Nov032015

Are You Working Out Hard Enough?

There are a few ways to measure whether you’re working hard or not. Well, there are a lot more than a few ways, but there are only so many that are relatively accurate. When it comes to exercise, the best way to measure progress is over time. We can watch our strength and conditioning grow as we can do more pull-ups or as we can see more abs in the mirror. As our mile time decreases and our lean muscle mass increases, we receive positive feedback from our body and it feels good. But what about during that painful workout? What can keep you going during the hard times?

Let’s go back to the first statement made in this post and reconsider the two most popular options. The first one is called perceived exertion, which basically makes you subjectively rate how hard you’re working on a scale of 1-10, or 1-20. It usually takes me a few minutes to explain it enough to your average fitness enthusiast before they get the general idea. It could take them weeks, months, or years at that point to fully understand it and apply it. It’s not reliable enough for most people. It’s too qualitative and not quantitative enough because of its subjectivity. So what is the second option?

Nov022015

Thinking about Giving

If we wrote a post for every dog, cat, fish, snake, and other animal in need then we would need a lot more staff. We’d also be publishing posts every second of every day, but we try to take every opportunity we can to be socially responsible and active. Every month, we make donations to two handfuls of non-profit organizations that focus on animals and world hunger. I’d love to add a third hand for the environment but I only have two right now. I won’t name them but if you’re curious, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you. Today, we’re going to direct your attention, and possibly some of the extra change you might have in your wallet or bank account to a handsome, very young man in need. His name is Bronx but before we get to him, let’s talk about giving.

Source: Facebook

Nov012015

What NASM’s Acquisition of AFAA Means Right Now

Yes, this is old news to most fitness professionals, but it came up in the office the other day and I realized that I never shared this with you! If you click on this link you will see that NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) are both listed on the same screen, on AFAA’s website nonetheless. Don’t be confused, AFAA has not acquired NASM; it’s actually the other way around. On this particular page, AFAA is offering a NASM Group Personal Training Online Workshop for $129, granting 7 AFAA CEUs. Essentially, you read a bit, watch some videos, and take a quiz that you need to pass in three attempts.

Image source: NASM

Oct312015

Healthy Halloween Snack

PUMPKIN SEEDS. Yup. I know that you’re probably chock full of unhealthy Halloween treats like candy, pumpkin-flavored sugar bombs, and things that are weighing you down. So in between your sugar comas, try making this healthy Halloween snack: toasted pumpkin seeds. Plus, it’s incredibly easy. Takes almost no effort and the time is just in the baking of the seeds. Pumpkin seeds have a good amount of protein per ounce!

Oct302015

LA Residents: Workout with Hungry into 2016!

Every year since 2013, the Westside Family YMCA (in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West Los Angeles) has had a three-month program to help individuals make it through the most challenging time of year for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The holidays present all kinds of travel issues such as staying at hotels, going out to eat a lot, huge meals with your family where saying no might be impolite, and just overall craziness. In this chaos, it’s hard to maintain balance, but we know that consistency is the key to success. Whether you’re trying to gain muscle mass, cut body fat, or just become stronger, you need to have a realistic and smart nutrition and exercise plan to accomplish these goals.

Oct292015

How to Sleep Better with Arthritis

This post is brought to you by our friends at Adjustamatic

If you suffer from arthritis, you’ll understand how it can make even the simplest of everyday tasks like getting in and out of bed a major challenge. The discomfort caused by the condition can also lead to low-quality sleep, which can have a detrimental impact on your overall well-being. If you’re struggling to nod off at night due to painful, stiff joints, this simple guide should help.

Oct282015

Giveaway: Lululemon Bag from Phitt

It’s just two months away from the most wonderful time of the year, for us at least. What’s our favorite part of the last two weeks of the year? Giving, of course. Thus, we want to share this opportunity with you. Our friends over at Phitt are currently giving away an amazing Lululemon Gym-to-Win Duffel Bag. This bag runs about $150 and could be the perfect holiday present for yourself or someone else, so you might as well try.

Image Source: Phitt

Oct272015

Learning How to Stretch

Very recently, I’ve been getting lower back spasms. It doesn’t happen all the time, just sometimes at work when I’m sitting. It’s particularly worrying to me because those kind of things don’t really happen to me. Sure I’ll hurt myself doing something, but I don’t get chronic pain or ongoing behind-the-scenes stuff. Because it was so concerning to me, I wanted to get to the bottom of it immediately before anything got worse. So I got to thinking…what could of caused this? I looked up symptoms, treatments, causes…tight hamstrings, lack of strong core, poor posture. I then thought through my lifestyle lately, and realized I haven’t really stretched or done yoga in about 6 months. Yikes.

Oct262015

A Pizza Revolution: Pieology vs Pizza Rev

It might not have been Subway, but it seems that the sandwich juggernaut gets the credit for redefining the fast food experience. That extra amount of ownership that you have over the finished product because you had more of a, say, than normal in the constructive process brings you back for more. Chipotle is the latest company to turn billions of dollars from this consumer experience and while small poke shops are barely keeping their head above water doing the same, the dream remains for chefs and entrepreneurs. They’re looking for the perfect food for an untrained chef to put together lunch-lady style. This food would have to be easy to assemble, use inexpensive ingredients, and popular. Was anyone else thinking of pizza?

Oct222015

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Yes, this is Hungry and Fit. But sometimes, it can just be Hungry and not Fit. This is the case with this recipe. It’s not too bad, just a lot of butter, but not a copious amount of sugar. As you know, we recently moved and I wanted to test out the oven (the oven at our old place was awful). So I knew what Hungry would want…some good old fashion chocolate chip cookies. So after a little searching, I found the perfect chocolate chip cookies recipe. Soft, light, and gooey. Excuse me, I’m drooling. Eat up!!