Techie Tuesday: the Waze App Review

Although we love our gadgets and gizmos, we don’t often write a post about them or review them. However, there are some that are exceptions to this and one of them is Waze. I had downloaded this app about a year ago, but only recently started using it after my brother’s trip here. Waze is a travel/map app and it is incredibly useful and fun.

We all have been through the frustration of Google Maps. Perhaps it led us in the wrong direction or forgot to tell us a turn. Hey, I’m a big supporter of Google Maps–more than most folk anyhow–but I’ve got to be honest, Waze has it beat. Let’s start with a little description so I can show you why it’s better than Google Maps. So you start Waze as a noob, an amateur with an avatar that has a pacifier. This is motivation to use the app more and more to gain points and discard that rookie-telling pacifier. For the avatar portion, once you get enough points, you can choose what “mood” you’re in which is basically your avatar. I’m pretty sure mine was “sleepy” yesterday (no surprise for a Monday, huh?). And there are leaders in each area in terms of points, so there’s always motivation to use it!

Thaaat’s meeee

So how do you get points? It’s pretty easy. You gain points simply by having the app on and driving. You can also gain additional points by reporting different things, which is getting to why Waze is so great. You have the ability to report hazards like stopped cars, accidents, weather, traffic, and even hidden police officers. Everybody works together in a community-like setting. As you are driving along and Waze is open on your phone or tablet, you can see all the hazards or traffic coming up on your route. This is really nice not only to be able to avoid it, but for safety reasons to. You can even see the other “Wazers” on the road which makes it feel even more like a community. I love that part. All working together to help one another.

This app is also excellent at setting routes. First of all, you can input your “Home” and “Work” addresses so it’s easy to plug in. When you type in whatever address you are trying to get to, it will give you several routes, their mileage, length of route concerning time, and ETA. And for each route, it shows you all the “reports” aka the hazards, traffic, accidents, and so forth. In addition, along the route, if traffic is slowing down, it will show you the average speed at which traffic is flowing. Pretty neat.

Vroom vroom, night mode

To sum, this app has Google Maps beat with its sense of community and foresight with traffic and planning routes. Hungry and Fit gives Waze a big thumbs up. Use this smart traffic app to stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What travel app do you use?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Precious is all I can say

Dec032013

How to Get Over Thanksgiving Guilt

Apologies for the delayed posting! My brother and his girlfriend, Sophie, were in town for Thanksgiving and we wanted to spend every minute with them! But fear no more, we are back! Back with information to get you off the hook! It may already be December, but I know a lot of us are still wallowing in shame and guilt about our over-indulgences on Thanksgiving. This has no purpose and will help you get no further with your goals. Take these steps to shake off your self-hatred and prepare for beast mode for the holidays:

Chris’ plate

1. It was one day. Or a couple of days. Think back. Has this ever happened before? Say…a year ago? And are you okay now? Yes, you are. It was one day, or a few, and we will get over it. You can still get into shape, you can still shed the pounds you want to. Again, not worth beating yourself up over.

2. Forgive and forget. This is key and it ties in with the last point. You can accept that it was “one day,” but you need to get past that as well. Forgive yourself. Actually take a moment and think about why you’re angry with yourself. Then, with that in your mind, forgive yourself for what you think you have done wrong.

My plate

3. Think about the good parts. What did you enjoy about this Thanksgiving? Positive energy is going to make a better you–always. Did you have a particularly special time with loved ones? Maybe fun cooking with the family? Or maybe you did an awesome run the day before or after. Focus on those good parts of the holiday. Soak em up, feel that good energy.

Family run !

4. Think about the future. How are you going to change what you do next Thanksgiving so that you don’t leave yourself knee-deep in guilt and regret? A few ideas…changing your plate size, doing some exercise before or after, cooking healthier foods, or taking a walk with the family. Easy ways to make it a happier Thanksgiving before, during, and afterwards.

Food prep

5. Eating isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Don’t feel bad because you ate a lot just in one day. A lot of people undereat, which can be much more dangerous. Take pleasure in the energy and health you are getting from the food. Even better, think about what the food is. It’s homemade food that is bringing your family and friends together. Cherish that. Again, that doesn’t mean go crazy, but you shouldn’t see the food as evil.

