2017 Holiday Gift Guide!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah, or just so happen to have a birthday (or anniversary) that falls in December, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re either going to be giving or receiving some gifts. For many, this whole process makes this month one of their favorites, but for some others, it brings nothing but stress. Lucky for you, we love everything about the holiday season so we present the Hungry & Fit 2017 Holiday Gift Guide! 

For the sake of convenience, everything here will be available on Amazon, since they ship everywhere at reasonable rates and can generally give you accurate shipping details. Also, above everything else, we’ve found that their return policy is extremely easy going. Also, we’re going to provide low and high end (not-so and pretty expensive) options, as well as items for gym rats and nerds. This should have a little something for everyone, we hope.

For the Home:

Color Changing LED Lightbulbs – We’ve experimented with a smart home this year, and while the voice activated lights haven’t really done their job, we’re in love with our color changing bulbs. These LED lights don’t hurt to look at, but provide plenty of brightness throughout the room. They have over 15 colors and you can set them to transition from one to another. Throw three of these over your dining room table and you’re going to really be able to change the mood at home. Go with a dark red for game night if you’re playing D&D or green if you’re decorating for the holidays. 

Amazon Echo Dot – We just told you about our year long effort to create a smart home and while there have been bumps on the road, Alexa has been our rockstar! It might seem ridiculous or lazy, but being able to lay in bed and tell Alexa to set an alarm feels great after a long day. When you wake up, telling her good morning leads to her telling you something about the day. And before we take Noke for a morning walk, we can ask Alexa what the weather is like. Again, it might seem lazy, but for $30, you basically have a butler! She turns our lights on and off, plays music for us, sings us happy birthday, and again, at an extremely reasonable price!

Rechargeable Batteries – You’ve waited way too long to do this. If you’re still buying batteries at the store, it is time for a relatively major lifestyle change. Batteries aren’t going anywhere fast, so you might as well hold onto those AA and AAA batteries as long as possible. We made the switch to reusables and now we never have to worry about whether we can throw batteries out or not. This charger will charge both the big and little ones at the same time. I think we have a pretty green home.

Gamma Lid – Huh? You might think this is a pretty random thing to have on a Christmas list, but one way or another, you need to have these in your home. Why? Because Hungry & Fit said so! Foods like rice and oats are staples in a healthy diet for so many athletes, but they can be really annoying to deal with on the regular. They’re best to buy in bulk, but no one wants to deal with a 40lb bag of rice every day or go to the store twice a week for oats, if you’re eating them every morning. Go to Home Depot and buy a 5 gallon bucket, throw one of these food safe lids on top, and voila! Spin and scoop every day; plus they stack. We have about 4 stacked in our closet. 

For the Animals:

Cat Backpack – Obviously, this is for the cat or small dog owners. Instead of trying to walk like the Hunchback of Notre Dame to balance your small dog shoulder bag or carry your cat in a carrier to the vet, throw them in this backpack. Not only is it way easier for you to carry them, but they seem to enjoy the ride a bit more. (At least ours do.) Sure, it’s a little more expensive than some other options, but when you have to replace those every few months because your cats love throwing up in them, you might be persuaded into making this investment. Plus, it brings a ton of attention your way, and you can take your kitty on your morning dog walks!

Eagle Pack Dry Cat & Dog Food – If you’re anything like us, you buy your pets presents for the holidays. While the food they eat every day isn’t necessarily a present, now would be a great time to make sure they’re eating high quality meals every day. When it comes to dry food, we paired up with one of the best Reviewing entities in the world to figure out that this is arguably the best choice. We fed them Blue until we heard about all the lawsuits for lying about ingredients and high levels of lead, etc. Now, they’ve been happy and healthy animals with beautiful coats for years! Plus, it isn’t even that expensive!

Ruffwear Leash – The cats aren’t very destructive, but we learned our lesson fast with Noke. Buy something really good the first time or you’re going to be replacing it really soon. Noke destroyed about a dozen toys in her first few months before we coughed up $20 on a Kong. I’m staring at it right now, nearly 4 years later. The same goes for her leash and harness. Ruffwear is simply amazing and while we have three of their harnesses for various adventures, we interchange them with her Knot-a-Leash. We got this after the clasp on her old leash broke while we were walking her in Koreatown. This carabiner isn’t going anywhere because it locks. Safety first.

For the Gym:

Caffeine Pills – When people ask me how much coffee I drink a day to have my crazy levels of energy, they’re in some form of shock when I say, zero. With that being said, there are days when even the most motivated individuals need some caffeine and when that happens, I simply pop a caffeine pill. Why? It is the most economic option. Now, if you’re a fan of how coffee tastes, by all means, spend $1,642.50 a year at Starbucks. If you’re one of those hundreds of people that tell me every year that you drink coffee just for the caffeine, buy some pills instead. If you have more questions, ask below! (They are ZERO calories!)

Superbands – We might get asked, more than anything else in fact, “what is the one piece of fitness equipment that I should own?” It is a really hard question because everyone is so different, but superbands might just top the list. They will help the young and old, the strong and weak, the athletic and the clumsy, etc. They can be used in the gym to add resistance or assistance to a lift, or used at home to add resistance or assistance to a push-up. I recommend starting with a very light tension one and either buying a matching one if you’re in the gym more, or a higher tension one if you’re not as you progress. We’ll release more content in the future about how you can use them, or just check our Instagram daily!

