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2020 has been a whirlwind of a year for all of us. Some were, unfortunately, hit much harder than others and we’ve all had to adapt to uncertainty. It has given many us a chance to spend less time with some, and more time with others. It has given all of us the chance to spend more time with ourselves. While that has been a curse for some, it has been a blessing for others. 2020 has provided some of us the chance to hit the reset button and finish old goals, start new projects, and lighten our load. 

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Indoor vs. Outdoor Exercise – Which is Better for You?

Exercises of any type are highly beneficial to you, both on a physical and mental level. You simply need to find the exercises you like and that work the best for your body and fitness goals and you can start your healthier lifestyle. However, there has always been a debate on whether working out at the gym or outdoors is better for you. Both of these environments have their pros and cons, and it will be up to you to decide based on your preferences. 

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Tips for Morning Workouts

Listen, we understand: It can be really difficult to get your head — much less your body — up and out of bed in the morning. Sleep is difficult and sometimes even difficult sleep gets worse when you’re stressed by work or overscheduled with family activities or simply just stay up too late watching a movie. But you absolutely can and should rethink whether or not you want to continue avoiding working out in the morning, especially when you read about the benefits that it has.
   

Take food choices, for instance. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner selections you make throughout the day can be a whole lot healthier if you do that workout right away in the morning. You’ll also be much more alert and positive throughout your day and be able to handle the pressure of whatever life throws at you. Why else should you workout in the morning and how can you get started? This graphic explains it.

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Coronavirus Announcement

You’ve probably received an email from every company or group that you’ve ever given your email address to at this point. From utility companies to your local gym, everyone is feeling the impact of this novel coronavirus. We’ve know about it since November and have chosen to ignore it for far too long. Now, at this point, the most pressing issues are the economic repercussions of allowing it to spread while trying to cover it with a curtain. As a result all of this mistake, businesses are closed across the board and we are nearly all losing money. Whether you’re out of work, or paying for services that you cannot receive, we need to be more thoughtful in our daily life to make it through this. 

First, for quality updates and information on the topic, I recommend keeping an eye on Dr. Mike’s YouTube channel. Here is his latest video. He is a practicing doctor in the hospitals of New York City and has a way of making complicated information about the coronavirus very digestible. 

Second, you need to make sure that you’re isolating yourself as much as possible to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As Dr. Mike explains, the germs can possibly hang inside of the air within a room for three hours if someone sneezes and the atmospheric conditions are met. If you enter that room within the time frame that those germs make contact with your eyes, nose or mouth, you’re at great risk of contracting the virus and at the very least, being a carrier. We are much safer outside, where the sun’s UV rays are one of the most efficient ways at destroy the virus. Also, the germs can survive for 2-3 days on non-porous surfaces such as metals and plastics. That means you need to clean those surfaces often. Do not take any chances at increasing the overall rate of infection for our population. 

Third, you need to take care of yourself both physically and mentally. With gyms and restaurants closed, we’re going to need to figure out ways to exercise and eat properly at home. We’re going to help you with that, providing more workouts and recipes that will fit this situation. We’re going to go over ideas for stocking your pantry with non-perishables that are healthy and delicious, as well as provide you with workouts that don’t require equipment. Stay tuned for more content, especially since I’m out of the gym for a month due to closures in the city. With that being said, more slots are also open for remote clients. Email ct@hungryandfit.com if you’re interested in that service. 

Be well informed and make thoughtful decisions. Take care of yourself and those in your community. Stay strong. Stay hungry and fit.

To start, HERE IS ONE of our favorite at home workouts that you can do without equipment. It scales for beginners and the most advanced athletes. (I apologize for the broken photo links… it is an OLD article.)

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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. 

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Fit’s Favorite Blogs

The blogging community is a wonderful, supportive community. We started six years ago (wow!) and boy has it changed since. Back then, there weren’t many “social media influencers” and Instagram was barely a thing. It was much easier for bloggers because the market wasn’t flooded with them. People blog as a full-time gig now and they have to work hard to stay on top of things like SEO, market changes, and outreach. But still, it’s mostly a great community where bloggers support one another. For better or for worse, Hungry & Fit is still around to throw food and workouts at you. We wanted to take a moment and share with you blogs that inspired us to blog and also ones we have recently followed. Some are food blogs, some are health blogs, some are somewhere in between like us. 