My brother and I on a hike…SQUINTY

Those are just a few steps to relieve some of that regret and guilt that tend to accompany Thanksgiving. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with lots of loved ones, yummy food, and happiness. Use this guide to stay hungry and fit! Tell us how you get over Thanksgiving guilt!

BONUS KITTY PIC

My brother and Sajah having some bonding time

Nov112013

Movie Monday: Thor II: The Dark World

This weekend we saw the long-awaited Thor: The Dark World. Movies have been “meh” for us since the summer, offering not much more than Ender’s Game. So we were excited to see Thor…a favorite character, great actors, and a fun story. I think I liked it a little more than Chris did…only because I’ve never really read comic books (sigh, I wish I did), and he’s not seeing how Marvel is tying it all together. So let’s begin.

The movie begins by explaining the history of Thor’s grandfather and his dealings with the Dark Elves (yes, Elder Scrolls-lovers, I thought of that too). The Dark Elves used to rule the universe, but were no longer in the position of power. They were fighting the Asgardians to reclaim it, to use the “aether” that would put the universe into darkness once more. Dun, dun, dunnnn. Buuut they get basically wiped out in the battle, except for the Dark Elf leader and some friends who go into space hibernation for a while.

Come to present day and find yourselves in the middle of an easy battle for Thor and his friends. It shows what Loki’s mess in the Avengers movie had done to the universe. So after much battle (around 2 years), Thor and company finally make each planet and universe right, giving balance. Yay, woohoo, celebration in Asgard (where Thor and the other Asgardians live), but big ol’ pretty boy Thor can’t commit himself to the celebration. This is because of dear Padme Amida–I mean Thor’s love interest in the previous movie, Jane Foster. After two years, he is still caught up with the mortal. So he decides to go to the Guardian (who guards the gate in and out of Asgard) and check on her. This when everything picks up and the conflict begins. I don’t like going too heavily into plot details in review, but she encounters this “aether” as the universes are converging which wakes up the big bad Dark Elves. Which thus brings a lot of trouble to Thor and his friends, so he ends up taking Jane to Asgard and so unfolds the plot, to destroy the Dark Elves and aether.

Sorry, that might’ve been a bit confusing but that’s the basic plot. Jane Foster has the aether within her and the Dark Elves can sense it. This gives a way for the Dark Elves to wreak some havoc on Asgard. Speaking of Asgard, we got to see a lot of it in this movie compared to the last. And I am very happy they chose to do that, because it was beautifully-constructed, just as a city of gods should be. So enough with the plot, I detest giving true spoilers, so don’t look for that here.

The character development and interactions within this movie were great. Our beloved Thor does wonderfully and it’s hard to hate Loki, even if he did almost destroy New York. Loki gets lots of screen time in this film as Thor needs his help with a quest. At first Loki is simply imprisoned, but that certainly changes as events unfold. I said to Chris, even if some don’t like this movie, they’ll get plenty of other viewers: the weird, “nerdy” girls who have a thing for Loki and then the normal ones for Thor. I had no idea, but there is a huge, HUGE following/obsession over Loki. Huge. And I can see reason in that…he is a wonderful “villain” who is a little too complex to label “evil” and thus he becomes loved by fans.

Anyhow, acting didn’t disappoint in this movie, at all. I was kept involved and entertained by the story and how it moved, and there were quite a few times where things happened that surprised me, simply didn’t see it coming. I like that about movies, especially fantasy action movies that can sometimes be fairly predictable. The writing also impressed me, especially all the witty lines by Loki. Though this movie has some heavy serious tones, there’s always the laugh around the corner from our beloved heroes/antiheroes. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, especially if you like any of the Marvel movies. Not necessarily in 3D, but go see it. It’s fun, it’s moving, it’s captivating. And it also motivates you to want to become a superhero which inspires you to be…hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

MEOW

Nov042013

Movie Monday: Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is a book I can read over and over again. I think the first time I read it I was either in middle school or high school. The last time I read it was about four years ago, so it wasn’t too fresh in my head but also I still remembered all the main plot points. I was very excited for this movie to come out, and it seemed to take forever for it to actually release! But that’s my anticipation talking. Let’s get to the review.

This movie had a solid amount of great actors: Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield (boy from Hugo, who was brilliant in that as well), and a grown-up Abigail Breslin. If a movie has Harrison Ford in it, I’m going to get excited. Leave me alone, I’m a Star Wars nerd. However, I was slightly anxious that they would botch it up when it is such a great and captivating book. It also made me nervous that by the time we saw it, it had only 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still Fresh, but not as high as I would’ve hoped. However, I was not disappointed.

I really thought I would be, honestly. However, the movie kept me engaged the entire time. The acting was superb by all involved and they were able to show the depth of Ender’s emotions. That’s what I was worried about. A lot of the book is in Ender’s head. Of course, the same complexity isn’t there, but I wasn’t expecting it to that degree. However, it surprised me with showing all the steps that led him to the end. I think it helped that Orson Scott Card (the author) was one of the producers.

For those who haven’t read the book, the basic premise is that the International Military is recruiting children to become the next great commander to defeat the alien race that previously invaded Earth. The story centers around one boy, Ender, a “third” (third-born), who has been chosen and pushed towards what the military wants from him. However, like many action flicks, it isn’t a straight-shooter. Ender is deeply conflicted at many levels, and the movie actually depicted that. Perhaps not as well as in the book, but it certainly came across. Ender is the world’s hope.

Surprisingly enough, they hit all the major plot points I hoped for. Sure they skipped a few too many battle room scenes, but I understand. They kept it under two hours, impressively. The movie built up properly, from the beginning, until the very end. I am not one for giving spoilers, but the one of the most powerful scenes (the end battle), I feel, really captured the intensity and emotion from the book. That was what I was most concerned with.

Overall, I suggest to Ender’s Game fans to see this movie. It’s not going to be exactly as you imagined. It never is with book to movie adaptations, but this production gets close, at least for me. It gets a hearty thumbs up from me and I will most likely get it on DVD/Blu-Ray. The plot is captivating, the acting is believable, and you feel for Ender the whole way through. Use impending-doom-movies to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Belly out!

Oct142013

Movie Monday: Captain Phillips

My apologies for a much-delayed post, everyone! We have been gearing towards moving to a different host and spazzing up the website! You will see it soon. However, I wanted to share with everyone a review of the recently released Captain Phillips. We saw a late-night showing Friday night, stocked with popcorn, vitamin water, and Raisinets! Before I start, let me say that we both enjoyed the movie.

This movie is based on real events which happened in 2009. I remember them on the news. Somalian pirates had attacked and taken over a cargo ship near their coast. It was a scary few days, but in the end it was resolved. The problem was, by the time I saw this movie, I had forgotten if Capt. Phillips made it out alive or not (oops). Anyhow, it was surreal watching something from the inside that you had watched on from the “outside” via news sources. I’m not sure how accurate the movie is to the actual event, but still a movie worth watching.

Instead of painting the Somalians as evil pirates, the audience was given a real-world look on their lives. How they saw piracy as the only choice to survive. It gave a human element to the pirates and made the movie more gripping and complex. People do things for a reason, not because they have black hearts. Still, it was a frightening, hold-your-breath type of movie. The crew of Captain Phillips’ were just average everyday people, as was the captain himself. That brought more tension and anxiety for the audience, as you imagine yourself in the same situation.

The movie was smoothly played out, and it didn’t jump too quickly. However, the tension built the entire time because you knew what was going to happen. I can’t think of a part I would’ve taken out, it all seemed to help paint the picture of reality. It’s easy to see how many people in Captain Phillips’ situation would have buckled under the enormous pressure and gotten either the crew or themselves killed. It added to the strength of the character and pulled the audience to have a closer relationship with the protagonist. The tensions only get raised when the Navy comes in and has a time limit on how long they can let this situation last before they have to terminate it. Capt. Phillips is racing against time and the stability of his captors, and it’s unnerving to think about how it all may play out.

The stand-out factor for me in this movie was the acting. Tom Hanks did a brilliant job, especially in the last few scenes. He was extraordinarily connected to his character which made it an emotional end. The Somalians, too, did a great job and they weren’t even real actors–just Somalian-Americans from Minnesota. Overall, I give this movie a big thumbs up. Take time to see it! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria trying to escape the bath

Sep232013

Our New Obsession: Castle (TV)

We do not watch very much television and we certainly do not follow series. The only non-Food Network, Animal Planet, or anime based television series that I have ever really followed have been Spartacus Blood and Sand/Gods of the Arena and Burn Notice, which I stopped watching due to college.

Firefly is one of my favorite television series of all time but it only lasted a season before it cut short well before it deserved to be. Nathan Fillion was the rock on-screen that made that show what it was and he has never had the opportunity he truly deserved, until now.

Even though Castle has been out since 2009 and we have known about it for years, it was only recently that we started watching it. Within the past two weeks we have watched all of Season 3, most of 2, some of 1, and just began 4. The 6th season begins today and there are many loose ends that will need to be tied up but we need to catch up first.

The show is about an author who begins working with the NYPD in order to research the character for his new book series. He develops feelings for the detective and decides to stay even though she never returns his feelings. She has a wall that cannot come down until her mother’s murder is solved. Unfortunately, she needs to take down “The Dragon” in order to solve the case and he is very dangerous. At the same time Castle deals with his feelings for her, his daughter’s growth, and a serial killer who is determined to ruin Castle’s life.

It may sound like another NCIS, CSI, Bones, etc but for us the addition of Nathan Fillion is all we need to watch it. We think the stories are well-written and humorous, the cast is perfection, and the romantic struggle keeps us curious what will happen.

Part of the reason that we have not been posting so much is because we have been watching so much Castle but we will catch up soon and then just watch the new episodes as they come out. We’re excited so let us know what your favorite television series of all time or right now is! Couch potatoes are not so hungry and fit but a little bit of relaxation helps!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria looking ridiculously sleepy

Aug232013

Elysium (Hungry’s Movie Reviews)

This will be a short one because I don’t have a whole lot to say about this movie. There’s just something about it that leaves me short on words. It was a very good movie but there was something missing that made it fall short of exceptional and it had all the tools in place. So what was missing?

The most intriguing bit of information pertaining to this movie is the fact that the writer (or someone up there) wanted Eminem (Yes, Marshall Mathers/Slim Shady, the rapper) to play the lead. When they approached him with the role he said that he would take it if they shot the movie in Detroit. Em wanted to help his city’s economy and give it some attention. When they declined, he declined and as a result we watched Matt Damon in another lead role. Nothing special.

This movie shared some similarities to District 9 (in terms of casting, setting, and feeling) and that could have been avoided if the movie was shot in Detroit. Still, its use of a future Los Angeles had little impact on the movie’s grand picture, which highlighted the inequalities between the upper class and everyone else. The upper class was symbolized by the “heavenly” Elysium (city in the sky) while Earth was the diseased and destroyed land for all of us who are not worth hundreds of millions or more.

The message is simple and I love it. Do not allow those in the upper class to create further disparity between the rich and poor. Fight to save the lives of the majority of the population because everyone has a life worth living. Make it the last thing you do before you die to give it your all and help as many as you can no matter what impact that has on your own life.

Matt Damon did a fine job but a different and new face might have been refreshing. The villain was amazing and outperformed everyone else. Although the performances were not amazing. The sets were mostly clean and beautiful, the editing and clarity in the action scenes were relatively crisp, and the writing was solid.

The movie was very good but was missing that element to make it great. Maybe a new lead could have put it over the edge. Maybe an extra 10 minutes of character building could have led to that attachment for the audience to love the lead. In the end, SPOILER, Max dies and I didn’t really feel bad or sad about it. That is where they fell short in my book. Make us love Max, make us love the movie. It was short, which I liked, because every movie is over two hours nowadays. However, at just over 90 minutes long, take another ten minutes to build the character up so we feel for the loss a little more.

Villain

But as I said, it was good and I have no major complaints. With some added content on the DVD this movie really could become amazing. All in all, it’s a short movie that entertains enough and promotes positive messages to earn a thumbs up and a seal of approval, courtesy of Hungry. Helping the greater good and making sacrifices is one great way to stay hungry and fit.

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Aug172013

Ellen DeGeneres Liked Our Pin

Did I get your attention? But here’s the best part: I DIDN’T MAKE IT UP. I even screenshotted it and everything, look below for yourself. And surprisingly enough, that isn’t the reason for this post. It came at quite a convenient time because we’ve been wanting to introduce our Pinterest to you. Now that you’re introduced, you should check us out, we’re obviously kind of a big deal (as per Ellen).

It’s real life!

Besides celebrity appearances of our favorite comedians/icons, we pin lots of great stuff from our own recipes to hilarious geeky stuff that bleeds our nerdiness out to beautiful nature we’d love to adventure in. At first, I didn’t really get Pinterest, so I didn’t really use it. The more I used it, the more I fell in love with it. It’s not just useful for us to get our posts out on the Interweb, but so great to find other recipes that people all across the globe are sharing. It’s a fantastic, eye-candy database of endless information and knowledge.

I’ll just click on the ‘Geek’ tab and laugh constantly or click on ‘Food & Drink’ to have a drool session. It’s such a fabulous tool–people like visuals. They like images to pull themselves in. I’m so glad I started using it. But I have to watch out…it’s addicting! I am slowly adding all of our recipes, workouts, and other posts to our boards so stay tuned to stay hungry and fit!

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BONUS KITTY PIC

Sajah LOVES chin rubs…look at that face

Aug112013

Intro to the Barstarzz

You may have seem them walking through the streets or parks using public structures as equipment for training. You might have been walking through the subway and seen one of their videos at that sketchy shop that sells everything from candy to underwear. Or you probably saw their crazy videos on YouTube and told yourself you would never be able to do what they were doing.

The Barstarzz is an international team of individuals that use creative calisthenics in order to stay in shape mastering their own body weight while building a natural looking but ripped aesthetic. I remember watching my first “ghetto workout” years and years ago when YouTube first started. It might have even been before that when I saw Hannibal for King hanging on monkey bars in the New York City playgrounds with his 8-pack and bulging muscles for minutes at a time. But he wasn’t just hanging there… he was doing pull ups, chin ups, muscle ups, dips, push ups, levers and every other body weight exercise under the sun. It was inspiring.

Eventually when I started going to the school in the Bronx, I found myself at the same parks in the bad parts of town, playing basketball, sprinting around the track and hitting up the monkey bars or any other piece of round metal that I could. It was tough being 6′ tall because many of the bars were much shorter in those playgrounds but I had to get creative and learn to contort my body. When I started at about 155-160 pounds it was easy to hold myself up with the strength I developed from sports but at that point I had never lifted weights enough to make an impact.

About three years later of serious training in the pool and the weight room for D1 swimming, I was the same height but packed on 65-70 pounds, topping out at 225 pounds. Even though my body fat percentage never increased (I entered school at about 9% and when I hit 225 I was actually about 6%, but usually in the 8-12% range during the regular season) it became so hard to manipulate and control all that weight on those bars with my long arms. Nevertheless, I always kept body weight exercises in my workouts. (That mostly included a lot of core work, swimming obviously, pull ups, dips, and push ups.) It was hard to focus on a single type of workout as I trained how I wanted but also how I needed to as well.

Now that’s not an issue and I have been watching more videos of the Barstarzz online. The movement has grown to an international level and guys that weren’t known years ago are know representatives of the group. I am subscribed to the group on YouTube and follow some of them on Instagram. As the movement has grown and more people are participating, their workouts and exercises have become more creative and inspiring.

