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Black Friday Tricks and Tips

Tis the time of the year to start buying presents for your family, friends, etc, if you do that sort of thing! We’re sure some of you are already finished shopping, while many others don’t plan on starting until it is too late to have everything shipped in time. This weekend is generally seen as one of the best to shop, at least when it comes to prices. There are countless sales for Black Friday and we recommended taking advantage of this for a few reasons: 1) you might save some money in the process and 2) it will help you get your shopping done now and alleviate some stress in the upcoming weeks.

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Should You Shop at Costco?

You’ve probably heard something like this plenty of times: losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise. While those numbers are just estimates, they’re not far from reality. The truth is, most goals related to health and wellness have a lot to do with what you put in your body. The number of calories you consume will have the biggest impact on whether you lose, maintain or gain weight. The types of calories you consume (not good vs. bad BUT proteins/fats/carbs) will also have a significant influence on how your body transforms, especially when paired with a physical training program. 

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The Ultimate Men’s Jacket for Fall

The ultimate. I know, that’s a bold statement. How could I possibly make such a claim about a product that has only been launched this week? I don’t need to look any further than Oliver’s All Over Short. After being introduced to it just a month ago, I’ve already decided that it is hands down my favorite pair I’ve ever owned or worn.

Wearing the shorts on a trail run

Wearing the shorts on a trail run

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City Lights Bookstore

City Lights is an independent bookstore in San Francisco. There’s a certain appreciation that someone can have for a place like this. We were visiting from LA and walked past by chance while exploring, so we returned later that day to see if they had some more obscure books that were on our reading list and… they did. Both of us went in with a certain edition of a certain book, which they had, at reasonable prices. After browsing through the relatively clearly labeled and organized store, we ended up with a few new books that we never knew existed.

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Get Phitt! Drive the Movement

A few months ago, Hungry joined a new project because he has serious problems focusing on one thing at a time. Opportunities to try something else come often but it’s a rarity to find a real diamond in the rough. They’re usually rocks in the rough. There are hundreds of thousands companies and causes that you haven’t heard of and you probably never will. Not everyone can be Chipotle, Starbucks, and Apple but in order to get anywhere near there you need to have a vision and drive. “Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.” (Edward Young) You need to be willing to put that dream high on your priority list; higher than working out, eating, and even sleeping. 

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July/August Giveaway (and June Winners Announced!)

Two weeks late! I apologize for the delay but it’s been a very busy month at Hungry & Fit HQ, which will be relocating to another part of town soon. We’re being very picky about the new spot and time is of the essence so we will keep you updated on the new spot. More details to come soon. In the midst of a vacation sandwiched by two thirteen hour drives and working overtime as usual, we seem to have been unable to post the winner for our June giveaway of Moosejaw sunglasses. We want to get those out before the Summer is over! We decided to name three winners thanks to the generosity of Moosejaw and ourselves. We also will be throwing in a cool Moosejaw sticker. The winners are…

Please email your mailing addresses to hungryandfit@gmail.com if you want to redeem these prizes. Any prizes that are not claimed will be donated to a local organization of our choice.

Moosejaw

Since July is already halfway over it seems somewhat pointless to host a giveaway for July. Instead, we’re going to a July/August giveaway that is going to be much better than what July might have been. In fact, we’re going to do a double giveaway with two great prizes because we’re so excited for the month of August. We have talked with some of our favorite local businesses in order to arrange such an event and Frozen Kiss and BaliAsli, two of our favorites are helping us out with this one. Here are the prizes and here are the rules.

1. Frozen Kiss Colorado Flag Custom Tank Top – Any of the colors available in the store, any size for men or women. They fit each gender differently but are still awesome for anyone! That’s over a $30 value. Check out the Colorado Flag Tank Tops available through this link.

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How to win: This product is the creation of a man who comes from one place but is influenced by his travels to another. Tell us about your most important journey and how it made you think of home differently. Maybe you saw the poverty in a developing country and it made you appreciate what you grew up with a lot more than you did before! We want genuine tales commented below and our favorite story wins! (Oh, bonus points go to anyone that likes Frozen Kiss’ Facebook page or Etsy shop!)

2. ANY ITEM on BaliAsli’s Etsy Shop! – That’s right… we’re not messing around with this one. You can have any item available in the store. Whether it’s made of wax or yarn or something else, it’s your if you win the contest. Remember, this is totally free. Shipping is on us!

