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May072014

Our Weekend in Pictures (Delaaayed)

This was a fun weekend! The muddy pics you see are of the Spartan Race we did! 4 miles and 25 obstacles.

Some good healthy eats

Delicious product of Trader Joe’s…perfect for watching the Amazing Spider-Man !

Getting Noke used to the car more

Practicing handstands

Baked two banana breads!

Prepped our bodies for a race

Nymeria being ridiculously cute

Getting ready for Spartan race

Spartan Race !

Got a little beat up from the race

Using lots of this!

Shoved Burger King down our faces after the race for some fuel…

Cute pup

Lifted

Empire Strikes Back! workout

Some more good food

May012014

Video Game Brain Trust

Before we start the countdown of our 25 favorite video games of all time you should be introduced to the individuals that will be participating! This group will be know as our Video Game Brain Trust and will in time provide our readers with more countdowns and other content pertaining to video games (and other nerdy stuff!). On the surface there may not appear to be a great amount of diversity in the members, but everyone is very opinionated and the lists will reflect just how different we are. So, in no particular order, here is a introduction to the Hungry & Fit Video Game Brain Trust.

Kai Powell – The oldest in the group, Kai favors playing games on his computers that he builds himself. While he currently does not own or play any consoles regularly, Kai has plenty of experience with them, especially GameCube. He also has experience in the video game industry, having worked on the Transformers game for the first live-action movie release and X-Men Legends. (We all want to thank him for the latter.) Kai has extensive experience on the PC having played many MMORPGs in depth, including WoW, ToR and ESO. His list might reflect his love for the computer but it will certainly show his decades of high level gaming. It will also reflect his great level of intelligence, patience and composure. Expect to see some games with high levels of thought process on his list.

Scott Polhemus – “Po is not one to deny his Nintendo fanboy ways. He suckled on the mustached teet of Mario, due in large part to his older brother’s playing of Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo in the early 90’s. But, that was only the beginning. Over the years, he’s played (and owned) Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo’s entire handheld family (except for the 3DS), Nintendo 64, Playstation, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. Po spent a semester abroad in Tokyo and managed to play a great deal of arcade and Japanese games as well. He admits his tastes are big on RPG and action/adventure…so, basically he’s big on story and plot. He’s limited his list to Console gaming. And frankly, these aren’t the 25 best games of all-time, but they’re the 25 games that expanded his mind and made his heart roar…so, naturally, they’re very dear to him.” (This bio was provided directly by Po.)

Andrew Tucci – Andrew boasts both an extensive collection of games and an insane amount of hours played. When Andrew beats a game, he beats it multiple times, on every difficulty rating, until he unlocks every achievement possible. He has spent time on virtually every console since the release of the NES but he also has a great deal of experience in both the arcade and on the PC. His current collection of systems include Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox, PC/Mac, N64, Gamecube and more. If there is a lack of anything, it’s clearly Sony, but he most likely has more hours logged on Microsoft consoles then every other member of the brain trust combined. He is extremely opinionated and has no problem disagreeing with Metacritic and other experts. If he thinks a classic is garbage, he will let you know. If he thinks a piece of trash is pure gold, you will hear about it. His decades of experience, ability to replay games until the discs no longer work, and his strong views make Andrew a wild card in this group. I have an idea what to expect from him but he can be highly unpredictable.

Alana Powell – Like her older brother, Alana is an avid PC gamer, being so bold as to claim the superiority of the PC over consoles. While she has been exposed to more consoles lately, the frustrations of the different controllers brings her heart back to the mouse and keyboard of a PC. Alana favors games that give the player control over their character and world, so expect to see some BioWare games on her list. She also has been playing Elder Scrolls games for as long as she can remember, so those may also make an appearance. Nevertheless, Alana has been playing for years so her list will reflect PC games that are both new and old. She does not think a game needs to have been out for decades to be consider great, so newer and less known games might slip onto her list. It will be interesting to see if any console games even crack her top 25!