And THAT is the reason why this article is being written! Not because I want to share my background of controlling my own body weight on a small scale, more so because I want to share the Barstarzz and what they do with anyone who is not familiar with them. I want to share it with you all because they are inspiring. They inspire individuals that can’t afford to pay for memberships to gyms and supplements. They inspire people who walk by them on the street. They can inspire everyone. There are Barstarzz followers out there that are sentenced to a life in a wheelchair, but the idea of creative calisthenics allows most of the population the opportunity to exercise, stay in shape, create a great aesthetic, and do all of that in a way that fits their needs and lifestyle. If you check out their YouTube page, you will see some great stories about who they have helped.

The greatest aspect of the Barstarzz is the support within their community. A lot of bodybuilders love to put other people down to make themselves feel better, powerlifters in different weight classes sometimes look down on the smaller and weaker guy, athletes come in all levels from amateur to professionals, but the Barstarzz truly want to see every first timer with a great attitude learn to muscle up and human flag one day. They travel the globe and United States running clinics to help get everyone started. And they actually stress technique in order to prevent injury and properly perform the movements. Crossfit is a great form of exercise but there are so many “bad coaches” (there are for everything, but Crossfit can be very dangerous) out there that the risk of injury is high. From my experience, I find the Barstarzz to be different, but they are just the face of this movement. People have been working out creatively using nothing but their own bodies and some tree branches or bars for hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands of years.

So look up these masters of creative calisthenics, get some ideas and SAFELY stop by a local park with some good bars in order to see where you hang. Make sure to bring a friend for safety reasons and also because it’s always more fun with someone else! Hungry and Fit approves of the Barstarzz and their workouts as a great way to stay… hungry and fit!

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Aug082013

Fit’s Movie Review: The Wolverine

For once, I (Alana aka “Fit“) am writing the movie review for the superhero movie. I personally don’t think I’m qualified because I’ve never read the X-Men comic books (although I really want to *ahem*). So let me just say, if you haven’t read the comic books, you will enjoy this movie. At least I did. A few reasons include Hugh Jackman’s performance (duh), awesome battle scenes, and interesting plot. And I love anything Japanese too.

Let me doubly preface this by saying I didn’t watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I heard it was great–haha, just kidding, heard it was terrible. So I haven’t seen Wolverine’s past, but I did watch all the “X-Men” movies with the whole cast and all. So this movie is set after those X-Men movies. Jean is dead, but reappears constantly to talk to him and goad him into death so that they can finally be together. She gets pretty annoying, kinda creeps me out. But it was interesting, kind of letting the audience see what was going on in Wolverine’s head during this whole movie.

To make a long story short, Wolverine goes to Japan to visit someone he saved long ago. There are a few famous Japanese actors here such as Tao Okamoto, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Will Yun Lee which were a pleasure to see. They delivered excellent acting, creating believable roles whom you actually felt for. Hugh Jackman always steals the show, though. In any movie I’ve seen him in, he gives his all, emotion and body. It was great to see Wolverine be his badass self with the softie inside, always “playing the hero” as Jean taunts.

This movie really kicked butt in the action, battle scenes. They were fun, fast-paced, and exciting with settings like on top of a bullet train and in a huge laboratory with tons of stories. It didn’t leave you seasick like many jerky-camera action scenes in other movies, but stayed to the point and hit it where it hurt. It left me gripping Chris’ hand, hoping that she escaped, or that he didn’t get his head ripped off by a cable.

Speaking of gripping, this movie had a plot that had me guessing. I kept thinking I had it (obviously that Viper girl is evil), but then another twist would appear and throw me through a loop! I really appreciated that, it makes movie-going a more active activity, if you will, for me. The movie combined the perfect mix of suspenseful plot action in the middle of huge battle scenes, giving the audience the feel of anxiety and curiosity and even some sense of emotion for these characters.

All in all, if you aren’t picky about the background of X-Men comics, I believe you’ll enjoy this movie. Sure it’s not going to win the Best Picture at the Oscars, but it was worth the $7 ticket we paid for. I’d even get it on DVD, though I’m not sure Chris would. Fit gives this movie a definitely thumbs up. Watch “The Wolverine” to stay hungry and fit (seriously, it made me want to do some beastly workouts and learn martial arts)!