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How to win: This shop’s motto is “with love we create and share.” All of these goods are handmade and homemade. Even the yarn is taken from the sheep they raise in their backyard (just joking about that one). We want you to tell us about an instance in your life where you shared something incredible with someone. It doesn’t have to be something that you made or even a material good but we want to know what you shared and how you shared it. Hungry and Fit shares their advice on living a healthy life all the time. Comment your stories below for a chance to win this awesome prize. Oh… again, mega bonus points go to anyone that likes Bali Asli’s Facebook page, Etsy shop, and YouTube channel. We’re all about spreading the love and good feelings. Those clicks don’t cost you a penny.

If you are a winner for June’s giveaway, please email us your address so that we can send off your goodies! Email us at hungryandfit@gmail.com. Again the winners are:

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Email us ASAP if you are one of the above. And remember for everyone else, comment below for either or both prizes and we will select our favorite story! Spread the love to stay hungry and fit!

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H&F’s Friends: BaliAsli (On Etsy)

We love Etsy and, although neither one of us has the skills to create any crafts or goods to sell on the site, we window-shop and admire everyone else’s talent. A few days ago, a new Etsy shop opened in Boulder, CO and it already offers some tremendous products. April has brought tremendous talent across the world from Bali and has made authentic and handmade crafts available for everyone online. The store currently has seven products available. These include various dolls and candles. The dolls are all crocheted and of the highest quality. We personally are purchasing the bear for our nieces. (Shh… don’t tell them.) The other dolls are durable and well-sized with great attention to detail.

Crocheted Bear

The other products are eco soy hand carved candles. These candles are made to order and the best part is that you can request what scent you want. The carvings are of bears, owls, and a beautiful flower from Southeast Asia, if I’m not mistaken. All of the products that are currently available are low in stock so hurry to guarantee one for yourself. If you don’t make it in time, you have nothing to worry about because April’s talents allow her to recreate her projects to order. The shop’s motto is “With love we create and share” and that is exactly what they are doing here. They are creating goods full of love with their hands and sharing them to the rest of the community, no matter how far away.

2 Hand Carved Owl Candles

As you know we already declared Gammianne’s Attic as our friend and BaliAsli is our second friend from Etsy alone. So again, please keep an eye on this new shop so you can have the first look and chance to buy April’s newest products before they get too popular! And if you’re looking for one of the bears, you’re going to have to wait in line because we want one first!

2 Hand Carved Frangipani Candles

For more information and amazing gift ideas for children (nieces, nephews, grandchildren) and adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, coworkers, parents) please follow this link or check our friend’s page for more information.

The beautiful family of BaliAsli!

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H&F’s Friends: Gammiannes Attic

We always appreciate local and individual businesses… especially those who recycle and upcycle goods of all kinds. (Upcycling is converting useless waste products into new and useful products that people can enjoy once again.) In the suburbs of New York City, lives a kind soul with a love for helping people and art projects.

Gammianne has collected vintage goods throughout the years and has recently opened an Etsy shop in order to make them available to people who are either looking for those unique decorations to complete their homes or for a one of a kind gift for that special someone. With over 1,500 Facebook likes, 210 Twitter followers, 1100 Etsy followers and 447 admirers it seems obvious that the attic is a popular destination. With 120 sales and 161/161 (100%) positive feedback, it also seems that the attic is an ethical and reliable business. Having opened in January of 2011, Gammianne has provided great customer care for over two years without a single complaint.

Rose Bone China Vintage Plate in Excellent Condition, Marked Embassy Rose

OOAK Dangle Beaded Earrings hand made

Gammiannes Attic is the perfect example of a secondary or tertiary job and small home business that can help support our economy by keeping forgotten items from collecting dust forever. Every piece is unique and has a great story that she describes in as much detail as possible. Once the product is ordered, Gammianne will typically add other free merchandise without even telling you. It is quite a nice surprise and who doesn’t like good surprises?

Pair of Girls Lavender Floral Hair Clips One of a Kind

The reason we appreciate Gammiannes Attic so much is the support she shows for other Etsy shop owners. Gammianne acts like a mother and mentor to so many young artists and craftspeople just starting out with their sales. We have received countless recommendations from art to candles to incense to soaps and more. She is the epitome of a friend and caring business partner and you won’t even know about the favor she is doing for you until your sales start increasing out of nowhere.