Chris Tucci – Soundtracks. Epic stories. Character development. All aspects that heavily influence how Chris feels about a game. Like Po, Chris favors JRPGs and action-adventure games, however, he has weaker feelings for Nintendo and that will dictate the major differences in those two lists. Chris admits his favorite systems of all time are NES and PS2 but after having owned nearly every console until the release of the newest generation, it is hard to predict what his list will exactly include. There will most likely be a mix of every console, Nintendo handhelds, 1990s arcade games, and PC games around the Millenium. Don’t be surprised to find a lot of games from a few key companies and one game that highlights an entire franchise.

Well, there you have it. A short introduction about what to expect. I am sure the members of the brain trust are most interested to find out what their fellow members release throughout the countdown. You can start to see what lists will be the most similar, but will anyone pick the same games the same week? The suspense continues to build and next week you will find out what games crack the top 25 countdown! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Apr282014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Always hard to tell Nymeria’s features

Hungry took a motorcycle class!

Me being real cute

Noke had her first groomer’s visit…went great

We hosted a Healthy Kids Day!

Yay YMCA (Fit is in the center)!

Went for a good run

Some good cheap eats

Hungry and Fit at the 2014 Boulder Humane Society Gala…superhero themed obviously!

Home workouts with a sleeping pup

Apr102014

Tips for New Elder Scrolls Online Players

Hurray! Elder Scrolls Online has finally released (at least for PC). It is a MMORPG (a massively multiplayer online role-playing game) set in the Elder Scrolls universe (which released games like Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim). At first I had mixed feelings…I was upset that Elder Scrolls was turning into a MMORPG instead of another solo game (because they are so fantastic). However, I got put into the Long-Term Beta Testing, so I got to play for a good few months. They happened to change my mind. I absolutely love it. Sure, it’s not the exact same as the other Elder Scrolls with the whole MMO element, but it still allows me to get lost in the world as the others do. I haven’t felt this excited about a game in a while and it feels good!

Character I’m playing right now…pretty badass

From being in beta for a few months and playing live now, I believe I have a firm grasp on how to play the game or at least how to help beginners at this game. Those who have just bought it and started to play can certainly benefit from the advice below:

1. Loot Coldharbour. This is the place where you start. There are baskets, trunks, chests everywhere! These contain lots of crafting materials and more. Don’t rush through this beginning zone, take the time to explore and you will have a head start on crafting and making money. It is worthwhile to loot everywhere!

2. Be flexible at first. This is like no other MMO in the way of classes and abilities. It is Elder Scrolls; where you can decide what character you want to be. Sure, there are the foundation classes of Dragonknight, Templar, Nightblade, and Sorcerer, but it’s up to you who your character will be. You can use any weapon no matter what class. Play with each weapon for a level or so, see what comes natural to you and what fits your playing style best. Your knowledge of this will help you further in the game as you know you chose the best type of weapon for your playing style. It also helps to know when you can switch out weapons at level 15. But that’s a little far away, right now.

Character creation

3. Decide what role you want to play. This means deciding which class you want to play as to which race to which skill lines you are going to focus on. For me, I’m all about the story, so I don’t always make the most efficient character (I pick the race I personally want, despite if it has the bonuses that is going to go best with my class or role). However, since it is an MMO, I still want to be useful in a group whether that means tanking, healing, or being the damage dealer.

4. Immerse yourself. This is a big one, but it is an easy one, at least for me. Tamriel (the Elder Scrolls continent) has always been a favorite place of mine, rich with history with a plethora of adventures at your disposal. It’s very easy to lose myself in this world, in the quests, the people, the fighting. Allow yourself to do so (despite it being an MMO). Don’t just spam click the quests, read them, listen to them, know why you’re doing them. It will actually benefit you in the long run with some quests when you’re required to recall information. Lose yourself in the game!

5. Pick up everything. Yes, everything! Unlike other MMOs, you aren’t limited to one or two crafting abilities. You can do all of them. Yes, that may be a little overwhelming, but it is so exciting! Unlike the other Elder Scrolls games, ingredients are a little bit tougher to pick out in the scenery. Look out for flowers, runes, ore, and so forth. Always check all the baskets, trunks, crates, etc, you never know what you could find. It’s always exciting to find new recipes and new materials to work with. And even if you don’t use them, you could always sell them in bulk.