For Our Nerds:

Star Wars Edge of the Empire RPG – Board games are rapidly expanding and making an impact in pop culture. You might credit the hipsters for their popularity, but we have to thank the nerds for their creation and nothing may be more important to their existence than RPG. Now, Dungeons & Dragons is by far the most iconic RPG, but it might be a little too nerdy or hard for the casual gaming community to accept. Star Wars, however, has been a part of pop culture and most people’s lives for decades, so what better to introduce you to RPG than Star Wars? This story is extremely fun and allows for a lot of freedom with great characters. It isn’t overly complicated, but you will need a capable gamemaster. There are loads of expansions and it is the perfect way for you to learn more about dice rolls and the like.

Ticket to Ride – You’ve probably heard of Settlers of Catan, which has also made its way through pop culture via television shows and online comedy skits. You might have checked Amazon for similar games to Catan and tried out Carcassone or Dominion, but Ticket to Ride is a little different. Fast forward a few hundred years in the future and you can travel all over the world, in the various versions, to create the most powerful railroad monopoly possible. Games are similar to Catan in length and complexity, but they lack the cutthroat feeling and ego that comes with Catan. It might just be timing but you should buy a ticket before it gets too competitive!

For the Bookworms:

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware – A thriller about a woman on a high-end cruise, convinced that a murder took place but it seems as if the whole world is against her, making her seem crazy. It’s gripping, exciting, and throws you through loops around each corner. This was truly impossible to put down. 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – A harrowing tale of occupied France during WWII through the eyes of two adult sisters that teaches us that love wins. Love wins even through the horrific, ugly terror, pain, and cruelty that the world can be. This book was impossible to put down and has you hanging onto every word of each page. Highly recommended!

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – One of my favorite authors and one of my favorite series, this book is brand spanking new off the shelf. This is the third book in the Stormlight Archives, an expansive epic fantasy with witty, brilliant writing with a gripping plot and complex characters. I’m currently in the middle of this one via Audible. 

For the Guys (Hungry’s Picks):

Infinity Wallet – Warning! If you’re a “normal wallet” kind of person, this is probably not going to work for you, but there is a chance. I was your typical leather, fold-out wallet kind of guy for over a decade before I decided to do two things. One, go with something smaller and two, go with someone that wasn’t leather. I was trying to be a bit more humane and a bit more practical, and I’ve been happy for the past six months or so. I get a lot of comments about it, and it took some time to adjust, but I’ve enjoyed the experience. It safely holds cash as well, but fits in your front pockets without any issues. Sure, I get worried that I dropped it since it weighs nothing and you barely feel it in your pocket, but I’m happy that I made the change. You know they say that sitting on a wallet is bad for your health, right?

Osprey Daypack – Again, people can either love or hate something, if it presents a major change. The polarizing points with this backpack are 1) it is expensive and 2) it is small. Now, I will tell you that this backpack is extremely high quality and beyond durable, so I have no issue with the price. It is also ridiculously comfortable and attractive. I use it as my airplane carry-on (if you know me, that means I put everything in it since I don’t check bags) and I also take it on long hikes. I have about 10 bags, but since I bought this one, I haven’t touched any of them. Also, the size is misleading. It expands relatively well, but yes, it is not massive. It is compact.

Electronic Massager – Nothing controversial here! A much higher powered version of this machine got me through college by helping me recover enough to train and compete another day. Now, it is my go-to prescription (I am not a doctor) for many of our clients suffering from pain, especially in their joints such as their elbows. It helped one of my co-workers, who is a tremendous rock climber, fight off bursitis in his elbow quickly. You can control the intensity and settings, allowing yourself the ability to increase stimulation in a certain area. It uses AAA batteries (the reusables we mentioned above!) and there is a gel that you can buy in order to increase the effectiveness. This is way less expensive than other forms of therapy or treatment and worth a shot. 

For the Ladies (Fit’s Picks):

MeUndies – Truthfully, this isn’t just for the ladies. If you’ve been following me on social media, you know that I recently got into MeUndies. They are a comfortable, high-quality underwear (and other clothing) brand. I gave them a try a few months ago and have now spent an embarrassing amount of money on them and pulled in a few of my friends too. This is for men and women alike! Clicking the MeUndies title link will give you 20% off your first purchase, too!

PowerCrunch Bars – This is probably my most-ordered item from Amazon. It’s a protein bar that actually has texture unlike many other bars that feels like chewing tar (there’s crunch in the title for a reason). They are reasonably priced, taste good, and have decent macronutrients too (200cal; 12g fat, 10g carb, 13g protein). A great healthy snack in a bind! 

it’s a 10 Hair Product – I usually go cheap when it comes to beauty (but I do stay away from animal-tested stuff), but I cannot deny that my hair is happiest with the it’s a 10 product. After the shower, I put a few sprays in my hand, run them through my wet hair and voila, happy vibrant hair. It’s not that pricey when it comes to hair salon stuff, but it’s not the cheap run-of-the-mill type of product. I think it’s worth it.