their neck is hooked down, their shoulders are scrunched up, or there’s a severe bend in their upper back. It’s scary. And I believe it’s more and more prevalent in today’s world with today’s technology and especially today’s generation (though it’s starting to spread to everyone). I always ask my clients if they think they have good posture when I start out with them. Most of them think they do, until they start training with me when they realize they slouch without knowing it.

Super slumpy!

Do you ever see any slouching in Downton Abbey characters? I didn’t think so. Can you imagine Lady Grantham hunched over her plate of delicate decadence? Yeah right. That’s where my etiquette school title is coming from. I am in no way urging women going to do the “feminine arts” like stitching, cooking, etc., but instead for all of us to try to sit up straight and find some pride in our posture. You know that those in etiquette school would’ve had fingers shoved in their backs until they sat up straight. You don’t see many pictures of older times with people slouching.

Image source

So what are the causes of this?

1. Increased sitting. Definitely. Many people have office jobs where they are sitting for at least 6 hours. Think of what that does to your poor lower back! No wonder it doesn’t want to support you anymore. It’s worn out from you slumped over your desk and computer all day.

2. Technology. Tied in with the former, what if you didn’t have a computer to slouch over? Ironic, perhaps, because you are reading this on some form of technology, but anyways. Technology is our 24/7 life nowadays. That sense of panic when your phone is far away? Yeah, that’s real and that’s scary. Computers cause us to hunch over in our chairs in order to see better, type better, and feel more comfortable (but only short-term). Smart phones cause us to always look down. Can you imagine what that’s going to do to our necks in 20 years? Yikes.

3. Lack of–well–etiquette. In the olden days, it was considered rude, un-ladylike or gentleman-like to slouch over in such a way. It was considered good manners to stand up or sit up straight, look people in the eye, and take pride in their posture. Times have changed, obviously. For the better and for the worse. People no longer pay mind to their posture. There’s always this pelvic and neck tilt forwards. Our poor bodies!

4. Lack of core strength. This is a big one and it ties in with #1. Not all of us have good core activation or strength. This causes our lower back to be weak and not able to support us when we sit for long periods of time. Our core is our foundation, if this is weak, the rest crumbles. There’s not much more to be said. Without a strong core, your posture will fail.

I’m not standing up straight or bringing my shoulders back!

Alright alright, so we get why it’s gotten so bad, but how can we fix it?! Here are a few solutions:

1. Get a stability ball. If you have a desk job, do yourself a favor and get one of these. Not only is it incredibly fun, but you have to activate your core to stay upright! If your boss won’t let you have one, ask them if they’ll pay for your medical bills for your injured back. 😉

2. Put that phone down. Seriously, come on, just leave it alone. Not only will it have physical benefits, but it will have mental and social benefits too! Do you know how rude it is to text while someone’s talking to you? Do you know how crowded your brain feels because it’s always going down to check the latest ping? Enough. Let it go for a bit. And if you really can’t, then at least bring it up to eye level so your neck isn’t hanging down and your shoulders aren’t slumped.

3. Start strength training. This may sound strange, but my posture has gotten much better since building a strong, muscular body. When you strength train, you always need to keep your shoulders back which inevitably corrects your posture. Your body works at its best when it’s upright and alert, and that’s what strength training does. If nothing else, remember to pull your shoulders back and you will find your neck coming back as well.

4. Don’t copy the media. Models nowadays have this slumped, pelvic forward tilt look. This is bringing your body out of alignment by pressing your lower back forward and ruining the integrity of your core. It may be the new sexy cool look, but your back certainly doesn’t think so.

Hungry & Fit standing tall and proud!

So stand up straight! Pull those shoulders out. Be strong. It’s sexy! Don’t be a frumpy slumpy. You’ll develop bad posture that may lead to osteoporosis and bad curvature in your spine. You may not need to go to etiquette school if you follow these tips! Sit up straight to stay hungry and fit!