6. Learn how to craft right away. From the very first moment you get to your starter area, start crafting! If you’ve already followed the advice of this post, then you will have a good amount of ingredients in your inventory. Go to each crafting station, read the tutorial, and understand it. Try each one out, even if you don’t have all required ingredients. Don’t forge to “deconstruct” things. That means armor, weapons, glyphs, and so forth. This is how you can get more materials to craft more things. The ESO crafting system is probably the most amazing and complex one I’ve ever seen from an MMO. I love it!

Tons of different crafting options!

7. Use that bank! Going along with crafting, you’re going to need to take advantage of your bank. Ingredients take up a large part of your inventory, but they invented something beautiful to help you with that. I’m sure you’re familiar with depositing items in your bank from other MMOs, but Elder Scrolls does it differently. This trick can save you time, money, and the heart-wrenching choice of destroying inventory. You can deposit any and all crafting items in your bank (up until it hits its capacity) and you can still use those items while you go to a crafting station. So even if they aren’t in your pocket, your ingredients and crafting items are readily available any time you go to actually craft. Pretty nifty, huh?

8. Hold off on weapon skills. This is going to be a controversial one. First off, I certainly don’t mean don’t choose any weapon skills, that would be absurd. But in light of #2 and #3, don’t throw all your eggs in one basket. Once you hit near 10, you should know which weapon you want to focus on. I think that’s a good time to start piling points there. Before that, if you’re still playing around with a few, you should just hold off until you know for sure. That way, you won’t be wasting any skill points!

My skill tree

9. Pick up a book. No, really! If you know Elder Scrolls, you know that some books can give you bonus skill points. Trust me, it’s worth it to look at every bookshelf. Plus, that’s how you level up in the Mage’s Guild AND there’s some pretty cool lore out there.

10. You can join up to 5 guilds. I’m not talking about the Fighter’s Guild or anything similar to that, I’m talking about player guilds. Guilds that fight for certain alliances that players create and recruit for. You can name it what you want (within reason) and make it what you want. Some guilds are for trading, PVP, PVE, RP, and so forth. In most MMOs, you can only join one guild. I thought it was pretty cool to be able to be a part of 5. Plus, they go cross-characters, so all your characters will be in said player guilds if you join them.

11. Get lost. Again, this is an Elder Scrolls game. You will always be rewarded for exploring off the beaten path of quests. Explore every nook and cranny. You could find new quests, crafting materials, treasure maps, locked chests, cool new areas, and awesome items. Although it is “zoned” like other MMOs, it is unlike others because you are encouraged to run off the trail and towards the beach, fight some mudcrabs, and come upon a barnacle-encrusted chest filled with treasure. This is your world–explore it!

Walking around

With that, I leave you to it. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but I am always here as a source if need be. I will be continually playing with my brother (and eventually Chris when it comes out for PS4) under “Ewoky.” Please let me know if you have any other questions, I would love love to help! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Mar282014

Top 20 Video Game Weapons of All Time

This list contains, with no criteria for grading other than my own personal feelings and experiences, the twenty most amazing weapons in video game history. They may not be the most effective, best looking or most popular, but all of them have some amazing qualities that earn them a spot on my list. Twenty seems like a fair number for the over two-decades and thousands of games Hungry has played. I could make it much longer but we’ll keep this one relatively short. And if you think I missed some, comment in the section below!

20. The Hammer from Super Smash Bros. In 1999, Nintendo began one of its most popular series with the release of Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64. While this game, and its two sequels, are littered with many characters, attacks, and weapons, there is one item that can change the game unlike any other. (Especially in the original, which is the best, in my opinion.) The hammer. Need I say more? (Part of me really wanted to put the home run bat, but only a few of us can use it correctly every time, so this one is for the masses!)

19. Fire Flower from Mario. If there are iconic weapons, none is more iconic than the 8-bit fire flower that has been around for almost two decades. The fire flower has appeared in dozens of games and still allows the player to dominate koopas, goombas and Bowser himself. It is practically a staple in setting time records for the original console trilogy and has cemented itself in the minds of gamers for generations.

18. Lightning Bolt from Mario Kart.It seems only appropriate to continue to be a Nintendo and Mario fan boy for another item. The problem is that Mario is arguably the greatest thing to ever happen to video games. He has appeared in over 200 games that have sold over 285 million copies and I can guarantee that number will double in my lifetime. Mario is probably the most recognizable video game character ever and Mario Kart is one of the most loved series of all time. From Super Mario Kart to the newest releases, it’s not easy to pinpoint a single item in the series but one stands out in my mind.

17. Buster Cannon from Mega Man. Ever since 1987 Mega Man has been bringing it to Dr. Wily and his army of robots with unique abilities and attacks. With Mega Man 4 being one of my favorite games of all time, with a ridiculously amazing intro cut scene, Dr. Light’s world-saving assistant has one of the coolest weapons ever. Since the honorable mentions are clearly less specific, and more iconic weapons in general, there is no better item to grace this list than Rock’s buster cannon. Whenever Mega defeats one of his robotic enemies, he can absorb their power and use it. So damn sick.

16. Ebony & Ivory from Devil May Cry. Originally intended to be Capcom’s 2001 sequel to the Resident Evil series, Devil May Cry’s release sparked a series of amazingly fun hack and slash adventure games for Playstation consoles. Throughout the series Dante has killed thousands of enemies and fiends but without his trusty handguns Dante wouldn’t be the same. Ebony & Ivory take this spot on the list for their reliability and awesome names. If I ever buy handguns, they’d be custom to match these two.

15. Link’s Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda. Link’s Master Sword is the ultimate form of vanquishing evil in Hyrule (and Lorule) and the quest to obtain the Master Sword time and time again has earned it a spot on this list. Along with the Arrow of Light, nearly every form of evil in Hyrule can be destroyed with ease AND with full health the Master Sword emits a strong beam. It is the greatest weapon of the greatest hero in the history of video games.

14. The Fierce Deity Mask from Legend of Zelda. Thinking about all of the installments in the Zelda series, there is one weapon that really is ridiculous in terms of raw strength. And I know that all my real gamers and true Zelda fans will love this one. The Fierce Deity Mask in Majora’s Mask is arguably the most difficult item to obtain on this list. I can only think of one item at the very top of the list that takes a similar amount of time, and that alone makes this item insane. This mask allows you to transform into the Fierce Deity and deliver some amazing attacks, however it can only be used during boss battles and requires you to trade 20 of all 24 of your masks to the Children of the Moon.

13. The BFG from Doom. And I am not talking about the book by Roald Dahl. Doom is one of the greatest games of all time, revolutionary for the horror genre and first person shooters, and all about kicking ass. This game was extremely creepy playing it as a very young child and Doom 3 brought scary to a whole new level. Nevertheless, once you got the BFG, which we all know what it stands for, there was nothing to fear. Just look at the devastation of the BFG 9000 this screen shot. Kills anything and everything in one shot.

12. Proximity Mines from Goldeneye. Goldeneye was one game that took first person shooters and multiplayer to the next level. Although I did not personally love the game, any list that doesn’t include it as one of the greatest of all times is trying to be cool and the people have no idea what they are talking about. Goldeneye offers a huge arsenal and as much as I love playing a level with only Moonraker Lasers or RC-P90, nothing can compare to the proximity mine. I can’t tell you how many thousands of times we played levels with only proximity mines, and the beauty of it is, you never really know when something is going to blow up!

11. Farsight XR-20 from Perfect Dark. Shortly after Goldeneye made a huge impact in the world of gaming, N64 had another huge release in Perfect Dark. Everyone has their favorite weapons and it’s hard to, again, pick just one from the list that includes ridiculous laptop guns and the amazing reaper. This monster is a one-shot kill to anyone no matter where you hit them, oh, and you can shoot through walls because it’s a railgun. It’s only available in one mission during the story mode but it dominates multiplayer if you can find a good hiding spot.

10. Vampire Killer from Castlevania. For nearly 20 years, in Castlevania, Simon Belmont and the rest of his vampire hunting clan has been using the Vampire Killer and other whips to make it through Dracula’s castles. Although some are more memorable than others, Lord of Shadow’s recent Combat Cross was one of the most badass versions ever used. Spoiler: Not to mention it was used by the original Belmont and Dracula himself, Gabriel Belmont, ancestor of Trevor, Simon, and Victor. Here it is.

9. Black Widow from Mass Effect. Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest games of all time and, despite the horrible ending of the series, it remains as one of my favorite series ever. The three games have tons of weapons to choose from but no weapon stands out more in my mind than the Black Widow. In ME3, when upgraded to its final level with maximum upgrades, this sniper rifle leaves no traces of enemies behind. It is super expensive to buy and upgrade and requires you to have SPECTRE status, but it’s well worth the investment. It’s an improvement of the Widow and my go-to gun at many times. But don’t worry M-920 Cain, I won’t leave this without giving you and your nuclear level power a shout out. One shot with the Cain and you can defeat the final boss of Mass Effect 2, it’s absurd.

8. Ray Gun from South Park. South Park for the N64 is usually on every worst video game list of all time but that can’t take away from the absurdity and originality of the weapons in that game. I can’t even start to explain how ridiculous and inappropriate this game is; in all honesty, I don’t even remember all the weapons but there are three I will have a hard time forgetting. First, there is a snowball that you pee on. That’s right, you throw urine snowballs at enemies. Second, there is a gun that is shaped like a cow and basically fires well… cows. But finally, there is a weird ray gun that makes your enemies smile and dance around. It’s weird and absurd, that is why it makes the list.

7. Energy Sword from Halo. I was never a fan of the Halo series, especially past the first and second games. I did, however, play all of the story and multiplayer modes, and there was one really fun thing to do in the second game. Energy sword. Using the lunging action, a skilled player could essentially infinitely go around in close quarters and build a huge killing spree in multiplayer. I wouldn’t recommend running across a field with it though. For being a melee weapon in a game where so many people just sit on cliffs and snipe, the energy sword is high on this list.

6. Emergency Hammer from Silent Hill. Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and other horror games offer a unique gaming experience where you need nerves of steel and have to accept the fact that you are very weak and vulnerable. Although it is one of the slowest weapons in the game, the emergency hammers allows Harry Mason to deal with those damn creepy Puppet Nurses and Puppet Doctors in the hospital. The amount of security that the hammer gave my young self during these dark times earns it a spot high on this list.

5. Rocket Launcher from Resident Evil. Speaking of survival horror, back when Resident Evil was still a game in this genre, there was a ridiculous lack of weapons and ammunition. Resident Evil 2, with Leon and Claire in Raccoon City (BEST GAME IN THE GENRE), provided very little to work with in some really tight corridors with some nasty enemies… Tyrant. Some moments in the game really stand out, such as choosing either the submachine gun or extra item spots, but one weapon in this game is just so boss. I can’t think of a better word to describe it right now because it is a total lifesaver and saving it until you fight a MAJOR boss is such a smart choice. The rocket launcher basically kills any enemy in one shot, and you can unlock infinite ammo. It’s just perfect.

4. Unlabored Flawlessness from Ninja Gaiden. The top three weapons all reflect my top 3 games of all time. Isn’t it funny how that works out? Even though Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox is not in my top 10 (but it’s damn good) there is one weapon in that game that I always connected with for some reason. It is that other item that I mentioned earlier that is not easy to obtain by any means. You need to upgrade the Wooden Sword, which is so useless, in order to get Unlabored Flawlessness. What a ridiculously amazingly long and complex name for a big wooden weapon that beats enemies down. If you know this weapon, you know how I feel. Otherwise, you’re probably thinking why is that so high on the list. Just look at this thing. I want to make a cosplay of it.

3. “Azeroth” from Diablo 2. At one point in time I had arguably the strongest Diablo 2 character on Battlenet. True story. I put in hundreds and hundreds of hours into building my paladin and maxed out everything. Eventually, I only played in special games with the best players for each class in the world. I knew nothing about computers but they started building mods where we would fight against hordes of bosses leveled up to the max. We would fight them 7 on infinity, killing hundreds until we died. It was insane but we were the best and we loved it. Then the computer genius in our group decided to forge us hacked weapons that reflected our characters, classes, personalities, etc. Being the best paladin in the world, the person crafted me a one-handed massive sword made of light named Azeroth. This was in 2000. It was wide and was colored a strange white that shined. Blizzard decided to delete all of our characters that had hacked items, purging the greatest people on Battlenet. I never played Diablo 2 again but the memory of Azeroth will live on in my mind forever. This weapon should top the list, but I will always be bitter that I lost it and don’t have a screen shot for you since it was one of a kind.