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Setting Realistic Goals

If you read this post, you’ll know that I am working on some goals for this summer. I really wanted to ignite my fitness drive back up so I decided to plan out some goals to give me more motivation on working out every day. The goals are mostly body weight goals. Two goals, however, stood out a little bit: running 3 casual miles and being able to touch my toes. Along with my other goals, they just didn’t make sense. Just because they’ve been longtime goals, I wanted to throw them in my mix of body weight goals (which aren’t easy, mind you). However, with my busy work schedule and all my home hobbies and chores, I was stressing to fit everything in in one week. 

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3-Day Kaeng Raeng Cleanse Giveaway

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kaeng Raeng. All opinions are 100% mine.

Finally, finally! I’ve found a cleanse that is actually enjoyable. I’ve been through enough research and self-experimentation to know that there are many not-so-pleasant cleanses out there. Whether they are fasts or just horrible poop-your-pants cleanses, they don’t make the process easy. Enter Kaeng Raeng, my new favorite cleanse of them all.

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This cleanse is just three days of wonderful smoothies. There is no starvation, no unnatural ingredientsno caloric deficiency. I really appreciated that. For some cleanses, you aren’t exactly sure what’s in them. For Kaeng Raeng, it’s all freeze-dried fruit made into powder that you can mix into juice or blend for a smoothie. The scariest ingredient is probably the “L. Acidophilius blend,” but that’s just probiotics to make your gut happier! Plus, you get your full serving of all major vitamins while you drink the smoothies.

It actually tastes good. No, I’m not lying. How can fruit not taste good? Chris even liked it (he had a small sip)! There are some cleanses where I seriously struggled with. Some I had to try a million different ways just to get it down my throat. Not with this one. With Kaeng Raeng, I looked forward to each and every smoothie. And that’s how I made them: into smoothies. It was quick enough where I could just throw some frozen fruit, water, almond milk and the cleanse packet into the blender and drink it at home or on-the-go! So easy to make! It was so easy to make it into the smoothie I wanted without “cheating.”

"Joyful"

“Joyful”

I feel like Kaeng Raeng is a cleanse for your everday person. Have you ever been around me when I’m hungry (more like hangry)? It’s not pretty. Kaeng Raeng cleanses allow you to eat any raw fruits or veggies in between your smoothies. I was a happy girl. It’s simply not realistic or sustainable for me to do a cleanse where I can’t eat close to my normal caloric intake. It’s not going to last and it’s going to leave a bad taste in my mouth….literally (I’ll be here all night)!

"Daybreak"

“Daybreak”

For me I usually had the “Daybreak” packet in the morning which includes mango, peach, and pineapple. Lunch was the “Joyful” packet containing strawberry, raspberry, and pineapple. And finally for dinner, I had the “Into the Blue” with banana and blueberry. Like I said earlier, these are yummy. Kinda like going to a smoothie place without all the unnatural ingredients. My favorite was probably the “Joyful” which was perfect because I had something to keep me going for the rest of the day.

There are a few different levels of this cleanse and if you are unsure of where you place at, just take this quiz to find out. Another big plus about this cleanse is that they are so animal-friendly that a portion of each sale goes to animal protection organizations. As animal lovers, that is a big plus. You can buy Kaeng Raeng on Amazon for a very reasonable price. If you leave a review on Amazon, you can get 15% off your next order! The cleanse can also be found at select Whole Foods Markets as well, so call your local store to find out. Kaeng Raeng will definitely be my go-to cleanse from now on, and I urge you to try it. After the third day, I no longer had my normal cravings which was really really nice.

"Into the Blue"

“Into the Blue”

Lucky for you, we are hosting a giveaway! We’re giving away one swag bag to a reader. Just comment why YOU want to try a vegan cleanse. For an optional entry, Like Kaeng Raeng on Facebook.Can’t wait? You can use the code “KRCleanseMT10” for 10% off your order at Kaeng Raeng. This code expires on 4/25/14. Use Kaeng Raeng cleanses to stay hungry and fit!