Apr082014

Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

As we near the end of Phase II in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron as the final two installment before beginning Phase III, Captain America: The Winter Soldier adds tons of new paths for the movies in Phase III. It gives you an insight into what Iron Man 4, Ant-Man, Thor 3, a possible Hulk with Mark Ruffalo, and most of all, Captain America 3 might have to offer. It presents tons of potential, which Marvel can take advantage of or just tie off easily. Before I talk about that and really get into some spoilers, let me say a few words about the movie.

The Winter Soldier was one of Marvel’s best movies since 2008. It had a little bit of everything that you want from a quality movie: good acting, some laughs, some tears, some nail-biting, some jaw dropping action scenes, a reliable soundtrack, some amazing effects and scenery, and some plot twists that kept you intrigued. It brought you some heroes you know and love and some new ones as well. It also introduced some anti-heroes, some villains, some super-villains (you could argue) and as I mentioned before, contributed a ton to the Marvel movie-verse.

Image source

Overall, it lacked the romantic connection that the first Captain America created between Peggy and Cap. This is personal preference, but I care about story and I love a good romance. Therefore, what they did in Captain America 1 really worked well for me. I know this because it made me want a relationship between the two even though they never really had it. Sure, in House of M, they got married but they later divorced. That wasn’t satisfying and the closure with Peggy in this movie was as lively as a piece of cardboard, for me. He had cut all ties, she acted like she moved on, and I was not happy! But that’s a total aside, I can’t believe I went into so much depth about that so let me just cut that off now! (You can comment if you want to know how I feel about that whole situation.)

SPOILER ALERT

Now for some spoilers, so turn away, or read even closer. The movie was filled with references to characters in the Marvel universe. Rumlow, the guy who was roasted in the end (but alive) is arguably the Cap’s most consistent super-villain. As Crossbones, he is Red Skull’s henchmen and he is the person who assassinated the Captain in Marvel’s Civil War. You get the idea he’ll make a comeback since they showed his battered body… alive. Also, there is a lot more to Batroc the Leaper than the movie shows. I loved the casting of my favorite mixed martial artist, GSP, as the role. He is sort of a funny villain as he has fought everyone with his huge ego and sense of honor, leaping around ridiculously and always getting beaten. He’s great.

GSP and Cap (Image source)

When Hydra was listing all their threats, there were a few names that appeared but one stood out. Bruce Banner, Anthony Stark, Maria Hill… Steven Strange. OH YEAH! Doctor Strange was mentioned so they have to bring him in soon! I think he might help the team out in Phase III when they finally go to take on the villain of the whole movie-verse (in my opinion), Thanos. Looking forward to that. Also, for those of you who saw it and don’t know who Agent 13 is… she is Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter’s “niece” and Cap’s main love interest, period. (There is hope for the Cap/Chris Evans in this movie-verse!)

But let’s get to the real good stuff, the endings! One shows that Nick Fury has burned the secret stash of SHIELD and will chase Hydra members. (SHIELD really always comes back in the comics, so yeah.) The Winter Soldier checks out his exhibit in the Smithsonian… BUCKY! (We need him to take Cap’s place when he dies!) Cap is going with Falcon to find Bucky. Natasha is going to find herself a new identity. Agent Hill is working for Stark. Sharon is in the CIA. Oh wait, that’s all the boring stuff. Here is the good stuff!

Image source

Baron Strucker, a Hydra big boss, acknowledges that SHIELD and Hydra are no longer powerful, basically. But he is! He has Loki’s Staff that was given to him by Thanos. (Strucker, don’t steal anything from Thanos… maybe he is working for him now!) But even more amazingly, and this was one of the best parts of the whole movie, he has Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver, I think, is going to be in Days of Future Past. I don’t know what that means since X-Men hasn’t (unfortunately) been included in the Marvel movie-verse. And more importantly, Scarlet Witch is sort of awesome so between her and Dr. Strange being introduced, that’s just great.

END OF SPOILERS

So all in all, I think most casual movie-goers, Marvel nerds, and film critics will find enough points of greatness in this film to say it was worth the trip. And while I did not love the story, since they teased me with Cap/Peggy in the first one so much, it had enough extra laughs and references to make it worthwhile. Go see it! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC