How Much is Diet and How Much is Exercise?

Yesterday at the gym, in the middle of a set, a woman walked up to me and asked me if she could ask me a question… even though she already did. I nodded up and down, finished my set and took my headphones out so that I could hear her. I’ll get interrupted nearly every workout, no matter where I’m training, so it doesn’t bother me. If it did, I would use my gym at home or just ignore people. Since I designed this particular fitness center, I’m even more friendly than normal, so I decided to help her out.

Jan022019

Achieve a Lifestyle, Not a Number

Happy 2019! New year, new you, right? Great! If that’s what you want. But how are you framing it? Are you saying you want to lose x number of pounds or BMI? Are you saying you want to fit into size x? That’s all well and good, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the right way to look at it. You should never attribute your value to a number. Never ever. I love the body positivity movement that has been gaining following, but it still has a long, long way to go.

Instead of just trying to achieve a weight loss goal of thirty pounds (or whatever), why not make a resolution to change your lifestyle? I’m not saying you can’t touch a slice of pizza or bowl of ice cream again. I’m saying shifting a few things in your day-to-day life that could make a bigger impact than you might first think. I’m not going to give a direct list of what you need to do because everyone will need a different plan of action, but let me give some overall advice.

Dec212018

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.

Dec012018

The Push Up & Plank Challenge

While many of you are probably preparing for Freeform’s (although we all know it as ABC Family) 25 Days of Christmas, which starts today with Kittens vs Christmas Trees, there are others stressing about their physical health during the month of Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas. While we spoke about optimizing your health from a food and fuel point of view yesterday, we have a simple, yet rewarding challenge to issue for this month… starting today!

Everyone can do push ups and planks. By that, I mean, there are a lot of people who cannot swim because they do not have access to a pool or body of water. There are people who cannot cycle because they do not have a bike and cannot afford a membership to a gym. Nearly everyone can roll out of bed in the morning and get on the floor to put down a set of push ups and a plank.

Nov242018

4 Tips to Rowing for Health and Fitness

If you’re looking to get into great shape, rowing offers a full body workout that gets you closer to achieving your goals. Rowing is an effective cardio exercise that not only promotes weight loss but also tones your muscles and increases your endurance. You can burn as many as 600 calories per hour by working out on a rowing machine. Combine this fun exercise with a healthy diet and you’ll soon be delighted by the results.

Getting a sturdy rowing machine isn’t as complicated as you’d imagine: simply check Body Trained and scroll through a variety of rowing machine reviews to find one that suits you.

Nov112018

Building Hamstrings

We don’t often repost content from other sources, but sometimes, we come across an article that is presented in a manner that we find very easy to digest. While we’d never heard of Stack as a media source before, every week, I receive newsletters from the American Swimming Coaches Association, with important articles relevant to swimming. Sometimes, I don’t even read through them, but this headline caught my eye: 4 Simple Ways to Build Stronger, More Resilient Hamstrings.

Oct112018

5 Things You Should do to Start CrossFit

CrossFit is a popular fitness regimen that’s been all the rage with people of all ages over the past few years. It’s a workout routine that promotes fitness by doing functional movements at high intensity. It helps improve your overall health, as well as your posture, strength, flexibility, and balance.

If you want to start with your CrossFit journey, you’re in the right place. You can get tips from CrossFitSurvival.com about the basics. Furthermore, here’s an article about 5 things you should do to jump start your journey:

Find the right gym

Perhaps the first thing you need to do is find a local gym you can attend. Luckily, CrossFit is already very popular so you wouldn’t have a hard time looking for a good box to train in. When you’re looking for a gym, apart from the location consider also the size of the place, the availability of coaches, and of course the membership cost.

On your first visit, take note of who accommodates you and how they welcome you. First impressions are important as you’ll be spending a lot of your time there eventually. If you get to meet a coach, it’s nice to be able to discuss about your goals and how you can achieve them. Even without committing to a gym, a CrossFit box should have coaches that are approachable and concerned about its trainees.

Invest in proper apparel

In order for you to make the most out of your movements, wearing proper clothes is important. It helps you move around comfortably and supports you so that you don’t get injured. Wear sturdy training shoes because you’ll be doing a lot of short sprints and jumps. There are flat-footed crossFit shoes that are designed to support your feet as you rep out double-unders, rope climbs, and box jumps.

Your choice of tee also matters. Make sure it’s breathable, quick-dry, light, and comfortable to allow for maximum movement. You don’t want tight sleeves ruining your snatch. Case in point, you have to be very comfy in your clothes. For your bottoms, it’s advisable to wear compression pants or cycling shorts because they’re light and flexible. Avoid wide leg shorts that would ride down to your thighs when you do a handstand, or expose your undies when you lunge.

Make time for it

Just like any fitness journey, crossFit requires your time. Show up at the gym at least 3 times a week and see how your body improves. Discipline is key in making this work. No matter how much you prepare for it, if you’re not ready to put your mind into it, you will not see results. On your first few weeks in the gym, try to learn how to do the moves properly and get coaching on your body form. As you go along, you can do the WODs (workout of the day) with minimal supervision and come in at your own time.

Eat a balanced diet

As they say, your workout is only as good as your next meal. Eating a balanced diet ensures that you are ready for your next physical activity. A balanced meal typically involves 2000 to 2500 calories per day. Plan your meals and make sure you’re getting proper nourishment. Half of your plate should be filled with fruits and green leafy vegetables, ¼ for protein, and the other ¼ for grains.

Document your journey

There’s nothing wrong with snapping pictures to show your progress. It’s not bragging as long as your intentions are clear. Progress photos are inspiring. And yours is another inspiring tale waiting to be told. Track your progress by means of a fitness calendar or an app on your phone. Record you original weight, your goal weight, the food you eat, and the number of times you go to the gym. Carry a fitness journal with you to help you track your progress.

Oct102018

How Psychology Can Help You Learn to Love Exercise

Whether you’re a student, parent or a busy professional – you can benefit from exercise. For those who have trouble getting motivated, you need to change the way that you think about the activity.

For some, exercising comes effortlessly. While most people realize that working out is healthy for your mind and body, for many, exercise is not a part of their daily life. For this class of fitness hopefuls, tricking the mind into new behavior may prove beneficial. By adjusting your attitude toward exercise you can overcome challenges and experience remarkable breakthroughs.

Intuitively, most people view exercising as a chore. This mindset makes it very easy to bypass a productive workout session. The trick, report researchers, is to make your mind think of exercise as a reward rather than a chore.

Sep222018

Hungry & Fit’s Go-To Healthy Snacks

Here at Hungry & Fit we eat…a lot. We have different styles, but there is always a lot of food involved. Hungry is more of the wolf-type; he will eat an inane amount of food and then be good for a while. Fit is more deer-like, grazing across the day. She eats small snacks and meals…every hour or so. So yes, a lot of food is consumed in the Hungry & Fit household. That means we have to be stacked when it comes to food options. Fit will usually gravitate toward smaller meals or snacks. It’s very important for us to have healthy snack options available at all times so we don’t go down a bad road.

Sep202018

Why Casein Protein Deserves More Love

Casein is one of the main types of protein supplements available on the market, however, one could argue that it’s actually underrated.

Many of us are so infatuated with the quick gains and short-term muscle building potential of whey protein that sometimes we just don’t give casein the love it deserves, and the fact that casein is also a bit more costly doesn’t help, but it’s certainly worth those few extra dollars.