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March Madness for Health

Lately with Trader Joe’s opening and all, I have been pounding down delicious but not-so-healthy stuff. I’ve still been doing my workouts and eating mostly well, but I haven’t been focused. It’s time to get back into the groove. So it’s time to put aside the multiple slices of banana cake, overdose of “Gone Bananas,” and gorging of licorice. It’s time for moderation. I’m not saying I’m doing away with all sweets or junk (after all I’m not in contest prep), we still have to have our Hangry & Fat (obvious alter egos) moments, but it will be limited. Roughly a 90/10 type of deal. I’m going to lay it out nice and clean for myself and for you if you should join me.

The dangerous stuff...

The dangerous stuff…

Operation Be Healthy, Feel Great

Overview: To make you feel great, you need to treat your body well. This means focusing on proper nutrition first. Following a rough 90/10 ratio of healthy to indulgence, moderation through limiting treats and “cheat” meals. Follow a workout split and try to follow as closely as possible. Rest days should be few, but workouts will be varied. Clean eating is the main focus

Rule #1: 3 cheat meals per week. Whether that be a piece of cake, a pizza dinner, or going crazy with nachos. Count each one, but it can be WHATEVER you want. 🙂

Rule #2: Follow a workout split and stick to it. Make workouts a priority. Schedule them and plan them for the entire week. 1 rest day per week allowed. 

Workout Split (not including cardio):

  • Legs (to support my 2014 goal of squatting 200lbs)
  • Back (to support my 2014 goal of 8 pull-ups in a row)
  • Arms + Shoulders
  • Core
  • Circuit (always fun to try new circuits out there and switch it up)
  • Yoga (because damn, my hamstrings are tight)
  • Chest (to support my 2014 goal of benching 100lbs)
I am happy with my shoulder progress though

I am happy with my shoulder progress though

Rule #3: Each strength workout should be matched with a cardio workout at least 5 times per week. Not including multiple walks with the pup

Rule #4: Meal plan at least the night before. I know Chris and I well enough that I’m not going to commit myself to Sunday meal planning (though I should). We are too spontaneous for that. Instead, I will write down a lunch and dinner plan each night so we don’t end up ordering pizza when I’ve spent all my cheat meals. Meals should look like a lot of veggies, clean carbs, and protein (including tuna, tofu, and protein drinks).

Rule #5: You are allowed dark chocolate, but girl, take it easy. For myself, I will allow myself a square of dark chocolate after one meal per day. That should satisfy my sweet-craving and allow some willpower to stop myself from eating 12 Gone Bananas at once.

Chris and I split a pint of Glacier ice cream a few nights ago

Chris and I split a pint of Glacier ice cream a few nights ago

Rule #6: Get rid of the crap now. This means that today I am bringing in the stuff I know that will tempt me (again, I am not restricting myself completely, just want to stop any binge or gorging on stuff) to work! That Trader Joe’s strawberry licorice or the banana cake I baked will be out of the apartment and into some grateful mouths. Sounds like a nice switch.

Rule #7: Meditate every day. Because meditating makes me a happier, healthier person. Simply that.

Pharrell's "Happy" is what goes on in my head

Pharrell’s “Happy” is what goes on in my head

Rule #8Record everything. I personally use MyFitnessPal (add me: nanathetiger), but I’m open to any kind of recording. Recording what you eat and exercise really helps you see what you’re doing with your body and also gives motivation. Record even the bad stuff!

I think that’s good for now. This will last for the entirety of March and I will see how I feel at that point. It may be eight “rules” but really they are just guidelines on paper to help me remember my goals and how I want to accomplish feeling great every day. It’s not about the way I see myself in the mirror, it’s how I feel sitting in this chair, writing this post. I feel blah, so I want to clean up my habits. Pure and simple. It’s not that we are super unhealthy–we are close to the opposite. But I want to step it up a notch.  I’m ready to sweat hard with clean nutrients in my body.  Who’s with me? Join me for #marchmadnessforhealth. Yes I just made that hash tag up. Let’s do it up!

  • Question of the Day: What makes you want to get healthier?

PS- We recently learned that we got accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador. We are THRILLED about the news. More information coming your way.

FitFluential Is Fitness Found

 

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepy Sajah

Sleepy Sajah

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