The Best Gym in LA!

There are more fitness facilities in LA than anyone would ever want to count. When I managed a very large fitness facility in West Los Angeles, we had dozens of significant competitors in walking distance. It was brutal and trying to offer the same classes that these specialized locations hosted was a massive challenge. With such an impressive selection, there isn’t ever going to be a consensus best “gym in LA” or anything along those lines, but there are certainly places that are undisputed gems.

We’ve talked about, on the blog or in person, some of the best deals in LA. Whether that means off-the-wall places like Tempest, amazing communities such as Barbell Brigade, cost-free natural selections including the Santa Monica Rings/Runyon Canyon or the unmatched intensity you’ll find at Gold’s Venice, LA has something for everyone. As Hungry & Fit, we do, however, need to give an edge to the facility that we personally use. Obviously, that says a lot about a place.

Since we do fairly well and are fiscally responsible, we don’t limit ourselves to budget options/chains including 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Planet Fitness and the YMCA (though we do love the Y!). We prefer to pay more and avoid dealing with people who aren’t serious about their training; we don’t want to fight people who are on their phone while sitting on equipment. Also, we like to avoid budget options since they often have higher traffic; we don’t want to wait for equipment, in order to keep our workout intensity higher.

Jun042018

Is Body Fat Percentage Important?

Yesterday was a rest day, but it started with a relatively in-depth test called a DXA Scan. This seven minute x-ray gives you more detail about your body composition than calipers, scales and hand-held devices and while it costs $45, there are massive benefits to using it. While we generally don’t find it necessary to track every rep and count every calorie, measuring your progress and results are often crucial to success. When you consider someone who is extremely fit, you might think of an Olympic decathlete. Whether they’re throwing, jumping or running, the world’s best measure every inch and second, because that allows them to improve.

‘Measurables’ hold us accountable and therefore allow us to get better every single session. If you lifted 10 lbs for 10 reps one day with a certain technique, you wouldn’t necessarily be very happy if you used that same technique and only lifted 10 lbs for 9 reps the next time you performed. You’d want to either lift 11 lbs for 10 reps or 10 lbs for 11 reps, if you’re maintaining all of the other factors taken into consideration while exercising, such as rest intervals and technique based numbers such as eccentric/concentric timing, etc.

May302018

Lunch Break Meditation

Hooray! It’s lunch time! Or even if it’s not, hopefully you have some break throughout your day for a bite to eat and a breather. You might have five minutes, thirty minutes, or an hour. Use some of that time to nourish your body with filling, healthy food. On top of that, I’m challenging you to also nourish your soul with a lunch break meditation. The day’s event can sweep you up into a tide of stress and imbalance. Maybe you haven’t really taken a second to step back and catch your breath or allow your shoulders to lower from your ear lobes.

Whatever your day is–work or not–it’s important to take a break. And one of the most productive breaks you can take is a meditation break. It will refresh mind and body. You don’t need to sit in the middle of your office floor, legs crossed, shoes off, and be humming an ‘om.’ You just need a quiet place where you won’t be bothered for a few minutes. Maybe that’s your desk, a conference room, a table outside, even the bathroom. Find a spot. You don’t even have to be seated. If it’s loud around you and you can’t escape the sound, listen to some calming music. I have a “yoga” Spotify playlist that has some wonderfully soothing tracks (such as Home Again by Drala). Try to block out the outside noise, but don’t stress if you can’t. This will only take a few minutes, but try to give it your full attention.

Nature is always a great place to find some peace

May062018

Easy Overnight Oats

It’s Sunday! What does that mean? Meal prep time! This is when we prep as much food as we can for the week so that being tired and short of time doesn’t force us into making unhealthy decisions. For this week, I’m highlighting easy overnight oats. There’s actually no cooking required in this recipe, just a tiny bit of prep work (and I mean tiny). What are overnight oats? Dry oats that soak and become edible overnight.