2. Hopesfire from Morrowind. Morrowind was and is the greatest Elder Scrolls game ever. It set the bar too high for future installments. One thing that set Morrowind apart was its lore and list of legendary weapons. You could even donate these weapons and items to a special museum in Mournhold, in the Tribunal expansion. I eventually gave all of them up in my main file that I still have today, so the museum is full. There were three that were extremely difficult to let go. Umbra is my go-to weapon in Morrowind, since I usually get it right away with bow and arrow. That hurt. But TrueFlame and HopesFire were just too much. These are the coolest weapons in the whole series. Skyrim cannot hold a flame to Morrowind just because of this alone, although the shouts are cool. The legend and the power of these swords is unparalleled.

1. Lion Heart from Final Fantasy. The greatest series of all time! Nothing can compare to the quest of upgrading and acquiring new weapons to defeat bosses that threaten the sake of the world. The Ultimate Weapon for every character is the final and strongest form of all items. Since Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite game ever, of course Squall’s Ultimate Gunblade is going to take the cake here. Add Lion Heart to the mix and this is just pure awesomeness. Take that, Ultimecia. Number one is the Lion Heart.

And that sums up my top 20 list. What’s yours? As always…stay hungry and fit!

Mar242014

Our Weekend in Pictures

Gotta love Tibetan food

Getting ready for Dagabi Cucina!

Great meal for us and Chris’ friends visiting

Great walks with the pup

Cuteness

Shopping…

Thai food

Pizza

A trip to Estes Park!! (yes that is a fanny pack)

Homemade cookies

Homemade donuts

Stanley Hotel…

Elk!!

Passed out pup

Epic mini golf

Arcade games

Bowling

BONUS KITTY PIC

Mar062014

HabitRPG: A Quest for Productivity

This is for you gamers out there or people who are looking for a new way to encourage productivity. I happen to be both. This is not necessarily just an app, it is so much more! Similar to CARROT, it makes productivity more into a game, which is brilliant (for me, at least). You level up in CARROT, but HabitRPG takes it to a whole different level.

It originated as just a website, but it seems more like a program or an online game. You make an account with HabitRPG and make your “avatar” aka your character or “you.” We’re talking about old-school pixelated graphics. It has the old-time feel to it, I like it. After all, this is a free service (there’s a subscribe option to support the developers), and these people are putting their own time into it. Once you are all set up with your Level 1 character, you are guided through a little tutorial. This just explains the basic functions and whatnot for you to be able to “play.”

How do you level up? Well, by being productive, of course! Let’s move on to the most important aspect of the program: the tasks. This where the productivity and efficiency come in, alongside the fun and questing. In order to gain levels, to gain gold, or cool items, you have to get stuff done! There are three types of productivity: habits, dailies, and to-dos.

I’m the character on the left, my brother, who is in my party is shown on the right

Habits are every day things, as you would expect habits to be. These are things you can tick off multiple times a day. You might have “drink water” or “eat junk food” (which would drain your hitpoints). Dailies are a once-a-day tick-off like “exercise” or “take vitamins.” And finally, to-dos is obviously a to-do list. Each can have different difficulties which gains you more or less experience, gold, and items.

Those of you familiar with MMORPGs know about dailies. In this program, if you don’t complete all your “dailies” (things you should be doing every day OR every certain day that you set), then you lose hitpoints in your character. Nobody likes losing health! It really motivates me and drives me to do all those daily tasks and set the bar higher and higher. I love it! And as you level up, more and more becomes available to you like pets, mounts, and other items like equipment to give you buffs. Just like a real RPG!

Equipment

There’s also a big “Social” aspect to the game. You can join several guilds (some that I am in include “Health Nuts,” “Mastering Buddha,” and “Pet Owners”), create challenges (that other people can join and get the tasks and dailies specific to that challenge such as learning languages, meditating, and so forth), and start your own party (aka a group). Right now I’m in a party with my brother, who is the one who introduced me to this awesome program.

Finally there are Rewards (which you see on the “Tasks” page) which are basically things you “purchase” with the gold that you have earned. Rewards can range from whatever you want. There are some pre-set ones like equipment you can buy and such like shield, sword, etc. Then there are also ones you create. So on mine, you can see “1 hr video games,” “buy something for yourself,” “take a bath” and so forth. Make the price sensible so that it makes sense with the reward you are receiving. So if I really want to play those video games, I better get some stuff done!