For all of these reasons, Hungry & Fit are proud and excited to announce Gammiannes Attic as their friend. For more information or for unique vintage goods please visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/gammiannes. Recycling, upcycling and helping others are all a part of being hungry and fit!

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Welcoming Spring

Hello springtime, or should I say, I can’t wait for you to come. I still haven’t gotten used to this Colorado weather, and I never really want to. Freezing cold one morning, and hot and sunny a few hours later. Then repeat something similar every day. It just makes it hard to dress efficiently but we have to deal with it. Friday, it was nearly 80 degrees, or felt that way with the sun. We went out at night and I wore shorts and a t-shirt. This morning it was 20 degrees. Not fun.

Alana was so excited to wear a dress on that Friday

Alana was so excited to wear a dress on that Friday

But with all that aside let’s think about what we can look forward to Spring 2013. In our last last post we talked about May’s awesome movie lineup. Also, my favorite… spring cleaning. Make sure you get rid of anything you don’t need. If you see something that you haven’t worn since last spring, you should probably donate it unless it’s very special to you. For every five things I donate, I’ll buy myself one thing. It is my way of downsizing efficiently.

Also we have Easter coming up, which means egg hunts and baskets. But in all honesty, try to take advantage of this season. Now is the time to start getting into shape for summer. Anyone who has been bulking should think about cutting soon. Otherwise, just do some physical activity. A little something can go a long way. This is the season to save your pennies for the summer and holiday season. I don’t have much to say about it, just hope for good weather and take advantage of your time!

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Stay hungry and fit!
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Our Saturday Adventure

We decided to utilize our apartment to its fullest and with our trip to New Jersey coming up at the end of the month, we wanted to free up some space. We are driving back to Colorado with some more of my stuff from back home, so the extra large futon that takes up our whole living area needed to go. It was our first piece of furniture here and we dragged it in from the garbage for something to sleep on our first night. I had serious lower back issues for the first month we lived here as a result.

futonbye

It’s a Saturday and there is a winter “storm” going on (but it ended up just being a miserable wintry mix the entire day). It’s snowing, but not sticking, so it’s just incredibly wet. So it all boils down to us going to the Salvation Army store early in the day and seeing that everything was 50% off. We chose a love seat, our of four options, that only cost $35. However, we needed to get it home and the Taurus (our car) is not big enough. I decided, with permission from a boss, to use a van from work.

Post-"storm"

Post-“storm”

The winter has been harsh and the van has been seldom used, so after just a few blocks… it died. It was in the 20s/30s and there was a wintry mix of large wet snow flakes. It wasn’t sticking to the ground, but the ground was soaked and, by the end of the day, so were we. As the van’s battery (or alternator) died in the middle of one of the busiest and largest intersections in Boulder, I had to push it out of the intersection. It weighed at least a ton but a nice mother and son helped us push it to the Target parking lot.

Then, since it was out of gas, we walked a half a mile to a gas station and they let us borrow a gas container so we could give it enough juice to help it get going. Then once filled back in the parking lot (we’re soaked and Alana is cold) we ask a nice man to help us jump the car. We jump it and get it back to the shop’s parking lot. Here we push the van in reverse while steering past tight turns to get it back into its parking space. Game over.

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fillingtank

That took about three hours, and laundry ended up taking five hours, costing $10.50, and leaving all of our clothes wetter and dirtier than when we started. Tough way to spend our one day off during the week, but we got to spend it together and we love adventures, even bad ones. We want to thank those two nice people that helped us push, the gas station attendant that let us borrow the container that we returned, and the man who helped us jump the car. We want to say thanks for nothing to the people who turned and sped past us while we pushed the van, and the people in the Target parking lot that cut us off while trying to turn a dead vehicle.

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Cold Alana during the process

In the end, after some more struggles with stairs and the futon, we got the futon and all of its padding to the garbage (along with an old pillow), and the new mini-sofa in the apartment. The clothes are laid out everywhere air drying (I want my money and time back, Realty Company) and we got one tough workout so the muscles are sore. The apartment has a lot more room, we saved about 13 inches in length and 18 in width, and now we can move some new things in at the end of month. We’re aiming for a cardio machine like a spin bike and our PowerBlock adjustable bench for some home workouts.

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New couch with laundry everywhere

New couch with laundry everywhere

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