This is a healthy recipe (that I adapted and tweaked from Chocolate Covered Katie) that will get your rear into gear during those sleepy struggle mornings. Basically, you’re just stacking ingredients in a mason jar, putting it in the fridge overnight and then eating it the next morning! I love it because when you actually need it, you don’t have to put any work into making it. The mornings are an important part of my day for personal development and productivity so “hacks” like these are vital! I can just go through my normal routine without spending an extra 10-15 minutes prepping breakfast. Weehaw, more productivity time!

May012018

Alternate Nostril Breathing: An Easy Way Into Meditation

Meditation can seem quite a daunting thing. Sitting still for many long minutes and trying to quiet the mind? Good luck! However, if you break it down piece by piece and just try doing one thing, it can eventually lead you to the real deal. Just trying this breathing technique here or that thought pattern there can ease you into a meditation practice. It doesn’t need to be this scary thing. You don’t need to become someone who sits in the middle of a forest, surviving on meditative breath alone. That’s why, if I’m teaching a meditation class, I like to start with something simple like the alternate nostril breathing (which I’ve blogged about before).

So what is alternate nostril breathing? It’s really rather simple. The technique requires the use of your fingers so that you can breathe through one nostril at a time. Why is it effective? By doing something active with your breath (especially active due to the use of your fingers), your mind has to focus on it. Your mind has a much better chance of focusing if you are doing something active with it. Instead of sitting there, hoping that the buzz of your thoughts will quiet, you are taking your breaths with purpose. So, let’s get started–you only need a handful of minutes.

Apr232018

We Walked 17 Miles For Fun

Yesterday, we walked 17 miles just because we wanted to. It was a planned event with family and I don’t even think it was Hungry or my idea to start in the first place. Originally, it was for training purposes for my basically sister-in-law to get ready for a marathon walk, but we ended up just doing it after the event, still. It was a walk across Los Angeles. We started in Los Feliz and ended in Santa Monica. It was a journey and an adventure. We went through so many different parts of the city, experienced so many different emotions, and somehow made it until the very end. I won’t lie to you, sometimes we wanted to quit, but luckily we had a strong group, and made it to the very end. My feet are sore as I write this, but I’m very proud of our group! We all had different fitness levels, different workout regimens, and were different ages–but we completed the journey and had fun doing it!

Apr182018

Investing in Your Health (featuring Ortho Mattress)

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed the other day when I saw Jesse Itzler (entrepreneur and author of one of my favorite books, Living With a Seal) encourage his followers to look at their spending habits differently. A lot of people see the amount that they spend on the gym, supplements, organic produce, free-range meat and quickly reconsider their positive lifestyle changes. They tell themselves that all these things don’t matter as they make up excuses to justify their lack of progress. Whether it is bad genetics, an old injury or they can’t afford it, people are constantly creating barriers for themselves. Still, like in business, you need to invest to see some serious returns!

Apr122018

Thank You!

The SEO for this post isn’t going to be very strong, and while it might not get the most search result views, it contains a message that is extremely important to us at the Hungry & Fit blog… thank you!

Apr092018

How to Cancel a Gym Membership

When to cancel a gym membership might even be a more fitting title. Joining a fitness facility can be a major commitment, depending on the kind of contract that you sign when you start. While there are certainly facilities that “don’t have contracts” you’re still going to perform some transaction. Generally, you’re paying them fees and signing a liability waiver, to protect them from the injuries you might sustain on their grounds. At the end of the day, or your membership, you might have easily given them hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Apr052018

Good Vibes Meditation

Life is this unruly, un-tamable, do-what-it-wants wild thing. It doesn’t really care how you feel, it does what it wants. Sometimes, it is great. Life is on your side, the birds are singing, you got your flow on, and you smile at the world. And then, well, life is moody, so it changes on you in a flash (whether that’s a death, break-up, job loss, or anything else). Where once the birds that sang to you now crap on you and it’s hard not to raise a fist to the world. We’ve learned (through much failure and struggle) that we can’t control life or what happens to us (to a certain degree), but we can change how we react to the world. I love this quote by Maya Angelou:

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.“

And that’s what we’re here to do today. Maybe life is treating you well, maybe you’re on life’s bad side right now, either way, it helps to spread some good energy. So let’s get going on a good vibes meditation.