Fuel Up Like Gronk: Chris Gronkowski’s Guide to Protein Shakes

[Please enjoy a guest article from former NFL player, Chris Gronkowski!]

Why Should You Drink Protein Shakes?

No matter your workout goals, protein shakes are beneficial to your diet and your exercise routine. If you’re looking to build more muscle, upping your protein intake stimulates your muscle growth. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are essential to building muscles, so drinking protein shakes throughout the day will amp up this process.

For those looking to lose weight, protein shakes can be a healthy meal replacement that will ensure you get enough protein while decreasing your calorie intake. Losing weight involves eating a healthy diet and burning off more calories than you consume. Replacing your breakfast with a protein shake is an excellent way to fuel up for the day during a diet.

Feb172019

Virtual Reality is the Future of Fitness

Virtual reality is the future of fitness; you’re hearing it here, although this probably isn’t the first or last time you’ll hear it. Recently, we attended a special VIP influencer event for the kinda grand opening of a new VR spot in LA… Dreamscape. While we couldn’t stand a lot of the other influencers that were there (they thought they were really important, and were referring to themselves as influencers), we are very excited to return. They had three different options and we decided to be a part of a mission to save a baby whale. The experience was immersive and although it was less interactive than The Void (we did a Star Wars VR there), it was an amazing experience.

Feb122019

Returning to Meditation

I used to be really into meditation. I did it daily. I even taught a class on it back in the day. It was one of my daily habits, but somewhere along the last year, it’s kind of dropped out of sight. There are so many benefits to meditating. It can help clear stress, focus your mind, and generally get a better hold on mental health. I think it strengthens willpower, mental fortitude, and gives me tools to get through high-stress situations. It’s finding a safe rock through violent storms, a moment of quiet in a crowded room. The benefits are endless and can be different for each person. So why did I stop? Life, laziness, lack of priorities. At the very least, I’ve become aware of my failing habit and I’ve set a course to correct it. One of my annual goals is to meditate 4x/week and I’ve been semi doing okay on that goal.

Feb072019

Hungry’s New Morning Routine

Who wakes up before 8 am? Who wakes up before 7 am? 6 am? How about 5 am? I know that we have readers of all ages on the blog, and while everyone is unique, there are certain populations who tend to sleep in more than others. For as long as we’ve been together, our alarms are usually set for 5:30 am. We like to walk Noke before other people are outside and get our day started. Recently, a few changes have led me to set that alarm an hour earlier.

I’ve been waking up at 4:30 am.

Jan292019

Staying Fit for Free: Does Medicare Cover Gym Memberships?

Staying fit is important to your mental and physical wellbeing, no matter what your age. But, for seniors, neglecting your health and fitness can have even greater risks and consequences. Many health challenges tend to increase as we age. This can be true even if maintain a healthy lifestyle in our younger years.

According to the National Council on Aging, here are some of the scary statistics about senior health risks:

Approximately 80% of older adults have at least one chronic disease
Diabetes affects 23% of older adults
90% of older adults are at risk for developing high blood pressure
Depression impacts 7 million older adults

If you’re a senior, you may be able to take advantage of added benefits through a Medicare supplement plan that can help prevent health problems down the road. But, does Medicare cover gym memberships, weight loss and more?

Jan172019

7 Great Stretches for Targeting Tight Hip Flexors

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that include the iliopsoas, as well as the rectus femoris. They work to bring the legs and trunk together, which helps you complete your ab exercises, lift your knees and bring your thighs toward your stomach. Since these movements are essential for running, it’s important to keep your hip flexors loose and limber. If you’re feeling tight around your hip area, the following stretches will improve your comfort and range of motion.

Jan072019

How Much is Diet and How Much is Exercise?

Yesterday at the gym, in the middle of a set, a woman walked up to me and asked me if she could ask me a question… even though she already did. I nodded up and down, finished my set and took my headphones out so that I could hear her. I’ll get interrupted nearly every workout, no matter where I’m training, so it doesn’t bother me. If it did, I would use my gym at home or just ignore people. Since I designed this particular fitness center, I’m even more friendly than normal, so I decided to help her out.

Jan022019

Achieve a Lifestyle, Not a Number

Happy 2019! New year, new you, right? Great! If that’s what you want. But how are you framing it? Are you saying you want to lose x number of pounds or BMI? Are you saying you want to fit into size x? That’s all well and good, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the right way to look at it. You should never attribute your value to a number. Never ever. I love the body positivity movement that has been gaining following, but it still has a long, long way to go.

Instead of just trying to achieve a weight loss goal of thirty pounds (or whatever), why not make a resolution to change your lifestyle? I’m not saying you can’t touch a slice of pizza or bowl of ice cream again. I’m saying shifting a few things in your day-to-day life that could make a bigger impact than you might first think. I’m not going to give a direct list of what you need to do because everyone will need a different plan of action, but let me give some overall advice.

Dec282018

4 Tips To Playing Basketball For The First Time

Basketball is a great sport that is loved by people of all ages and abilities. This sport can be played all year round as a competitive game or casually at a local court. Basketball is great for your health and it’s a perfect workout since it involves your entire body. The jumping and running aspect of the game will help you stay fit, shed a few extra kilos and boost mental development.

Playing basketball for the first time can be both challenging and exciting. As a beginner, where do you start? How do you prepare?

Here are 4 tips to playing basketball for the first time.

Dec212018

Two Do-Anywhere Workouts

It’s the holiday season. You could be traveling, stuck in airports, hotels, or maybe your bedroom from fifteen years ago. Either way, you might not be in your normal setup and routine. Or, even if you aren’t traveling for the holidays, other things may interrupt your routine. For example, your usual gym could be closed for a few days over the holidays. But have no fear–Hungry & Fit are here! Fit recently had to travel for work and didn’t have a gym handy so she had to get creative in her hotel room with no equipment!

Please enjoy the two workouts below. I try to keep them as simple as possible and under 30 minutes so that they can fit in your busy schedule during the holidays.