I would love for more of you to join us! It’s also a great support network if not a fun and motivating way of being productive. My user is “hungryandfit” and I encourage you to join HabitRPG! I give it a huge thumbs up so far, it’s made me floss every day and we know that’s a win! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Mar022014

Play Spy: WatchBot Review

A few weeks ago we received a “WatchBot“ through FuelMyBlog. I am incredibly happy that we did because it has turned out wonderfully! Don’t you wish that you had some kind of easy-to-install device so you could spy on your cats at home? WE TOTALLY DID! And now we can. I was surprised to find how well the WatchBot worked.

First things first the WatchBot was incredibly easy to install. Just had to plug it in to a power source and the Ethernet cable first and then download the app to go along with it. You can view it from your desktop as well but we thought it would be more fun to view from our phones. Once the app is installed, all you need to do is enter in or scan the code on the actual WatchBot to sync it. Takes all of…a minute. And there, your WatchBot is installed.

Once activated, you can look via cell phone at what the WatchBot is viewing. It gives a wide camera eye so you can really get the whole benefit. You can place it where you need it, say if you’re worried about home invasion or simply want to keep an eye on pets. Unless glared, which is probably the user’s fault anyhow, it gives a good quality camera for such a little thing. I’m still amazed I can see everything that’s going on while I am fifteen miles away at work! It’s so cool!

Me viewing it from my phone

Another really cool feature of the WatchBot is that you can move the camera’s view from your phone. Yes, from fifteen miles away, I can rotate where the camera is looking to get a better angle of what I am trying to see. Total spy master over here, no big deal.

Overall, I am very impressed at this product. The ease of setup (sometimes these things can be a nightmare to install) is a huge plus. Not to mention 24/7 visibility of what’s going on in your home. I find it important to know what’s going on and also it’s a lot of fun to spy on the cats. The ability to turn the camera from any location is just awesome. We give this product a big thumbs up. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

^.^

Disclosure: We were provided the WatchBot for review purposes. We were not paid for this post.

Feb012014

New Gaming Obsession: Hearthstone

WARNING: Nerd alert! If you aren’t into games and stuff, you probably won’t love this post.

You’ll have to blame my brother for this one, it’s all his fault! He told me about this game and pestered me to play it. And I did. Big mistake. I’m hooked! As you guys should know, we are nerds and love video games and such. This game is very simple, yet very addictive. It has this element that keeps dragging you back in for more. I almost didn’t write a post today because I wanted to play instead (yeah, it’s that bad).

Hearthstone is almost (but not really) a sub-game of World of Warcraft (the massively multiplayer online game that thousands of people play). It’s in open beta right now (which means it’s open to the public to play and it’s in beta stage of testing, meaning the game is free, but it may be bugged). The main point of that last sentence is that it is free right now. All you have to do is register for a Battle.net account (also free) and you’re good. If you have played Starcraft, Diablo, WoW, or other Blizzard games, you will most likely already have an account.

I say it is a “sub-game” of WoW because it is based in the Warcraft world with all the classes from WoW and such. It is a card game. Kind of like Magic: The Gathering for World of Warcraft…but it’s free…and online! It combines strategy, timing, luck, and skill to best your adversaries whether they be computer characters or real people. Just like in WoW, you level up your characters (you play as a certain class and the more you play with that class, the better you and your deck gets) and try to beat all the classes in order to unlock all of them. As you level up, you get more packs and more cards to add to your deck. The game also gives you quests to usher you along in your playing. You can play casual or ranked matches against real people. Once you unlock all the classes, you can try your turn in the “Arena,” a place where you go as long as you can until you are beat three times. I’m just highlighting all the different aspects of the game, there is much more to it!

This game makes you think (and curse) and always challenges you to do better. It is in the familiar world of Warcraft, which I enjoy, and you can focus on the class you like the most (a Druid, for myself). It is absolutely worth giving a go, and if you do, add me! My user is Ewoky (was my username I chose growing up). It’s perfect for some weekend relaxation. Click here to download, and no, Blizzard is not paying me (but I wouldn’t mind if they did!). And as always…stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What game are you addicted to?

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